Portraits of Jesus

November 2017 to Current

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Dear Church Family,

People’s lives fascinate us. Today more than ever we consume magazine articles, read accounts of un-authorised biographies, and watch chat shows, all to learn from a safe distance as much as we can about the joys and griefs of other people. It must, I think, have something to do with the desire we have to get to know famous people more intimately. We can be so concerned and so interested in the lives of films stars, footballers, politicians and royalty, that we spend an inordinate amount of time, effort and money trying to find out more about them.

When Jesus of Nazareth walked this earth some two thousand years ago he had his admirers and onlookers too. Some said he was, “…John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” (Matthew 16:13) For those who were not prepared to meet the man behind the image he remained a mystery. But Jesus was not prepared to let this opportunity pass and so he asked the disciples a penetrating question; the most important question anyone can ever be asked, “Who do you say I am?” (v.15) Peter’s answer to that question was, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (v.16)

What about you? That same question still shouts at every human being two millenniums later: “Who do you say Jesus Christ is?” Each one of us is called to make a response. Is he: A good man? A skilled teacher? A miracle worker? A religious charlatan? How do we treat his name? With indifference? As a swear word? Or do we recognise that he is the Christ, the Son of the living God, sent to save us from our sins, and that there is “no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)?

John Stott once said that ‘it is not that people have investigated and then rejected Jesus; it is nearly always that they have never really examined his life and his claims.’ They have not taken the time to get to know this Jesus in the way they would someone on the front page of the latest glossy magazine; and yet nothing is more important for any human being than to get to know Jesus Christ more intimately.

In a forthcoming series of sermons entitled Portraits of Jesus we will be looking at how Jesus Christ is portrayed in John’s gospel. We won’t be staying at a safe distance but rather will get behind the popular image to the real person. My desire is that we get to see Jesus up close and personal in these portraits as John lays him bare for us; that we ‘waste time’ with Jesus, getting to know him more intimately.

My prayer is that our faith will be enlivened, strengthened and enriched by these sermons as we journey with Jesus together.

Pastor Barry

Sermons

The sermons below are displayed in reverse order: the most recent at the top. If you want to listen to the sermons in the correct order, start at the bottom and work your way up the list.