Hallelujah! Jesus Christ is risen today – a celebration for Easter, and every Lord’s Day.

Hallelujah! Jesus Christ is risen today - a celebration for Easter, and every Lord’s Day. * At the start of the Psalm - “I will praise the Lord” (Psalm 111:1). * At the end of the Psalm - “His praise endures forever” (Psalm 111:10). In our worship, there is to be both “the fear of …

The glory of God

Ezekiel 43:1-27  -  This is not only about the glory of the Temple. It’s about ‘the glory of the God of Israel’. This is the greater glory - ‘the glory of the Lord filled the Temple’ (1,5). God is not only concerned about the creation of a beautiful place of worship. He wants our lives …

What is it that keeps us going? We are kept by the power of God. He is able to keep us from falling.

2 Kings 18:1-37 -  Hezekiah ‘held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him…’ (6). We give up so easily. We start well, then we lose our way. We don’t stick at it. Some people are all smiles - when things are going well. When the going gets tough, they lose their …

God looks upon us in love.

Psalm 17:1-15 Here is the prayer of a man whose earnest desire is to walk with God, to have a close walk with God in the centre of His will (5). His prayer is sincere. It 'does not rise from deceitful lips' (1). He is painfully aware of 'the onslaughts of the wicked'. His 'enemies …

Let us celebrate God’s love.

Deuteronomy 16:1-17:13 Blessed by God, the people of Israel had much to celebrate. They had been brought out of the land of bondage. They were about to enter the land of promise. The keeping of the feasts (16:1-17) was a response to God's love, a way of celebrating His love. Why did God bring Israel …

Saved, satisfied and sharing

Mark 6:14-44  They were great men of God - ‘John the Baptist... Elijah... the prophets of old’ (Mark 6:14-15). None of them can compare with the Lord Jesus Christ. These men directed attention to the Lord (1 Kings 18:36-39; Isaiah 52: 13-53:12; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:25-27). Of Christ alone, we say, ‘There is salvation in …

The eternal God… and eternal life

"May the glory of the Lord endure forever... I will sing to the Lord as long as I live" (Psalm 104:30,32). "Forever ... as long as I live" - what a difference there is between ourselves and God. We are for "as long as I live." He is "forever." Our life on earth will come …

“We will not neglect the House of our God.”

Nehemiah 9:38-11:21; Revelation 20:1-15; Psalm 149:1-9 The Lord’s people, in Nehemiah’s time, made this commitment: “We will not neglect the House of our God” (Nehemiah 10:39). Such a commitment to God and His work is not easy to maintain. There is an enemy who opposes God and His work – “the dragon, that ancient serpent, …

The Great King

Jesus Christ – the great King (Psalm 24:8–10 ) “Who is this great King?” (Psalm 24:8, 10) The Psalmist tells us – “He is the Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, victorious in battle … The triumphant Lord – He is the great King!” (vs. 8, 10). When we turn to the New Testament, we …

You can have it all – all that the world thinks is important, and yet have nothing – nothing that really matters!

2 Kings 17:1-41 -  ‘The people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt’ (7). What happens when people reject the God of salvation? - They become ‘empty’ and ‘worthless’ because they have chosen to ‘pursue emptiness’ by ‘following worthless idols’ (15). If …

Full salvation

"And they shall dwell safely therein ... and they shall know that I am the Lord their God" (Ezekiel 28:26). Our salvation comes to us from our God. He is the God of our salvation. What a joy it is to know the salvation of God. It is wonderful to know that the Lord cares …

The generations come, and they go.

"When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors ... " (2 Samuel 7:12). The generations come, and they go - but the Lord continues. He is the eternal God. He is the everlasting God.  

Bring your weak faith to God, and ask Him to give you a stronger faith.

Hebrews 11:17-12:2 -  We read about many people who trusted the Lord. Their faith was real. It changed their lives. As you read of so many people who lived ‘by faith’, let God’s Word challenge you. Bring your own weak faith to Him and ask Him to give you a stronger faith: ‘I believe; help …

God is calling us to look away from ourselves to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

Ezekiel 46:1-24  -  We read here about the ‘offering’ of ‘a lamb without defect’. This was to happen ‘morning by morning’ (13). From these offerings , we look on to another Offering, ‘a single Offfering’, the ‘once for all’ Offering of Jesus Christ as ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the …

What a wonderful redemption! – eternal redemption

Hebrews 8:1-9:14 -  God gave His promise – ‘I will make a new covenant’ (8:8-12; Jeremiah 31:31-34). God has fulfilled His promise. There is now a ‘new covenant in Jesus’ blood’ (Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25). The old covenant cannot even begin to compare with the new covenant. It is only …

See how great Jesus is!

