Bethesda Shalom

Ezekiel 24:15-27 Brother Ryan comes with a very strong and timely word to the Body of Christ.  Drawing from the life and example of Ezekiel, Ryan brings a practical application to believers in relation to the value we place on our lives and this world.  Who will pick up their cross in this critical hour and live wholeheartedly for Jesus Christ?

John 2:13-17 The question being asked in this sermon is a question that every Christian must answer honestly before God; Where lies the treasure of your heart?  In just three words, our Lord would have us remember; “Remember Lot’s wife” (Lk. 17:32).  Her heart was still at home in Sodom, and though her feet were going through the motions of exiting the confines of that wicked city, she brought Sodom out with her!  Let me ask you, do you feel at home in this world or are you just passing through? This sermon is a call for a people to rise up in this day of great evil, wherein it appears, the glory of God is departing from these shores. Is there a soul who of whom it could be said; the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up?  Who will give themselves to the Father’s business in order that we might see the Kingdom of God advancing in our day? Even so, Lord may it be!

Revelation 3:7-8 Here before us in the third chapter of the Book of Revelation, is a Church, to whom our Lord had nothing by way of rebuke to bring.  That was of course, not the case for the vast majority of the Churches that He addressed in Revelation chapters 2 and 3.  In my reckoning, there were only two out of the seven Churches addressed, for which our Lord had nothing bad to say and both these Churches shared something precious in common that I believe was key in contributing to this.  You say, Brother, what was it?  Both found themselves in the midst of persecution and tribulation, amidst great difficulty and affliction for representing the name of Jesus Christ.  Both were WEAK in their own natural strength. Whatever we may think of persecution, and whatever discomfort we may feel at the thought of having to go through afflictions and trials —one thing is for sure...IT DOES US GOOD!!  Maybe you’re going through a particular trial of incredible difficulty and you feel as though you can’t go on.  Be enco

Knowing the Bible for Yourself (Pt. 9) The last two decades have seen a steady stream of teaching into the Christian Church with a major emphasis on the need for the return to the Jewish roots of the Christian faith.  The argument goes as follows:  the first Church was Jewish in culture and practice and so what went wrong?  What went wrong (they’ll say) is that the Church veered from its Hebrew roots and allowed the influence of Greek philosophy to Hellenise a faith that was once deeply Jewish and what we have been left with a paganised Christianity that is need of desperate reformation!  Thus, the general consensus of those belonging to the Hebrew Roots Movement will be an insistence on a return back to Torah observance as a way of life, since this was (they’ll argue) the life that Jesus, the disciples, and the early Church practiced.  This includes Sabbath observance (Friday sunset to Saturday sunset), abstaining from the consumption of unclean animals (pork, prawns, etc.), observance of the Jewish Feasts,

1 Corinthians 10:1-14 Exhortation abound in the Word of God, calling believers to stand!  “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” (1 Cor. 16:13).  “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Gal. 5:1).  “…my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord…” (Phil. 4:1), and so we could go on! In this sermon, a great warning is given for the believers to stand guard against a mind inflated with pride.  By looking at the example of Israel’s disobedience and the subsequent judgment that came as a result of this, the believer in Christ I warned so as not to follow suit.  May the Lord speak to each one of us.

Matthew 4:1-11 The saying goes; “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t”, and to this, the Word of God agrees. What saith the Apostle Paul when instructing the Corinthian Church to forgive a brother who had once been caught in a grievous sin but had now been brought to true repentance and remorse over the same?  “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Cor. 2:11).  Ah, such a statement presupposes many things.  In the first, it presupposes that there is such a being as Satan, and in the second, it presupposes the possibility that Satan can gain an advantage over us, though we name the name of Jesus Christ!  Brothers and Sisters, there’s no two ways about it, we must be on guard and stand ready to overcome in the day of Satan’s special assault. In this sermon, we take a look at the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, and in so doing, we learn valuable lessons that serve as aids to help us to overcome when we too shall be tempted by the devil.    

Isaiah 36 David brings a very timely word to the Body of Christ that draws from the godly life of King Hezekiah. When Sennacherib came up against the defenced cities of Judah, taking them captive; he set his face towards Jerusalem and sent a messenger to Hezekiah to strike fear into the armies of Judah. How did Hezekiah respond in such an hour of trial? Where did he turn and in whom did place his trust? May God speak to our hearts through this word so as to grant us understanding in knowing how to respond in times of trial.

