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 …

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 …

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 …

The light of God’s love, shining upon us…

When we preach the gospel of God's love, where are we to begin? Are we to begin with birth of Christ? Would we lose anything very important, if we were to set aside the Old Testament, and begin with the New Testament? The Old Testament may, at many points, be difficult to understand, but, surely, …

God so loved the world…

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). These words of Jesus have been described as "the gospel in a nutshell." What does Jesus say to us in this great verse? In the second half of the verse, Jesus …

Jesus suffered death for our salvation.

Joshua 5:13-7:26; Luke 22:39-62; Psalm 50:16-23 Achan suffered death because of his own sinful disobedience. Achan died, and the judgment of God did not come on the whole people of God. Jesus suffered death as the sinless Son of God, who bore the sins of many that we might be saved through faith in Him. Achan died …

How can we get to know God?

"He who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). How can we get to know God? We begin with Jesus. Jesus brings God near to us. Read about Jesus. Learn about God. Learn that God is our Father. Read about how much Jesus loved people. Learn about how much the Father loves us. …

From Rebellion To Righteousness

"This is the Word that the Lord spoke to Zephaniah" (Zephaniah 1:1). Straightaway, our attention is drawn away from the prophet to the Lord - "The Lord spoke His Word" (Zephaniah 1:1). How are we to hear the Word of the Lord? - "Be silent in the presence of the Almighty Lord" (Zephaniah 1:7). How …

Great Boldness For God, Great Blessing From God

"The Holy Spirit, whom God gives to those who obey Him" (Acts 5:32). "The men you put in prison are standing in the temple courtyard. They're teaching the people" (Acts 5:25). "Every day in the temple courtyard and from house to house, they refused to stop teaching and telling the Good News that Jesus is …

More than a chance meeting

Ruth 1:1-2:23 Ruth meets Boaz. It seemed like a 'chance' meeting - 'she happened to come...'(2:3). It was more than that. God was at work. Ruth had committed herself to the Lord (1:16-17). She was being guided by the Lord (Psalm 37:3-5; Proverbs 3:5-6). Ruth was unassuming and grateful, hard working and responsible (2:10,13,7,18). She …

The Way Of Obedience Is The Way Of Blessing.

Deuteronomy 29:1-29 God has done great things for His people: ‘in the land of Egypt… in the wilderness’(Deuteronomy 29:2 and Deuteronomy 29:5). Acknowledging Him to be the Lord their God, they were to live in obedience to Him (Deuteronomy 29:6, and Deuteronomy 29:9). The way of obedience is the way of blessing. Moses warns the …

Praying through God’s Word: Leviticus

LEVITICUS Leviticus 1:1-2:16 We thank You, Lord, that Your Son, Jesus, is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). In His death for us, we see Your love for us. Help us to come to the Cross of Christ. Help us to worship You in the beauty of …

The Preaching Of John Wesley

"John Wesley’s Forty-Four Sermons" (published by the Epworth Press in 1944:  reprinted in 1977) - These sermons were first published, as four volumes, in 1746, 1748, 1750 and 1760. The language will seem, to the modern reader, to be very old-fashioned. There is, however, a great deal, in what Wesley says, that we need to hear today. My …

Light in the darkness

"Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105). Without the Word of the Lord, we're stumbling around in the dark; We're trying to make sense of life, but it's not quite working, There's something missing. The Word of the Lord comes to us. It brings light into …

We hear the Word of the Lord so that we might become strong in the Lord.

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Let your hands be strong, you who have been hearing in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, who spoke … ‘” (Zechariah 8:9). We hear the Word of the Lord so that we might become strong in the Lord. God’s Word is not to go in one ear and …

The Lord’s people must not be afraid to stand up for Him.

Jeremiah 52:1-34; Titus 1:1-16; Psalm 119:105-112 The final chapter of Jeremiah speaks of the fall of Jerusalem, followed by captivity in Babylon. Difficulties face God’s people in every generation: “There are many rebellious people ... “ (Titus 1:10). The Lord’s people must not be afraid to stand up for Him (Titus 1:11). Whatever others may …

Holy, Holy, Holy…

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty” (Isaiah 6:3); “Your sins are forgiven” (Isaiah 6:7). “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I am the worst of them” (1 Timothy 1:15). — In Jesus Christ, crucified for us, we see awesome holiness and amazing love. Awesome holiness: Jesus is the sinless Son of God. …

Jesus is our Lord and Saviour.

Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12; Luke 20:27-21:4; Psalm 49:1-20 The contrast between Moses and Jesus continues. Moses died. Jesus is the Lord: “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet” (Luke 20:42-43). In Him, we have the promise of eternal life: “God will redeem my …

Christ’s Cleansing

Leviticus 12:1-13:59Again and again, we read the word, "clean." Looking beyond the teaching "regarding health", we may recall that "the blood of Jesus Christ - God's Son - cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). This is the cleansing which everyone needs. No matter how healthy we may be in our bodies, we are …

The Glory of the Lord in His Creation

Psalm 8 This Psalm is a hymn of praise. It proclaims the glory of the Lord in His creation. The focus is not so much on the glories of nature. The great theme is the glory of Him who created nature. The Psalm begins and ends with the praise of God – “O Lord, our …

What are we learning from COVID-19? – God is in control.

Patrick Smith - preaching for Sandyford-Henderson Memorial Church Glasgow Scotland https://youtu.be/XqAxGs4E93U

Difficult situations can be turned around – to glorify God …

Ruth 1:1-2:23; John 9:1-34; Proverbs 12:8-17 Difficult situations can be turned around to glorify God (John 9:3). The story of Ruth is the story of mourning turned to rejoicing. In John 9, we have darkness turned into light, blindness to sight. This is the story of “amazing grace” – “One thing I do know. I …

"Africa Bible Commentary" on Genesis

    Africa Bible Commentary: A One-Volume Commentary Written by 70 African Scholars --The Africa Bible Commentary is unique. Written by African theologians and produced in Africa, it is the first one-volume commentary ever created to help pastors, students, and lay leaders in Africa apply God’s Word to distinctively African concerns, yet its fresh insights …

Praying Through God’s Word: Revelation

Revelation 1:1-20 We thank You, Lord, for “the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:1). It comes from Him. It speaks of Him. We thank You that Jesus “loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Revelation 1:5). We thank You that He is “coming with the clouds” (Revelation 1:7). Help us …

God the Creator

John Macleod - preaching for Sandyford-Henderson Memorial Church, Glasgow, Scotland https://youtu.be/j_9VUcEaP6o

Overview Of The Old Testament: Ruth

Ruth meets Boaz. It seemed like a ‘chance’ meeting - ‘she happened to come...'  (Ruth 2:3). It was more than that. God was at work. Ruth had committed herself to the Lord (Ruth 1:16-17). She was being guided by the Lord (Psalm 37:3-5; Proverbs 3:5-6). We read about Ruth. We learn about Jesus Christ. When …

Praying Through God’s Word: Matthew’s Gospel

Matthew 1:1-17 Lord, we’ve only just begun – to experience Your love and enjoy Your blessing. We’ve started out on the journey of faith – but we haven’t reached our destination. We’re still travelling. We dare not stand still. We must keep on going forward – with You and for You. Sometimes, we can forget …

Creation And Christ

When we think of the relationship between creation and Christ, we become more strikingly aware of the inadequacy of the word, 'reconciliation' as a replacement for the word, 'revelation.' Christ is the centre of divine revelation. It is in Him alone that there is reconciliation or salvation. While seeing Christ as the centre of divine …

Falling…

Sometimes, it seems like everything is falling apart. What are we to do when we feel like this? What about another kind of falling: falling in love with Jesus? Human love can, at times, be very disappointing. It can leave us feeling disillusioned. What about the love of Jesus? What can we say about his …

Praying through God’s Word: Galatians

Galatians 1:1-2:10 Lord, we thank you that You have given to us “a revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:12). Christ is the Gospel. He is our testimony. He is our message. Help us to keep Him at the very centre of our life. In our ever-changing world, help us to keep on saying, “Jesus Christ …

My Place In You – a great song about the great love of God

https://youtu.be/ZAqlpv3FXhA

A stairway to heaven …

Genesis 27:1-28:32; Matthew 10:32-11:5; Psalm 9:1-6 As we see the progress of the divine promise through the line of Jacob, we also see that Esau married into Ishmael’s side of the family (Genesis 28:8-9). The tremendous experience, given by God to Jacob (Genesis 28:10-22) was one of the great turning-points in Jacob’s life (see also Genesis …

