Category: Uncategorized
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False worship (2 Kings 15-16; Matthew 21)
Worship matters to God, and that’s a good thing. In 1 Kings 16, King Ahaz is condemned for his worship. His worship involved him looking at what the nations did rather than what God commanded. This worship was so wicked that it included human sacrifice. Thankfully God does not approve of this. When Ahaz faces…
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The danger of pride (Hosea 14; 2 Chr 26-27; Ps 61; Matt 20)
Pride is not a good thing. In each of our readings today we see either the danger of pride or the wisdom of humility. In Hosea we have seen God’s faithful love to His people, wooing them back to himself. In Hosea 14 we see the Lord’s gentle rebuke to His people – “what have…
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The radical love of God (Hosea 11-13; Matt 19)
Do you ever wonder, how can God love someone like me? How can He keep loving someone who keeps letting Him down? If you never wonder this, it may be that you think too highly of yourself and don’t realise what a sinner you are. The more we study God’s Word the more we see…
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A cake not turned (Hosea 7-10; Matt 18)
It’s a strange expression – “Ephraim is a cake not turned.” (Hosea 7:8) What does God mean?! Ephraim was one of Joseph’s sons, and sometimes God uses “Ephraim” to speak of the Northern kingdom of Israel. But what about the cake not turned? This is a cake cooked on top of the stove. If it’s…
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He has torn us, that He may heal us (Hosea 4-6; Psalm 58; Matt 17)
Yesterday we saw the heart of God, the pain we cause by forsaking Him. God is like a faithful husband to an unfaithful wife. After warning of discipline and judgment, Hosea urges people to return to the LORD. “Come, let us return to the LORD; for He has torn us, that he may heal us.”…
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The heart of God (Hosea 1-3; Matthew 16)
How does God feel when His people forsake Him? In the book of Hosea we get a glimpse into the heart of God, we see the hurt we cause Him by forsaking Him and going after other things. Hosea was a prophet after the kingdom had split into the northern kingdom (Israel) and southern kingdom…
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Tradition vs the Word of God (Amos 7-9; Matt 15)
Just like the psalmist in yesterday’s reading, Jesus wanted to get away from it all, he had just heard about the death of his cousin John, tried to get away but a huge crowd had followed him (Matthew 14:13). He had compassion on them, healed the sick and fed 5000. Do you see the loving…
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Getting away from it all (Amos 4-6; Psalm 55; Matt 14)
Do you ever wish you could just get away from it all? From all the pressure, all the burdens, all the pain. David felt this, listen to his words in Psalm 55: “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; yes, I would wander far away…” David…
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Are you listening? (Amos 1-3; Matt 13)
The parable of the soils/sower (Matthew 13) is famous. But what does it mean? Jesus wasn’t giving us a lesson in farming, He was holding up a mirror and challenging those who hear His Word how they will respond. He was also training the disciples that when they go and speak about Jesus they should…
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Weekly rest – the Sabbath (2 Kings 13-14; 2 Chr 25; Ps 53; Matt 12)
We saw yesterday Jesus’ wonderful words “come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). We saw that Jesus is offering eternal rest. Today we see that he also offers weekly rest (Matthew 12). What a blessing the Sabbath was designed to be. Think what a…
Milford RPC 