Trinity Church Oxford: Recent Episodes
Trinity Church Oxford
Trinity Church exists because of the love of God to us in Christ Jesus. We celebrate that grace Sunday by Sunday as we learn more from God‘s Word.
In many ways it can be tough to be a Christian. There will be times when the world will put obstacles in our way in an attempt to make us fail and there will be other times when God will ask us to do something that requires sacrifice. But in all of these things God is sovereign and is working in us a better character.
Be encouraged by Charlie Styles as he explains what it means to be made in the image of God :)
We're never truly home until we've found Christ, but once we've found him, we'll never be away from home again.
Faithfulness to Jesus may bring wordly success or it may bring persecution. In either case we should aim to give glory to God in whatever situation He has put us in.
Numerous faithful men and women in the old testament were willing to sacrifice their comfortable lives, great wealth and good reputations for the sake of obeying the call of God. In leaving those things behind it will often become apparent that the control we thought we had over our lives was actually an illusion.
What does it mean to have faith in someone or something? The author says that "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." In other words, faith is reasoned expectations based off of prior behaviour. So by hearing/reading what God has done through Jesus we can have faith that He will go to great lengths to save us and bless us!
How could it be possible for us to have confidence before God when we are so unworthy of acceptance? Yet we can have confidence to stand in the holy of holies where only the high priest of Israel could stand once a year. The claims about Jesus sacrifice are astounding and transformational, not just for the original hearers but also for us.
Tom gives us many reasons to feel encouraged and motivated to pursue God this New Year.
Sam Allberry explains why the Christmas is for everyone, particularly the downtrodden and oppressed.
[sorry for the jerky sound]
Jesus is the good shepherd who knows our name and guides us. In this sermon, Peter unpacks how unlike a traditional shepherd the good shepherd will willing lay down his life for his sheep. He also does a good shepherd impression...
Old testament sacrifices could not truly atone for the sins of those offering them, but rather they pointed to a future perfect, once and for all sacrifice. Jesus' perfect life and sacrificial death means that the Lord can declare "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more"
There are many peculiar things about the tabernacle in the Old Testament which the writer of Hebrews draws on, hinting at their significance in relation to Jesus. It's symbolism points to Eden, which being the place where God and humanity live in perfect relationship, it in turn points to our a longed for destination. Jesus has paved the way to this destination for all people by the sacrifice of his blood.
When Abram gets called by God to up sticks and leave his home in Ur, he listens to God and finds a greater blessing in the hardship of nomadic life in Canaan. We likewise might hear God's call upon our lives to make sacrifices and follow a path that is counter-cultural; will we be like Abram and heed the upward call of God in Christ?
When there is a change in the order of priesthood, this precipitates a change in the law also. Jesus has become our High Priest and has thereby become the priest of a new, better covenant - a covenant of grace that declares us righteous and transforms us by the Spirit. This new covenant is not a covenant that is exclusive to one nation, but rather it is open to all who put their faith in Jesus.
Tom explains who Melchizedek is, what his relationship is with Jesus and why the writer to the Hebrews is so interested in this enigmatic figure.
Trust is something that is crucial for everyday life. But so frequently we are let down and let others down ourselves. Thankfully there is One who we can unwaveringly put our trust in. Jesus is an anchor for our souls, preventing us from going adrift.
I haven't actually listened to the sermon so I don't know what it's about. I'm sure it's good though. Hebrews is great.
Hebrews explains to us that Jesus is our great high priest because He is in heaven appealing for us to the Father. Because he has lived life as a human and has been subjected to every kind of temptation, he's able to sympathise with us in our struggles. This should encourage us all the more to run to him and find infinite love, mercy and grace!
Restlessness is on the rise. But through Jesus and His sacrifice for us we can find rest and peace and make ourselves into a community of rest. It's our privilege and duty to be people who know this rest and share it with others.
By living life as a human, Jesus understands the struggle that is living. Therefore we can fall on Him and be welcomed as brothers and sisters, knowing that He will empathise with our pain. He is our peanut butter for the kitchen floor!
We're reminded of the importance to pay close attention to what the scriptures say so that we don't drift away from the Faith.
The first in a new sermon series on Hebrews. The epistle opens with a grand passage about Jesus as the full expression of God's word.
Jesus sets before us two kinds of people: a rich man who lives lavishly and cares nothing for his neighbour and Lazarus, a poor man whose only help is from God.
