Bethesda Shalom

Luke 15:11-32 Jason Wright brings an expository exposition of a parable that is so well-known to all of us.  May the Lord bless you as you hear the heart of our Heavenly Father!  

Exodus 40:33-38 If I were to ask you to tell me what the single greatest glory was attending the children of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness, I wonder what answer you would give?  Would it be the miraculous wonders — fresh manna by morning; the rock which was clave in two? Would it be the glory of the gold which adorned the holy furniture in the tent of the congregation? Would it be the precious stones that decorated Aaron’s breastplate or the two that rested upon his shoulders?  I’ve no doubt that each of these glories were wonders to behold, yet the glory that I have in mind exceeds the splendour of each of these as heaven exceeds the glory of the earth!! You say, Brother, tell me, what is in your opinion, the single greatest glory that for 40 years attended the children of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness?  Without question, it was the pillar of cloud that led them by day and the pillar of fire that led them by night! Brothers and Sisters, the single greatest glory that attended the ch

Philippians 3:12-15 As each of you begins this New Year, I wonder this morning how much of 2023 you’ve allowed to stick?  How much of last year has come across as unwanted baggage into this year?  Do you know that for many a soul, their future has been mapped already for them by events that lie in the past? The child who all their life was told, you’ll amount to nothing finds that those wretched words follow them into adulthood!!  The infant that falls from a tree and breaks a leg, in their later years rediscovers that old injury as it returns to bite with vengeance!!  I’m no skeptic, but the facts on this one speak for themselves!! To a large extent tomorrow’s future is shaped by yesterday's past; this year by the years preceding it, Brethren, if we’re not careful, we can become victims of past failings, prisoners of yesterday’s woes — serving a sentence that we’ve allowed to be imposed upon us when the text of this Holy Book states that Christ came to set us free!  This sermon is a call to leave the past

Jeremiah 5:31 Many today are happy to live in an echo chamber where the only narrative they ever encounter is the one they want to hear.  You all know what an echo chamber is, don’t you? Have you ever shouted from inside a cave?  What do you hear back?  More of the same!!  That’s an echo chamber, and Brethren, if we’re not careful we can find ourselves living in one!!  This sermon is an earnest call for Christians to walk in truth and reality with God.  As I begin a New Year, the desire of my heart more than ever is that I might deal honestly with the One who deals honestly with me!!  Lord, if my heart’s not right, I want to know!!! If my heart’s motivations are jaded, Lord reprove me!  If I’m veering off track, show me O Lord!!!

Hebrews 4:12 Once upon a time the preacher hastened fearlessly to climb the stairs of the pulpit, burdened with a message from heaven, armed in hand with a open Bible.  Book, chapter and verse was his modus operandi and for the unction of God He pleaded!!  Brothers and Sisters, it is the last part of this statement that has become my soul’s burden over the last number of years — O for the unction of God upon the Word!!!  It is simply not enough to have the letter of the Word, we need the Word and the Spirit.  The preaching of God’s Word in the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit.  Paul understood this and saw the mighty effects of it in Thessalonica. What does he say? “For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power (Lit. force), and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake” (1 Thess. 1:5).  This sermon is a plea to surrender!  A call to yield!  “Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts”

Overcoming the Fear of Man – Paul M. Williams Proverbs 29:25 There are over 500 recognised phobias in our world today For the most part, the fears that we experience as we walk through life are not good.  Rather than serving to be of benefit to us, they serve to be a hindrance.  Of all the fears I could list that are common to man, there is one fear in particular that has proved to be his downfall repeatedly. You say, Brother Paul, what is this fear? It is the fear of man!!!  King Solomon writing some 3000 years ago put it like this; “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe” (Prov. 29:25).  In this sermon, we look at how to overcome the fear of man.

Genesis 12:1-4 It would seem on paper that man has more time on his hands than ever he had since time began.  Please don’t misunderstand me, there are no more hours in a day — the same 24 that have always been are the same 24 available today — yet the sheer amount of what can be accomplished in a single hour is breathtaking!!  One study concluded that modern technology is saving the average man, two weeks each year!!  Despite all the innovations and successes in technological breakthroughs, give a man an extra hour you can guarantee, he’ll find something to do with it and thus what you find is rather than becoming less busy, society becomes more busy. On every hand, I find myself having to fight to preserve what matters most in life.  There are ONLY 24 hours in a day and if you have not got a priority for what matters most in your life you will be swallowed up by the system and spat out ruined! 

