Link to Rev James Philip’s notes on Philemon

Philemon

Rev Eric Alexander – sermons

Rev Eric Alexander - sermons

Rev Peter Donald

Rev Peter Donald

Chuck Smith’s Bible teaching ministry

Chuck Smith's Bible teaching ministry

You call us, Lord, to “lead a life worthy of Your calling” (Ephesians 4:1).

You call us, Lord, to "lead a life worthy of Your calling" (Ephesians 4:1). We say, 'I can't.' You say to us, "I have blessed you, in Christ, with every spiritual blessing" (Ephesians 1:3). Why we do allow our lives to be controlled by our own weakness when we can be transformed by Your strength? …

We thank You, Lord, that Your Kingdom has come near to us.

We thank You, Lord, that “Your Kingdom has come near to us” (Luke 10:9). Jesus has come near to us. He brings Your Kingdom to us. We don’t raise ourselves up. You raise us up. Your love has come down to us. It’s Your love that lifts us up – out of our earthbound way …

The Lord Blesses Those Who Serve Him Faithfully Each Day.

Numbers 17:1-18:32The call comes from God - to Aaron, to Christ (17:5; Hebrews 5:4-6). Christ is both the Offering for sin and the Great High Priest (Hebrews 5:7-10; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 7:25). We look at ourselves, and we say, ‘We perish, we are lost, we are dead’(17:12). We look to Christ, and everything changes …

Why does Jesus speak to us about the end-times?

Why does Jesus speak to us about the end-times? - He is encouraging us to "endure to the end" (Matthew 24:13). We cannot endure to the end without the grace of God: "If God does not reduce the number of those days, no one will be saved" (Matthew 24:22). God's Word tells us that we …

When the enemies of Christ and the Gospel are raging … (Deuteronomy 20:10-21:23)

The offer of 'peace' is made (20:10; Romans 5:1). Some refuse to 'make peace'. They choose to 'make war' (20:12). When the enemies of Christ and the Gospel are raging, we must be resolute in our commitment to living 'as the Lord our God has commanded' (20:16-18). We are to 'do what is right in …

Lord, what are we to do when we can’t find any peace of mind?

Genesis 14:1-24 Lord, what are we to do when we can’t find any peace of mind? Where are we to look? Are we to look inside of ourselves? Is that where we’ll find peace? Is there an inner peace – if we look deep enough, we’ll find it? Jesus says something very different. He says, …

Teach us, Lord, to choose Your way – not our own way.

‘Do not go to Egypt’ (Jeremiah 42:19). We may never set foot in the country known as ‘Egypt’ - but the spirit of  ‘Egypt’ may be in our hearts: ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey Him...?’ (Exodus 5:2). ‘Egypt’ is an attitude of the heart. It is an attitude of rebellion against You, …

Ezekiel 7

“The end is coming” - We read these words five times in Ezekiel 7:1-6. These are words of judgment. Ezekiel 7 ends with the words, “Then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 7:27). In His judgment, the Lord is known as the holy God. If the people refuse to return to the …

‘Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help … ‘

"Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord" (Isaiah 31:1). "Egypt" had been, for God's people, the place of oppression. …

The Lord’s mercy is more than enough.

"To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens ... Have upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt" (Psalm 123:1,3). The Lord is "enthroned in the heavens" - Can we lift up our eyes any higher than this? When …

Help us, Lord, to do what You want us to do – not what other people want us to do.

Jeremiah 5:10-6:8‘A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and My people love it this way’ (Jeremiah 5:31)! Sometimes, Lord, people are happy to listen to ‘prophets’ – so long as their preaching isn’t too challenging. They’re happy to attend the services conducted by ‘priests’ – …

Seeing the big picture

"By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen" (Hebrews 11:3). The Old Testament contains many stories. In Hebrews 11, we read about some of these stories of "faith". Beyond the many pictures of faith, there is …

The Power Of The Spirit

The work of God is not done in our own strength. We need the superior power of God's Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). The power of the Spirit comes to us as the power of love, the power of Christ, the power of the Gospel. This is the power that reaches us and changes us. There  is …

