Category Archives: Divine Service Sermons
The Constituents of True Christianity
Scripture reading: 2 Corinthians 13:4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you. 5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
We want to let the Scriptures display before us what it means to have Christ in us and to be a true Christian. What are the constituents of a true Christian? The following quote has been very provoking to me and has caused me to share this message. Read the rest of this entry
Exploring the Elements of Courtesy
Scripture reading: 1 Peter 3:8 Finally, [be ye] all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, [be] pitiful, [be] courteous:
Do we know what courtesy is? Where are we going to find a perfect display of courtesy? We are told that we are to behold the glory of God, and that by beholding we will be changed. We are called to behold the character of God. He, the Majesty of heaven, has a character that we need to behold so that we will be changed into that same character, from character to character, from to glory to glory. Read the rest of this entry
The Source of a Dream
Scripture reading: Psalm 34:18 The LORD [is] nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. 19 Many [are] the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
Our present meditation is based upon a dream, the dream of a young man who was raised in the fear of God, a young man who revered the kingdom of heaven. When it comes to dreams, we puzzle sometimes. To devote a whole study to a dream? A dream can have many different sources. The dream we now want to contemplate is based on its source, and we ourselves are in a position to have the same source as that dream had. Read the rest of this entry
Commitment to the Cause
Scripture reading: Jude 3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort [you] that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
While pilgrims here we journey on
In this dark vale of sin and gloom,
We are pilgrims here, and what we have to meet is tribulation, hate, and scorn,
Till our returning king shall come
To take His exile captives home. Read the rest of this entry
Rejoicing in Salvation
Scripture reading: Psalm 126:1 When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. 2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. 3 The LORD hath done great things for us; [whereof] we are glad.
This is the admonition of God to us in the Bible:
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: [and] again I say, Rejoice. 5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord [is] at hand. 6 Be careful for nothing; Read the rest of this entry
Peace That Passeth Understanding
Scripture reading: Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Here is the introduction to this message: Read the rest of this entry
Easy to Be Entreated
Scripture reading: James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, [and] easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
Jesus said:
John 17:3 …this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Read the rest of this entry
The Shepherd of the Flock
Scripture reading: Isaiah 40:11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry [them] in his bosom, [and] shall gently lead those that are with young.
According to the Scriptures, Jesus is the Shepherd of the everlasting covenant. And the qualities of this shepherd touch us, because He cares for His flock. We are His sheep and have all gone astray; we have turned everyone to our own way. But as our Shepherd He reaches out for the sheep that has gone astray, and He does not treat it in a harsh manner because it has gone astray. He takes it into His bosom, and comforts it, and carries it home. We want to continue this meditation on the Shepherd of the flock. Read the rest of this entry
The Shepherd of the Everlasting Covenant
Scripture reading: Hebrews 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom [be] glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Wandering Sheep
God has likened His people to sheep. Do you like the idea that you and I are sheep? What do we know of sheep? They need to be fenced in, or they need a shepherd, someone that they can follow. The quality of a sheep is that it will follow the shepherd. We are living today in a time when sheep are fenced and sheep are driven by dogs and motorbikes and such like, and the sheep are jostled and pushed about. Or you see them in the big trucks with the legs sticking out, all uncomfortable. The lesson to be learned from sheep is very difficult to pick up today, because we don’t see them with shepherds. But Jesus was giving a story of a shepherd with his sheep as an object lesson for us. Read the rest of this entry
How Readest Thou?
Scripture reading: John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, [then] are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
How difficult it is today in the time in which we live to find assurance from the Bible. We are surrounded by an atmosphere of Bible interpretation instead of Bible reading. In this message we want to deal with the subject of how we read the Bible. Jesus had that problem in His day as well. When confronted by the theologians of His day, the priests of the very church regarding which He had said, Salvation is of the Jews; those priests of the Jews came to Him with all kinds of different questions, and it is phenomenal to learn from Him how to deal with all the questions of today. Read the rest of this entry
How to Enter into Peace
Scripture reading: John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
We know that there is a region of peace, but how to enter it is a subject that should capture our attention. We live today in the last days of this earth’s history and these are the conditions that surround us: Read the rest of this entry
God’s Dealing with the Divorced
Scripture reading: Matthew 12:7 But if ye had known what [this] meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
A Foundation Already Laid
Our purpose as a people is to stand true to the truths once unfolded to the Advent people. What we want to stand by and uphold is contained in the following words: Read the rest of this entry
I Change Not
Scripture reading: Malachi 3:6 For I [am] the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
We want to explore and meditate and contemplate the consequences of our commitment and our relationship with God, and the condition with which we are surrounded at this present time that prompt our great need to respond to Him.
We live today in a time of religious insecurity. There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number. There is a variety of different Christian teachings around us, virgins without number. And when God says, My dove, my undefiled is but one; it is a difficulty thing in today’s atmosphere to really get our minds absolutely clear. Read the rest of this entry
Wholehearted Christians
Scripture reading: Psalm 119:33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it [unto] the end. 34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with [my] whole heart. 35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.
What does it mean to be wholehearted Christians? We want to contemplate the position we hold as Christians, as Seventh-day Adventists, and what it involves for such people to be wholehearted. While we were away, during one weekend we were at a relative’s place, and we spent time with her. She attends a church in New South Wales which is known as a conservative Seventh-day Adventist church. We went there, and yes, we did find it conservative; not so mind-blowing to the system; and there was a preacher there who presented the subject of wholeheartedness. Read the rest of this entry
Comfort in the Storm
Scripture reading: Isaiah 51:12 I, [even] I, [am] he that comforteth you: who [art] thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man [that] shall die, and of the son of man [which] shall be made [as] grass;
Jesus has said, Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Many different thoughts come into play in these words, and the one we would like to examine is in reference to the perplexities and heartaches and negatives that are falling upon this planet in these last days, and which include us too; because we are living on Satan’s enchanted ground, and God is warning us as to what to expect and He is not stopping the negatives from happening to us, but He is providing us with strength to meet them, a comfort. The Lord Jesus must be with me; He must be my rock so that I can battle through those negatives that come our way. Read the rest of this entry
