Word of Salvation – Vol.52 No.7 - February 2007   Prepare For The Messiah   A Sermon by Rev John De Jongh on Matthew 3:1-12 Scripture Readings: Isaiah 40:1-11; Matthew 3:1-12   Dear Congregation. Introduction: What do you do when something big is about to happen, some dramatic change? Don't you prepare for it, so that you're ready when it comes? Kids, you know how that works. It's like when you know you're heading off to the beach, or the pool. What do you do? Don't you get your swimmers on, grab a towel, get your toys, your board - you...

Word of Salvation – Vol.52 No.11 - March 2007   Jesus Baptised with Water and Spirit   A Sermon by Rev John De Jongh on Matthew 3:13-17 Scripture Reading:  Ezekiel 1:1-3; 2:1-7; Matthew 3:13-17 Suggested Singing:  BoW 174; 198; 522; Rej 337; 489   Dear Congregation. There are some people who start out as just another face in the crowd, but who are destined for greater things. Einstein is an example - I think one of his teachers at school said that he would never amount to much - but as we know now, he was destined for greater things. And...

Word of Salvation - Vol.50 No.46 - December 2005   Why Has Jesus Become Non-Jewish, When He Was Born King of the Jews?   An Advent Sermon by Rev Martin Geluk on Matthew 2:2a Scripture Readings:   Matthew 2:1-12 Suggested Hymns:  BoW: 292; 315; 68:1,2; 527   Congregation. Don't you find it sad that Jesus and Jews now have so little to do with each other? Bethlehem is in Israel and everyone knows that it is the town where Jesus was born. But the people who come to Bethlehem to celebrate the birth of Jesus are mostly tourists from the western world....

Word of Salvation – Vol. 31 No. 43 – Nov 1986

Where Is He?

Sermon by Rev. K. Rietveld on Matthew 2:2

Reading: Matt. 1:18-2:6, 21:1-9

Singing: PsH. 336, 36, 348, Bow. Ps. 23, 339

Beloved in the Lord Jesus,

Most people I know have always had a soft spot for royalty.  Her majesty the queen has often had many people, her loyal subjects, standing for hours, waiting to get a bit of a glimpse, or catch a personal glance.  People will come from all over just to catch a glimpse of her, or if they are more fortunate, to have her say hello as she walks past.  More recently, Prince Charles and Lady Diana have received similar attention.

There is something special – something almost magical, if you wish, about meeting the King or Queen.

I wonder if the wise men from the east felt that ‘something special’ as they travelled towards Israel so long ago?

These men, who studied the stars, had seen a new star rise in the sky.  "A king has been born...!!  A very important king... and we must go to him... we must seek him, and bring him gifts, and bring him homage.”

Where is he, who has been born king of the Jews?

And so they set off on their journey, following the star... and it led them to Israel – to Judah, and to Jerusalem, the capital city.

Where is he?  Where is the king?  Where can we find him, for we want to worship him, and bring our gifts to him!!

News travels fast.  It wasn't too long before Herod the king heard about these men who had come into the city, asking questions.  For these were not ordinary men, that's for sure.  They were well to do, and from out of town – from another country.  And they were asking about the new king that had been born.  Where is he?

So Herod quickly called his wise men, the teachers and the priests, the ones who were supposed to know all these things, and he asked them where the Messiah would be born.

"In Bethlehem in Judea" they replied, and so Herod called these wise men the Magi, and sent them to Bethlehem.  The Scriptures had foretold that from Bethlehem would come a ruler who would be the shepherd of Israel.

"Go to Bethlehem, search there, and you will find him."

Where is He, who was born, King of the Jews...?

HE IS IN BETHLEHEM!!

Let us hasten to greet the King, the little Baby Jesus, born a child and yet a king.

Let us hasten with the wise men to Bethlehem to meet the Son of God, at whose birth the myriads of angels formed a heavenly choir to sing of His birth.  Let us hurry with the Shepherds and the wise men to bow before the crib, and pay homage to the King whose kingdom shall have no end.

Where is He, born King of the Jews?  He is in Bethlehem.  O come, let us adore Him, Christ the King!!!

WHERE IS HE, BORN KING OF THE JEWS?

WHAT?  Are you still seeking Jesus?

Have you not found Him in Bethlehem?

