King's Church Darlington

This week we have our very own Josh Glendenning speak to us on the beautiful passage found on Jesus in Philippians 2.

Philippians 1:21-30. Paul is unsure on which would be better, to live or to die, but he is sure that if he lives, that his life would be devoted to serving Jesus. And is he were to die, then it would be gain. Paul encourages the church to stand together in unity, a powerful challenge for the church today. 25 May 2025.

Philippians 1.12-20. Despite being detained in custody, Paul seems really upbeat; the gospel is bearing fruit not despite Paul's imprisonment, but because of it! This is spiritual advance through spiritual adversity. How can this be? And are there any instances of how this works practically in our day? 18 May 2025.

Philippians 1.1-11. As Paul opens his joyful and prayerful letter to the young church in Philippi, he speaks of grace and peace; two foundational gifts from God that we must never lose sight of in our church today. 11 May 2025.

In this talk, author, theologian and friend of King's Andrew Bunt speaks about current cultural attitudes towards sex and sexuality and he contrasts them with what the Bible teaches. Is the biblical view on human sexuality even viable in a society that so fundamentally disagrees with it? How does God's word fit with our deepest longings? 4 May 2025.

Luke 24.13-35. This conclusion to our 'Before the Cross' sermon series focuses on the compelling story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Burdened by the weight of the past week's events, their being joined by a fellow traveller turns out to be an unexpected meeting with the risen Lord. Their encounter becomes a profound lesson in understanding Scripture and how it all points towards Jesus. 27 April 2025.

Luke 24.1-8. The four Gospels all agree; on the first day of the week, Jesus' tomb was unexpectedly empty, the body was gone, but was later seen by several witnesses. Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day as he had said. No other explanation makes sense or stands up to scrutiny and that changes everything. 20 April 2025

Our 7-part sermon series exploring Old Testament prophetic previews of the cross concludes with, beyond doubt, the clearest vision of them all. Isaiah 53 describes a servant; a man of sorrows, rejected and despised as he bears the sin of his people, who dies and is buried, but then appears alive again after his sufferings - all written down about 750 years before Jesus was even born.

Psalm 22.1-31. In this sixth of seven brief ‘trailers' from the Old Testament, as if giving a sneak peek into an upcoming blockbuster film, David writes in the first person about a suffering individual, but it is clearly not himself. Acts 2 says that David was a prophet, and Psalm 22 is his clearest vision of the afflictions of his greatest descendant, born 1,000 years after the psalm was composed. 6 April 2025.

Deuteronomy 21.22-23 and Galatians 3.10-14. In this fifth prophetic picture of Christ's afflictions from the Old Testament, an obscure detail in the Law of Moses is picked up by Paul in Galatians 3, shows how the cross turns curses into blessings. We apologise for the inferior sound quality in the first 4 minutes of this recording. 30 March 2025.

Numbers 21.4-9. During the last year of their desert wanderings, the Israelites complain yet again and the Lord sends venomous snakes as a judgment. But, in another foreshadowing of the cross that Jesus himself refers to in John 3, Moses lifts up a bronze snake on a pole, and all who look to it are healed. 23 March 2025.

Leviticus 16.6-30. Another amazing prefiguring of the cross occurs in the book of Leviticus. A goat whose blood is shed to forgive guilt, and a goat who dies outside the city wall to remove shame. Both point to Jesus and his perfect sacrifice, making atonement, once for all. 16 March 2025.

Exodus 12.1-13. In our second Old Testament passage foreshadowing the sufferings of Christ, we look at the Passover; where the blood of an innocent lamb without defect, on vertical and horizontal pieces of wood, protects those inside from judgement and death. This central celebration of the old covenant points to Christ and all he did on the cross to bring in a new and everlasting covenant. 9 March 2025.

