Sermons from Grace Church, Bristol

What happens when trusting God feels too risky, and we begin to reshape worship according to our own fears and desires? In 1 Kings 12–13, we see how easily worship can become distorted, and why God’s word, rather than our own hearts, must shape how we worship him.

Solomon’s kingdom looked more impressive than ever. But beneath the success, his heart was beginning to drift. In 1 Kings 9–11 we see how quietly compromise can grow, why God’s warnings are a mercy, and how Solomon’s failure leaves us needing a better King.

A magnificent temple. A guarded way. A people prone to wander. And one great question: how can sinful people ever live with a holy God? 1 Kings 5–8 points us to the answer.

What does true wisdom look like, and what happens when God gives it to his king? In 1 Kings 3–4, Solomon’s wisdom brings justice, peace and flourishing to God’s people — but it also leaves us longing for a greater King. This sermon explores why we need wisdom from God, and why Jesus is the perfectly wise King we can trust.

What do you do when fear takes over, when life feels uncertain, or when you simply don’t have the resources to cope? Psalm 34 was written out of one of the most desperate moments of David’s life, yet it becomes a joyful invitation: “Taste and see that the LORD is good.” This sermon explores what it really means to seek him, cry to him, and discover the goodness of taking refuge in God.

Psalm 8 invites us to look up at the vastness of the heavens and marvel at the majesty of the God who made them. But it also asks an astonishing question: why would such a great God care for people like us? In this psalm we see both the smallness and significance of humanity, the purpose God has given us in his world, and ultimately how it all finds its fulfilment in Jesus Christ.

Psalm 66 invites us to “come and see what God has done” — to look back at his saving grace, recognise his sustaining hand through every trial, and tell others what he has done for us. In this thanksgiving service following our G2 youth camp, we consider why God’s people always have reason to praise him. The video recording also includes our G2 camp slideshow and testimonies from some of the young...

What would it be like to stand before a holy God with everything about you exposed — every stain, every failure, every reason for accusation? Zechariah 3 gives us a vivid and surprising picture of exactly that moment, and then shows us what God does for people who could never make themselves clean.

What could be more joyful than the wedding of a perfect King? Psalm 45 invites us to behold the beauty, righteousness and gladness of Jesus, and to discover the delight of belonging to him as his radiant bride.

What would it mean to be fully known by God and yet completely secure in his love? Psalm 139 invites us to find comfort in the God who knows us, surrounds us, and will never let us go.

What can finally stand against those whom God has chosen, justified and loved in Christ? In this climactic conclusion to Romans 8, Paul answers every opposition, accusation and fear with the unshakeable certainty that God is for us—and that nothing in all creation can separate us from his love.

Why does life still hurt if there is no condemnation for those in Christ? Romans 8:18–30 shows us that Christians may still groan, suffer and feel weak — but we are never abandoned. We have hope in our suffering, help in our weakness, and a God who is holding us all the way to glory.

At the heart of Acts 16 is a life-changing question: “What must I do to be saved?” This baptism Sunday sermon explores the joyful answer: Jesus saves all who put their trust in him.

Who do you think you are? In Romans 8:14–17, Paul reminds Christians that we are not slaves living in fear, but adopted children of God. Because we belong to the Father, are led by the Spirit, and are heirs with Christ, we can face weakness, suffering, and uncertainty with real security and hope.

Condemnation is gone — but sin has not disappeared. So how should Christians fight the sin that remains? In Romans 8:5–13, Paul shows us the difference the Holy Spirit makes: changing what we desire, confirming who we are in Christ, and empowering us to put sin to death.

After the anguish of Romans 7, Romans 8 opens with one of the most glorious declarations in the Bible: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” In this sermon, we see why that verdict is secure — because God has done what the law could not do, sending his own Son to condemn sin in the flesh and fulfil the righteous requirement of the law for us.

We often say God is big, but our anxious, busy, self-reliant lives can reveal that we are living with a much smaller view of him. In this sermon from Genesis 1:1–2, Tom helps us lift our eyes to the eternal Creator who made all things, needs nothing from us, and yet has come near in Jesus so that we might call him Father.

31/05/26 | Matt Chapman Why does the Christian life still feel like such a battle? In Romans 7:14–25, Paul gives voice to the struggle believers feel with remaining sin — and shows us that our hope is not in ourselves, but in Jesus Christ our Lord.

24/05/26 | Matt Chapman Sin rarely introduces itself honestly. It promises freedom, comfort, and life — but Paul shows us that sin is deceitful, predatory, and deadly. In Romans 7:7–13, we see how God’s good law exposes our sin, how sin seizes every opportunity, and why only Jesus can give us life.

17/05/26 | Matt Chapman What kind of life is worth giving ourselves to? In 1 Corinthians 15:58, Paul shows us that because Christ is risen, our labour in the Lord is not in vain, steadfastness matters more than impressiveness, and ordinary faithfulness bears eternal fruit.

10/05/26 | Ezra Joy What does it mean to be released from the law? In this passage, we see that believers have died to the law through Christ and now belong to him, serving God in the new way of the Spirit.

03/05/26 | Matt Chapman What if true freedom isn’t the ability to do whatever we want? This passage challenges the idea that grace gives us freedom to go on sinning, and shows instead that real freedom is being set free from sin’s rule to live for God.

26/04/26 | Peter Bowley What does it look like to live as those who are no longer ruled by sin? This sermon helps us see how grace empowers real change, calling us to resist sin’s rule and offer our lives to God.

19/04/26 | Matt Chapman If grace really is free, why not keep sinning? In Romans 6, Paul gives a surprising and liberating answer: Christians have died and been raised with Christ, and so sin no longer fits who they are.

12/04/26 | Matt Chapman Why does death reign—and why does the world feel so broken? This passage shows that our greatest problem isn’t just what we’ve done, but who we belong to. We’re either in Adam or in Christ—and everything depends on which.