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READ:

Isaiah 25:1b

^1b I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

EXHORTATION:

Praising God is the outflowing of a thankful heart. When a heart is full of gratitude towards God, it hastens to bless His name. A thankful heart is resolute to praise God’s name, just as Isaiah said, “I will praise thy name”. Here the prophet was determined to praise God.

Isaiah was about to proclaim the great wonders which will occur upon the establishment of the LORD’s kingdom on earth. In chapter 25, Isaiah (speaking in the first person) described the great wonders which will occur when the LORD’s kingdom is established on the earth. His heart, being full of adoration and thanksgiving, was greatly excited to express itself to magnify the LORD. It is those who are so stirred up within themselves to praise God that will stir up others also to do the same. Isaiah thus began with an intensely personal affirmation that the LORD is his God. He had already laid claim that the LORD is his God; he had earlier said, “O LORD, thou art my God”. Such acknowledgment of the LORD as one’s God provides the desire and motivation to exalt Him.

Having in his heart the knowledge of the great wonders of God which will occur when the LORD’s kingdom is established on the earth, the prophet determined to praise God. Here he gave two specific reasons for praising the LORD. The first reason for exalting the LORD is that He “hast done wonderful things”. In fact, Scripture presents our God as “the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things” (Psalm 72:18). Even when the LORD acts to chasten us or try our faith, we must confess that all His works are wondrous. His works are perfect, great (cf. Psalm 92:5), marvellous (cf. Psalm 139:14), powerful (cf. Psalm 111:6), merciful (cf. Psalm 145:9), holy (cf. Psalm 145:17), and in truth (cf. Psalm 33:4).

The second reason for Isaiah’s dedication to the LORD’s praise is that His “counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.” The ancient counsels of God’s Word are perfectly trustworthy. All that God has revealed in the days of old remain steadfast and true even today. Not a word of His revealed counsels shall fail. The fact that His promises and prophecies continue to be fulfilled assures us of the veracity and profitability of all the counsels of the Scriptures. Isaiah later declared that “the LORD of hosts… is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working” (Isaiah 28:29). Praise the LORD!

READ:

Isaiah 25:1a

^1a O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee.

EXHORTATION:

The prophet Isaiah gives himself wholly to the worship of the LORD. He appears to be totally consumed by the desire to glorify the LORD. Nothing is more important to Isaiah than exalting his God. Every child of God must be gripped and driven with this singular passion to exalt the LORD.

Like Isaiah, Moses said in Exodus 15:2, “The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” Similarly, David said in Psalm 34:3, “O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together”. In Psalm 99, the psalmist twice exhorted, “Exalt ye the LORD our God” (vv. 5, 9).

What place has the worship of God in your life? Have you consecrated yourself wholly to praise and magnify the LORD? Do you promptly join the church to worship the LORD? Do you joyfully participate in the service of God? Are you mindful to exalt the LORD as your God through daily private and family worship? Have you been mindful to speak of the LORD’s goodness before your family members, friends, colleagues, and neighbours? Oh, how greatly it would please the LORD, if you would dedicate yourself to glorify Him! Jesus exhorted us, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Isaiah’s consecration to exalt the LORD proceeded from his love for the LORD. With great delight, he said, “O LORD, thou art my God”. He unreservedly acknowledged the LORD as his God. There was no hesitation on Isaiah’s part to declare his allegiance to the LORD. It was his absolute joy, honour and privilege to have the LORD as his God.

Like the prophet Isaiah’s testimony, the testimony of God’s people should be heard and seen everywhere. Every believer must be ready always to testify that the LORD is his God. Let our attachment to our God be known to all, both friends and foes. None of His people should be reluctant in affirming his relationship with the LORD. Our heart’s love for the LORD must be openly confessed. He takes note of our open avowal of love and adoration for Him, and shall speak of it even in eternity. Jesus said, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32; cf. Luke 12:8).

READ:

Psalms 36:5

⁵ Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.

EXHORTATION:

David was greatly troubled by the cruel premeditated designs of the wicked. Concerning the wicked, he said, “The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good. He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil” (vv. 3-4). Against the backdrop of the malicious purposes of the wicked, David purposefully recollected and exalted the LORD’s mercy and faithfulness. Amidst the depravity of man, we must turn our eyes to the LORD’s glorious mercy and faithfulness.

