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Hebrews 8:12—“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”

Hebrews 8 presents the blessings and fulfilment of the new covenant, drawing on the promise in Jeremiah 31:31–34. At its heart is this gracious declaration: God will be merciful to the unrighteous and will remember their sins no more.

This does not mean that God literally forgets. The omniscient God cannot lose knowledge. Rather, “I will remember no more” means that He will no longer hold the believer’s sins against him in judgement. The guilt of sin has been dealt with through the atoning work of Christ, the Mediator of the new covenant.

This forgiveness rests entirely on divine mercy. The verse does not say that God forgives because sinners have made themselves worthy. He says, “I will be merciful”. Salvation begins with God’s gracious purpose and is secured by Christ’s sacrifice. Because Christ bore the penalty of sin, God can righteously forgive all who come to Him in faith.

What comfort this brings to the repentant believer! Satan may remind us of our former sins. Our conscience may recall our failures with sorrow. But the believer must rest on God’s covenant promise rather than on fluctuating feelings.

This truth should not make us careless about sin. Rather, forgiven people should hate the sins for which Christ suffered and walk in gratitude before God.

When guilt troubles your heart, look not merely within yourself. Look to God’s promise in Christ. The God who forgives declares concerning His redeemed people, “Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more”.

Philemon 17—“If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.”

Paul’s appeal to Philemon reaches a tender and powerful point in this verse. Onesimus, once “unprofitable” (v. 11), was now returning as a changed man and, more importantly, as “a brother beloved” (v. 16). Paul therefore urges Philemon not to receive him merely as a returning servant, but with the affection due to one who now shares the same faith in Christ.

The word “partner” conveys fellowship. Paul was, in effect, asking Philemon, “If you regard me as one who shares with you in the fellowship of the Gospel, then receive Onesimus with the same warmth with which you would receive me.” Christian fellowship must therefore shape Christian relationships. The Gospel does not erase every earthly responsibility, but it profoundly changes how believers regard and treat one another.

Paul’s appeal also illustrates the ministry of reconciliation. He places his relationship with Philemon alongside Onesimus and pleads for a gracious reception. Paul’s intercession beautifully reflects the Gospel spirit of standing with another to promote peace and restoration.

Believers must beware of allowing past offences to permanently define those whom God has changed. Where there is genuine repentance and evidence of grace, forgiveness and restoration should be gladly pursued.

The church should be a place where converted sinners are not continually imprisoned by their past failures. Because Christ has received us by grace, we should be ready to receive one another in love: “Receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God” (Romans 15:7).

This is The LORD’s Doing!

“This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:23). Jesus quoted Psalm 118:21-23 in Matthew 21:42 because those verses prophetically described what Israel’s religious leaders were doing to Him and what God would do despite their rejection. As Bible Witness marks twenty-five years, we rejoice that the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection, and the advancement of His kingdom, are the LORD’s doing; and whatever good this ministry has accomplished in serving that purpose is likewise by His gracious hand.

In the year 2000, the work to start a literature ministry began, which was then called Bible Witness Literature Ministry. As the Lord enabled us to produce and disseminate God’s truth through various media and the internet, we called it Bible Witness Media Ministry. Through the Bible Witness Magazine, Gospel tracts, books, internet broadcasts [Bible Witness Web Radio (BWWR) & Bible Witness TV (BWTV)], online resources, retreats, seminars and other avenues of ministry, the Lord has enabled His truth to reach many in Singapore and beyond. Every opportunity, provision and fruit of this ministry testifies to His goodness and faithfulness. “The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad” (Psalm 126:3).

Our motto has been our risen Lord’s words, “…ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). We thank God for all who sacrificially and faithfully served to steer Bible Witness Media Ministry forward.

Come, Let Us Give Thanks!

Two Evenings of Thanksgiving…

For a quarter of a century, the Lord has graciously guarded, guided, and sustained Bible Witness Media Ministry in the publishing and teaching of His precious Word. As we look back upon these 25 years, we gratefully confess, “Hitherto hath the LORD helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12).

Let us therefore gather this Tuesday and Wednesday, 8th and 9th September, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm, to commemorate the Lord’s faithfulness in enabling Gethsemane B-P Church to establish and sustain the Bible Witness Media Ministry for the dissemination of biblical truths in Singapore and beyond.

A special highlight of the anniversary will be the release of the much anticipated Bible Explorer, Book 1: Genesis 1–26, which is a long-awaited answer to our prayers for sound teaching materials for children. The series includes a Teacher’s Manual and a Student Workbook available for purchase, and Post-Lesson Activity Material (PLAM) and Lesson Aids available for download.

