Word of Salvation - December 2017   Christmas Carols: Zechariah style By Rev. John Westendorp Text: Luke 1:76-79   Theme: Zechariah's song of God's saving work thru John the Baptist who prepares the way for Messiah..   Introd:  Christmas carols don’t usually have any surprises in them.  We Christians know them too well. But a Christmas carol, “Zechariah style” – as we have it here in Like 1 – has several surprises. Think about what happened earlier in this chapter. The story is about an old man and his elderly wife. They've waited all their lives, unsuccessfully, to have children but...

Word of Salvation - Vol.50 No.46 - December 2005   Accepting the Lord's Way in Faith An Advent Sermon by Rev Martin Geluk on Luke 1:38   Scripture Readings:  Luke 1:26-38 Suggested Hymns:  BoW: 252:1,6,7; 336:1,4,5; 244; 150-a:1, 2   Dear Congregation. We have in our text the words Mary spoke to the angel who informed her that she would be the mother of Jesus, the Son of God. She said, "May it be to me as you have said", which can also be translated as "May it be to me according to your word." Essentially Mary's response was a response...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 26 No. 01 – October 1979   The Prince And The Pauper (A CHRISTMAS STORY)   Sermon by Rev. J. W. Westendorp on Luke 2:7 Scripture Reading: Luke 2:1–20   There is a story someone once wrote called "The Prince and the Pauper". Perhaps our boys and girls know that story. They may even have seen the film that was based on this story. It is the story of a boy born to be king. . . . a prince in a palace. And of another boy who was born and brought up in the back...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 24 No. 21 – March 1978   Were Not Ten Cleansed?   Sermon by Rev. J. Postma, B. D. on Luke 17:11-19 Scripture reading: Luke 17:11-19 Psalter Hymnal: 38; 94:1; 289:1,2,3,5; 440; 228:10   It is the intention of this sermon to speak in particular to the youth of the Church. That does not mean of course that the rest of the congregation can go to sleep, for it is not meant to the exclusion of the rest of the congregation. In this gospel story we are confronted with the healing power of the Lord Jesus...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 27 No. 03 – October 1981   A Father And His Sons   Sermon by Rev. W. Vander Kolk on Luke 15:11-32 Scripture Reading: Luke 15:11–32 Psalter Hymnal: 40; 100:1,2,3 (after Law); 227; 396; 332:3   Beloved Congregation in the Lord Jesus Christ, Today we will preach on the longest and best known parable of the Lord Jesus, the parable of the prodigal son. I can well imagine that you think: "it is one thing to attend a reading service, but it is another thing to listen to a sermon on a text everybody knows. What...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 27 No. 28 – April 1982   Meditation Or Action   Sermon by Rev. Keith Moerman on Luke 10:38-42 Scripture Readings: John 11:1-6; 17-33; Luke 10:30-37 Psalter Hymnal: 323; 48:1,3,4 and 5; 379:1.3 and 4; 451:1,2 and 4   Boys and girls, young people... CONGREGATION of a LIVING LORD... IT'S HOLIDAY TIME AGAIN (or perhaps, soon)  SIGHTSEEING ???   Going places?  Queensland?  New South Wales? Or may be not that far away: to Inverloch, or Cape Patterson, or perhaps Bright? Or even closer by: Healesville.... for fishing; or a bushwalk? Or just DOING NOTHING.... relaxing on...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 27 No. 26 – April 1982   Has God's Kingdom Really Come?   Sermon by Rev. H. W. Pennings on Luke 17:20-21 Scripture Readings: Mark 7:1-23; Romans 7:7-24   Sometimes you meet church members who are as disillusioned about the Church as the Pharisees 2,000 years ago were disillusioned about Jesus.  Sometimes, you see, the party of the Pharisees are seen in a worse light than they ought to be.  We well know, of course, that they were largely responsible for having Jesus crucified.  But we sometimes fail to understand that the Pharisees were more orthodox...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 27 No. 36 – Jun 1982   Father!   Sermon by Rev. H. O. Berends Text: Luke 11:2a & Heid Cat. Q.&A. 120 Theme: Prayer Suggested Readings: Psalm 145; Luke 11:1-13 Psalter Hymnal: 49; 201; 300; 436   Jesus' disciples wanted to know about prayer, brothers and sisters.  They had seen Jesus praying on many occasions, and one time, after He had stopped praying, one of His disciples came up to Him and said, "Lord, teach us to pray".  "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."  In those days it was the...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 27 No. 21 – March 1982   Can You Believe... For Someone Else?   Sermon by Rev. A. I. deGraaf on Luke 5:20 Scripture Reading: Luke 5:17-26 Psalter Hymnal: Nos. 37; 251; 472; 404; 485   It happened during the Korean War.  An American fighter pilot was wounded in action.  As he sat in the cockpit of his plane, he slowly was losing consciousness.....  but his two friends who had flown the mission with him weren't going to let him just fall out of the sky.  They prodded him awake via their radios and flew side-by-side...

