Category: Resurrection - St Stephen's Whangaparaoa

Will You Believe?

11/5/2025

Preacher: Ian Hardcastle [Texts: Acts 9:36-43; Revelation 7:9-17; John 10:22-30]
"My sheep hear my voice," said Jesus. When we follow Jesus we get to know him and recognise his voice. The issue is often not that we don't have enough infomation, it is that we choose not to believe.

2025-05-11_will_you_believe.pdf
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Resurrection: Risen and Reigning

27/4/2025

Preacher: Ian Hardcastle [Texts: John 20:19-31; Acts 5:27-32 ; Revelation1:4-8]
We continue with John's eye-witness account of the resurrection. He wrote that he recorded these things so that we might believe - then let's take that seriously and put weight on the foundations he gives us.

2025-04-27_the_risen_and_reigning_christ.pdf
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Resurrection: Vindication and Victory

20/4/2025

Preacher: Ian Hardcastle [Texts: John 20:1-18; Acts 10:34-43]
John in his gospel gives us three eye-witness accounts of the tomb being found empty. Peter recounts his eye-witness testimony in the reading from Acts. Jesus said he was the Messiah and divine and that he would die and rise again. The resurrection vindicates his claims. So what is your response to the question of who he is and how you should respond?

2025-04-20_easter_resurrection_-_vindication_and_victory.pdf
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Our Hope of Resurrection

2/3/2025

Preacher: Helen Hardcastle [Text: 1 Corinthians 15:51-58]
Helen continues to explore the Apostle Paul's teaching on the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15.

2025-03-02_our_hope_of_resurrection.pdf
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Our Resurrection Bodies

23/2/2025

Preacher: Ian Hardcastle [Text: 1 Corinthians 15::35-38, 42-50]
We continue with Paul's teaching on the resurrection. Today looking at the nature of the resurrection body. Just as a plant grows from a seed but looks different, so our resurrection bodies will be related to these mortal bodies but will look different.

2025-02-23_the_resurrection_body.pdf
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All Saints and Resurrection

5/11/2024

Preacher: Ian Hardcastle [Texts: John 11:32-44; Isaiah 25:6-9; Revelation 21:1-6]
All Saints Day - what it is about? and who are saints anyway? We look at this and the hope of the resurrection for all who put their trust in Jesus Christ.

2024-11-03_all_saints_and_resurrection.pdf
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Easter 3: You are my Witnesses

14/4/2024

Preacher: Ian Hardcastle [Texts: Luke 24:36-48; Acts 3:12-20]
We continue in this Easter season with the eyewitness accounts reported by Luke. When Jesus had appeared to his disciples and proven that he was alive and solid, he told them that they were witnesses of his death and resurrection. In Peter's preaching, he repeatedly said, "We are witnesses."
All of us are called to be witnesses - to tell of our experiences of God. We don't need to expert evangelists to do that - just say what your experience was.

2024-04-14_you_are_my_witnesses.pdf
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John's Witness

7/4/2024

Preacher: Ian Hardcastle [Texts: John 20:19-31 ; 1 John 1:1-2:2]
This second Sunday in Easter, we continue with eye-witness testimony. This week, John's account of the evening of the day of Jesus' resurrection and a week later. He also gave us his reflection on knowing the divine-man who is in himself Eternal Life.

2024-04-07_johns_witness.pdf
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Easter Day - "We are Witnesses"

31/3/2024

Preacher: Ian Hardcastle [Texts: John 20:1-18; Acts 10:34-43; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11]
Today we hear three Apostles all testifying to the resurrection. John, Peter and Paul all have their evidence to offer that Jesus Christ died and rose again to eternal life.

2024-03-31_-_we_are_witnesses.pdf
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Hope, Shield & Joy

16/4/2023

Preacher: Ian Hardcastle [Texts: 1 Peter 1:3-9; Acts 2:14a, 22-32]
In this Easter season, we have a series of readings following the teaching of the Apostle Peter. Have you ever wondered what Jesus explained to the Apostles after the Resurrection? We don't have to wonder because they preached it, they wrote it down for us! In today's readings we hear Peter preaching and read his encouragement to the early church about the impact of the resurrection.

