Presbyterian Reformed Church of Stockton-on-Tees (Video)

Please pray for the open air work in Stockton-on-Tees, Thursdays at 11:30 am on the Stockton High Street.

This sermon explores the call to holiness as pictured in Exodus 13, presenting the believer's identity as a set-apart people belonging to God. The message outlines five dimensions of this holy life: being a redeemed firstborn, enjoying freedom from the bondage of sin, feeding on the spiritual sustenance of Christ, bearing the fruit of a transformed character, and looking forward to a glorious eternal future. Through typological connections to the Passover and the wilderness journey, the text emphasises that salvation is entirely by God's power and grace, not human effort. Believers are urged to maintain a distinct lifestyle that reflects their new citizenship in heaven while remaining vigilant against the spread of sin.

This sermon explores the practical and eternal benefits of godliness, contrasting it with the fleeting profits of bodily exercise and worldly pursuits. It argues that while physical discipline has limited value, godliness is profitable for all things, offering blessings in the present life and assurance for the future. The message emphasizes that true freedom is found not in autonomy or legalism, but in the liberty of Christ, which enables believers to flourish through wisdom, heart transformation, and a focus on heavenly rewards. By examining the contrast between vanity and eternal truth, the sermon encourages a life oriented toward Christ, where the pursuit of godliness serves as a foretaste of the fullness of joy and peace found in the world to come.

The sermon explores Luke 2:32, where Simeon identifies the infant Jesus as a light to the Gentiles and the glory of Israel, challenging the notion that Christianity is a new religion distinct from Jewish expectation. It argues that by nature, all people, whether Jew or Gentile, are in spiritual darkness due to the fall and sin, necessitating the grace of Christ for salvation. The message emphasizes that Christ's light not only delivers believers from this darkness but also nurtures them through truth and righteousness, contrasting the deceptive light of the world with the true light of God. Furthermore, it calls the church to recognize its dependence on Christ's glory, warning against self-righteousness and the departure of God's presence that leads to spiritual decline. The sermon concludes with an exhortation to view Jesus as unique and essential, inviting outsiders to find belonging in Him while urging believers to delight in His radiance.

Please pray for the Stockton Open Air, Thursdays at 11:30 am. This sermon centres on the birth of Jesus Christ as recorded in Matthew 1, emphasising that His incarnation as Emmanuel, or God with us, was specifically to save His people from their sins. The message presents a stark choice between acknowledging Jesus as Lord or rejecting Him, arguing that human works are insufficient for salvation and that only grace through faith in Christ's atoning death can remove the penalty and power of sin. It highlights the infinite worth of Jesus, who bore the wrath of God on behalf of sinners, contrasting the hope of eternal life with the certainty of judgment for those who reject Him. The tone is urgent and pastoral, calling listeners to examine their spiritual state and trust in the finished work of Christ to be adopted into God's royal family.

This sermon explores the awe-inspiring nature of God by examining the Queen of Sheba's visit to Solomon, understanding Solomon as a type of Christ. The central message encourages believers to look beyond the limited wisdom, magnificence, reputation, and blessings of Solomon to the infinite and superior attributes of Jesus, who is greater than Solomon. The speaker highlights how Solomon's wisdom, splendour, and generosity were finite and derived from God, whereas Christ possesses unsearchable riches and eternal glory. By contrasting the temporary fame of the world with the enduring awe of God's character, the sermon calls for a deepened reverence and worship. It concludes with a pastoral exhortation to cultivate a living relationship with God through prayer, meditation, and daily dependence on His grace, recognizing that all true blessings flow from His name and character.

This sermon explores the characteristics of a faithful minister of Jesus Christ by examining 1 Timothy 4:6-7, emphasizing the role of service and spiritual nourishment. It argues that a good minister must actively publish the truth to counteract the natural human tendency to forget God's blessings and the prevalence of false teachings. The message highlights the necessity of pointing exclusively to Christ rather than self, ensuring that the congregation is fed with the timeless words of faith and good doctrine. Furthermore, it stresses the protective duty of rejecting profane fables and heresies to safeguard the flock from spiritual harm. It urges believers to maintain a high view of the church and to exercise themselves in godliness as a defence against deception.

This sermon explores the nature of true Christian joy as defined in John 16, arguing that it is rooted in the exaltation of Christ rather than personal circumstances. The message outlines four aspects of this joy: it exalts Jesus as the believer's greatest possession, embraces the believer through the plainness of God's Word and the Father's love, erases spiritual famine by directing focus away from self and toward Christ's finished work, and encourages believers to endure tribulation with the assurance of God's presence. The preacher emphasizes that while the world offers fleeting happiness, the joy of Christ is enduring, truthful, and available even in the midst of suffering and persecution. Believers are called to trust in God's sovereignty, pray in Jesus' name, and find their strength in the knowledge that they are never alone, for the Father is always with them.

Please pray for the open air on the Stockton High Street, Thursdays at 11:30 am.

The sermon centres on Joshua 1:3 and it presents the book of Joshua not as a call to present day physical warfare but as a picture of spiritual realities and encouragements for God's people in the midst of present day spiritual warfare. The conquest of Canaan visually demonstrated God's superior power, the danger of sin in the camp (seen in Ai with Achan), and the need for faith. Canaan itself is a type pointing beyond the physical land to an everlasting heavenly inheritance. Joshua offers encouragements of spiritual victory already secured in Christ and a foretaste of the full rest to come. When Christ returns, even death—the last enemy—will be put under His feet. With Christ there is victory and entrance into the heavenly Canaan; without Him there is only a return to Egypt and exclusion from the blessings of Canaan.