Praying Through God’s Word: Galatians

Galatians 1:1-2:10Lord, we thank you that You have given to us "a revelation of Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1:12). Christ is the Gospel. He is our testimony. He is our message. Help us to keep Him at the very centre of our life. In our ever-changing world, help us to keep on saying, "Jesus Christ is …

Through faith in Christ, we look ahead to ‘a heavenly country’…

Those who ‘trust in the Lord... will dwell in the land’. Those who turn from Him will ‘perish’(Psalm 37:3 and Psalm 37:20). Through faith in Christ, we look ahead to ‘a heavenly country’, ‘better’ than anything we will know on earth (Hebrews 11:16; Philippians 3:20). We have caught sight of ‘a happy land, far, far …

May God help us to lead people to Christ… (Ruth 3:1-4:22).

Ruth was covered by the 'garment' of Boaz, her 'kinsman-redeemer' (Ruth 3:9). Jesus is our Kinsman-Redeemer. He has become one of us. He shares our 'flesh and blood', our 'humanity'. Through His 'suffering' and 'death', we are brought to 'glory' (Hebrews 2:10-11; Hebrews 2:14-15). In Him, we 'rejoice': 'He has clothed me with garments of …

Nothing but bad news … ?

Does it seem like it's always bad news? Is there any good news? When our heads are down, everything seems to be so dark. It all seems so hopeless. Is there a way of seeing beyond the darkness? Can we rediscover hope? Let's go back to the time of our Saviour's birth. It was a …

G. C. Berkouwer and T. F. Torrance on the Doctrine of Election

T. F. Torrance contributed an article to a collection of essays written in honour of G. C. Berkouwer. The book is Ex Auditu Verbi, Theologische opstellen aangeboden aan Prof. G. C. Berkouwer, (J. H. Kok, Kampen, 1965), edited by R. Schippers et al. Torrance’s article is found at pp. 272-296. This article - “The Epistemological Relevance of the Spirit” - …

The outpouring of the Spirit brings great glory to God and many sinners to the Saviour.

"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 …

The most important thing – the cleansing of the heart

Matthew 15:1-20 The Pharisees were preoccupied with washing the hands (Matthew 15:2), yet they missed out on the most important thing: the cleansing of the heart. They were obsessed with 'correct' religious ritual, yet they sent Christ to the Cross. They honoured God with their words, yet in their hearts they were far from Him …

Praying Through God’s Word: Ezra

Ezra 1:1-2:35 "Rebuild the House of the Lord" (Ezra 1:3). This, Lord, is what You're calling us to do. Who are You calling? Is it just a few 'special' people? - No! It's "all those whose spirits God had moved" (Ezra 1:5). Help us, Lord, never to say, "There's nothing for me to do." There's …

Praying Through God’s Word: 2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 1:1-2:18Lord, we need Your wisdom (2 Chronicles 1:10). We need Jesus - He is Your wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30). Without Jesus, we're fools. We may think that we're wise - but we're not. Jesus makes us wise. True wisdom comes from Him. When we build our lives on Jesus, we are truly wise …

G. C. Berkouwer On “Election And The Hiddenness Of God”

In his discussion, "Election and the Hiddenness of God" in Divine Election (Chapter Four, pp.102-131), G. C. Berkouwer emphasizes that God's hiddenness is not to be set over against His salvation. He rejects a concept of God's hiddenness which "separates the God of revelation from our lives and mitigates the absolute trustworthiness of that revelation" …

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead.

Matthew 15: 21-16:4 Above all Jesus' miracles, we celebrate His mighty resurrection from the dead (Matthew 28:5-7). This miracle is referred to in Matthew 16:4, 'the sign of Jonah': Jonah was raised from 'the belly of a huge fish', Jesus has been raised from 'the heart of the earth' (Matthew 12:40). We are to 'remember …

Salvation, Sanctification And Service

Ephesians 2:11-4:6By the grace of God,  we are called to salvation: ‘saved through faith.' By the grace of God, we are called to sanctification: ‘for good works.’ We are called to service: ‘according to the gift of God’s grace… by the working of His power’, we are enabled ‘to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ’ (Ephesians …

It happened by chance, or was there something more?

