Word of Salvation – Vol.50 No.32 – August 2005   Whose Fault Is It?   A Sermon by Rev S Bajema on Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 3 Scripture Reading:  Genesis 1:26-31; 3:1-19   Boys and girls... What do you feel when you've done something wrong? You know it's going to be found out. And anyway, even it's not found out for a while, you know you've done something bad. In that moment, what thoughts are in your mind? Perhaps you're wondering what punishment you'll get. But probably not, eh!? You know what's going to happen. Actually, don't you wish then it...

Word of Salvation – Vol.50 No.28 – July 2005   My Misery   A Sermon by Rev S Bajema on Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 2  Scripture Reading: Romans 7:7-25   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ... With Lord's Day 2 we begin to deal with the first thing we must know in order to live and die in the joy of true comfort. We heard about this when we looked at the answer to Question 2 in Lord's Day 1. And this first thing, as that answer says, is that I must know "how great my sin and misery are." Sin....

Word of Salvation – Vol.50 No.16 – April 2005   My Strength and My Song Sermon by Rev S Bajema on Lord's Day 1 of the Heidelberg Catechism   Scripture Reading:  Luke 21:5-19   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the beginning of the Heidelberg Catechism. This is the start of one of our four confessional statements. Together with the Belgic Confession, the Canons of Dordt, and the Westminster Confession of Faith, this Catechism expresses our summary, as a federation of churches, of what Scripture teaches. So what do you state at the beginning of what is a very...

Word of Salvation – Vol.50 No.8 – February 2005   'P' - Perseverance of the Saints (II) (Keeping it Up!)   Sermon by Rev S Bajema on Canons of Dort V:7-15 Scripture Reading:  1 Corinthians 10:1-13   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ... This is the second part to our looking at the Fifth Head of Doctrine in the Canons of Dort. And last time we looked at the Articles 1 to 6. There we heard about the gracious gospel message that God doesn't let us go. Once saved, we're always saved. And once saved we are going to keep on...

Word of Salvation – Vol.50 No.4 – January 2005   'P' - Perseverance of the Saints (1) (Going Up!)   Sermon by Rev S Bajema on Canons of Dort V:1-6 Scripture Reading:  Philippians 3:1-4:1   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ... We're being drawn up. The Holy Spirit is working out that growing up into Him who is the Head - Jesus Christ. This is called our sanctification. We heard the apostle Paul describe this. In Philippians 3:12 he wrote, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 49 No.48 – December 2004   'I' - Irresistible Grace (Changed Around!)   Sermon by Rev S Bajema on Canons of Dort III-IV:6-17  Scripture Reading: Matthew 13:1-23   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. You've heard me say this before. But its echo must be heard again! God does it! Article 6 cannot but remind us of this. It sums up the heart of the gospel. At the same time we are being confronted with our Total Depravity, we see something else. In fact, we wouldn't know it was our Total Depravity if we hadn't first...

Word of Salvation – Vol.49 No.44 – November 2004   'T' - The Corruption of Man (Right Into The Ground!)   Sermon by Rev S Bajema on Canons of Dort III-IV:1-5  Scripture Reading: Romans 3:9-26   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ... The LORD saves! We can't help but have seen that so far in the Canons! God the Father so loved the Church that He sent His one and only Son. But who does the LORD save? Our reading from Romans 3 said that no one is righteous. None of us has any part which is wholly good. Every one...

Word of Salvation – Vol.49 No.40 – October 2004   'L' - The Death of Christ and the Redemption of Men Thereby (Coming Down)   Sermon by Rev S Bajema on Canons of Dort II Scripture Reading: John 3:1-21   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ... "For God so loved the world..." Could there be any other words from the Bible as well known as these? And what other phrase would sum up the gospel in such a nutshell? John chapter 3 verse 16 is universally known! Friends, which words but "For God" tell us where it all began? Which words...

Word of Salvation – Vol.49 No.36 – September 2004   'U' - Divine Election & Reprobation (starting at the top - II)   Sermon by Rev S Bajema on Canons of Dort I: 8-18  Scripture Reading: Romans 9:1-24   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. There's only one way we're saved! The one way that's the same whether you're in the Old Testament Church, or the New Testament Church. And that way is by grace alone. This is what bursts the bubble to any thought that the saints in the Old Testament were saved by following the Law - something that...

Word of Salvation – Vol 49 No 32 - August 2004   'U' - Divine Election & Reprobation (starting at the top - I) Sermon by Rev S Bajema on Canons of Dort I:1-7   Scripture Reading:  Ephesians 1:1-14   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. It may seem to those of you familiar with the good Dutch flower, tulip, that I've begun with the wrong letter! To you others, let me explain that the Five Points of Calvinism are commonly explained by the acronym T.U.L.I.P., each representing one of the five foundational elements of the argument against the Arminians. The...

Word of Salvation - Vol.49 No.17 - May 2004   Word + Spirit = Church!   A Pentecost Sermon by Rev S Bajema on Acts 2: 42-47   Scripture Readings:  Galatians 5:22-26; Acts 2:22-47   Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts chapter 2 is the great story of Pentecost. There's that sound like a roaring wind, the tongues of fire coming down, that speaking in all those different languages. There's the sermon the apostle Peter preached about why it happened to that huge crowd that gathered. There's the amazing response of many of those listening as they are dramatically converted....

Word of Salvation - Vol.49 No.13 - April 2004   The King is Crowned! An Ascension Sermon by Rev S Bajema on Philippians 2:9-11   Scripture Readings: Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 110; Philippians 2:1-11   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. To be "exalted to the highest place" and to be given "the name above all names" must surely rank as the greatest of all honours. And for one to be given this by none other than God Himself must definitely make this the greatest honour. So tremendous is this phrase, so overwhelming is its meaning, you can't help but notice a...

Word of Salvation - Vol.48 No.47 - December 2003   What Could Be More Of A Sign?   Advent Sermon by Rev S Bajema on Luke 2:7b  Scripture Readings: Luke 2:8-20; Isaiah 7:1-17   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. The scene described to us in our text is a sign. For 'sign' is the special word used to describe what happened in both Scripture readings. In Luke 2 verse 12 the angel tells the shepherds, "This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." And this had also been...

Word of Salvation - Vol.48 No.46 - December 2003   What Could Be More of A Miracle? Advent Sermon by Rev S Bajema on Luke 1:39-45   Scripture Readings: Romans 13:8-14; Luke 1:26-45   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you believe in miracles? Well, we answer, of course we do! After all, we believe in God, don't we? Perhaps, however, you're a little more careful. You need to know more precisely what is meant by a miracle? You need to check it out. You go to the Oxford Dictionary, which says that a miracle is "a marvellous event due...

Word of Salvation – Vol.48 No.5 – February 2003   When Being Good Isn't Good Enough! Sermon by Rev S Bajema on Mark 10:17-27   Scripture Readings:  Matthew 6:19-34; Mark 10:17-27   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. What a keen young man our text begins with! The words we've read couldn't help but show up this guy who's just bubbling over with enthusiasm. I mean, he's running up to Jesus, he falls on his knees before Him, and then he heaps the respect on Him with what he says to Him. Boy, what a teacher would give to have a...