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Forgiven People - Forgiving People Part 2

"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." (Romans 12 v.18)

The first talk in this series clarified what forgiveness actually is: that is causes debt (what will I do with a wrong that has happened?) and damage (what has the wrong done to me?)

Forgiveness deals with the debt. It is the costly, Christ-shaped decision not to repay harm for harm—to refuse revenge, to lay down the right to weaponise the wrong, and to entrust justice to God.

In this talk we go a little further and face the honest tension that we often feel: I've forgiven… but things still don't feel okay. There may still be awkwardness, caution, pain, or distance. This can make us wonder whether the forgiveness we have offered was real at all and this is because beyond debt and damage, sin creates distrust and distance.

Forgiveness and trust are not the same thing. Forgiveness says, "I will not hold this against you." Trust says, "I am beginning to believe you are becoming safe again."

Trust takes time. It grows through consistent, visible change—not just words. That means someone can be truly forgiven and yet still need boundaries, time, and space for trust to be rebuilt. This is not a failure of grace, but an honest recognition of reality.

Damage takes time to heal. Forgiveness can happen in a moment, but healing is a process. It is not pretending nothing happened or forgetting the past but reaching a place where the wound no longer controls us. Even Jesus rose with scars—no longer signs of defeat, but of redeeming love.

Forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation.

Forgiveness is one-sided – someone has been injured and takes the decision to forgive. Reconciliation requires both the person who has been injured and the one who inflicted the harm. It involves honesty, repentance, and the slow rebuilding of something new—not simply returning to what was before. Scripture is realistic: "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." (Romans 12:18). Sometimes, it is not possible. Sometimes, it is not wise.

Real change is not just recognition or apology, but repentance that bears fruit—a visible turning, lived out over time, and, where possible, restitution which is a willingness to take responsibility and seek to make things right, without demanding a particular outcome.

Putting it all together, we arrived at a fuller picture:

• Forgiveness deals with the debt
• Repentance and trust address the distrust
• Healing and restitution address the damage
• Reconciliation addresses the distance

These things are connected—but not identical.

So, if you've ever thought:

"I forgave, so why am I still hurting?"
"Why am I still cautious?"
"Why are things not back to normal?"

The answer is simple: forgiveness is not the whole process—it is the beginning of it.

You can see past sermons on the Leominster Baptist Church website at  Leominster Baptist Church - YouTube and can contact us directly with your feedback or queries through the Contact Us link at the top of the episode description text.

Leominster Baptist Church can be found on Etnam Street in Leominster, Herefordshire. To find out more about us, visit our website leobc.co.uk. If you would like to speak to someone about anything that you have heard on our podcasts please give us a call and ask for a chat.

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Forgiven People - Forgiving People Part 1

"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." They are familiar words, but they feel very different when they meet real life. Most of us do not struggle with forgiveness in theory. We struggle with it in strained relationships, old wounds, unresolved hurt, and pain that cannot now be put right.

The Bible is deeply honest about this. From Cain and Abel onward, Scripture tells the truth about human relationships: we wound and we are wounded. Sin is not only rule-breaking, it is relationship-breaking. It damages trust, fractures love, and leaves wounds behind. 

When someone wrongs us, at least two things happen. There is a debt created and there is damage. Forgiveness answers the question, "What will I do with the wrong?" It is not pretending nothing happened. It is not instant trust, full reconciliation, or the removal of every consequence. 

Forgiveness is costly because someone really did take something and someone really was hurt. If the pain is not going to be passed back, then in some way it must be absorbed. That is why forgiveness takes us to the cross. Jesus does not pretend sin is small. He bears it. He absorbs its cost. He takes the hit without returning it. The cycle of pain meets someone who will not pass it on.

Forgiveness is not weakness. It is cross-shaped love. It is saying, by grace, "The debt is cancelled, and the pain stops here. I will not make you pay, and I will not let this wound reproduce itself through me."

That leaves us with both challenge and comfort.

The challenge is that forgiveness is hard. Not in theory, but in real life, where wounds have names, histories, and consequences. But we also saw that forgiveness is not the same as instantly trusting again, feeling fine about what happened, or being fully reconciled. Often when we say, "I can't forgive," what we really mean is, "I can't trust." And that may be true. Trust, reconciliation, and restoration require something from the other person. Forgiveness is the first step we are called to take: releasing the debt and refusing revenge, while still telling the truth about the damage.

And the comfort is this: we are not simply told to forgive and then left to do it on our own. We have a Saviour who has walked this path before us. Jesus does not merely command forgiveness, he embodies it. And he gives us his Spirit, so that when forgiveness feels beyond us, we are not left to cope alone. We are invited to walk in his way, with his help, even when it is hard.

