The Heidelberg Catechism - The Foundations Of Our Faith

TEXT: John Newton MUSIC: Alexander Reinagle ,  Bill Moore 1. How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds In a believer's ear! It soothes his sorrow, heals his wounds,  And drives away his fear. 2. It makes the wounded spirit whole,  And calms the troubled breast; 'Tis manna to the hungry soul,  And to the weary, rest.  3. Dear Name, the rock on which I build, My shield and hiding place,  My never failing treasury, filled  With boundless stores of grace! 4. By Thee, my prayers acceptance gain, Although with sin defiled; Satan accuses me in vain,  And I am owned a child. 5. Jesus, my Shepherd, Brother, Friend, My Prophet, Priest, and King,  My Lord, my life, my way, my end,  Accept the praise I bring. 6. Weak is the effort of my heart, And cold my warmest thought;  But when I see Thee as Thou art,  I'll pra...

Our beautiful granddaughters Today we had half a day with our lovely kind loving daughter Beth and her two beautiful children Ella (4) and Mila (2). It moved me deeply when little Ella came and brought me over her mum’s book of poems by Sally Lloyd Jones “ pop, do you know Jesus?” I cannot begin to say how much it moved my heart that my granddaughter asked me that question. “Yes I do Sweet Ella” her confidence and trust overflowed her young heart. “We will one day be with grandma in heaven with Jesus. She is there now with Jesus.” Her dad’s mum had passed into glory just two years before. And how she missed her. Her simple faith as a child “Do you know Jesus ?” She did. Her simple witness. “Do you know Jesus?” Pop it’s for you We are permitted not simply to know about Him, but to know Him, not only to read of His excellency and beauty in the Book, but to have fellowship with the Apostles, who saw, heard, beheld, and handled the Word of Life. 1 John 1 That which was from the be...

the Hebrew the difference between the words  "wait " and "sing," as appearing in this passage,  is very slight. They are spelt, indeed, alike,  with the exception of a single letter. The  parallelism, therefore, between these two verses  is very marked.  9. Upon Thee, 0 my strength, I will wait,  For God is my high tower.  17. Unto Thee, 0 my strength, I will sing,  For God is my high tower,  The inscription indicates the occasion on which this Psalm,  one of the oldest, was written. "A Psalm of David : when  Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him." The.  allusions of the Psalm substantiate this title, especially that  of the sixth and fourteenth verses, in which the Psalmist  compares the troop of soldiers, bitten with their master's  spleen, who encamped around his house, belching out their  ...

Philippians 3:17-21 Do not disturb:  I am disturbed enough already! Don’t Let Them Mess With Your Head Phil 3:15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.         The Earthly Minded  vs The Heavenly Minded They are enemies of the cross of Christ:19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame --- who set their mind on earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ Antagonistic Enemies Their Appetites   -bellies                            Their  Affections  Re...

During the months ahead you can expect that your courage will be tested. You'll face a wall you don't think you can get over, a battle you don't think you can win, or an obstacle you don't think you can get beyond. You've probably thought about that battle today. It may have robbed you of sleep last night or preoccupied your thoughts in random moments. Your "opponent" may be someone in your community, in your congregation, or among your leadership. It may be a battle with pride, anger, some habit, or perhaps a secret addiction. Whatever the challenge, the battle you face right now looks impossible to overcome. You may be right. You may not ever be able to win this battle because you're fighting the wrong way, using the wrong strategy. We were raised to match strength for strength. If the opponent is strong, we must be stronger. If he is smart, we must be smarter. The only way to win is through intimidation. All of this is true, of...

But wait…. I just told you where not to park.  I need to tell you where to park. 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. 2:8 the death of the cross.9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. We live in a topsy turvy world.  If you seek to be first you will be last in God’s sight. Mk 9:35 If you seek to win you lose, and if you seek to lose you win Mk 10:25 If you seek to serve you will reign. Mk 10:35-45 Wait.. so if I really want to reign I gotta serve right...

Philippians 3 The Enemies Of The Gospel Philippians 3:17-21 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame --- who set their mind on earthly things.20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.   Paul has already warned against those who pervert the gospel of Christ.  He has called them: Beware of: The Dogs, The Evil Workers, The Mutilation.  He now has either another category or a summation the enemies of the gospel.     Paul has struggled with his d...

Counselling as a profession was only really established in the UK in the 1960’s.  By 1970 there were a few hundred.  At the turn of the century, it was around 20,000.  But today it is estimated that there between 80-100,000.  In Australia the number is 40,000 – a doubling in the past 15 years.  It seems that counselling is in vogue.   We are a counsel culture.    One of the reasons for the increase is that the number of issues we can receive counselling for keeps increasing.    We have moved from counselling for the trauma of death, horrific accidents and terrible abuse, to counselling for hurt feelings, ‘harmful’ words and even political results.  When Trump was elected in 2016, some school districts in the US offered professional counselling to their students (it is unlikely they would have done so if Hillary Clinton had been elected). I suspect that if Pauline Hanson spoke at Sydney University, counselling could be ...

Philippians 3:17-21 ESV Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. [18] For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. [19] Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. [20] But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, [21] who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. Paul has struggled with his detractors.  Some years ago my daughters gave me a little sign for my office door that I could not put up.   “Do not disturb: I am already disturbed enough!” I was in a struggle with detractors that included: A pedophile network that expressed anger at my refusal to participate in fellowship activities with them.  Denomina...