Foundation Church Belfast

God is My Strength

A sermon by Marc Scheibe from Psalm 73.

3 Life-Changing Headlines from the Resurrection

The empty tomb is first discovered by three women. They visited prepared with anointing spices, expecting to find a corpse. What they found changed the course of world history.
In this somewhat abrupt ending to Mark's gospel account, we can detect three outstanding phrases that stop us in our tracks:
1. "Jesus of Nazareth"
Of all the titles the angel could have referred to Jesus, he chose to identify him as a man from a small town. He was in many ways, just like us. Yet this has dramatic implications for how we view the resurrection, and it's relevance for us. If a human being can come alive after death, then maybe there is hope for us.
2. "And Peter"
Peter had failed Jesus miserably, denying him emphatically in public three times. Yet the angel's special inclusion "and Peter" showed that even someone who has radically denied Jesus and rejected him can be restored. That is great news for those of us who think we are too bad or lost for Jesus to take us back. These two words suggest otherwise.
3. "He is going ahead of you"
The resurrection was not the end of the story, but can be understood as the opening of a new chapter. There was a mission that the disciples were called and trained for. And now Jesus regathers the team to send them out on a live mission. Training is over.
Yet his disciples know that Jesus goes ahead of them; mission is effectively following Jesus wherever he takes us. This grows courage and fortitude as we continue the mission he calls all disciples to participate in.
Main Text
Mark 16:1-8
Preacher 
David Varney, pastor Foundation Church Belfast

Living the Truth

As we journey towards the climactic moment of Mark's gospel account - the cross of Christ, we are confronted with the challenges of living God's truth in a world that doesn't want to hear it.
Today we are faced with a radical choice - embrace and live out the truth of God, just as Jesus did; or abstract ourselves from the truth and find safety in denial, just like Peter.
Our vision at Foundation Church Belfast is to catalyse gospel transformation in our city and nations through resourcing, renewal, and replication. (Read more about our vision here.)
But what if that we knew that vision would only come to pass with suffering? Would we still be enthusiastic lay our lives down for the cause of Christ and the coming kingdom across Ireland?
This text challenges an unbalanced approach to the mission of the church, but gives us great motivation to serve God radically.
In this message we see:
The Model of Living the Truth;
The Warning of Living the Truth;
The Challenge of Living the Truth
Main Text
Mark 14:53-72
Preacher
David Varney, pastor Foundation Church Belfast

Gethsemane: The Trial Before the Trial

Jamie Bambrick preaches from Mark 14 as part of our series, the Gospel According to Mark.

Spiritual Food That Satisfies

In the Christian gospel Jesus invites us to a feast. We are invited not only to feast with him but feast on him.
 
Hours before he went to the cross Jesus hosted a feast with his closest friends. He held out bread and said, 'This is my body.' And also the wine, 'This is my blood.'
 
Through faith Christ gives us unrivalled spiritual nourishment and satisfaction. This is summed up through the eucharist (aka communion, Lord's Supper).
 
However, as with ordinary food, this spiritual food can be abused or avoided, both to our detriment. 
 
Only when we understand Christ and the gospel can we delight in that spiritual food.
 
Main Text
Mark 14:12-31
 
Preacher
David Varney, pastor Foundation Church Belfast

The Real Jesus Always Provokes Reaction

One of the ways you can know you have encountered the real Jesus is that he provokes within you a reaction.
 
In the Gospel According to Mark, we never observe people who encounter Jesus and remain unchanged. 
 
In this message we see Jesus provokes:
extravagant devotion
extravagant dismissal
extravagant demonstration
 
Main Text
Mark 14:1-11
 
Preacher
David Varney, pastor Foundation Church Belfast

The End of the Age

The End of the Age
Jesus had predicted the downfall of the Temple in Jerusalem, and his disciples wanted more details about the precise nature of when and how all this would happen.
 
But Jesus gave them more than they bargained for, extending his predictions to cover not only the destruction of the Temple, but the signs of the end of the age.
 
Rather than panic or grow complacent, Jesus tells his disciples across all times:
God is Sovereign
Jesus is Coming
We are on mission
 
Main Text
Mark 13:1-37
 
Preacher
David Varney, pastor Foundation Church Belfast
 
Foundation Church Belfast
A gospel-centred, Spirit-empowered community on mission.
Join us for our next gathering - Sundays 10:30am Belmont Tower, BT4 3FG.

How to Distinguish Real Religion from Fake

Many looking at the church from outside can identify hypocrites - people who call themselves Christian but live as if it makes no difference to them. Outsiders may understandably conclude that the church is like this always.
However, the truth is far more complex. Jesus identifies two forms of religion - fake and real. Fake religion is all words, projections, and power-plays; people using religion to get what they want.
Real religion is substantially different. It flows from within a person who loves God entirely ('heart, soul, mind and strength' as Jesus put it).
So how to do we distinguish fake religion from the real thing? People inside and outside the church need to know. Jesus addresses this question in his final piece of public teaching before he goes to the cross.
Main Text
Mark 12:38-44
Preacher
David Varney, pastor Foundation Church Belfast