Shirley Baptist Church Solihull, Sermons

What is your life? That is the simple but very difficult question James asks in chapter 4, verse 14. This is more than a philosophical question. It is a question at the heart of what it means to be human and created in God’s image. Our life is precious, but it is a life that can be shaped, formed, filled and led by the love of God. Your life matters to God, so live it in such a way that God matter...

James does not pull any punches in our passage today. He reminds us that our behaviour towards each other is a window into the state of our hearts. And the language he uses to do this is both blunt and emotive. Why? To make the point that many in the early church had chosen to seek what the world offers rather than God. But if you, like the early church, are concerned that your heart may be pointi...

Who is the wisest person you know? Is wisdom based on intelligence and volume of knowledge? Or is wisdom based on emotional maturity? Or perhaps wisdom is about self-awareness. I mean, we’re all insecure right, but we might not all be self-aware? James asks the question, ‘Who is wise among you?’ He then shares what true, godly wisdom looks like. It is curious, but James connects wisdom with knowin...

Just do it'! Three words that capture the spirit of active faith from James 2:14-25, where he says faith without deeds is dead. But then the question is: 'What makes a Christian good deed compared to a worldly good deed'? And then: 'What is the ultimate good deed'?

Justice and equality for every human being is the heart of the good news of Jesus. As Paul says to the Galatians, 'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.' In James's letter, the instruction is typically blunt: 'My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism'....

Do you know someone who is a great listener? Listening shows attention, care, love, dignity, and the possibility of a deeper understanding of someone else and their situation and circumstance. People who really listen are such a gift to the community. James understood this. He wrote to small communities of Jesus' followers, telling them how important it is to listen well to one another and the wor...

We often look for the easy way out of difficult situations, but James turns this on its head, telling us to joyfully persevere when our faith is tested! He's right of course, because like exercise develops our bodies, when our faith is tested, our endurance has a chance to grow, making us more mature Christians.

When life hurts, it's sometimes difficult to be loyal to God. In such times, the letter of James is a great place to turn to for encouragement. It is a short book of the Bible written by the brother of Jesus to new Christians who face persecution for their faith. It is a practical, down to earth book that aims to help people stick with their newfound faith.

Ever had that moment when you're just about to go out but you can't find your car keys? Or you try to get into your home but the keys aren't where they should be? Just when you need them they seem to have disappeared. Our faith can be a bit like that - it can't be found when we most need it. As we start 2024, we explore what happened to the disciples that led to Jesus asking, 'Where is your faith?...

Where do you go to, to look for God? That may seem a strange question but go a little deeper and you may begin to answer it in surprising ways. The final talk in our series, ‘Seeking God’ is about finding God in all things. At the heart of this is discovering that God can be experienced when walking, working, meeting friends and socialising, reading scriptures and praying, watching the news and wo...

What does it mean to "die to self"? It's a strange phrase, but commonly used in the New Testament. Baptism is a sign of how we begin this journey. Romans 6:4 says, "For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives". It means moving from an old way to a new way of living.

Surfing, well, it’s probably the nearest thing to walking on water! Perhaps Peter should have tried it when he got out of the boat to follow Jesus (Matthew 14:22-36). This moment on the water is an example of how we interact with Jesus. We sometimes feel like we’re sinking. All is not well. But then Jesus reaches out to grab us. That is the amazing part!

In a world that has been historically, and is currently, subjected to dreadful wars, is it naïve to think peace is possible? If we are thinking of some kind of utopia, a place where there is no conflict and strife, then the answer is clearly no. But by looking at the words of the prophet Isaiah and John’s gospel, we can see that, whatever situation we are in, we may have hope and peace in Jesus.

What do you most desire? Are you longing for anything in particular? What do you want God to do? Perhaps these sound like selfish questions, but every one of us has a desire, and it just may be God-given! The truth is that godly desire is crucial to following Jesus. So give it a try. Who knows, you might even get some cake!? :)

Seeking God through the ‘Doorway of Repentance.’ That seems a serious topic and it is! But repentance can also bring joy and excitement! Listen and discover how and why!

What kind of life are you living? What kind of life does God want to give you? These are the two questions we explore as we continue our series, ‘Seeking God Together’, inviting you to LIVE MORE, discovering a new kind of life and way of encountering the goodness of Jesus.

What would it mean to discover another kind of life? That is the invitation as we begin a new series of talks this Sunday on the theme ‘SEEKING GOD’. Becoming a Christian is not the end of the faith journey but the beginning. Seeking God is not only for people outside the church but inside too and if you make a decision to seek God you won’t be left disappointed.

What we have received from our relationship with God should be the foundation for how we might love and serve one another. Simply put, how we choose to love one another can help our church (or any other community) flourish and can also be a witness to the world.

In this very special service we welcome Alysen Merrill, who is taking up the role of Church Ministry Lead. We will celebrate together by hearing how God has led both Alysen and us at SBC to this moment as she joins the staff team. This is a step of faith, trusting in the Lord’s leading and a sign that we want to invest in a growing church with the aim of sharing the transforming love of Jesus for...

Within the seasons of our lives there’s a time and a season for everything, and a reason for each season. As September is often a time for new starts and changes for many, we can be comforted by God’s words for us in these times.

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews spent many chapters explaining how Jesus fulfilled all the promises made to God's people, but then asks the question, so what? In light of all Jesus has done, how should we then live?

Fixing our eyes on Jesus can sometimes be a challenge, but in the book of Hebrews we're given great encouragement in just a few verses. From these we can take encouragement from men and women of faith that have gone before us and we have a great example to follow in Jesus Christ, one who endured life's challenges and comes alongside us as we run the race of life. Let's be encouraged together as we...

Faith, true faith. What is this? Hebrews 11 says 'Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see'. This is easier said than done for many of us, who like to see the things we are putting our faith in. If that's the case then the good news is that, if you look around, you see God's fingerprints all over what He provided us, from the universe He has created to the...

We should be bold, confident and brave to act in the full assurance of Christ, because that is what the writer of Hebrews urged us to do. We should encourage and spur each other on to love and good deeds in line with Hebrews 10:24, because if we do not do this, we risk forgetting who Jesus Christ is, how much He loves us and what He did for each one of us. We risk getting caught up in the world an...

Jesus had been creating waves across the nation, with his miracles and controversial teaching. Sensing a problem the religious leaders came from far and wide and packed into a small house in Capernaum to suss out what was going on. Jesus took the opportunity to turn up the volume on God's message to his people. The religious leaders didn’t like what they heard and put God back on mute, whilst othe...