Word of Salvation – Vol. 22 No. 06 – November 1975   The Happy Mourner   Sermon by Rev. Stephen Voorwinde on Matthew 5:4 Scripture Readings: James 4:1-10; Matthew 5:1-12   How do you make people think?  This has been the basic question facing preachers and teachers throughout the course of history.  How have they solved this fundamental problem?  One way is by asking questions and provoking discussion.  Another is by speaking in parables or symbols.  But perhaps the most effective way to make people think is by using the paradox.   What is a paradox?  A paradox is a statement that...

Word of Salvation - March 2024   Gethsemane JESUS IN AGONY Sermon by Rev. S. Voorwinde on Luke 22:39-46 Scripture Readings:             Mark 14:32-42 & Luke 22:39-46 Sermon Text:             Luke 22:39-46   Introduction How do you cope with difficult and scary situations that you can’t avoid? As you reflect back on your own life, how have you coped with difficult and scary situations that you couldn’t avoid? Imagine a Year 12 student about to sit the final exam in their worst subject. How do they feel? How do they cope?Or what about Olympic athletes on the starting line for the...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 22 No. 41 – July 1976   Dead Or Alive   Sermon by Rev. S. Voorwinde, MA, M.Th. on Ephesians 2:8-10 (cf. Lord's Day 32) Scripture Readings: Ezekiel 37: 1-10; Ephesians 2:1-10.   In the sixties there was a religious movement that captured the fancy of millions of people throughout the world.  In America it went from church to church, from coast to coast.  Then its influence began to be felt everywhere.  It had a message and it had a slogan.  The slogan was so catching that it even hit the cover of "Time" magazine.  The...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 23 No. 03 – October 1976   Giving   Sermon by Rev. S Voorwinde on 2Corinthians 9:6,7 Scripture Reading: 2Corinthians 9:1-15   "It is more blessed to give than to receive".  Surely this is one of the greatest secrets of happiness.  As a modern translation has it: "Happiness lies more in giving than in receiving.” Jesus could not have put it more simply, nor shown the way to happiness more clearly.  Yet today most people have missed His directions and lost the secret to a happy life.  In fact, day after day we are bombarded by...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 24 No. 40 – June 1978   The Antichrist   Sermon by Rev. S. Voorwinde, M.A., M.Th. on 2Thessalonians 2:3-4 Scripture reading: 1John 2:18-29; 2Thessalonians 2:1-12   The passages of the Bible that predict the future are certainly the most difficult passages to understand in the Scriptures. Many of them have been the objects of the speculation, guess-work and fanciful interpretation of many people. But perhaps in no other area has this guess-work reached such epidemic proportions as in people's attempt to answer the question: Who is the Antichrist? No doubt as a regular reader of...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 25 No. 11 – December 1978   An Unwanted Child?   Christmas Sermon by Rev. S. Voorwinde, M.A., M.Th. on John 1:11 Scripture reading: John 1:1-18   Beloved Congregation, Perhaps one of the greatest tragedies that can befall a person is to be rejected, to be unwanted by his fellow men. Think of that poor old lady who has been left to die in a nursing home and who is scarcely ever visited by her children and grand- children. Think of that migrant factory worker who remains forever unaccepted by his own workmates, who is called...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 25 No. 17 – January 1979   Anger   Sermon by Rev. S. Voorwinde, M.A., M.Th. on Ephesians 4:26-27 Scripture reading: Matthew 5:21-26, Ephesians 4:25 - 5:2 [NB. There is a later sermon by this author on this same topic - catalogued under Matthew 5]   Beloved Congregation, Is anger good or bad? Is it right or wrong? That's a very relevant question for most of us and the way we answer it is certain to have its implications on the way we live as Christians. Anger - good or bad? Right or wrong? Let me...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 24 No. 18 – February 1978   God   Sermon by Rev. S. Voorwinde, M.A., M.Th. on John 14:9 Scripture reading: Isaiah 40:12-26; John 14:1-10   Who... or What... is God? There is hardly a more significant question that we could be asking you this morning. For what we believe about God is the most important thing about us. Our belief about God or our lack of belief in God is inevitably going to translate itself into attitudes and actions on our part. This is not only a religious question or a philosophical question. It is...

