Karl Barth the Preacher – Jesus loves me.

What are we to say about Barth the preacher? Surely, J. S. Stewart has described him well in these words of commendation: “this Colossus of a theologian is basically concerned with simple things… no one reading Barth can have any doubt… (about his) single-hearted devotion to Christ” (Prayer and Preaching, 7, from ‘Preface’ by J. …

Amos 7-9 and Obadiah

AMOS 7:1-9:15  -  ‘That’s enough, prophet! Go back to Judah and do your preaching there... Don’t prophesy here at Bethel any more’ (7:12-13). Amos was a faithful preacher of God’s Word - but his hearers wanted to get rid of him! This was the beginning of a time of great darkness: ‘The days are coming …

Learning from the book of Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 4:32-40; 6:1-7 and 8:3 As we seek to build our Church and our lives on Jesus Christ, we turn to the book of Deuteronomy. Here, we are following our Lord Jesus Christ. When He was being tempted by Satan, Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 8:3, “Man does not live by bread alone … Man lives …

The Sin, the Suffering, the Supplication, the Salvation

(1) The Sin "They spoke against God and against Moses, and said, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!’" (Numbers 21:5). (2) The Suffering "Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people …

Singers From Every Nation And Every Generation

The singers will come “from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).  Not just some nations! All nations! Not just this generation! Not just the “now” generation! Every generation will be there. They will come from the past. They will come from the future. This is bigger than the Eurovision Song Contest! …

Read – And Study.

We need to study Leviticus - not just read it. Leviticus follows on from Genesis and Exodus. In Genesis, we see man ruined. In Exodus, we see man redeemed. In Leviticus, we see man worshipping. This is a book of worship. It is a book for redeemed people. It shows them how to worship God. …

In The Wilderness

"In the wilderness (or the wild country)" (Numbers 1:1). "Stage by stage" (Numbers 33:2) - Moses kept a record of Israel's journey. "In the wilderness", "stage by stage" - When we read these two phrases, and think about our own journey through life, we are invited to think about where we've been, where we are, …

The Love Of God

In the beginning, there is love, eternal love, the love of God. ‘Genesis’ means ‘beginning’. These opening verses challenge us to get our priorities right – (a) The priority of God (Genesis 1:1). God comes first. Before anyone else is mentioned, He is there. (b) The priority of God’s Word (Genesis 1:3). God is the …

Looking back to Christ’s crucifixion, looking forward to His return

We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19). We are to live as those who are awaiting the Day of the Lord’s return (Hebrews 10:25). We look back to what Christ has done for us. We look forward to what He will do for us. Looking back …

In times of trouble

2 Chronicles 26:1-28:27; 2 Corinthians 1:1-11; Psalm 103:1-12 “In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the Lord” (2 Chronicles 28:22). Times of trouble can lead people towards bitterness and further rebellion against the Lord. On the other hand, times of trouble can be precisely the times when God’s purpose is …

Each day, we stand between the past and the future.

Each day, we stand between the past and the future. In our prayers, we call upon God to “remember” (Nehemiah 13:14,22,29,31). There are two different kinds of ‘remembering’ here. God remembers His faithful servants. He also remembers those who have been unfaithful. As we face the future, we must be guided by both the Gospel …

Revised Common Lectionary: Year A

Revised Common Lectionary – Year A First Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44 Awaiting Christ’s Return , let us worship God and walk in His ways. God calls us to worship Him - ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord... ’ - and walk in His …

Let us give thanks – with joy.

“At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem”, the keynote of the service was joyful thanksgiving. They gathered together “to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving” (Nehemiah 12:27). “On that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy” (Nehemiah 12:43). They sang “songs of praise and thanksgiving to …

From the beginning to the end

"'I am the Beginning and the End', says the Lord God" (Revelation 1:8).We think about the past - and we know that we cannot change it. We think about the future, and we don't know what it holds for us. All we have is the present. We think about the past and the future - …

Jesus – our living Saviour

"I know that my Redeemer lives" (Job 19:25). We read these words of faith and hope, and our thoughts move forward, from Job to Jesus. As we think of Jesus' resurrection from the dead, we recall the words of the angelic messenger: "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here. …

Revised Common Lectionary: Year B

YEAR B First Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37 Jesus Christ is God’s Answer to our prayer. We confess our sins to God - ‘We sinned... All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags’. We look to …

Praising the Lord for all eternity

Esther 9 speaks of days of feasting and joy (Esther 9:17-19,22-23,28). If the Jews had cause to rejoice in Esther’s day, we have much more cause for rejoicing in the Lord – “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed” (Revelation 5:5). The praise of God’s …

When we’re down in the valley, the mountain-top experience seems a long way off.