David remembered and affirmed that the mercy of the Lord “is in the heavens”. Mercy is divine love extended to persons who might expect to be pronounced guilty. The LORD’s mercy gives us the hope of forgiveness and blessings instead of condemnation and death. All His goodness, forbearance and help are the expressions of mercy. Indeed, “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not” (Lamentations 3:22; cf. Ezra 9:9; Nehemiah 9:32).

While we are on earth, the mischief of the wicked may disturb us. However, the mercy of the LORD that fills the heavens shall come to us as showers of mercy. The heavenly mercy is divine, eternal, pure, refreshing and renewing. It is of the highest and noblest kind. It never changes nor diminishes. Its goodness and praise are as high as the heavens. Elsewhere, David reiterated, “For thy mercy is great unto the heavens” (Psalm 57:10).

David also recollected and praised the faithfulness of the LORD – “thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds”. The Hebrew word for “faithfulness” (’emuwnah) comes from the root word “amen” (’?m?n), which means “truth”. God’s faithfulness means that He is true to all that He has revealed Himself to be, and to all that He has revealed about the past, present, future, as well as to all His promises and works. His fidelity to His people is so lofty that it is aptly said to reach to the clouds. Though the treachery of the wicked abounds, God’s faithfulness is steadfast.

The LORD’s mercy forgives and saves us. On the other side of the same coin, His faithfulness secures us by His Word and His Spirit. Similarly, while His mercy gives us His promises, His faithfulness delivers His promises to us. The LORD’s faithfulness is His mercy affirmed and applied in our lives.

READ:

Psalm 27:14

¹⁴ Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

EXHORTATION:

David’s troubles had multiplied since he was anointed by Samuel to be the king of Israel. He elucidated some of his troubles in verse 2 – “the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh”. The ferocious hostility of the ungodly was relentless in David’s life. Yet he endured the cruel and vicious aggression of his enemies by waiting on the LORD. He would teach himself not to be afraid, but to valiantly do all his duties by relying on the LORD’s might. He would affirm the LORD’s protective power by making such confessions as: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (v. 1); “Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident” (v. 3). David also spoke of his confidence in the unfailing help and strength he would receive from the LORD – “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock” (v. 5). So he constantly pleaded for the LORD’s help (cf. vv. 7-13).

As God’s chosen leader of His people, David cannot be faint-hearted. He must be undaunted by the troubles; he must exhibit courage and strength to cheer and lead God’s people forward in the ways of the LORD. Having strengthened himself in the LORD, David then exhorted God’s people at the end of the psalm to find their courage and strength in the LORD, just as he had – “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”

Christians of our time do feel discouraged, troubled and faint-hearted due to the intense hostility of the world and its prince (i.e. the devil). Besides, the demands and struggles in the service of God can also render us weary and weak, as attested to by the apostle Paul – “Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?” (2 Corinthians 11:29). Paul was no stranger to severe and formidable struggles – “For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus” (2 Corinthians 7:5-6). Let us, therefore, also exhort one another to be strong in the LORD as we serve Him in the midst of opposition and trials.

As we come to the close of another year, many of us sense how different its ending feels from its beginning. Circumstances have changed: some unexpectedly, some painfully. Plans we once made confidently may have been altered, and people we relied upon may no longer walk beside us as they once did. Yet amid all these changes, one truth remains a deep and steady consolation for the Christian’s heart: God is faithful. 

1 Corinthians 1:9 states, “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” God is unchanging, ever dependable, and true. Time does not weaken His purposes, nor do shifting seasons diminish His care. The God who called us “unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord”, remains the same at the year’s end as He has been at its beginning. 

He has not withdrawn His hand, or forgotten His promises, or altered His commitment to His people. While much around us may have shifted, He abides as our unfailing help and enduring strength. Therefore, as we reflect on the year that will soon pass, and look ahead with uncertainty to the one before us, may we do so, resting not in our circumstances but in the steadfast faithfulness of our God.

God will also remain faithful to all His promises. He will not fail to perform what He has promised. We can trust Him to keep every word He has promised. He will not deceive us. He will not commence anything which He will not perfect and finish. Our confidence in the blessed hope that Christianity gives to us, is wholly built upon the faithfulness of God!

