Sermons from 2021

XI. God has ever ordained specific repositories for the preservation and transmission of Scripture.

1. As noted earlier, the O.T. Scripture was given to and committed into the hands of the nation of Israel, the O.T. church. PSA 147:19-20; ROM 3:1-2.

   1. The law was sealed up among His disciples (ISA 8:16), especially the priestly tribe of Levi, and kept in the ark of the covenant. DEU 17:18; 31:24-26.

   2. Of them, the priesthood were especially designated teachers in the O...

1. Definitions.

   1. swear: To make a solemn declaration or statement with an appeal to God or a superhuman

      being, or to some sacred object, in confirmation of what is said; to take an oath.

   2. oath: A solemn or formal appeal to God (or to a deity or something held in reverence or

      regard), in witness of the truth of a statement, or the binding character of a promise or undertaking; an act of swearing; a statement or promise corroborated by such an appea...

Preamble.

1. The book of Joshua is the account of the O.T. church's entry and conquest of Canaan.

2. That Canaan was the inheritance for which Israel had waited: their rest. DEU 12:10.

3. Paul shows us a greater rest in coming in faith fully to Christ. HEB 4:1-11.

In JOS 3, Jesus/Joshua instructs his disciples in preparation for the new era of the church.

v. 1. Joshua promptly sets to the work.

1. Having received reassurance t...

1. Definitions.

   1. chasten: trans. To inflict disciplinary or corrective punishment on; to visit with affliction

      for the purpose of moral improvement; to correct, discipline, chastise. (Usually of Divine

      chastisement.)

   2. chastise: To correct (authoritatively) the faults of; to amend, reform, improve (a person or

      thing). Obs. 3. To inflict punishment or suffering upon, with a view to amendment; also simply, to punish, to inflict punishment (esp....

1. V. God’s chastenings/punishments are never excessive (JOB 34:23) and are measured out according to His perfect judgment. JER 30:11; 21:14.

   1. Considering His holiness is such that one bite of forbidden fruit merited death and separation from Himself (GEN 2:17) and a date with the lake of fire, we should be most thankful that He even bothers to chasten us.

      1. In fact, if He were to punish us to within one millimeter of hellfire for even a “little” sin, He could not be faulted...

1. L. Those who love the Lord do not rationalize evil.

   1. They hate evil. PSA 97:10.

   2. They eschew (avoid, shun, keep clear of) evil. 1PE 3:11.

   3. They delude not themselves of divine indifference or blindness of evil. PSA 94:6-10; ISA 29:15.

   4. They delude not themselves of divine approval of evil. ROM 3:8.

   5. They do not assume that they can always repent tomorrow. PRO 27:1; 29:1.

2. M. Also avoid thinking that your ...

1. I. Scripture speaks of brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. MAT 12:46-47; 13:55-56; MAR 6:3; LUK 8:19-20; GAL 1:19.

   1. The prophecy of PSA 69:8-9 strongly implies that Jesus had blood siblings. c/w JOH 2:17; 7:3-5.

   2. JOH 2:11-12 distinguishes between His brethren and His disciples.I

2. If Jesus had blood siblings, then Mary did not remain a virgin after His birth since He alone is the virgin-born Immanuel (MAT 1:23). Mary only conceived one child mir...

1. Jesus Christ is the ultimate man. EPH 4:13.

   1. It is His image to which God has predestinated us to be conformed. ROM 8:29.

   2. A summary of failure in Christian living is when we strive to conform to other models of man.

   3. Jesus Christ was not defined by:

      1. good looks. ISA 53:2.

      2. comedy or partying. ISA 53:3.

      3. a fancy home. MAT 8:20.

      4. material wealth. 2CO 8:9.

      5. praise of men. JOH 7:18.

      ...

I. Consider a few philosophical arguments for the existence of God. A. The Argument from Efficient Causes. 1. Experience confirms an order of efficient causes, i.e., everything that we observe exists from a cause/effect relationship. 2. Nothing can be the cause of itself since that would imply that it was prior to itself. 3. An indefinite series of efficient causes would result in no first cause and no last effect. If there is no first cause, there could logically be no second cause, and so on. 4. There ...

