Sermons on Simon Magus:

Reflection D.5 / Does God Have A Purpose In Coronavirus? Revelation. The Four Horsemen.

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Jun 12, 2020

When did the four horsemen in Revelation 6 set out? After Christ's ascension? In the future? Or, conceivably, in our time? Our view on this question makes a big difference to how we view 'End Times'.

At this point I feel as though I’m at a fork-in-the-road moment. We’re in Revelation 6. I have to keep reminding myself of why I am doing these Reflections. My goal is to ‘diagnose’ coronavirus. I am considering two possible ‘diagnoses.’ The first ‘diagnosis’ is that coronavirus is a random ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 6:8

Denomination: Baptist

Prayer (2) The Lord's Prayer, Part 1

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Jun 14, 2020

Before giving us a model of how we should pray, in the Lord's Prayer, Jesus teaches us about two ways we should not pray - not hypocritically, and not babbling.

14 June 2020 Rosebery Park Baptist Church, Boscombe, Bournemouth, UK ** PRE-TALK I think most of us have been following the news about the racial conflict in the United States following the death of George Floyd in police custody. Yesterday, there was a large ‘Black Lives Matter’ demonstration ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:5-9

Denomination: Baptist

The King Of Glory Comes In

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Sep 12, 2020

The earth is the Lord's. The Lord will return and enter our world as king of glory and mighty warrior. Ancient doors should lift up their heads in anticipation, and so should we.

Psalm 24 INTRODUCTION This month I’m going to take a look at three psalms: Psalms 24, 69 and 119. Today, we’ll look at Psalm 24. The words of the psalm are really moving: ‘Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in…’ We can ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Delighting In God's Law

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Sep 20, 2020

God's law is the basis for the psalmist to be blameless, and that is the basis for him to enjoy God's favour. The psalmist respects God's law, relies on it, delights in it, and asks God to teach him it. But can he be blameless? The answer is yes.

[This talk was quite dependent on PowerPoint slides. I’ve indicated where I used slides with ***] INTRODUCTION Today we’re looking at Psalm 119. One of Psalm 119’s claims to fame is the fact that it’s the longest chapter in the Bible. It’s 176 verses long! It’s way in the lead. In second ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

An Attitude Of Gratitude

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Sep 26, 2020

When we look at how God instructed the Israelites to celebrate TWO harvest festivals we find there is a lot we can apply to how we thank God for his goodness to us. There are some surprises!

Today we’re celebrating Harvest Festival. This year, coronavirus restrictions have resulted in a rather muted celebration. We aren’t meeting at church and we don’t have the usual piles of food to give to the food bank, or a beautiful harvest loaf. I’m going to take a look at some passages and ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 65:9-13, Exodus 23:16, Deuteronomy 16:13, Deuteronomy 16:16

Denomination: Baptist

Good News And A Warning

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Mar 10, 2021

Jesus will come again and establish his kingdom. Great news! But when he does, 'one will be taken and the other left.' It's a sombre warning. For one group, the result is death. We need to understand this message to understand why Jesus had to go the cross.

We’re following Jesus and his disciples on their journey from Galilee to Jerusalem. As Jesus travelled, he taught about ‘the kingdom of God.’ But the Pharisees don’t see much sign of it. So they ask Jesus when it will come. It’s a sensible question! Jesus tells them that the kingdom of God ...read more

Scripture: Luke 17:20-37

Denomination: Baptist

Psalm 69. From Sinking To Singing.

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Mar 12, 2021

This is an outline for a Bible study. Psalm 69 describes David's experience. It contains remarkable prophecies concerning Jesus and his ministry. And it presents a picture of the Christian life that is true for many of us.

‘FROM SINKING TO SINGING’ Read Psalm 69 Q: General impressions? INTRODUCTION Psalm 22 and Psalm 69 are the two most-quoted psalms in the New Testament. Both ‘messianic’ psalms Both psalms of David. Both psalms of lament. Psalm 22 more popular with preachers. Psalm 69 contains curses ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

A Passion For The Lost

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Feb 8, 2021

Jesus welcomed those who others rejected. The Pharisees and scribes pushed them away. The crowd just watched. Who will we be like?