The media team will also present a short video clip that recalls the Lord’s goodness over the years, with reflections and reminiscences from those involved in the ministry.

Our GCC, GYC and Children’s Choir, together with some of our musicians, will render special praise items unto the Lord. In addition, the Bible Witness musicians will release a special digital collection of instrumental renditions of seven hymns prepared in conjunction with the 25th Anniversary Thanksgiving.

…and Bible Lectures

Both nights, as part of the Thanksgiving gathering, there will be lectures on the topic “The Sovereign God and His Covenants”. These lectures seek to refute the notion that God derived or patterned His covenants after Ancient Near Eastern forms, and to affirm their wholly divine origin, authority, and revelation. The lectures will trace their eternal purpose, historical revelation, divinely appointed sacrifices and signs, in particular, the Abrahamic covenant ceremony, and how God made their meaning known to His ancient people.

The claim that God patterned His covenants after Ancient Near Eastern covenant forms is often presented as a historical fact. However, there is no biblical evidence for this claim. Moreover, it raises a serious theological problem, as it risks making fallen human culture the conceptual source from which God supposedly borrowed the forms by which He revealed His redemptive purposes.

When such errors begin to gain acceptance within our congregations, we have a duty not to remain silent. Bible Witness was established to spread and defend the truth of God’s Word. Faithfulness to this calling requires not only the positive proclamation of sound doctrine, but also, when necessary, the exposure and refutation of errors that threaten biblical truth. As new errors arise or old ones gain renewed influence, Bible Witness must continue to speak clearly, graciously and courageously, upholding the authority, sufficiency and purity of God’s revealed Word. Hence, on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of Bible Witness, we have devoted these two lectures to affirming the divine origin of God’s covenants and refuting the claim that their forms were derived from Ancient Near Eastern practices.

Come early, be seated, and pray for the Lord’s blessings upon our gathering. Let us unite our hearts in grateful praise to the Lord for all that He has done.

A special Bible teaching class will be provided for the children.

Sermon Text: 2 Kings 6:8–23
Speaker: Preacher Cornelius Koshy
Date: 6th September 2026

Philemon 11—“Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me.”

Paul writes these words concerning Onesimus, Philemon’s servant, who had left his master and appears to have caused him some loss or injury (vv. 15, 18). Yet, in God’s providence, Onesimus came into contact with Paul during the apostle’s imprisonment and was converted through his ministry. Paul therefore calls him “my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds” (v. 10).

The contrast is striking: “in time past…unprofitable, but now profitable”. Onesimus was no longer the man he had formerly been. The grace of God had changed him. Paul was not merely saying that Onesimus had become a more useful servant; he was testifying to the transforming power of the Gospel. A sinner who had once acted wrongly was now a beloved brother who had become useful both to Paul and to Philemon (vv. 12, 16).

This is what saving grace does. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Conversion does not merely change a person’s religious profession; it produces a new disposition toward God, righteousness, duty, and others.

Our past failures, therefore, need not determine our future usefulness. This transforming grace also reminds us that believers need not be confined or discouraged by fixed “personality-type” classifications, for the grace of God is able to reshape our attitudes, habits, relationships, and usefulness in ways that natural temperament alone cannot determine. Christ saves sinners not only from guilt but also transforms their lives for His glory. Those who have been unfaithful, selfish, or unprofitable can, by God’s grace, become useful servants.

Let us therefore ask for God’s saving and sanctifying grace to make a visible difference in the way we live, serve, and relate to others.

Jonah 1:12—“And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.”

Jonah had fled from the command of the LORD, but he could not flee from God’s sovereign hand. The storm exposed what Jonah had tried to hide. After the lot fell upon him and the sailors questioned him, Jonah finally acknowledged, “I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you”.

This confession reveals an important truth: our sins may bring painful consequences not only upon ourselves but also upon others. Jonah’s disobedience endangered an entire ship. Sin is never a harmless private matter. Our rebellion against God can trouble families, churches, friends, and those entrusted to our care.

Jonah also accepted responsibility. He did not blame the sailors, the weather, or his circumstances. He knew that the storm was God’s chastening hand upon him. Yet we should be careful not to read more repentance into the verse than Scripture states. Jonah recognised his guilt and the cause of the tempest, but the deeper correction of his heart would continue through God’s dealings with him.

The passage displays both God’s holiness and sovereignty. The LORD would not allow His prophet to continue comfortably in rebellion. Yet His chastening was also merciful, for God was pursuing Jonah in order to restore and use him.

When the Lord exposes our sin, we must not excuse it or shift the blame. We should confess it humbly, accept responsibility for the harm it has caused, and return obediently to Him. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).

Jonah 1:3—“But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.”

