Hear the Word of the Lord.

Jeremiah 21:1-23:8; 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13; Psalm 119:9-16 “O land, land, land, hear the Word of the Lord” (Jeremiah 22:29). When we truly hear the Word of the Lord with attentive hearts, there will be an “increase and overflow” of “love” and a strengthening of holiness (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13). This is the teaching of Psalm 119:9 …

Standing on the promises of God

"Esau hated Jacob because of what he had done to him (or because of the blessing with which his father, Isaac, blessed him, Jacob)" (Genesis 27:41). The story of Jacob and Esau can be read at a purely human level. Esau's reaction to Jacob's trickery was perfectly understandable. What are we to make of all …

Berkouwer’s Theology of Social Concern

Berkouwer refuses to separate personal faith and social concern. He provides a perspective through which Christian theology can avoid the twin dangers of (a) a preoccupation with social concern which implicitly conceives of personal faith as a flight into illusion; and (b) a preoccupation with individualistic and 'other-worldly' religion which fails to provide any significant …

The Lord’s greatest blessing

Jesus, God's Son, is "Immanuel" - "God with us" (Matthew 1:23). Jesus, still, says to us, "I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20). We ask the Lord for his blessing. He gives us himself. This is the Lord's greatest blessing - to know that he is with us, always.

Come into the Holy of Holies.

How are we to come into God's holy presence? "We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus" (Hebrews 10:19). There's only one way we can come to him. We "enter by the blood of Jesus." Without Jesus as our Saviour, we cannot come into God's holy presence. With Jesus as our …

The centrality of worship in the life of God’s people

Ezekiel 47:1-48:35; 1 Peter 4:1-19; Psalm 133:1-3 “The sanctuary will be in the centre of it … In the centre of it will be the sanctuary of the Lord … the Temple sanctuary will be in the centre of them” (Ezekiel 48:8,10,21). Here, we have the centrality of worship in the life of God’s people. …

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

The sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper - What place do they have within the total context of the Christian life? What part do they play within the total purpose of God for our lives? The sacraments are signposts. They point us to the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour. When you see a signpost …

We grow as disciples, as we build our lives on the truth of God.

We grow as disciples as we build our lives on the truth of God. Jesus emphasizes this point very strongly in John 15:7 - “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.” If we are to grow in prayer, we must …

When the storms of life come your way

Ezekiel 26:1-27:36; Hebrews 12:1-13; Psalm 125:1-5 To Tyre, God says, “Your wealth, merchandise and wares, your mariners, seamen and shipwrights, your merchants and all your soldiers, and everyone else on board will sink into the heart of the sea on the day of your shipwreck” (Ezekiel 27:27). Those who are overladen by their attachment to …

Coming to the Lord’s Table

Hosea 14:1-9; Hosea 6:1-3; Mark 2:1-22 We begin our approach to the Lord's Table with words which are found in both Hosea 14:1 and Hosea 14:2 - "Return to the Lord." To those who return to Him, God gives wonderful promises: (a) "I will love them freely" (Hosea 14:4); (b) "I will heal their backsliding" …

Let’s Walk With God And Enjoy His Blessing.

Genesis 5:1-17 From the story of Cain - taking God for granted (the opposite of grace), approaching God proudly (the opposite of faith), rebelling against God (the opposite of obedience) - , we come to a list of names and numbers. In this first part of the chapter, there is nothing of any note. Perhaps, …

“When my life was ebbing away, I remembered You, Lord, and my prayer rose to You, to Your holy temple" (Jonah 2:7).

Where does this remembering come from? It comes from the Lord. He puts the prayer into our hearts. Jonah was running away from God. God was drawing Jonah back to Himself. Like Jonah, we lose our way in life. That's when we need to hear the wonderful words of Jesus, our Saviour. He tells us …

Seeking and finding

"In him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28) - This is what Paul says to us about ourselves and the Lord. There is, here, an echo of the words of Ecclesiastes 3:11 - "God has planted eternity in the human heart." God is speaking to our hearts. He's calling out to …

Forgiveness and Victory

Genesis 26:1-35 ‘History repeats itself’. Sin has a ‘like father, like son’ quality about it - Isaac is like Abraham (7; 12:13, 20:2, 12-13), Jacob is like Isaac (7; 25:31,27:19). Grace repeats itself. God is faithful. He gives forgiveness and victory over temptation (1 John 1:9; 1 Corinthians 10:13). He cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy …

