Heavenly joy

Rejoice that your names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20). There are many things that make us feel very happy. There are some things that make us feel very sad. When good things are happening to us, we feel happy. When bad things are happening to us, we feel sad. Our feelings can take us …

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Jesus Christ is the Saviour of sinners.

Jesus Christ is the Saviour of sinners. We are not asked to make ourselves worthy before coming to the Saviour. If we could make ourselves worthy of God's love, there would be no need for a Saviour. Jesus Christ does not merely help us to save ourselves. He is the Saviour of sinners. Jesus did …

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We were “far off.” Now, we have been “brought near.”

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:13). We were "far off." Now, we have been "brought near." "This is the Lord's doing; and it is marvelous in our eyes" (Psalm 118:23). Each and every one of us were like the prodigal son - …

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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 …

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True worship is, always, more than just words. It is the offering of ourselves to the Lord.

Numbers 7:66-9:14; Luke 2:41-52; Psalm 35:11-18 At the time of the book of Numbers, worship took place in the Tent of Meeting. By the time of Jesus, worship took place in the Temple. The Passover was being celebrated in the Desert of Sinai in the days of Moses. The Passover was being celebrated in Jerusalem …

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What power there is in the written Word of God!

"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”  Jesus answered, “It …

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The love of Christ: reaching out to us, and reaching out, through us, to other people

Christ died "not for our sins only but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2). This is something which we, in the church, must never forget. When we are tempted to shut out 'the big, bad world', we must remember - Christ died "not for our sins only but also for …

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We have not been saved because of our own righteousness. We’ve been saved by the grace of God.

Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22; Luke 12:1-34; Psalm 42:6b-11 As they entered the promised land, the people of God received this reminder of the undeserved grace of God - “It is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this land to possess” (Deuteronomy 9:6). In His free grace, God gave the land …

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“What’s the world coming to?”, we ask. God turns our question on its head: “Christ is coming to the world.”

God is in control! Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Long before it happened, God had it planned (Luke 2:1-7; Micah 5:2-3). As we approach Christ's Return, God still has His plan. He is still in control. The birth of Christ is not merely an event from the past. It is also a message for the …

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The fire of the Holy Spirit: burning away our sin and brightening up our lives

Numbers 9:15-11:3; Luke 3:1-22; Psalm 35:19-28 From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire” (Numbers 9:15). "Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp” (Numbers 11:1). “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in …

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It is your Father’s pleasure to give you the Kingdom.

Luke 12:1-34 ‘Do not fear...’(4): ‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’(Romans 8:31). Acknowledge Christ or deny Him (8-9): Let your choice be clear - ‘Christ means everything to me’(Philippians 1:21). Do you want to confess Christ? - Here’s a great promise for you: ‘the Holy Spirit will teach you in that …

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Jesus Is Our Saviour. He Is, Also, Our Lord.

Luke 19:1-48 Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem (9:51; 13:22; 17:11), the place where He would be crucified for the world’s salvation. ‘Passing through’ Jericho, He brought ‘salvation’ to Zacchaeus (1, 9). ‘Near to Jerusalem’, He spoke about service (11-27). Jesus is our Saviour - He came ‘to save us’(10). He is also our …

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Let us press on to know the Lord and enjoy His blessing.

Numbers 13:26-14:45; Luke 4:14-37; Psalm 36:1-12 In Numbers, there were those who grumbled against the Lord and those who pressed on to know the blessing of the Lord. In Jesus’ time, there were those who despised the Him and those who received the “good news” with gladness. What a difference there is between the two: “See …

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God sees us as we really are – and he keeps on loving us.

"For many times, also, your own heart has known that even you have cursed others" (Ecclesiastes 7:22).  "Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things" (Romans 2:1).  The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector "Also …

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Are we listening to the Lord – or are we listening to the world?

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to give me my share of the inheritance that our father left us.” Jesus said to him, “Who appointed me to be your judge or to divide your inheritance?” He told the people, “Be careful to guard yourselves from every kind of greed. Life is …

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Large Harvest, Few Workers

"He told them, 'The harvest is large, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord who gives this harvest to send workers to harvest his crops.'" (Luke 10:2).  A large harvest, few workers: what do we do? - "Ask the Lord ... " "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1).

Jesus is taken up into heaven. The Holy Spirit is given to us.

Ascension of the Lord: Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47 or 93 or Daniel 7:9-14; Psalm 24:7-10; Ephesians 1:15-23; Luke 24:44-53 Jesus is taken up into heaven. The Holy Spirit is given to us. We read, in John 7:39, that ‘the Spirit’ would not be ‘given’ until Jesus was ‘glorified.’ Now, as Jesus was about to be ‘taken …

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Cleansed from sin and on fire for the Lord

Numbers 29:12-31:24; Luke 8:19-39; Psalm 39:1-13 Numbers 31:22-24 emphasizes the importance of cleansing. The healing of the demon-possessed man, in Luke 8, emphasizes the power of Christ to cleanse even the most sinful of people. To be cleansed from sin involves an act of the will on our part - “I will watch my ways …

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In Christ’s Suffering Is Our Salvation.