Remember the Lord's past blessings, and let them inspire you to step into the future with him …

"The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine" (1 Samuel 17:37). David looked back - and remembered what the Lord had done for him. Then, he looked at Goliath - and he declared his faith in the Lord: what …

Choose Christ. Choose Life …

Proverbs 10:1-22 What a difference there is between the ‘wise’ and the ‘foolish’. It is the difference between ‘righteousness’ and ‘wickedness’(1-2). Throughout life, there are choices to be made. We may choose wisely, being led by the Lord ‘in the paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake’. We may choose foolishly, going ‘astray’, refusing to …

Help us, Lord, to see clearly that, even when we’ve been ‘brought up in the Church’, we still need to open our hearts to Christ.

Jeremiah 9:1-26We read, Lord, about those who are ‘circumcised only in the flesh.’ They remain ‘uncircumcised in the heart’ (Jeremiah 9:25-26). Teach us, Lord, that salvation is not a matter of outward conformity to religious rituals. What we need is ‘circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit’ (Romans 2:28-29). Help us to remember Jesus’ words: ‘You must be born …

Lord, You have done great things for us …

Lord, You have done great things for us. You are still doing great things for us. You will continue to do great things for us. When we say, "Thank You, Lord, for Your many blessings", help us never to take Your blessing for granted. Help us to keep on living in obedience to Your Word. …

Jesus Has So Much To Say To Us.

What variety there is in Matthew 22 - a story about a wedding reception, a question about taxes, the dead come back to life, love God and your neighbour, how can David's son be David's Lord? When we read the Gospels, we must allow the Lord Jesus to speak to us on all the subjects …

Journey through the New Testament: 1 & 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 …

Lord, You have so much to teach us – and we have so much to learn.

Lord, You have so much to teach us – and we have so much to learn. How do we learn from You? – You open up Your Word to us. You speak to us words of life. You shine Your light upon us. You show us how much You love us. Every day You have …

Bring Your Sin To The Saviour Of Sinners.

John 8:34-36 Sin is our greatest problem. What are we to do about it? We ask the question, "What are we to do about sin?" We ask this question, and, then, we ask another question, "What can we do about it?" When we realize how big a problem sin is, we became aware that we …

God is at work among His people, teaching them many lessons … (Deuteronomy 11:1-14:21).

Deuteronomy 11:1-32 -  God is at work among His people, teaching them many lessons.  Through His precious promises and strong warnings, He leads us in the way of obedience and blessing (31-32).  If we are to enjoy the Lord’s blessing, we need the whole Word of God – the warnings as well as the promises.  …

Pharaoh opposes Moses .. What does Moses do? – He prays … (Exodus 5-8).

Exodus 5:1-6:13  -  In 4:29-31, we see Moses, the elders and the people worshipping God. Pharaoh opposes them - ‘Who is the Lord, that I should heed His voice...?’ (2) - , and ‘the foremen of the people of Israel’ start complaining (19-21). What does Moses do ? - He prays. Notice the honesty of …

We thank You, Lord, that Your Son, Jesus is “the same yesterday and today and forever.”

We thank You, Lord, that Your Son, Jesus is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). When everything around us seems to be changing, help us to remember that Jesus, our Saviour, is unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable in the great love that He has for us and the amazing grace that He shows …

Link to Rev James Philip’s notes on Malachi

Malachi

Good News for sinners

John 3:1-16 We say, 'I'll turn over a new leaf'. Christ says, 'You must be born again' (3,7). Our way of thinking begins with 'I'. Christ's way of salvation begins with 'God': 'God so loved the world...' (16). Begin with 'I' and you have sin, guilt and condemnation (Romans 3:10-11). Begin with God and you …

Grudge Giving, Duty Giving And Thanksgiving

2 Kings 11:1-12:21 Let us ‘make a covenant’- to ‘be the Lord’s people’, to ‘do what is right in the eyes of the Lord’(11:17; 12:2). Part of this ‘covenant’ will involve our use of ‘money’. Real covenanting with the Lord will always mean much more than how much money we give to Him. Real giving …

In Love, God Shows Us The Way To Happiness.

