Are we content to live our life at the surface level? or Are we looking for something more than that?

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (Genesis 1:2). Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me (Psalm 42:7). The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God …

Your God will help you.

These notes are taken from my One Year Bible. Day 213 1 Chronicles 11:1-12:22; Romans 14:19-15:13; Psalm 89:46-52 1 Chronicles 11 speaks of “David’s mighty men” (1 Chronicles 11:11). The focus is not, however, on either David or the “mighty men.” It is on the Lord – “The Lord brought about a great victory” (1 Chronicles 11:14). …

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing …

Colossians

COLOSSIANS 1:1-2:7  -  ‘In everything’ Christ is ‘pre-eminent’ (18). In Him, there is salvation - ‘redemption, the forgiveness of sins’ (14) - , sanctification - ‘mature in Christ’ (28) - and service - making Him known (27). Everything is in Christ. In Him are ‘all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ (2:3) - all that …

Peace with God, the grace in which we now stand, the hope of the glory of God

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:1-2). Peace with God, the grace in which we now stand, the hope of the glory of God: …

Changed by God’s love – letting his love flow out to us and letting his love flow out through us

In Christ Jesus,... the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Galatians 5:6). We're called to put our faith in God. What kind of God do we believe in? In 1 John 4:8, we read the words, "God is love." If we are to become more like God, we are to pray …

Perfect peace?

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you (Isaiah 26:3). In our lives, there are plenty of things that happen to us which make us wonder if we can ever enjoy "perfect peace." Here, God's Word speaks to us of "perfect peace." What does the prophet Isaiah say to …

In love, God is waiting for us to return to him.

The Lord... is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). In Luke 15, we have Jesus' story of a young man who wandered far away from home. What was happening at home while the young man was so far away from home.? The father was …

We preach God’s Word. It is only when God is working through us that our hearers are truly blessed.

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.  So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labour …

How are we to become more like our Lord – loving the people of this world without loving the ways of the world?

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what …

A Critique of J D Bettis, "Is Karl Barth a Universalist?"

More about Berkouwer, see The Theology Of G C Berkouwer The question of universalism in Barth’s theology has been raised directly by J D Bettis in his article, “Is Karl Barth a Universalist?” (Scottish Journal of Theology, Vol. 20, No. 4, December 1967, pp. 423-436).This article requires to be carefully discussed not only for its significance as …

There is a way for sinners to be saved.

God's Word holds out no hope for any of us, saving ourselves: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).There is, however, a way for sinners to be saved: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"(1 Timothy 1:15).

What kind of a life am I living? Jesus draws near to us, even when we are drifting away from him.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5). What kind of a life am I living? Is my life becoming more and more Christ-centred, or is it becoming more and more self-centred? These …

Love for the Lord our God and love for our neighbour

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, love your neighbour as yourself (Luke 10:27). In our walk with God, we need both - love for God and love for our neighbour. We're not to say, "I'll concentrate on loving God", and we're not to say, "I'll concentrate on loving my …

How is our worship to affect our way of living? Our strength is in the Lord, not in ourselves.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into …

How are we to worship God? Let us worship him with joyful thanksgiving.

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song (Psalm 95:1-2). In the first two verses of Psalm 95, we are called to worship God with joyful thanksgiving. Let us think about all that the Lord has done …

Acts 18:22-19:22

Apollos 'taught accurately the things concerning Jesus'. He needed to have 'the way of God expounded to him more accurately' (24-26). There is always more to learn. We should never adopt a 'know-it-all' attitude. In 'two years' of ministry, 'God did' great things through Paul (10-11). Paul was moving on. His road led to 'Rome'. …

Saved by the grace of God

What are we to say when we hear the words, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)? We're to say, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner" (Luke 18:13).

God’s Word still speaks to us (74): Looking beyond the preachers of God’s Word, looking to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried …

God’s Word still speaks to us (73): Let us declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light.

 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (1 Peter …

The Lord is with you.

"When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, ‘The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.’" (Judges 6:12). Gideon is described, here, as a "mighty warrior." When things like this get said about us, it can go to our heads - and make us feel more important than we really are. It is, therefore, very important that …

The story of Goliath is still with us – and God is still with us!

