Word of Salvation – Vol. 35 No. 45 – December 1990   Murder   Sermon by Rev. M. P. Geluk on Lord's Day 40 (Ex. 20:13) Readings: Genesis 4:1-12; 1 John 3:11-16   The three alcoholics sat together in the park sometimes.  Their mutual enslavement to liquor, and the many problems that come with it, had forged a common bond between them.  But each one of them also lived in a world of personal loneliness and misery. They had no fixed address.  When the nights were cold and wet they would sometimes stay overnight at a nearby hostel that took in...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 36 No. 1 – January 1991   God’s Will Concerning Human Sexuality   Sermon by Rev. M. P. Geluk on Lord's Day 41 Scripture Readings: Genesis 2:18-25;             Matthew 5:27-30; 1Corinthians 7:1-9; 32-35   There is no denying that this generation continues to be heavily exposed to sexuality.  Along with books and magazines on food and cooking, cars and electronics, the shops also have an ample display of materials dealing explicitly with sex.  Quite often the sex magazines are cleverly placed so that the person coming into the shop cannot miss seeing them.  But it is...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 42 No. 48 – December 1997   God So Loved The World!   A New Year's Eve/Day Sermon by Rev. M. P. Geluk on John 3:16 Scripture Readings: Luke 21:25-38; Ephesians 6:10-18 Suggested Hymns BoW 206; 464; 370; 243   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. As another year draws to its close, let us look at this rather familiar text – John 3:16.  It's one of those Scripture verses that has been put to music, we have it in our Songbook and we'll sing it again in this our last worship service of the year. ...

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. 40 No.47 – December 1995   When God Takes Notice Of Us - Christmas (or Advent) Sermon -   Sermon by Rev. M. P. Geluk on Luke 1:48a Scripture Readings: Revelation 4:1-11; 5:9-14; Luke 1:46-55 Suggested Hymns: BoW 284; 271; 246; 331; 337; 265   Dear Congregation. The church of Jesus Christ must celebrate the birth of the Saviour with deep humility.  Christmas is not a time to be arrogant and boastful.  We are remembering God's coming to earth to save sinners like us. When Mary heard that this greatest of all events was to take...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 39 No.46 – December 1994   From Abraham through David to Christ   Sermon for Advent by: Rev. M.P. Geluk on Matthew 1:17 Readings: Revelation 11:1-14 Matthew 1:1-17   Congregation, beloved in Christ, It might not seem that way but our text, verse 17, speaks about the coming of Christ into the world.  That, of course, is what Christmas is all about.  And with the words of our text, Matthew was aiming to comfort the church with the coming of Jesus Christ. Matthew, the former tax collector, wrote his gospel in the second half of the...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 39 No.43 – November 1994   Coming Out Of Darkness To Jesus The Light   Sermon: by Rev. M.P. Geluk Text: John 8:12 Reading: Ephesians 5:3-20   Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ, The Feast Of Tabernacles was one of the great annual religious celebrations prescribed by God in the Old Testament.  Held every October, it was a feast of thanksgiving for the harvest and lasted several days. But the feast also commemorated God's guidance to Israel's forefathers through the wilderness and into the Promised Land.  A number of ceremonies were held to highlight God's dealings...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 44 No.16 – April 1999   Assurance – True & False   Sermon by Rev M.P. Geluk on Lord's Day 1a (Heid.Cat. Q&A 1) Scripture Reading: 2Corinthians 4 Suggested Hymns: BoW 9; 207 & 211; 23; 138   Beloved Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we speak of belonging to Christ as the only comfort there is, like Lord's Day 1 does, then it means that this kind of comfort provides us with true assurance.  But it also implies that there are other assurances which are false.  In fact, it's not so much a question...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 44 No.20 – May 1999   What We Need to Know to Have Assurance of Salvation   Sermon by Rev M.P. Geluk on Lord's Day 1b (Heid.Cat. Q&A 2) Scripture Reading: Hosea 4:1-9; Luke 18:18-30 Suggested Hymns: BoW 374; 393; 419; 27:1, 2, 10   Beloved Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. The first question and answer of the Heidelberg Catechism makes it clear that the only true comfort a Christian believer has in life and death is to totally belong to Jesus Christ.  But to say that a believer can have such an assurance is...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 44 No.28 – July 1999   God and Our Human Misery   Sermon by Rev M. P. Geluk on Lord's Day 3a (Heid.Cat. Q&A 6) Scripture Reading: Genesis 1:26-31; Psalm 8 Suggested Hymns: BoW 420; 8a; 389; 533   Beloved Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. We discover what our human nature is like from the biblical doctrine of sin.  Without this teaching from God's Word as to what we are really like, we will never become enthusiastic about Christ.  Everyone needs to be saved by Christ but not everyone wants to be saved because they...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 44 No.36 – September 1999   The Fall of Man (2)   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 3c (Heid.Cat. Q&A 7-8) Scripture Reading: Genesis 3; 1Corinthians 15:45-58 Suggested Hymns: BoW 180; 176; 435; 392; 404; 525   Beloved Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. In a previous sermon we saw why it is very important to regard and defend Genesis 1-3 as being historical and not to see these chapters about the creation and the fall of man into sin as a myth or a fable, nor symbolic.  