We read, Lord, about ‘the Valley of Vision’ (Isaiah 22:1,5). You are to be our Vision: ‘Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art, Thou my best thought, by day or by night, waking or sleeping Thy presence my light.’ When we’re down in the valley, the mountain-top …

If we are to be true followers of Jesus, we must learn to live our lives in the light of eternity.

"Be careful! Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!" (Matthew 17:6). Even after there is divine revelation (Matthew 16:17), the influence of evil can be felt (Matthew 16:23). The warning - "Be careful! Watch out ... !" must never be forgotten. Satan is looking for an opportunity to leads us away from …

Can Paradise Lost become Paradise Regained? (Genesis 3 and Revelation 12)

'All things, bright and beautiful ... The Lord God made them all' - this is the great, positive message that comes to us from Genesis 1 - but things are very different when we get into Genesis 3: things are not so bright and beautiful. What are we to do? Are we to listen to …

The Purpose of Scripture

Berkouwer emphasizes that “the purpose of the God-breathed Scripture is not at all to provide a scientific gnosis in order to convey and increase human knowledge and wisdom, but to witness of the salvation of God unto faith” (Holy Scripture, p. 180). He insists that “This approach does not mean to separate faith and knowledge. …

Lord, You call us to ‘draw near’ to You.

Lord, You call us to ‘draw near’ to You. You want us to ‘pay attention’ to You. Help us to ‘listen’ to His Word (Isaiah 34:1). Your Word is not always what we want to hear. It will always be what we need to hear. ‘The Lord is angry with all nations’ (Isaiah 34:2). We don’t like to hear …

Is there any hope for our nation?

‘Look at the land of the Babylonians, this people that is now of no account!’ (Isaiah 23:13). We read these words, Lord, and we wonder, “What about our nation? Is there any hope for our nation?” To the nation which turns to You, Lord, You  speak Your promise of blessing – ‘Blessed is the nation …

What is man?

For much of modern theology, the question, “What is man?” must precede the question, “Who is God?” The approach which begins with man (’from below’) can be set against the approach which begins with God (’from above’). Berkouwer’s doctrine of man has been commended as “a middle course between conflicting theologies … achieved by a …

Jesus is the risen Lord.

"The revelation of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 1:1). "I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever!" (Revelation 1:18). Jesus reveals himself to us. What does he tell us about himself? He tells us that he is "the Living One." He was dead. Now, he's alive. The book …

Mourning For Our Sin, Rejoicing In God’s Salvation

"It is surely ours to combine these elements of mourning for sin and joy in our salvation in one complex and composite experience which keeps us perpetually humble and yet perpetually joyful too" (Rev William Still - on Numbers 28:16-25).

A Glimpse of Heavenly Glory

Malachi 4:5 speaks of “that great and dreadful Day of the Lord.”  The Day of the Lord will be a Day of Judgment. This is not, however, the full story. It will also be the great Day of salvation. This comes through clearly in Revelation 7 – “a great multitude that no-one could count, from …

I have been delivered.

Genesis 32:1-33:20 Between preparing for meeting Esau (32:1-23) and meeting Esau (33:1-20) - there is the mysterious incident of Jacob wrestling with an angel (32:24-32). This is the section on which we focus our attention We emphasize Jacob's words - "I will not let you go unless you bless me" (26). What was the blessing …

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 …

Notes: Job to Song of Solomon

JOB 1:1-2:13  -  Satan is very busy - ‘going to and fro on the earth...walking up and down on it’. Why is Satan ‘roaming through the earth’? - ‘Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour’ (1:7; 1 Peter 5:8). If, like Job, you ‘fear God and turn …

A true prophet gives the glory to God alone.

Genesis 40:1-23 God gave Joseph power to overcome temptation (chapter 39). Now, He gives him power to interpret dreams. Here, Joseph the dreamer (37:5-11) becomes Joseph the interpreter of dreams. Joseph may be viewed as a prophet: 'Surely the Lord does nothing, without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets' (Amos 3:7). As a …

Kept by the power of God

"Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life" (Jude, verse 21). "To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy, to the only God our Saviour …

Strangers are only friends we’ve never met.

"It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even …

Walking in the truth, and walking in love

"It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us... As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love" (2 John, verse 4 and 2 John, verse 6). Walking in the truth, Walking in love, We need …

Do you doubt that the Lord can bring you safely into his eternal kingdom?

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. …

Has God forgotten us?

Genesis 30:25-31:55 We read about Jacob and Laban. Jacob says that he wants to return to his homeland: "Send me on my way so that I can return to my homeland" (30:25). Laban persuades Jacob to "stay" (30:27). As time passed - it became clear that things weren't working out well. Jacob and Laban weren't …

When it seems like life is dragging you down

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the …

There’s a difference between speaking with pride and speaking with faith.

