God’s Word does not return to him empty.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,  so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will …

Hallelu, hallelu, hallellu, hallelujah, praise ye the Lord.

Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God (Psalm 147:1). When I was a boy, I was taught a simple song about praising the Lord. Reading the first verse of Psalm 147 brought this simple song back to my mind. I thought I''d share it with you. I hope that it …

Jesus is calling us to come to him.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). https://youtu.be/XUVCpF8-VuE

May the Lord bless each of you, as you worship him.

Taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). As I was reading these words, I thought of the hymn, "Jesus, Thou joy of loving heartrs." Here's a video of the hymn. May the Lord bless you, as you listen to it and sing along with it. https://youtu.be/4QkOLQs44yo

Yield not to temptation.

Away from me, Satan!... Then the devil left Jesus (Matthew 4:10). When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left Jesus until an opportune time (Luke 4:13). Jesus' temptations in the wilderness were over, but there would be more temptations, coming his way. As we read the words, "until an opportune time", we are reminded that …

Let us worship the Lord with great joy.

I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness (Isaiah 61:10). The Lord has done great things for us. Let us praise him with great joy. Here's a song that will help you to sing to …

What a wonderful day!

One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see! (John 9:25). What a wonderful day it was! The man started the day as a blind man. By the end of that day, he could see. As I was thinking about this, a song came into my mind. It's called, "O what a …

May the Lord fill our hearts with the spirit of worship, and may he fill our voices with songs of worship.

"Serve the Lord with gladness. Come befpre him with joyful songs" (Psalm 100:2). https://youtu.be/np79kkXblV0 "There was a vast multitide from every nation, trtibe, people and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb" (Revelation 7:9). https://youtu.be/ccVEjKFkAV4 "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. He was worthy to receive powrer …

From strength to strength, from faith to faith, from glory to glory

"Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 2:1). By the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are led from strength to strengh, from faith to faith, and from glory to glory. (1) From strength to strength The phrase, "from strength to strength" is taken from the hymn, "Soldiers of …

Thinking about faith, love and hope, let us worship the Lord with joy.

https://youtu.be/-TVTmq7THU4 Faith: Thomas said, "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28). Like Thomas, we speak our words of faith to Jesus, our Saviour. This is more than confessing our faith in a church service. It's saying "thank you" to Jesus for all that he has done for us. We thank Jesus for all that he …

Let us worship the Lord and learn from him.

https://youtu.be/44RNKCp-hCY “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!" (Luke 24:5-6). We look together at the risen Christ, and we learn from him. We learn to live for him, always keeping our eyes fixed on him. How do we look to Jesus? How are we to learn …

Let us worship the Lord, our God.

Here are videos of the hymns that we sang at this morning's service. This post, also, includes sermon notes on "Jesus and Barabbas" and "Jesus and the dying thief." https://youtu.be/RAyKmYD2Zg8 Taking the Place of Barabbas (Luke 23:13-25) 13 Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, 14 said to them, “You have …

Our first Communion service since the beginning of COVID restrictions

Since this service is a Communion service, we turn our attention to the 14th chapter of Mark's Gospel, where we read about the last supper Jesus ate with his disciples. We begin by thinking about Jesus' triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem. We read about this in the beginning A, from the beginning of …

Promises, promises, promises

We make promises. We break promises. God is very different from us. He keeps his promises. God "has given us his very great and precious promises" (2 Peter 1:4). We stand upon the promises he has given to us. https://youtu.be/QVeHDun_oEQ

The eternal God and His everlasting love

‘Lord, You have been our dwelling place throughout all generations... From everlasting to everlasting, You are God’(Psalm 90:1-2). The Bible begins with the words, ‘In the beginning, God...’. Before the world began, there was God - ‘the eternal God’. He is ‘the high and exalted One’. He is the God ‘who inhabits eternity’. He is …

I will sing of the Lord’s great love for ever.

‘I will sing of the Lord’s great love for ever; with my mouth I will make known Your faithfulness through all generations’(Psalm 89:1). Many years have passed since these words were written by the Psalmist. Many generations have come and gone since Jesus Christ came to our world. The years come and go. The centuries …

Worship Videos

Here's a link to worship videos that that have been posted on this blog. https://learningfromgodsword.wordpress.com/category/worship-videos

A new creation in Christ Jesus

What does it mean to become “a new creation in Christ Jesus” (2 Corinthians 5:17)? Does it mean that we become perfect? Does it mean that we will ever become perfect? No! It doesn’t mean either of these things. Throughout our life on earth, each one of us has to live with the fact that we …

On the mountaintop with Jesus

Matthew 16:13-17:8 The transfiguration of Jesus (1-8) will be our chief focus of attention, but we will get there by following Peter on a spiritual journey from a mountaintop to a valley and, then back, to a mountaintop. We go on a journey with one of Jesus' disciples. His name is Peter. It's not a …

Worshipping the Lord

https://youtu.be/_lQRmFXNA2Q Fill our hearts, O God, with praise to You. Help us to exalt You with hearts, full of joyful thanksgiving. https://youtu.be/kA4bTqCjLQw Often, Lord, our faith is weak. Help us to remember that the love of Jesus, our Saviour, is always strong. https://youtu.be/mOrkdW5NAM0 Lord, help us to sing the Kingdom songs - and live the …

I have a dream.

https://youtu.be/uHx2uWjECW4

Is the Lord at the centre of our lives?