Psalm 33:1-12  Worship the Lord with joy (Psalm 33:1,3). We give thanks for the Word of the Lord and the work of the Lord. They show us His love. They assure us that He can be trusted (Psalm 33:4-5). We learn that He is the 'forever' God. He opens His "heart" to us (Psalm 33:11). …

What is the meaning of history? Where is history leading us? …

Praying Through God's Word

“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever” (Daniel 2:44).

What is the meaning of history? Where is history leading us? Without God, we are left with no answer to such questions. Without God, we are walking in darkness. Without God, we are going nowhere. With God, everything changes. With God, there is hope. God’s kingdom is our future. His kingdom will never be destroyed. His kingdom will endure forever – and his love will endure forever (Psalm 136 – every single one of its 26 verses!).

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Delivered!

In Psalm 18, the Psalmist praises God, who delivered him from his enemies. It begins and ends with the thought of God as the Rock upon which our faith is built. He is the rock of our salvation: “I love you, O Lord, my Strength. The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my …

A New Name

God has given us ‘a new Name’. It is ‘the Name which is above every name’, the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ (Isaiah 62:2; Philippians 2:9-11).

Our confidence is in the Lord … (Psalms 25-30).

Psalms 25:1-22- ‘Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me, for Thou art the God of my salvation’(5). We can pray this prayer with confidence. God has given His promise: ‘He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble His way’(9). Our confidence is in the Lord. We ‘put no confidence in …

Link to Rev James Philip’s notes on Jonah

Jonah

Do You Feel Useless? You Can Become Useful.

Philemon 1-25 ‘He was useless... now he has become useful’(11). This is the story of Onesimus (the name means ‘useful’). A runaway ‘slave’, he became ‘a beloved brother... in the Lord’(16). It appears that Onesimus had stolen from his master, Philemon (18-19). He landed up in prison - and there, he was converted! This is …

Lord, You call us with Your challenge.

Deuteronomy 1:1-46Lord, You call us with Your challenge. You call us to make our choice. We are to put the past behind us. We are to press on into the future - with You and for You. We hesitate - and we end up doing nothing. Help us, Lord, to turn from our self-centred ways. …

When Your Problems Threaten To Overwhelm You, Remember This: God Has ‘Redeemed Us By His Great Power And His Mighty Hand.’

Nehemiah 1:1-2:18‘You see the trouble we are in’- How do you react when the going gets tough? Do you collapse in despair and succeed only in making your troubles seem even bigger than they really are? There is a better way of dealing with our problems. Believing that ‘the hand of his God was upon …

God’s Salvation Comes To Us Through The Death Of His Son, Jesus Christ.

John 17:1-26 Jesus prays for you. Jesus prays for me. We have come to faith in Him through the written Word of His apostles (John 17:20). The story of the Cross (John 17:1-5), the story of the first disciples (John 17:6-19) is an ongoing story. It continues in us. The saving effects of Christ’s death …

If, Lord, we are growing in our fellowship with You, we will want others to know what they’re missing.

Jeremiah 51:1-33‘Lift up a banner in the land! Blow the trumpet among the nations!’ (Jeremiah 51:27). Lord, You call us to be Your witnesses. If we are growing in our fellowship with You, we will want others to know what they’re missing. We will want them to know how much blessing they could know - …

The River Of God Is Filled With Blessing.

"The river of God is filled with water" (Psalm 65:9). What a superabundance of blessing there is in the river of God! We read more about the river of God in Ezekiel 47. We read about the amazing increase of God's blessing - "The water came up to my ankles ...The water came up to …

“Restore us, O God, make Your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.”

“Restore us, O God, make Your face shine upon us, that we may be saved” (Psalm 80:3). When, Lord, we come to You with the question of salvation – “What must I do to be saved?”, You come to us with answer – “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30-31). …

Lord, You’re always speaking to us.

Lord, You’re always speaking to us. Every day and every night,You speak to us through Your created world. You prepare us for hearing the voice of Jesus, Your living Word. He speaks to us through the Scriptures, Your written Word. Help us, Lord, to become aware of Your presence, to listen to the voice of …

We thank You, Lord, that You are our God – the God of our salvation.

