Sermons – St Peter's Barge

What should we expect in the last days before Jesus comes back? How should we then live as his people? Listen in as we learn from Revelation 15:5-16:21.

Genesis 40 Through the life of Joseph, in prison after Potiphar's wife gets him arrested, we are going to think through how God works in our lives even when it feels like he has abandoned us.

Revelation 14:14-15:4 We all try to escape hostility. If we have a decision that will cause hostility and one that won't, we all want to choose the one that won't cause hostility. So why should Christians keep going with their faith if it causes hostility? Why face this unnecessary hostility? In Revelation 14 & 15, God presents two future pictures, one of final judgement and the other of final singing. Listen in as we explore how these pictures encourage us to keep going as Christians in the face of hostility.

Daniel 3, 5 We are encouraged to take our whole self to work, but what about the most important part of ourselves - our relationship with the living God? How do we take our faith to work? The book of Daniel describes the people of God living in exile in a world not dissimilar to our own - a world of power, wealth and the glorification of self-made success. When we're encouraged to fit in and go with the flow, how do we remain distinctive? When see people living for the moment, how do we prepare them for the day of judgement? When we face times of suffering, how do we draw close to the Lord?

Revelation 14:1-13 We all have a story that shapes how we live. Study hard. Get the job. Build your career. Climb the ladder. Retire comfortably. Enjoy life. It's a story many of us know well. But is it the right one? In Revelation 14, God reveals a far bigger story - one that reshapes what our work, our ambitions, and even our lives are ultimately for. Listen in as we explore what it means to be a Christian in the Wharf and the crucial role God has given us in his mission.

Daniel 1, 2, 4 The way we live is shaped by how we see reality. Are we the Master of the Universe or do we see the everlasting dominion of the Most High God? King Nebuchadnezzar thought he had it all, until it was taken away and he found something better: the living God, a restored humility and lasting treasure. As we look at how Daniel navigated working in a powerful success culture, we will learn how he pointed the King of Babylon to the King of the Universe and how when he lifted his eyes to the heavens, everything changed.

Revelation 12-13 What is the devil doing right now? How is he operating? What are his objectives? Revelation reveals that the end of the world has been put on hold - but that also means the devil is hard at work before his time runs out. This week, we expose his tactics and strategies, showing how he is actively involved in our world, even right here in the wharf. Listen in as we uncover exactly what the devil has been up to.

Colossians 4:7-18 Do you see other Christians as beloved brothers and sisters? As we come to the end of Paul's letter to the Colossians, we might think his ‘final greetings' to specific people are irrelevant to us, but actually we see that he's demonstrating the principle of Christians being knit together in love (2:2) as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Revelation 10-11 We spend our days analysing data, building models, preparing presentations, and delivering results. But beneath all the activity lies a bigger question: what is our true task? In Revelation, God gives a surprising picture of his people—not as spectators or consumers, but as an army engaged in a spiritual battle. Yet this army fights in a way that turns our assumptions about power, influence, and success upside down. Listen in as we explore what is our task.

The whole world needs to hear that Christ is preeminent in everything - if God's people pray, walk and talk in line with Colossians 4:2-6, they will. 

Revelation 8-9 What does the news of impending judgement mean to you? It will depend on how prepare you are for it and how confident you will be as a result of it. When the scroll about God's judgement is unfolded, heaven is silent for half an hour, God's people pray and the unrepentant continue business as usual. As we see the bottomless pit opened, we will be encouraged to live each day in the light of judgement day.. 

Colossians 3:12-4:1 As Christians have now put on the new self, Paul wanted them to let the peace of Christ be woven into every part of their lives, both within and beyond the church.

Revelation 6-7 Who are we, really? We all describe ourselves in different ways—our jobs, our relationships, our interests, our achievements, or the communities we belong to. Yet our sense of identity shapes far more than we realise. It influences how we think, what we value, and ultimately how we live. Listen in as we delve into Revelation's insights on who we are and the significance of our identity in today's life and work.