Jesus confronts a self-righteous Pharisee and welcomes a notorious sinner. Will you surrender to him and enjoy the freedom of his forgiveness?
The Christian life is simple for Peter - stand firm in the grace of God. In his closing brief remarks to his readers Peter encourages us to do that by clothing ourselves with humility.
The call to follow Christ is costly but the moment you walk down the path of suffering for Christ you discover that there's nothing you'd rather do.
Jesus calls his followers to take up their cross and follow him. There are moments in our lives when we must choose suffering, but we only do that because Jesus himself is the triumphant sufferer.
Will you choose the way of the righteous that leads to happiness - if you do, you follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, the righteous one. This gateway to the Psalms encourages you to live for God in the challenge of life.
Peter's teaching on marriage is counter-cultural and it is good news, as wives and husbands are called to reflect the sacrificial death of Jesus in the different ways they relate to each other.
Jesus' death was redemptive, exemplary and transformative. Christians seek to follow in his footsteps in less than ideal circumstances as they seek to submit to governing authorities and honour God in difficult workplaces.
Who Jesus is changes who we are collectively as a Church. Peter's vision of the Church is shaped by the remarkable and humble life of Jesus, which gives him a much grander vision of Church than we often have.
Christians have a living hope. This living hope changes the way we think about life now and encourages us to reflect God's character, remember God's grace, love our brothers and sisters and learn from God's Word.
Peter calls us to live as exiles, sown abroad in the world to bless it. However, before he fleshes out what that paradox looks like he overflows with praise for all that God has done for us in providing us with a future hope, present help and a past reality that equips us for that task.
When Zechariah foretells the triumphal entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem he shines a spotlight on the significance of this action. He prophesies that a sacrifice is going to be made which will break the power of oppression, bring an end to war and reconcile God to His people.
The oracles of Zechariah 9-14 describe the arrival of God's King. He is a shepherd like no other, certainly different from the false shepherds of Judah.
From a sermon preached last year, Zechariah 8 shows us how God's plan of redemption brings us from fasting to feasting.
From a sermon preached last year. Zechariah 6 shows us God the King defeating his enemies and building the temple.
When God returns to his people, sin can no longer have a place in our midst. Mercifully, God himself removes sin and strengthens us to live for Him.
From a sermon preached last year. Zechariah 4 shows us that God is working in us, not by might, nor by power but by his Spirit. Don't despise the small things - rather walk in them.
From a sermon preached last year, Zechariah 3 shows us that God is our advocate, who provides us access by forgiving us and then enables us to live for him.
Zechariah's visions aren't very British. They're the opposite of understated - God is saying in technicolour that he is in control and we can trust him.
John takes us through the first week of Jesus' ministry and whilst he invites us to see Jesus for ourselves we discover that Jesus is searching for us and drawing us to himself.
Zechariah was given 8 visions to encourage the people to return, rebuild, restore and rejoice. The first vision encourages God's people to see that God is in control, crying out for his people with comfort and compassion.
Peter traces the thread of sin and salvation from the garden to the Cross. While the condition of mankind quickly spiraled downward, God was working out His plan through His people to Jesus.
Andrew makes a Gospel appeal, particularly focusing on the reconciliation between God and Man which has been brought about by Jesus' death and resurrection.
Jesus' light shines into the darkness as the Word became flesh and made his dwelling amongst us.
Meaning, origins, life and hope are found in the Word, who is God and was with God in the beginning. John's prologue is like a trailer for us as we get a glimpse of Jesus shining his light into the darkness.
Work is something we spend so much of our lives doing, but in the grand scheme of things is that time spent working essentially time wasted? Is church ministry the only kind of work that has eternal significance, and all other work is just a means of putting bread on the table or supporting holy men like James in their ministry?
How much is the Church responsible for the harm that has been done to the environment in the last few centuries? And what does God say about our responsibility towards it?
Jesus is with us in our garden of sorrow and yet faced his garden alone - why? Because he was doing what we could never do. He bore the burden and drank the cup so that we don't have to - cry out to him and find that the same blood that runs in your veins runs in his as well.
God has given us a book of grief in the Bible. It teaches us to feel, pray, confess and rest in Jesus.
What does the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden have to say about the roles of men and women in the church? This teaching starts by establishing the themes that arise out of Gen 2-3 and then considers various passages in Acts and Paul's epistles that touch on the topic
Where did it all go wrong in the garden? Who is to blame? And how has humanity been impacted ever since?
