No doubt you have heard this said quite a few times. I would speculate that you will have heard it most in the context of some pseudo-psychologist advising people how to be a better person. At least, when I think back to those occasions I have heard this piece of advice it has been on some self help program on television or in a book in which the author claims to have a special life lesson to impart to others. I also recall having heard it from some men and a few women, who have presented themselves as preachers in churches,...

Word of Salvation – Vol.51 No.38 - October 2006   First Love   A Sermon by Rev Albert Esselbrugge on Revelation 2:1-7 Scripture Reading:  Jeremiah 2:1-9   Brothers and sisters, young people, boys and girls. We're dipping our toes this morning into what is probably the most difficult of all the books of the Bible. We are doing this because we've been looking together over several previous Sundays at what the marks of the true Church of the Lord Jesus Christ are. Let me remind you of them: A true church of the Lord Jesus Christ is: 1. A church which...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 51 No.29 – December 2006   Willing To Go   A Sermon by Rev Albert Esselbrugge on Acts 13:1-4 Scripture Readings:  1-12; Matthew 28:16-28   Brothers and sisters, young people, boys and girls. The New Testament teaches us that there is a certain set of characteristics which marks out the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. We could call these the "marks of the church". How can you recognise a true church? These marks help us. A true church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a church which is devoted to the Word of God as...

Word of Salvation – Vol.51 No.26 - July 2006   Hearing with Attention   A Sermon by Rev Albert Esselbrugge on Mark 4:24 Scripture Readings:  Psalm 119:33-56; Mark 4:1-25   Brothers and sisters, young people, boys and girls. In the verse we are looking at today, our Lord calls on all His people to use their ears wisely - to use discrimination in what we hear, so that the truth and only the truth is what we seek to fill our minds with. We are looking at this in the context of what we have been addressing lately as the marks...

Word of Salvation – Vol.51 No.22 – June 2006   Organising the Church   A Sermon by Rev Albert Esselbrugge on Acts 6:1-7 Scripture Reading:  Isaiah 55   Brothers and sisters, young people, boys and girls. The New Testament church as we see it here in these early chapters of Acts was a church going places. It was booming in numbers and growing at a phenomenal rate. It's been estimated that by the time we get to chapter 6 of Acts the New Testament church had grown from that initial 120 disciples that met in the upper room at Pentecost, to...

Word of Salvation – Vol.51 No.18 – April 2006   A New Testament Church   A Sermon by Rev Albert Esselbrugge on Acts 2:41-47 Scripture Readings:  Psalm 66; Acts 2:36-47   Brothers and sisters, young people, boys and girls. Many of us are concerned, perhaps even worried, about the church in general and the state of Christianity in the world. Some of us are concerned over the state of the Reformed and Christian Reformed Churches, especially some particular congregations and where they are headed - doctrinally and in worship practices. It will be good for us to have a look at...

Word of Salvation – Vol.50 No.12 – March 2005   The Way of Salvation   Sermon by Rev A Esselbrugge on Isaiah 30:15  Scripture Reading:  Isaiah 30   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ... In Isaiah 30:15 we have a marvellous offer of grace and mercy from the hand of Almighty God, and today we want to focus on that offer. But before we do that, we need to observe a few things about what is happening here in this chapter. There is always a danger that we lift a few sentences out of the Bible, and lift them out of...

Word of Salvation – Vol.49 No.27 – July 2004 - and reprinted in: Word of Salvation – Vol.51 No.34 – September 2006   The Agony of Reaching Those Who Know   A Sermon by Rev Albert Esselbrugge on Acts 26:27-29 Scripture Readings:  Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:14; Acts 25:23-26:3; 26:19-32   Brothers and sisters, young people, boys and girls. We often speak about the teaching of the Bible and the Lord's great commission for His people to be involved in proclaiming the gospel to the world, and not being afraid as we do so. But what we want to do now is to take up...