Colossians 3:1-11 Paul underlines that for a Christian, believing in Christ means everything has changed. Our past, our present, our future – it has all changed, because we are united to Christ in his death, his resurrection, and his coming again in glory. Paul then puts that into practice by explaining what Christians must do in response to this transformation, to live out this renewed, Christ-filled life.

Revelation 4-5 Who holds the future? Entire industries are built on forecasting what comes next. We analyse trends, manage risk, and make plans in the hope of securing a better tomorrow. Yet the future remains stubbornly uncertain. Listen in as we consider who really holds the future—and how that answer offers both challenge and hope in an unpredictable world.

Colossians 2:16-23 If we have ever wondered that we are missing something to grow in Christ, this passage provides confidence to not listen to, or imitate, those who falsely claim to be able to add to Christ.

Revelation 1:9-3:22 Have you ever felt the temptation to compromise and assimilate with the world? In Revelation 1:9–3:20, Jesus speaks personally to seven churches in Asia Minor facing pressure from persecution, half-heartedness, false teaching, and the temptation to assimilate to the values of the world around them. Amid all their struggles, there was one thing they especially needed to know.

Colossians 2:6-15 Scammers are the bane of modern life, stealing our valuables by all manner of lies and deception. In our walk with Christ, we have to be alert. In our Colossians passage on Sunday, Paul exposes and demolishes one of the Devil's big scams, that we need something more than just Jesus, and prescribes the antidote to his attacks.

Revelation 1:1-8 Dragons, beasts, the four horsemen of the apocalypse, fire-breathing horses… Revelation is a book that fascinates and confuses in equal measure. How should we understand and apply Revelation as 21st-century workers in the Wharf?

Colossians 1:24 – 2:5 Paul is letting the church know how hard he has been working for them, in order that they may know the mystery of God, Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 13:20-21 The Preacher of Hebrews has consistently urged us to keep going and not give up. In our final talk in Hebrews, we'll reflect on the closing prayer of the letter — a prayer for God to equip and strengthen us to endure.

Colossians 1:15-23

Hebrews 13:1-21 What does real worship look like? More than singing and gathering midweek, Hebrews gives us a deeper more earth-y answer. Listen in as we're urged to express true worship to God.

Hebrews 12:3-29 When we suffer, it might seem like Richard Dawkins was right to say, "The universe that we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference". In this talk, we'll hear what God has to say: our suffering isn't because of pitiless indifference, it has a purpose.

Colossians 1:1-14 Be reassured if you are a genuine Christian, and be encouraged to go on being deepened and filled in spiritual maturity.

Hebrews 11:23-12:2 What is faith? What does it mean to live a life of faith? In this passage, we continue our walk through the Hall of Faith with stories of danger and rescue from deep in Bible history. Listen in to think about what these lives could possibly mean for us.

John 11:1-45 Death is the ugly reality we all face. But how can we? The world has its false answers, but because Jesus is 'the resurrection and the life' we can face death with hope knowing as well his love and sympathy for us. All this we discover in the great miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.

Hebrews 11:1-22 Last week we spoke about faith. But what is faith? A positive outlook on life? A fuzzy feeling? An interest in religion? In this talk we'll see what faith looks like and what this means for us.

Hebrews 10:19-39 Will you still trust Jesus in 10, 20, 30 years' time? Many begin well, but don't make it to the end. Careers develop, pressures build, and faith can drift to the margins. In the final section of Hebrews, we're urged to keep going. 

John 8:1-11 The gospel condemns those who society perceives as being ‘good', but it rescues and transforms even the ‘worst' of sinners

John 6:1-15, 25-40 Do you feel like you are constantly wanting or missing something? Jesus teaches us that true lasting satisfaction is found in him. He is the bread of life.