Genesis 22.1-18. Genesis 22 opens with a strange and traumatic story about God testing a man by calling him to offer his beloved son on an altar of sacrifice. But God provides an alternative and the whole event points forward to Jesus' perfect offering of himself, once for all, on the same mountain centuries later. 2 March 2025.

Matthew 25.31-46. Jesus concludes three parables concerning the Last Things with the metaphor of a shepherd separating his sheep from his goats, symbolising the Lord's sorting the entire human race into two groups at the last judgement, defined by what they did or failed to do. How does this agree with justification by faith alone? How should we respond to the message of this story? 23 February 2025.

Matthew 25.14-30. In this series of three parables in Matthew 25, Jesus shows us what faith must look like. In v1-13, he tells us faith must be ready. In v31-46, he says faith must be generous. But in this parable, he tells us faith must be active. Active faith will be multiplied and rewarded at the final judgement, but inactivity and self-centred idleness will have terrible consequences. 16 February 2025.

Matthew 25.1-13. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells three parables to his disciples about the need to be ready and expectant for his return in glory. This is the first of them. This is no time to be sleeping on the job! Are you awake? Are you ready? Do you know the Lord? 9 February 2025.

Matthew 24.29-51. In the second part of chapter 24, having spoken at length about AD 70 (which was then fulfilled in remarkable detail), Jesus mostly focuses on the end of the age when he will return. What should we expect, and how should we prepare for this event, which will happen as surely in the future as Jesus' words about the destruction of the temple were fulfilled in the past? 2 February 2025.

Matthew 24.1-28. In Matthew 24, Jesus gives his disciples a sweeping overview of the future. Some of it was fulfilled about 40 years later in AD 70, when the Roman Empire crushed a Jewish revolt and destroyed Jerusalem and its temple. But some of it is yet to be fulfilled. In part I of a two-part exploration of this chapter, we can see why the events of AD 70 are so relevant to us nearly two centuries later. 26 January 2025.

Matthew 23.13-39. Jesus concludes his sparring match with the clergy of his time with a devastating series of curses on their dismal organised religion. They have shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces and have not entered it themselves. It's over for them. Oh, that we would put to death the Pharisee that so quickly rises up in us. 19 January 2025.

Matthew 23.1-12. Jesus warns his disciples against religious hypocrisy, which was a strong feature of the Pharisees' way of life. Always concerned to look good and be treated with deference by the common people, Jesus says that these are the very opposite of the Kingdom of God he is inaugurating. Apologies: the first few minutes of this sermon are missing due to a technical issue. 12 January 2025.

Matthew 22.34-46. At the end of a series of tests and traps from Israel's religious leaders, an expert in the Law is sent to test him one last time with a question about the greatest commandment of the 613 stipulations in the Law of Moses. Jesus answers with not one, but two commandments that summarise the entire Old Testament, before making his detractors look like mugs yet again with a question of his own, after which nobody dares ask him any more questions. 5 January 2025.

What child does not relish the chance to see Santa in his grotto? But the question he asks is a bit problematic. Have you been good this year? How good is good enough to get a present? Isn't grace about receiving gifts because we're loved?

At Our Christmas at King's service, two people who became Christians in the last twelve months share how Christmas is going to be a whole lot different for them this year. 22 December 2024.

Philippians 2.5-11. One of the most stunning passages in the Bible on the Christmas miracle describes the majestic, omnipotent Son of God humbled himself to become a defenceless spec, smaller than half a grain of sand, to become one of us, and save us. John opens up the passage and points out some of the implications for us. 8 December 2024.

Matthew 22.15-33. In the week before his death, several different groups (not friendly among themselves but united in their hostility towards Jesus) approach him trying to catch him out. In this passage, religious hardliners, liberals and politicians alike all fail to trap him as each time, Jesus amazes them with his brilliant response. 1 December 2024.

Matthew 22.1-14. In this parable, God is a father arranging the wedding of his son. But some snub the father with lame excuses. So, Plan B, the father sends servants out all over town to fill the hall. Then, in another twist, one of the guests is not dressed for the occasion and is ejected from the feast. What can it all possibly mean? 24 November 2024.

