Sermons by Theme

Sixty-six sermons, gathered by doctrine and season rather than by title

If you are building a sermon for a particular Sunday, you may not find what you are looking for by searching this archive for that Sunday's own appointed theme. Over twenty years of preaching, I have as often given a sermon its own title, chosen to fit the Scripture before me, as I have kept to the title a lectionary itself suggests. What follows groups the sixty-six sermons preached and archived here not by title but by the doctrine and season each most fully serves, so that your Sunday's theme, however it is worded where you preach, should lead you to material even where my own title for it does not obviously match. Many Sundays will draw fruitfully from more than one sermon below, and from more than one category.

This groups only the archive's 67 sermons, by the doctrine and season each serves. For every kind of piece in the archive grouped by broad topic, see Browse All; for the whole archive indexed by every Scripture reference cited, see Browse by Scripture. A sermon may appear in more than one theme below where it genuinely speaks to both.

The Person of Christ: Incarnation, Trinity and Fulfilment

For Sundays given to who Christ is: his eternal being within the Trinity, his taking of our flesh at Bethlehem, or the Old Testament's long, converging witness to him. Several of these were preached at Christmas or on an ordinary Sunday rather than announced by doctrine as such, so look here whenever your occasion calls for the person of Christ himself, whatever the sermon's own title speaks of, a shepherd, a carpenter's son, or a word made flesh.

Sermon

Christ: The Rhythm of Life

Psalm 19:1; Matthew 11:28-30

Sermon

God Suffers in All Who Suffer in This World

2 Kings 5:1-14; Acts 5:12-16

Sermon

God the Holy Trinity

Genesis 1:2; Psalm 110:1; Isaiah 48:16; Matthew 22:41-45; Mark 12:29; Acts 20:28; …

Sermon

In the Beginning, was the Logos!

Exodus 34:6-7; Psalm 102:25-27; John 1:1; John 1:1-3; John 1:1-7; John 1:15; …

Sermon

Mary the God-Bearer — The Theotokos

Luke 1:26-38; Luke 2:1-20; Luke 2:41-52; John 2:1-11; John 19:25-27; Acts 1:14

Sermon

The Child Jesus: Revealed as Our Saviour

Malachi 3:1; Malachi 3:4; Luke 2:22-24; Luke 2:25-30; Luke 2:36-38; Luke 2:39-40; …

Sermon

The Good Shepherd: Embracing the Heart of Christ

Psalm 23; John 10:14; Revelation 7:17

Sermon

The Old Testament Is Fulfilled in Christ

Matthew 5:17; Matthew 10:34; Matthew 11:28-30; Mark 13:2; Luke 24:44-48

The Passion and Holy Week

For Palm Sunday through to Easter Eve: the triumphal entry, the last supper, Gethsemane, the trial, the seven words from the Cross. Several of these sermons were shaped for one particular day in Holy Week and carry that day's own vocabulary, Hosanna, Liberating, Accepting, rather than the word Passion itself, so weigh the Scripture reference alongside the title if your occasion is fixed to a specific Gospel passage.

Sermon

Hosanna: A Call to Salvation and Submission on Palm Sunday

Psalm 118:25; Psalm 118:26; Zechariah 9:9; Zechariah 14:4; Mark 11:10; Mark 11:15-17; …

Sermon

Judas, Peter, and Us

Psalm 41:9; Zechariah 11:12-13; Matthew 20:18; Matthew 26:20-25; Mark 14:53-72; Luke 22:48; …

Sermon

The Accepting Christ

Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 9:38; Mark 10:48; Luke 23:43; Galatians 2:11-19; Galatians 5:12; …

Sermon

The Liberating Christ

Exodus 3:1-13; Isaiah 61:1; Luke 13:10-17; John 8:11; Galatians 2:20; Galatians 5:1-12; …

Sermon

The Passion of Jesus Christ

Psalm 22:14; Isaiah 50:6; Isaiah 53:3-7

Sermon

The Power of Redemption: 'It Is Finished'

Isaiah 53:12; John 19:30

Sermon

The Second Prophecy of Jesus

Mark 9:30-32; Mark 9:33-35; Mark 9:36-37; Mark 9:38-41

The Resurrection and Easter

For Easter Day and the Sundays of Eastertide that follow it: the empty tomb, the appearances of the risen Christ, and what it means to live as people no longer bound by Saturday. Draw on more than one of these if your Sunday asks for both the historical ground of the Resurrection and its bearing on a doubting or grieving congregation.