Never to be forgotten

In 1996, Willie McDonald died at the age of ninety. I had only known him for a short time. I will always remember him as a man who loved the Lord deeply. He was small of stature, but he was a man of “strength”: real, spiritual strength (Psalm 90:10). He was “strong in the Lord”, …

Jesus – The Son Of God And The Saviour Of The World

Some people think of Jesus as a great teacher of morality. Is that all that we can say about Him? Those who “believe” in Him say something else about Him – He’s “the Son of God” and “the Saviour of the world” (Luke 1:35; John 4:42). The critics say, “You can’t say that!” We give …

Looking beyond the lovely sunsets

In Luke 12:54-56, Jesus speaks to people who were good at weather forecasting, but they weren’t so good at understanding and living in the light of God’s Word._____  Lovely sunsets - They’ve  often brought to mind the well-known words: “A red sky at night is the shepherd’s delight. A red sky in the morning is …

It’s no good unless it’s new?

"It's no good unless it's new." This is the way a lot of people think. They're not interested in yesterday's news. They're all for modern technology. Everything else is out of date. It's past its sell by date. Is this wisdom? or, Are we missing something, something which comes to us from the past, something …

The sunshine and the Sonshine

We love the sunshine. We are glad when the sun is shining. We should be even more glad when the Son is shining upon us in love. This is the Sonshine, the blessing of the Lord Jesus Christ on our lives. We enjoy the sunshine, but we do not worship the sun. Let's worship Jesus, …

Walking In The Footsteps Of Our Saviour

"21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to …

Knowing the Lord – and giving all the glory to him

"All that I know now is partial and incomplete ... " (1 Corinthians 13:12). We have come to know the Lord. This is the work of his grace. We must never forget this. Without his grace, we are nothing. All the glory belongs to him. When we give our testimony - telling the story of …

The Kingdom belongs to the Lord … and we will be there with Him.

Obadiah 1-21; Hebrews 2:1-18; Proverbs 26:13-22 The last words of Obadiah are a great declaration: "the Kingdom will be the Lord's" (Obadiah 21). When we think of God's Kingdom, we are thinking not only of a Kingdom which belongs, solely, to God, but a Kingdom, which He shares with the redeemed. Christ says, "Here am …

The Lord’s Supper – Commemoration and Communion

* We remember the Lord's death for us. We rejoice in His continuing presence with us. * We remember the crucified Christ. We commune with the risen Christ. In the death and resurrection of Christ, there is forgiveness for the past, victory in the present and hope for the future. This is the Good News …

Because Christ has been raised from the dead

"So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord's work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless" (1 Corinthians 15:58). Paul's confidence in the Lord comes from Jesus' resurrection: "Christ has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a …

We thank You, Lord, that the devil flees from us when we flee to Jesus.

We thank You, Lord, that the devil flees from us when we flee to Jesus. What a precious promise is given to us in Your Word: “The Name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10). Who are “the righteous” – Surely, not us? We’ve failed …

Salvation comes before service.

We do not begin with the question, "What are we to do for God?" We begin with the question, "What has God done for us?" Grateful to the Lord for all that he has done for us, we give ourselves to him, committing ourselves to a life of serving him. Here, we highlight the vital …

Berkouwer on Marxism

Marcuse speaks of the irrationality of capitalism which is characterized by internal contradiction. The Christian faith speaks of the irrationality of sin: “There can be no reason for sin in God’s creation and the gifts of God, or in anything that God has wished for man and has given to man” (Berkouwer, Sin, p. 136, …

God’s Purpose of Salvation

Genesis 27:41-28:9 What a tangled web! Jacob has cheated Esau. Now, Esau is saying, ‘I will kill my brother Jacob’(41). What are we to make of all this? We must look beyond the human scene. Behind it all, there is ‘God Almighty’(3). God will fulfil His promises. Nothing will distract Him from His ultimate purpose …

God is preparing a glorious future for us.

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). How does the Lord keep us walking in His way? – He keeps on bringing to our attention the glorious future which He is preparing for us. …

The Participation Of God’s People

John 1:29-42 "Like a mighty army moves the Church of God" - What a great challenge there is in these words from the well-known hymn, "Onward Christian soldiers." How are we, in the Church, to move forward into the future? How are we to march forward - with God and for God? Let's look together …

Renewed By God’s Salvation, We Are Strengthened For His Service.

