Sermons on Simon On Cyrene:

Jesus' Resurrection: The Supreme Fact

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Apr 8, 2023

Jesus' resurrection means our resurrection. Jesus' resurrection shows us what our resurrection will be like. And our redemption paves the way for the redemption of all creation. It's a wonderful prospect!

What does Easter Sunday mean to you? Does it mean a lot or a little? Does the fact that Jesus rose from the dead change very much for you? THE RESURRECTION IS THE SUPREME FACT OF HISTORY When I was at school, I read a little booklet called ‘The Evidence for the Resurrection’. It’s by someone ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

When Problems Come

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on May 2, 2023

Problems come. It's part of life. What are some general principles we need to follow when they do? We look at one of the greatest problems / difficulties / challenges in the history of God's people - the destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians and the exile - for lessons.

Everyone faces problems from time to time. Churches also face problems. For example, a church might unexpectedly lose its pastor and some other key members of its leadership at around the same time. If that happened, how would you view it? Perhaps some of you would say that it’s a CHALLENGE, ...read more

Scripture: Amos 4:7-8, Daniel 9:5, Nehemiah 1:7, Ezra 9:6

Denomination: Baptist

King Charles' Coronation

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on May 6, 2023

It isn't irrelevant. It isn't just pageantry. It's a model for the commissioning of every leader.

Yesterday, I imagine that most of us were glued to our televisions from about 11 to 1 watching King Charles' and Queen Camilla’s coronation. For most of us, this was the first time in our lifetimes that we’d witnessed such an event. It was an extraordinary spectacle. What did you think of it? ...read more

Scripture: Romans 13:1, Romans 13:7

Denomination: Baptist

Is It Worth It?

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on May 13, 2023

This week it's 'Christian Aid Week' (in the UK). Christian Aid calls on Christians to 'give, act and pray.' All good things to do. But we might wonder, is it worth it? Isn't the situation for Planet Earth hopeless?

This week is ‘Christian Aid Week.’ Once a year, Christian Aid especially encourages us as Christians to think about how we respond to a great sea of need in the world. Since this is Christian Aid Week, I thought I should tell you what Christian Aid want to tell us. Christian Aid has prepared ...read more

Scripture: Joel 1:10-12, Joel 2:12-13, Joel 2:20-23

Denomination: Baptist

Jesus The Rock Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Aug 24, 2024

The Old Testament knows God as the Rock. But Jesus is also The rock. He is the only firm foundation to build our lives on. But we need to learn from the ancient Israelites. They were unfaithful and most were destroyed. We must not make the same mistake.

INTRODUCTION We’re in a series looking at descriptions of Jesus. The Bible is full of descriptions of God the Father, of Jesus, and of the Holy Spirit. Last week, we looked at one of Jesus’ descriptions of himself. He said, ‘I am the good shepherd’ [John 10:11]. We looked at what shepherds were ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:4

Denomination: Baptist

David: Man Of Prayer Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Aug 30, 2024

In this talk we look at how David prayed when he faced enemies or storms in his life. He cried out to God. But he also remembered vital things about God - things that enabled him to overcome his enemies and stand firm in the storms.

INTRODUCTION How do we pray? Could we pray better? If I asked you, who in the Bible is an expert in prayer, who would you say? You might say David. The psalms are prayers and at least 75 of the 150 psalms in the Book of Psalms were written by David. We’re in a series on David, the shepherd ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 56:3-4

Denomination: Baptist

Jesus, The Bread Of Life Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Aug 31, 2024

Jesus is the bread of life. He is our daily sustenance and this bread gives eternal life. And although his claim sounds unbelievable, too good to be true, we have reason to believe it. Jesus had just fed 5,000 people.

INTRODUCTION We’re doing a series on ‘Titles of Jesus.’ We’ve done two so far. My first talk was on Jesus the Good Shepherd. Then, last week, we looked at Jesus the Rock. It’s wonderful to know that Jesus is our Good Shepherd and our rock. Both of those descriptions of Jesus have their roots in ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

David The Musician Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Sep 7, 2024

In this talk we look at why music and song are so important for Christians.