Jonah’s disobedience was deliberate. God had plainly commanded him, “Arise, go to Nineveh” (Jonah 1:2), but Jonah set out in the opposite direction. Nineveh lay to the northeast; Tarshish was far to the west. Jonah was not confused about God’s will, but he was resisting it.

Jonah’s determination to flee is evident in the deliberate steps he took. He went down to Joppa, found a ship sailing to Tarshish, paid the required fare, and boarded it “to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD”. He deliberately arranged his journey in the opposite direction from the place to which God had sent him. 

Twice this verse says that Jonah sought to flee “from the presence of the LORD”. The expression therefore describes Jonah’s attempt to withdraw from the place and service to which God had called him. He wanted to escape the responsibility God had laid upon him.

Yet, God did not abandon His disobedient servant. He sent the storm, prepared the great fish, and brought Jonah back to obedience. Divine chastening was an expression of sovereign mercy.

Believers must therefore beware of resisting God’s revealed will. We cannot escape His eye, His authority, or His purpose. Obedience may sometimes be difficult, but fleeing from God is never the safer path. Blessed is the believer who says, “Teach me to do thy will” (Psalm 143:10).

Obadiah 4—“Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.”

Edom’s confidence rested on height, strength, and apparent security. Its people lived in mountainous strongholds and imagined themselves beyond the reach of enemies. Obadiah therefore uses vivid language: “Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars”. However high Edom might rise, the LORD declared, “thence will I bring thee down”.

The verse exposes the foolishness of human pride. Men often imagine that wealth, position, influence, military strength, intelligence, or success can make them untouchable. But no human achievement can place anyone beyond God’s authority. The greater pride lifts a man in his own estimation, the more certain is his fall when God judges.

Scripture repeatedly affirms this truth. “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). God alone is truly exalted, and He will not surrender His glory to the proud.

This warning is also pastoral. Success can quietly tempt believers to trust in what God has given rather than in God Himself. Advancement, recognition, and prosperity may become spiritual dangers when they produce self-confidence.

The answer is not to despise every achievement, but to remain humble before the Lord. Whatever height we attain is still beneath His throne.

Edom asked, in effect, “Who can reach us?” God answered, “I can.”

Let us therefore never boast in our position or strength, but walk humbly, remembering that the safest place is not the highest place, but the place of dependence upon God.

Obadiah 3—“The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?”

Obadiah addressed Edom, a nation proud of its seemingly secure position. The Edomites lived among rugged mountains and rocky strongholds, and their elevated dwellings gave them a sense of security. From such a position, they boasted inwardly, “Who shall bring me down to the ground?”

But God identified the deeper problem: “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee”. Pride is deceitful because it persuades a person to believe that he is stronger, safer, and more independent than he truly is. Edom trusted in natural defences, but no height could place them beyond the reach of God.

Pride is a refusal to acknowledge our creaturely dependence on the Lord. It exalts the self and quietly assumes that human strength, wisdom, wealth, position, or security can preserve us. Yet Scripture declares, “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6).

The danger is especially serious because pride often hides in the heart. Edom “saith in his heart”. Outwardly, we may appear humble, yet inwardly trust in ourselves.

Therefore, believers must examine where their confidence rests. Do we trust our abilities, resources, experience, influence, or reputation? These can quickly become our “clefts of the rock”.

True security is found only in the Lord. Pride says, “Who shall bring me down?” Humility says, “Without the Lord, I cannot stand.” Let us therefore walk humbly before God, remembering that every strength we possess is His gift and that our safety depends entirely upon His grace.

Amos 8:11 - “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.”

Amos announces a dreadful judgment upon Israel: not merely scarcity of food or water, but a famine “of hearing the words of the LORD.” The people had repeatedly rejected God’s warnings, oppressed the poor, pursued dishonest gain, and despised His truth. Therefore, the day would come when the prophetic word they had refused to hear would no longer be readily available.

This was a judgment more severe than physical famine. Bread sustains the body, but the Word of God is necessary for the soul. Moses declared that “man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD” (Deuteronomy 8:3). To be deprived of God’s Word is therefore a terrible spiritual calamity.

The verse also warns us against taking divine revelation for granted. When God’s Word is preached faithfully, we must hear it with humility, repentance, and faith. Continual resistance to truth hardens the heart. Those who repeatedly refuse to listen may one day discover that the opportunity to hear has been removed.

Yet the warning also carries a call: treasure the Scriptures while they are freely available. Read them. Hear them preached. Teach them to your children. Receive correction from them. Do not treat the Bible as common simply because it is accessible.

A famine of bread is painful, but a famine of God’s Word is far worse. The question is not merely, “Do we possess a Bible?” but “Do we hunger to hear the words of the LORD?”