Judges 1:27-36 — The LORD had been very clear with His people. When they took possession of their Promised Land they were “to utterly destroy” the Canaanite nations. Israel’s conquest of Canaan would be the means by which God judged these pagan people for their utter depravity and rebellion. Israel enjoyed spectacular success under Joshua’s leadership…
Exodus 1:15-21 — In Egypt Pharaoh’s word was law. He had the power of life and death. So when he ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill all male children at birth what were they going to do? What would drive their decision? — The fear of Pharaoh or the fear of the LORD? As we consider…
Nehemiah 1:1-4 — The great work that God performed through Nehemiah began with a great work in Nehemiah and that’s what we see in these opening verses. Nehemiah received a report concerning life in Jerusalem and it wasn’t good. God’s people were suffering and this moved Nehemiah to tears. As we consider Nehemiah’s response we…
Exodus 1:6-14 — After centuries in Egypt circumstances changed dramatically for the Children of Israel. A new Pharaoh decided to turn on this group of people that had grown rapidly. He made them slaves and subjected to them to a regime of terrible violence and brutality. These were God’s chosen people, so why did He allow…
Jeremiah 42 — In this chapter we meet a remnant in Judah who survived not only the atrocities committed by the Chaldeans but also the murderous activities of a warlord named Ishmael. Their leaders were ready to take them into Egypt in the hopes of finding safety, security and economic opportunity but before they departed, they…
Romans 5:3-4 — Sometimes it seems as though all we have to rejoice in as Christians are those things that await us in the future. We feel like we have to grit our teeth and somehow make it through this life while trying to keep our eyes fixed on the glory that is to come. Is…
James 1:22-25 — When does a sermon finish? The obvious answer is when the preacher says “Amen” and stops talking, but this is incorrect for it’s then, for the hearer, that the sermon really begins! In this message Pastor Brendan explains what we must do to ensure we receive all that God for intends for us from the…
Jeremiah 22:13-19 — King Jehoiakim was a man driven by greed and in this short text we see what his greed led to. He exploited and oppressed his own people. He perpetrated violence and murder and as a consequence God ensured he died a shameful death. Jehoiakim’s life stands as a warning about the deadly dangers…
Psalm 130:3-4 — “If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?…” What if God noted down our sins and never remitted them? What if they continued to pile up over the years? How could any of us stand before Him on the Day of Judgment? This is a fearful thought and it does us…
Romans 12:9a — “Let love be without dissimulation.” “Fake news” is a term that we’re all getting used to. It describes a real phenomenon that’s swirling around the world of social media and it’s also a term that certain politicians use to dismiss unflattering news stories. More than ever we need a healthy level of scepticism…