First Ards Presbyterian Church Sermoncast

Rev. Craig Lynn preaches 1 Peter 1:3-9 at Easter morning worship on 20th April 2025 in First Ards. Peter doesn’t begin with problems, he begins with praise. Jesus is alive and that changes everything. His resurrection gives us new birth into a living hope, an inheritance that can’t perish, spoil, or fade. That hope holds in suffering. Even when faith feels fragile, God keeps us. Our future is secu...

Rev. David Moore preaches Mark 15:25-39 at our fourth and final joint Holy Week service on Good Friday 18th April 2025 in First Ards. On that Friday, Jesus was crucified. Mocked, rejected and alone, He hung on a cross between criminals. But this was no ordinary death, this was the moment sin was judged, wrath was spent and salvation was won. As darkness fell, Jesus bore the weight of the world’s s...

Rev. David Moore preaches Mark 14:17-26 and 32-36 at our third joint Holy Week service on Thursday 17th April 2025 in First Ards. On the night before the cross, Jesus gives His disciples a powerful promise and prays a profound prayer. The promise? His body and blood, broken and poured out, are the guarantee of God’s covenant love, the gift of forgiveness and life. The prayer? “Not my will, but you...

Rev. David Moore preaches Mark 12:1-12 and 14:1-11 at our second joint Holy Week service on Wednesday 16th April in First Ards. As Holy Week continues, Jesus is rejected by the religious leaders and betrayed by Judas; but in the middle of it all, He’s honoured by a woman who pours out costly perfume in love. While others plot, she worships. It’s a challenge to us. Are we rejecting, betraying or tr...

Rev. David Moore preaches Mark 11:12-19 at our first joint Holy Week service on Tuesday 15th April in First Ards. Jesus curses a fruitless fig tree and overturns tables in the temple. Both are signs of judgment, not on outsiders, but on empty religion. It’s a call to repent, to return to our first love and to let Jesus bring the change we need.

Rev. Craig Lynn preaches 2 Samuel 8:1-18 at evening worship on Sunday 13th March 2025 in First Ards. Following God’s covenant promises to David in chapter 7, 2 Samuel 8 shows those promises beginning to unfold. David’s reign expands through a series of military victories, not for personal glory, but as a testimony to God’s faithfulness. We see a king who rules with justice and righteousness, honou...

Rev. Craig Lynn preaches Matthew 21:1-11 and Philippians 2:5-11 at Palm Sunday morning worship on Sunday 13th April 2025 in First Ards. On Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem to cheers and shouts of “Hosanna!”, but not as the people expected. He came not on a war horse, but on a donkey. Not to claim power, but to lay it down. From Matthew’s account of that first Palm Sunday and Paul’s reflection...

Rev. Craig Lynn preaches Luke 4:42-44 at morning worship on Sunday 6th April 2025 in First Ards. After a powerful day of ministry in Capernaum, Jesus withdraws to pray. When the crowds try to keep Him, He refuses. Jesus hasn’t come to settle, but to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God. This passage reveals the heart of Christ’s mission: not popularity, but purpose. His eyes are set on pre...

Rev. Craig Lynn preaches 2 Samuel 7:18-29 at evening worship on Sunday 30th March 2025 in First Ards. In response to God’s covenant promises, David doesn’t rush to act, he sits and prays. His words reveal a heart shaped by humility, worship and faith. Rooted in God’s grace and promises, David’s prayer becomes a model for how we respond to the mercy and faithfulness of God, not with striving, but w...

Rev. Craig Lynn preaches Luke 4:38–41 at morning worship on Sunday 30th March 2025 in First Ards. Jesus leaves the synagogue and enters Simon’s home, where He heals Peter’s mother-in-law with a word. As evening falls, crowds gather, and Jesus lays hands on each one, healing the sick and casting out demons. This passage shows us the compassion and authority of Christ, not only in public but in priv...

Rev. Craig Lynn preaches Luke 4:31-37 at morning worship on Sunday 23rd March 2025 in First Ards. In Capernaum, Jesus teaches with striking authority, unlike anything the people had heard before. His words don’t just inform, they command. And when a demon confronts Him, Jesus silences and casts it out with a word, showing power not just over minds, but over the unseen spiritual realm. This passage...