“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 one of these …

Christ for the world

"Faith comes through hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). We bring a "message" to the world. It's not our message. It's Christ's message. He is the message that we bring to the world. There is no better message for today's world. There is no better message …

Learning from the past – and pressing on towards God’s future

We look back. We remember - and we learn. What we learn from the past, we bring with us into the present, into our journey into the future. We cannot turn the clock back. We do not belong to the past. We're travelling towards the future. We go back to the book of Genesis - …

Wonders, truths, love: Thanks be to God!

"For the wonders that astound us, for the truths that still confound us; most of all, that love has found us, thanks be to God!" - These great words of praise to God are taken from Fred Pratt Green's hymn, "For the fruits of His creation ... Thanks be to God!" These words came to …

The battle is the Lord’s …

Joshua 8:1-35 The victory was given by the Lord: 'I have given into your hand...' (1). The people still had to claim the victory. Israel's triumph was a spiritual victory from which we can learn much. We learn, first, that 'the battle is the Lord's' (7; 1 Samuel 17:47; 2 Chronicles 20:15). Believing the Lord's …

Our Lord Jesuus Christ has risen from the dead. Let us rejoice in Him.

Leviticus 25:1-26:13; Mark 16:1-20; Psalm 33:1-11 Leviticus 25 speaks of “the Year of Jubilee.” Mark 16 tells us about the Day of Jubilation, the Day when Jesus Christ was raised from the dead – “Jesus Christ is risen today, Hallelujah!” The Resurrection of Jesus Christ: This is cause for much rejoicing – “Sing joyfully to …

Jesus took our sins upon Himself so that we might receive the forgiveness of our sins.

Leviticus 23:1-24:23; Mark 15:33-47; Psalm 32:1-11 Leviticus 23 gives a description of “the appointed feasts of the Lord” (Leviticus 23:2, 44). At the heart of this chapter lies “the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord” (Leviticus 23:28). Each of the festivals had their place in keeping the people in …

Obedience to God arises as the result of the Holy Spirit, working in our lives.

Leviticus 26:14-27:34; Luke 1:1-25; Proverbs 7:1-5   In Leviticus, there are many commands given by the Lord so that the people of God, walking in obedience to His Word, might enjoy His blessing. This principle is taught throughout the Word of God – the way of obedience is the way of life: “Keep My commands …

“The Heart of the Church”

In his book, A Half Century of Theology, G C Berkouwer has a chapter on "The Heart of the Church" (Chapter 4). In this chapter, he is concerned to emphasize the importance of the doctrine of election: "If we take seriously the conviction that election lies at the cor ecclesiae, at the heart of the …

“Come! … Come! … Come! … Come!”

“Come! … Come! … Come! … Come!”: This is what we read in Revelation 6, verses 1, 3, 5 and 7. The invitation is clear. We are to come to the Lord. How are we to come to Him? If we are to learn how we are to come to Him, we should learn also …

A New Beginning!

Following the triple tragedy of the deaths of Elimelech, Mahlon and Chilion (Ruth 1:3-5) and the departure of Orpah (Ruth 1:14), there was a new beginning for Naomi and Ruth. This new beginning came to them when "they came to Bethlehem" (Ruth 1:19). The town of Bethlehem marked a new beginning for them. It marks …

Teach Us, Lord, To Live For You.

"I am filled with the power of the Lord's Spirit" (Micah 3:8). This is what makes true ministry of God's Word so different from 'prophecy' that doesn't come from the Lord. Without the power of the Lord, there can be no Word from the Lord. We need the Word, and we need the power. "Let's …

Am I going to heaven?

Am I going to heaven? This is the most important question of all. Jesus says, “Unless one is born anew, again, from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Here, Jesus is speaking about the new birth, the second birth, the heavenly birth. His words weren’t spoken to the publican in the …

When the Lord returns, there will be His triumph over all His enemies.

Here, on earth, there is spiritual warfare. We do not fight in our own strength - "The Lord will go out and fight against those nations" (Zechariah 14:3). When the Lord returns, there will be His triumph over all His enemies: "The Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones will be with …

Praying Through God’s Word: Zechariah

ZECHARIAH1:1-2:13We thank You, Lord, that You promise to bless Your faithful people: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there My House will be rebuilt’ (Zechariah 1:16). You looks upon Your House, and You see Your glory – ‘I will be the glory within it’ (Zechariah 2:5). You see the glory of Your presence …