Word of Salvation – Vol. 46 No.36 – September 2001   Forgiveness of Sins   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 21 (Q&A 56 Heid Cat) Scripture Reading: Psalm 32 Suggested Hymns: BoW 186; 384, 419; 32   Beloved in the Lord. The subject of forgiveness of sins is very close to the heart of every Christian believer.  When our conscience accuses us of wrongs done, then the Spirit of God doesn't leave us alone until we bow before God in prayer to confess those wrongs and ask for forgiveness.  In fact, prayer does not go well when there...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 47 No.20 – May 2002   The Proper Celebration of the Lord's Supper   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 30 (Q&A 80-92 Heid Cat) Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 Suggested Hymns: BoW 159; 321; 32:1,3,4; 117   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. In this sermon we give our attention to further Scriptural teachings on the Lord's Supper, as summarised for us in Lord's Day 30 of the Heidelberg Catechism.  These deals with THE PROPER CELEBRATION OF THE LORD'S SUPPER.  There are several things for us here to consider, the first of which...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 47 No.16 – April 2002   The Lord's Supper   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 28 & 29 (Q&A 75-79 Heid Cat) Scripture Readings: Exodus 12:1-13; Matthew 26:17-30 Suggested Hymns: BOW 153:1,2; 224:1,2; 228:1,2; 178:1,2,3; 531   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ.  In our sermons on Christian doctrines we are still dealing with the sacraments.  With the help of the Heidelberg Catechism we have looked at baptism, and now we turn our attention to the Lord's Supper.  Remember that the purpose of the sacraments is to strengthen faith.  Faith is born through...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 47 No.12 – March 2002   God Moves Us to Faith Through Baptism   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 27B (Q&A 74 Heid Cat) Scripture Readings: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; 1 Peter 3:13-22 Suggested Hymns: BoW 89b; 487:1,2; 196; 105:5,6   Beloved in the Lord. May you truly believe that you are a child of God?  May you really believe that God has forgiven your sins?  Are you certain that you are a Christian?  These questions, of course, have to do with assurance of salvation.  Some will give a positive 'yes' and base their...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 47 No.32 – August 2002   Thankfulness and Conversion   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 33 (Q&A 88-91 Heid Cat) Scripture Reading: Romans 6:1-14 Suggested Hymns: BoW 92; 469; 174; 215   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. By the grace of God, sinners who repent and believe are taken out of the swamp and placed on higher ground.  Remember how, last time, we used that illustration to picture the transformation from the darkness of sin into the light of Christ?  The term that describes that change is conversion.  The classic example of...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 45 No.32 – August 2000   God's Only-begotten Son, Our Brother and Our Lord   Sermon by Rev M P Geluk on Lord's Day 13 (Heidelberg Catechism) Scripture Readings: Hebrews 1:1-9; 1John 2:28 - 3:10 Suggested Hymns: BoW 96; 198; 330; 135:1, 2, 9, 10   Beloved in the Lord. We confess our faith in Christ as God's only Son, our Lord.  It's now for us to know what these titles of Christ mean for our salvation.  Lord's Day 13 brings us Scripture's teaching about GOD'S ONLY-BEGOTTEN SON, OUR BROTHER AND OUR LORD. 1.  The Bible...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 44 No.40 – October 1999   The Justice of God   Sermon by Rev M P Geluk on Lord's Day 4 (Heid.Cat. Q&A 9-11) Scripture Reading: Romans 1:18-32; 2:1-11 Suggested Hymns: BoW 500; 181; 67; 334   Beloved Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Before the Heidelberg Catechism moves on to the great and wonderful subject of the deliverance from sin, it has one more Lord's Day on the doctrine of sin.  It's Lord's Day 4 and it takes in the Bible's teaching on the justice of God. One is not finished with the doctrine of...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 44 No.32 – August 1999   The Fall of Man (1)   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 3b (Heid.Cat. Q&A 7-8) Scripture Reading: Genesis 3; Romans 5:12-19 Suggested Hymns: BoW 462; 427; 376; 372; 241 Beloved Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. We learn why people have sinful natures from the Word of God about the doctrine of sin, and Question 6 of the Catechism asks if God perhaps created man so wicked and perverse.  This kind of question arises because quite often people will not accept responsibility for their sinful actions.  They...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 46 No.24 – June 2001   The Holy Spirit   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 20 (Q&A 53 Heid Cat) Scripture Readings: John 14:15-18; 25-27; John 16:5-16 Suggested Hymns: BoW 341; 104:1,2,13; 345; 207; 209   Beloved in the Lord. The Heidelberg Catechism deals with the doctrine of Christ in eight Lord's Days, or 23 Questions and Answers.  But there is only one Lord's Day or just one Question and Answer on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.  But before you think that the Catechism did not rate the Holy Spirit very highly,...

Word of Salvation – Vol.47 No.8 – February 2002   Baptism As A Sign and Seal of Christ's Salvation   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 26 & 27A (Q&A 69-73 Heid Cat) Scripture Readings: Genesis 17: 1-14; Romans 4: 7-12 Suggested Hymns: BoW 66:1,2; 365; 105:1,5,6; 196   Beloved congregation. We are turning our attention to Baptism.  As we do so, then keep in mind the overall purpose of the sacraments.  They do not give us faith.  The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God, not the sacraments, to put faith in the hearts of men.  But God...