Sermon

Believing in Christ: The Resurrection

John 11:25; John 11:21; John 11:17-28; 1 Corinthians 15:14

Sermon

Encounter with the Risen Lord

Isaiah 42:3; Mark 16:1; John 20:25; John 20:27; John 20:28; John 20:29; …

Sermon

From Saturday Shadows to Sunday Glory

Mark 15:46-47; Mark 16:1-8; John 3:3; John 19:30; John 20:19; Romans 1:18-21; …

Sermon

What a Difference a Day Makes!

Mark 15:46-47; Mark 16:1-8; John 3:3; John 20:19; Romans 1:18-21; 2 Corinthians 5:17; …

The Holy Spirit and Pentecost

A smaller shelf, and deliberately so. These two sermons carry the weight of Pentecost Sunday and of the Spirit's ongoing gift within the believer. Where your occasion calls chiefly for the Spirit's fruit rather than his coming, look also under Faith, Wisdom and the Formation of Character.

Sermon

The Fruit of the Holy Spirit

John 13:35; John 15:5; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 John 3:14

Sermon

The Gift of the Holy Spirit — Come Holy Spirit, Renew Us

Genesis 1:2; Psalm 51:10-12; Psalm 85:6; Jeremiah 18:1-17; Ezekiel 36:26-27; John 14:16-17; …

Sin, Repentance and Forgiveness

For Lent, Ash Wednesday, and any Sunday given to confession, penitence, or the offer of grace to the truly sorry. This is the largest doctrinal shelf outside the Passion itself, and includes several sermons, on David and Bathsheba, on the Prodigal Son, on the Pharisee and the tax collector, whose titles name a Bible character rather than the doctrine of repentance they in fact expound.

Sermon

God's Promise of Forgiveness to the Penitent

Psalm 51:17; Luke 15:1-2; Luke 15:7; Luke 15:11-32

Sermon

How Is It Between You and the Lord?

Genesis 1:1; Genesis 1:3; 2 Samuel 6:16, 20-23; 2 Samuel 11:2; 2 Samuel 11:27; 2 Samuel 12:5-6; …

Sermon

Lent: A Time of Reconciliation

Psalm 19:1-7; Isaiah 53:6; Isaiah 58:1-14; Matthew 5:23-24; Matthew 6:1-18; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8; …

Sermon

Release from the Bondage of Sin

Isaiah 59:2; Luke 4:18; John 8:31-32, 34, 36; 1 Corinthians 11:1; Colossians 3:8-9; Hebrews 9:28; …

Sermon

Renounce Sin; Receive Salvation

Psalm 51:5; Luke 9:23; Ephesians 2:4-9; Titus 2:12; Titus 2:11-12

Sermon

Sermon for Ash Wednesday: The Spirit of Christian Discipline

Matthew 6:1-4; Matthew 6:5-6; Matthew 6:16-18; Matthew 6:20; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Hebrews 12:2

Sermon

True Humility: The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Matthew 23:12; Luke 18:9-14; Luke 18:1; Luke 18:11; Luke 18:13; Luke 20:46-47; …

Sermon

Temptations Are Inevitable, but It Is God's Will That All Should Be Saved

Matthew 18:14; Matthew 18:3

Also listed under The Church, the Family and the People of God. Also treats Matthew 18:7-9 (stumbling blocks), discussed though not quoted verbatim there.

The Second Coming, Advent and Judgement

For the season of Advent, and for any Sunday whose theme looks toward Christ's return, the end of the age, or a final judgement tempered by mercy. Several pieces here were written for the joy proper to Advent and Christmastide rather than for its more solemn watchfulness, so weigh the mood your Sunday calls for as you choose among them.

