On Sunday I got to preach at Horizon Church Carterton, continuing their series on Jesus and Discipleship. We looked at Matthew 4, Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, and I explored three attacks that Jesus faced, which we also often experience ourselves: You can check out the video and podcast below.
Tag: gospel
Jonah 2: A Prayer from Rock Bottom
Sinking to the bottom of the ocean, Jonah must have felt his life was over, but God had other plans. In this talk from Oxford Community Church, I look at Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the fish, and what it tells us about the nature of salvation.
Venom and Antivenom: A Gospel Metaphor
Tim Friede has been bitten by snakes more than 200 times and received 700 injections of venom. Now his blood could save hundreds of thousands of people. It’s an imperfect gospel metaphor to be sure, but it’s not bad. The Seed and the Serpent From its opening pages to the closing ones, Scripture uses…
Freedom from Sin (Romans 6)
On Sunday I spoke at Horizon Church Carerton as part of their series on Romans. We looked at the subject of freedom and considered how our beliefs affect our behaviours, and how the gospel radically changes our identity. If you fancy catching up, here are the video and audio. (Note – this is a similar…
A Priest like Melchizedek (Hebrews 7)
On Sunday I continued our series at Oxford Community Church, looking at the identity of Jesus in the letter to the Hebrews. After a few weeks of tantalising hints, we finally spoke about the enigmatic figure of Melchizedek – a priest and king, who receives a fleeting mention in Genesis 14, and then fades into…
Freedom (Romans 6)
On Sunday I spoke at Wantage Community Church as part of their series on Romans. We looked at chapter 6 and considered the subject of freedom. What difference does the gospel make to our lives? And can we truly be free from sin? If you fancy catching up, here’s the video: For more on Romans…
God’s Manifold Wisdom (Ephesians 3)
On Sunday I kicked off a new sermon series at Oxford Community Church, looking at biblical images of the church. We considered Paul’s conversion, and what that taught him about Christ and the church, before turning to Ephesians 3 and thinking about how the wisdom of God is made known through the mystery of the…
Re-Branding Through Baptism: Celebration, Cynicism, and Cautious Hope
So Russell Brand got baptised. Last Sunday, in the Thames. I watched this video of him describing the experience – you may have seen it. It was moving and beautiful to hear him describe the peace he has searched for in many places, and has now come to experience, since accepting Christ as his saviour….
Put on the Suit: Cola, Christ, and the Santa-Verse
I wonder what you’ve made of this year’s flurry of Christmas adverts? Between John Lewis going all Little Shop of Horrors, M&S taking a flamethrower to family festivities, and Aldi giving us thinly-veiled euphemisms from a talking carrot, it’s been an odd bunch! For what its worth, my favourite offering for 2023 is Apple’s short…
God: The Just and Gracious Judge
On Sunday I continued our series at Oxford Community Church on the character of God, and I spoke on the theme of God as the Just and Gracious Judge. In particular we considered: We covered a lot of ground! I trust some of it will be helpful to you. If you’re interested, you can check…
Liam Thatcher 