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. 18 – May 1984   Biblical Evangelism   Sermon by Rev. H. W. Pennings, v.d.m. on Luke 11:5-10 Scripture Readings: Genesis 18:16-33; Luke 18: 1 8 Suggested Hymns: BoW.9; 804; 503; 808             Psalter Hymnal 434; 426; 450   Brothers and sisters in Christ, In this first of a few sermons on evangelism we speak about prayer.  I preach the Word of God about prayer.  You may think that as a topic for preaching that is not too difficult.  It's not hard to pray.  Yet, most Christians at least occasionally find praying difficult.  So...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 29 No. 45 – December 1984   Our Covenant Keeper   Sermon by Rev. W.J. Van Schie, v.d.m. on Luke 2:21 & Gal.4:4 Scripture lesson: Luke 2:21-52 Suggested Hymns: 336; 361; 419; 441: 1,2; BoW 805:1,2,3   Congregation in our Lord Jesus Christ, In the Christmas period we celebrated the great event of "God coming to us and being one of us".  Christ was born in a stable because there was "no room" for Him.  This beginning of: "no room" was the start of a whole life of "no room" and would end with even no...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 30 No. 21 – Jun 1985   I Will Arise And Go To My Father   Sermon by Rev. A. I. De Graaf on Lord's Day 44 Scripture Readings: Ps. 119:1-8, 169-176; Luke 15:11-32. Suggested Hymns: 52:1,2; 449:1,2; 164:1,2,4,5; 440:1,2; 428:2,4; 251; 449:3.   FREE!  FREE!  Everybody dreams of freedom, especially these days.  Liberty for women, ah but they still are in chains.  Liberty for blacks – oh but still they sigh in bondage!  Liberty – well, but when the police still roam the streets and prisons are filled with frustrated freedom fighters, we can sing...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 30 No. 31 – Aug 1985   Preparing For The Future   Sermon by Rev. G. van Schie on Luke 16:1-13 Reading: Matthew 25:31-46 Suggested Hymns: P.H. 89:118:1,3,4; 462:1-4; 482; 233:7,8.   Brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ, In our lives we set goals and if we are shrewd we will prepare ourselves so that we can achieve those goals and meet our aims.  This is true of young and old. Our younger members who may be seeking good grades in school know that what they must do the whole year is to work...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 30 No. 33 – Sep 1985   Lord, If Thou Wilt   Sermon by Rev. A. I. de Graaf on Luke 5:12-15 Scriptures: Psalm 103:1-4 (Intr.);             NT: Luke 5:12-15; OT: 2Kings 7:3-9; Psalter Hymnal: 187:1,2; 44:2; 377:1,3; 452:1.3; 452:4   Lord, if it is your will.....! That can be a question really bothering us, can't it? What is that... the will of God? What does He want of me? Especially in illness this can be a hard question. The Lord is almighty, is He not?  And He wants for His children the best, does He...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 30 No. 41 – Nov 1985   God Fulfils His Promise   Sermon by Rev. L. Douma on Luke 1:67-79 Reading: Isaiah 42 Singing – Psalter Hymnal: 140; 446; 404; 333; 490   Can you remember back to when you were little children, how excited you became when the day, that Dad had promised to take the whole family out on a trip, was almost there?  Did you wriggle all over with anticipation? My two little girls, are like that now.  The night, before a promised picnic, they run around, talk in bed and won't go...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 31 No. 07 – Sep 1986   Father Into Your Hands   Sermon by Rev. A. I. De Graaf on Luke 23:46 Readings: Psalm 31, Luke 12:13-21, 23:32-46. Singing: P.H. 348, 94, 53, 462, 442.   When in the terrible torture of being nailed to a cross the Son of God dies His terrible death it is – amazingly – with a child's prayer on His lips.  We know from Jewish literature of that time, that this prayer from Psalm 31 was the customary children's evening prayer. As a little boy Jesus must have learned it...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 31 No. 42 – Nov 1986   In Preparation Of The Lord’s Coming   Sermon by Rev. P. Abetz on Luke 1:14-17 Reading: Luke 1:5-17, 57-66, Malachi 4:1-6 Introduction:   Brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ. When a government, or a national leader makes an important announcement, we hear of it within hours.  We hear about it by way of a news flash, perhaps on TV.  Or as a newsflash over the radio.  Or we read of it the next day in the newspaper.  It is hard for us to imagine how we would...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 31 No. 45 – Dec 1986   Expecting In Blessed Condition   Sermon by Rev. A. I. De Graaf on Luke 2:36-38 Reading: Ephes. 4:28-5:8; Malachi 3:1-5 Singing: P/H 336, 335, 162, 111, 273.   Just like Mary's real name in Israel was Miriam – like Moses' sister – so Anna's real Jewish name was Hannah, and sure, that does ring a bell doesn't it? Hannah... who also lay praying in the house of God and then God answered her prayer and she became "expecting..." she became what we call "in blessed condition" and eventually she...

Word of Salvation – Vol. 32 No. 03 – Jan 1987   A Deserving Case   Sermon by Rev. A. I. De Graaf on Luke 7:1-10 Reading: Philippians 3:1-11 Singing: PsH. 116, 287, 385, 469.   We have once again had the shower of "new year's honours".  All kinds of citizens - high and low, have been surprised with decorations from the commonwealth and state government.  Some got a medal for saving lives, others got medals for getting good at destroying lives, men and women did a lot for their nation, their culture, the arts, the sciences, or were maybe simply...