I. The ultimate proof that Jesus is the Christ is His resurrection from the dead. ROM 1:3-4. A. All of Jesus’ other signs hinge on the ultimate sign of His resurrection. MAT 12:38-40. B. Without the resurrection, Jesus Christ and His miracles become a lie. 1CO 15:12-18. 1. Christ abides forever. JOH 12:32-34 c/w PSA 89:4; 110:4. 2. Therefore, Jesus cannot be the Christ if He is still dead.

II. There is an abundance of evidence to support faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. ACT 1:3. A. The p...

I. Definitions. A. intoxicant: An intoxicating substance or liquor. B. intoxicate: trans. To poison. Obs. 2. To stupefy, render unconscious or delirious, to madden or deprive of the ordinary use of the senses or reason, with a drug or alcoholic liquor; to inebriate, make drunk. C. stupefy: trans. To make stupid or torpid; to deprive of apprehension, feeling, or sensibility; to benumb, deaden. D. torpid: Benumbed; deprived or devoid of the power of motion or feeling; in which activity, animation, or devel...

I. Mary, the wife of Joseph, is set forth as a very special person in Scripture. A. She miraculously conceived by the Holy Ghost to bring forth the sinless Jesus. LUK 1:35 c/w MAT 1:18-20 B. Miraculous conception was not unique (ROM 4:19) but virgin conception and birth were. MAT 1:23-25 C. She was hailed as "...blessed among women..." (LUK 1:28, 42) 1. Some have inferred from this that she is divine. 2. What, then, of Jael? JDG 5:24 D. Jesus is the fruit of her womb indeed. LUK 1:42 1. He was ...

VII. Faulty use of Scripture to advance required abstinence should remind us of the warnings against Pharisaism. MAT 16:12. A. Pharisaism tends to magnify lesser things to the disregard of important things. MAT 23:23-24. B. Pharisaism stresses outward shows of righteousness to the disregard of inward purity. MAT 23:25-28. C. Pharisaism is unwilling to conform to God's standard of righteousness and therefore substitutes artificial standards. MAR 7:1-9. 1. These man-made traditions are worthless forms ...

I. The domains of Christ and Caesar (secular civil power) are separate. MAT 22:21. A. Christ’s kingdom is spiritual and not of this world. LUK 17:20-21; 18:36. B. Christ’s kingdom is a nation in this world. MAT 21:43 c/w 1PE 2:9. 1. The church has a national leader: Christ. 2. The church’s Leader has an administration: the pastorate. 3. The church has ambassadors to those on the outside: evangelists, pastors. 4. The church has a body of law to regulate it: Scripture. 5. The church has regular conventions...

I. Marital conflict is normal. 1CO 7:28. A. Sometimes it stems from sin, other times from insecurities, misunderstandings, differing visions/goals, etc. B. Personality plays a role and personality issues can be innate and/or formed. Either way, personality is governable. Beware of, “I just can’t help myself...” 1. We are prone to shaping our present by reactions to our past: errors in one’s own upbringing, sin issues which have been repented of but still plague the heart, etc. 2. Beware of superimposing ...

I. No study of the life and times of Elijah would be complete without considering the seizure of Naboth's vineyard by Ahab and Jezebel, for it was there that God again sent Elijah to challenge the king. 1KI 21 c/w PRO 1:17-19. A. When Israel rashly desired a king like the nations, God warned them about things like this. 1SAM 8:14. B. One would think that someone with riches, prestige and power like Ahab would need no more, but man's nature is covetous. PRO 27:20; ECC 5:10. C. Ahab had an eye for ...

III. The church of Jesus Christ seeks friendly diplomatic relations with the secular government where it can. A. Its primary business is the gospel and the promotion of all applicable law from God. MAR 16:20; MAT 4:4; 2TI 3:16; PSA 119:128; COL 2:20-22. 1. It emphasizes the New Testament of the Spirit of Christ which promotes life and liberty. 2CO 3:6, 17; 1CO 7:21-23. 2. This spiritual life and liberty affirms self-discipline and self-restraint in deference to a higher purpose. GAL 5:1, 13; 1PE 2:16. 3....