You can see past sermons on the Leominster Baptist Church website at  Leominster Baptist Church - YouTube and can contact us directly with your feedback or queries through the Contact Us link at the top of the episode description text.

Leominster Baptist Church can be found on Etnam Street in Leominster, Herefordshire. To find out more about us, visit our website leobc.co.uk. If you would like to speak to someone about anything that you have heard on our podcasts please give us a call and ask for a chat.

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Hope in Difficult Circumstances: the message of Easter

In this talk we are encouraged to reflect on the wonder and majesty of the events of Easter. At the start, we consider the idea of Easter as God's great "Hail Mary", a phrase used to describe ‘hope in difficult circumstances.’ Easter is God's one great plan to save the world. No plan B. No backup arrangement. No second route waiting in the wings. When humanity first departed from God’s presence, God has single-mindedly set out to rescue and restore it through Jesus Christ. Easter is not God scrambling to recover a situation; it is the long-promised, decisive act of salvation at the centre of history.  We are challenged to think of Easter not simply as a tradition to observe, but an announcement to hear as we stand outside His tomb: "He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see." (Matthew 28:6)

That is the heart of Christianity. It begins not with advice, but with news: something has happened.

The women came to the tomb expecting to face a problem they could not solve. There was a huge stone in the way. But when they arrived, the stone had already been moved. The obstacle they thought would define the moment had already been dealt with. 

You know, we can often think that the stone was rolled away to let Jesus out of the tomb, but I wonder if it was rolled away to let Mary, Peter and John, look in? To let us look in and consider! Something has happened.

We thought a little about the evidence for that announcement. Christian faith is not a call to shut down your mind. The women are invited to come and see. It is an invitation to look, to ask, to think, and to consider. Jesus existed. Jesus died. The tomb was empty. His followers became convinced they had seen him alive. Their lives were changed. The church was born in the very place where he had been killed. At some point the question changes from did it happen, to what best explains the evidence?

If Jesus really went into death and came out the other side, then Easter is not a nice religious idea to brighten the spring, it is the turning point of history. It means death is not ultimate. It means sin is not final. It means despair does not get the last word. It means there is hope that is stronger than fear.

One of my favourite details in the Easter story is what Jesus says when the women finally meet him. You might expect something dramatic. Something thunderous. But his first word is simply, "Hello." Or in the original, "Hail." The first Hail Mary.

There is something so fitting about that. The risen Jesus is not distant, strange, or unreachable. He is alive, present, and near.

That is why Easter is an invitation as much as it is a declaration. Come and see. Bring your questions. Bring your doubts. Bring your need. Bring the places in your life that feel stuck, tired, fearful, or beyond repair. The risen Jesus is not just a figure from history to be admired. He is alive, and he still changes lives.

And that is where we ended: when the women heard the angel, hope flickered; when they saw the empty tomb, something woke up; but when they saw Jesus, faith became personal.

That is still how it happens.

And if Jesus is alive, then may

You can see past sermons on the Leominster Baptist Church website at  Leominster Baptist Church - YouTube and can contact us directly with your feedback or queries through the Contact Us link at the top of the episode description text.

Leominster Baptist Church can be found on Etnam Street in Leominster, Herefordshire. To find out more about us, visit our website leobc.co.uk. If you would like to speak to someone about anything that you have heard on our podcasts please give us a call and ask for a chat.

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Holy Week Special - Easter People Part 5: Simon of Cyrene

Holy Week is a time when we can reflect on the events that led to Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection from the dead. In this short series of sermons that were originally delivered in 2025, we are drawn into these events through the eyes and the experiences of five people. Some were very close to Jesus throughout his ministry whilst others appear momentarily. But all can say the same thing: that they met Jesus.

This is the final talk in our series on Easter People. Today we are encouraged to reflect on the events of the first 'Good Friday', through the eyes of Simon of Cyrene. Simon has a very brief mention in the gospel narrative. He had travelled a very great distance to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. It so happens that as he and his son are in the city a noisy procession is underway: some men are experiencing the final humiliation as they are being taken to the place of execution under the supervision of the Roman authorities. One staggers and falls under the weight of the cross he is forced to carry, and Simon is ordered, by a soldier, to carry it for Him ...

We hope that our Easter People reflections have been helpful during Holy Week and that you have managed to find time to stop and be still. 

Thank you for supporting our podcast - please feel free to feedback through our Ask Dean a Question link. We are keen to hear your thoughts.

You can see past sermons on the Leominster Baptist Church website at  Leominster Baptist Church - YouTube and can contact us directly with your feedback or queries through the Contact Us link at the top of the episode description text.

Leominster Baptist Church can be found on Etnam Street in Leominster, Herefordshire. To find out more about us, visit our website leobc.co.uk. If you would like to speak to someone about anything that you have heard on our podcasts please give us a call and ask for a chat.

