John – Salisbury Baptist Church

Unified Worship and the Spirit’s Power

21st April 2024

In the sermon, the preacher explores the significant role of glorifying God in experiencing His presence, drawing parallels between Old Testament practices and New Testament teachings. Focused on the manifestation of God's presence through unified worship, as seen in the Old Testament with the temple dedication, the sermon connects these events to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as described in John 7. Emphasising that glorification of God and Jesus enables believers to experience the Holy Spirit's power today, the preacher expounds on how this spiritual understanding can transform personal faith and communal worship. This sermon encourages believers to recognize and participate in the life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit, inspired by a genuine acknowledgment of God’s glory.

Revival and Worship in the New Covenant

21st April 2024

This sermon explores the profound shift from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant and the critical role of the Holy Spirit in this transformation. The preacher delves into biblical instances of God’s manifested presence, such as the cloud filling the temple, to illustrate God’s continued desire to be amongst His people. The message highlights the need for genuine spiritual revival which often comes when heartfelt worship from God’s people occurs. This talk is especially relevant for those interested in understanding how historical biblical events in the Old Testament apply to modern faith practices and church life.

From Shadow to Reality

29th March 2024

This sermon delves into the central theme of Christianity: the significance of Jesus Christ's once for all time sacrifice on the cross. The sermon emphasises how the Gospels march us on to arrive at the scene of the crucifixion, highlighting its pivotal role in our faith. The narrative slows down, almost to a full stop leaving us gazing up at the cross as Christ shouts “It is finished!” We are brought to a profound understanding that Christ's death is not just an event but the culmination of God's ongoing redemptive plan. The sermon illustrates how this singular act of love and sacrifice serves as the foundation for our sanctification, offering a path from the shadows of the Old Testament laws to the reality of a new covenant fulfilled in Jesus. It calls believers to recognize the completeness of this sacrifice — how it not only absolves us of our sins but also perfects us for all time, ushering us into a life of ongoing sanctification empowered by the Holy Spirit. Through this message, the listener is invited to embrace the full assurance of faith that comes from trusting in the finished work of Christ on the cross.

God’s “agape” love lifting other types of love higher

24th March 2024

This sermon explores the transformational journey from adhering to the Old Covenant and Pharisaical interpretations of the law to embracing Jesus' teachings of unconditional, divine love (agape). It highlights Jesus' call for His followers to love not just their neighbours but also their enemies, reflecting God's perfect love and progressing in personal sanctification. Through the exploration of key biblical texts, the sermon underscores the importance of letting God's love extend beyond familial or brotherly love to include even strangers, showcasing a radical hospitality rooted in divine love. It challenges believers to rely not on their strength but on God's, to live out this high calling of perfect love in their daily lives, involving a sanctification process that moulds them to be more like the Father.

Have I been so long with you yet you do not know me, Philip?

17th March 2024

The sermon emphasises the importance of truly knowing Jesus beyond mere belief in God or adherence to religious practices. The preacher recounts an anecdote about a bumper sticker and explores how superficial expressions of faith can sometimes misrepresent our deeper convictions. Through key scripture references, including a poignant interaction between Jesus and His disciple Philip, the sermon underlines that being a Christian is fundamentally about having a personal, transformative relationship with Christ. This relationship goes beyond simply knowing about Jesus or following religious rituals; it involves an intimate, experiential knowledge that impacts one's entire life and identity. The sermon invites listeners to reflect on the depth of their faith and encourages a journey towards truly knowing and experiencing Jesus.

Nathanael – The First Elite with no Guile

10th March 2024

This sermon dives deep into the Beatitudes within the context of Matthew chapters 5 and 6, emphasising Jesus' call for a higher standard of righteousness that goes beyond mere legalism to a heart transformed by sanctification. It explores the nuanced biblical understanding of murder versus manslaughter, underlining the importance of intention and malice in defining wrongful acts. Moreover, it discusses the significance of truthfulness and honesty in our dealings, as exemplified by Jesus' interaction with Nathanael in the Gospel of John. Jesus references the fact of God's moulding the character of the original Jacob to be named "Israel". The changes have sanctified his guile such that he can well represent being an Israelite. The key point revolves around the parallel New Covenant Christian journey toward sanctification, not just avoiding outward sins but cultivating an inward purity of heart and intention, striving towards perfection as our Heavenly Father is perfect.

God alone brings Revival

11th February 2024

"In our church we have been talking about in the morning services the old covenant led by Moses the law and the new covenant Led by Jesus and the biblical statement. That's The law came by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ This morning particularly we are looking at the word grace and the fact that grace is when God pours out His love love and does something for you totally undeserved. That's his grace."

Progressive Revelation

21st January 2024

"I don't know whether you're aware of the fact that Jesus sees you as not necessarily able to take what he really wants to tell you. Are you aware of the fact that the Bible, in all of its teaching, examples what the theologians now call progressive revelation. And progressive revelation is nothing to do with contradicting some earlier truth and saying it was wrong. It's not correcting things. But it is the fact that God always has the problem with humanity that we humanity can't take in all the things he'd want to tell us."

Spirit of Grace continued

14th January 2024

"In our church, we've been learning about the Old Covenant and the move into the New Covenant. And so, history has been divided as far as God's promises, and particularly the covenants that he made with his people, Israel. And both the Old Covenant, through Moses, and then eventually Jesus, through Jesus, the New Covenant was made. But both of those covenants were made with Israel, God's people. Where do we come in as those who are in the church? We come in because in the making of the New Covenant, it was made available on a different basis than that which followed the Old Covenant's reliance on the Mosaic Law. But rather, the New Covenant entrance point was in your attitude to Christ. And Jesus, and belief in him, and trust in him for the forgiveness of sins, was the entrance door. The entrance door into the New Covenant God gave to Israel. And by everybody being invited to come in who were prepared to believe in Jesus, it formed a new body, not just people who were Jews, but a new body, both Jews and non-Jews, anybody, in fact, who was prepared to put their faith in Christ. That's the New Covenant."

Steps to the new beginning

31st December 2023

"I think a New Year's resolution often is when we come to a place of realising we need to make a decision as to direction. And we don't need to necessarily carry it all out or know everything about it, but we sometimes do need to take one step. And if I can help you today to take a step, an important step that the Scriptures help us to see is a part of what it is to be a disciple of Jesus."