2023-04-16_hope_shield_and_joy.pdf
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Assurance of the Resurrection

7/11/2022

Preacher: Ian Hardcastle [Texts: Luke 20:27-38; Job 19:23-27a; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17]
There is hope for life after death for those who believe in Jesus. We will also one day be resurrected to life. Jesus' resurrection guarantees ours.

2022-11-06_assurance_of_the_resurrection.pdf
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Drink of the Water of Life

15/5/2022

Preacher: Ian Hardcastle
[Texts: Revelation 21:1-6; Acts 11:1-18]

As the ripples of Easter spread wider the Spirit of God introduces Gentiles to the Church while in John's vision of the New Earth, we catch a glimpse of the enthroned Son of God who invites us to drink of the water of life - the Holy Spirit.

220515_drink_of_the_water_of_life.pdf
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Jesus: Son of God; Glorified; Empowerer

8/5/2022

Preacher: Ian Hardcastle [Texts: John 10:22-30; Acts 9:36-32; Revelation 7:9-17]
As we continue to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, we review his teaching and understand him to be the Son of God who holds us safe; he is glorified by the angels and he empowers his church.

2022-05-08_jesus_son_of_god_glorified_empowerer.pdf
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WItnesses of the Resurrected Jesus - Healing the Lie-Bound Soul

1/5/2022

Preacher: Ian Hardcastle [Texts: John 21:1-19; Acts 9:1-20; Revelation 5:11-14]
Today's readings present three encounters with the risen Christ told by eye-witnesses. When the disciples met Jesus by the lake, he restored Peter from shame into acceptance and responsibility. Here we find lessons for us as we find our way in greater wholeness or help others on that journey.

2202-05-01_witnesses_of_the_resurrrected_jesus.pdf
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Resurrected and Transformed

27/2/2022

Preacher: Ian Hardcastle [Texts: 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; Luke 46-49]
Part 3 of 3 on 1 Cor 15 and the resurrection. We consider the question of cremation and how it fits with a resurrection hope, what happens to those who are alive at the time of Christ's return, death defeated and the consequence for living our lives now. We have hope. We need to keep our trust in Christ and the transforming power of resurrection.

22-02-27_resurrection_3.pdf
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The Resurrection Body

20/2/2022

Preacher: Ian Hardcastle [Texts: 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50; Luke 16:19-31; Genesis 45:3-11,15]
Part two of three considering Paul's teaching on the resurrection from 1 Cor 15. Today we consider what we know of our form in the afterlife - before and after the resurrection.

2022-02-20_the_resurrection_body.pdf
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The Resurrection Part 1 of 3

13/2/2022

Preacher: Ian Hardcastle [Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1-20]
The resurrection is an important foundation of our faith and yet is often misunderstood. Today we review the important creedal statement Paul made in 1 Cor 15:3-8 about the Gospel and the resurrection of Jesus. And then we start to see how crucial the resurrection is to the gospel - without it Paul tells us that our faith is in vain and we are deluded!

2022-02-13_the_resurrection_part_1.pdf
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Paul's Motivations

13/6/2021

Preacher: Ian Hardcastle [Text: 2 Corinthians 5:1-17]
When Paul wrote his second letter to the Corinthians he had been through serious traumas. He lists the many floggings, dangers and perils later in this letter and specifically in the first chapter he wrote of a time when it was so bad he despaired of life itself, but God delivered him. In Chapter five, he shares some ideas about suffering and dying. In the midst of it we find nuggets of hope and indicators of the motivations which kept him going. Which of these impacts you? Take some time to explore it more and build it into your life as a strong motivator for Godly living and service.

210613_pauls_motivation.pdf
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Laying down our Lives

25/4/2021

Preacher: Ian Hardcastle [Texts: John 10:11-18; 1 John 3:16-24]
Today is ANZAC day. We remember those who gave their lives in war. Where do we find hope? Jesus supremely gave his life for us and in him we find the hope of eternal life.

210425_laying_down_our_lives.pdf
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Resurrection and Science

18/4/2021

Preacher: Peter Lloyd [Text Luke 24:36-48]
Peter addresses the concern that science is opposed to faith or incompatible with it with a resounding 'NO!' Read his sermon to hear why.

210418_resurrection_and_science.pdf
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