Isaiah 6:1-9 Brothers and Sisters, I don’t know about you, but I carry in my heart a great burden as I witness first-hand the departing of a generation of Christian workers who in their day troubled the kingdom of darkness and wrought many mighty victories for the kingdom of light!  These were men and women of commitment, sold to the cause of the advancement of the kingdom of God; men and women of sacrifice, men and women of faith and courage, who knew what it was to walk with their Lord.  These were disciplined souls whose personal business mattered less to them than did the business of their Master who they served with wholeness of heart in sincerity, in obedience, and love.  I know that they have gone ahead of us into glory—far better it is for them; but for us who are left behind and more importantly, for the Body of Christ as a whole; their passing is our great loss and we’re far the worse off for not having them still with us!!  Now it ought to be that in the passing of a great soul, rising in their sha

Knowing the Bible for Yourself (Pt. 8) It seems an absurd question to ask, how one should read historical narrative since we do it intuitively all the time.  In picking up a biography to read or a story in the newspaper, we are naturally handling material that would rightly be defined as historical narrative and yet we do it effortlessly without thinking.  We pay close attention to the facts and the details - the dates and names, the places and characters.  We all know the difference between facts and fiction and handle both accordingly.  No one for a minute would take a novel like Alice and Wonderland and read it as they would a WW2 journal.  One is fact and one is fiction.  Whilst we can be inspired and entertained by fiction - learning very many valuable lessons - it is still at the end of the day fiction – it’s made-up, it’s not a faithful representation of historical fact but instead concerns itself with imaginary people and imaginary events.  I’m sad to say, there are some, most notably those in liberal

Luke 2:25-35 The great predicament of man, is his pride and rebellion; stubbornness is what keeps Him from serving God—He can have it no other way than his own. Simply put, He refuses to have a God that will meddle with His affairs, and until that man is first broken, he will rise in newness of life.  You know, the Church today has lost sight of the first and only ever presents to man the last.  Come to Christ and see what He will do for you!!  Yet, they do not tell them that entrance into this Kingdom is through a door of brokenness!  “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder” (Mt. 21:44).  Tell me dear soul, have you known it on this wise?  Do you know what it is to fall on that rock?  May we indeed fall upon that rock that in falling we might rise again in newness of life. 

Luke 18:1-8 Any true sportsman knows fully well that there’s more to winning than merely turning up!  Turning up is the easy part; it’s the parts that the cheering fans don’t see that differentiates the winners from the losers.  Persistent and relentless discipline; those countless hours spent in training.  When those of their peers were free to do as they please—eating what they will and going where they would—the future champion in the making is not!  Burdened with a fervent passion to succeed, against all odds and at all costs, he pushes his natural man to limits, exacting from his mortal body seeming impossibilities so as to win the prize.  With the self-same analogy, the Church of Jesus Christ must everywhere be given, not only to prayer but persistent prayer!  If we would see the power of God in our day at work, let us give ourselves to this end and see what the Almighty will do!

John 1:35-42 Oh to see the Son of God in all His glory! To comprehend His majesty; to fathom His deity. John declares; "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (Jn. 1:1). Adding to this, he then makes this staggering statement; " And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth" (Jn. 1:14). Peter writes, "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty" (2 Pet. 1:16); and John again states: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life" (1 Jn. 1:1). This sermon is an exhortation that having found the Messiah we would be moved to tell and to bring others to HIM also!

1 Corinthians 6:13b - 20 We face a battle in our day to remain clean in the sight of God in respect to sexual purity.  Young people live in a generation where immorality has become the new morality.  Adultery in the professing Church of Jesus Christ has reached an all-time high and every month it seems a scandal breaks of another minister caught in the headlights of this evil.  I have need only to mention that word beginning with “p”, derived in part from the Greek word “porneia” and who can deny, that there has not been an epidemic of this evil that has literally swept across the world by the aid of advancements in technology, most notably, the internet This sermon is a sober warning and a plea for all who name the name of Jesus Christ to flee fornication and to render their vessels in sanctification to the Lord. 

1 Kings 17:1-6 It’s not until you step out of a situation, that looking back, you’re able to see it really for it was!  When you’re in a smoke-filled room, it’s hard to see the smoke, but exit the room and peer back in through the glass and you’ll be astonished at how you ever could have been in such an environment and not have.  As I look around and survey the spiritual landscape of the nation, I have to conclude that we are living in the midst of a spiritual famine that few are even aware we’re in.  Churches are closing by the week of and the British landscape is changing.  Brethren, it is my conviction that unless God in His mercy sends another revival —an awakening, the likes of which this nation has not witnessed since the days of Wesley, the flickering light of present-day Christianity may soon be extinguished from these British Isles.  Now I acknowledge that God will always have a remnant—7000 who have not bowed the knee to Baal, but Brother/Sister, where is the grief over the fact that the city once s