"Abram built an altar to the Lord" (Genesis 13:18). As I was reading about Abram and Lot going their separate ways, I noticed these words in the last verse of this chapter. Here, we are challenged to think about what is important to us. Are we giving the Lord His rightful place in our lives? …

To be blessed by the Lord is better than anything else.

"Abram is blessed by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth" (Genesis 14:19). To be blessed by the Lord is better than anything else. Without the blessing of God, our lives are empty. We may fill our lives with many things, but the question keeps coming back to us: What about God: where does …

What a friend we have in Jesus

We search for happiness, but will we ever find it? or Is the search for happiness like a wild goose chase? Are we travelling along a dead end street? Are we on a road that leads to nowhere? Jesus gives us something to think about. This is what he says to us: "Seek first God's …

What a great difference there is between trying to impress Jesus and asking him to forgive us!

We are not to come to Jesus, our Saviour, with our religion in one hand and our morality in the other hand. We are to come to him with our sin. What's the difference between coming to Jesus with our religion and morality, and coming to him with our sin. When we bring our religion …

First, Jesus has risen from the dead. Then, He lives within my heart.

The hymn, "I serve a risen Saviour, He's in the world today" is probably better known by the first line of its chorus, "He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today." In the chorus, we have these words, "You ask me how I know He lives. He lives within my heart." Before we have the …

Safe in the arms of Jesus

"Noah went into the ark" (Genesis 7:7). For Noah and his family, the ark was the place of safety. For us, Jesus is the 'ark' of our salvation. We are "safe in the arms of Jesus." He has invited us to come to him. He welcomes us when we come to him. We belong to …

In our own homes – Let us return to the Lord and hear His Word of salvation.

https://youtu.be/BUT-G4xHYpo ‘The Lord roars.’ ‘The Lord thunders’ (Amos 1:2). We thank You, Lord, that Your Word comes to us from above – ‘The Lord will roar from on high.’ You speak to us from heaven – ‘He will thunder from His holy dwelling.’ We dare not ignore Your Word. Your Word comes to us as …

Some words of encouragement

"I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day" (2 Timothy 1:12). What a great testimony of faith this is! These great words of faith direct our attention away from ourselves to our Saviour. What we are unable to do for …

In our own homes – let us be faithful in worshipping the Lord, reading His Word and praying to Him.

https://youtu.be/s3hNZT6ddJg ‘Fulfil your vows’ (Nahum 1:15). Lord, You’re calling us to be faithful to You. We are to be faithful in worship. We are to be faithful in reading Your Word. We are to be faithful in prayer. We are to be faithful in giving. We are to be faithful in witness. Our faith is …

What A Great Gospel! What A Great Saviour! What A Great Salvation! What A Great Future!

The Humbled and Exalted Christ  5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself …

We are weak. The Lord is strong.

"The Lord said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). We are weak. The Lord is strong. Here's a link to a song which reminds us that our real strength comes from the Lord, not from ourselves. It comes to us when we are reminded that …

Genesis 9

Here, we read about the faithfulness of God and the frailty of man. We begin with the faithfulness of God. "And God said, 'This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, …

Genesis 8

The flood is over. The time of judgment has come to an end. As I was thinking about the flood and what lay beyond the flood, I found myself thinking of some words from the hymn, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." Here's a lyric video of the hymn. …

O Lord, I Love Your Word.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will …

We love, the place, O God.

"Lord, I love the house where you live, the place where your glory dwells" (Psalm 26:8). "We love the place, O God" - listen, sing, and be blessed by the Lord. There is no singing in this video - just music and words on the screen. https://youtu.be/rOUhnA9mJ-Q

How great Thou art

"You are radiant with light, more majestic than mountains ... " (Psalm 76:4). "I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:2). It's possible to look up to the mountains - and see nothing but mountains. The …

When everything seems so dark

"Even though I walk through the darkest valley,  I will fear no evil" (Psalm 23:4). Darkness threatens to overcome the light - but it cannot be done. Our Lord Jesus Christ has risen from the dead - and we will rise with him to everlasting life. If you feel like you're travelling through a dark valley, here's …

Will we walk in the ways of the world? or Will we walk with the Lord?

"God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually ... But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord ... and Noah walked with God" (Genesis 6:5,8-9). In every generation, the Lord's people must make their choice. Will we …

Way Maker

https://youtu.be/n4XWfwLHeLM

Heaven came down and glory filled my soul.