Hebrews 7:1-28 -  ‘See how great He is!’ (4). These words refer to Melchizedek (1-3; Genesis 14:18-20). Melchizedek has ‘neither beginning of days nor end of life’. He ‘continues a priest for ever’. He ‘resembles the Son of God’. He is ‘like the Son of God’ (3). Let your thoughts move from Melchizedek to the …

‘I know the plans I have for you… to give you a future and a hope.’

Jeremiah 29:1-32 ‘I know the plans I have for you... to give you a future and a hope.’ Lord, this was Your long-term purpose for Your people. It was important that they did not lose sight of this. There would be ‘seventy years’ of captivity in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:10-11). At times, they must have wondered, …

God has spoken to us by His Son.

HEBREWS 1:1-2:9 -  From the heights of heaven and the depths of suffering, ‘God… has spoken to us by His Son’ (1:1-2). Jesus Christ is God’s ‘Word’ to us. He is ‘the Word’ who came from heaven: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God’. He …

Even the most difficult times can have a godly effect on us.

JAMES 1:1-27 -  Even the most difficult times can have a godly effect on us – when we ask God for wisdom: ‘Lord, what are You teaching me in this?’ (2-5). Humanly speaking, we may be ‘in humble circumstances’. Spiritually speaking, we are in a ‘high position’ (9). Our position is to become even higher …

God has given us a glimpse of a future which is heavenly, eternal and glorious.

Revelation 21:9-22:21  -  God has given us a glimpse of a future which is heavenly, eternal and glorious: ‘the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God - It shone with the glory of God’. Is this ‘eternal life’ for everyone? Will all people ‘dwell in the House of the Lord for ever’? …

Salvation Comes From The Love Of God.

Mark 6:30-44 "He saw a huge crowd and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.Then He began to teach them many things" (Mark 6:34). Salvation comes from the love of God. We are sinners without a Saviour.  He teaches and He shows us the Good News of His salvation. "This …

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

Nehemiah 13:1-31; Revelation 22:1-21; Psalm 150:1-6 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 …

Christ has won the victory for us. Let us claim His victory by faith.

Revelation 12:1-13:18  -  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 …

The revelation of Jesus Christ: it comes from Him, and it speaks of Him.

REVELATION 1:1-20  -  This is ‘the revelation of Jesus Christ’ (1). It comes from Him and it speaks of Him. Christ ‘loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood’ (5). We rejoice in Him. Christ is ‘coming with the clouds’ (7). We must get ready for Him. ‘The revelation of Jesus …

Christ invites us to look at things through His eyes.

Revelation6:1-7:17  -  Christ invites us to ‘come’ (6:1,3,5,7) - and look at things through His eyes. With Him, we look at earth. With Him, we look at heaven. Troubled world, tremendous worship - These are the things we see when we look through the eyes of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our world is deeply troubled. …

The darkness of our sin is great. The bright shining light of God’s love is greater.

In Ezekiel 35, we learn that it is through His judgment as well as His salvation that we learn that the Lord is God. It is important that we remember two things - (i) God's purpose is salvation (John 3:17); (ii) His judgment comes upon us as a result of our sin (John 3:18). The …

The Lord bless you and keep you.

"Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven" (Psalm 32:1). The forgiveness of sins - this is such a great blessing. The forgiveness of sins: it's just the beginning of so much great blessing which will continue throughout our life on earth and for all eternity. "Create in me a clean heart, O God,    and renew a right spirit within …

Open your heart to the Lord, and remember where your prayer really come from: “The Lord opened my heart.”

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). …

Be strong.

Haggai 1:1-2:23; 2 John 1-13; Proverbs 29:19-27 God calls His people - "Be strong" (Haggai 2:4). This call comes to the "governor", "the high priest" and "all you people of the land" (Haggai 2:2). We need spiritual strength in government, in the Church and throughout the land. This strength is needed if we are to build upon …

We need both – trust and obedience.

2 Kings23:4-30 -  In 18:5, we read about Hezekiah; ‘There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him’. Here, we read about something rather different - ‘Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him’(25). This seems confusing: Which was the better king - …

Wisdom comes from God. Christ is our Wisdom.

PROVERBS 8:1-36  –  Hoping for ‘good luck’, some people expect good things to happen to them – all the time!  God says, ‘Seek wisdom.  Be ready for the hard times’.  Wisdom comes from God.  He speaks to us with words of wisdom (2:6; 6-8).  Wisdom is not only for ‘kings and rulers, princes and nobles’.  …

A call to come to Christ

Revelation 19:11-21:8  -  Our Saviour is ‘Faithful and True’. He is ‘the Word of God’. He is our ‘Lord’ and ‘King’ (19:11,13,16). We are invited to ‘come’ to Him. The invitation - ‘Come, gather together for the great supper of God’ - is a call to come to Christ (19:17). We come to Christ so …

We look away from ourselves. We look to the Lordm and we say, “Hallelujah!!

