Having previously noted the key passages in Scripture which provide us withimportant Biblical references with regard to the Christian attitude towardsthe State, we now need to draw some conclusions.The first and most essential thing we must keep in mind is that God is theCreator. Perhaps we forget this, or at least don't consider it withsufficient importance. We tend to focus more on God being our Saviour. Afterall, He sent His only dearly loved Son into the world in order to die, andin so doing, make right with God all who turn to Jesus in trust. There issalvation in no one else...

Having declared our starting point here last week in the consideration and effort of all that we set our energy to in life, and in the present discussion, the way nations are to be governed and our relationship to the State, let's see if we can now review the key Scripture references to the state.Perhaps the most important place to start is the time when our Lord gave a response to the Pharisees and Herodians concerning the payment of taxes to the state (Matt 22:15-21).These people, approached Jesus in a particularly hypocritical way, with a number of items of praise calling...

The other evening I had a wonderful discussion about theology with my four-year old grand-daughter, Talina. After the evening meal I was invited by her parents to read her the bed-time Bible story. It so happened that she was up to the story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. When I had finished the story she looked at me and asked, “Opa, who made Lazarus die?" I replied that Lazarus had become very sick, too sick... and that because Jesus wasn’t there to make him better he had died. With just a hint of impatience, that I obviously hadn’t...

Last night I attended my first ever Bat Mitzvah. A most delightful evening. You don’t know what a Bat Mizvah is? Okay, let me explain - but to do that I need to set the scene. It has been a delight for me this past week to have my daughter Helen and grand-daughter Kirra visiting from down south. They came for a number of reasons. The most important was to meet their new niece and cousin, Kiana - my twelfth and newest grandchild. Another reason was to say goodbye before I head off to Christchurch in New Zealand for four months....

We’ve all heard of the expression Church Shopping’. We’ve known people who have done it too. Maybe we even did it ourselves. Especially when moving to a new area we’ve “shopped around" until we found a church where we felt at home. That’s perfectly understandable in such circumstances. The worry is that some folk become professional Church Shoppers’. They are never long in any one church before moving on to try somewhere else. Church hoppers’ would probably be a better term. I recall some years ago that at a local Church Leaders’ Breakfast I met a lady who had joined the...

Last time I mentioned that some of the reasons for not attending meetings of the local branch of the National Seniors Association sound remarkably like the reasons (excuses) people give for not attending church. Allow me to make two more comparisons this week. The speaker was boring. The local branch of the NSA generally invites a guest speaker to its meetings. The speaker this time was from a government agency that has to do with hearing loss. I was disappointed in the quality of the presentation. I expected the representative of a national body funded by the Federal Government to do...

Some years ago Ali and I were concerned that all our “people involvement" was with Christians. That gave us little opportunity to personally reach unbelievers with the gospel. At that time we had reached the age where we were eligible for membership of the National Seniors Association (a sobering reality!) There were some economic benefits to be gained and it would give us contacts with people outside the church. So we joined up and attended our first meeting. Recently I dropped in on a meeting of the local branch of the NSA. As I sat there I was reminded that some...

Word of Salvation – Vol.53 No.15 – April 2008   Prayerfully Resisting Temptation A Sermon by Rev John Westendorp on Psalm 141 Scripture Reading: Hebrews 12:1-3 Suggested Singing: BoW 195; 73:1,6,7,8; 141; 23a   Introduction: Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Some people are quick to claim that the Bible is irrelevant for modern living.They see a huge gap between the people of Bible times and us today.They lived primitive and simple lives... in agricultural communities.We live in fast-paced industrialised cities with all their complexity.They lived thousands of years ago in times of ignorance and superstition.We live in an age where science...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 50 No.23 – June 2005   Be Wise... Fear God!   A Sermon by Rev J Westendorp on Psalm 111 (esp verse 10) Scripture Readings: Proverbs 9 (or Luke 12:1-7) & Psalm 111 Suggested Hymns: Rej 295; BoW 111; 416; 111a   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Introduction We live in a sentimental age where love and tolerance are regarded as the only real virtues. And that has coloured people's view of God. God is a kindly grandfather-figure upstairs who gives us lots of good things. He is a loving, tolerant God who puts up...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 50 No.24 – June 2005   Delighting in the Fear of the Lord   A Sermon by Rev J Westendorp on Psalm 112 (esp verse 1) Scripture Reading: Matthew 28:1-8 (or Psalm 111) Suggested Hymns: BoW 178; 371; 112; 34a   Introduction Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Have you ever heard someone say: 'I want to enjoy myself before I become a Christian'? I recall three young men in their late teens whom I knew many years ago. Over the years they had often been challenged by the pastor and the elders. But the answer...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 49 No.6 – February 2004   Shaming the Disobedient   Sermon by Rev J Westendorp on 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 Scripture Reading:  Matthew 18:15-20; 2 Thessalonians 3; Heidelberg Catechism Q/A 83 & 85 Suggested Hymns:  BoW 348; 19a:1,2,3,4,9; 451; 415   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Many of the cults and sects have a practice that they call "shunning" or "shaming". This practice is aimed especially at those who want to get out of the cults. The idea is that the person concerned is totally isolated by others in the community. Other members refuse to have...

Word of Salvation – Vol.48 No.43 – November 2003   A Question of Life or Death Sermon by Rev J Westendorp Text: Philippians 1:21-26 Scripture Readings:  1 Kings 19:1-18; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 Suggested Hymns:  BoW 249; 159; 116a; 511   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let me begin by telling you about a lady who had reached the end of the road. The family had been notified that no further medical efforts were to be made. It seemed inevitable that this 88 year old would not live to see another day. But she was ready to face her Maker because...