Mark 5:35-36 Here we are again this Lord’s Day morning, back on the subject of faith!  Ah, but I say, Brother/Sister, can we ever tire of receiving what we need?  As food is to the stomach and petrol is to the engine, so faith is to the spiritual life of the believer, the vehicle through which he gains unlimited access to the marvellous and never-ending treasure stores of grace, without which he cannot live!  Can we ever tire of speaking about faith?  Can we ever exhaust its riches?  There’s not a day, not even a waking hour that you and I are not called upon to exercise it!  Faith is indispensable to the child of God; “...by it the elders obtained a good report” (Heb. 11:2) and by it, we hope also to obtain likewise in our generation, proving the God of our Fathers to be the same yesterday, today and forever!    A strong exhortation sounds forth, calling the children of God to glorify the Lord in taking Him at His word.  Even in the face of apparent setback and disappointment, God is saying, be not afraid, o

Knowing the Bible for Yourself (Pt. 7) God has always emphasised that which is important through repetition, He did in with the Law by giving Israel in effect, four complimentary books of the Law (Exodus – Deuteronomy), and He does it again in the New, giving to His people four complimentary books of the Gospels.  As one reads through the Gospels, one will notice that whilst they are very similar and alike, they are not exactly the same.  Some things that appear in one book, for example, will not appear in another.  How are we to harmonise the apparent discrepancies and contradictions that appear between them?  Can something be said in two different ways and yet at the same time, both ways be correct?  What also of the parables?  Are we free to interpret them as we wish?  Is it okay to use allegory when seeking to interpret them?  In this second and final teaching part exploring the Gospels, we provide some answers to the above questions as we continue our studies looking at how to harmonise the Gospels and i

Romans 12:1-2 The Williams household dates all the way back to 1896 (it’s an old Victorian terraced) and take it from me, there are one or two loose floorboards that without fail, every time you walk over them, you’re greeted by the voices of Mr. and Mrs. Creak!  Now please don’t misunderstand me; these defects are not foundational — Mr. and Mrs. Creak aren’t threatening to undermine the structural integrity of my house, they just like to talk a lot (and I can live with that!).  But you see, that’s probably why I never take the trouble to nail them down!  Who wants to be bothered with taking up the carpet to nail a single plank, then have to put it all back down again?  Thus, I choose to live at peace with the Creaks and let them get on with their creaking!  My dear soul, there’s a spiritual lesson to all of this. Could it be that some of us have adopted the same nonchalant attitude when it comes to nailing down the loose planks in our lives (bad attitudes, a loose tongue, a heated temper)!  Rather than going

Galatians 6:9-10 Idioms in the English language abound and our everyday conversation is littered with them.  One such saying is, “Once bitten, twice shy”. If anyone has ever been bitten by a dog, you’ll know full well the sentiments being expressed.  Simply put, if someone has a bad experience and is hurt doing a particular thing, the second time around, they’re much weary and less inclined to do the same again! Dogs are one thing and people are another.  The royal command of love instructs us as Christians, to never lose the love of God towards all mankind.  Loving our friends is easy, but loving those who’ve hurt us much, can at times be incredibly difficult. May the Lord speak to each heart as the call to not grow weary in well-doing goes forth.

Exodus 36:1-7 It could appear at first sight that the title of this sermon is a contradiction in terms.  What has grace to do with doing?  I thought grace and works were diametrically opposed as light is to darkness and darkness is to light?  In terms of salvation, this most certainly is the case; but when it comes to the call of grace to Christian ministry, there is a labouring on the part of man under the grace which God supplies. This sermon is a challenge and call to faithfulness in the sphere of Christian service.  May God be pleased to take this sermon and speak into your heart in this most vital matter.

Knowing the Bible for Yourself (Pt. 6) As one opens the New Testament, one is immediately confronted in succession by four books that each bear the title “The Gospel According to…”.  The Gospel According to Matthew, The Gospel According to Mark, The Gospel According to Luke, and The Gospel According to John.  Though these books comprise only four of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, they make up just under half of the New Testament (46%) due to their word content.  God could have given us just one Gospel, but instead, He chose in His wisdom to give us four, which tells us that what is contained in these accounts is of tremendous significance. In this first part of our studies in the Gospels, we seek to bridge the gap of distance that sometimes separates the reader from being able to rightly understand and interpret the accounts.  The first two matters that we shall explore in this teaching is that of the historical and cultural separation and the Law. Download teaching notes (pdf) https://traffic.