Revelation 18:1-19:10  -  We read of the fall of Babylon (18:2,10,16-17,19,21). We live in a time of sinful rebellion against God. This will be followed by the time of God’s holy judgment. What is God saying to His own people at this time? - ‘Come out of her, My people, so that you will not …

When we face determined opposition, we draw our strength from God’s Word: “Take courage.”

Acts 22:17-23:35 A Jew, 'praying in the temple' at 'Jerusalem', Paul was obedient to God's call - 'I will send you far away to the Gentiles' (22:17,21). The racists would not hear of this - 'Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he ought not to live' (22:22). This was not simply dislike …

Let’s step into the future with God.

Psalm 18:1-24 The first three verses set the tone: Worship. What a great start to this Psalm. Our attention is directed away from ourselves to the Lord: 'my strength... my rock, my fortress and my deliverer... my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold' (1-2). The great testimony of verse 3 - 'I …

We are not to be secret disciples.

Luke 11: 29-54 Christ is 'greater than Jonah' (32). Jonah was preserved alive (Jonah 1:17-2:10). Christ 'died...was buried' and 'was raised' (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Through His resurrection, He has been 'declared with power to be the Son of God' (Romans 1:4). We are not to be secret disciples (33): Believe in your heart that God …

There is a Kingdom that will endure forever.

"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 for ever" (Daniel 2:44).  We read about the events of …

God is looking for people who will stand when everyone else is falling.

2 Kings20:1-21:18 -  ‘Carried off to Babylon’ (20:17) - There’s a real sadness about these words. In Revelation 18:2, Babylon is described as ‘a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit’. In today’s world, it seems like things are going the same way. ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ (Revelation 14:8; 18:2) …

Link to Rev James Philip’s notes on Ezra

Ezra

Whose trumpet do we blow – the Lord’s or our own?

"Sound the trumpet in Zion" (Joel 2:1). "When you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men" (Matthew 6:2). What a difference there is between the trumpet of the Lord and the trumpeting of …

God is able to make all grace abound to you.

Psalms 11:1-13:6 'The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven': We 'take refuge' in Him (11:4,1). We are to seek His face, confident that 'when He appears...we shall see Him as He is' (11:7; 27:8; 1 John 3:2). Seeking God's face, we learn to rest in His promises, we are …

What Kind Of People Are We Becoming?

Hosea 1:1-3:5  ‘Hosea’ means ‘salvation’. Married to ‘an adulterous wife’, Hosea spoke with great compassion to ‘the land’ which was ‘guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord’(1:2). He brought God’s Word of love to the people: ‘I will show My love to the one I called, “Not My loved one”’. He spoke …

Catching a glimpse of Jesus Christ, and being changed by Him

Numbers 24:1-25 When 'the Spirit of God came upon him', Balaam's 'oracle' was described as 'the message of the man who sees clearly'. His 'eyes are opened'. He sees 'with far-seeing eyes'. He 'hears the words of God'. He 'sees the vision of the Almighty' (2-4,15-16). Balaam looks beyond his own time. 'With far-seeing eyes', …

Let us speak words of encouragement, not words of discouragement.

Numbers 12:1-13:33  -  Miriam and Aaron complained (12:1-2). Caleb and Joshua encouraged (30; 14:6-9). Thank God for encouragers! How did Moses react to criticism? He ‘was very meek’ (3). He was like Jesus - ‘When He was reviled, He did not revile again’ (1 Peter 2:23). Moses - ‘a servant’ - was  ‘entrusted with all …

May we never lose sight of our eternal glory.

Genesis 23:1-20 Genesis is known as "the book of beginnings." We can also learn from the endings. here, we read of the death of Sarah. As we read of the generations coming and going, we come to rest in the truth that only God is eternal. This is the great truth, proclaimed in Psalm 90. …

Obedience is grounded in salvation.

Deuteronomy 4:44-5:33 Obedience is grounded in salvation. The Ten Commandments (7-21) are preceded by the divine declaration: 'I am the Lord your God' who brought you...out of the house of bondage' (6). He has redeemed us. We are to live for Him. The Word of God was spoken to Moses before it was spoken by …

Jesus Christ gives us the blessings of God’s salvation.