Ps 51:10, Matt 15:8, 2 Tim 3:5, 1 Pet 4:11, 5:11 In all the service we offer to God, there is to be the offering of worship: ‘To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever’ (1 Peter 4:11; 5:11). We will not learn to serve God unless we are learning to …

Marx’s Call for a World-Changing Philosophy: Herbert Marcuse’s Concept of Liberation

In his books, Reason and Revolution and One-Dimensional Man, Marcuse develops a conception of the liberation of man which is basically a creative and sympathetic yet critical interpretation of Marx. His work is of significant interest as a study of the historical development of Marxism. His conception of the liberation of man is of particular …

Our Love For The Lord Must Be Stronger Than Any Other Love.

1 Corinthians 6:12-7:24 The Lord has placed the highest value on us: ‘you were bought with a price’ (6:20; 7:23). Our love for Him must be stronger than any other love. Some are under pressure, at home, from an unbelieving husband or wife. You wonder whether your Christian witness is doing any good (7:16). You …

What does it mean to be holy?

"Be holy, because I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16). What does it mean to be holy? Do we make ourselves holy? Are we to turn ourselves into modern-day Pharisees - people who regard ourselves as superior to other people? No! The way of true holiness is centred on Christ - not ourselves. It is centred …

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

"Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?" (Psalm 24:3) - only Jesus Christ, our great Saviour! Jesus went down to the place of suffering and death - and, then, God raised him from death to life. Through Jesus, we are raised to life. We do not raise ourselves. We have been raised by him - …

Gold!

Exodus 37:1-29 Many times over, we read the word, “gold.” We look beyond the furnishings of the place of worship to the God whom we worship. In our hearts, we say, “My God, how wonderful You are.” All that we read of here is pointing us to the great God, the God of glory, the …

The call to return to the Lord is an urgent call.

Joel 1:1-2:17; Hebrews 3:1-19; Psalm 119:137-144 “Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (Joel 2:13). The call to return to the Lord is an urgent call: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 3:7-8). Those who have returned …

The Highway

Jeremiah 31:21-30 “Set your hearts toward the highway; keep the highway in mind” (Jeremiah 31:21) - “the highway of holiness” (Isaiah 35:8): A call to the “backsliding daughter” (Jeremiah 31:22). “The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, but a good man will be satisfied” (Proverbs 14:14). Here’s a breath prayer (breathe …

The Lord Is King. He is The King Of Love.

Psalm 95:1-11 ‘Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord... Let us come before Him with thanksgiving... Come, let us bow down in worship...’(1-2,6). We are to worship the Lord with joyful thanksgiving. We rejoice in the Lord. We give thanks for His love. He is ‘the great God’. He is ‘our God’. He …

Preaching The Gospel Of Christ, Our Great Saviour

These are some outlines for preaching God's Word. _________________________________________________________ Awaiting Christ’s Return, let us worship God and walk in His ways. Worshipping the Lord with joy Walking with the Lord in love Worshipping with joy and  walking in love, we await Christ’s Return. __________________________________________________________ The Good News of Christ. is for all the world. Christ …

Let us worship the Saviour and live for Him.

Many people, who never attend Church, claim to live by the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount. They don't make time for worshipping  God, but they tell us that the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) is their favourite Bible passage. This is because the Beatitudes contains the ideals by which they live their lives. Are we …

May we learn to say, “Not My will, Lord. Your will be done.”

"It is Solomon your son who shall build My House (1 Chronicles 8:6). Lord, this was the Word that You spoke to Your servant, David. what a Word of hope this was! David had heard the words, "You are not to build a House for My Name" (1 Chronicles 28:3). His heart sank - but …

Marx’s Call for a World-Changing Philosophy: Christian Faith in Dialogue with Herbert Marcuse

Marcuse draws attention to the tension between the truth and its practice. Discussing the relationship between the theoretical truth of the critical theory of society and the practice for which the theory calls, he writes, “the facts and the alternatives are … like fragments which do not connect … Dialectical theory is not refuted, but …

The Lord’s way is better than the world’s way.

Ecclesiastes 4:1-6:12; 1 Corinthians 7:17-35; Proverbs 19:23-20:4 “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income” (Ecclesiastes 5:10).This is the world’s way. The Lord’s way is a better way. We are to “use the things of the world” without being “engrossed in them” (1 Corinthians 7:31). What we must …

The Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes.

In 1 Kings 18, we read about Elijah and the prophets of Baal. "Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. 27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he …

An accident waiting to happen?

