Future Hope – Present Responsibility
By Not Known The Bible holds out a big message of hope for God’s creation and people. Zechariah explains this hope in the terms of his generation – a revived Israel and an impregnable Jerusalem. The Gospels explain it in terms of the fullness of God’s kingdom: God’s people in God’s place and under God’s rule. Revelation explains it as a…
By Not Known They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn (Zech 12:10) Like the other prophets Zechariah has a message that reflects God’s holiness and mercy. God’s holiness is seen in his judgements. He is so holy that he will even judge his own people. God’s mercy is seen in the hope that he gives. Zechariah speaks of this hope…
Simplicity & Purity
By Not Known It was not too long ago that we had our Great Singapore Sale. This week, Christmas decorations are already up along the road outside our church signifying the upcoming Great Christmas sale. The dilemma of keeping life simple and without clutter is going to take another beating. Actually, we face this dilemma whether or not there is a sale. But sales bring…
Love Coming Out
By Not Known What God first seeks is a response of the heart. We are to love him (Deut 6:5). This is love in our deepest parts with the strength and passion of an undivided love – for he is One only (Deut 6:4). But love means nothing unless it comes out of the heart onto our lips and especially into our life. Consider someone who never says those wonderful words…
ORPC – A Church At The Crossroads
By Not Known Our 151th anniversary sees ORPC at three crossroads. Firstly, we are at the crossroads of our nation. Our church buildings are at a transport, educational, retailing and entertainment hub. Thousands of people pass through our precinct weekly. We have a great opportunity to witness to them through the enhanced banner ministy and by showing God’s…
Jesus – Priest and King
By Not Known The news of God’s mercy in Jesus calls us to a life that is changed from the inside out (Rom 12:1-2). The New Testament never lets us off the hook, as though the message of grace is an excuse of sin, but repeatedly calls us to a life worthy of the Lord (1 Thess 4:8). Those who are using Bible in 13 heard that call as we read through the Sermon on the…
Jesus Paid it All!
By Not Known Today’s Lord’s Supper points us to the gospel of Jesus. God forgives sin and restores those who believe in his Son to fellowship with himself and all else. Jesus spoke of this when he gave us the Lord’s Supper. The setting was a Jewish Passover meal (Ex 12:1-30). A lamb’s blood was the sign for judgment to ‘pass over God’s…
The A to Z of Biblical Prophecy
By Not Known Our Bible contains 17 Old Testament books and one New Testament book of prophecy. The New Testament mentions prophets in the Gospels and Letters. We looked at a passage from Amos last Sunday and will start looking at Zechariah this morning. That’s the A to Z! Some think of the prophets as primarily foretellers of the future. Some then comb the prophets…
Let us worship God
By Not Known In some places church services start with the words “Let us worship God.” These good words summon believers to give God his worth for who he is by praying to him, listening to what he says and by singing his praises. During this last month we have been reminded and challenged about different aspects of our services of worship. It’s now time…
Give God His Worth by Singing His Praise
By Not Known God’s people sing. From one end of the Bible to the other we read of people writing and singing spiritual songs (e.g. Ex 15; Rev 5). The songs of the Bible express the thoughts of the mind and the feelings of the heart in a way that is centred on God. Under the new covenant in Jesus there is a new song that is centred on Jesus – but the focus is…