We’re continuing our journey with Jesus and his disciples from Galilee to Jerusalem. This week we’re taking a big hop from Luke 12 to Luke 15. As Jesus and his disciples travelled, Jesus has been teaching [picture on slide]. He and his disciples have been healing and casting out demons. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:1-7, John 10:1-4

Denomination: Baptist

Therefore, Do Not Be Anxious!

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Feb 11, 2021

Jesus isn't simply telling us not to be anxious. He's calling us to have a completely different attitude towards material possessions and material needs from the rich fool; to be confident in God and in that confidence, to be rich towards God and others.

‘Do not be anxious.’ That’s what Jesus told his disciples. If only! we might think. Can we banish anxiety from our hearts simply because Jesus tells us to? We’re in a series in Luke, following Jesus and his disciples on their journey from Galilee down to Jerusalem. Their journey starts in Luke ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:13-34, Matthew 25:31-46, Luke 18:22, Luke 19:8-9, Matthew 10:29  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

The Parable Of The Prodigal Son

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Feb 20, 2021

The parable explains why Jesus received tax collectors and sinners and why we need to too. It's all about God's grace!

Today we’re going to look at the Parable of the Prodigal Son. It’s Jesus’ longest parable and one of the most famous. We can look at this story from several perspectives. We could reflect on the father in the story and what he shows us of God’s extraordinary grace. We could think about the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:33, Proverbs 12:26

Denomination: Baptist

The Guaranteed Return

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Sep 19, 2021

Some investments give good returns. Others completely fail. Is there any investment which gives a guaranteed return? Yes, there is.

I expect some of us invest money, maybe in property or in shares in companies. Perhaps some of us ‘invest’ in other ways. We invest in our future by studying and passing exams. We invest time in people. When we invest, we hope for a return. What do you suppose is the best investment of all? ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:26-29

Denomination: Baptist

The Eighth And Ninth Beatitudes Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Mar 26, 2022

Like it or not, being persecuted is in Jesus' list of the characteristics of the Christian. If we follow Jesus, it's inevitable that we'll be persecuted. But the persecution proves the genuiness of our faith. And it leads to great reward.

Jesus starts the Sermon on the Mount with nine Beatitudes – sayings that start ‘Blessed are’. Jesus wants us to be blessed – meaning, happy or fortunate. In the Beatitudes, Jesus presents us with the key characteristics of the Christian. Some people have said they’re the blueprint of the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:10-12

Denomination: Baptist

Not Ashamed Of The Gospel

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Oct 15, 2021

Paul tells Timothy not to be ashamed of the gospel. Christians today can also face that temptation. Paul then gives some solid arguments why Timothy shouldn't be ashamed of the gospel, and they help us too!

‘So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord’ Today we’re starting a new four-week series on 2 Timothy. I’m looking forward to this short series! Over the years I’ve studied a number of the New Testament letters but I’ve never really studied 2 Timothy. I’m interested to find out what ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:8-14

Denomination: Baptist

Be A Good Soldier

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Oct 16, 2021

'Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus', Paul tells Timothy. We look at the story of three men who did just that: Thomas Cranmer, Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer and ask why.

Last week we started a new series on 2 Timothy. We looked at chapter 1 and I suggested that Paul’s central message to Timothy was, ‘Don’t be ashamed of the gospel’. Today we’re moving on to chapter 2. But I’m going to approach the passage by a different route. I’m going to take a look at three ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:1-13

Denomination: Baptist

Not The Prodigal Son

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Feb 28, 2021

In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the younger son squandered his inheritance. And yet, his father received him back. So, is what we do with our money not important?!’ The Parable of the Dishonest Manager is Jesus' answer.

"Not the prodigal son" Today we’re looking at what is often called the Parable of the Dishonest Manager, or the Parable of the Shrewd Manager, or similar. A rich man entrusts his manager with stewardship of his assets. The manager wastes his master’s wealth. The rich man demands an ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:1-15

Denomination: Baptist