open icon
baptist church
baptist church
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
At Open Icon Baptist Church, we value great preaching — preaching that engages deeply, humbly and honestly with Jesus, the Bible, and the pain and joy of living in the real world. And since going permanently online, we have been able to welcome great preachers from all over the world without having to wait for them to visit our shores. Click here to meet the inspirational preachers depicted in the gallery above, none of whom have preached for us!
Each sermon below opens in a new tab. Close the tab when you're done to return to this page.
Pastor
Nathan Nettleton
Nathan Nettleton has served as pastor of this congregation since 1994. He was ordained as a Baptist pastor that same year and completed an honours degree in theology at Whitley College in 1995, followed by a Master of Theology in Liturgical Studies from the University of Divinity in 2001. In our church, he carries particular responsibilities for the preaching, teaching, and ordering of worship and prayer, and for pastoral care. He also writes liturgical resources for a global audience through LaughingBird.net, and serves as a board member of Open Baptists. Nathan is married to Margie, and they have an adult daughter, Acacia, and two dogs.
Sermons by Nathan Nettleton
-
5 April, 1998
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Discipleship, Faithfulness, Fear, Jesus
Cheering for Jesus is easy, but when he goes where we don’t want to go, only a few still follow while the rest shout “Crucify!”
-
29 March, 1998
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Discernment, Discipleship, Jesus
Scripture: Isaiah, John, Philippians
Christian discipleship is an ongoing journey, so any attempt to preserve what is right today can mean we are in the wrong place tomorrow because Jesus has moved on.
-
8 February, 1998
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Forgiveness, Healing, Mercy, Mission, Repentance, Sin
When we encounter the reality of God we are overcome with our own unworthiness, and we are confronted with a choice – to push God away and hide from our self-realization, or to accept God’s gracious invitation to mercy, transformation and mission.
-
7 December, 1997
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Fear, Liberation, Purity, Salvation, Worship
Being saved can be painful, but its goal, becoming a purified people who can worship rightly without fear, is the ultimate reward.
-
9 November, 1997
The God who stopped at nothing to stand in solidarity with us, looks for those who will give everything to work in solidarity with God.
-
26 October, 1997
The need for liberation for the poor and oppressed is obvious, but for the comfortable and successful, the enslavements to consumerism, power and hardness of heart are harder to discern and take the intervention of God to break free from.
-
12 October, 1997
The Word of God is constantly calling us to fullness of life, and frequently pierces through our facades to illuminate the ties that hold us back. This is nearly always uncomfortable!
-
31 August, 1997
The New Testament teachings on the priority of the spirit of the law over the traditional interpretations of it actually give us a biblical basis on which to reevaluate our understandings of sexual purity.
-
24 August, 1997
The Gospel made known in Jesus draws us, body, mind and spirit into the full life of God. This totality of involvement scares off many people, but there is no other way to life.
-
13 July, 1997
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Commitment, Discipleship, Mission, Suffering
Scripture: 1 & 2 Samuel, Mark
Whole-hearted devotion to God and commitment to God’s mission brings joyous freedom, but also often results in derision, rejection and even violent opposition.
-
18 May, 1997
The Holy Spirit, poured out on the church, opens pathways of communication, enabling the Gospel to break through the multiple barriers to our hearing. Barriers are also broken down to enable us to to communicate with one another and with God.
-
13 April, 1997
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Bible, Formation, Jesus, Spiritual Disciplines, Spirituality
Scripture: Luke
It is in a developing relationship with Jesus Christ that our minds will be opened to understand the scriptures, just as happened for the disciples of Jesus.