Bethesda Shalom

Part 16 – How Do I Overcome Sin? Perhaps no greater area deserving of our attention is the question posed as the title of this teaching part; “How Do I Overcome Sin?”  Ask the average Christian this question and you’re sure to be greeted with a mixture of responses.  I hear one say, “why are you worried about sin, it’s been dealt with at Calvary; the grace of God has covered all sins, past, present, and future”.  Another, I hear say “didn’t Paul struggle with sin?  The things he wanted to do he didn’t do and the things he desired not to do those things he did; what’s the problem?  Join the club!  If the great Apostle Paul couldn’t gain the victory over besetting sins then how much less us sinners?”  In this sixteenth teaching part, we tackle the issue of overcoming sin head-on, clearing up some of the misconceptions surrounding this matter and providing biblical answers to questions such as; how do I overcome sin?  What does it mean to walk by the Spirit and how does one overcome besetting sins?  May God see

Jeremiah 6:16 The great dilemma of the “remnant Church” in this land of ours is that it knows all the right things in their head but when one looks to see this translate on the race track, the rubber never seems to meet the road!!  I fear that we’ve become experts in exposing the error that’s outside while our own house lies in ruin!  The pressing need among the professing remnant Church in these Last Days is for God to send into our midst a “Nathan the prophet” who can point the finger into our very hearts and cry “Thou art the man” (2 Sam. 12:7).  In this final part of a three-part message, the emphasis is moved from the heart to the feet.  A plea from God is heard sounding forth of a merciful and loving God who is calling His people home.  Who will hear His call; who will heed His call; who will come back home? At the start of this sermon, a testimony is given at the request of those who had invited Paul to share how he came to live by faith going into full-time ministry.   This message was shared at the I

Jeremiah 6:16 I find it quite amazing and oft at times it shows our age; when mixing with the young they speak of things pertaining to today; yet when mixing with the aged, they speak of the things of yesteryear, remembering the days of old and how things used to be!  There's a saying; “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone” - and how true this is.  To realize the worth of a prized possession, in light of its passing, and to yearn for it again is grief enough; but to have never known that prized possession in the first place is grief the more!!  The bottom line is this; you cannot miss what you’ve never had and you cannot mourn what you've never experienced.  I fear that we are living in a generation that is so far removed from the Biblical standards of godliness known to our forefathers of old, that what we now call normal Christianity, would a generation ago have been considered reprobate!!  Before one can walk along the old paths, they must first know what they are.  In this second part of a three-p

Jeremiah 6:16 In this generation of newfangled fancies and innovative ideas and inventions, we’re told that old is bad and new is good; that which belonged to yesteryear must needs to be buried in order to make way for the new thing God’s wanting to do today.  Friends, on every hand I witness a Church trying its level best to be relevant to a world that’s so disgusting and vulgar that no Christian has any business ever trying to imitate it.  There is a great need in these last days for the people of God to ask again for the old paths. In this first part of a three-part message, we set the landscape and call the people of God to prepare their hearts as to how they intend to respond.  Before one can turn again to the old paths there must first be a sincere willingness on the part of man to enquire again and to ask in earnest for the old paths. This message was shared at the Israel and Prophecy Meeting March 2008

Part 15 – How Can I Know If I’m Saved? Perhaps the number one question in many a Church a pew is “am I really saved?”  “Am I really a child of God, born-again from above?”  Though such words might never be expressed from the mouth, in the heart these thoughts ravish many a poor soul and are a constant thorn of discouragement in their side that never seems to disappear.  The common answer given when one finally plucks up enough courage to approach the pastor is that Satan is to blame and that what they are experiencing is nothing more than the cunning wiles of the devil.  Now, for some, this truly is the case; the accuser of the Brethren is the primary cause of their doubting as he assaults their faith with lies and slanderer.  I often find that those subject to this kind of spiritual attack tend to be new believers, babes and infants in Christ.  What however are we to think when those doubting their salvation are those who have professed Christ for five, ten, twenty years?  Clearly, in this situation, unless

Psalm 23 Hindsight is a wonderful thing Brethren but in the midst of trial, we don’t have hindsight for our comfort.  Yet what we do have, more than this, is the Word of God; His sure and faithful promises which are yea and amen in Christ! As though restricted by space, with a limited palette; the great Psalmist paints the canvas with words deep from within which from time immemorial have served to be a source of great refreshment for many a weary Saint.  Of this 23rd Psalm, Spurgeon wrote; “...what the nightingale is among birds, that is this divine ode (poem) among the psalms, for it has sung sweetly in the ear of many a mourner in his night of weeping, and has bidden him hope for a morning of joy”.  

