God’s Word For Every Day

God’s Word For Every Day

Paul Tillich’s Systematic Theology: “A Help In Answering Questions”?

"My purpose, and I believe it is a justified purpose, has been to present the method and the structure of a theological system written from an apologetic point of view and carried through in a continuous correlation with philosophy ... A help in answering questions: this is exactly the purpose of this theological system." (Paul …

Barth’s Theme – “Not I but Christ”

Karl Barth is not the Name. Jesus, for salvation, came. Barth points us to the One, Jesus Christ, God’s only Son. If Barth were here today, I think he would still say, Look from Barth, look away. Look to Jesus, he would say. Karl Barth spoke of Christ’s grace. Yes! Karl Barth knew his place. …

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 …

What a great Saviour we have!

Let's begin with who Jesus is, and then move on to what He does for us. (1) "The Word was God ... The Word became flesh" (John 1:1, 14). This is what the Bible teaches us about who Jesus was - He was God - and who He became - He became man. The Bible …

A Call For A Christ-Centred Life

The concluding message, preached by Joshua, is a call for the people to exalt the Lord. They make a definite and public commitment to the Lord. The Christ-centredness of real commitment to the Lord is summed up in the words of John the Baptist: "He must become greater; I must become less" (John 3:30). We …

Wisdom comes to us through Christ.

Wisdom comes to us through Christ. He teaches us to live in the light of his death and resurrection. Our lives are to be shaped by his love - suffering love, triumphant love.

Jesus Christ – The Rock Of Our Salvation

As well as Peter’s three denials, we have three wonderful statements which point us away from Peter, in his failure, to Christ, who is the Rock of our salvation. (a) “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). (b) “This Jesus, God has raised up and “made both Lord and Christ” …

Thinking Together About Jesus

Psalm 2:1-12; Mark 8:27-9:8 We're going to think together about Jesus is and what He has done for us. We're also going to think about keeping our eyes on Jesus and living for Him. (1) We begin by looking at two questions - "Who do men say that I am?" and "Who do you say that …

Jesus – The Perfect Son Of God

Above all men, it can be said of Christ: "You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever" (Psalm 45:2). When we read the parable of the prodigal son, we are reading the words spoken by the perfect Son. His lips were "anointed …

The Rock and the River

The Rock and the River are still there – even when I can’t see them! We look out towards Dumbarton Rock and the River Clyde. There is, however, a problem! Straight ahead of us, there are some large trees. When the leaves are on the trees, we can’t see anything that’s behind the trees. We …

The end of the road?

When everything that's happening to us, says to us, 'This is the end of the road, You have nowhere to go from here', the Lord draws near and whispers into our hearts, 'There is hope, because there is Jesus, and he is our risen Saviour, the living Lord."

Karl Barth the Preacher – Jesus loves me.

What are we to say about Barth the preacher? Surely, J. S. Stewart has described him well in these words of commendation: “this Colossus of a theologian is basically concerned with simple things… no one reading Barth can have any doubt… (about his) single-hearted devotion to Christ” (Prayer and Preaching, 7, from ‘Preface’ by J. …

The Light Is Switched On.

When the love of God reaches us, we step out of our darkness and into His light. It's Jesus  - the light of the world - who shows us how much God loves us (John 8:12). When the light is switched off, it doesn't do us any good. When it's switched on, the love of …

Out of an old year, into a New Year – with Jesus!

We live in a world in which many people are trying to grab our attention. There is more interest in making a profit than listening to the prophet. We need to listen to what the prophet says to us: Emmanuel - God with us - has come to us (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23). God has come …

Jesus Is The Bread Of Life.

John 6:35 Have you ever been really hungry or thirsty? – Find food. Find drink. Eat it. Drink it. Are you spiritually hungry and thirsty? Find the Bread Of Life, come to Him and be fed. John 6:36 Some do not believe. They will not believe. They refuse to believe. John 6:37 What is God’s …

It’s so ordinary.

Our life seems so ordinary. Nothing out of the ordinary seems to happen to us. What are we to say when we say this kind of thing? Are we saying that having Jesus in our life is to be described as ordinary? We must never forget that something extraordinary has happened to us. Jesus has …

The Holy Spirit opens up the Scriptures to us.

The Holy Spirit opens up the Scriptures to us, and he leads us to Christ. As we learn from the Scriptures, and are led to Christ, our way of thinking changes. This changes our way of living. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in us.

The Gospel Raises Our Questions – And Gives God’s Answer.

The Gospel raises questions in our minds. It makes us wonder about the meaning, purpose and direction of our life. It gets us started thinking in a different way, asking questions about the way we live: "Is all there is, or is there something more?" When Jesus starts speaking to us in the places of …

What a difference a day makes?

"What a difference a day makes, twenty-four little hours." A day can bring changes that we don't want! "Christ has made the difference." His changes always do us good.

We Preach Christ Crucified.

