Times of empowering and times of ministry

At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” And he …

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 …

Words of love, words of hope, words that keep on calling us to keep on believing in the Lord

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour" (Isaiah 43:2-3). …

Good news: it’s in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament.

"The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: 'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way', 'a voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him'" (Mark …

Words of encouragement

"Lift up your eyes and look about you:... Then you will look and be radiant" (Isaiah 60:4-5). Look up and see what the Lord is doing. He is speaking to the people. He is building them up in faith and love. He is giving them the strength that they need to keep on walking with …

When the Word of the Lord is spoken in the power of the Holy Spirit

"I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:8). As we commit ourselves to serving the Lord, we must pray that the Holy Spirit will come upon us with power. How can we serve the Lord effectively if we are not filled with the Holy Spirit? By themselves, our …

In a world of bad news, there is good news.

"You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, 'Here is your God!'" (Isaiah 40:9). Good news: this is what we are to bring to …

This is what the Lord has done for me.

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you" (Isaiah 60:1). "Arise": are we to raise ourselves up? No! We are raised up by the Lord: "the glory of the Lord rises upon you," Let us never think, for a moment, that we have raised ourselves up. we must always say, "This is …

Life is a journey of discovery. New things are being revealed to us by the Lord.

"New things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you” (Isaiah 42:9). What does God have planned for us? We don't know. He does know. For us, life is a journey of discovery. New things are being revealed to us. They're coming to us from the Lord. We step out into the …

How do we glorify God?

Isaiah 47:1-49:7; Galatians 5:7-26; Psalm 109:1-20 The God who says, “I am the Lord, and there is no other”, also says, “I will not yield My glory to another” (Isaiah 48:11). The uniqueness of the Lord is directly related to the glory of the Lord. God is unique, the one true God. We are to …

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 …

Judgment and salvation

“The day of the Lord is near … The day of the Lord is going to come. It will be a cruel day with fury and fierce anger. He will make the earth desolate. He will destroy its sinners. Its time has almost come. Its days will not be extended” (Isaiah 13:6,9,22) – what  solemn …

More love, more prayer, more power, more peace, more joy

"Love one another" (John 13:34); "Pray for each other" (James 5:16). Jesus loves us. Jesus prays for us. If we are to follow Jesus, we will love one another and pray for one another. May the love of Jesus fill our hearts will love for one another. May the prayers of Jesus for us encourage …

Jesus is our Saviour and Lord. Let us worship Him.

Isaiah 46-49 46:1-47:15  –  ‘I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me… I am bringing My righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed’ (46:9,13). God does not keep His distance from us. He comes near to us – ‘The …

Were we there when they crucified our Lord? – Yes. He died for our sins.

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 dead - ‘After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of …

Here, on earth, we have a foretaste of glory divine. In heaven, it will be the real thing.

Through Jesus Christ, God’s Servant, God’s Son, our Saviour, God calls us to be saved by Him and to become His servants. We’re to be “a light to the nations” (Isaiah 42:6). All the glory belongs to Him (Isaiah 42:8). He will lead us forward into great blessing: “new events” (Isaiah 42:9). This directs our …

God is great – great in love and power, great in holiness, faithfulness and glory.

The greatness of God * He is great in Himself. Before the world was created, God is great: “In the beginning, God....” (Genesis 1:1). * He is great for us. This is the great message that comes to us from Isaiah 40:28-31. God is great in love. God is great in power. God is great …

“He will swallow up death in victory.”

“The Lord will save us” (Isaiah 25:9). This is our hope, as we await the “Day” of the Lord. This our cause for joy and gladness. Death shall not triumph over us. Our hope is in the Lord – “He will swallow up death in victory” (Isaiah 25:8). The message of the Gospel comes to …

There’s only one Saviour.

"I alone am the Lord, and there is no saviour except Me" (Isaiah 43:11). "I alone am the One who is going to wipe away your rebellious actions for My own sake, I will not remember your sins any more" (Isaiah 43:25)."Come back to Me, because I have reclaimed you. Sing with joy... Rejoice..." (Isaiah …

Jesus’ death and resurrection

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Jesus spoke about His death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21). This is prophecy. What we have here is even more remarkable. We read this, and we think that this must have been written after Jesus’ death. This is the work of the Spirit of God. He sees what lies ahead. He describes these events, …

When it seems like there is no hope, God speaks to us His Word of encouragement.

“The day of the Lord is near... The day of the Lord is going to come. It will be a cruel day with fury and fierce anger. He will make the earth desolate. He will destroy its sinners. Its time has almost come. Its days will not be extended” (Isaiah 13:6,9,22) - what  solemn words …

Salvation, glory and power belong to our God.