Isaiah 28-30 Isaiah speaks words of prophecy concerning Jesus Christ, the “Rock of our salvation”, the “precious Cornerstone”, the “solid Foundation” (Isaiah 28:16). Jesus Christ gives us the blessings of God’s salvation - “the deaf will hear the words, written in the book. The blind will see out of their gloom and darkness. Humble people …

Let us listen to Jesus, and, when we speak for Jesus, may He speak through us to others.

Acts 24:1-27 Paul did not abandon the teaching of the Old Testament Scriptures - 'I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the law or written in the prophets (14). He read the Old Testament. It led him to Christ. Paul's great theme was 'faith in Christ Jesus' (24). Paul speaks. …

The Reformation

The Reformation comes to us from the past. It can lead us on into God’s future. The Reformers called on their generation to get ‘back to the Bible.’ We still need to hear that message today. For many people in today’s world, the Bible is a closed book - often owned, rarely read. The Reformers …

The Lord takes great joy in every sinner who returns to Him.

Leviticus 27:1-34 'Every devoted thing is most holy to the Lord' (28). We are loved by the holy God. We are precious in His eyes. In love, He has reached out to us - through the Cross of Christ (Romans 5:8). We are 'greatly beloved' (Daniel 9:23). The Lord takes great joy in every sinner …

We have received so much blessing from the Lord. May we never forget this: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Numbers 21:4-22:20; Luke 6:12-36; Psalm 37:21-31 The people of Israel had been “blessed” by the Lord (Numbers 22:12). Jesus also speaks of the way of blessing (Luke 6:20-22). Psalm 37:2 tells us that “those the Lord blesses will inherit the land.” Psalm 37:25-26 reminds us of how much blessing we have received from the Lord: …

Our words are to be an echo of God’s Word.

Numbers 23:1-30 Our words are to be an echo of God's Word. We are to speak only what God says (8,12). Before we can speak for God, He must speak to us. 'God's Word is truth' (John 17:17). God does not lie. He does not change His mind. What He says, He does. He fulfils …

Do you have a story to tell? Tell your story: This is what the Lord has done for me; What He’s done for me, He can do for you.

Acts 26:1-32 Paul answers three questions concerning himself. He puts a most important question to his hearers. (a) What was I before my conversion? Here, he speaks of his religion - 'According to the strictest party of my religion I have lived as a Pharisee' (5). This brought him 'to the ground' (14). (b) How …

The fruit of the Spirit

We read about "the fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23) - and we're ashamed of ourselves! We fall so far short of what God wants us to be. While we're here on earth, we'll never become, fully, all that God intends to be. We stumble. …

Can we look beyond our suffering? Is there something better?

Sometimes, Lord, we need to say, “The less said, the better.” We read what Job said about his ‘friends’ – “Oh that you would keep silent, and it would be your wisdom!” (Job 13:5). We feel for Job. From his ‘friends’, there was nothing but one accusation after another. What was he to do? What …

G C Berkouwer comments on the “Nature Psalms”

"This understanding, and seeing, and hearing, is possible only ... in the enlightening of the eyes by the salvation of God ... But this seeing and hearing is not a projection of the believing subject, but an actual finding and seeing, and hearing! Here nothing is 'read into', but is only an understanding of the …

When we feel like giving up, God’s Word encourages us to keep on going.

Acts 18:1-21 It was not an easy situation at Corinth. There were some who 'opposed Paul and became abusive' (6). There was great pressure on Paul. He could have given up very easily. It was God's Word which kept Paul going (10). Paul did not collapse under thee pressure - 'he stayed a year and …

Our God is the Lord of hosts, the God of the individual, the God of all who love Him.

Numbers 26:12-27:11; Luke 7:36-50; Proverbs 8:12-21 Our God is the Lord of hosts – “The total number of the men of Israel was 601,730” (Numbers 26:51). He is also the God of the individual – “Jesus said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace'” (Luke 7:50). He is the God of …

There’s a way back to God from the dark paths of sin… when you come as a sinner to Jesus.

Jeremiah 19:1-20:6  -  ‘Listen! I am going to bring on this city and the villages around it every disaster I pronounced against them, because they were stubborn and would not listen to My Word’ (15). God is warning the people. He is calling them back from the way of sin and disobedience. He is calling …

Christ saves to the uttermost. How dare we shrink back from Him? Have faith. Be saved.

Numbers 19:1-22 The sacrifice was to be 'without defect'. There was to be 'no blemish' (2). Here, we have a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ - 'without sin', He offered Himself 'for the sins of the people' (Hebrews 4:15; 2:17). The gathering of 'the ashes' (9-10) speaks of the completeness of Christ's work for …