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Holy Week Special - Easter People Part 4: Doubting Thomas

Holy Week is a time when we can reflect on the events that led to Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection from the dead. In this short series of sermons that were originally delivered in 2025, we are drawn into these events through the eyes and the experiences of five people. Some were very close to Jesus throughout his ministry whilst others appear momentarily. But all can say the same thing: that they met Jesus.

This is the fourth reflection on easter people in our short series of five vignettes. Along with Peter, James and John, Thomas is perhaps one of the most well-known disciple - maybe because he is the one that gets the nickname. But Thomas is a really interesting individual and in many ways, he is you and he is me. The sceptic? Or the one who comes to faith with his thinking head on? And let's not forget his reaction when he did see Jesus. He fell to his knees saying, "My Lord, and my God." 

You can see past sermons on the Leominster Baptist Church website at  Leominster Baptist Church - YouTube and can contact us directly with your feedback or queries through the Contact Us link at the top of the episode description text.

Leominster Baptist Church can be found on Etnam Street in Leominster, Herefordshire. To find out more about us, visit our website leobc.co.uk. If you would like to speak to someone about anything that you have heard on our podcasts please give us a call and ask for a chat.

Contact us

Holy Week Special - Easter People Part 3: Joseph of Arimathea

Holy Week is a time when we can reflect on the events that led to Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection from the dead. In this short series of sermons that were originally delivered in 2025, we are drawn into these events through the eyes and the experiences of five people. Some were very close to Jesus throughout his ministry whilst others appear momentarily. But all can say the same thing: that they met Jesus.

In this third talk, we have the opportunity to reflect on events through the eyes of Joseph of Arimathea. He has a small mention in the narrative, but a significant experience to share with us.

You can see past sermons on the Leominster Baptist Church website at  Leominster Baptist Church - YouTube and can contact us directly with your feedback or queries through the Contact Us link at the top of the episode description text.

Leominster Baptist Church can be found on Etnam Street in Leominster, Herefordshire. To find out more about us, visit our website leobc.co.uk. If you would like to speak to someone about anything that you have heard on our podcasts please give us a call and ask for a chat.

Contact us

Holy Week Special - Easter People Part 2: Peter

Holy Week is a time when we can reflect on the events that led to Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection from the dead. In this short series of sermons that were originally delivered in 2025, we are drawn into these events through the eyes and the experiences of five people. Some were very close to Jesus throughout his ministry whilst others appear momentarily. But all can say the same thing: that they met Jesus. In the second talk in this series, we consider Peter and in so doing, are invited to once again look at events through eyes that may feel familiar. Peter features regularly within the gospels and is known for his passion and for his loyalty to Jesus. He became one of the most important leaders of the 'Way' (the early Christian Church) after Jesus' resurrection. Even so, when it came to the moment when Jesus was arrested, Peter is also famous for denying he knew him. 

You can see past sermons on the Leominster Baptist Church website at  Leominster Baptist Church - YouTube and can contact us directly with your feedback or queries through the Contact Us link at the top of the episode description text.

Leominster Baptist Church can be found on Etnam Street in Leominster, Herefordshire. To find out more about us, visit our website leobc.co.uk. If you would like to speak to someone about anything that you have heard on our podcasts please give us a call and ask for a chat.

Contact us

Holy Week Special - Easter People Part 1: Mary the Magdalene

Holy Week is a time when we can reflect on the events that led to Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection from the dead. In this short series of sermons that were originally delivered in 2025, we are drawn into these events through the eyes and the experiences of five people. Some were very close to Jesus throughout his ministry whilst others appear momentarily. But all can say the same thing: that they met Jesus. In the first of the series, we consider Mary the Magdalene and in so doing, are invited to look at events through familiar eyes, because we all know who Mary the Magdalene is ... don't we?

You can see past sermons on the Leominster Baptist Church website at  Leominster Baptist Church - YouTube and can contact us directly with your feedback or queries through the Contact Us link at the top of the episode description text.

Leominster Baptist Church can be found on Etnam Street in Leominster, Herefordshire. To find out more about us, visit our website leobc.co.uk. If you would like to speak to someone about anything that you have heard on our podcasts please give us a call and ask for a chat.

Contact us

The Way of Exodus Part 8 - Redemption is just the Beginning

In this, the eighth podcast in this series, Exodus chapters 14–17 show us something that is easy to miss: the Red Sea was the miracle… but it wasn't the destination. It was just the beginning. God rescues His people in a dramatic moment, but now begins the process of formation, now begins the long journey and the patient ministering that will teach His people how to live as free people who trust Him day by day.