"I come to you in the name of the Lord" (1 Samuel 17:45). These words were spoken by David. They were spoken to Goliath. It seemed like David didn't have any a chance against Goliath. The odds were stacked against David. Everything pointed to a Goliath victory - everything except this: "I come to you …

Search The Scriptures: Ezra

Following the return of the Jews to Jerusalem, after their captivity in Babylon and prior to the beginning of the rebuilding of the Temple, there was the resumption of worship at the Temple site (Ezra 3:1-6). Worship - This must always lie at the heart of the life of God’s people. Once the foundation had …

Journey through the New Testament: Mark

Mark 1- 3 With the command, ‘Follow Me’, there is the promise, ‘I will make you fishers of men’ (1:17). Jesus prayed (1:35). Jesus was mighty before men. The power of God was flowing freely. Jesus knew where the power comes from - He was humble before God. There is a world of difference between …

Journey through the New Testament: Luke

Luke 1-4 God was about to do ‘a new thing’ (Isaiah 43:19). How are we to respond to God’s ‘new thing’? - ‘let it be to me according to Your Word’ (1:38). The birth of John the Baptist (1:57-66) - This was great. The birth of our Saviour - This would be even greater. God …

Journey through the New Testament: Romans

Romans 1-3 ‘I am not ashamed of the Gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith’ (1:16). Let us say, with Paul, ‘God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Galatians 6:14). Let us be ‘set apart for the gospel of …

May we never become so taken up with ourselves that we forget Jesus Christ and all that He has done for us (Journey though the New Testament: 1 Corinthians).

1 Corinthians 1- 6 Paul preached ‘Christ crucified’ with a determination ‘to know nothing except Jesus Christ crucified’(1:23; 2:2). This is the message of our salvation. All the glory belongs to God: ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord’ (1:31). We come to know God when ‘the Spirit’ leads us to ‘Jesus Christ’ (2:10-13; …

Journey through the New Testament: 2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 1-5 Times of trouble can turn out to be times of great blessing - ‘God… comforts us in all our affliction’ (1:3-4). How do we react when things don’t seem to be going very well? We all need the encouragement of God’s Word: ‘Thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in …

Journey through the New Testament: Galatians

‘A revelation of Jesus Christ’ (1:12): Christ is our Testimony. Christ is our Message. He is the crucified Christ - ‘I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me’. He is the living Christ - ‘I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but …

Journey through the New Testament: Ephesians

‘By grace you have been saved through faith… for good works’ (2:8-10). Holiness does not come from ourselves. It comes from the Lord. Long before we ever thought of loving Him - He loved us. By the grace of God we are called to salvation - ‘saved through faith’ - , sanctification - ‘for good works’ - , and …

Journey through the New Testament: Philippians

‘He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the Day of Jesus Christ’ (1:6). God finishes what He starts. We don`t keep going because we are strong. We are ‘kept by the power of God’ (1 Peter 1:5). God’s  command - ‘Work out your own salvation’ - must never be separated …

In Christ – salvation, sanctification and service

Journey through the New Testament: Colossians ‘In everything’ Christ is ‘pre-eminent’ (1:18). In Him, there is salvation - ‘redemption, the forgiveness of sins’ (1:14) - , sanctification - ‘mature in Christ’ (1:28) - and service - making Him known (1:27). ‘You have been raised with Christ... You died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God’ …

Don’t let God’s Word go in one ear, and out the other ear (Journey through the New Testament: 1 and 2 Thessalonians).

1 Thessalonians ‘The Word of God, which is at work in you believers’ (2:13). Don’t let God’s Word ‘go in one ear and out the other’. We need both ‘love’ and ‘holiness’ (3:12-13). Our love is to be holy. Our holiness is to be loving. Do you feel like giving up? God is not about …

The darkness will not triumph over the light that Jesus has shone into our hearts.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”(John 8:12). Everything changes when Jesus brings us out of our darkness and into his light. What does this mean? Does it mean that we will have perfect …

Journey through the New Testament: 1 and 2 Timothy

1 Timothy ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’ (1:15). To each of us, God says, ‘Watch your life and doctrine closely’ (4:16). What we believe is important. How we live is also important. If our faith is real, it will lead to a change in our way of life. There is a …

Be zealous for good deeds, but never forget this: “He saved us, not because of deeds done by us” (Journey through the New Testament: Titus and Philemon).