We thank You, Lord, that You are our God – the God of our salvation. You have called us to be Your people. we have been saved by Your grace. Help us to live for Your glory. May we always be learning to walk with You. May we never forget to say of Jesus, Your Son: …

God has so much to teach us …

Exodus 2:11-3:22  -  Salvation, service, personal faith, life among God’s people - God has much to teach us. 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 God who draws near to His people (3:14-15). Saved …

‘As for God, His way is perfect’

2 Samuel 10:1-11:27‘May the Lord do what seems good to Him’(10:12). This is the attitude we ought to have. This is the ideal: ‘Your will be done in earth as it is in heaven’; ‘Not as I will, but as You will’(Matthew 6:10; 26:39). Often, we do not live up to the ideal - ‘the …

The Name Of Jesus – The Name Of Our Salvation

Thank You, Lord, for giving us our own name. It makes us feel special - "I'm me. I'm not somebody else." We thank You, even more, giving us the Name of Jesus. His Name is the Name of our salvation. Among all the many names of people, from all over the world, there's one Name …

Often, out faith is weak. Always, our God is strong.

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 4  In God, whose word I praise — in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? ... 10 In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise — 11 in God I trust and am not afraid. What can …

"one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all …" (Ephesians 4:5-6)

Everything about our unity points away from ourselves. * Our unity is in the Lord. He did not wait for us to come to him. He came to us and for us. * Our unity is in the faith. This faith is not a man-centred faith. It's a faith that has been given to us - by …

Preaching The Word Of The Lord: New Testament

MATTHEW Matthew 1:18-25 Before Jesus is born, there is a revelation from God. God tells us who Jesus is. He is Emmanuel: God with us (Matthew 1:23). God tells us why Jesus has come to earth. He has come to be our Saviour (Matthew 1:21). In this divine revelation concerning Jesus, our Saviour / Emmanuel, …

When, Lord, we put our trust in You, we are like the ‘wise man who built his house on the rock.’

‘Those who trust in the Lord… cannot be moved…’. When, Lord, we put our trust in You, we are like the ‘wise man who built his house on the rock’. His house ‘did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock’. When we don’t put our trust in You, we are like the ’foolish man who …

The wind of the Spirit

"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). Many years ago, when I started university, straight after my first group Bible study, someone asked me, "What do you …

‘Praise be to the Lord, my Rock …’ (Psalm 144:1).

‘Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle’ (Psalm 144:1). Lord, You are ‘the One who gives victory’ to Your people (Psalm 144:10). What a great God You are! You are ‘our loving God, our Fortress, our Stronghold, our Deliverer, our Shield’ (Psalm 144:2). What great …

God’s Word Of Warning Is Spoken As The Voice Of His Love.

In Ezekiel 32, we read about God's judgment on Egypt. God's Word of judgment is awesome. There is a real sense of the holiness of God. Men cannot do what they like, and expect that God will not punish them. When we read of such things, it becomes clear to us that it is better …

Lord, You are there with us, every step of the way … (Praying Through God’s Word: Esther).

Esther 1:1-2:18 Our story is a human story. It’s more than that. You, Lord, are in our story – even when we don’t realize it. We find it difficult to put this into words – but we believe it’s true. You are there with us, every step of the way. Esther 2:19-4:17 “If I perish, …

Who’s counting?

Is God counting our sins? Are we counting our blessings? Look at Jesus. Look at him, crucified for you. Look at him - and you'll know the answer to the first question. God's not counting our sins. All our sins have been laid on Jesus (Isaiah 53:6) - "My sins are gone, gone, gone, far …

Lord, there are doors that You must open … There’s a door that we must open.

Lord, there are doors that You must open - "I have placed before you an open door that no-one can shut" (Revelation 3:8). There's a door that we must open. It's the door of the heart. Help us to hear Your knock at the door - "I stand at the door and knock." Help us …

Link to Rev James Philip’s notes on Hosea

Hosea