In this final part of a series of sermons on revival, David puts as central the role of faith in revival. To listen to more of David's teachings, please click here: https://www.youtube.com/user/HighlandWayWhisky    

David shares in this second part of three teachings the need and role of intercessory prayer in revival. To listen to more of David's teachings, please click here: https://www.youtube.com/user/HighlandWayWhisky

David shares in this first part of three teachings his burden for revival, the need for revival and what constitutes true revival. To listen to more of David's teachings, please click here: https://www.youtube.com/user/HighlandWayWhisky

Part 14 – What Is a Disciple of Jesus Christ? There exists a terrible misconception amongst many professing believers in Christ about what constitutes a true Christian.  Some when asked, point to a time and date when they said a sinners prayer; others refer to a Church membership roll with their name upon it!  Some still would direct you to their baptismal certificate signed by the pastor.  As human beings, I tend to find that we always want a formula that will produce the desired result and on face-value, there’s nothing wrong with that.  On the day of Pentecost, many Jews who came under the sound of Peter’s preaching were deeply convicted of their sin; the KJV says that “…they were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37).  The Philippian jailor while still trembling said to Paul and Silas “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30).  In each case, the question is not dodged and a firm answer is given; Paul and Silas re

Hebrews 10:23-25 You don’t need a neon sign pointing to the obvious fact that we’re living in what the Bible describes as the last days.  All around us the signs abound!  It is exactly as our Lord said; Spiritual deception on epidemic proportions; wars and rumours of wars; nation rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom; famines; pestilences and earthquakes in diverse places.  If this be so then it is imperative in the hour in which we live to make sufficient preparation so as to stand in these last days. This sermon is the second part of a two-part sermon series that serves to offer necessary imperatives that the Christian simply cannot afford to be without in this perilous hour.  Having looked in part one at the responsibility we have as believers to maintain our vertical relationship towards God; in this second part, we turn our full attention now to our horizontal relationship towards the Brethren.  In these last days, no man is going to be able to exist as a stand-alone island.  The Church of Je

Romans 13:11-14 You don’t need a neon sign pointing to the obvious fact that we’re living in what the Bible describes as the last days.  All around us the signs abound!  It is exactly as our Lord said; Spiritual deception on epidemic proportions; wars and rumours of wars; nation rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom; famines; pestilences and earthquakes in diverse places.  If these things be so then it is crucial in the hour in which we live to make sufficient preparation so as to be able to stand. This sermon is the first part of a two-part sermon series that serves to offer necessary imperatives that the Christian simply cannot afford to be without in this perilous hour.  In this sermon, we seek to offer four practical points that relate to our vertical relationship towards God.  Firstly the need to know the Word of God; secondly the need to apply the Word of God; thirdly the need for personal holiness and fourthly the need for spiritual discipline in the area of prayer.  May the Lord see fit to

Part 13 – How do I Interpret the Bible? The claim of Holy Scripture is not that men wrote as it pleased their fancy but rather that “…holy men of God spake as they were moved (carried along) by the Holy Ghost” (2 Pet. 1:20).  This fact becomes the key in answering questions that often arise concerning the compilation of the Bible, for example; why 66 books and not 67?  What about so-called missing books - the Gospel of Thomas or Psalm 151?  Who determined what books went into the Bible and what books didn’t?  These questions are easily answerable when one understands that the Bible claims not mere human authorship but divine authorship! Then there is the matter of rightly dividing the Word of God.  All too often, one will encounter Christians who have very little consistency when it comes to reading the Bible and even when they do read it, they do not really have any real method of approach to meaningful study.  Often one will find that rather than studying the Bible, Christians will dabble with the text i.e.

Part 12 – The Doctrine of the Eternal States The doctrine of the eternal states is rightly classed as a sub-division of eschatology - the study of the end times.  Where eschatology has a broader overview of all that is contained in the heading of the last days, the doctrine of eternal states hones in on what will be the final state or eternal existence of man at the end of the world following the Second Coming of Christ and the Millennium.  The Bible is conclusive in what it has to say about the final states of the righteous and the wicked; those whose names are written in the book of life and those whose names are not.  There is a growing movement today amidst the ranks of so-called Evangelicals that denies the conscious eternal suffering of the wicked in a place called hell and instead teaches that the wicked upon being raised from the dead shall be annihilated so as to cease to exist.  As we shall see in this twelfth teaching part, nothing could be further from the truth.  Just as the final state of the ri