Premise: The new covenant of which Christ is Mediator is a superior covenant. HEB 7:22; 8:6.

A. This covenant is made with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. HEB 8:8. 1. It embraces God's elect of all nations, Jew or Gentile. ROM 9:8; GAL 3:29; ROM 2:28-29. 2. Elect Gentiles are in Christ graft into the covenantal blessings of Israel and Judah. ROM 11:17; EPH 2:12-13.

B. By His superior priestly ministry, Christ is the mediator of this better covenant. 1. This covenant is mediate...

I. This study is a supplement to a previous study, “Mary’s Other Children.” A. Jesus had other siblings. MAT 13:55-56; GAL 1:19. B. The primary definition of “brother” is one who is a son of the same parent or parents. C. Scripture knows nothing of Joseph fathering children by another woman. D. Mary only conceived miraculously once. E. Therefore, Jesus’s siblings must have been the children of Joseph and Mary by normal marital intercourse.

II. Romanists, however, hold that Mary was a perpetual virg...

I. This study examines various means by which Satan frustrates the word of God, particularly in believers.

II. Definitions. A. corruption: The perversion of anything from an original state of purity. B. simplicity: The state or quality of being simple in form, structure, etc.; absence of compositeness, complexity, or intricacy. C. simple: Free from duplicity, dissimulation, or guile; innocent and harmless; undesigning, honest, open, straightforward. D. beguile: trans. To entangle or over-reach wit...

Update to point IV.E.2 from last week: a. The Fall began as a marital tug-of-war: Satan pulling Eve away from Adam’s headship, and she was not even a silly woman, per 2TI 3:6. b. John warns the elect lady to not entertain a deceiver. 2JO 1:10. c. Eve gave heed (careful attention, care, observation, regard) to a seducing spirit. c/w 1TI 4:1. d. There is wisdom in shutting the door to contradiction. PRO 19:27.

V. All Scripture is profitable (2TI 3:16) but the New Testament given through Christ’s apos...

IV. Scripture speaks of various forms of human government. A. There are three basic dispensations of God’s dealing with mankind: Adam to Moses; Moses to Christ; Christ to Consummation (the Church age). ROM 5:14; GAL 3:19; EPH 3:21. 1. The influence of true religion in world affairs was reduced to virtually nothing by the time of Noah. 2PE 2:5. 2. Such was the end of a completely secularized society that still had dredges/remnants of basic social order. MAT 24:37-39. B. The first and foundational form is ...

M. Effective communication requires a clear conveyance of message from giver to receiver. 1. Consider very small children who are unable to process spoken language. a. Parents can successfully convey a message of love to them by tender care and supply of their needs, touch, smiles and positive vocal tones. b. Parents can successfully convey messages about boundaries by measured physical pain combined with a simple verbal “No.” c/w PRO 29:15. c. Do not wait for a child to develop oral language skills to b...

I. As noted in previous studies, Mary, the mother of Jesus, has a unique, blessed and important place in God’s plan. The Biblical Mary should not be diminished. A. However, as seen in other studies, Catholicism in particular has made more of Mary than God has assigned to her according to Scripture. The current Catholic version/vision of Mary is not supported by Scripture. B. The Jews gave Abraham undue importance. LUK 3:8; ROM 9:7. 1. Jesus taught that Abraham after death could not do anything for sinner...

B. Satan can wedge himself in between God’s words and your mind by playing word-games like the cults do in repurposing Biblical terms and concepts. 1. The Trinity of a Christian Scientist is not the “God in Three Persons” of 1JO 5:7 but rather Life, Truth, Love. 2. The Jesus Christ of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is not the Incarnate Deity of JOH 1:14; 1TI 3:16 but a created god who is really Michael the Archangel, and he did not rise and ascend bodily into heaven. 3. To the Mormon, Jesus Christ is the son of...

d. The dividing of Canaan by lot to the tribes of Israel (ACT 13:19-20) set up a form of a multi-state nation with a written constitution (the Law of Moses). (1) The tribal possessions were to be distinct though not all equal in size. LEV 25:23; NUM 36:7; PSA 68:27 c/w 1SAM 9:21. (2) Each tribe had its own elders, heads, judges and officers. JOS 24:1. (3) The tribes were expected to have an available militia to be called into duty as needed (NUM 1:3; 31:3), were deemed delinquent when they let their arms...