Genesis 12:1-4 As I look back over the 23 years that I’ve had the privilege of walking with the Lord, every major turn in the road of my life, has been marked by the call of God.  Before ever I knew the Lord and at every junction since coming to saving faith in Him He hath called and faith’s obedience has met that call!!!   In this sermon, Paul shares his testimony of God’s call and faith’s obedience. Shared at Lifeboat Fellowship (10/12/23) - Sunday (pm)

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 Being raised in 21st-century Britain, I’ve never had the painful displeasure of attending a slave market. Yet in the days of the Roman Empire in the first century AD, it would have been commonplace. Under Roman law, slaves were regarded as the personal property of their masters, to be bought, sold, and mistreated at will. They had no rights of their own, no privileges to their name, they could not so much as own a piece of property, nor enter into a contract with their fellow man; they could not legally marry should they see a bride. If the truth be told, slaves were the lowest class of society, and even freed criminals had more rights than them.  Having painted this despairing picture, I want to invite you to come with me for a moment in the imagination of your mind, to the slave market where once you stood on the blocks for sale. Maimed and stained by the vice of sin, bound by the shackles of iniquity — a thoroughbred reprobate of whom the placard which hangs about your necks reads “N

John 10:22-23 The Intertestamental period dated from the prophet Malachi’s time (about 400 BC) to the preaching of John the Baptist (about AD 25) has been called the silent years. God is never silent! A lot happened in these 400 years.  In this teaching, we are going to explore one amazing event – The Feast of Dedication – in which we will discover who the Shammash of God is and where you and I fit in.

Isaiah 66:1-2 If I were to ask you to tell of the kind of man/woman who wins favour with God, I wonder what you’d say? I know full well of the kind that wins favour with the world — give a man a bit of money and prestige and see how rapidly his circle of friends increases.  But can I say; that which catches the eye of the world and that which turns the head of God are not the same — they’re poles apart. Is not the answer in the text that is before us?  “...to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Is.66:2).   

Matthew 21:42 From the moment that I got saved, some 23 years ago, I had a God-given burden that I could not extinguish, for my life to be used by God!!  I figured that for 20 years, I had given myself in full-time service to do the devil’s bidding; how now, that I’m a born-again Christian could I give the True and Living God anything less?  Every fiber of my being cried forth, “Lord use me!! Get the glory of my life this side of eternity!   Yet in the face of a barren landscape the voice of my own reasoning would say, but how? There was nothing of any outward brilliance to commend itself to God, nothing to lend itself by way of encouragement. All I had was a burden that I could not rid myself of.  Do you want to know what the balm was that soothed my soul in those early years?  The means that God used to inject faith into my spiritual bloodstream? It was the examples given in this Book of the men that God used. Ah, man has his criteria of selection, but listen, those whom the world passes over are God’s cho

Acts 12:1-5   When the people of God begin to pray, God begins to move! This, my dear friends, is an indisputable fact of history to which the Scriptures provide undeniable testimony.  In this sermon, example after example is laid bare, demonstrating that God responds to the prayers of His people.  Whether, Moses, Abraham, Hannah, Elisha, Hezekiah, or Elijah, they prayed unto God and were heard!!  May this be an impetus to stir us to prayer so as to lay hold on God in this desperate hour and to see Him come through!!     

