Christ Church Selly Park

Bobbie Frere | Mark 1:35-45   Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: ‘Everyone is looking for you!’ Jesus replied, ‘Let us go somewhere else - to the nearby villages - so that I can preach there also. That is why I have...

Susan Haynes | Mark 1:14-34   After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’ As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send...

Susan Haynes | Matthew 28:16-20   Jesus came to [the eleven disciples] and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ The Great...

Allan Bartlam | Ephesians 4:11-16 | Colossians 2:6-7   Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your li...

Ben Green | Matthew 28.16-20   Jesus came to [the eleven disciples] and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ The first par...

John Lanchbury | 2 Kings 6:15-17 | Matthew 28:16-20   When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. ‘Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?’ the servant asked. ‘Don't be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, Lord, so that h...

Graham Romp | 1 Peter 3:15-16   In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. The sixth 'M' in our series Fruitfulness on t...

Chris Turner | 2 Samuel 12:1-13   David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.’ Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man!’ Very few of us will ever find ourselves in the same situation as the prophet Nathan, who at God's command conf...

Nigel Hand | Matthew 5:13-16   [Jesus said,] ‘You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.’ ‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it...

Dan Parnell | Deuteronomy 8:7-18   When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow...

Susan Haynes | Luke 10:25-37   Jesus said: ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. B...

Ben Green | Colossians 3:22-4:1   Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favour, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lor...

Peter Frere | Galatians 5:13-26   The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. These are qualities that we all want, but how do we m...

Ben Green | Mark 4:26-29   [Jesus] also said, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces corn – first the stalk, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. As soon as the corn is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harves...

Bobbie Frere | Colossians 1:1-2,15-20   The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him... For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcil...

Ben Green | Job 42.7-17 The Lord said, 'My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly.' ... and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer. To close the series Ben summarises what Job teaches us about the life of a believer: marked by warfare, requiring patience, humility and forgiveness - with blessing at the end. The recording begins with the re...

Ben Green | Job 38.1 - 42.6 'Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?     Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!' In the penultimate talk of the series, Ben looks at God's two speeches in reply to Job.  First God reminds Job that he is God - creator, sustainer of all.  Then he explores the nature of evil through the pictures of Behemoth and Leviathan...

Graham Romp | Job 9.32-35 | James 5.7-11 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming... As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. In this interlude in our series 'Job: Out of the Storm' Graham explores how Job points to Jesus in wha...

Ben Green | Job 32:1-5 | Job 33:8-18   Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God. He was also angry with the three friends, because they had found no way to refute Job, and yet had condemned him... When he saw that the three men had nothing more to say, his anger was aroused. ‘But I tell you, in this you are not right,...

Allan Bartlam | Job 29:1-17 | Job 30:9-10, 30:16-23, 31:35-37   ‘How I long for the months gone by,   for the days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone on my head   and by his light I walked through darkness! Oh, for the days when I was in my prime,   when God's intimate friendship blessed my house, when the Almighty was still with me   and my children were around me.’ ... ‘I cry out to y...

Ben Green | Proverbs 8:1-11, 22-29 | Job 28   Does not wisdom call out?   Does not understanding raise her voice? ... ‘Choose my instruction instead of silver,   knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies,   and nothing you desire can compare with her.’ Where then does wisdom come from?   Where does understanding dwell? ... God understands the way to it   and he alo...

Ben Green | Job 19   ‘Have pity on me, my friends, have pity,   for the hand of God has struck me. Why do you pursue me as God does?   Will you never get enough of my flesh?’ ... ‘I know that my redeemer lives,   and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed,   yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him   with my own eyes – I, and not another.   Ho...

Allan Bartlam | Revelation 7:9-12   After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the La...

Bobbie Frere | Job 9:1-24, 32-35   Then Job replied: ‘Indeed, I know that this is true.   But how can mere mortals prove their innocence before God? Though they wished to dispute with him,   they could not answer him once in a thousand times. His wisdom is profound, his power is vast.   Who has resisted him and come out unscathed? ... How then can I dispute with him?   How can I find words to argu...

Susan Haynes | Job 15:1-26   Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: ‘Would a wise person answer with empty notions   or fill their belly with the hot east wind? Would they argue with useless words,   with speeches that have no value? But you even undermine piety   and hinder devotion to God. Your sin prompts your mouth;   you adopt the tongue of the crafty. Your own mouth condemns you, not mine;   you...