Exodus 4:10-16 If we were gathered in certain quarters and I was to mention this sermon title, I’m sure many us would have a good idea what might follow.  “You’ve got a problem with insecurity?  Just take a look in the mirror and realise how great you are!  Your self-esteem needs a face-lift!  Stop doubting yourself and start believing in yourself!  Com’on you’re worth it!”  Such is the rhetoric of popular psychology and sadly even the mentality of many professing Christians.  That said, are we to just write off as erroneous and ignore the fact that there are multitudes of Christians who struggle daily with very real feelings of insecurity which hinder them greatly from moving forward into the call of God for their lives? Brothers and Sisters, it matters not how you feel nor what the world census says.  What does God have to say?  The very opposite of pop psychology!!  Not, develop your self-esteem, but, turn your eyes upon Me!  In Christ it is all flipped on its head!  Our perceived weakness and insecurity i

Colossians 3:1-4 Modern 21st-century man well makes a fitting boast on account of the vast array of his accomplishments; they’re admittedly very impressive! In this century and the last alone, the world has witnessed staggering and unprecedented breakthroughs in every field of expertise, from medicine to engineering. Western civilization has never known such affluence, such protracted periods of peace and prosperity; have never known such high standards of health and living and yet it’s into this period of history and into this geographical locale that each of us finds our present existence, and it’s into this reality that the gospel of Jesus Christ has shone its dazzling light, even into your heart and mine! Undeterred by the leavening influence of a society dripping with riches, the power of Christ is seen in that He has a people though in this world remain untouched by it! This sermon is an exhortation for believers to fix their mind, not on the things of this earth but the things belonging to heaven. The

Part 11 – Understanding Eschatology Without question, the foremost claim to the Bible being inspired and thus coming from God is the sheer volume of material contained within its pages given over to prophecy.  In fact, a staggering 27% of the Bible (just over a ¼) is comprised of such.  God goes down on record, declaring the future before it comes into existence so that when it does all will know that the Living God has spoken!  These predictions are not vague random predictions relating to non-connected matter but rather are specific, exact, calculating, precise in nature and content.  They concern themselves with a particular nation and a particular person, namely Israel and her Messiah, after which they then branch out to encompass the nations in immediate proximity to Israel and finally to the whole world.   The subject matter of this eleventh teaching is narrowed down to a specific field of Bible prophecy called eschatology.  Eschatology comes from the Greek word “eschatos” meaning last and “ology” meani

John 1:45-49 Religion has always produced its lion’s share of the world’s hypocrites, those whose devotion to God consists largely of public show!  Seeking the applause and affirmation of men, they do their religious acts before the same and in so doing they receive their reward of the same! Dear Christian, how fare’s your devotional life with the Lord in private? A call goes forth in this sermon for all to do away with the feigned folly of a counterfeit Christianity; away with such insults against Deity; be gone with such mockery! Its time again to seek the Lord in truth and sincerity that we might serve Him in authenticity! This sermon was shared in May at a CMFI fellowship day.

Matthew 13:9 The word to my heart at the start of this New Year of 2018 is “no compromise!” Where you point the finger O Lord and speak; “Thy will be done!!” You have the right to walk the corridors of my heart and to examine the secret recesses. If there are sinful attitudes and thoughts that I’ve been excusing...pride, lust, anger, envy, selfish ambition; “speak to me by name O Master, that I may acknowledge my ways and take heed to Thy word!!” No more excuses, no more compromise! You have the right to speak to me about where my priorities lie; where I relocate; where I work; what I spend my time doing; what I set before my eyes and what I listen to; the places I go and the company I keep; “no more compromise O Lord, no more excuses!!” “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Mt. 13:9).  My dear Brothers and Sister, spiritual sight and hearing is to be most coveted in this our generation and we play deaf to God to our own detriment!!

Matthew 4:1-11 While many deny the supernatural activity of Satan in the earth today, we are exhorted in the Word of God to take to arm us for the fight the whole armour of God so as to stand in the evil day of his attack.  The weaponry of the Christian’s warfare are not of this word but are mighty through God to the pulling down of satanic strongholds.  Do you know of such armament?  Have you taken such daily to arm you in this great battle?  The devil loves no easier prey than a sitting duck Christian!  Unawares, unsuspecting, naive, unskilled in spiritual warfare and undisciplined in spiritual matters!!  Such are easy pickings and prime suspects to terrorize.  This sermon is an exhortation for all engaged in this spiritual war to take the defense and the offense; the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit.  With the shield of faith we are able to counter His lies and falsehoods but with the sword of the Word of God, we are able to fight back!!  When our Lord was assailed upon by the prince of this wor