Wednesday in Holy Week

Let's begin our worship with the hymn, "I will sing the wondrous story of the Christ who died for me." https://youtu.be/hDPCFbAysBc ‘With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O Lord!’ (Psalm 119:145). Lord, You’re calling us to pray. There is nothing more important than this. If other things have become more important in our lives, …

Tuesday in Holy Week

“Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind!” (Psalm 66:5). Where will we see what the Lord has done for us? Let us come to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. There, we will see what a great love our Saviour has for us! Here’s a great hymn of praise, I stand …

Love for God and love for our neighbour

"‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: ‘“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments’" …

God’s love comes first.

"I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.14 I will fulfil my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people" (Psalm 116:13-14). Before we read of our "vows", we read of "the cup of salvation." This is important. The cup of salvation comes first. Before we ever …

Worshipping the Lord

Jesus calls us to "worship God in the Spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). Sometimes, our worship can get bogged down. It can get stuck in a rut. It may be an 'old' rut, where we should no interest in anything new. It may be a 'new' rut where we never even entertain the idea …

What does it mean to be free?

"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:17). In today's world, there are plenty of people who speak of freedom in terms of I, me and my. I: I'm free to think what I like and do what I like. Nobody can tell me what I'm to think and how …

Monday in Holy Week

“Oh, what a wonderful, wonderful day, day I will never forget, after I wandered in darkness away, Jesus, my Saviour, I met. Oh, what a tender, compassionate friend, He met the need of my heart, shadows dispelling, with joy I am telling, He made all the darkness depart.” https://youtu.be/ncwt0XFWuwU Lord, You show us the way …

From the darkness of our sin… to the joy of God’s salvation

Genesis 19:1-20:18; Matthew 7:24-8:22; Psalm 7:1-9 Genesis 19 is a chapter that’s full of the darkness of sin. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is followed by the sordid episode with Lot and his daughters. Sin leads to judgment. That’s the lesson of Sodom and Gomorrah. sin leads to judgment. we see this in the …

Saved by the Lord and living for the Lord

"I call out to you; save me and I will keep your statutes. 147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word. 148 My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises. 149 Hear my voice in accordance with your love" (Psalm …

Coming to God with confidence and boldness

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to feel sympathy for our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just …

Palm Sunday Worship

Let us worship God. Let's begin with rejoicing in the Lord and giving thanks to Him. This is the day that the Lord has made. https://youtu.be/IRLxugEtqx8 ‘The Lord is my Strength and my Song. He is my Saviour’(Psalm 118:14). We thank You, Lord, that Jesus Christ is our Saviour. We thank You that He gives …

Rejoice greatly … your King comes to you …

Zechariah 9:1-11:17; Revelation 1:1-20; Psalm 140:1-5 “Rejoice greatly … your King comes to you … having salvation … because of the blood of My covenant with you” (Zechariah 9:9,11). “The Ruler of the kings of the earth … who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood” (Revelation 1:5). The King …

Kept!

 * “His feet do not slip … They will be kept safe forever” (Psalm 37:31,28). Our  feet are slipping. Things are getting out of control. Out of whose control? – Out of our control. Not out of God’s control. He keeps us safe. He keeps our feet from slipping.  * “Wait on the Lord, and keep …

Kept by Jesus for eternal life

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand" (John 10:27-28). Are we on our own in this world? Are we left to make our own way through life, …

God’s Salvation – Past, Present And Future

"To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth …

A fading glory and the eternal glory

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). Good works which glorify our heavenly Father and good works which glorify ourselves; the two are very different. It's the difference between following Jesus and living like a Pharisee. Jesus glorified his …

Assessing the Eschatological Theology of Wolfhart Pannenberg

  Eschatology has rarely been directly associated with the doctrine of election, which has generally been understood in relation to its ‘pre’ element (see, for example, J. Calvin, Institutes, Three, XXI, 5 and L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology, pp. 109-118). Election and eschatology have been understood in direct relation to one another by Wolfhart Pannenberg, whose …

Living as a new creation

How are we live as a “new creation” (Galatians 6:15)? Paul speaks to us about “faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6). What does it mean to have faith? How are we to live a life that is inspired, controlled, motivated and directed by love? Paul speaks about the beginning of the life of faith: …

Help us, Lord, to be more faithful in our walk with you.

