Wishart Community Church

King Manasseh’s life was one of the darkest stories in the Old Testament. He defiled the temple, created idols and worshipped other gods. Yet despite all this, the story has a twist, Manasseh humbled himself in the lowest part of his life and God met him with astonishing mercy, grace and restoration. Join me this Sunday, as we discover that no one is beyond the merciful and gracious hand of God an...

Scripture Reading: Exodus 20:1-17  Preacher: Pastor Jim de Witte  Support the show

What can seem like acts of service that go above and beyond our expectations are in fact, the ordinary duty of servants in the Kingdom. In Luke 17:5-10, Jesus teaches that forgiving others and following Him are not extraordinary acts but the duty of those who have received grace. Even the smallest faith in a powerful Saviour is enough to do duty. Grace when properly understood, replaces recognitio...

 In the opening chapter of Galatians, Paul is at pains to express how important it is that we get the gospel right. If we get the gospel wrong, our eternity and the honour of Jesus are at stake. Since it is so critical to get the gospel right, we should also ask the question: how do we know which gospel is authoritative? How do we know whether the gospel we believe is authoritative? This Sunday, w...

One thing Paul makes very clear in Galatians is that we are free from the law. Free from judgement under the law and free from trying to win God's favour through the law. Does that mean we can just ignore it all together? That we can live however we want and God doesn't care at all? No, not at all. God rescues us from the present evil age, not just in the sense of forgiving us but by mak...

Exodus 20:16 commands, "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour." While often summarized as "do not lie," this commandment specifically protects human dignity, community trust, and justice. We need it because we know it hurts when people lie to you or about you. We live in a world that spins truth as relative or categorize some lies as big and others as “littl...

Don’t murder seems pretty straightforward, and it is. The sixth commandment, you shall not murder, is grounded in the fabric of creation to the point that universally, everyone naturally knows it’s wrong. Murder is wrong, but in God’s eyes, there is more to it that just taking someone’s life. In the Sermon on the Mount, we see how Jesus transforms this commandment to reach the heart. So, knowing m...

Today we look at the open of Paul's letter to the Galatians. It is in many ways a stern and strong letter as Paul warns them against deserting the gospel of Jesus for a different and fake gospel. As he does so he helps us to understand and marvel at the good news of our rescue through Jesus Christ. But why Paul was so determined to make sure the Galatian churches, and through them us, underst...

Today is Mother’s Day, when we celebrate and give thanks for the love of our mothers. The relationship between a mother and her child is perhaps the strongest of all human bonds, forged as it is in nine months of pregnancy, the pain of childbirth itself and the intimate care of a newborn child. It is a relationship marked by a sacrificial gracious love. Much of this mirrors God’s love for us. Out...

Preacher: Jim de Witte  Passage: Psalm 27 Support the show

We are picking up our 10 Commandments series, under ‘Life’s Building Code’. The first four commandments focused on God and the worship of him. The final six centre on the treatment of other people, with the first speaking about family. It is the first commandment with a promise, as it calls for a heart posture of respect, gratitude and care toward parents, treating them with ‘weightiness’, rather...

We might be confident that we pray to the Great God of heaven and earth but, as we pray, we may not be so confident about praying to our Father in heaven. One of Jesus’ disciples asks, “Lord teach us to pray”. In reply Jesus gives them more than mere words to recite aloud.  He goes on to tell them two stories. There is the persistent friend (v.5) and the little child (v.11) both of whom receive am...

We have spent a weekend contemplating the ‘What if’ question as we reflected on Christ’s sacrifice for us on Good Friday. And we celebrated that He is risen on Easter Sunday. But, so what? What does life look like for you after Easter? How do you live in the light of this momentous event? How does it change our lives? It’s now a week later so does everything go back to normal? Do we go back to liv...

What if Jesus didn’t really conquer the grave would you still be a Christian? If archaeologists in Jerusalem discovered the body of Jesus of Nazareth, would you remain a follower of Christ? Would you keep living for Jesus because of His compassionate example, His inspirational teaching, His noble moral standards? Or would you abandon any pretence of following in His footsteps? If Jesus had not ris...

What if Christ had not died on the cross? Then there would be no atonement for our sins. We would still be headed for eternal damnation. All the little pleasures on earth would only be a momentary distraction from certain and ultimate doom for every member of the human race. Yet, the writers of the New Testament answer this question by stating clearly why Jesus had to die on the cross. Scripture s...

The question this week is, ‘What if Jesus had missed Gethsemane? What if we didn’t have this prayer time in the garden? What would we be missing in the story of Jesus death and resurrection?’ Gethsemane was where Jesus and His disciples regularly went to, but here it will be the last time Jesus will be there with them before the cross. All 4 gospels record the scene at Gethsemane, so it has a sign...

As we draw closer to Easter, we are continuing to apply ‘What if’ questions to the events of Jesus’ last week before his death and resurrection. Today we apply the ‘what if’ question to the Passover meal that Jesus and the disciples celebrated. What if Jesus had not celebrated this ‘Last Supper’ with the disciples? What if the way Jesus used it to teach was not recorded for us? What significant un...

With Easter just a few weeks away, we are going to look together at some of the events that mark Jesus final week leading up to his crucifixion. We are going to apply ‘What if’ questions to the accounts, wondering how things might be different if the event was omitted. Today we apply the ‘what if’ question to the triumphal entry, as Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem. What if Jesus had just slippe...

Passage: Matthew 8:5-13 Preacher: Juhan Klooster (JK) Support the show

Support the show

When we look at the third commandment it seems, on the surface, and easy one to avoid breaking: just don’t swear using the name of God. Simple, let’s move to the fourth commandment. If that’s all that is at stake, a little self-control would bring compliance. But names in the Bible do more than identify and individual and delving into the name of God is key to a deeper obedience to the command. It...

Psalm 90 is a psalm of meditation and reflection. It reflects on two massive truths about God and life here on this earth. But these reflections aren't just an exercise in navel-gazing, they lead to a response. Psalm 90 shows us how to respond to God in light of the truths that it reflects on. Knowing what God is like, and what our lives are like, drives us to make him our help and our dwelli...

Last Sunday we looked at the first commandment which makes it clear who the object of our worship must be: YHWH alone. But how is he to be worshipped? That is the question addressed in the second commandment, which in brief says, with no idols. God’s uniqueness requires unique devotion. The warning is about avoiding any representation of God as if he is a part of creation, or even a created animal...

Pastor: Jim De Witte  Passage: Exodus 20:1-21  Support the show

Preacher: Bill Berends  Passage: Zech 11:4-14; Mt 21:1-16, 23-46   Support the show