We also looked at the...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 45 No.48 – December 2000   Our Death in the Death of Christ   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 16A (Q&A 40-43 Heid Cat) Scripture Readings: 2Sam 18:31-19:4; 2Sam 12:13-23; Eph 2:1-10 Suggested Hymns: BoW 153; 51A; 116:1-3; 193; 9:1,5; 533   Beloved in the Lord. The death of Christ is most central to our historic Christian faith.  We will look at three aspects of Christ's death: 1.  Its essence 2.  Its cause; and 3.  Its results. 1.  The Essence of Christ's Death What is death really?  I have seen several dead people...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 45 No.44 – November 2000   Why Christ Suffered Under Human Justice and Died by Crucifixion   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 15B (Q&A 38 & 39 Heid Cat) Scripture Reading: Matthew 27:11 – 26 Suggested Hymns: BoW 392; 398; 300; 242   Beloved in the Lord. When we dealt with Lord's Day 15 last time we focussed mainly on the suffering of Christ.  We also looked at human suffering in general and tried to understand something of it in the light of sin in an imperfect world.  We also saw that the...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 45 No.40 – October 2000   God's Only-begotten Son, The Suffering of Christ   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 15A (Q&A 37 Heid Cat) Scripture Readings: Mark 15: 12-20; 2Corinthians 1: 3-7 Suggested Hymns: BoW 22A; 398; 206; 381:1, 5, 6, 7   Beloved in the Lord. Following the order of the Apostles' Creed, the Heidelberg Catechism goes from the birth of Christ to the suffering of Christ. Among all the sufferers in the world, the Lord Jesus stands "as a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering.”  These familiar words come from...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 45 No.24 – June 2000   How Christ Makes Men Whole   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 12A (Heidelberg Catechism) Scripture Readings: Ecclesiastes 1; 1 John 1:1-4; 2:15-17 Suggested Hymns: BoW 67; 378:1,2,5-7; 418; 160   Beloved in the Lord. Last time we heard that the name Jesus is a personal name and it means 'Saviour'.  Its Old Testament form was Joshua.  Now we hear that Christ is Jesus' official name and it means ‘anointed'.  Jesus was anointed to be the Christ.  A teacher may be appointed principal, which then becomes his title...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 45 No.20 – May 2000   The Name Jesus   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 11 (Heidelberg Catechism) Scripture Readings: Zechariah 3; 1 John 5:1-12 Suggested Hymns: BOW 190; 409; 208 & 209; 397   Beloved in the Lord. We are looking at the article in the Apostles' Creed that says: I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord.  This is followed by a number of other statements that sum up the Person and Work of Christ. Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ! What we believe concerning Christ is a most important...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 45 No.12 – March 2000   Why Do We Believe in God the Father?   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 9 (Heidelberg Catechism) Scripture Reading: Isaiah 40:21-31; Matthew 6:25-34 Suggested Hymns: BoW 198; 361; 103a; 91   Beloved in the Lord. Lord's Day 9 of the Catechism leads us into the articles of the Apostles' Creed.  The first article says: “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth."  All of us have confessed this many times.  We do it when we recite the Creed, when we discuss our faith,...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 46 No.12 – March 2001   Christ's Ascension   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 18 (Q&A 46-49 Heid Cat) Scripture Reading: Acts 1:1-11 Suggested Singing: BOW 2; 454:6; 330; 326; 334; 331   Beloved in the Lord. Whenever we confess our faith with the words of the Apostles' Creed, we also say "He ascended into heaven.”  The Heidelberg Catechism is asking us: What do you mean by that?  What are you saying when you confess that Christ ascended into heaven?  The shortest and easiest answer is that Christ, while His disciples watched, was...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 46 No.16 – April 2001   Christ's Rule From Heaven   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 19A (Q&A 50-51 Heid Cat) Scripture Readings: Psalm 113; Revelation 12 Suggested Hymns: BoW 72b; 520; 515:1,2,3; 68:9   Beloved in the Lord. The ascension of Christ into heaven closed off the earthly part of His work as Saviour and it marked the beginning of His work as Saviour from heaven.  Christ's ascension is really His coronation.  God the Father crowned Him with honour and glory.  From heaven Christ now rules over the whole earth to enable...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 46 No.28 – July 2001   The Church of Jesus Christ   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 21A (Q&A 54 Heid Cat) Scripture Readings: John 10:1-16; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3   Beloved in the Lord. The Bible refers several times to the church of Jesus Christ as a building.  And to many the Christian church has fallen into a state of disrepair.  It struggles to survive.  In many places the church experiences a declining membership.  Internal divisions often trouble her.  Sometimes she has a bad reputation because of un-Christian behaviour within her.  It is...