In Genesis 5, verses 22 and 24, we read about Enoch's walk with God. The King James Version tells us that "Enoch walked with God. The New International Version adds the word, "faithfully": "Enoch walked faithfully with God." As I read these two verses, I began thinking about the word, "faithfully." It begins with the …

Receive strength from the Lord, and be strong in the Lord.

"Strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees" (Hebrews 12:12). We're to work for the Lord, and we're to pray to him. It's not to be work without prayer, and it's not to be work without prayer. It's to be both; work and prayer. The call to prayer reminds us that our true strength comes to …

Sons of the living God

“Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ There it shall be said to them, ‘You are sons of the living God’" (Hosea 1:10). "Sons of the living God": How wonderful this is! The "children of Israel" had had …

Strengthening the faith of all the disciples

“Paul … strengthened  the faith of all the disciples” (Acts 18:23). Strengthening the faith of all the disciples: This is such an important ministry. We are not to be content with the faith that we have. We are to press on to a stronger faith. What do we mean when we speak about a strong faith? …

The Silencing Of Satan … Walking In The Spirit

"I, the Lord, silence you, Satan!" (Zechariah 3:2). We cannot silence Satan. The Lord can silence Satan. This is why we must answer Satan with the Word of the Lord. Satan has no answer to the Word of the Lord. "See, I have taken your sin away from you, and I will dress you in …

Something that we still need to hear …

So many people feel that they can live their life perfectly well without Jesus Christ, until testing and trying times come their way - then they're no so sure! The changing circumstances of our life can make us wonder if we have been too quick to dismiss something very important - something that remains constant …

A New Beginning: Some thoughts from the Scriptures

Genesis 1:1-3‘Genesis’ means ‘beginning’. Its opening verses challenge us to get our priorities right. (a) the priority of God(1) God comes first. Before anyone else is mentioned, He is there. (b) the priority of God’s Word (3) God is the first to speak. Before any human word is spoken, there is the Word of the Lord. (c) the priority …

Our great Saviour and His great salvation

"To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (Revelation 1:5). What great love our Saviour has for us. What a great thing He has done for us: He has died for our sins. What a …

God with us

I was thinking about the name, "Immanuel", which means "God with us" (Matthew 1:23). As I thought about this phrase, "God with us", I began to think about life's journey - what lies behind us, where we are now and what lies ahead of us. In our past, God was with us. In our present, …

No human king can even begin to compare with the Lord.

Following the death of the evil king, Ahab, things changed. The new king, Jehoshaphat, was a different kind of man - “Jehoshaphat did what the Lord considered right” (1 Kings 22:43). Sadly, things took a turn for the worse after Jehoshaphat died: “Ahaziah ... Did what the Lord considered evil .... Ahaziah served Baal, worshipped …

Yesterday and today and for ever

Can we dismiss "the old, old story of Jesus and his love", just because it comes to us from such a long time ago? or Does Jesus bring to us something that we should always remember? There's something about Jesus that we should never forget: "Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead" (2 Timothy 2:8). …

Jesus Christ – the risen Lord

In his Christology, Pannenberg adopts a ‘from below’ approach rather than a ‘from above’ approach (Jesus - God and Man (1968; German edition, 1964), pp. 33-37). Using historical reason, he concludes that it is more reasonable to defend the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection rather than denying it. He accepts Kirn’s definition of the historical method: …

What God Has Done, What God Will Do

We look back, and we ‘give thanks to the Lord’, remembering ‘the wonderful works that He has done’ (1 Chronicles 16:8,12). We look forward, committing our future to the Lord in prayer, looking to Him to fulfil the promise He gives to those who call upon Him in heartfelt prayer: ‘If My people who are …

The Lord is reaching out to us. He’s calling us to respond to Him.

