Travelling from place to place, on the journey of life

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them — to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as …

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God Will Have The Last Word.

Revelation is a complex book, yet it is for ordinary people. Its theme is simple and straightforward: Jesus is Victor! There are many things we don't understand, but there's one thing we do know: God will have the last word. * Satan has a great deal to say about our lives. He is "the accuser …

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Responding to God’s Word (57): Lo, he comes with clouds descending

These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb... The Lamb, at the centre of the throne, will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from …

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God’s Word still speaks to us (40): Our Lord Jesus Christ is “Lord of lords and King of kings.”

Our Lord Jesus Christ is "Lord of lords and King of kings" (Revelation 17:14). We give thanks to God for all his faithul servants, who have served hin well down through the centuries. We give thanks to God for all his faithful servants, who are serving him well in our own generation. As we learn …

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Berkouwer and Barth on Divine Revelation

The Question of "Christomonism" An important question in the assessment of Barth's theology revolves around his view of the relationship between natural theology and general revelation, Discussing "Karl Barth's Offensive Against Natural Theology" (General Revelation (GR), Chapter II, pp. 21-33), Berkouwer notes that "Barth's conception of revelation ... is frequently called 'Christomonism' " (GR,p. 25). …

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Seeking for true happiness… and finding it in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ

We;re drawing near to the end of the year. It's a time for looking back. It's, also, a time for looking forward. We look back, and what do we see? We see Jesus, We look forward, and what do we see? We see Jesus. A week before the new year begins, it will be Christmas, …

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Looking back and looking forward

Special Days – Remembrance Day: Isaiah 25:1-9; Psalm 20; Revelation 22:1-5; Matthew 5:38-48 Looking back and looking forward ‘O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your Name... You have done marvellous things’ (Isaiah 25:1). We remember what God has done for us. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be …

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The Lord is our shepherd, and he will, always, be our shepherd.

"The Lord is my shepherd... I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (Psalm 23:1,6). "For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’” (Revelation 7:17). We read the first words of Psalm 23, …

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Learning from the past – and pressing on towards God’s future

We look back. We remember - and we learn. What we learn from the past, we bring with us into the present, into our journey into the future. We cannot turn the clock back. We do not belong to the past. We're travelling towards the future. We go back to the book of Genesis - …

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A Great Multitude Will Sing The Song Of Salvation: ‘Salvation Belongs To Our God.’

Genesis 24:1-21 The servant was sent on a mission. He was ‘to get a wife for... Isaac’(4). When Christ entered Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11), He was on a mission. He had come for His Bride, the Church (Ephesians 5:25; Revelation 21:2-3). The servant was not to ‘get a wife... from... the Canaanites’(3). The Church is to …

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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 …

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Doors which only God can open… Doors which we must open…

There are doors which can only be opened by God – “See, I  have placed before you an open door that no-one can shut” (Revelation 3:8). There are doors which must be opened by man – “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If any one hears My voice and opens the …

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The Gospel does not begin with man, reaching up to heaven.

Zechariah 12:1-14:21; Revelation 2:1-17: Proverbs 30:1-10  God “pours out … a spirit of supplication” upon His people. As a result of this, they look on Him, “the One they have pierced.” In doing so, they come to “a fountain … to cleanse them from sin and impurity” (Zechariah 12:10; Zechariah 13:1). Mourning for the One …

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“The land of the living” – the “land” that endures forevermore”

In the book of Esther, we see the people of God in conflict. There were enemies against whom they had to contend. In this battle, there are victories which lead to “joyous celebration” (Esther 8:15). Such times of victory are times of “happiness and joy, gladness and honour” (Esther 8:16). Such times point toward the final …

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Fron every tribe and nation and people and language

"With your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Revelation 5:9). To Abraham, the Word of God was spoken: "All peoples on earth will be blessed through you" (Genesis 12:3). In the one hundredth Psalm, we have a call to worship: "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth" (verse …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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! …

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What the Spirit says to the churches

“What the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22). What does the Spirit say to the churches? He speaks the words of Christ, the risen Lord.  * We need the Spirit: “Be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).  * We need the Scriptures: “Let the word of Christ dwell among you richly” (Colossians 3:16). To His enemies, …

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Look, I’m standing at the door.

Look, I’m standing at the door (Revelation 3:20). Are you ‘looking for a better country – a heavenly one’ (Hebrews 11:16)? ‘God has put eternity into man’s mind’ (Ecclesiastes 3:11). In every human heart, there’s ‘a God-shaped blank’. Jesus came to give us ‘life’ – ‘abundant life’, ‘eternal life’ (John 10:10; John 17:3; 1 John …

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We thank You, Lord, that no human king can even begin to compare with Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings.

We thank You, Lord, that no human king can even begin to compare with Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, ‘the King of kings’ (Revelation 19:16). The people of Jerusalem were full of confidence. They ‘trusted their king to protect them from every invader.’ They thought Jerusalem was invincible: ‘No one anywhere, not even rulers …

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Appreciating what Christ has done for us through his death on the cross

The gospel of free grace says, "You were bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 6:20). It tells us, "You were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:18-19). Christ has paid the price of our redemption by taking upon himself the penalty for our sin. We are invited to receive all the blessings …

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The Scriptures take us back to the past. They do not leave us there.

The Scriptures take us back to the past. They do not leave us there. We learn about "what will take place later" (Revelation 1:19). Jesus has come. This is the past. Jesus will come. This is the future. Some tell us that this world is all that there is. God's Word tells us something very …

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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 …

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More questions than answers

"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will …

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