Rev. Craig Lynn preaches 2 Samuel 7:1-17 at evening worship on Sunday 16th March 2025 in First Ards. David plans to build a house for God, but God reveals a greater plan, to establish an eternal kingdom through David’s line, fulfilled in Jesus. This passage reshapes history, highlighting God’s faithfulness and a kingdom that will never end.

Rev. Craig Lynn preaches Luke 4:14-30 at morning worship on Sunday 16th March 2025 in First Ards. When Jesus returns to His hometown, He reads from Isaiah and declares, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” At first, the people marvel, but when He challenges their expectations, declaring that God’s grace extends beyond them, their admiration turns to rage. This passage warns us that...

Rev. Craig Lynn preaches Luke 4:1-13 at morning worship on Sunday 9th March 2025 in First Ards. Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness is more than just an example. Where Adam fell in Eden, Jesus stood firm. Where Israel failed in the wilderness, Jesus remained faithful. Satan tempted Him with shortcuts to satisfaction, power and security, but Jesus refused, choosing obedience to the Father over comp...

One of our elders, David Logan, talks about creation at Messy Church on Sunday 2nd March 2025 in First Ards.

Rev. Craig Lynn preaches Luke 3:23-38 at morning worship on Sunday 2nd March 2025 in First Ards. Jesus’ family tree isn’t just history, it’s theology. Luke traces His genealogy all the way back to Adam, showing that Jesus isn’t just Israel’s Messiah, He’s the Saviour of the whole world. While Adam’s failure brought sin and death, Jesus, the Second Adam, came to undo what was broken and bring life...

Rev. Craig Lynn preaches 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 & 11:23-29 at evening worship on Sunday 23rd February 2025 in First Ards. The Lord’s Supper is far more than a memorial. It’s a means of grace, a sign and seal of God’s covenant, a family meal and a foretaste of the feast to come. When we come to the Table, we don’t just remember Christ’s sacrifice, we actively participate in the grace He offers....

Rev. Scott Moore, director of European Mission Fellowship, talks about the work and witness of EMF and preaches Matthew 9:35-10:5a at morning worship on Sunday 23rd February 2025 in First Ards.

Rev. Craig Lynn preaches 2 Samuel 6:17-23 at evening worship on Sunday 16th February 2025 in First Ards. True worship isn’t about appearances, it’s about the heart. As the Ark of the Covenant enters Jerusalem, David rejoices with unrestrained joy, while Michal watches from the window in contempt. One heart is captivated by God’s presence, the other is consumed by pride. This passage challenges us:...

Rev. Craig Lynn preaches Luke 3:21-22 at morning worship on Sunday 16th February 2025 in First Ards. At His baptism, Jesus steps into the water, not because He needs repentance, but to identify with sinners and fulfil all righteousness. In this powerful moment, the heavens open, the Spirit descends and the Father declares His love and delight. This isn’t just about Jesus, it’s about us. He steps i...

Rev. Craig Lynn preaches 1 Samuel 6:1-15 at evening worship on Sunday 9th February 2025 in First Ards. The presence of God can either bring judgment or joy, fear or freedom. The difference is in how we approach Him. In this passage, we see David’s first attempt to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem end in disaster, while his second attempt overflows with worship. The lesson? God’s presence...

Rev. Craig Lynn preaches Luke 3:7-20 at morning worship on Sunday 9th February 2025 in First Ards. Real repentance isn’t just about feeling sorry for sin, it’s about real change. John the Baptist calls out superficial faith, warning that God isn’t fooled by religious appearances. True repentance produces visible fruit, transforms our actions and leads us to full surrender to Jesus. John reminds us...

Rev. Craig Lynn preaches 2 Samuel 5:17-25 at evening worship on Sunday 2nd February 2025 in First Ards.

Rick Hill (elder, Carnmoney Presbyterian Church and secretary to PCI’s Council for Mission in Ireland) speaks on Luke 10:1-9 & Matthew 28:16-20 as he leads the fourth session of the First Ards Bible Weekend at morning worship on Sunday 2nd February 2025.

Rick Hill (elder, Carnmoney Presbyterian Church and secretary to PCI’s Council for Mission in Ireland) speaks on Mark 8:34-38 as he leads the third session of the First Ards Bible Weekend on Friday 31st January 2025.