So many people have so many questions. Again and again, we feel that there are so many questions - and so few answers. What are we to say about this? Are we to give up on the search for an answer? or Are we to look away from ourselves to Jesus? Here we need to …

Preaching God’s Word: Psalms 1-22

Burdensome Religion And Joyous Faith (Psalm 1:1-2) Burdensome religion and joyous faith are worlds apart. They are exact opposites. “I have to” – How shallow and superficial is “I have to” religion. The man or woman who thinks like this hasn’t even begun to appreciate the great love of Jesus Christ.What a far cry this …

Walking in the Spirit …

Proverbs 7:1-27 The way of obedience is the way of life: 'keep My commandments and live' (2). This is not a shallow legalism. It is the result of the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is 'walking in the Spirit'. It is living as 'a new creation'. We do not glory in …

God is making us the kind of people he wants us to become.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:2-4). Are you going through a hard time? Do you need some encouragement, from the Lord? …

Beyond the suffering, there’s the triumph.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its …

We receive love from the Lord, and we share his love with one another.

"Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people" (Philemon, verse 7). Love is not for keeping to ourselves. It's for sharing. When we show love to others, we bring them "great joy," We encourage them. We refresh their hearts. Receive love from the Lord. Receive …

Praying through God’s Word: Old Testament

GENESIS Genesis 1:1-3 Lord, help us to get our priorities right - Your priorities. May our lives be more centred on You - less centred on ourselves. Help us to listen for Your Word - not to jump straight in with our own words. Help us to open our hearts to Your Holy Spirit. May He …

2 John, 3 John and Jude

2 JOHN ‘Look to yourselves, that you may not lose what you have worked for, but may win a full reward’ (8). Don’t let things slip. Build on the work that has already been done. This will not be easy - ‘many deceivers have already gone out into the world’. Such people do nothing but …

Conviction Of Sin, Conversion To The Saviour

Jeremiah was fearless in his preaching of God’s Word. He spoke the truth. He spoke the Word which had been given to him by the Lord. When God speaks the Word of His holiness, the Word which exposes sin for what it really is, there is no place to hide. When we read Jeremiah’s words …

Before we can become witnesses, we must be worshippers.

2 Chronicles 2:1-5:1; 1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13; Psalm 97:1-12 Worship and witness belong together. The building of the Temple speaks to us of the priority of worship. Before we can become witnesses, we must be worshippers. The ministry of Paul speaks to us of witness: “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible …

He saved us.

"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. …

Mighty intercessory prayer

Genesis 18:16-33 In the face of the threatened judgment of God upon Sodom and Gomorrah, we find Abraham engaging in mighty intercessory prayer. He is not concerned only about himself and his own salvation. He is prayerfully committed to seeking the salvation of others. This is a mark of spiritual maturity - a deep concern …

Building the church on earth – and building for the Kingdom of heaven …

Ezra speaks of the rebuilding of the Temple at Jerusalem (Ezra 5:11). Revelation speaks of “God’s Temple in heaven” (Revelation 11:19). Both belong together – building the Church here on earth and building for the Kingdom of heaven. We must never be content with a measure of success in building the Church here on earth. God’s …

Whatever comes our way

"You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings, what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.  In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus …

We must not lose sight of the eternal perspective. This is what gives us encouragement.

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 …

The before and the after

"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me …

There are two things going on.

"We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring" (2 Thessalonians …

Let us encourage each other in the Lord.

“A faithful messenger … refreshes the soul” (Proverbs 25:13). God is calling us to be faithful and fruitful. Let us bring His Word to others. Let us bring his blessing to them. 

King of kings and Lord of lords

Jesus was tempted. Jesus is victorious. He is “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16), and He’s at work in us, bringing us through temptation and into victory. We don’t live in constant victory. Often, we’re defeated. We need to learn to listen to God’s Word and be led into the pathway of …

From the wilderness to the glory

God "spreads a table in the wilderness" (Psalm 78:19). We read these words, and our thoughts turn to the feeding of the five thousand (Matthew 14:13-21). Israel was "in the wilderness." "The crowds" were in "a solitary place .. a remote place" (Matthew 14:13,15). "Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up …

God has a message for His Church. It is the message of the Spirit.

God is at work in the life of both the Church and the nation. He has a message for His Church. It is the message of the Spirit: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:29; Revelation 3:6). This message of the Lord concerns His Church. …

Christ’s Love – Reaching Us, Changing Us And Growing In Us

In Luke 13:1-21, we see Jesus preaching, teaching and healing. At the heart of His ministry, there is love. The story of Jesus’ life on earth is an “old, old story.” It tells us about events which happened about 2,000 years ago. This story is still relevant to our life today. That is because it is …

Was this the end of the road?

In Mark 14:66-72, we read about Peter denying his Lord three times. Was this the end of the road for Peter? No! In John 21:15-17, we read of Peter declaring his love for Jesus - three times, once for each denial! In Acts 2:41, we read of three thousand people being brought to faith in …