Sermons on Simon The Sorcerer:

Why David Is So Important Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Aug 18, 2024

David is a hugely important figure in the Bible. But if we're going to learn from him we need to have an understanding of why he is so important.

Part 1: Is David important? Over the next few months, we’re going to have eight studies on David, the shepherd who became king. We could easily give David much more time than that – he’s such an important person in the Bible, but we can’t fit in more than eight studies between now and December ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:1, Revelation 22:16, Acts 13:22

Denomination: Baptist

The Good Shepherd Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Aug 18, 2024

Jesus said 'I am the Good Shepherd.' This is one of Jesus' most famous descriptions of himself. It gives us a lot of encouragement. But there are some things he calls us to do: follow, listen and flee.

INTRODUCTION A couple of weeks ago, we started a new series for the afternoon services, looking at WHO JESUS IS. In the Bible, God the Father and Jesus have many titles and descriptions. They tell us something about God the Father or Jesus. When Jesus was crucified, Pilate had a notice prepared ...read more

Scripture: John 10:1-17

Denomination: Baptist

Anointed Fugitive Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Aug 23, 2024

Samuel anointed David. But now, he's a fugitive, holed up in a cave! He isn't happy. But he does exactly the right thing. We can learn from him for the times when we feel everyone has abandoned us, when we're in a dark, damp, smelly metaphorical cave.

Last week we started a new series looking at David in the Old Testament. I made two very simple points. First, David is a huge figure in the Bible. There is loads about him in the Old Testament. That alone means that David must be really important. But even more significant is the way the New ...read more

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

Witnessing To The Angels

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on May 24, 2025

Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:10, 'So that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.' What does this mean?!

INTRODUCTION Today, we’re moving on to Ephesians 3. In my first talk, I showed you this picture. It’s produced by the BibleProject and it presents the structure of Ephesians. Ephesians 1 and 2 both get a lot of space. But look at Ephesians 3! It just gets a little corner! It seems that the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:10

Denomination: Baptist

God Of Second Chances

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Nov 5, 2022

Jesus' restoring Peter after he denied him shows that he's in the business of giving second chances. He's also given us an example to follow.

BACK STORY In our children’s story we heard about Peter denying Jesus. Peter failed. But Peter shouldn’t have been the one to fail. He was Peter the rock. He was supposed to be the strong one, the solid one. But Peter had brought it on himself. Jesus told his disciples what would happen to ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Now For The Real Enemy... Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Nov 30, 2022

In Revelation 12 the wraps are taken off our greatest enemy the great red dragon, Satan. He is defeated. Not dead yet, but he is definitely defeated. Christ won the victory on the cross. Michael and the angels in heaven fought. And we, God's people, also play a part.

We’ve come to the last of our talks in our present series on Revelation. Today we’re looking at a passage in Revelation 12. Revelation has 22 chapters, so we’re only half way through the book. Many commentators think that Revelation 12 is one of the key chapters in Revelation. In this chapter, ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 12:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

The Supreme Fact Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Mar 22, 2025

Jesus' resurrection is the supreme fact of history. We need to grasp it firmly as a truth. Everything else builds on it.

Easter talk, No.1 Let’s suppose some components arrive in a factory. They’re inspected. They pass the inspection and they continue into the factory. There was a fact: the components passed the inspection. The fact led to a decision: the components are received. We may not work in business or ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:36-43

Denomination: Baptist

The Necessity Of The Cross Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Mar 29, 2025

Jesus is the key - the only key - which can release us from our imprisonment to sin.

THE NECESSITY OF THE CROSS Charles Wesley was born in 1707. He was the 18th child! His parents had one more child after him. If it was today, the Wesleys would have been in the news! 19 children is exceptional. Charles Wesley’s father, Samuel Wesley, was the rector of the local church. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:8, 1 Corinthians 15:3, 1 John 2:1, Genesis 3:24, John 8:34, Genesis 2:16-17, Romans 6:23, Isaiah 53:6, Exodus 26:31, Exodus 26:35, 2 Chronicles 3:14, 1 Peter 2:24, Hebrews 2:10, Philippians 2:8  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Welcoming The King Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Apr 12, 2025

On Palm Sunday Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey and in doing so, presented himself to the people of Jerusalem as king. We also come to similar defining moments. We too must decide how we will receive Jesus -- and the consequence of our decision is incalculable.

Last week, King Charles and Queen Camilla visited Italy. They met the president of Italy. They met the prime minister of Italy. They met the pope. Then King Charles was invited to give a speech to the Italian parliament. Then King Charles and Queen Camilla were invited to a state banquet ...read more

Scripture: Zechariah 9:9

Denomination: Baptist

Four Things To Remember At Easter Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Apr 19, 2025

This was a talk for a family service on Easter Sunday. It has four symbolic actions that remind us that Jesus is the truth, Jesus is the key, Jesus is the king and Jesus is the life.

N.B. The parts of this 'talk' were broken up through the service. Today, it’s Easter Sunday. Easter Sundays are always great days! For us as Christians, Easter Sunday is one of the most important days of the year. Perhaps it’s the most important. This Sunday, I’m going to do things a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 12:38-42, 1 Peter 2:24, Revelation 3:20, Acts 2:24, John 14:19  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Six Things To Learn About The Holy Spirit

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Jun 7, 2025

This is a talk for a family service on Pentecost Sunday, reminding us of some of the most important things about the Holy Spirit, with lots of visual aids.

THIS IS A FAMILY SERVICE SO THIS ‘TALK’ IS MEANT TO BE SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN AND QUITE INTERACTIVE. The scripture quotations are from the International Children’s Bible. Today’s an important day in the Christian calendar. It’s day for celebrating! It isn’t Christmas. It isn’t Easter. So, what ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

The Tears Of Jesus Series

Contributed by Simon Measures on Jul 19, 2025

What does it mean that Jesus wept? This sermon explores the humanity of Christ, the purpose of shared sorrow, and the healing power of empathy within the church community. It offers practical encouragement for ministers and believers alike in how to “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15).

The Tears of Jesus by Pastor Simon Measures July 6th 2025 Preface This message was preached at Harvest Field Church, Cheltenham on July 6th 2025, in the days immediately following the graveside committal and memorial celebration service for my wife, Ruth, who passed away quite suddenly. It was a ...read more

Scripture: John 11:35, John 19:24-27, Romans 12:15

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational