BRBC Sermons

Text: Luke 10:1-10, 17-20 (Morning Service) Speaker: James Martin We’re jumping back into our Strategic Vision series. This morning we’re going to be exploring the whole idea of reaching out with the good news about Jesus. However, when we look at the culture around us that doesn’t want to hear the Gospel, reaching others can seem daunting and discouraging. So, where can we find the courage to mak...

Text: Revelation 1:9-20 (Morning Service) Speaker: Richard Underwood However you measure it, we’re a nation of worriers. And that’s in spite of the fact that we have more money… more freedom… more leisure… and better health-care than any generation before us. But there’s nothing new about worry; life’s hardly a picnic for the Apostle John and his first readers. So, what’s the answer? This morning,...

Text: Acts 4-6 (Morning Service) Speaker: James Martin This is our first part in our Sunday morning series on BRBC’s Strategic Vision. But before we can jump into the nuts and bolts of the Strategic Vision, we’ll have to lay the foundation by finding out why a growing church would ever need to make a plan. We’re going to move our way through Acts 4-6 and take a look at 3 key challenges the early c...

(Evening Service) Speaker: James Martin This evening, we will take a look at the life of one of the most industrious and inspirational Christians of the 19th Century. George Müller, a Prussian missionary to the UK and passionate follower of Jesus, is known most notably for his work with orphans. This evening, we’ll take a look a his early life, his conversion, his work with orphans in Bristol and...

Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1-28 (Morning Service) Speaker: Peter Mason Jesus’ resurrection is the central event of the Christian faith, but it often feels like an add-on, relegated to the outer edges of our daily experience. We tend to see the resurrection as either the historical event 2,000 years ago or a vague hope in the far distant future. Does Jesus’ resurrection really give us hope in the prese...

Text: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (Morning Service) Speaker: James Martin

Text: Matthew 21:1-11 (Morning Service) Speaker: James Martin We all know what it’s like to be under an authority—whether that’s the government, a boss or our parents as we grew up. We also know that the way they lead or rule can have a significant impact on our lives. In our passage this morning, Jesus makes a loud and clear statement about his authority: that he is the King. We’ll explore what t...

Text: 2 Corinthians 9:1-15 (Morning Service) Speaker: James Martin So far in this series, we’ve looked at The Mindset behind our giving and The Danger of Wealth , and today we’re going to study Paul’s words about The Heart of the Giver . Paul’s mission is to help his readers understand their giving properly. As we study this, we’ll ask: What should our attitude be to giving? What should the shape...

Text: Luke 18:18-27 (Morning Service) Speaker: Peter Mason Greed is an old forgotten word we reserve for bankers who own yachts, corrupt politicians, or footballer millionaires. Today in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus encounters someone we’d all struggle to label “greedy,” who asks a simple question: “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” - a humble and honest question any of us would love to be asked. T...

Text: 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 (Morning Service) Speaker: James Martin This morning we’ll have a look at Paul’s words to the church in Corinth about their financial generosity. The Corinthians seem to be spectating everyone else’s generosity; there’s the intention to be financially generous but no action. So, Paul’s encouragement to them is to begin thinking properly about their financial giving. Let’...

Text: Jonah 4 (Morning Service) Speaker: James Martin We sing about Grace. We name people Grace. Churches get called Grace. We love God’s grace. But is it possible that grace could make your blood boil? This morning we’ll find an answer as we see through Jonah’s eyes why there is something inherently shocking, scandalous and infuriating about God’s grace. In chapter 4, we’ll find the author holdin...

Text: Jonah 3 (Morning Service) Speaker: James Martin So God sends Jonah to Nineveh... again. And this time Jonah actually goes there and speaks. But what happens is by far the most shocking thing in the entire story: The people of Nineveh listen and go to God for mercy. In Jonah 3, we see an unlikely turn of events and an amazing demonstration of God’s grace. Let’s dive in this morning and watch...

Text: Jonah 2 (Morning Service) Speaker: Peter Mason We pick up the story as Jonah takes his last gulp of air before being thrown down into the depths of the sea where, surprisingly, he finds God. Throughout all of chapter 1, Jonah runs from the presence of the Lord but even in the darkest, loneliness depths of despair in chapter 2, we find that God is still there. We will explore how moments in t...

Text: Jonah 1 (Morning Service) Speaker: James Martin God’s call on Jonah’s life to go to Nineveh was not what Jonah wanted. In Jonah’s mind, God’s call would ruin his life and so Jonah runs away from being part of God’s purposes in the world. Is it possible that we too run and hide from God’s life-giving purposes because we’re afraid of our lives being ruined? This morning we’ll study Jonah 1 and...

Text: Psalm 102 (Morning Service) Speaker: James Martin How are we supposed to pray when we feel confused, hurt and in pain? Well, there’s a special type of prayer in the Bible reserved for that: It’s called Lament. Lament is crisis language. When crisis hits and you are left stranded, wondering what you’re supposed to do and say, that’s when lament comes in. But there’s a problem with our lamenti...

Text: Hebrews 4:14-16 (Morning Service) Speaker: James Martin Ever been in a conversation with someone and you just know they aren’t listening? We all know that can be frustrating and damaging to any relationship. But have you ever felt like that in prayer? Is God really listening? Does he care about what I have to say? We’ll find our answer by exploring the picture Hebrews paints. We’ll find out...

Text: John 13:1-4 (Evening Service) Speaker: Peter Mason This evening we continue our series, “Legends,” as we learn about the life and thought of a puritan from Norfolk: Thomas Goodwin. While he has been hailed as “the greatest pultpit exegete of Paul that has ever lived,” most of us have never heard his name. Tonight we will be aquianted with him and our hearts will be warmed by his profound und...

Text: Luke 18:9-14 (Morning Service) Speaker: Peter Mason In this parable, we’ll meet two very different characters. Both were well-known types of people in 1st Century Israel, and each character exhibits vastly different ways to approach God. This morning we’ll ask ourselves: In light of Jesus’ words, how should we approach God in prayer? And how does that change the way we pray?

Text: Matthew 6:5-8 (Morning Service) Speaker: James Martin In Matthew 6, Jesus shows us three different types of prayer: two to get away from, and one to stick with. Jesus shows us that prayer is not an empty and relentless barrage of words at God or a demonstration of righteousness before people, rather it’s an exercise and a practice of a child of faith.

Text: Ephesians 3:14-21 (Morning Service) Speaker: Peter Mason Most of us know how much prayer is talked about in the Bible. We know that prayer is encouraged and commanded. We know that prayer can change us. We know that prayer changes and transforms our world. But if we’re honest, most of us feel like we’re missing something when it comes to prayer. For our first part in our new series, we’re go...

Text: Genesis 48 (Morning Service) Speaker: James Martin We come to the end of Jacob’s life. He’s old, almost blind, and it’s time for him to say his parting words to his family. But amazingly, after everything that’s happened in his life, the New Testament (Hebrews 11) chooses this passage as the highlight of his life. Why focus on this as the main scene in his life? Evidently, there is something...

Text: Genesis 34 (Morning Service) Speaker: James Martin Out of everything Jacob has seen and been through, this scene has to be the worst of the lot. Having moved to Shechem, his family now seems to be falling apart. The scene is brutal, heart- wrenching and poses complex questions, but at root, it has a simple point. This disaster exposes Jacob and his family to a missed, but key-truth: God form...

Text: Genesis 33 (Morning Service) Speaker: Peter Mason How do you deal with conflicts, disagreements and difficult meetings? Usually we ignore, distract, rationalise, or blame someone – anything to avoid investing the necessary time and energy required to remove that relational ‘roadblock’. But what if these conflicts are more than mere roadblocks? How can they be a means of seeing God in our liv...

Text: Genesis 32 (Morning Service) Speaker: James Martin Jacob is the recipient of God’s promise - he belongs to God, but that doesn’t mean there is not work to be done. This morning we’ll explore a defining moment in Jacob’s life. It’s a moment that shows us how God has been shaping him into the kind of character who can carry the promise. Let’s dive into Genesis 32 to see how God forms, refines...

Text: Genesis 31 (Morning Service) Speaker: James Martin It’s time for Jacob and his family to leave and get back to Jacob’s homeland, but there is one massive problem: His father-in-law, Laban, doesn’t want him to go. This morning we’ll explore the story of Jacob and his family leaving Laban. We’ll find another dysfunctional family situation interwoven with a God- given reassurance of His promise...