Genesis 14:1-16:16; Matthew 5:43-6:24; Psalm 6:1-10 In Genesis 14:18-20, we read about the remarkable appearance of the mysterious figure, Melchizedek. Here, we have the first suggestion of tithing – “Then Abram gave Him a tenth of everything” (Genesis 14:20). This is not a legalistic practice. It is set in the context of grace and worship. Abram’s …

Less about ourselves – and more about Jesus

"He (Jesus) must become greater; I (John the Baptist) must become less" (John 3:30). There is no comparison between John the Baptist and Jesus the Saviour. Jesus is so much greater than John. Pointing away from himself to Jesus - this is what John was sent to do. He was not to seek glory for …

God’s love and faithfulness, His guidance and blessing

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost: Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67; Psalm 45:10-17 or Song of Solomon 2:8-13 (or Zechariah 9:9-12); Psalm 145:8-14; Romans 7:15-25a; Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 Rejoicing in God’s love and faithfulness, let us seek His guidance and blessing. The detailed account of Isaac's marriage highlights the guidance of God. He directs the life of His …

Open Your Heart To The Lord Jesus Christ.

Revelation 3:1-22 There are some doors which the Lord must open - ‘I have placed before you an open door that no-one can shut’ (8). There is a door which we must open - ‘Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone opens the door, I will come in...’ (20). Christ …

Let’s listen to what the Bible tells us about Jesus.

Assessing Pannenberg's Critique of Barth's Theology PANNENBERG IS VERY BOLD IN HIS CRITICISM OF BARTH’S THEOLOGY. HE CALLS IT ‘THE FARTHEST EXTREME OF SUBJECTIVISM MADE INTO A THEOLOGICAL POSITION … THE IRRATIONAL SUBJECTIVITY OF A VENTURE OF FAITH WITH NO JUSTIFICATION OUTSIDE ITSELF’ (THEOLOGY AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE, P.273). IN HIS STRONG REACTION AGAINST BARTH’S …

Christ Has Won The Victory For Us. Let Us Claim His Victory By Faith.

In Genesis 3:1, we read of ‘the serpent’. Here he is again - ‘that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan’. *He is a powerful enemy. He ‘leads the whole world astray’. He is a determined enemy. ‘Day and night’, he is busy, accusing God's children. * He is a defeated enemy. ‘They overcame him …

A New Heart And A New Life

"Note the twofold blessing of this new covenant - forgiveness and a new heart to keep His commandments. O the wonder of it! His law in our inward parts - what can this mean but that we are to live it out  day by day. This is our inheritance. Let us claim it and dare …

Teach us, Lord, that it’s not all about us.

Exodus 36:8-38 Teach us, Lord, that it's not all about us. It's not about getting ourselves noticed. It's all about You. It's about giving all the glory to You.

More than a mysterious presence – the good news of God’s love

We look at the world around us, and we feel like we are near to God. Where does this feeling of God's nearness take us? Does it take us to Jesus Christ, our Saviour? or Are we left with something less than faith in Christ? When we feel that God is speaking to us through …

Theological Connections between G. C. Berkouwer and Herman Bavinck: Berkouwer’s Critique of Barth’s Anthropology and Christology

For Barth, Christ is the key to understanding our human life. If Christ, God’s revelation, is taken away, man is thrown into an abyss of meaninglessness. Man cannot, by himself, bring meaning to his life. Christ alone can reveal to man the meaning of his life. This insight lies at the heart of Barth’s radical …

Our Help, Our Saviour

The Psalmist is calling upon the Lord to be his “help and Saviour.” He is looking to the Lord for an immediate response: “Come quickly to rescue me, O God! Come quickly to help me, O Lord! ... O God, come quickly to me ... O Lord, do not delay” (Psalm 70:1,5). The Psalmist continues …

No condemnation…

"Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). Here, Paul speaks to us about "faith", and he, also, speaks to us about "our Lord Jesus Christ." What does it mean to have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ? "Faith" and "our Lord Jesus Christ": it is important that …

The ministry of the Holy Spirit

"While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word" (Acts 10:44). When the Word of God is being preached, there are two things happening. The preacher is speaking, and God is speaking. True preaching of God's Word is always more than the words of the preacher. There is …

What are we to say about how we found the Lord?

"Christ Jesus took hold of me" (Philippians 3:12). What are we to say about how we found the Lord? Are we tell a very human story: This happened, that happened... and I decided to follow Jesus? or Are we to say that there was something more in what happened to us? Each of us has …

Let us rejoice in God’s great salvation.