Sermon

Coming of the Lord and Judgement

Isaiah 11:6-9; Matthew 11:28; Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 6:46; Luke 14:13; Acts 10:38; …

Sermon

In-Between the Two Advents

Isaiah 11:6-9; Luke 3:9; 2 Peter 3:9-10

Sermon

Jesus Brings Joy Through the Fulfilment of God's Gracious Purpose

Isaiah 25:6-9; Jeremiah 9:1; John 17:13

Sermon

The Joy of the Lord's Messengers

Luke 10:1-20; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 2 Peter 1:4

Baptism, Covenant and New Birth

For Sundays centred on baptism itself, on confirmation, or on the covenant God makes and keeps with his people across both Testaments. Useful wherever a congregation is preparing for baptism, confirmation, or a renewal of vows, and for any occasion asking what it means to be born anew.

Sermon

Born from Above

Psalm 51:10-11; John 3:5-7; John 3:1-8; John 7:50-51; John 19:39-42; Romans 8:9; …

Sermon

Come to the Lord with Thanksgiving

2 Chronicles 24:17-23; Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:46-47; John 8:12

Sermon

One Body, One Baptism

Psalm 115; Amos 9:5-12; Matthew 16:13-20; John 10:9; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 4:1-6; …

Sermon

One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism

Numbers 11:23-30; Psalm 23:1-6; John 3:5; John 10:9; John 10:11; Romans 6:3-4; …

Prayer, Communion and Worship

For Sundays given to the practice of the Christian life rather than to a single doctrine: private prayer, communion with God, and worship rightly offered. Several of these were written as personal, devotional sermons rather than for a fixed occasion, and travel well to almost any Sunday that calls a congregation back to its first calling, to seek God's face.

Sermon

Created to Know God and Abide in Him

Genesis 1:26; Psalm 119:18; Isaiah 59:2; Lamentations 3:22-23; John 15:4-5; John 17:21; …

Sermon

Living in the Presence of Jesus Christ

Psalm 42:1-2; Matthew 1:23; Luke 11:13; John 3:3; Romans 3:11; Hebrews 11:6; …

Sermon

Stay Connected 24/7

Matthew 6:5; Matthew 28:20; Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 1:27

Sermon

Stay Connected to Jesus

1 Kings 19:12; Matthew 6:5; Matthew 28:20; Ephesians 2:6; Philippians 4:7; Colossians 1:27

Sermon

Worship

Luke 7:36-50

The Christian at Work

For Sundays set aside for vocation, stewardship, or the workplace. Several of these were first preached at an Annual Family Retreat rather than on a Sunday proper, and are gathered here as a deliberate, sustained teaching on faith and daily labour rather than an occasional aside. Reach for this shelf when your occasion asks what discipleship looks like on a Monday morning.

Sermon

Have the Mind of Christ at the Workplace

Psalm 37:5-6; Proverbs 1:5; Matthew 5:40-42; Matthew 5:36; Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 6:3-4; …

Sermon

I Am Willing

1 Chronicles 29:17; 1 Chronicles 29:5

Sermon

Living as the People of God in the Workplace

Genesis 2:15; Matthew 16:26; Matthew 22:39; Mark 10:44; Luke 12:20; Acts 4:19; …

Sermon

Prayer at the Workplace

Romans 12:12; Philippians 4:6; Colossians 4:2; 1 Peter 4:7

Parables and the Teaching of Jesus

A short but useful shelf for the Sundays whose Gospel reading is itself a parable, the Sower, the Hidden Treasure, the Pearl of Great Price, where the sermon's task is chiefly to open the parable rather than to argue a doctrine.

Sermon

No Sacrifice Is Too Great in the Cause of the Kingdom of Jesus

Genesis 12:1-7; Isaiah 11:6-9; Matthew 13:44-55; Philippians 3:4-11

Sermon

Towards a Fruit-Bearing Heart

Psalm 19:1-6; Matthew 13:3-23; Matthew 13:31-32; Matthew 13:4, 19; Matthew 16:24; Luke 8:5-15; …

Compassion, Neighbourliness and Love

For Sundays given to the second great commandment: love of neighbour, practical mercy, and the breaking down of prejudice. Built substantially around the Parable of the Good Samaritan, approached here from two distinct angles, so a preacher wanting more than one path into that familiar parable will find both.