Titus When we live in a Christlike way, ‘those who oppose’ Christ and His Gospel will be ‘put to shame, having nothing evil to say of us’ (2:8). God wants us to live as ‘a people of His own who are zealous for good deeds’ (2:14). If we are to be ‘zealous for good deeds’, …

The Gospel turns the world’s values upside down.

Journey through the New Testament: James God’s ‘Word’ is ‘planted in us’ so that we may become ‘doers of the Word, and not hearers only’ (1:21-22). The Gospel turns the world’s values upside down - the ‘poor in the world’ are ‘rich in faith’ (2:5). We are not to be controlled by the world’s way …

Overview of the Old Testament: Genesis

Genesis 1–4 ‘Genesis’ means ‘beginning’. God comes first. Before anyone else is mentioned, He is there. Before any human word is spoken, there is the Word of the Lord.God speaks, and it is done (1:3,6-7,11). God is pleased with what He has done (1:4,10,12). In chapter 1, we have read about the beginning of creation. …

Acts 17:1-34

Notice the importance of the Scriptures for both public ministry - 'reasoning with them from the Scriptures' and private devotion - 'examining the Scriptures every day' (2,11). We need the Word of the Lord on the Lord's Day. We need the Word of the Lord every day. God is not the 'unknown God'. He has …

Overview Of the Old Testament: Exodus

Exodus 1–7 Things were difficult for Israel yet ‘the more they were oppressed the more they multiplied’ (1:12). Difficult times can be the making of God’s people! Moses sins (2:12). God graciously forgives (Micah 7:18-19) - this is salvation. His sin forgiven, Moses is called to service. He is called by the eternal God, the …

Overview Of The Old Testament: Leviticus

Leviticus 1-7 Jesus Christ, ‘the Lamb without blemish’, has ‘made atonement’ for sin through the shedding of His ‘precious blood’ (1:3-5; 1 Peter 1:18-19). Christ is the real thing. Israel’s sacrifices are only ‘copies of the heavenly things’, ‘a shadow of the good things to come’ (Hebrews 9:23-24; 10:1,5-10). Christ’s sacrifice covers every sin. No …

Overview Of The Old Testament: Numbers

Numbers 1-8 ‘Every man able to go forth to war’ (1:3): God is looking for ‘soldiers’: Soldiers of Christ! ‘The Lord said to Moses’ (2:1): Let your life be centred on the Word of the Lord - Listen, Read, Study, Memorize, Meditate! ‘Every male from a month old and upward’ (3:15): ,24,28,34,39-40,43): Long before we …

God is calling us on to maturity (Overview Of The Old Testament: Deuteronomy).

Deuteronomy 1-6 God is calling us on to maturity: ‘go in and take possession of the land; (1:6,8; Philippians 3:13-14). Do not hesitate to move forward with God: ‘do not fear... It is a good land which the Lord gives us’ (1:21,25). Will we be the new generation, ‘a new creation in Christ’ (2 Corinthians …

Overview Of The Old Testament: Joshua

Joshua 1-3 For Israel, it was a new beginning. They were leaving the wilderness. That was their past. They were entering the promised land. This was God’s future. For God’s future, there is God’s command, ‘Be strong’, and there is God’s promise, ‘the Lord your God is with you’. We wonder what the future holds. …

Overview Of The Old Testament: Judges

Judges 1-12 God commanded His people to ‘drive out’ His enemies. Again and again, they failed (1:19,21,27-33). In Isaiah 30:21, God says, ‘This is the way, walk in it’. Here, in the sin and shame of Israel, He warns us, ‘This is not the way, do not walk in it’ (2:11-15). Barak is an example …

Overview Of The Old Testament: 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 1-7 Hannah ‘prayed to the Lord’ (1:10-11). God answered her prayer (1:20). God does not always answer our prayers in the way that we want. Sometimes, rather than changing our circumstances, He simply speaks His Word to us: ‘My grace is sufficient for you’ (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). Always, He ‘gives grace to the …