The apostle Paul’s purpose in presenting the truth about God’s faithfulness here, is to provide the proof for his earlier statement that the believers will be kept blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, their ultimate bliss in heaven is guaranteed by the fidelity of God. As Paul said in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”.

Paul also reminds the believers that God has called them. He said to them, “ye were called”. It is God who called them. The word “called” here does not refer merely to an invitation, but what the theologians refer to as “the effectual calling”. When the Gospel call is given to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, some hearers will reject it. But some others would experience a deep-felt, inward call to repent and believe on Christ. Those who are effectually called do not just receive the external call of the Gospel, but also the inner call of the Gospel by the working of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. Westminster Shorter Catechism explains effectual calling as “the work of God’s Spirit, whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel” (Q & A: 31).

When God calls us, He leads us into a close fellowship or communion with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. To be called into this fellowship is to be brought into a living, personal and abiding communion with Christ Himself. Through every changing season of the year, whether marked by joy or sorrow, clarity or confusion, Christ has not withdrawn His presence from His people. Fellowship with the Son means more than belonging to a Christian community; it means walking daily with the risen Lord, drawing strength from His grace, comfort from His promises, and direction from His Word. 

As the year comes to a close, we are reminded that our greatest blessing has not been favourable circumstances, but uninterrupted communion with Christ. Therefore, as we enter a new year, let us seek to live more conscientiously and faithfully in this fellowship – abiding in Him, trusting His leading, and finding our true joy in a close and reverent walk with the Son whom the faithful God has given to us.

Sermon Text: Luke 20:25–26
Speaker: Preacher Kelvin Lim
Date: 28th December 2025

READ:

Deuteronomy 3:22

²² Ye shall not fear them: for the LORD your God he shall fight for you.

EXHORTATION:

Moses had been recounting how the LORD God had granted Israel victory over Sihon (the daunting king of the Amorites) and King Og of Bashan (a huge giant whose bed was made of iron and measured 13 feet long by 6 feet wide [Deuteronomy 3:1–11])! Moses’ purpose for narrating those stories of Israel’s resounding victories was to assure Israel that their LORD God had been their unfailing strength and help in all their battles. He then narrated how the LORD had granted the request of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh to settle on the eastern side of the Jordan River.

By narrating all of the past events in which the LORD had guided them, Moses also sought to build up Israel’s trust in God for the future battles they would face as they entered the Promised Land. At that time, Joshua was given a special commission – “Thine eyes have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto these two kings: so shall the LORD do unto all the kingdoms whither thou passest. Ye shall not fear them: for the LORD your God he shall fight for you” (vv. 21-22). Since Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land, Joshua was commanded to courageously lead God’s people to conquer it. Many of the people who dwelled in the land were gigantic in stature. They lived in walled towns and fortified cities. But Joshua and the people should not fear them. The LORD will fight for them.

Fear is a terrible hindrance to our advancing and accomplishing of our God-given duties in God’s kingdom. Fear numbs our hearts and bodies with doubt and anxiety. Hence, God requires us to rise up in confidence in Him to do the work of His kingdom. The work of evangelism and worldwide missions need men of faith and devotion to spread the Gospel. Jesus said, “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38). Churches need faithful pastors to feed the flock in these days of many false teachers who destroy the flock. “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind” (1 Peter 5:2). We need dedicated, godly men to do the LORD’s work with sacrificial and joyful giving and service (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Let us, with tenacious trust in our God, renew ourselves to serve Him, and fearlessly give ourselves to fulfil all His will concerning us.

READ:

Matthew 1:23b

^23b And they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

EXHORTATION:

Jesus, the virgin-born Son, shall also be called “Emmanuel”. This was predicted by the prophet Isaiah. The ancient people of God had been awaiting the fulfilment of this amazing prophecy with great anticipation.

Though it says here that “they shall call his name Emmanuel”, we know of none in the Bible who calls Him by that name. He has been addressed mostly by the name “Jesus”. The meaning of the statement is not that he would be commonly known and called by such a name. Instead, the actual intent of this statement is that people would acknowledge the truth about Jesus, which is revealed by the name “Emmanuel”. This Hebrew name “Emmanuel” means “God with us”. Not only His supernatural virgin birth, but also His presence, His words, His works and all about Him, would give evidence that He is God who has come to be with man.

The apostle John in his Gospel gave witness to the fact that Jesus is God who dwelt with man, when he declared: “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” (John 1:14).