Luke 22:1-38 Jesus’ enemies were ‘religious’ men but they were not God’s men (2). Behind the scenes, there was the activity of ‘Satan’(3). He ‘disguises himself as an angel of light’- Judas Iscariot was ‘one of the twelve’! (3; 2 Corinthians 11:14). In reality, Satan is ‘a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour’(1 Peter 5:8). …

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The Name of Jesus

January 1: The Naming of Jesus – Numbers 6:22-27; Psalm 8; Galatians 4:4-7 (or Philippians 2:5-11); Luke 2:15-21 His Name was called JESUS (Luke 2:21). Christmas is over – but let’s not forget Jesus. He is still here. He is still with us. He is for New Year’s Day as well as Christmas Day. He …

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A song of praise – it comes from the Lord, and it rises to the Lord (Sermon – Luke 1:39-56).

Luke 1:39-56 While at Elizabeth’s house, Mary praised the Lord. Her song of praise comes from the Lord and rises to the Lord. At the heart of this song of praise, there is the “Saviour” – “my soul rejoices in God my Saviour” (Luke 1:47). Mary’s song of praise is both a joyful testimony and a …

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Jesus is more than a “lovely baby”. He is our wonderful Saviour!

Luke 1:26–38 No ordinary child! Jesus would be special - very special! This was the message the angel brought to Mary - ‘He will be great…the Son of the Most High…the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God’ (32,35). We celebrate the birth of a child. How much more should …

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“The hand of the Lord was with him” – Sermons on Luke’s Gospel (Luke 1:57-66).

Luke 1:57-66 * “The hand of the Lord was with him” (Luke 1:66).  The words of Hebrews 11:4 – “he died, but through his faith he is still speaking” provide us with an apt description of John the Baptist. He belongs to the distant past, yet his words continue to speak to us today. * …

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Trust Christ. He’ll never fail you.

Luke 13:1-35 Jesus stresses the need for both repentance (Luke 13:1-5) and the fruits of repentance (Luke 13:6-9). God’s Word, planted in our hearts at conversion, is to bear fruit. This requires continual repentance and faith (Colossians 2:6; Galatians 3:1-5). Don’t put it off till tomorrow! Today is ‘the day of salvation’. Don’t ‘neglect’ God’s …

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Hearing the Gospel, believing in Christ and being saved

Luke 9:1-27 It was a short mission (1-6) - short but important! They were being trained for future work. There and then, people were hearing the Gospel, believing in Christ and being saved. There was opposition (7-9): There’s always plenty of that - ‘We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us’(Romans 8:37). There …

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First Sunday after Christmas Day: Isaiah 61:10-62:3; Psalm 148; Galatians 4:4-7 (or Philippians 2:5-11); Luke 2:22-40 – The Name of Jesus is Good News. It tells us of the Saviour’s love.

First Sunday after Christmas Day: Isaiah 61:10-62:3; Psalm 148; Galatians 4:4-7 (or Philippians 2:5-11); Luke 2:22-40 The Name of Jesus is Good News. It tells us of the Saviour’s love. ‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me... to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour’ (Isaiah 61:1-2). Jesus has fulfilled these words (Luke …

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Season of Christmas: Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Day) II – Isaiah 62:6-12; Psalm 97; Titus 3:4-7; Luke 2:(1-7), 8-20

God has given us ‘a new Name’. It is ‘the Name which is above every name’, the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ (Isaiah 62:2; Philippians 2:9-11). Christ loves us. He has given Himself for us. He calls us His ‘Bride’ (Ephesians 5:25-27; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 21:2, 9). Through faith in Christ, …

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God has given us ‘a new Name’ – ‘the Name which is above every name’, the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Season of Christmas: Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Day) II – Isaiah 62:6-12; Psalm 97; Titus 3:4-7; Luke 2: (1-7), 8-20  -  These readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary. The same readings are suggested for Year B and Year C. God has given us ‘a new Name’. It is ‘the Name which is …

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Season of Christmas: Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Day) I –Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)

Glory to God in the highest – our Saviour has come. The prophecy has been spoken - ‘To us a Child is born, to us a Son is given...’. The prophecy has been fulfilled - ‘Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you: He is Christ the Lord’. Jesus Christ …

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Lord Jesus Christ, You have come to us. Lord Jesus Christ, we would come to you.

Luke 2:1-20 'A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord' (11). The Name, 'Jesus', means 'Saviour' (Matthew 1:21). Focus your thoughts on Him: The Lord Jesus Christ. Here is a prayer to help you make your response to Him: 'Lord Jesus Christ, You have come to us, You are one with us, Mary's Son. Cleansing our …

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Good News of great joy for all nations and all generations

The Nativity of the Lord, Midnight: Isaiah 9:1-8; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14 Good News of great joy for all nations and all generations The prophecy has been spoken - ‘To us a Child is born, to us a Son is given...’. The prophecy has been fulfilled - ‘Today in the town of David a Saviour …

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Glory to God in the highest – our Saviour has come.

Season of Christmas: Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Day) I – Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)  - These readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary. The same readings are suggested for Years B and C. Glory to God in the highest – our Saviour has come. The prophecy has been …

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So long ago and so far away! … Are the shepherds and wise men really so different from us?

The shepherds and the wise men seem so different from us! Everything seems so long ago and so far away! Are they really any different from us? Can we dare to forget the lessons we learn from the shepherds and the wise men? Some may say, 'It was different back then. Life was so simple. …

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