Then come with me, for surely, you have heard?  Surely you have seen?  Come, walk with me outside the city gate, come with me up the hill, the hill of death – the place of the skull.

LOOK.  LIFT UP YOUR EYES.  It is the cross in the middle.  Can you read that sign above it?  What does it say?

THIS IS JESUS – THE KING OF THE JEWS!

And He is dead!  Crucified by his own people.  The King of the Jews, nailed to the cross by the Jews.  He came unto His own, but His own received Him not.

Where is He, who was born King of the Jews?

HE IS ON THE CROSS OF CALVARY.  Paying with His own blood the ransom for His people.  Suffering the wrath of God against the sins of men.

And it's not too late to bow down before Him, and sing: O come let us adore Him, Christ, the King.

WHERE IS HE, WHO WAS BORN KING OF THE JEWS?

WHAT?  Are you still seeking Him?  Did you not find Him on Calvary's hill?

Then come with me, and look again.

The cross is now empty.

And come to the tomb, where they had laid His body.  That is empty too.  He is not here, He is risen!

Have you not heard?  Surely, you must have!

He has been taken up into heaven to be with His Father.  He has been exalted to the highest place!!

He is King indeed, and He sits on the throne in the highest heavens.  King Jesus has been given all authority, in heaven and upon earth.

God has raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion and every title that can be given in this age and the age to come.  God has placed all things under His feet.

God has exalted Him to the highest place and given Him the Name that is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow!

Where is He, born King of the Jews?

He reigns in heaven as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Break out and sing: O COME LET US ADORE HIM
                                    CHRIST THE KING – CHRIST THE LORD!!

WHERE IS HE, BORN KING OF THE JEWS?

WHAT?  Are you still looking?  Have you still not found Him?

Is that question still unanswered?

Perhaps you are still lingering at Bethlehem's stall?

Perhaps your King is still a little child?

How many people looking for the King of the Jews, looking for Jesus, looking for the only one who in whom they can find real peace, can go no further than the crib in Bethlehem.

They share a momentary joy, as they worship with the wise men and the shepherds in singing about Christ the King, about the little babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and in a manger laid.  But alas, how soon their hope and joy turns to emptiness when they leave the cradle for another year.

Dear friends, Jesus Christ is not to be found simply by remaining in Bethlehem!  You cannot stand beside a little crib and worship an innocent child.

YOU MUST MOVE ON, TO THE CROSS!

For the Christ of Bethlehem is also the Christ of Calvary.

And if you really want to find Him, then you must also bow humbly and penitentially at the foot of the cross before the Redeemer of the world: before the one who came to save His people from their sins.

Are you looking for Jesus?  Then you must look via the cross.  But alas, how many have come from the cradle to the cross, and then can go no further?  A King on a cross is foolishness to them, and their hopes and aspirations die with Jesus, and they find no King, no Saviour, no hope.

But He who would find the King must go on yet.  Still further.  From the cradle via the cross to the crown!

You must go to the one who was dead, but is alive forever-more to reign on the throne of David, over that never-ending kingdom.

And you must also kneel at His throne, and there bow the knee of your heart and life in submission to His Lordship.

You must enthrone Him in your heart.

Are you looking for the King?  Are you looking for the Prince of Peace?  Are you looking for the One who will bring meaning to your life and joy to your heart?

IN FAITH, DRAW NEAR TO BETHLEHEM'S CRADLE, AND GAZE IN AWE AT GOD'S GREATEST GIFT TO HUMANITY, AND WORSHIP THE INFANT REDEEMER.

BUT IN THAT SAME FAITH, DRAW NEAR TO CALVARY'S CROSS, AND CONFESS THAT JESUS CHRIST DIED ALSO FOR YOUR SINS, THAT HE SUFFERED THERE FOR YOU.

AND STILL IN FAITH, BOW BEFORE THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS, AND OFFER YOUR TOTAL BEING TO HIS SERVICE.

Then you have truly found the King.

WHERE IS HE WHO IS BORN KING OF THE JEWS??

HE DWELLS IN MY HEART AS GOD AND LORD.

COME, LET US ADORE HIM.  CHRIST THE KING!!

AMEN.