What does it mean for Man to be made in the image of God? From Genesis 2 we can discover the great honour and responsibility that it is to be God's image bearers.
God has given his people the language of lament. When facing darkness on every side we can use this Psalm to help us understand ourselves, others God and our hope. When darkness seems to be our closest friend, we know that we have a friend in the darkness.
Is the teaching of the Bible at odds with Darwinian evolution or the scientific community more generally? The answer is probably more nuanced than you would've first thought...
Sermon PowerPoint slides: download link
Peter draws out the key themes held within the language, structure and repetition of the creation narrative. These themes will influence our outlook on life and the world.
Isaiah looks into the future and sees one full of peace, transformation, restoration and rest. Because of Jesus' death on the cross, we can begin to enjoy these things now.
Out of the stump came a shoot that would change the world. At Christmas time we remember the birth of Jesus. Isaiah reminds us how momentous this event was. Into the world was coming one who was filled with the Spirit, who would be understanding, powerful and judge with righteousness - and all of this is good news!
Both the Magi and Herod are described as searching for the Messiah, yet to opposing ends. One seeks to pay homage whilst the other seeks to destroy. One way or another the thoughts of Man are bent towards God for good or for ill and sometimes God chooses to reveal himself in surprising ways.
The virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall call him Immanuel. In the same way that Jesus was with Mary and Joseph, so can he be with us.
History shows us again and again that humans are broken and sinful from Abraham to David to our own modern leaders and role models. But out of humanity God has chosen to come and be a perfect representative and a sure hope. Jesus' incarnation is the centre point of all history and the hinge on which humanity's downwards trajectory pivots. [Sorry for the microphone issues during the recording!]
Paul's life was transformed by the cross - will you imitate him as he allows the cross to redefine his priorities, lifestyle and relationship?
Guest speaker Alan Robinson explains that we must not become complacent in the knowledge that we have been saved by faith, but that striving to follow Jesus' teachings is also critical for ensuring that we do not become as wolves in sheep's clothing or the builder who built his house upon the sand.
Broad is the gate and easy is the way that leads to destruction, yet narrow is the gate and hard is the way that leads to life. To be Christian one must set a course that goes against the tide of humanity. The way is hard but Jesus is there by our side to help and guide us.
Guest speaker Julian Hardyman explains how Song of Songs has significance for all believers in the present day. Learn about how Christ loves the church through the lens of this enigmatic book of the Bible.
The wisdom of the cross is permanent, revealed and brings division. As Christians we can have complete confidence in the message of the cross!
In a world where loneliness is on the rise, what does Jesus offer to those who put their trust in Him? An incredible relationship with the Father in which He always answers our prayers (not always in ways we would expect)!
Christians are called to a radical self-awareness of our sinfulness that leads to acceptance of and humility towards other people. Despite modern society's proclivity to being quick to judge, we need to extract ourselves from that and therein extract the plank from our own eye.
Most people suffer from worry, but Jesus has given us lessons from God's awesome creation about why we can entrust our worries and concerns to our heavenly Father. Also included: a birdwatcher's guide to swifts.
The Cross redefines the way we think about power, meaning, wisdom, salvation, self and life and as it does so it changes the world!
Jesus' death transforms our identity, giving us security, our gifting, liberating us from the need to perform and finally draws us into close fellowship with our Church family.
God is kind, all-knowing, merciful and abundant in his provision and therefore invites us to fast, not out of duty, but to bring us into closer fellowship with Him.
Jesus teaches us how to pray, and in so doing, reveals to us the Father's care for our basic needs and for our emotional and spiritual nourishment.
What does the Lord's Prayer teach us about how we can come to God in prayer? Expectant as a child to their father yet humble as a supplicant to the sovereign King of the universe.
What does authentic Christianity look like? Giving up on pretence and resting secure in our Father who loves us.
Paul is defiant in the face of death. By the power of the indestructible life of the Son of God, death has been defeated and has lost its sting.
The future of humanity does not belong to those who are accounted powerful and successful by the taste-makers and trend-setters. It belongs to those who belong to Jesus – who have surrendered to him, who have accepted his offer of forgiveness, who have submitted to him, who have joined him in life.
Should Christians be pitied? Paul emphatically says no - Jesus' resurrection changes everything for us!
Jesus' death, burial and resurrection is central to our hope as Christians - Paul reminds the Corinthian Christians they can be confident of these truths.