Hudson's Hope Chapel Sermons

What do we put our faith in? What is the cause of both belief, and unbelief? How much patience can we have with someone who fails to see what seems so clear and obvious to us? In John 12:36-43, Jesus addresses the heart and root cause of unbelief, explaining why some will not believe, in spite of all of the compelling evidence they have given us, and in doing so, helps us also understand why our b...

Throughout his ministry, Jesus has made his identity abundantly clear — he is the promised Messiah. But as he continues the journey in John 12, that leads to the cross, the question is — Is the messiah the people want actually the messiah they need? Often people imagine they can rewrite their script, according to the own preferences, and when this happens, when it comes to the messiah, we risk cre...

In John 12:1-12, Mary responds to her encounter with her messiah, following the resurrection of her brother Lazarus in the previous chapter. After understanding who she is, here she responds in worship, anointing Jesus feet with expensive perfume. We compare and contrast her reaction, the reaction of Judas, and the things the other disciples pick up on, and the lessons they learn and carry forward...

Hope can be a powerful thing. In John 11, Jesus receives news that his friend, Lazarus is sick, and yet, instead of rushing seems to delay, so long, in fact, that Lazarus dies. Did Jesus go out of his way to deliberately destroy the hope they had, or could it be that his purpose was to allow them to understand hope in a much deeper way? When all hope seems lost, where do we turn to? We think about...

In John 10:1-18 Jesus calls himself the good shepherd, and the door. It’s easy to overlook the significance of these words, and the deep meaning of what it means about him, and us! Domestic sheep have been called the most ill equipped animals for survival without a shepherd to lead and guide them, care for them, and protect them. We unpack this picture and think about what it shows us about our go...

When bad things happen, it’s human nature to ask ourselves who is responsible, who’s at fault, or who’s to blame. As Christians, we wrestle with those same questions. In John 9, the Jesus and the disciples meet a man born blind, and ask the question, why did that happen, was it his sin, or the sin of his parents? Jesus answer challenges our assumptions, demonstrating God’s goodness in the midst of...

Christians affirm that Jesus is God, but some question — did Jesus ever claim that himself? And if he did, could we show people where? We look at John 8:51-59, and explore at one of Jesus most significant and powerful claims about his identity — Before Abraham was, I Am, and learn how this claim demonstrates, above all doubt, that Jesus truly was God, the eternal second person of the Trinity.

This Father’s Day, we look at John 8:13-19 where Jesus introduces us to His Father, the ultimate father — our Heavenly Father, God. We look at how Jesus reveals the Father for us. We think about the preconceptions and assumptions we bring to the table about fathers from our human experience. We think about how Jesus tells us that to know Him is to know the Father, and how he becomes our perfect ex...

Jesus says “I am the light of the world”. This short, simple statement contains an incredibly deep and profound truth, that, if we understand and embrace it, changes not only how we see him, but how we live in the light of his truth. We lay a foundation that will help us understand an apply this truth, and make sense of everything else that comes next in this chapter.

This mornings reflection focuses on John 7:37-39 and the importance of Systematic Theology and Practical Theology in Christian life. It highlights how Jesus combines various scriptures to reveal deeper truths, urging believers to understand and love the scripture deeply to do likewise.

What does Jesus mean when he calls himself the Bread of Life? We continue our journey in John’s gospel looking at John 6:25-51 and the way Jesus unpacks his previous miracle, when he fed the 5000. We explore the subtle shifts in understanding that he seeks to impart to the Jews — and us — that will make sense of these words.

We continue to journey through John’s Gospel, looking at John 6:1-15,  one of the most familiar miracles, the only one mentioned in all four Gospels, Jesus feeding the 5000. We explore the meaning of this miracle, considering all of the implications for this powerful demonstration of Jesus’ divine power, and the deeper truth he was setting the people up to understand.

We look at John 5, Jesus first “in person” healing in Jerusalem, at the pool of Bethesda. We ponder Jesus decision to single out just one of the “multitude”, his comment to the man to sin no more “in order that nothing worse may happen” and the importance for telling him to “take up his mat”. We wonder if there is something deeper, and far more significant being revealed in this interaction, and t...

We continue our journey through John’s Gospel, exploring the second sign Jesus performs in Galilee, demonstrating his divinity, and messianic identity. We think about why Jesus criticises the people of Galilee for not believing without a sign, and explore the nature or faith — placing trust in Jesus and taking him at his word, even when we don’t see it.

We move on to our next section of John’s gospel, looking at John 4, and Jesus’ decision to stop at Jacob’s Well in Samaria, and the woman he meets there. We explore this incredible, unusual interraction, and look at what we can learn as His people, about what it means to us, and to others, to have a message that will leave us “never thirsty again”.

We continue our journey through the Gospel of John, looking at probably the most well known scripture in all of scripture — John 3:16, and the verses that surround it. We look at this well known verse — which has been shared and searched probably more than any other — and ask is there something more than meets the eye here. We assume it speaks of the measure of God’s love for us — just how much he...

We continue studying the Gospel of John thinking about Jesus first encounter with the Pharisee Nicodemus. We look at the familiar, yet perhaps confusing, phrase “Born Again” and ask the question, what, precisely, did Jesus mean by that? If Jesus tells us that no-one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again, then it is essential we get our understanding of this right. We think about the...

This easter Sunday, we celebrate and remember the cross and ressurection of Christ. We focus on the meaning and value of the cross, a sign that “the record of debt which once stood against us” has been nailed to the cross, and, for those who are in Christ, we will no longer be held to account for this debt. We celebrate and give thanks for Jesus sacrifice for sin, and the reminder that the empty t...

We dive into the Gospel of John, looking at John 2:1-11, the wedding at Cana were we encounter Jesus’ first miracle — turning water into wine. We think about the oft-overlooked elements of this passage — why Jesus speaks to Mary the way he does, why he says his “time has not yet come” and yet still performs the miracle, and why his firs miracle seems so frivilous… why wine, and not a healing, rais...

We continue our journey through John looking at one of Jesus most fascinating encounters in all of scriptire — Jesus cleansing the temple in John 2.We look at why Jesus felt compelled to act so publicly, and decisively, why the temple represents more than just a building, and how this one act prophetically points us to the ultimate sacrifice, that will drive out that which defiles once and for all...

In our first gathering together, we think the reality that, while unity is the hallmark of the Christian faith, so often it seems that Christians seem to disagree on numerous points. What does the Bible say about this? Does disagreement and separation always represent a failure within the church, or are there ever positive examples of healthy, and beneficial partings? We look at Acts 15 and the di...

We continue working through the Gospel of John, looking at John 1:29-51. After exploring the question of How Can We Not Share the good news of the Gospel last week, we then ask the obvious follow up question — how then do we share it with others? We look at the importance of sharing the gospel boldly, yet simply, beginning with our own experience of meeting Christ, and remembering that a true enco...

We continue our Journey through John’s Gospel, looking at John 1:19-28, and asking the question, when we understand the reality of the Good news of Jesus, how can we not share it. We look at the first person to point people to Jesus, the first messenger of the Gospel, John the Baptist, and the truth that, the very purpose of his ministry — and ours — is not to draw people to ourselves, but to poin...

We begin our journey into the Gospel of John looking at how John goes out of his way to make Jesus our primary focus. We look at the deep and powerful truth that the way to separate truth from error, the real from the counterfeit is not by focussing on the deception, but by becoming so familiar with the truth that we cannot help but recognize it for what it is. We set our course for this series, b...