Word of Salvation - Vol.50 No.45 - December 2005   The Wise Men Who Missed the Saviour   A Short Christmas Sermon by Rev John De Hoog on Matthew 2:4-6  Scripture Reading:  Matthew 2:1-18   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of the Magi from the east to worship the infant Jesus is an account full of mystery. There is so much we don't know about these wise men or about the events surrounding their visit. A huge tradition of myth and legend has developed around this visit of the Magi. It is said that there were three of...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 42 No. 46 – December 1997   The Slaughter Of The Innocents   An Advent Sermon by Rev. R. M. Brenton on Matthew 2:16-18 Scripture Readings: Matthew 2:1-32   Brothers and Sisters. Here we have the story of the wise men from the East who followed the rising star to Judah, and then led by God's Word to the little city of Bethlehem.  There they found the one who had been born King of the Jews.  And they worshipped him. This story, as Evangelist Matthew tells it, says very little about the people of Bethlehem, among...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 39 No.48 – December 1994   That I Too May Go And Worship Him!   Sermon by: Rev. P. Abetz Readings: Micah 5:1-5 Matthew 2:1-12 Text: Matthew 2:1-12   Brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, We are quite used to travelling long distances.  Some of you who are here today to worship with us, have probably travelled quite some distance.  At Christmas many people take the opportunity to meet up with family and relatives.  To do that we think nothing of driving or flying a few thousand kilometres.  Business people fly from one side...

Word of Salvation – Vol.52 No.46 – December 2007   Jesus: King Of The Jews, King Of The Nations (A Christmas sermon)   A Sermon by Rev John De Jongh on Matthew 2:1-12 Reading: Luke 2:1-20 Songs: 264; 257; 270; 255; 282; 265   Dear congregation, family and friends... What is Christmas all about? Isn't it about remembering Jesus born in a stable to Mary and Joseph, laid in a manger, and celebrated by angels and shepherds? A surprising thing is that Matthew doesn't even mention most of those things. In fact he doesn't even describe the birth - it gets...

Word of Salvation – Vol.41 No.47 - December 1996   Christ Made Known To The Magi   A Christmas Sermon by Rev M P Geluk on Matthew 2:1-12 Scripture Reading: Psalm 72, Matthew 2:1-12 Suggested Hymns: BoW 255; 269; 72A; 283; 284   Congregation, We can ask three questions concerning the Magi, and when we have the answers, then it is possible that you will you know everything about them. First, who were they? Second, where did they come from? And third, what did they know? The frustrating thing is – we don't have the complete answers.  Very little is known...

Word of Salvation – Vol.52 No.47 – December 2007   Through Suffering Into Glory (A post-Christmas sermon)   A Sermon by Rev John De Jongh on Matthew 2:13-23 Reading: Jeremiah 31:1-17 Outline: Through Suffering into Glory 1: Jesus fulfils OT prophecy: Israel in Egypt 2: Jesus fulfils OT prophecy: Israel in exile 3: Jesus fulfils OT prophecy: The suffering servant And so: Trust in this Messiah, so that through sharing in his suffering you may also share in his glory Songs: Rej 337; Rej 458; 176; 357; 530   Dear congregation... What is it that people say? Nothing good comes easy....

Word of Salvation – Vol. 21 No. 32 - April 1975   What Is Christianity?   Sermon by Rev. C. Moerman, Th.Grad. on Luke 9:23-26 Scripture Reading: Hebrews 10: 23-39; Luke 9:18-26 Psalter Hymnal: 301:1,2 and 4; 251:1 and 2 (after Law);                          198:1,2 and 3 (after Creed); 456: 1 and 4;                          457: all; 125:4 (doxology)   Congregation of Jesus, young and old, Australia a CHRISTIAN country;             many churches with open doors;             spires pointing to heaven,             with at the very tops crosses reminding us of the Calvary of Christ. Parliament – I believe – still opens with...

Word of Salvation – Vol.38 No.41 - November 1993   Discipleship: Call, Cost and Commitment   Sermon by Rev. J. W. Westendorp on Luke 9:57-62 Scripture Reading: John 1:35-51, Luke 9:57-62   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, There are different kinds of 'Jesus-followers'.  Some follow Jesus the way they followed the Gulf War.  They are interested, even fascinated.  And they want to stay informed of progress.  But there is no involvement.  They are not bound to Jesus in love and obedience. We read of people like this in John 6:66.  When Jesus began to say hard things, they soon left...