Word of Salvation – Vol.47 No.24 – June 2002   The Keys of the Kingdom   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 31 (Q&A 83-85 Heidelberg Catechism) Scripture Readings: Ezekiel 33:1-9; Matthew 16:13-19; 18:15-18 Suggested Hymns: BoW 29:1,2,5; 103A; 484; 434   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. In a previous sermon, we saw that the church is responsible for the oversight of the Lord's Supper.  That's probably where it is most obvious that the elders of the church have authority to admit or refuse participation.  But oversight by the elders also extends to the other sacrament, baptism, to...

Word of Salvation – Vol.47 No.36 – September 2002   How We Must See the Ten Commandments   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 34a (Q&A 92-93 Heid Cat) Scripture Readings: Psalm 119:1-20; Romans 13:8-14 Suggested Hymns: BoW 92; 207; 119a; 454:4, 8   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. We've come to that part in the Heidelberg Catechism where we look at each of the Ten Commandments.  But before we do that, let us see how we must look at the Ten Commandments as a whole. 1.  With Joy and Thankfulness  A few moments ago we read from...

Word of Salvation – Vol.47 No.44 – November 2002   Do Not Make a Likeness of God Other than Christ   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 35 (Q&A 96-98 Heid Cat) & Exodus 20:4-7 Scripture Readings: Deuteronomy 4:15-31; Hebrews 12:18-29 Suggested Hymns: BoW 153; 138; 92; 527   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. The best way to distinguish the second commandment from the first is to say that that first commandment is about whom we must worship and the second about how we must worship.  The first commandment says, "Do not worship any other gods, for there...

Word of Salvation – Vol.44 No.24 – June 1999   The Law of God and Our Human Misery   Sermon by Rev M.P. Geluk on Lord's Day 2 (Heid.Cat. Q&A 3-5) Scripture Reading: Romans 7:7-25 Suggested Hymns: BoW 63A; 348; 301; 529   Beloved Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. With Lord's Day 2 the Heidelberg Catechism begins to look at human misery.  The Catechism is divided into three parts and we're now in Part One.  It deals with sin, it's origin, nature and power. Surprisingly the Catechism only spends three Lord's Days on this subject.  With Lord's Day 5 it...

Word of Salvation – Vol.46 No.32 - August 2001   The Communion of Saints – the Church's Body Life   Sermon by Rev MP Geluk on Lord's Day 21B (Q&A 55 Heid Cat) Scripture Readings: 1 Corinthians 13; Philippians 2:1-11 Suggested Hymns: BoW 217; 51:3; 73:1,2,3; 428; 451   Beloved in the Lord... Have you done your bit in criticising the church lately?  You know, giving vent to our frustration about this not being right and that not getting done as it should?  Or getting irritated by others in the church?  Like, “John had no right to say that, and I...

Word of Salvation – Vol.46 No.20 - May 2001   The Return Of Jesus As Judge   Sermon by Rev M P Geluk on Lord's Day 19B (Q&A 52 Heid Cat) Scripture Readings: 1Thess. 4:13 - 5:11; 2Thess. 1:3-12 Suggested Hymns: BoW: 66a; 161:1,2; 73a:1,2; 161:3; 517:1,2; 529   Beloved in the Lord, We are going to focus on the last great event still to happen on God’s calendar.  The Apostle’s Creed refers to it as Christ’s coming “to judge the living and the dead.”  We will first of all see that some need to fear this; and secondly, that others...

Word of Salvation – Vol.33 No.17 - May 1988   The Death of Christ   Sermon by Rev. M.P. Geluk on Lord's Day 16 Reading: Isaiah 53:8-12; 2 Samuel 18:31-19:4 Singing: BoW .H.6:1,2; BoW.H.6:3,4; Ps.H.381; Ps.H.228:1,4,5; Ps.H.402 . The first half of Isaiah 53 describes the suffering of Christ.  The second half of the chapter speaks of His actual death and the results of His death.  Verse 8, for example, says that the Man of Sorrows was cut off from the land of the living.  That means that He died.  Isaiah also gives the reason for his death: "For the transgression...

Word of Salvation – Vol.34 No.29 - August 1989   Believers’ Children and Baptism Sermon by Rev. M.P. Geluk on Lord's Day 26 (Q.74) Scripture Reading: Genesis 17:1-4; Acts 16:11-15; 25-34   With the foregoing Lord's Days, we have seen how God's Spirit uses the sacrament of baptism to move us to faith in Christ.  That's what sacraments are for – to strengthen faith in God.  There is a word of God at baptism – it’s the baptismal formula "I baptise you into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit".  And there is the...

Word of Salvation – Vol.34 No.21 - June 1989   The Sacraments Sermon by Rev. M.P. Geluk on Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 25(b). Reading: Judges 6:33-40, Matt. 26:26-29;28:16-20. Singing: Ps.H.483:1,2; Ps.20:6,7,8; Ps.H.483:3; Ps.H.:48; BOW (H) 818:all vss; Ps.H.160:2,3.   The Spirit of God strengthens Faith through the Means of Grace: II The Sacraments. When a sinner, dead in trespasses and sins, and by nature rebellious against God, is made alive in Christ and receives all the riches of salvation in Christ, then we call that grace.  Grace points to the undeserved goodness of God given by God to the Sinner. But...

Word of Salvation – Vol.36 No.17 – May 1991   Obeying God’s Commandments   Sermon by Rev. M.P. Geluk on Lord's Day 44, Q&A 114   In the first part of Lord's Day 44 the Christian church confesses the meaning of the tenth commandment.  It is about coveting.  In the middle part of the same Lord's Day the church confesses the nature of Christian obedience. It is good for Christian believers to reflect on their obedience to God's will.  And now is a good time to do this.  We have worked our way through the Ten Commandments and learned again about...