Hebrews 9:23-10:18 Asking around Canary Wharf, Jesus might be considered insignificant: a historical figure, a nice man, but offering little to help the mess in this world. Come to hear what Jesus' followers learned: Jesus came to begin a new era of history, an era where people change, mess is finally put right, and that we can be a part of this.

John 4:4-30 Humanity is seeking all kinds of satisfaction in all kinds of places and people, but so many find the satisfaction they find doesn't last and isn't secure. Listen in as Jesus tells us about ultimate, lasting, cleansing satisfaction from and with him.

Hebrews 9:1-22 How do you deal with a guilty conscience? We saw that the new covenant provides the context for security. But what gives us confidence that the covenant is secure? When doubts linger and failures weigh on us, it's easy to wonder whether that security could ever slip away. In this talk we look more closely at the foundation of the new covenant and why it offers real assurance for troubled consciences.

John 3:1-21 One of the best-known verses in the New Testament, John 3:16, begins with a ‘For', connecting it to the previous verse: which is from the Old Testament! We can't fully-understand, or fully-appreciate, the one without the other. John the gospel-writer introduces us to Nicodemus, a teacher of ‘the scriptures' (what we now call the Old Testament) in order to tell us the good news of God's love in sending Jesus, the Light of the World.

Hebrews 8:1-13 How do you deal with a guilty conscience? When it keeps you awake, or keeps God at arm's length? We're good at staying busy and moving on, but we need something better than denial or distraction. In this talk, we consider real help for troubled consciences.

John 1:43-51 How clear is your view of Jesus? As we start a new series looking at encounters with Jesus in John's gospel, we will be challenged to ‘see' him more clearly. Like Nathanael, are we prepared to have our vision of Jesus expanded? Are we willing to move ever closer to the light that shines in the darkness?

Hebrews 7:1-28 When challenges come our way, the promises that Jesus makes can seem unlikely to be true. God's antidote: the reason why anyone can be certain of these promises, the best promises ever heard.

Jesus' parables tell us about the values and shape of the Kingdom of God. For us, Luke 16:19-31, challenges us to examine how deeply Kingdom values inform our lives. 

Hebrews 4:14-5:10 Whether we're looking into faith or have been following Jesus for many years, we can be uncertain about how we could possibly keep following Jesus to the end. Hebrews tells us that we have one hope of making it to the end: Jesus. He has already made it and he will give us the help we ask for. 

Luke 16:1-15 In this sermon, Phil Williams explores Jesus' challenging parable of the dishonest manager and asks what it means to live with urgency, faithfulness, and generosity when eternity is real. Speaking into the realities of money, stewardship, and discipleship, the sermon calls us to examine who or what we truly serve and to use what God has entrusted to us for eternal good.

Luke 15:1-32 The parable of the prodigal son famously emphasises that there's no-one too lost or too far from God. But less well known is its shocking challenge to the religious and the respectable.

"Why did Jesus need to become a man?" It's a classic theological question with a surprisingly practical answer. In Hebrews 2:5-3:6 we will see how Jesus being "one of us" changes everything.

Luke 12:13-34 All of us want to live well: to get to the end of our life and to know we didn't waste it. Jesus tells a famous story about someone who seems to win at life, and yet when God appraises his life at the end, it turns out he had utterly failed in the only thing that really counts. Join us as we listen to Jesus' teaching on How not to waste your life.

Why do we find it so hard to truly listen to the Bible? Sometimes it can feel dull, repetitive, and laborious - just another dry text to get through. The truth is, our attention usually depends on whether we grasp the sheer weight and authority of the person speaking. In Hebrews 1:1–2:4, we discover the voice behind the pages of scripture.

Luke 14:15-24

Have you ever wondered whether you actually have enough to make it to the end - enough faith, endurance, or strength to keep going as a Christian? When we are tempted, feeling dry or drifting, many of us quietly question whether we will make it to the end. In this talk, we will explore an overview of the letter to the Hebrews and see how the preacher assures us that in our confession, "Jesus Christ our Lord", we already have more than enough.