Matthew 21.33-46. It's Tuesday of Passover week. Jesus is three days away from his death and he speaks to the religious authorities about it in the form of a story showing how the Old Testament prophets were constantly rejected by faithless Israel. Jesus will be the latest (and greatest) in this long line. But like dispensing with a foundation, making the building collapse and crush anyone inside, it will turn out to be catastrophic for all those who reject him. 17 November 2024.

Matthew 21.23-32. Annoyed by Jesus' incendiary behaviour the previous day, the temple leadership approach Jesus when they find him teaching publicly and ask him what right he has to be doing that. Jesus responds with a simple question which perfectly exposes their evil intentions before telling a story which shows that repentant sinners are more righteous than finely dressed clergy with unbelieving hearts. 10 November 2024.

Matthew 21.12-22. In the week leading up to the cross, the tension between Jesus and the religious authorities grows and grows. Not least because Jesus' behaviour is increasingly confrontational. He causes a right old disturbance in the temple and then curses a perfectly healthy-looking fig tree, making it wither and die. What is going on? What did it mean for those watching these extraordinary scenes and what does it mean for us today? 3 November 2024.

Matthew 21.1-11. At the beginning of the week that will end in his death, Jesus enters Jerusalem humbly, on a donkey, triggering a fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah. What will people make of it? Will they welcome him as king of their nation? And will we welcome him as king of our lives? 27 October 2024.

Matthew 20.17-34. On Jesus' way to Jerusalem he predicts his death for the third and final time before being met with two very different requests; one for honour and the other for healing. In this sermon, we are invited to join Jesus on the road and to explore why he responded in the way he did to each request. 20 October 2024.

Matthew 20.1-16. Why is life so unfair? Why has he got more than I have? Why is she prettier than me? Constant comparisons with others can lead to life becoming quite miserable. Jesus tells a parable to his quick-to-compare disciples to show them that in the Kingdom of God, the values are not the same. 13 October 2024.

Matthew 19.16-26. A wealthy young individual, confident in his impeccable record of good works, approaches Jesus and asks what he needs to do in order to inherit eternal life. Jesus' reply leaves him crestfallen and the disciples greatly astonished. 6 October 2024.

Matthew 19.13-15. On a day when the disciples are rebuking parents for bringing their little ones to Jesus in the hope that he will bless them, Jesus - as usual - turns the world's values upside down and orders that they be allowed to come to him. But why does he then say that the kingdom of heaven belong to those who are like children? In our children-oriented society the answer may not be at all obvious to us. 29 September 2024.

Matthew 19.1-12. The Pharisees approach Jesus with an apparently random question about marriage and divorce. As so often with the Pharisees, it's a trap. What is Jesus going to say about how God views divorce in a society where ditching your wife was as easy as signing your autograph? Jesus, as usual, gives a startling reply. 22 September 2024.

Matthew 18.21-35. Jesus' words about dealing with sin in the local church (Matthew 18.15-20) prompt a question in the mind of Simon Peter. How many times should we forgive people who have wronged us? Jesus' reply is more than Peter bargained for. Apologies: the first few minutes of this recording including the Bible reading was lost due to a technical problem. 15 September 2024.

Matthew 18.15-20. Sometimes, relationships in even the best local churches can turn sour. How should we go about repairing broken fellowship, and what should we do if, despite all our best efforts, things don't improve? Jesus anticipates that church life would not always be sweetness and light, so he gives us a simple process and a superb promise for when things go wrong. 8 September 2024.

Matthew 18.1-14. Jesus uses a child to explain what greatness looks like in the Kingdom of Heaven. Why does he respond to the disciples' question about greatness by pointing to a child? 1 September 2024.

