Called, beloved and kept – a sermon on Jude 1 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. This morning we turn our attention to the second-last book of the Bible. It’s only a short letter – just 25 verses – but it is a letter that gives us much encouragement, instruction and assurance. And today we’re going to […]
Give thanks to God for His love endures forever – a sermon on Psalm 136 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. There’s a saying that says you can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’re coming from. Perhaps that’s why tracing one’s family tree is such a popular hobby. But it’s not just for […]
Praise the Lord! – a sermon on Psalm 135 by Rev. Colin Pretorius A minister had been serving in a small church for some years and, as it happens, some of the times were good and others a bit less good. But he enjoyed his time in that congregation and as far as he knew, […]
Friends or Enemies of God? – a sermon on James 4:4-6 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. As of a few weeks ago, we have a new government. No, don’t worry, I’m not going to preach politics or talk about the good or not-so good of the various political parties! But those of us who have the […]
Jesus bids us shine – a sermon on Matthew 5:14-16 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. In the heart of the business district of Dallas, Texas, there’s a unique but slightly weird-looking building. If you look at this grey-white concrete structure that stands about 28m high, it doesn’t really look like much. I mean, those spirally things […]
Looking for wisdom – a sermon on James 1:5-8 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. If you start reading through the book of James you realise very quickly that it’s an extremely practical book. It’s a book that gives us as Christians real-world guidance in how to live our everyday lives. It’s very much a book of […]
There have been many times over the past two years when we couldn’t get together in the hall after church for a cuppa or a chat. We couldn’t enjoy that bonding as fellow believers of being able to have a bit more in-depth chat about what God has done in our lives or perhaps about […]
In Christ all shall be made alive – a sermon on 1 Corinthians 15:1-22 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. Leonid Brezhnev ruled Russia from 1963 to 1982. He imprisoned priests and believers and closed churches. In both public and in private, he and his wife Viktoria were examples of communist atheists. Faith in God was nowhere […]
Reconciled through Christ! – A sermon on Romans 5:1-11 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. (Reading Mark 15:21-41) I’m not a big fan of shopping centres at the best of times, with people milling about and canned music being piped through overhead speakers. And at times like Easter or Christmas it is even worse, isn’t it! It […]
Serve the Lord without reservation, without retreating and without regret – a sermon on 2 Timothy 4:9-22 by Rev Colin Pretorius. It has become fairly common today for children to be given big gifts when they turn 18 or when they finish school. Some might even get a new car. But very few would get […]
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus – a sermon on Romans 8:1 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. In all of our lives there come certain moments that change everything. Sometimes these events occur on a global scale, like the Covid pandemic. Sometimes they’re on a regional scale, such as […]
Remain firm and wait on the Lord, for He will rescue us – a sermon on 2 Timothy 3:1-13 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. One day a young boy came home from school very excited. He’d taken his normal lunch to school but there one of his friends had introduced him to the wonder of a […]
The Lord’s my shining light – a sermon on Psalm 27 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. For the past two years most of us have been on a bit of an emotional roller-coaster because of things like lockdowns and other restrictions. And during the past week concerns about the possible consequences of the Russian attack on […]
Why should you come to church? – a sermon on Hebrews 10:19-25 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. Before emigrating to Australia, Maggie and I attended a church where it was common for the church to be very empty during school holidays. I’m not talking about people who were away on holidays. No, many people didn’t come […]
His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor – a sermon on Isaiah 9:1-7 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. I don’t know if any of you follow soccer at all – or as some prefer to call it, football. In Australia we have the Socceroos and the Matildas, and even if they’re not half bad, they just […]
The Power of God’s Word – a sermon on Hebrews 4:12-13 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. During the 1500’s, a great awakening took place in Europe, an awakening that would bring spiritual enlightenment and a movement back to the fundamental truths and teachings of God’s Word. We’ve come to know this period as “the Reformation” – […]
Look and see, wonder, be amazed and wait on the Lord- A sermon on Habakkuk 1:1-2:1 by Rev. Colin Pretorius Some years ago I told you the story of Robert Thomas, a missionary to what today is South Korea, and I want to open with that story again today. Today South Korea is a beacon […]
Praise the Lord, O my soul! – a sermon on psalm 103 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. Have you ever been disappointed in God? That’s a situation many people find themselves in today. In his book “Disappointment with God” the author Philip Yancey speaks of the many letters that he’s received from people who express their […]
Warning against worldliness – a sermon on James 4:1-12 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. When persecution of Christians started with the death of Stephen, many believers fled to the same cities to where Jews had been scattered some 600-700 years earlier. But these believers soon found themselves face to face with adversity and trials of every kind, […]
Christ is supreme! – A sermon on Colossians 1:15-23 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. Between May and October 1893, the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus in America was celebrated at what came to be known as the Chicago World’s Fair. It was a huge event, with more people attending than are currently living […]
Faith that works – a sermon on James 2:14-26 by Rev Colin Pretorius. I don’t know if you know the name Philippe Petit, otherwise known as the “the man who walked between the Towers.” In 1974, while the Twin Tower buildings in New York were still being constructed, he walked on a steel cable strung […]
So just who is Jesus to you? – a sermon on Luke 19:28-40 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. A hundred-and-twenty five years ago Nicholas II was crowned as the last emperor or Tsar of Russia. The festivities ran for weeks, with thousands upon thousands of people crushed together to catch a glimpse of the royal couple. […]
The whisper of God’s love – a sermon on Ruth 1-4 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. The theme this morning is “The whisper of God’s love” Earlier in August and September we looked at the book of Ruth, and we saw how the story behind the book is the story of how God was working not […]
God redeems His people – a sermon on Ruth 4 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. Let’s start with a brief recap of the story so far. A famine in Judah causes Elimelech and his family to seek greener pastures in Moab. There he and his two sons die, leaving Naomi with just her two Moabite daughters-in-law. […]
Redemption is at hand! – a sermon on Ruth 3 by Rev. Colin Pretorius The bitter widow Naomi has returned to Bethlehem from Moab, bringing Ruth, her Moabite daughter-in-law, with her. Ruth has accepted Israel’s covenant God as her God, and she’s supported Naomi by collecting left-overs in the barley and wheat harvests. She’s been […]
From famine to fullness: The God of all circumstances – a sermon on Ruth 2 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. Before we look at Ruth chapter 2, let’s briefly recap the story so far. In the dark days of the Judges, the Lord sent a famine over Judah, and Elimelech, the man from Bethlehem, sought out […]
The Caring, Saving and Sovereign God – a sermon on Ruth 2 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. Sally was a young Christian girl and, like many young girls, she dreamt of meeting the right guy and getting married. She had a lot of plans and dreams, which included becoming a pianist. When she met Harry at […]
Hear, O Israel! – a sermon on Deuteronomy 6:4-9 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. This morning we’re looking at a very well-known passage of God’s Word. As a Bible-study group we’ve been working our way through this passage over a number of weeks, and we found it extremely profitable. If you’ve attended the Bible study, I […]
Cutting straight with God’s Word – a sermon on 2 Timothy 2:14-19 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. I have a family member who just loves to stir. At times it seems as if he rejoices in making people uncomfortable. At other times it appears he just wants to impress everyone with his knowledge – for he […]
Hallelujah! – a sermon on Psalm 146 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. Just yesterday someone said to me that for some people it’s perhaps a good thing to wear a mask in church so that the sound of their singing voices can be a bit muffled. And for some of us with poor singing voices that’s […]