In Christ, the actual presence of God has come to be with His people. It is not His shadowy presence, as it was before. As Paul says in Colossians 2:9, “in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” He also said in 1 Timothy 3:16 about Jesus – “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” Certainly He would not be a properly qualified Mediator if He did not unite both divine and human natures in His Person, and thereby bring men into an alliance with God.

According to the apostle Paul, Jesus is God who became man to be our divine Mediator. In 2 Corinthians 5:19, he wrote: “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” In 1 Timothy 2:5, he further declared, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”. Without Christ, we are alienated from God; but through Christ, we are now reconciled to God. Everyone who trusts Jesus can now call Him “Immanuel”.

READ:

Matthew 1:23a

^23a Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son.

EXHORTATION:

The birth of Jesus had been a long-awaited event for God had revealed various facts related to His birth through the prophets of old. The prophets and saints of God lived with a holy curiosity about the manner of His condescension into this world. In 1 Peter 1:11, we read about their curiosity: “Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.”

In our text, Matthew introduces his first quotation of Old Testament fulfilment. He quotes Isaiah 7:14 – “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son.” These words of Isaiah can rightly be applied only to the virgin Mary and her son Jesus. They refer to no other. A considerable number of recent commentators erroneously suggest that the Hebrew word used by Isaiah for “virgin” (‘almah) simply means a young woman of marriageable age, and hence “son” refers to a child of his day — e.g. Hezekiah as the royal son and heir to King Ahaz’s throne, or Isaiah’s son Maher-shalal-hash-baz (cf. Isaiah 8:1, 3), or some anonymous child to be named Immanuel. Those who say the words of Isaiah 7:14 refer to Ahaz’s wife and his son Hezekiah, or to Isaiah’s wife and their son, or to someone else other than Mary and her son, are in serious error!

Firstly, this prophecy predicted the miraculous conception by a virgin. Such a thing had never happened in the history of Israel or the world, except in the case of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prophecy is introduced with the word “Behold”! It denotes that the event predicted is something extraordinary and wonderful. When Isaiah foretold this prophecy, he also introduced it with the word “sign” (’owth), which means “wonder” or “miracle”. There was no miraculous conception or birth in Isaiah’s time. Secondly, Matthew translated the Hebrew word ‘almah (a virgin) into the Greek word parthénos, which can only mean “a virgin”. If a married woman was meant by the Hebrew word ‘almah in Isaiah 7:14, why should an ordinary birth be regarded as a “sign”? Moreover, it is only fitting that a supernatural birth had been predicted and fulfilled for the provision of divine salvation by a divine Saviour. If Christ’s birth was just like that of all other individuals, then He would have the original sin of Adam and could not be our Saviour. Christ’s virgin birth precisely proves that He is our sinless divine Saviour!

READ:

Matthew 1:21

²¹ And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

EXHORTATION:

These words were announced by the angel of the Lord to Joseph, the espoused husband of Mary. Joseph was very troubled in his heart because “before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost” (v. 18). “Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily” (v. 19). He chose not to create a public scandal by exposing her condition. Instead, he decided to “divorce” her quietly.

Then an angel told Joseph in a dream that Mary’s condition was not caused by a man, but through the Holy Spirit. The angel said to him, “Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost” (v. 20; cf. v. 18).

The Child that Mary carried in her womb was a unique Child. The angel then informed Joseph that “she shall bring forth a son”, and instructed that Joseph should “call his name JESUS”. The angel also proclaimed the reason why the Child should be called “JESUS” – “for he shall save his people from their sins.” These words would have brought to Joseph’s mind the promises of God which the prophet Isaiah had declared about 700 years ago – “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matthew 1:23; cf. Isaiah 7:14).

The child’s name “Jesus” expressed the fact that He will save His people from their sins. His people are all those who would genuinely believe on Him (cf. John 3:16). They are the elect of God; Jesus came to be their Saviour. 33 years later, it was this same Jesus “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14).

Saving His people “from their sins” was the grand purpose of Jesus’ birth. It is not to save men and leave them in their sins that He came and died, but to save them from their sins. Any notion that those whom Jesus saves will continue in their sins is a false teaching! Jesus’ grand design was to deliver His people from their sins. He leads them out of the bondage and curse of sin into the joy of salvation, and guides them in the path of righteousness.