"God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having …

Jesus Christ – the Lamb of God

"When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13). When we read these words, our thoughts move forward to several verses from the New Testament. In John 1:29, our attention is directed towards Jesus Christ, "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." In 1 Corinthians 5:7, we learn …

Victory comes from the Lord.

The defeat of the Philistines was God’s doing: “God has gone ahead of you to defeat the Philistine army” (1 Chronicles 14:15). Along with this victory over the Philistines, there was the bringing to Jerusalem of “the ark of the Lord’s promise.” This was an occasion of joyful worship (1 Chronicles 15:28). In worship, there …

Spiritual growth – God’s gift of grace, not our own moral achievement

"Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever! Amen." (2 Peter 3:18). "Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ" is more than knowing about him. We are to "grow in his grace", and we are to give "glory" to him. …

Revelation 4-5

‘In heaven’, there’s ‘an open door’ – This is the great declaration with which Revelation 4 begins. This ‘open door in heaven’ speaks to us of the great love God has for us. We sing about the opening of heaven’s door when we sing the well-known hymns, There is a green hill and Jesus loves …

Giving Thanks To God

"I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers"  (Ephesians 1:16).Prayer isn't all about asking. We must not forget to give thanks to the Lord.

When great numbers of sinners are brought to the Saviour – this is the Lord ‘s doing and it is marvellous in our eyes.

"I will pour out the Spirit of blessing and mercy on David's family and on those who live in Jerusalem" (Zechariah 12:10). Through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is "greater than David", we receive the blessing of the Spirit. this blessing is given to us through the mercy of God. It's all of grace. All …

Light – shining from God’s Word

"Your Word is a lamp for my feet,  a light on my path" (Psalm 119:105).  Where would we be without the Word of the Lord? - We would be groping around in the darkness, looking for the lightr, but not finding. Searching for the light, we get nowhere’s until the Lord shines his light upon us.  We come …

On to the great future, the Lord is preparing for us

Deuteronomy 2:24-4:14; Luke 10:25-11:4; Psalm 41:7-13 When the people of Israel were brought to the promised land, this was a great fulfilment of God’s purpose. When Jesus teaches us to pray, “Father ... Your Kingdom come”, He is teaching us to pray for an even greater fulfilment of God’s purpose. The Lord sets us in …

Think of Christ’s Love. Think Of His Power. Let Your Heart Be Filled With Praise To Him.

Psalms 58:1-59:17 ‘Surely there is a God who judges the earth’(58:11). Let these words send you to the Saviour. ‘Deliver me from my enemies, O my God’(59:1). Take this prayer with you to the Cross of Christ. There, at the Cross, you will meet the Saviour - ‘My God in His steadfast love will meet …

The Authority of Holy Scripture

Discussing the authority of Holy Scripture in the modern world, Berkouwer writes, “The confession of the authority of the Word of God can never be isolated from the saving content of the Word of God” (Modern Uncertainty and Christian Faith, p. 14, emphasis mine).In confessing that the Bible is the Word of God, the believer …

The Spirit of God’s Son Lives In Us. We Are God’s Children, And He Is Our Father.

Genesis 29:31-30:24Leah progressed beyond her own concerns (Genesis 29:32-34) to the most important thing: ‘This time I will praise the Lord’(35). Of the many children, the most significant, in terms of God’s purpose of redemption, was Joseph (Genesis 30:22-24). An answer to prayer, it was the work of divine grace (Genesis 30:22). ‘Rachel was barren’ …

God’s Word … talking to me …

"When you read God's Word, you must constantly be saying to yourself, 'It is talking to me, and about me.'" (Soren Kierkegaard).

The long and winding road

"The long and winding road that leads me to your door" (Lennon and McCartney): This phrase came to mind, as I was thinking about life and where it's leading us. As we're traveling through life, there are many things that make us think. We look back over the things that have happened to ourselves and …

It happened by chance – or was there something more? …

Ruth “She happened to come … ” (Ruth 2:3). It happened by chance – Or was there something more? Was it just coincidence – Or was the hand of God in it? Sometimes, we wonder, Why has this happened to me? Why has it turned out this way? Who are we to say, It’s just …