"He's an accident, waiting to happen" - a runaway train, heading towards disaster. Jesus was so very different from this. He was in perfect control of his destiny. He chose to go the cross for us. The result of this choice was wonderful. It was our salvation.

Lord, our situation seems hopeless – but it’s not!

Lord, our situation seems hopeless - but it's not! You are there with us, every step of the way. This is what gives us hope: knowing that You're always there - even when the going gets tough!

Good News for sinners

"Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour" (Psalm 25:5). At the heart of God' "truth", there is this - he is our "Saviour." This is Good News for sinners. In our Lord Jesus Christ, we have a Saviour, who "is able to save to the uttermost all who come …

Today, if you hear God’s voice, do not harden your hearts.

Joel 2:18-3:21; Hebrews 4:1-13; Psalm 119:145-152 As in Hebrews 3, we find, again, in Hebrews 4, the words, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 4:7). The Word of God speaks of “the coming of the great and dreadful Day of the Lord” (Joel 2:31). We are called to decision …

Revised Common Lectionary – 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

Revised Common Lectionary 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 …

Two things we must never forget

What happens when we hear the Word of the Lord? Does it go in one ear and out the other ear? There are many things we forget, but there are two things we must never forget: we are sinners, and Jesus is our Saviour, We are sinners, never forget this: it will keep you from …

Jesus And The Woman At The Well – Learning From Jesus

Jesus is tired. He rests at the well. A woman comes along ... Out of this very ordinary situation comes a great opportunity to speak of spiritual truth. Jesus doesn't barge in like a bull in a china shop. He makes an intriguing comment about "living water" (John 4:10), and, then, He waits for the …

What do you believe? Who do you trust?

These two questions are closely connected, but they're not quite the same. Christian faith is more than believing what the Bible teaches us about Jesus Christ. It's trusting in Jesus Christ. While we can distinguish between the two questions; What do you believe? and Who do you trust?, we must not set these two questions …

God’s salvation – for us, in us, through us

For us: "In Him we have redemption through His blood" (Ephesians 1:7). "Through His blood": Never forget this. In our salvation, everything comes from this: Jesus died for us. In us: "I pray... that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." Our salvation is more than remembering that Jesus died for us. Paul prayed …

God is working for us, in us and through us.

For us: "God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). In us: "The Spirit of God lives in you" (Romans 8:9). Through us: "According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts... " (Romans 12:6-8). Thank you, Lord, for all that …

God loved you in the past. He loves you in the present. He will love you in the future.

We're no longer in the past. We're not yet in the future. We're in the present. What are we to say about our life in the present? Can we understand our life in the present without thinking about our past and our future? We're shaped by our past. We're preparing for our future. What kind …

He who calls you is faithful.

Daily Devotional Readings

“He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

Here, Paul is thinking about the fullness of God’s salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:23). This is the big picture. As I was reading these words about God’s faithfulness, I started thinking about the smaller picture: my own call to serve the Lord. There was a real sense of the call of God, but it wasn’t there all the time. As I moved beyond the original sense of God’s call, there were times when I wondered, “Is this really a call from God?” In times like these, I was taught to look beyond my own changeable feelings. I was reminded of God’s faithfulness: “He who calls you is faithful.”

We may think about this, and ask, “Why has God called me? What’s so special about me?” The more I thought about these questions, the more the Word of…

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Let The Lord’s Name Be Glorfied In All The Earth.

Psalm 8:1-9 The Lord is ‘majestic’ (1, 9). He does not remain remote. He does not keep His distance. He shows us His greatness, the greatness of His love. We feel forgotten. He remembers us. We feel unloved. He cares for us (4). We are tempted. He will ‘still the enemy’ (2). We look beyond …

God is calling us to be faithful in the ministry of His Word.

Jeremiah 49:7-50:10; 2 Timothy 2:1-26; Proverbs 25:21-26:2 Jeremiah speaks of a time of judgment upon Babylon (Jeremiah 50:1-3) and a time of blessing upon the people of Israel (Jeremiah 50:4-5). If the blessing, and not the judgment, is to come in our own day, we must be faithful in the ministry of God’s Word (2 …

Promise and danger

In Proverbs 22-24, we learn about promise and danger. At every stage in our journey through life, there is both promise and danger - the promise of God’s blessing to those who keep Him at the centre of their life, the danger of coming under God’s judgment when we ignore His way and go the …