"Hope Against Hope" — 5th April 2026
Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship
Release Date: 04/06/2026
Don't you care if we drown?
Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship
Jeremy preaches from Mark 4:35–41, the account of Jesus calming the storm. He begins by connecting the disciples’ fear in the boat with our own experiences of anxiety, uncertainty and hardship. Even when we know Jesus is with us, difficult circumstances can make us ask the same question the disciples asked: “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Jeremy shares honestly about his own anxiety, including the move from Singapore to Aberdeen, and uses the story of his young nephew on a rope playground to show how fear can overwhelm trust, even when help is close by. The sermon...
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Blind Spots
Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship
Part 1 – The Ten Commandments overview. Derek reads Exodus 20 and makes three points: the commandments were given after God's rescue of Israel (not as a condition of it), they're guidance for the saved rather than a means of earning salvation, and each one is a broad principle meant to be applied widely rather than treated as a tick-box exercise. He illustrates this with the 8th commandment ("you must not steal"), showing it covers tax evasion, underpaying workers, time-theft, and misusing power of attorney. Part 2 – The blind spot. Turning to the 9th commandment ("you must not bear false...
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Psalm 145 - 28th June 2026
Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship
Vijay’s sermon concludes the Psalms series by focusing on Psalm 145, a psalm of praise by David. His central point is that praise is what happens when our hearts catch up with reality — when we truly see God as he is. He begins by observing that people naturally talk about what they love: football, children, hobbies, interests. Yet Christians often struggle to speak of God with that same wonder. Psalm 145 shows that praise is not something we simply switch on emotionally. It grows as we give God our attention, remember his works, see his character, recognise his sustaining care,...
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Praise: Psalm 126
Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship
The Text: Psalm 126 (New Living Translation) — a psalm of praise recalling Israel's return from exile in Babylon. Opening Hook — The "Fresh Start" Effect Vijay begins by observing the universal human longing for a fresh start — at New Year, birthdays, or even a Monday morning. Beneath that, he argues, is a deeper desire: not just to improve, but to be made new — to undo mistakes and mend what's broken. That longing, he says, sits at the heart of Psalm 126. The Historical Context The psalm recalls Israel's return from decades of Babylonian exile. When the Persian king Cyrus allowed...
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Lament, Trust and Praise
Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship
Florence continues the series “Lament, Trust and Praise”, moving into the theme of praise through Psalm 118. The sermon’s main message is that God’s people are called to praise him not only when life is easy, but also in times of difficulty, because his love endures forever. She explains that Psalm 118 is full of confidence in God’s steadfast love, mercy, goodness and faithfulness. The psalm may have been used at Passover, and Florence notes its strong connection to Jesus, especially as he approached the cross. The sermon follows five main responses from the psalm. First, we should...
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Psalm 100 - Praising God with our whole being, James Mackenzie
Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship
James' main theme is that Psalm 100 calls God’s people to praise Him with their whole being. Psalm 100 is a “doubly perfect” psalm because it contains two sets of seven: seven encouragements to praise God and seven reasons to praise Him. The sermon first walks through the calls to worship: shout joyfully, serve gladly, sing, give thanks, praise, be thankful, and bless the Lord’s name. Praise is presented as something expressive, joyful, grateful, and active—not just singing, but the whole life of worship and service. The second half gives the reasons for praise: Yahweh...
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Sermon Summary — Psalm 121: The Lord Who Keeps His People
Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship
Speaker: Vijay Main Bible passage: Psalm 121 Theme: Trusting God to keep us through the whole journey of life. Vijay closes the Psalms of Trust section of the series by preaching from Psalm 121, one of the Songs of Ascents sung by pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem. He frames life as a pilgrimage: we move through changing seasons, uncertainty, weakness, ageing, and eventually death. Psalm 121 speaks to travellers who know the road may be long and difficult, but who are promised that the Lord will keep his people all the way home. The sermon gives four reasons why the Lord can be trusted on...
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Psalm 62: Trusting the Lord Our Refuge
Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship
Speaker: James Main Bible passage: Psalm 62 Theme: God is completely trustworthy as our refuge in every circumstance. James continues the church’s series through the Psalms, moving through the theme of trust. After Psalm 23 showed the Lord as shepherd and Psalm 27 showed the Lord as protector, Psalm 62 presents the Lord as our refuge. Trust, James says, is not optional for Christians; it is part of the whole journey of faith from beginning to end. He explains that Psalm 62 is not abstract theology. David wrote it out of real experience: enemies, danger, betrayal, and pressure. David had...
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Psalm 27: The Lord Our Protector
Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship
Speaker: Cheri Main Bible passage: Psalm 27 Theme: Trusting God when we feel under attack. Cheri presents Psalm 27 as a prayer and song for those who feel afraid, accused, misunderstood, mistreated, or under threat. The Psalms are described as the prayer book and songbook of God’s people, giving us words to pray when we do not know what to say. The sermon focuses on God as light, salvation, and stronghold. Because the Lord is our protector, we do not need to fight our battles in our own strength or react out of fear. Cheri uses images of ancient fortresses, Scottish hill forts, and historic...
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Psalm 23: Trusting the Lord as Shepherd
Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship
Main Bible passage: Psalm 23 Theme: Trusting God reshapes our inner life. Vijay introduces this sermon as the beginning of ACF’s move from Psalms of Lament into Psalms of Trust. He explains that trust is central to the whole life of faith, even in lament, because lament brings suffering towards God rather than turning away from him. The sermon defines biblical trust as placing yourself in the care of God. Unlike mechanical trust, such as trusting a car to work, trusting God is personal: it means becoming vulnerable before him because of who he is. Psalm 23 is then explored as a...
info_outline"Hope Against Hope" — Easter Sunday Sermon
Vijay opens with a vivid image: a man walking through a village destroyed by a storm finds a rooster standing on the wreckage, chest out, crowing with full confidence. It seems absurd until you realise the rooster isn't responding to the ruins. It's responding to the risen sun. That image sets up the whole sermon: Christians can speak of hope even amid devastation, because of what God has done through the resurrection of Jesus.
The central idea is that hope is not denial of reality. It's giving more weight to God's promises than to what circumstances look like. Vijay illustrates this through two Old Testament figures. Abraham, old and childless, receives God's promise of countless descendants. Everything about his situation says it's impossible, yet he trusts God's word over his own circumstances. Jeremiah, with Jerusalem on the verge of falling to the Babylonians, is told by God to buy a field. A seemingly ridiculous act that only makes sense if you truly believe God will bring His people home one day. Both men hope against hope, not because things look better, but because they trust the God who made the promise.
Hope, Vijay argues, rests on two things: God's faithfulness, meaning He always keeps His word, and God's power, meaning He is able to do what seems impossible in order to keep it.
This all builds to Easter. Jesus arrives, doing things only God can do, looking every bit like the fulfilment of God's long-promised restoration. Then He is crucified, and hope appears to die with Him. His followers scatter, devastated. But on the third day, God raises Jesus physically from the dead, not as a symbol or metaphor, but as proof of just how far He will go to keep His promises.
The resurrection, Vijay says, is not a one-off miracle from the distant past. It is God's guarantee of what is still to come. Jesus is described in the Bible as the "firstfruits from the dead", meaning what happened to Him will one day happen to all who trust in Him. Even death is not the final word.
The sermon closes with a challenge: God's promises will not fail, but they have to be received. Like a fully paid train ticket that's yours for the taking, the journey is real, the destination is waiting, but you have to choose to get on board. The ruin we see around us is real, but the risen Son is more real. And that is what Easter proclaims.