Word of Salvation – November 2023   PAUL AT ATHENS   Scripture Reading: Acts 16:17-34   Introduction Let me begin this sermon with an admission. I’ve never preached on the whole of Paul’s speech at Athens before. I’ve made a couple of attempts at preaching on just parts of it, but never on all of it. And the reason for this is simple. I’d never really understood it.  But now at last this late in life I finally have the confidence to preach to you about Paul’s speech in Athens. Just recently I began to see how the lead up to...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 26 No. 36 – June 1981   Where Are The Hypocrites Today?   Sermon by Rev. S. Voorwinde on Matthew 23:28 Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:1–8; 7:1-5; 23:13–28   I don't have any statistics to prove my point: I have no great authority that I can quote, but I'm sure you'll agree with what I'm about to say: that the most common accusation that is flung at the church today is, "Oh, they're just a bunch of hypocrites". Whether a church is large or small, whether it's Catholic or Protestant, whether it's traditional or progressive, in the...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 27 No. 33 – Jun 1982   The Poor In Spirit   Sermon by Rev. S. Voorwinde on Matthew 5:3 Scriptures: Luke 1:46-55; Matthew 5:1-12 Hymnal Psalter: 327, 430, 135, 350   It is difficult to be different.  It is hard to be a non-conformist.  We all want to be loved, accepted and appreciated.  We feel decidedly uneasy in a group where we're the odd one out.  Say you're in a gathering where the conversation turns to politics, and to your consternation you discover everyone votes Labor and you alone vote Liberal and you wrack your...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 29 No. 08 – February 1984   The Right Bible?   Sermon by Rev. S. Voorwinde, v.d.m. on Luke 24:44 & John 16: 13 (Belgic Confession Arts.4 & 6) Scripture reading: Luke 24: 36 - 53; John 16:1 - 15 Suggested Hymns: 235:5,8,10; 411; 444; BoW.H.502:3   As a Christian you believe that the Bible is the Word of God.  From cover to cover it is all true and there are no mistakes in it.  In fact, you are willing to live by it and you are prepared to build your life on it. But now...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 29 No. 07 – February 1984   God Has Spoken   Sermon by Rev. S. Voorwinde, v.d.m. on 2Peter 1:20,21 (Belgic Confession Art.3) Scripture Reading: Psalm 119:97-112; 2Peter 1:16-21 Suggested Hymns: 183; 246; 246; 317; 251; BoW.702   Over the last few Sunday evenings together we have considered something of the might, the vastness and the wisdom of God.  We have seen it in the grandeur of the forests, the majesty of the mountains and the distance of the stars, which are billions of miles or thousands of light years away.  We have heard God speak...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 29 No. 20 – May 1984   Created Out Of Nothing!   Sermon by Rev. S. Voorwinde, v.d.m. on Heb. 11:3 (Belgic Confession Art.12a. Scriptures: Col.1:15-23; Heb.11:1-3 Suggested Hymns: 184; 51; 206; 372; 376; Bow.11   Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Sometime ago "Time" magazine ran an article on the question of the existence of God.  It cited what believers have said and what unbelievers have said.  It quoted people who lived in the past and it stated the views of scholars living today.  It showed how some have tried to prove the existence of God,...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 29 No. 19 – May 1984   I Believe In The Holy Spirit   Sermon by Rev. S. Voorwinde, v.d.m. on 1Cor.12:3 (Belgic Confession Art. 11) Scriptures: John 14:15-31 & 1Cor.12:1-11 Suggested Hymns: 206; 178; 295; 317:3,4; 378; BoW.602   Congregation of our Lord Jesus, "The need of divine guidance is never more deeply felt than when one undertakes to give instruction in the work of the Holy Spirit, so unspeakably tender is the subject, touching the inmost secrets of God and our soul's deepest mysteries.” These are the opening words of Abraham Kuyper's famous book...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 29 No. 32 – August 1984   Election And Outreach – A Choice?   Sermon by Rev. S. Voorwinde, v.d.m. on Ephesians 1:4 & 5 & Romans 10:14 (Belgic Confession Art.16) Scriptures: Ephesians 1:1-10; Romans 10:5-17 Suggested hymns: 116:1,2,3; 398:1,2; BoW.805:1,6,7; 483   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, I want to begin this sermon by giving you a brief lesson in science.  I don't claim to be a scientist, but I'm confident that what I am about to tell you is true.  It's about the nature of light.  I am sure that some of you...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 29 No. 31 – August 1984   Original Sin   Sermon by Rev. S. Voorwinde v.d.m. on Psalm 51:5 & Romans 5:12-18 (Belgic Confession Art.15) Scriptures: Psalm 51; Romans 5:12-21. Suggested Hymns: 94; 273; 430; BoW.302:1,5,6; 355:3,4   Dear brothers & sisters in Christ, There's one great advantage in preaching a series of sermons on the Belgic Confession, or on the Heidelberg Catechism for that matter; and that is that we don't just cover doctrines that are pleasant and easy and that people like to hear.  As preachers we are forced to deal with subjects that...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 29 No. 36 – September 1984   God Becomes Man   Sermon by Rev. S. Voorwinde M.A., M.Th. on Phil.2:5-7; Heb.4:14 & 5:10 (Belgic Confession Art.18) Scriptures: Phil.2: 1-11; Heb.4:15 Suggested Hymns: 335; 336; 346:1,5,6; 347; BoW 202; 205   Congregation of our Lord, In this sermon we begin with asking the single most important question that we could ever be asked in our life; the question that Jesus asked his disciples (and it's just as important now as it was then): "What do you think of the Christ?" It's your answer to this question that...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 29 No. 35 – September 1984   Man’s Problem And God’s Solution   Sermon by Rev. S. Voorwinde M.A., M.Th. on Genesis 3:15 & Gal.4:4-5 (Belgic Confession Art. 17) Scripture Reading: Genesis 3:8-20; Galatians 4:1-11 Suggested Hymns: 317; 94; 428; 388; BoW 804   Brothers and Sisters in Christ, A hundred years ago things were obviously very different to what they are today.  The greatest difference was perhaps this, that people were genuinely optimistic about mankind.  It was commonly believed that man was basically good and getting better all the time.  The future looked rosy; a...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 29 No. 40 – October 1984   God’s Mercy And Justice   Sermon by Rev. S. Voorwinde, v.d.m. on Psalm 103:8 & Nahum 1:2 (Belgic Confession Art. 20) Scripture Readings: Psalm 103; Nahum 1:1-8 Suggested Hymns: 196, 369, 350, 353, 170   Brothers and Sisters and young people, in Christ our Saviour, The German writer Franz Kafka once described an old book that was lying on a shelf.  The binding had come off and as it lay open it had almost become two books which were barely held together by just a few stitches of binding...