Changed Right Around!

A Sermon by Rev Sjirk Bajema

on Heidelberg Catechism, LD 33

Scripture Reading:

Colossians 3:1-17

Congregation in our Lord Jesus Christ...

Many of the people who live in our country are migrants. Whether they came two hundred years ago, fifty years ago, or a year ago, there are those who came to this place with the hope for a better and different future. Yet, when many of those folk first came here, it was often a hard struggle. You can read the stories of migrants who, for a while, and even for years, lived in ramshackle huts and even tents! Many really started from scratch.

He Was Raised to Life

for Our Justification

An EASTER Sermon by Rev John De Hoog

on Romans 4:25

Scripture Readings:

1 Corinthians 15:1-28; Romans 4:18-5:5

Suggested Singing:

BoW 16; 312; 332

Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

At 2.30 in the morning on Monday, July 9, 1984, lightning struck the York Minster cathedral. This majestic Gothic cathedral was the pride of the town of York in the north of England. A raging fire broke out, the beautiful, carved oak vaulting of the southern end of the cathedral was reduced to ashes, and a priceless sixteenth-century window of some 8000 separate panes was cracked. The cathedral did not burn down all together, but much damage was done. People all over England began talking in an excited way about the judgment of God. Many were convinced that the lightning bolt was an expression of the anger of God. Why? What was God supposed to have been angry about?

Is Being A Christian

Really Worth It?

A Sermon by Rev Jack Kapinga

on Malachi 3:13-4:6

Scripture Reading:

Malachi 3:13-4:6

Suggested Singing:

BoW 198; 217; 387; 117; Rej 337; 523

Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Introduction

Do you sometimes wonder if it's really worth it? Is it really worth it to be a Christian? Is it really worth it to commit your life to the Lord? To truly live as a Christian comes at a high cost. For a start, God expects us to exchange our pride and self assurance for an attitude of humble repentance. He wants us to admit our own inability and to confess our sins to him.

Prayerfully Resisting Temptation

A Sermon by Rev John Westendorp

on Psalm 141

Scripture Reading:

Hebrews 12:1-3

Suggested Singing:

BoW 195; 73:1,6,7,8; 141; 23a

Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

Introduction:

Some people are quick to claim that the Bible is irrelevant for modern living.

They see a huge gap between the people of Bible times and us today.

They lived primitive and simple lives... in agricultural communities.

We live in fast-paced industrialised cities with all their complexity.

They lived thousands of years ago in times of ignorance and superstition.

We live in an age where science claims to answer all our questions.

So how can the Bible possibly help us in the twenty-first century?

People who say that have obviously never studied the Psalms.

This collection of songs faces us with the whole gamut of human emotions.

If you're sad... you'll find a song to match your mood.

It's Got to Come Out!

A Sermon by Rev Sjirk Bajema

on Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 32

Scripture Reading:

Romans 11:25-12:21

Congregation in our Lord Jesus Christ...

Have you ever been called "a chip off the old block"? You know, others notice how much you are like your parents? Perhaps it's your physical features, maybe a particular mannerism. There's something that strikes someone else about you that reminds them of your mum or dad.

Imagine, though, instead of saying how much you were like your earthly parents, people were to say about you, "Look how much he's like the Lord." Fancy if they said to you, "You can tell that God's your heavenly Father!" What a connection that would be! That we would be showing our faith so openly, and so clearly!

The Authority of Jesus

Over Life and Death

An EASTER Sermon by Rev John De Hoog

on John 10:17-18

Scripture Readings:

John 10:17-18; Matthew 28

Suggested Singing:

BoW 360; 386

Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

Who raised Jesus?

It is Easter Sunday, the day we particularly celebrate the rising of Jesus Christ from the dead.

So, who raised Jesus?

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is central to our faith. Without it, we are lost. Paul writes these staggering words in 1 Corinthians 15: "If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith" (vs 14). "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins" (vs 17). "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men" (vs 19). Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Here is a fundamental plank of the gospel.

72000 Unemployed Angels

A GOOD FRIDAY Sermon by Rev John De Hoog

on Matthew 26:47-56

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 26:31-46

Suggested Singing:

BoW 301; 308; 321

Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

There are moments in history that can be identified as turning points. 27 January 1944 is one such moment. In June 1941, having conquered much of Europe, Hitler set his sights on Russia. It was to be a fatal mistake. German forces quickly surrounded Russia's second city, Leningrad (which is now known once again as St Petersburg), but the city simply would not succumb. For 900 days Leningrad was besieged, but finally on 27 January 1944 the siege was ended and the German forces were broken. Hundreds of thousands of Leningrad's citizens had died, but it was the beginning of the end for Hitler. They had died of starvation, exposure, disease and enemy action, but in the end they had won. It was a moment that changed history.