Matthew 17.22-27. Following Jesus' second prediction of his death, there is an unusual episode about the temple tax, where Jesus has a decidedly novel idea for payment - finding the sum for two people's annual liability in the mouth of a fish. What's all this about? John walks us through this surprising story. 25 August 2024.

Matthew 17.14-21. A short while after hitting the heights of the mountaintop with Jesus and his transfiguration, we are back in the valley with lack of faith and lack of power. Phil Hillsdon takes us through that experience of knowing there's more of heaven's power available for us but of just feeling inadequate. How do we grow in faith and authority? 18 August 2024.

Matthew 17.1-13. The transfiguration on the mountain is not just a moment in the Gospel but an event in history. Jesus choosing to become man veiled his heavenly glory, but in this moment he chooses to reveal it to three of his disciples. A truly awesome event that God still wants to speak to us through today. 11 August 2024.

Matthew 16.21-28. Following his spectacular revelation of Jesus' true identity, Peter goes from hero to zero by anxiously appealing to Jesus not to go to the cross. The Lord said that Peter was “blessed” to have had the revelation that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God, but now Jesus sees the work of the devil in him. What, for Peter, sounded like a calamity, is for us a glorious testament to how much the Lord loves us – that he would willingly “suffer many terrible things” to save us from a fate worse than death. 4th August 2024.

Matthew 16.13-20. In chapter 16 of Matthew's Gospel, Jesus asks his disciples one of the most important questions anyone can face: 'Who do you say I am?' Peter's inspired response triggers Jesus setting out his great and glorious vision statement - one that is still in operation today, and one we all have a part in. 28 July 2024.

Matthew 16.1-12. Jesus gave many warnings during his ministry but one of the most curious was to avoid the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. What did he mean? Michael unpacks this for us and shows how it is a warning we have to take seriously in our day too. 21 July 2024.

Matthew 15.21-39. Matthew 15 contains one of the most puzzling passages in the four Gospels; Jesus' encounter with a Canaanite woman, whose daughter is in desperate need. Jesus' response to her appears cold - even rude. What is going on? John explores this passage and then walks with us through another slightly strange story which follows it - the feeding of the 4,000. Coming so soon after feeding 5,000, it feels bizarrely (for an amazing miracle) almost like an anticlimax. But it contains a highly relevant challenge for us all. 14 July 2024.

Matthew 15.1-20. A delegation of Pharisees and teachers of the law arrive from Jerusalem to confront Jesus about the way he is carrying on. But Jesus replies that he is simply disregarding their man-made traditions, while they are finding ever-more ingenious ways of avoiding obedience to holy scripture. Despite Jesus being crystal clear on this matter, Michael shows us how the Church down the years has, at times, been just as guilty of elevating churchy rules above God's word. 7 July 2024.

Matthew 14.22-36. Jesus approaches his disciples, who have been rowing hard for nine hours, walking on the water. It scares the living daylights out of them but this passage is quite important for helping us understand the dynamics of fear and faith in our own hearts. 30 June 2024.

Matthew 14.13-21. As Jesus seeks a bit of solitude to digest the awful news of his cousin John the Baptist's death, large crowds flock around him and, filled with compassion, he tends to their needs. In particular, their need for nourishment. But there's a problem; a totally inadequate supply that cannot meet the demand. Michael explains how, for Jesus, 'impossible is nothing.' 23 June 2024.

Matthew 13.53 - 14.12. After almost thirteen full chapters of Jesus' amazing and popular ministry, we get an abrupt change of mood, with Jesus' own home town turning against him and John the Baptist meeting his gruesome and untimely death. Why? Where is God when everything goes wrong? John Lambert explores some of the questions that arise when faith is shaken. 16 June 2024.

Matthew 13.44-58. Paul opens up the end of the third main block of teaching in Matthew's Gospel which contains three more short stories to illustrate what the kingdom of heaven is like. Hidden treasure. A pearl that is worth more than all others put together. And a net that gathers a great catch of fish. 9 June 2024.