Very quickly the questions within the narrative change from "Will God get us out?" to "Will God keep us?" And the answer, again and again, is yes. In the wilderness God gives daily bread — manna that trains them in dependence rather than panic. He shows daily protection — not by removing every threat, but by going before them and standing between them and what would destroy them. Rescue is real, but it's not the end; God sustains what He saves.

But the deepest point of all was this: the goal was never just to be drawn "out of slavery." The goal was that the Hebrews would be drawn into relationship. God wants to have a relationship with humanity and, in this instance, with His people. journey isn't simply from bondage to survival — it's from bondage to communion, from fear to worship, from Pharaoh's rule that leads to slavery and death, to God’s which leads to life. This is amplified in chapter 25: "Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them" (Exodus 25:8).

And this is where we need to make the connection to the Gospel narrative. This is where the Exodus story is utterly relevant to our own lives. When we follow Jesus are released from the bondage of sin and death. He leads us out of Egypt and through the Red Sea. But just as that was just the beginning of a lifetime journey with God for the Hebrews, so it is for us: we are invited to journey through our lives with God before us and behind us. We are forgiven, filled with the spirit and we are invited to abide. We are brought into a relationship with God: as Moses brought the Hebrews, Jesus brings us.

And underneath all of it is a truth that can take a lifetime to sink in: God loves you because He loves you. Not because you're impressive, useful, consistent, strong, or sorted. There isn't a deeper "why" to earn or uncover. His love comes from His own heart and that's what makes worship the fitting response from rescued people.

If you find what Dean has said interesting and have a question, please use the 'Ask Dean' link to get it to us as we will try to put together a Q and R podcast in due course. Thank you for your support and for listening in!

You can see past sermons on the Leominster Baptist Church website at  Leominster Baptist Church - YouTube and can contact us directly with your feedback or queries through the Contact Us link at the top of the episode description text.

Leominster Baptist Church can be found on Etnam Street in Leominster, Herefordshire. To find out more about us, visit our website leobc.co.uk. If you would like to speak to someone about anything that you have heard on our podcasts please give us a call and ask for a chat.

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The Exodus Way Part 7 - Holding Your Peace

In this podcast we sit in that Red Sea moment: deep water in front of us, pressure behind us, and no obvious way through. We look at Exodus 13–14 and Psalm 106 and are reminded of something many of us need to hear again: God does not bring us to impossible places to mock us. He brings us there to show us who He is and to lead us into freedom.

A big part of what is unpacked here is what it means to hold our peace. When Scripture says, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still," it doesn't mean doing nothing forever. Instead, it means stopping the panic, the inner noise, and the reflex reactions that we have long enough to hear God clearly. Whilst fear may show up, holding your peace means that fear doesn't get to drive. Stillness is not passivity; it's a posture of trust enabling us to listen before we take the next step of obedience.

As Exodus 14 leads into Exodus 15 we discover that rescue leads to worship. The Hebrews didn't just survive, they sang! Is this something we can transfer into our own lives? Do we let our hearts sing as we walk with God through our own lives?

God is still teaching us the same rhythm: hold your peace, listen, move, and trust Him with the outcome.

Reflection

1. Where have you experienced a time where you thought you were ready but God said not yet?
2. When fear starts talking, what kind of story does it usually tell you (about God, yourself, or the situation)?
3. What does "reverse gear" look like for you when life feels hard (withdrawing, overthinking, anger, numbing, people-pleasing, etc.)?
4. Where might God be asking you not to force an outcome, but to trust His direction one step at a time?
5. What would worship-as-response look like for you this week. Not just expressing our feelings, but a way of saying, "God has done it" or "God is with me"?

A simple practice for this week: HOLD YOUR PEACE

If you find yourself spiralling, reacting, or feeling overwhelmed, try this (even for 60 seconds):

P — Pause
Slow down and don't react straight away.

E — Examine
Notice what you're feeling, wanting, and assuming.

A — Attend to God
Pray and bring this moment under Jesus' lordship.

C — Choose
Take the next faithful, loving, truthful step.

E — Entrust
Leave the outcome with God.

You don't have to do this perfectly. The point is simply to make space for God before fear takes over.

If you find what Dean has said interesting and have a question, please use the 'Ask Dean' link to get it to us as we will try to put together a Q and R podcast in due course. Thank you for your support and for listening in!

You can see past sermons on the Leominster Baptist Church website at  Leominster Baptist Church - YouTube and can contact us directly with your feedback or queries through the Contact Us link at the top of the episode description text.

Leominster Baptist Church can be found on Etnam Street in Leominster, Herefordshire. To find out more about us, visit our website leobc.co.uk. If you would like to speak to someone about anything that you have heard on our podcasts please give us a call and ask for a chat.