1 Samuel 3:10 I would argue that the single greatest tool the Devil has used to pervert a whole generation in this century and the latter half of the last has been the power of mass media — Film, music, radio, television, and now the internet. What was previously confined to the abominable opera houses and disgusting theatre halls is now aired en-mass 24-7/365 click-and-demand across the world!!  So immoral and harmful is the content, as a child of God, you daren’t cast your eyes upon it, not lend an ear to hear.  Every value contrary to the Word of God is lauded and celebrated, promoted, and embraced, not only by the artists themselves but by their millions of fans and followers whom they’ve managed to hoodwink by the truckload!  My dear people, can I ask, what are you setting before your eyes in the name of entertainment?  The films you sit down to watch?  The dramas and the soaps? The women’s magazines? David purposed in his heart; “ I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes” (Ps. 101:3). Will you say th

1 Samuel 3:10 No man who upon hearing the voice of God, ever lived to regret the day He answered the call!!  My phone rings all the time and sometimes I regret answering it. An unidentified number appears on the screen — it’s a local number, and you think, I’d better answer it, only to discover two seconds in that it’s a national telesales company masquerading behind a local area code!!  WHY DID I ANSWER THE CALL? Brothers and Sisters, such words might indeed be uttered when man is calling, but never a soul lived to regret answering the call of God!! There are times that I have to say also, that I have lived to regret heeding the voice of man.  Sometimes those voices are well intentioned — counsel that means me well, but it’s not God’s council and thus there’s only one inevitable outcome — disappointment and regret!!  Ah, many a man upon hearing the voice of his closest kin regretted the day he ever gave heed, but no man — and I mean NO MAN — ever lived to regret the day He answered the call of God!!  This s

2 Kings 4:38-41 You’ve all heard the expression, “One bad apple spoils the barrel”; the origin of this idiom dates all the way back to the 1300’s.  According to one source, the bad apple metaphor was first recorded in 1340 in the form of an English proverb, “A rotten apple quickly infects its neighbor”.  There is a Biblical counterpart to this idiom which goes like this; “...a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?” (1 Cor. 5:6).  In this sermon, an urgent call goes forth for us to make search for any traces of leaven in our lives.  With God’s help and grace, I pray that this sermon will be of help to your soul.

Luke 10:38-42 Do you have a quiet place with Jesus your Lord? You’ve placed priorities on things — they may be good things/noble things/godly things but have they become a distraction in your life? Are they taking you away from that one thing that is needful — sitting at the feet of Jesus? In the busyness and clutter of life, can you hear the Master calling you aside to spend time alone with Him?  May God minister to your heart through this sermon.

Matthew 14:22-33 For the third consecutive week, I have the privilege of ascending the stairs of this pulpit to bring a word in season on how to stand in the midst of trial!!  Brothers and Sisters, believe me when I say, it was not my planned intention to labour this point, but as I waited upon the Lord as to what He would have me to say, I felt Him call to my remembrance another facet of suffering that I had been thinking hard upon but for the moment had forgotten.  Brothers and Sisters, God is speaking to His people!!  Through the trials that we are passing through; God is at work, refining us so that we might be able to stand, not only in the present hour, but in the coming days ahead. But you say, Pastor, it’s hard and I’m weary!!  The battle is fierce, the pressure intense, and the fire is hot; what am I to do? If I’m honest, I feel like I’m going under!!  Brother/Sister, it is my heart’s desire to encourage you this morning — hold on!! You’re not going under!!!! The word of encouragement to your heart

1 Peter 3:3-7 As painful as it is to undergo trial — to be put into the furnace of affliction — It’s the only way by which one’s faith might be tried!! A man can boast all day about his faith; it is not until he is placed into the fire that one will see the quality of his faith!  Far from diminishing faith, fire will always purify a man’s faith! It was the Roman philosopher and historian, Pliny the Elder who wrote: “GOLD is the only thing that loses no substance by the action of fire. Indeed as a matter of fact it improves in quality the more often it is fired, and fire serves as a test of its goodness....”

Mark 4:35-42  “And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side” (Mk. 4:35). Note the circumstances of the hour. The evening had come upon them after what must have been a long drawn-out day. Jesus waits until the evening, when darkness is fast approaching, to put to His disciples His desire — “...Let us pass over unto the other side”. Jesus immediately takes His disciples from the classroom of academic learning to the classroom of application. First the theory then the practical!! Note, that the academic learning takes place close to shore, in a safe and controlled environment, but the practical lesson is going to take place out at sea, amidst the volatile atmosphere of a storm!! Some of us want a trialless Christianity; a Christianity free from trouble, but listen, if the Lord while upon the earth led His disciples into conflict, how shall the risen ascended Saviour not even now, lead His people into the same? But fear not, the One who bids you pass over say