Sermons on Simon On Cyrene:

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

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

God Of Salvation

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Jul 11, 2021

God wanted to spare the people of Nineveh. He didn't want them to face his judgement. But first, he had to save his servant Jonah. Being inside a big fish in the depths of the sea wasn't Jonah's real problem.

Today we’re continuing our series in Jonah. My first talk was titled ‘God of compassion’. Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, was wicked. God described it as wicked and historians tell us that Assyria was wicked. It wasn’t just a little bit wicked. One historian of the Middle East wrote that ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

God Of Mission

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Jul 17, 2021

Talk 2 in my five-talk series on Jonah. Mission is God's mission. In the story of Jonah - and especially in view of what Jesus says about Jonah - we recognize that God is the master strategist in mission and he's breathtakingly creative.

Jonah Talk 2: God of Mission Last week I started a new series on Jonah. My major theme last week was how compassionate God is. At the time of Jonah, the Assyrian Empire was expanding. Historians of the Middle East tell us how cruel the Assyrian rulers were. I spared you the grizzly details. ...read more

Scripture: Jonah 3:1-5, Matthew 12:38-41, Luke 11:29-30

Denomination: Baptist

The Greatest Conversion In History

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Jul 19, 2021

We can make a case for Nineveh's conversion being the greatest conversion in history. But whether it was or not, Jesus was clearly impressed. It shows us what genuine repentance looks like.

When I was a child people would sometimes give me a book called ‘the Guinness Book of Records’ as a Christmas present. I guess many of us have come across it. I remember as a kid browsing through the records. You can now find most of the records online and it’s now called simply ‘Guinness World ...read more

Scripture: Jonah 3:1-10

Denomination: Baptist

God Of Restoration

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Jul 24, 2021

Jonah is angry; God helps him to deal with it. God's action is a great example to us in how to help someone who's hurting. We also see how God sometimes speaks to Jonah. We should be aware that God may speak in this way.

Over the past four weeks we’ve been following a series on Jonah. Today we move on to the last chapter in the book of Jonah and the last talk in our series. Since some of you haven’t been with us as we’ve gone through the book of Jonah, I’d like to fill you in on what’s been happening. The prophet ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

"Is Not Life More Than Food And The Body More Than Clothing?” Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Aug 2, 2021

Anxiety is a huge issue today. Jesus shows us how to deal with it – by asking key questions!

For the last two Sundays we’ve looked at two questions a lawyer asked Jesus: ‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?’ and ‘And who is my neighbour?’ They’re both really important questions. The two questions are connected. In order to be saved we need to love our neighbour – so we need to know ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:25-30

Denomination: Baptist

Gathering For Encouragement Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Aug 2, 2021

Hebrews 12:1 tells us to 'run with endurance'. Only long races need endurance - marathons, for example. In a marathon, encouragement makes all the difference. The Christian life can be tough. We need encouragement and we need to encourage others.

Today we’re starting a new series. We will have four talks on the theme of ‘Why we gather’. Last Sunday we met back at church after sixteen months of having our morning services online. That’s a significant moment. But something else has been happening. About four months ago we started a new ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:24-25

Denomination: Baptist

Why We Gather, No.2, Rhythm

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Aug 15, 2021

God wants human life to have a rhythm to it and meeting together on Sunday helps us to establish that rhythm.

INTRODUCTION Two weeks ago we started a new four-talk series titled ‘Why we gather?’ I got the idea for the series from a website called SermonCentral. For the past 16 months most of us haven’t been gathering, or at least, not in person. Two weeks ago we started to meet again. So I think ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 1:14, Genesis 2:1-3, Isaiah 58:13-14

Denomination: Baptist

Gathering For Strength Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Aug 28, 2021

Paul calls the Philippians to stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. His relationship with the church in Philippi illustrates what he's talking about. It's challenging!

[INTRODUCTION AND RECAP] We’re doing a series on ‘why Christians gather together.’ We’re emerging from the Covid pandemic and the various lockdowns and we’ve started to meet together in person so it seems a good time to ask why we gather together. I am loosely following a sermon series I found on ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:18-30

Denomination: Baptist

The King Long-Awaited Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Nov 27, 2021

Old Testament prophecies build our faith that Jesus is really God's anointed. We look at prophecies which give us the where, when and who of Jesus' birth.

Today we’re starting our Christmas series of talks. I’ve given the series the title ‘NOT YOUR USUAL KING’. After Jesus was born, magi – astrologers – came from the east to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is he who has been born KING OF THE JEWS?’ [Matthew 2:2]. After the magi found Jesus, ‘they fell ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 9:6-7, Daniel 9:25-26, Micah 5:2

Denomination: Baptist

What King Is Announced By A Star? Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Dec 4, 2021

Stars cause us to wonder. What was the star that appeared when Jesus was born? Was it a comet from a remote part of the solar system which happened to arrive at just the right time? Or was the universe itself acknowledging the coming of its creator and king?

Last Sunday we started our Christmas series of talks. I’ve given the series the title ‘NOT YOUR USUAL KING’. There are lots of ways in which Jesus is NOT your usual king. Last week we looked at some prophecies in the Old Testament that gave us the when, where and who of Jesus’ birth. No king ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

Three Big Reasons To Rejoice At Christmas

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Dec 24, 2021

Jesus' birth was cause for lots of rejoicing. But wasn't it a long time ago? Is it still cause for rejoicing for us? It certainly is!

[This is a short sermon / reflection for a short Christmas Day service.] Earlier in the service we reminded ourselves of the Christmas story. Perhaps we thought: that’s a nice story. But does it really affect me? In the Christmas story in the Bible there’s a constant note of joy. Elizabeth ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 9:7, Luke 1:32-33, Matthew 2:10

Denomination: Baptist

A Great Message Of Encouragement

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Jan 8, 2022

At the start of 2022 most of us probably feel that the future looks very uncertain. We want to hear God's message of encouragement. As the Israelites prepared to enter the Promised Land, God had a great message of encouragement for them.

THE SCENE I’d like you to imagine a scene. It’s about 1500 B.C. We’re in a wilderness a little to the south of the Dead Sea in what was then Moab and is now Jordan. Around us there are people, tents, and animals. The people look tough, weather-beaten. For forty years they’ve been living as ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 31:1-8

Denomination: Baptist