Category: Sermon

Jesus, Son of God – Hebrews 1:1-4 Sermon

Posted on by Phill Sacre

Yesterday in our church we began a new sermon series for Advent. I was preaching, the passage was Hebrews 1:1-4. The idea behind this series is to try to understand that Jesus is more than a ‘baby in a manger’: people often like to see the manger at Christmas time, but then leave Jesus there.

In this sermon we think about three reasons we shouldn’t leave Jesus in the manger!

Read the passage online via Bible Gateway.

During the sermon I mention our church’s Ask a Pastor videos – you can see these on this playlist.

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Where to find wisdom – Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 Sermon

Posted on by Phill Sacre

A sermon on Ecclesiastes 12:9-14, part of a sermon series on Ecclesiastes preached at our church. As you can probably tell, this sermon was actually recorded at home due to the present lockdown restrictions in the UK! I apologise for the camera focus issues at the beginning. I hope it doesn’t distract too much.

In the final part of this series, The Teacher finishes off by giving us a summary of wisdom. Why should we listen to him, and what is wisdom in a nutshell?

You can see the previous sermon on Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:8 here. All content from Understand the Bible about Ecclesiastes can be found under the Ecclesiastes tag. All sermons can be found in the sermons category.

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How to find joy – Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:7 Sermon

Posted on by Phill Sacre

A sermon on Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:8, part of a sermon series on Ecclesiastes preached at our church. As you can probably tell, this sermon was actually recorded at home due to the present lockdown restrictions in the UK!

People sometimes think Christians are “anti-joy”. That couldn’t be further from the truth: God wants us to find joy. In fact, it’s wrong not to find joy as Christians. But the joy that God wants us to have is more than the joy the world can give. How do we find joy beyond the things of this lifetime?

Read the passage online via Bible Gateway.

You can see the previous sermon on Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 here. All content from Understand the Bible about Ecclesiastes can be found under the Ecclesiastes tag. All sermons can be found in the sermons category.

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What is success? Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 Sermon

Posted on by Phill Sacre

A sermon on Ecclesiastes 11:1-6, part of a sermon series on Ecclesiastes preached at our church. This sermon was actually recorded at home due to the lockdown restrictions in the UK at the time of writing!

The world thinks a lot about success. But what is success? Maybe having a good career, and plenty of money in the bank? Having a good and happy marriage? Big house or car? And how do we get there – lots of hard work? This passage in Ecclesiastes helps us to think about what God thinks success looks like and how we get there.

Read the passage online via Bible Gateway.

You can see the previous sermon on Ecclesiastes here. All content from Understand the Bible about Ecclesiastes can be found under the Ecclesiastes tag.

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Why it’s important to remember: Deuteronomy 8 Sermon

Posted on by Phill Sacre

It’s just coming up to Remembrance Sunday in the UK. Remembering is something which is hugely important. Remembering gives us the opportunity to learn and grow. It is something which the Bible has a lot to say about: remembering plays a big part in the Christian faith. In this sermon from Deuteronomy 8, we look at remembering and forgetting. What part do they have to play in God’s plans?

Read the passage online via Bible Gateway.

If you’d like to find out more about the “Miracle of Dunkirk”, someone made a great video all about it.

Want more?

You can see all sermons on Understand the Bible under the sermons category.

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Enjoy life without fear | Ecclesiastes 9:1-12 Sermon

Posted on by Phill Sacre

A sermon on Ecclesiastes 9:1-12, part of a sermon series on Ecclesiastes preached at our church.

Death, according to The Teacher in Ecclesiastes, can make us mad. This madness can show itself in one of two ways:

  • We want to build empires, gain possessions, squeeze everything we can from this life – to distract ourselves from the reality of death;
  • We try to do all that we can to avoid death, fearing it, and trying to be as safe as we can.

Ecclesiastes says that both of these approaches are wrong. Ecclesiastes teaches us that we should accept life as a gift and live it gratefully and joyfully. Find out more in this sermon on Ecclesiastes 9:1-12.

Read the passage online via Bible Gateway.

You can see the previous sermon on Ecclesiastes here. All content from Understand the Bible about Ecclesiastes can be found under the Ecclesiastes tag.

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The limitations of wisdom | Ecclesiastes 7:1-25 Sermon

Posted on by Phill Sacre

A sermon on Ecclesiastes 7:1-25, part of a sermon series on Ecclesiastes preached at our church.

Death, according to Ecclesiastes, should teach us wisdom. But here, The Teacher says we should know the limitations of wisdom. Wisdom can do many things, but it doesn’t promise an easy life, or solve every problem. Here we are challenged to think about true Christian wisdom, which does not shy away from the challenges of living in a fallen world.

Read the passage online via Bible Gateway.

You can see the previous sermon on Ecclesiastes here.

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When church is meaningless | Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 Sermon

Posted on by Phill Sacre

A sermon on Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, part of a sermon series on Ecclesiastes preached at our church.

In the first few chapters of Ecclesiastes we’ve thought about how life is meaningless without God. But can that even apply to church? How can we “do” church so that it’s not meaningless?

This is one of the passages in Ecclesiastes where the writer throws us a curveball, so to speak: he helps us to understand that the worship of God is not a tickbox exercise but must be from the heart to be useful.

Read the passage online via Bible Gateway.

You can see the previous sermon on Ecclesiastes here.

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No Sacred-Secular Divide | Psalm 65 Sermon

Posted on by Phill Sacre

A sermon on Psalm 65 from one of our Harvest services. In this sermon I look at the idea of the sacred-secular divide. We find from Psalm 65 that there is no such thing – everything is spiritual.

A lot of people have two boxes: a “sacred” box, where they put things like prayer, Bible reading, church, etc. Then they have a “secular” box, where they put everything else – work, school, friends, family, etc. What Psalm 65 helps us to see is that we shouldn’t have such a distinction: everything in life is spiritual.

Read the passage online here.

If you’re looking for more content on the Psalms, check out the Thought for the Week – I have recently started working my way through the Psalms, doing a short (10-minute) reflection, with a prayer, each week.

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