In Isaiah 19-21, there are words of judgment and words of grace: “The Lord will strike Egypt with a plague. When He strikes them, He will also heal them. They will come back to the Lord. And He will respond to their prayers and heal them” (Isaiah 19:22). The question is asked, “How can we …

In all these things, it is said of the Lord, He will be glorious.

In Isaiah 22-23, we read about God’s judgment on Judah, Shebna and Tyre. We read of “a day of confusion and trampling” (Isaiah 22:5). We read the words of judgment on “Shebna, the man in charge of the palace” - “Look, mighty man! The Lord will throw you out” (Isaiah 22:15,17). There is judgment on …

Knowing Christ and making Him known

Tuesday in Holy Week: Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 71:1-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; John 12:20-36 Knowing Christ and making Him known ‘I, the Lord, am your Saviour, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob’ (Isaiah 49:26). We are not to keep this to ourselves. God wants ‘all mankind’ to ‘know’. ‘Jesus, the Name to sinners dear, the …

Good News for everyone

Eighth Sunday after the Epiphany – Isaiah 49:8-16a; Psalm 131; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Matthew 6:24-34 Good News for everyone: Jesus Christ is our Redeemer. ‘I, the Lord, am your Saviour, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob’. We are not to keep this to ourselves. God wants ‘all mankind’ to ‘know’ (Isaiah 49:26). ‘Jesus, the …

Trust in the Lord forever.

"Trust in the Lord forever.... the Lord is an everlasting rock!" (Isaiah 26:4). Forever, everlasting - We must never lose sight of this eternal perspective.

Our Lord and our Saviour

"I alone am the Lord, and there is no saviour except Me" (Isaiah 43:11). "I alone am the One who is going to wipe away your rebellious actions for My own sake, I will not remember your sins any more" (Isaiah 43:25)."Come back to Me, because I have reclaimed you. Sing with joy... Rejoice... " …

Loved with everlasting love

Much of what we read in Isaiah 16-18 concerns divine judgment on the disobedient - Moab - chapter 16, Damascus and Israel - chapter 17, Sudan - chapter 18. In the face of God’s holy judgment upon sin, we must never forget that “He is the God of our salvation, our Rock, our Stronghold” (Isaiah …

Salvation

"God is my salvation ... He has become my salvation ... You will joyfully draw water from the springs of salvation" (Isaiah 12:2-3). To understand the full meaning of salvation, we must look beyond Isaiah, the prophet, to Jesus, the Saviour. The prophets can take us so far - and no further. When they have …

God calls us to walk on the pathway of obedience and He promises to be with us every step of the way.

In Isaiah 46-48, we read about Israel's conflict with Babylon and God's verdict on Babylon. We also have the precious promise which God gave to His people: "Our Defender is the Holy One of Israel" (Isaiah 47:4). Along with the divine promise, there is also the divine call to obedience. God sees that His redeemed …

I will praise You, O Lord.

Isaiah 10 speaks of a divine judgment, in which the only “survivors” will be those who “depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 10:20). Isaiah 11 contains a Messianic prophecy. These are words, which point forward to our Saviour, Jesus Christ. They are words of the coming Kingdom (Isaiah 11:1-10). Isaiah 12 …

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 bring Christ to the nations.

Baptism of the Lord (First Sunday in Ordinary Time): Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7; Acts 10:34-38; Matthew 3:13-17 Let us bring Christ to the nations. Let us serve the Lord in the power of the Spirit. ‘Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, my Chosen One in whom I delight; I will put My Spirit on Him, and …

When the road is rough and steep

"I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland" (Isaiah 43:19). Do you feel like you're in a "wilderness", in a "wasteland"? Here's a song which may help you - When the road is rough and steep. https://youtu.be/UF7xgQwKlpc

God keeps us for Himself so that we might be used by Him to bring others to Him.

Isaiah 36:1-37:38; Galatians 2:1-10; Psalm 107:23-32 “For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this” (Isaiah 37:32). In a time when many people are turning away from the Lord, God is still preserving His own people for Himself. …

There is only one King of kings.

Isaiah 37-39 As we read of what is happening among the nations, both in the Bible and today’s news, we must never forget this - the Lord our God is “enthroned over the angels.” He alone is the God of the kingdoms of the world.” He “made heaven and earth” (Isaiah 37:16). As we rejoice …

When God sends out His Word

Isaiah 55-57 When God sends out His Word, He sends it with a promise; "My Word... will not come back to Me without results, but it will accomplish whatever I want and achieve whatever I send it to do" (Isaiah 55:11). The Lord is looking out. He's looking beyond those who are already worshipping Him. …

Let the light of Christ shine.