"Building a tower and making a name for ourselves" (Genesis 11:4) There is no salvation in ourselves. Salvation is in Christ alone (Acts 4:12). The Lord is our "strong tower" (Proverbs 18:10). Salvation doesn't begin with ourselves. It comes to us from Christ: "Who came down from heaven to earth? - Jesus Christ, our Saviour." …

Jesus, Master whose I am

"No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations" (Genesis 17:5). From Abram to Abraham - it doesn't seem like a very big change. It is a big change. It seems to suggest a movement from the blessings given to Abram - to …

Wonderful grace of Jesus

"The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again destroy every living creature, as I have done" (Genesis 8:21). We read, here, about human sin and divine grace. Our story is the story of sin - but there's another story which breaks into our story - it's the story …

For those tears I died

https://youtu.be/aX7ucgWlusY

In our own homes – May the Lord fill our hearts with His love, joy and peace.

https://youtu.be/-Msh0PAJfPU Lord, we read about Your judgment upon sinful nations – Ammon (Ezekiel 25:1-7), Moab (Ezekiel 25:8-11), Edom (Ezekiel 25:12-14) and Philistia (Ezekiel 25:15-17). You speak to us. You say to us, ‘You will know that I am the Lord’ (Ezekiel 25:5,7,11,17). You speak to us as our Judge. You speak to us about ‘sin, …

Faith laughs at impossibilities.

"Sarah laughed" (Genesis 18:12). It wasn't only Sarah who laughed. Abraham, also, laughed (Genesis 17:17). The laughter of Sarah and Abraham was the laughter of unbelief. There is, however, another laughter, a better laughter. It's the laughter of faith; "Faith laughs at impossibilities, and cries, 'It shall be done.'" (Charles Wesley). https://youtu.be/Tkzu_sz3EGQ

Richly blessed by the Lord

"There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; and one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches" (Proverbs 13:7).   The rich man has nothing. The poor man has great riches. When I came across this verse, I thought about two great songs - one I've known for many years, the other I've only known …

There is a green hill

"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15). From the cross, Jesus cried out to God, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). We look at the cross of Christ, and we ask, "Why?" When we sing the hymn, "There is a green hill", we confess that …

Trust and obey.

"Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved" (Psalm 80:3). The light of the Lord has shone upon us. We see ourselves in a new light - his light. It's the light of his love. He came to us in our darkness, and he led us into his light. We …

To God be the glory!

"I lift up my eyes to you, to you who sit enthroned in heaven. 2  ... our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy. 3 Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us ... " (Psalm 123:1-3). We lift up our eyes to the hills - and we look beyond the hills to …

Cast your burden on the Lord.

"Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you" (Psalm 55:22). As I was reading this great verse from God's Word, I remembered a song that I hadn't heard for some time, and I thought I'd share it with you.  Cast your burden on the Lord - Listen, and be blessed! http://youtu.be/o3QUoIEc-A4

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever.

The more I think about our eternal salvation, the more my heart rises to the Lord in joyful songs of praise. Let the words  of Psalm 89:1 fill your heart with joyful praise to the Lord. https://youtu.be/7-q6z5fpgNk

Whiter than snow

"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow" (Isaiah 1:18). As I was thinking about the wonder of God's forgiveness, my thoughts turned to the gospel song, "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus." We ask our question - "What can wash away my sin?" God …

Heaven came down, and glory filled my soul.

"They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 ‘What …

Out of Egypt

"Out of Egypt I called my son" (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:15). We read about the calling out from Egypt of the people of Israel and the calling out from Egypt of Jesus. If we are to move beyond these 'long time ago' contexts, we must ask, "Is there something else that this verse is saying …

Because He Lives

Do you need some encouragement - from the Lord? Here's a song that will encourage you - in the Lord. https://youtu.be/4M-zwE33zHA

I’ll not forget you.

“The Lord has forsaken me,  the Lord has forgotten me.’ (Isaiah 49:14).Sometimes, this is what we say to ourselves. “I will not forget you!” (Isaiah 49:15).Always, this is what the Lord says to us. Here's a song of faith, hope and encouragement. Before you watch the video, you should read the lyrics. You will read about Sarah and …

Our God reigns.

"Your God reigns" (Isaiah 52:7). This is the encouraging message that comes to us from the prophet, Isaiah. Let's bring our song of praise to the Lord - Our God reigns. https://youtu.be/_lQRmFXNA2Q

Read the written Word of God – and feed on Christ, God’s living Word.

"These also who erred in spirit will come to understanding, and those who complained will learn doctrine." (Isaiah 29:24). Before there can be a change in our way of living, there needs to be a change in our way of thinking. This is a change which comes to us through our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Jesus, God's …

He walked where I walk… God with us

https://youtu.be/jz2TuUOl8kk