Word of Salvation – Vol.50 No.37 – October 2005   Old Testament Opposition to the Gospel   Sermon by Rev J De Hoog on Daniel 10 (part 1) Scripture Reading:  Ezra 1 Suggested Hymns:  BoW 23; 20; 433   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ... Have you ever wished that you could see an angel, or that you could have a vision of the greatness of God? Perhaps after reading this chapter you might think twice about that kind of wish. Daniel's experience doesn't seem like the kind of experience to be envious of. Far from being elated by the vision,...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 50 No.33 – September 2005   The Answer to Daniel's Prayer Sermon by Rev J De Hoog on Daniel 9:20-27 Scripture Reading: Daniel 9:1-19 Suggested Hymns:  BoW 133; 134; 247; 20; 390   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let's turn today to the answer to Daniel's prayer as recorded in Daniel 9. Last Sunday we considered Daniel's prayer itself, and we saw it as a very good model of how to pray. Now let's consider the answer that God gives. We understood last time that Daniel's great concern in this prayer is with God's honour....

Word of Salvation – Vol.50 No.29 – August 2005   Secrets of True Prayer   Sermon by Rev. J. De Hoog on Daniel 9:1-19 (part 2) Scripture Reading:  Psalm 106 Suggested Hymns:  BoW 91; 37; 170; 424; 454   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. We come to this magnificent passage a second time today. Remember the picture that it evokes. An old man, an important official in the empire of the Medes and the Persians, is bowed to the ground. Daniel has put off the fine robes of his position and is wearing sackcloth. He has poked around in the...

Word of Salvation – Vol.50 No.25 – July 2005   How Can Daniel Pray As He Does? (The Covenant Background of His Prayer)   Sermon by Rev J De Hoog on Daniel 9:1-19 (part 1)  Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 29:1-14 Suggested Hymns: BoW 32; 130; 467; 302; 388   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Take some time now, turn on your imagination, and get ready to see an image in your mind's eye. A man is kneeling, bowed down to the ground, a picture of sorrow and anguish... and, paradoxically, also a picture of hope! Sorrow and hope together! He is...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 50 No.21 – June 2005   Do Not Fear the Seeming Success of Evil...for its Apparent Success is Part of its Inevitable Downfall   Sermon by Rev J De Hoog on Daniel 8 (part 2) Scripture Reading:  Romans 1:18-32 Suggested Hymns:  BoW 18:1,5,8; 14; 489   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. The vision in this Chapter comes to Daniel to give him some knowledge of the future. We studied this chapter last time, and we saw that it points to at least three specific futures. Remember the circumstances. Daniel receives this vision in the third...

Word of Salvation – Vol.50 No.17 – May 2005   Horns Broken, for God Rules   Sermon by Rev J De Hoog on Daniel 8  Scripture Reading:  2 Thessalonians 2 Suggested Hymns:  BoW 135b; 395; 72a; 388   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ... Daniel 8 is full of great encouragement and great warning. It is also quite mysterious. In order to do some justice to this chapter, I would like to devote two sermons to it. This morning [or substitute a date] I would like to give you the general meaning and an overview of this chapter. Then this evening...

Word of Salvation – Vol.50 No.13 – April 2005   The Colour Picture Book of World History Sermon by Rev J De Hoog on Daniel 7   Scripture Reading:  Revelation 5 Suggested Hymns:  BoW 155; 163; 527; 425   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. The second half of the book of Daniel is very different to the first half. The first half consists of stories, narratives. And they are some of the best-known stories in the Bible. We have Daniel and his friends refusing the king's food, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego surviving the fiery furnace, Nebuchadnezzar's insanity and change of...

Word of Salvation – Vol.50 No.9 – March 2005   The Lion's Den   Sermon by Rev J De Hoog on Daniel 6 Scripture Reading:  Hebrews 11:32- 12:3 Suggested Hymns:  BoW 159; 86:1,2,3,5; 478; 510   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ... Is this the most well-known story in the Bible? It probably is. It is probably one of the first stories we tell our children. Say the name "Daniel" and what comes to mind? "Lions' den"? Well, perhaps for some of us at least! It's a classic story, and one that can teach us a great deal. Daniel is now...

Word of Salvation – Vol.50 No.5 – February 2005   The Writing's on the Wall   Sermon by Rev J De Hoog on Daniel 5 Scripture Reading:  Psalm 75 Suggested Hymns:  BoW 72A; Rej 440; BoW 332; 247; 163   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ... Belshazzar is the rich fool of the Old Testament. The rich fool of Jesus' story accumulated wealth for himself until his barns were full, and then he sat back and said to himself, "'You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.' But God said...

Word of Salvation – Vol.50 No.1 – January 2005   The Moment of Truth   Sermon by Rev J De Hoog on Daniel 4 Scripture Readings:  Daniel 4 Suggested Hymns:  BoW 93a; 450; 441; 528; Rej 326   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ... Why should we read the Book of Daniel? Yes, it contains exciting stories like Daniel in the lion's den and Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego in the fiery furnace. But we don't read this book only for its exciting stories. We read this book because it is part of God's Word, because it contains the words of life,...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 49 No.45 – December 2004   What To Do When the Heat's Turned Up   Sermon by Rev J. De Hoog on Daniel 3 Scripture Readings:  2Corinthians 4 Suggested Hymns:  BoW 9:1,4,5; 371:1,3,6; 161; 359; 365:1,4   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Daniel Chapter 3, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego face a pretty stark question: 'Give up your faith or die!' They handle that question in a very faithful way. We are going to read through this chapter section by section. What can we learn from this account for ourselves? Let's set the context. Let's...

Word of Salvation – Vol.49 No.41 – November 2004   Dreaming of the End of Human Kingdoms   Sermon by Rev J De Hoog on Daniel 2  Scripture Readings: Daniel 2 Suggested Hymns: BoW 93a; 510; 72a; 515:1,4   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ... Daniel Chapter 2 is a long chapter with just the one message. There is one central reason why God has put this chapter into his Word. There is one great statement about God that He wants us to hear. What is it? What is the message of Daniel 2? Now I don't want to tell you...

Word of Salvation – Vol.49 No.37 – October 2004   There's No Such Thing As A Free Lunch!   Sermon by Rev J De Hoog on Daniel 1 Scripture Readings: Psalm 2 (Daniel 1 to be read as the sermon is read) Suggested Hymns: BoW 426; 459; 460:3,4; Rej 555; 355   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ... What kinds of thoughts do the words "hero" or "super hero" conjure up in your mind? Do you think of great deeds done in hugely trying circumstances, deeds of remarkable courage and tenacity done in the face of impossible odds? As a child...

Word of Salvation – Vol.49 No.33 – September 2004   How Shall We Sing the Lord's Songs in A Foreign Land?   Sermon by Rev J De Hoog on Daniel 1:1-2 (Introduction to the Book of Daniel)  Scripture Readings: Psalm 34; Daniel 1 Suggested Hymns: BoW 34a; 406; 145a:1-3; 145a:5-7; 425:1,4   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ... What kind of God are you serving? Are you serving a God who actually makes a difference in your life, a God whom you expect to make a difference in your life? Another way of asking this question is this: Are you praying?...