"We preach Christ crucified" (1 Corinthians 1:23); "I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2). "No one can redeem the life of another     or give to God a ransom for them —  the ransom for a life is costly,     no payment is ever enough —  so that …

Jesus Christ – our Saviour and Lord

'A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord' (Luke 2:11). 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 souls …

In the power of the Holy Spirit

We look at Jesus' birth. We look at His baptism. We see the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes upon Mary, and Jesus is conceived. The Holy Spirit comes upon Jesus, and His public ministry is set in motion. After Jesus' birth, Satan tries to destroy the work of God. Herod tries to do away …

None but Christ can satisfy … Hallelujah! I have found Him!

We look out beyond the life that we have found in Christ. The world's way of living is drawing us away from our Saviour. May God help us to keep our eyes on Jesus, know this, "None but Christ can satisfy", and have this testimony, "Hallelujah! I have found him!" Here are the two hymns …

The sheep need a shepherd. Sinners need a Saviour. Jesus is our Shepherd. Jesus is our Saviour.

Many are ‘like sheep without a shepherd’. We must not fail them. We must ‘teach them many things’ (Mark 6:34). In all our teaching from the Scriptures, let us point people to Christ (Luke 24:27). He is "the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep." He has come to give us "life …

Jesus Christ – the Son of God

Psalm 118:19-29; Mark 12:1-12 There were many servants. There is only one Son. We read Jesus' parable in the light of Peter's confession - "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mark 8:29) - and God's declaration - "This is My Beloved Son" (Mark 9:7). In this parable, Jesus is speaking to …

Love that will not let us go

"No-one ever cared for me like Jesus." Life can be turned around when the love of Jesus takes hold of us. His love is the love that will not let us go.

The Gospel is more than words.

The Gospel is more than words. It's Jesus, God's living Word. He comes to us in love. He comes to us in power. His power is the power of His love. It's the power that changes us. It's the power that makes us new.

Angels, Shepherds, Wise Men, A Star And Our Saviour

* Looking beyond the angels (messengers), we see Jesus - the Message (Word). * Looking beyond the shepherds, we see Jesus - the Shepherd. * Looking beyond the wise men, we see Jesus - the Wise Man. * Looking beyond the star, we see Jesus - the Light of the world. Jesus:  the Message, the …

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. …

Immanuel – God with us

'Immanuel... God with us' (Matthew 1:23). Think of what this means! Here are some words to help you. 'He walked where I walked, He stood where I stand, He felt what I feel, He understands. He know my frailty, shared my humanity, tempted in every way, yet without sin. God with us, so close to …

Come, Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus Christ. ‘No one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit’ (1 Corinthians 12:3). ‘In Jerusalem’, on ‘the day of Pentecost’ there are ‘Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven’ (Acts 2:1, 5). They are ‘amazed’ at what they hear - ‘we hear them telling in our …

Looking at life in the light of God’s Word, God’s Son and God’s Kingdom

How do we decide which things are really important and which things are not really so important? We turn, again and again, to God's Word. We let Jesus Christ be our Teacher. We learn to see things in the light of God's eternal Kingdom.

Is there something more than this?

"Who needs God? Who needs Jesus? That's what plenty of people say to us, in today's world. Sometimes, we listen to them, and we start to wonder if they're right. Do we really need God? Do we really need Jesus? Can we get on well enough without God? Can we get on well enough without …

So many questions, so few answers: Is this all that we have to say to today’s world?

What, really, is going on in our world? There are so many questions, and there are so few answers. Where do we go from here? Do we give up on asking questions because we we have given up on the idea that there are any answers to our many questions? Do we give up on …

Prophets, speaking for God …

"Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. …

“From a distance” or “always near”?

"From a distance, God is watching us ... "; "God is always near me ... " From a distance ... always near - both are true. God is so much greater than we are. This is why we say, "From a distance... " God has sent His Son, Jesus - also known as Emmanuel (God …

I look at Jesus Christ.

I look at Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, and I say, "This is the beginning of eternal life. It begins with Jesus. It's all about him. Eternal life is life in him."

You Raise Me Up.

"Your eyes are too pure to look on evil" (Habakkuk 1:13). The contrast between our sinfulness and God's holiness is an absolute contrast - never the two shall meet. Can we raise ourselves up from our sinfulness to God's holiness? - No! We cannot. We need to be raised up from above, by the Lord. …

Three Very Important Questions

Three very important questions - questions that demand a personal answer: Who is Jesus? What can Jesus do for us? What will we do about Jesus? (1) Who is Jesus? Is he a mere man? or Is He somebody special? Every one of us must answer the question, "Who is Jesus?" - Jesus is the …

Walking in the light with God

God is calling us to walk in the light with Him. * He’s calling us to walk with Him in the light of His love. Go back to Genesis 1:3 – “Let there be light, and there was light.” Go back beyond the created light. Go back to the eternal God – “In the beginning, …

The sunshine and the Sonshine

We love the sunshine. We are glad when the sun is shining. We should be even more glad when the Son is shining upon us in love. This is the Sonshine, the blessing of the Lord Jesus Christ on our lives. We enjoy the sunshine, but we do not worship the sun. Let's worship Jesus, …

The Uniqueness of Christ

People did not know what to make of Jesus. They tried to understand Him by comparing Him with famous figures from the recent and more distant past - ' John the Baptist ... Elijah ... Jeremiah or one of the prophets'. Into this situation of confusion came something new, something different - 'You are the …

When we feel like the light’s been switched off

Our light can go out. Jesus' light never goes out. This is something we must never forget. It's not about our light. It's about His light. Our feelings tell us one thing. Jesus tells us something else. Who are we to believe: our feelings or Jesus, our Saviour? We know what our answer should be, …

What do you believe? Who do you trust?