Word of Salvation – Vol.41 No.45 - December 1996   A Saviour Has Been Born To You   A Christmas Sermon by Rev R. M. Brenton on Luke 2:8-20   Dear Brothers and Sisters, Way back in the olden days, when my parents were having their children, it was the custom for the expecting father to pace the waiting room floor, nervously biting his nails, while the mother laboured in the delivery room to bring forth the baby.  In those days the father was seen as an obstacle to baby's birth.  He was unwanted in the delivery room, and so was...

Word of Salvation – Vol.41 No.48 – December 1996   Glory To God For Bringing Peace To Men   A Christmas Sermon by Rev M P Geluk on Luke 2:14 Scripture Readings: Matthew 24:36-44; Luke 2:8-20 Suggested Hymns: Bow: 252; 272; 276; 279; 337; 265   Congregation, Shepherds in the field at night watching over their flocks and surrounded by many angels.  It's not hard for us to picture this scene because we have all seen it many times on Christmas cards and in nativity scenes.  Whether every one of those artists have imagined the scene correctly, going by the description...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 45 No.46 – December 2000   Glory to God... and on Earth Peace   A Christmas Sermon by Rev J Zuidema on Luke 2:14 Scripture Readings: Revelation 5; Luke 2:1-20 Suggested Hymns: BoW 255; 259; 268; 271; 279; 270; 265   Beloved people of God. It is without doubt that if you are a Christian then you have much to sing about.  Not just on Christmas day, but every moment of every day.  We can sing about the glorious birth of our Saviour and the ramifications of that birth.  We sing because we celebrate God's indescribable...

Word of Salvation – Vol.43 No.46 - December 1998   On Earth Peace to Men   A Christmas Sermon by Rev D K Baird on Luke 2:14 Scripture Readings: Luke 2:8-15; Galatians 4:1-7 Suggested Hymns: BOW 264; 262; 276; 256; 268; 265   Brothers and Sisters in Christ. As you drive onto Kooragang Island, on the northern edge of Newcastle (NSW), you pass a BHP slag heap on your left.  Along the top of the slag heap four sculptures have been erected in a line.  It is a TAFE project funded by a local television station. The four sculptures depict the...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 42 No. 47 – December 1997   The Decree Of Caesar Augustus   An Advent or Christmas Sermon             by Rev. M. P. Geluk on Luke 2:1 Scripture Readings: Micah 5:2; Luke 2:1-7 Suggested Hymns: BoW 264; 176 & 251; 285; 268; 271; 247; 265   Brothers and Sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ. The earthly ministry of Jesus and the mission work of the apostles took place in the time of the Roman Empire.  And there are two Romans who have been known to Christianity for as long as the New Testament church has existed,...

Word of Salvation – Vol.43 No.48 - December 1998   The Gospel in Judah   A Christmas Sermon by Dr N K Weeks on Luke 2:1-20 Scripture Reading: Luke 2:1-20   Dear Congregation. You are probably familiar with the fact that Christ was born in Bethlehem, and if you rack your brains a little, you could tell me that Bethlehem was in the tribal territory of Judah, because David was of the tribe of Judah and Jesus was born of David's line. You may not have thought about an equally simple fact of geography.  The gospels have no record of a...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 49 No.46 – December 2004   The Hidden Christ and His Sign   Sermon by Rev M Geluk on Luke 2:12 Scripture Reading: Luke 2:1-18 Suggested Hymns: BoW: 264; 268; 251; 247; 255; 276; 265   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Throughout the Bible times, shepherds were ordinary people. Their job was as common as today's carpenters and mechanics. And it was to shepherds that all of a sudden an angel of the Lord appeared. Not to the teachers of the law and the scribes, not to the high priest or king or some high...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 39 No.41 – November 1994   The Shepherds' Reaction   Christmas Sermon by Rev. H. O. Berends on Luke 2:8-20   Brothers and sisters, young people, I find it very interesting, when I look at the various accounts of the birth of Jesus, to study the reactions, the attitudes of the people and groups of people involved in this.  There are Joseph and Mary, for instance, the earthly parents of Jesus. Joseph obeys the angel and takes Mary as his wife and is willing to accept this child of his own in humility and obedience. And...