G. Satan can corrupt your mind from the words of God by cares and pleasures of life and the deceitfulness of riches. MAT 13:22; LUK 8:14. 1. Under this delusion of success, only the words of Scripture that appeal to the natural man will be heeded. ROM 8:5. 2. The lust-driven will look for other teachers with sweeter stories. 2TI 4:3-4. 3. Ambition for worldly increase and worldly success can blind one to the excellency of blessed prosperity, not blasted prosperity: the difference between Abraham and Lot....

grace: Favour, favourable or benignant regard or its manifestation (now only on the part of a superior); favour or goodwill, in contradistinction to right or obligation, as the ground of a concession.

I. The Biblical description of God is awe-inspiring. A. God is holy (free from all contamination of sin and evil, morally and spiritually perfect and unsullied). DEU 32:4; LEV 11:44. B. God is purely consistent. JAM 1:17. C. God hates sin and sinners. HAB 1:13; PSA 5:4-5. D. God must punish sin. EXO 3...

D. This grafting of Gentiles into the commonwealth of Israel (EPH 2:12) on the basis of faith without regard to fleshly circumcision was, like the convicting miracles that had been worked among the uncircumcised believers (JOH 15:24-25; GAL 3:5), part of the overall package God had designed to provoke natural Israel to jealousy. ROM 10:17-21. (1) Jews saw a momentum of Divine favor shifting before their eyes. (2) They would be jealously angered (ROM 10:19), either towards the blindness of themselves and ...

1. Mary understood her need of God’s salvation. LUK 1:46-50. A. She magnified the Lord, not herself. B. She rejoiced in God her Saviour. C. She deemed herself of low estate, not Second Eve, Queen of heaven or Mother of God. D. She praised God Who had done to her great things, and implies she is the object of His mercy. (1) mercy: Forbearance and compassion shown by one person to another who is in his power and who has no claim to receive kindness; kind and compassionate treatment in a case where severity...

1. Mary’s heart was not unlike ours. PSA 33:15; PRO 27:19.

2. Mary pondered all the things she heard about Jesus in her heart. LUK 2:19, 51.

3. Mary knew her baby came by way of a unique miracle. A. She was singly and highly favored that God should indwell her in the incarnation, taking part of her into union with Himself. LUK 1:28, 35 c/w GAL 4:4. B. She “...was troubled at his saying...” (LUK 1:29), an emotion of the heart which showed her common humanity.

4. Consider what she was tol...

I. God designed to preserve His word through His churches, or disciples. ISA 8:16 c/w ACT 11:26. A. Of special mention is the fact that the Gentiles were evangelized through the ministry of the Apostle Paul, who was commissioned from Antioch of Syria. ACT 11:25-26; 13:1-2; 14:26-28. B. Syria becomes the springboard of N.T. evangelism. A translation of the Bible into Syrian appears at about 150 A.D. This is known as the Peshitto. C. The gospel soon went into Italy and further. HEB 13:24; ROM 15:28. 1. At ...

I. To better perceive the significance of Acts 10, one must understand the difference between regeneration and conversion. A. regenerate: v. trans. In religious use: To cause to be born again in a spiritual sense; to invest with a new and higher spiritual nature. B. convert: v. trans. To turn in mind, feeling, or conduct; to bring into another state (of mind, etc.). C. Regeneration transforms the sinner’s Adamic nature from spiritual death to spiritual life. It is a quickening (making alive) by a higher ...

1. In these verses, Paul sets forth that: A. the Law was added after the promises were made to Abraham and Christ. B. the Law was added because of transgressions. Sin remained at large after the promises. C. the Law was good but could not give life and righteousness. D. Scripture always taught that all men are under sin. E. the Law was a temporary covenant. F. the Law was a schoolmaster directing us to Christ. G. the Law Covenant was not directly spoken to the people by God. H. a particular faith came wh...

c. Some time needs to be here devoted to the subject of the Septuagint (LXX), a supposed Greek translation of the O.T. made prior to the incarnation of Christ. The LXX is one of the most important articles in the modern Bible- reviser's armament. This is one of the so-called “best and most ancient” manuscripts that have been used to undermine the AV 1611. Notice this interesting admission concerning it: “The LXX translators made some palpable mistakes; their knowledge of Hebrew was often inadequate; ...

peacemaker: One who makes or brings about peace; one who allays strife or reconciles opponents.