Note: this was a family service in which children stay in the service. We have a ‘main’ children’s item earlier in the service but also a short talk later in the service. This is to give something for the adults but which is hopefully not too difficult for children. Because it was about music ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 105:2

Denomination: Baptist

David The Warrior Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Sep 21, 2024

David's experience as a warrior is unparalleled. There is a huge amount we can learn from him when it comes to fighting battles. The biggest lesson of all is that the decisive factor in a battle is God being with us.

INTRODUCTION Today we’re returning to our series on ‘Learning from David’ and looking at the subject of ‘David the warrior.’ I thought we’d look at this subject this way. We’ll start by thinking about David and consider three questions. Did David fight? Why did he fight? And how did he fight? ...read more

Scripture: 1 Chronicles 12:1

Denomination: Baptist

Acknowledging God In The Harvest Festival

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Oct 5, 2024

Why MUST we celebrate harvest? What should we thank God for? When and how should we mark it. And what did David think about it?

Today is our harvest festival. It’s the time of year when we formally thank God for the harvest. I’d like to tell you a couple of little stories as a lead in to the subject of thanking God. The first story is about Christmas when I was a child. A pile of presents would build up under the ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 23:16, Hosea 6:6

Denomination: Baptist

David The King Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Oct 19, 2024

We look at David as king. We see that the foundational qualities he needed were justice and righteousness - and he showed them. And we see in David as king a foreshadowing of what Jesus will be like when he fully takes up his rule.

INTRODUCTION We’re in a series titled ‘Learning from David.’ Today’s talk is on David the king. I think today’s talk is the most important talk in this series. That might seem surprising to you. We’ve had ‘David: man of prayer.’ We all hopefully pray. We can relate to that. We’ve had David ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 89:14, Psalm 97:2, Isaiah 9:7, Jeremiah 23:5, Luke 19:11-27  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Paul’s Charge To The Ephesian Elders Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Oct 14, 2023

Paul sees the elders of the Ephesian church for the last time. He gives them a charge: 'Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock.' It's a message the church needs to hear today.

Today’s passage has a lot to tell us about the job of a minister or pastor or elder. Maybe you think, ‘I’m not a minister or pastor or elder. This doesn’t apply to me’! But all of us have responsibilities towards other people. This passage has something to say to all of us. Before I get ...read more

Scripture: Acts 20:17-38

Denomination: Baptist

Would You Have Gone? Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Oct 29, 2023

God leads Paul to Jerusalem. It doesn't seem to make sense. It will be costly. Friends advise against. Would you have gone? We see God's priority is mission.

INTRODUCTION Have you ever been in a situation where you felt that God was asking you to do… Something that DIDN’T MAKE A LOT OF SENSE to you? Something that was COSTLY? Something that all your friends URGE YOU NOT TO DO? That was the situation the apostle Paul was in. Many years previously ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

How To Survive A Storm Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Nov 25, 2023

Three important strategies for surviving a storm. They're all not-so-common common-sense.

The book of Acts is 28 chapters long. In Chapter 28, Paul finally gets to Rome. But chapter 27 is the chapter where the last major drama of the book of Acts happens. It’s the story of Paul in a storm. Luke, who wrote the book of Acts, gave a lot of space to this story. He must think it’s ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Addressing Sin In The Church

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Apr 29, 2024

Jesus has just told the Parable of the Good Shepherd. The shepherd goes after the straying sheep. Then Jesus spells out what WE need to do when we see a member of our church falling into sin and straying.

INTRODUCTION We sometimes hurt people. I can think of times when I’ve hurt people. And people sometimes hurt us. I can think of times when I’ve been hurt. It happens in families, in workplaces and in churches. There was a time when Paul was planning to visit the church in Corinth. But he was ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:15-17

Denomination: Baptist