Season of Epiphany: Epiphany of the Lord – Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12 Let the light of Christ shine. ‘Arise, shine; for your Light has come... the Lord will be your everlasting Light’ (Isaiah 60:1, 19-20). Jesus Christ is ‘the Light of the world’. When we ‘follow Him’, we ‘will not …

Full salvation

Gen 3:10–15, Isa 64:6, Rom 10:11, 2 Cor 5:21, 1 John 1:9 Through Christ's Death On The Cross, God Has Provided For Us A Full Salvation! Having chosen the way of sin, we are ‘naked’ and ashamed (Genesis 3:10). The Gospel teaches us that ‘there’s a way back to God from the dark paths of …

When the enemy shall come in like a flood

1 Kings 16:29-18:16 Things were getting desperate: ‘Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him’ (1 Kings 16:33). What did God do about this? How did He respond to this situation? God sent His prophet, a man who would stand …

There is only one Foundation for our faith.

Isaiah 28:1–22 There is only one Foundation for our faith - Jesus Christ. Build your life on Christ, the solid Rock. Jesus Christ is 'the precious Cornerstone'. He is 'the sure Foundation' (16). Jesus is the Name of our salvation - 'Salvation is found in no-one else...there is no other name...by which we must be …

Called to be holy

"Be holy, because I am holy" (Leviticus 11:44). The call to holiness - where does it come from? Does it come from the church? Does it come from the preachers? or Are we to look beyond the church and the preachers? Are we to look to the God of perfect holiness? God calls us to …

Isaiah

ISAIAH 1:1-31  –  God invites us to ‘come’ to Him and receive salvation – ‘though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow’. He also warns us – there will be judgment ‘if you refuse and rebel’ (18-20). God speaks to us of His great purpose of salvation: ‘God did not …

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 …

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 …

Weak in ourselves, strong in the Lord – this is meekness, and it is blessed by the Lord.

"The meek shall increase their joy in the Lord" (Isaiah 29:19).  "Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth" (Numbers 12:3). "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5). The work "meek" rhymes with the word, "weak" - but the two words are …

Where are you?

"Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9).Everything had started out so well, It was such a promising beginning. Then something went wrong, something serious, something that changed everything. What does God do about it, when things start going wrong? He starts looking for us. Why is He looking for us? It's because He loves us.Jesus tells us …

A remnant: The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

"For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and those who escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this" (Isaiah 37:32). A remnant - When Isaiah was called by God to the prophetic  ministry, he was given a warning. He was told that only a small minority of his hearers would respond …

Be still

"Their strength is to sit still" (Isaiah 30:7). When I read these words, my thoughts turned to two other verses of Scripture: "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10); "Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord" (Exodus 14:13). How wonderful it is to know that God is God - and …

It’s spreading.

"He led me through water that was ankle-deep ... 4 He led me through water that was knee-deep ... He led me through water that was up to the waist. 5 Now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in – a river that no one could …

The Lord’s “strong hand” is the strong hand of his love.

"For the Lord spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people" (Isaiah 8:11). We tend to think of God, leading us by his loving hand. Here, we read about his "strong hand." What we must understand, if we are to be led by the …

A Light To The Nations

Isaiah 49:1-13  God is calling us to listen to Him, and to pay attention to what He says to us (Isaiah 49:1). He's calling us to be His torches. We're to shine for Him - "I will also make you a light to the nations" (Isaiah 49:6). What kind of light are we to be? …

The promise of God’s blessing

Isaiah 63:1-65:16; Ephesians 4:17-5:7; Psalm 112:1-10 The cry of God’s people: “Oh that You would rend the heavens and come down … to make Your Name known to your enemies” (Isaiah 64:1). The promise of God’s blessing: “I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did …

I Will Sing.

“I will sing for the one I love” (Isaiah 5:1). Isaiah speaks here of our love for God. When we speak of our love for God, we must always remember this: God’s love for us comes before our love for Him. We sing to the One who has loved us. The song we sing to Him …

A debtor to mercy alone

"The older son shall be the servant of the younger son" (Genesis 25:23). Grace isn't defined by human expectations. Human wisdom gives priority to the older son. God chooses the younger son, Jacob - to carry forward his great plan of salvation. Why did God choose Jacob? Was Jacob better than Esau? We won't find …

Never to be forgotten

In 1996, Willie McDonald died at the age of ninety. I had only known him for a short time. I will always remember him as a man who loved the Lord deeply. He was small of stature, but he was a man of “strength”: real, spiritual strength (Psalm 90:10). He was “strong in the Lord”, …

Salvation comes before service.

We do not begin with the question, "What are we to do for God?" We begin with the question, "What has God done for us?" Grateful to the Lord for all that he has done for us, we give ourselves to him, committing ourselves to a life of serving him. Here, we highlight the vital …

Revised Common Lectionary – Year B: First Sunday of Advent – Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37

Revised Common Lectionary Year B - First Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37 Jesus Christ is God’s Answer to our prayer. We confess our sins to God - ‘We sinned... All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy …