Were we there when they crucified our Lord?

Good Friday: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 10:16-25 (or Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9); John 18:1-19:42 Were we there when they crucified our Lord? – Yes. He died for our sins. In this remarkable prophecy, we see Jesus Christ, crucified for us - ‘the Lord has laid all our sins on Him’ - and risen from the …

Faith and Sanctification

Except for one reference to A Half Century of Theology, all of the quotations in this post are from Faith and Sanctification.Berkouwer approaches social concern from a Biblical and Reformed perspective. In Ephesians 2:8-10, the emphases ‘by grace’ and ‘through faith’ lead directly on to the emphasis ‘for good works’. Berkouwer underscores this connection between …

The Vicarious Humanity of Christ and the Reality of Salvation (book review)

The Vicarious Humanity of Christ and the Reality of Salvation Christian D. Kettler University Press of America, Lanham, MD, 1991; 338pp., $28.00; ISBN 0 8191 8273 7 'A memorable month in 1981', when Kettler served as teaching assistant at Fuller Seminary to Thomas F. Torrance, stimulated him to explore further 'the profound evangelical and ecumenical …

Learning From The Book Of Job: Chapters 38-42

In His speech, the Lord asks many questions. They underline the fact that God is God, and none can even begin to compare with Him: “Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind” (Job 38:36). Wisdom and understanding come from the Lord. In his response (Job 42:1-6), Job humbles himself before …

Learning From God ‘s Word – Luke 14-16

Berkouwer and Barth on Universalism

More about Berkouwer, see The Theology Of G C Berkouwer ----- Barth has tried to affirm universal election without moving from there to universal salvation. There have been different reactions to his theology.   (a) Some have written positively about this approach - affirming universal election without embracing universal salvation. (b) Others have moved on from …

The Way of Holiness

Isaiah 33:1-35:10; Galatians 1:1-24; Psalm 107:10-22 Isaiah 35:8 speaks of “the Way of Holiness.” Isaiah 35:9 stresses that “only the redeemed will walk there.” This is also the teaching of Paul in Galatians. We must be redeemed by the Lord if we are to walk in the Way of Holiness. Any attempt yo walk in the Way of …

Praying Through God’s Word: Micah

Micah 1:1-2:13 We thank You, Lord, that Micah was a fearless preacher of Your Word. His message was not popular: ‘Let the Lord God be a witness against you.’ He was a forthright preacher of Your Word. He knew that the people wouldn’t want to hear what he had to say to them. He demanded …

Journey though the New Testament: Acts

Acts 1-4 ‘You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you“ (1:8). We cannot fill ourselves with the Spirit. We can only ‘be filled with the Spirit’ (Ephesians 5:18). Waiting for the Spirit, the apostles ‘devote themselves to prayer’ (1:14). They do not earn the Holy Spirit as a reward for spending much time …

Lord, You speak Your Word to those who are prepared to make time for listening to You.

‘The Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah’ (Jeremiah 43:8). Lord, You speak Your Word to those who are prepared to make time for listening to You. Help us to come to Your Word, praying that it will be ‘a lamp to your feet and a light to your path.’May we come with the prayer, …

Search the Scriptures: Esther

Queen Vashti is removed from her position. She is replaced by Esther. There is no direct mention of God in connection with these events. That fact that the book of Esther has been included in the Word of God indicates that these events were interpreted as evidence of God’s activity among His people. It is …

The spiritual dimension in a human story

Genesis 24:1-67 Finding a wife for Isaac - this seems such a human story. It's more than that! There's a real spiritual dimension - Guidance from the Lord (7) and prayer to the Lord (12). "Before he had finished speaking - there was Rebekkah" (15): God guided and God answered prayer. Worshipping and praising the …

We don’t earn God’s blessing as a reward for our obedience.

“You have … obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve …

Link to Sinclair Ferguson’s sermons

Sinclair Ferguson – sermons

Link to Chuck Smith’s Bible teaching ministry

Chuck Smith’s Bible teaching ministry

Lord, what You have done for us

Lord, what You have done for us – we could never have done for ourselves! It’s so amazing what You have done for us. We were making plans for ourseurselves - but our plans didn’t include You! You came to us. You said to us, “I have a wonderful plan for your life.” We look …

Closeness to God develops as we learn to delight in the Word of God.

Among many names and life-spans, there is this remarkable statement: "Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away" (Genesis 5:24). This closeness to God develops as we learn to delight in the Word of God. Together with "Noah" who "found favour in the eyes of the Lord" (Genesis …

Daily Devotional Readings: Year One – October

1st October: 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 …