What is God like? And how does he feel towards those who don’t know him? On Sunday I spoke at our child dedication service, looking at the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15 and showing how Jesus reveals a God who pursues the lost, and gives his life to bring them home.
Tag: the gospel
Signs of the Kingdom
Jesus didn’t only teach about the Kingdom, he also demonstrated it by healing the sick and raising the dead. On Sunday I spoke at Oxford Community Church. continuing our Good News series by looking at how healing is a sign of God’s in-breaking kingdom, and a foretaste of his plan to make all things new….
The Death of David’s Innocent Son (2 Samuel 12)
There are stories in Scripture which, honestly, I struggle with. One of them comes in 2 Samuel 12, when the Lord took the life of David’s innocent son. The context for this is the sin of David against Bathsheba and Uriah. The King summoned Bathsheba to his courts while her husband was away and, presumably…
The Lord’s Supper (Luke 22.7–20)
What is your most vivid food memory? What is the taste or aroma that you experience and it’s like “ah, that takes me back…” Food has an amazing ability to transport us across lands and through time, evoking memories that take us back to a particular place; a holiday; specific meal; a moment in time….
God’s Holy Love (Isaiah 6)
For some of us, those two words don’t naturally seem to fit together; holiness and love. The idea of God’s holiness can feel daunting or scary, whilst the idea of His love may feel far more warm and inviting. So it’s tempting to see these as two aspects of God’s character which are at war…
Gaia: Has the church silenced the sermon of creation?
‘The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge…Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.’ (Psalm 19.1-2, 4) ‘Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen,…
Two types of prodigal. Two types of Father.
Writing about David, Absalom, Judas and Jesus reminded me of this thread I posted a couple of years ago on the return of two prodigal sons. When reading through 2 Samuel, I was struck by how vastly different Absalom’s return to David is in 2 Samuel 14ff, compared to the return of the younger brother…
Healing in his Wings (Luke 8:40-56)
This weekend I preached at Christ Church Manchester, and in the morning I spoke on one of (or rather, two of!) my favourite stories in Luke’s gospel: the healings of Jairus’ daughter and a lady who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. It’s a remarkable passage, which demonstrates the heart of God, the power…
Living Sacrifice: Leave Room for God (Romans 12:17-21)
When we are wronged, we can easily feel tempted to retaliate, defend ourselves and seek revenge. But Paul says there is a better way. In the penultimate talk of our series, I consider how and why we should resist vengeance, and what it means to trust in the justice of God. For more on this…
The Spirit Filled Life: The Hand of God
In Acts 4, the church prayed for God to give them courage and stretch out His hand in signs and wonders. In the final talk of our series, Liam unpacks their prayer and considers what it means for us, as we seek to live lives filled with the Spirit of God. Audio: Listen or download Here…