Sermon

Love Your Enemy

Luke 6:27-36; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7; Ephesians 5:28

Sermon

The Road to Jericho

Psalm 121:1-2; Luke 10:25-37

Sermon

Who Is My Neighbour?

Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 6:5; Proverbs 31:8-9; Matthew 5:44; Matthew 25:40; Luke 6:27-28; …

The Church, the Family and the People of God

For Sundays concerned with the Church's own life: its unity, its mission to all peoples, its family relationships, its call to equip and be equipped. A broad shelf, useful for Theological Education Sunday, for a service marking Christian unity, or for any occasion turning a congregation's attention toward one another rather than outward alone.

Sermon

Christian Unity

Psalm 133; Ezekiel 37:15-19; John 17:11; John 17:20-26; John 17:21; Colossians 3:12-17

Sermon

Equipping the People of God

Deuteronomy 6:1-7; Matthew 6:10; Matthew 7:24-29; Ephesians 4:7-16

Sermon

Family Life

Zechariah 8:3; Luke 2:51-52; John 15:5; Colossians 3:18

Sermon

God and People of All Faiths

Deuteronomy 7:7; Jeremiah 31:34; Jeremiah 32:27; Ezekiel 36:23; Matthew 24:14; Matthew 26:26-28; …

Sermon

Temptations Are Inevitable, but It Is God's Will That All Should Be Saved

Matthew 18:14; Matthew 18:3

Also listed under Sin, Repentance and Forgiveness. Also treats Matthew 18:7-9 (stumbling blocks), discussed though not quoted verbatim there.

Sermon

Why Aren't We in Heaven, Yet?

Jeremiah 1:5; Matthew 4:19; Matthew 18:11; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 1:17; Mark 16:16; …

The Worth and Dignity of Persons

For Sundays given to the value God places on those the world is tempted to overlook: girls, women, and the differently abled. Each of these draws on the same conviction, that every person bears the image of God, applied to a different, named occasion.

Sermon

Affirming the Worth of the Girl Child

Genesis 1:26-31; Genesis 2:18; Exodus 15:21; Judges 4; Ruth 4:18-22; Esther 4:14; …

Sermon

Sanctifying the Differently Abled

Genesis 3:14-19; Psalm 19:1-6; Mark 10:46-52; John 4:14; John 5:1-9; Romans 1:20; …

Sermon

Women as Change Makers

Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 1:28-31; Genesis 2:18; Genesis 5:2; Exodus 15:21; Judges 4; …

Faith, Wisdom and the Formation of Character

For Sundays given to the shaping of Christian character: wisdom against folly, youth in search of meaning, faith that discerns rather than merely believes. The broadest and most flexible shelf here, useful whenever your occasion calls less for a single doctrine than for the patient, lifelong formation of a faithful heart.

Sermon

The Chakra Test: Are We Still Turning?

Exodus 20:2; Numbers 14:2-4; Deuteronomy 2:3; John 8:36; Galatians 5:1; 2 Peter 2:22

Sermon

The Signs That We Fail to Discern

Isaiah 26:19; Matthew 8:8, 10; Luke 8:8; Luke 11:27-32; John 1:49-50; John 7:5; …

Sermon

Wisdom from Above

1 Kings 3:16-28; Psalm 119:33-40; Luke 10:21-24; James 3:13-18

Sermon

Youth in Search of a Meaningful Life

Genesis 1:26; Genesis 39:1-23; Deuteronomy 11:18-19; Psalm 19:1-2; Proverbs 3:5; Proverbs 4:7; …

Search by Scripture Reference

The same 67 sermons above, indexed instead by the Scripture passages each one preaches from — useful when you know your Sunday's reading but not which sermon here might speak to it. This covers sermons only; for the whole archive by Scripture, see Browse by Scripture.

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Judges

Ruth

2 Samuel

1 Kings

2 Kings

1 Chronicles

2 Chronicles

Esther

Psalm

Proverbs

Ecclesiastes

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Lamentations

Ezekiel

Amos

Zechariah

Malachi

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

Acts

Romans

1 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

Galatians

Ephesians

Philippians

Colossians

1 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

Titus

Hebrews

James

1 Peter

2 Peter

1 John

Revelation