A Statement of Christian Faith

We believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is love. We believe in one God (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Jude 1-3). When we say, "We believe", we are emphasizing that we believe, together with others in the fellowship of faith. This fellowship of faith includes the whole people of God …

Statement of Christian Faith (1): We believe in one God (Part One)

We believe in one God (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Jude 1-3). When we say, “We believe”, we are emphasizing that we believe, together with others in the fellowship of faith. This fellowship of faith includes the whole people of God in every time and every place. It is the people of God, down …

Statement of Christian Faith (2): We believe in one God (Part Two)

We believe in one God (Romans 5:1-11; Romans 10:9-13; Romans 15:7-13). The Statement is made up of five sections: (i) We believe in one God; (ii) We praise God the Father; (iii) We proclaim (or confess) Jesus Christ, God the Son; (iv) We trust God the Holy Spirit; (v) We rejoice in the gift of …

Statement of Christian Faith (3): We believe in one God (Part Three)

We believe in one God (1 Kings 18:17-40; Acts 17:16-34) In the Old Testament, there is a continuing conflict between the one true God and the false gods. It is the contrast between the living God and the dead gods, worshipped by idolaters. * We see this situation of conflict in the days of Moses. …

Statement of Christian Faith (4): We believe in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is love.

We believe in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is love (Matthew 28:18-20; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 1:3-14; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17). Here, we consider the teaching of the Scriptures concerning God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As we consider this deep message, we must allow God Himself to draw near, in love, …

The Kingdom of God: Matthew’s Gospel

From the beginning of his ministry, "Jesus went about ... preaching the gospel of the kingdom" (Matthew 4:23). The message of Jesus could be summed up in this way: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). Jesus' message was good news. This is what the word, 'gospel' means - good news. …

The Kingdom Of God: Mark’s Gospel

* The beginning of Jesus' ministry "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). - The kingdom has come. We need not create it in the present, and it is not merely in the future. - It is good news  - "the gospel …

The Kingdom Of God: Luke’s Gospel

It has been said that, in the Gospel of Luke, we see Jesus as "the Friend of the friendless" (William Barclay, The Men, The Meaning, The Message Of The Books, p. 17). This is wonderful. Jesus is our Friend. We rejoice in this great message when we sing, "What a Friend we have in Jesus." …

The Kingdom Of God: John’s Gospel And Letters

'He's a born again Christian.' This phrase suggests that there are some Christians who are born again, and there are  other Christians who are not born again. What are we to make of this? According to Jesus, you cannot be a Christian unless you have been born again. There is no such thing as a …

The Kingdom Of God: Acts

Jesus preached the kingdom of God. His apostles preached the kingdom of God. In moving from Jesus' preaching in the Gospels to the apostles' preaching in Acts, we're not really moving away from Jesus at all. Luke, the author of Acts, describes his Gospel as an account of "all that Jesus began to do and …

Learning from Martin Luther (The Kingdom Of God: Romans and Galatians)

This message was preached as part of a series in which we looked at what the books of the New Testament say about "the Kingdom of God." Since the focus is really on Martin Luther, I've given "Learning from Martin Luther" as the main title, with "The Kingdom of God: Romans and Galatians" being given …

The Kingdom Of God: 1 and 2 Corinthians

The kingdom of God is a power. Paul tells us, "The kingdom of God is not in word, but in power" (1 Corinthians 4:20). It is the power of God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit, breaking into our lives and transforming them. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God …

The Kingdom Of God: The Prison Letters – Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon

Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon: These letters are known, collectively, as the prison letters. They were written by Paul during his time of imprisonment in Rome. In Philippians, we see God's kingdom as a kingdom as a kingdom of joy: "Rejoice in the Lord always, and, again, I say, rejoice" (Philippians 4:4). When the Lord …

See that you do not refuse him who is speaking.

"See that you do not refuse him who is speaking" (Hebrews 11:25). Have you heard what Jesus has to say about the Kingdom of God and the one way in which it can be entered? What have you done about it? The message of God's Kingdom calls for our response. Have you received this message …