These two questions are closely connected, but they're not quite the same. Christian faith is more than believing what the Bible teaches us about Jesus Christ. It's trusting in Jesus Christ. While we can distinguish between the two questions; What do you believe? and Who do you trust?, we must not set these two questions …

Two things we must never forget

What happens when we hear the Word of the Lord? Does it go in one ear and out the other ear? There are many things we forget, but there are two things we must never forget: we are sinners, and Jesus is our Saviour, We are sinners, never forget this: it will keep you from …

Life is going well.

Life is going well, but we wonder, "Will it all be taken away from me?" We worry about many things, but we need not despair. Jesus is with us. He gives us hope. He assures us that His perfect love casts out our fear (1 John 4:18).

Centred On The Saviour

Being a Christian isn’t something that we do for ourselves. It’s not something that we achieve in our own strength. When we learn about Jesus, we are drawn to Him. It’s the love of God that draws us to Jesus. God shows us how much He loves us. He shows us how much He wants …

An accident waiting to happen?

"He's an accident, waiting to happen" - a runaway train, heading towards disaster. Jesus was so very different from this. He was in perfect control of his destiny. He chose to go the cross for us. The result of this choice was wonderful. It was our salvation.

God’s Son is our wonderful Saviour.

‘The Lord is my Strength and my Song. He is my Saviour’ (Psalm 118:14). Knowing that Jesus Christ is our Saviour gives us a song to sing: ‘Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine... This is my story, this is my song, praising my Saviour all the day long’. Knowing that Jesus Christ is our Saviour, we …

Looking to Jesus

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full on His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace." We don't look back to the past: "What if I had done this differently! What if I hadn't done that!" We live in the present, looking to …

The Generation Gap

The Generation Gap – The old and the young cannot or will not understand each other. How do we tackle the problem of the Generation Gap? Do we seek our answer with the adult generation? Do we seek our answer with the youth culture? Neither of these alternatives gets to the root of the problem. …

Jesus – Our Great Saviour

Some people think of Jesus as a great teacher of morality. Is that all that we can say about Him? Those who “believe” in Him say something else about Him: He’s “the Son of God” and “the Saviour of the world” (Luke 1:35; John 4:42). The critics say, “You can’t say that!” We give this …

The Kingdom Of God In The Teaching Of Jesus

 * The Kingdom of God does not belong to this world (John 18:36). The Kingdom of God has come into this world (Mark 1:15). God's Kingdom cannot be identified with anything that belongs to this world. The church is not the Kingdom. The church is a signpost. It points us to The Kingdom. It is …

Changed by the love of Christ

We are not changed by self-effort or self-improvement. We are changed by Christ. We must never forget this. We must never forget him. We don't change ourselves. He changes us. Most of all, he changes us by his love. Knowing that we are loved by him, we learn to live in a spirit of thanksgiving, …

Is God still out there? What about taking a look at Jesus Christ?

What about God? Have you forgotten about Him? Is He still out there? or Has He disappeared? Plenty of people tell you that you're wasting your time even thinking about God. They tell you that you're a fool if you believe in God. Did you know that the Bible says the exact opposite: "The fool …

Just take things as they come?

"Just take things as they come": What are we to say about this? What lies behind this statement? Does it express an 'easy come,easy go' attitude?: it doesn't really matter how you live because how you live doesn't matter. There is a better way, trusting Jesus, in all of life's changing circumstances; "My times are …

Joining The Church Or Following The Lord?

Jesus calls us to follow Him. Are you and I following Him? or Have we settled for something less? When we speak about church membership, we must ask ourselves, "Where does Jesus fit in? Is He at the centre of our life? or Has He been sidelined, while we settle for something less than following …

Jesus Is The Ice-Breaker.

"Anyone who comes to Me, I will never cast out" (John 6:37). Often, it seems like we're living in an earthbound existence. We look out beyond ourselves, and we see nothing but an enormous iceberg that keeps us from getting through to the God who loves us with a warm-hearted love. Then, Jesus comes along. …

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet.

"The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet... " (Deuteronomy 18:15). This prophecy has its greatest fulfilment in Christ. Jesus is more than a prophet. He is the substance of the prophecy concerning God's Kingdom. The coming of God's Kingdom is the coming of Christ, both His first coming (our foretaste of …