A. There are times for war and peace. ECC 3:8. 1. Believers are in an ongoing war with the world, the flesh and the devil. ROM 12:2; 8:5-8; EPH 6:11. 2. We are to earnestly contend for the faith, for the truth. JUDE 1:3; GAL 2:5, 14. 3. Yet while shunning evil and warring against it, we are to “...follow after the things which make for peace...” (ROM 14:19), and thus be assured of the blessing of ...

I. Definitions. A. discretion: Ability to discern or distinguish what is right, befitting, or advisable, esp. as regards one's own conduct or action; the quality of being discreet; discernment; prudence, sagacity, circumspection, sound judgement. B. discreet: Showing discernment or judgement in the guidance of one's own speech and action; judicious, prudent, circumspect, cautious; often esp. that can be silent when speech would be inconvenient. C. discernment: a. The act of discerning or perceivi...

V. We should attempt to make a distinction in things even if our standard is not flawless. A. Since we are sinners in a sinful world, our best attempts will be imperfect. 1KI 8:46. B. Because your standard is not 100% flawless does NOT mean that it is 100% flawed! C. God looks at the heart even though the outward performance may be lacking. 1KI 15:11-14; 2CH 30:18-20. D. Those who are most forward to criticize your standard are those who likely do not have a good standard themselves or who simply want to...

I. legalism: Theol. Applied reproachfully to the principles of those who are accused of adhering to the Law as opposed to the Gospel; the doctrine of justification by works, or teaching which savours of that doctrine. A. Confusing law/works and gospel/grace is one thing (JOH 1:17; ROM 11:6) but “teaching which savours of that doctrine” is a highly subjective thing based on presuppositions. B. One is handicapped to define sin without Law. 1JO 3:4; ROM 4:15. C. We under law to Christ. 1CO 9:21; 1TH 4:1-2.<...

I. We are to live by every word of God. LUK 4:4. A. As such, we should be ready to consider what Scripture anywhere has to say about a given verse or topic under consideration. B. Doctrine is often set forth piecemeal: It is not always concentrated in one text and one may err by not considering what Scripture has to say elsewhere about what is in a particular text. 1. Consider the doctrine of N.T. baptism. Its purpose, requirements, mode, meaning, what it does and does not accomplish, etc. is scattered t...

I. Definitions. A. renew: To make new, or as new, again; to restore to the same condition as when new, young or fresh. B. wait on (or upon): To observe, watch; to fix one's eyes upon, gaze at. In Bible phrases, to place one's hope in God.

II. For the person whose hope, trust or confidence is in God, there is a promise of reinvigoration in the face of adversity or weakness. ISA 40:28-31. A. The man of faith accepts that the Lord is his strength. PSA 6:2 c/w PSA 28:7. B. The man...

A. This account of resolute commitment was during the 450 year period of the judges. RUTH 1:1 c/w ACT 13:19-20. 1. In a time when “...every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (JDG 21:25), we find a woman who did right in God's eyes. 2. Ruth is the only named virtuous woman in Scripture. RUTH 3:11. 3. virtuous: 1. Distinguished by manly qualities; full of manly courage; valiant, valorous. Obs. 2. Possessing or showing virtue in life and conduct; acting with moral rectitude or in conformity ...

A. In addition to all the physical pain Jesus endured, He also endured taunts and reproaches while on the cross from sinners whose real issue was with God in heaven. ROM 15:3. 1. These were part of His soul-sufferings of exceeding sorrow. MAT 26:38. 2. These were part of the hell He experienced before death which culminated with the Father’s forsaking Him. MAT 27:46; ACT 2:27.

B. They taunted His Sonship, “...If thou be the Son of God...” (v. 40). 1. Jesus’s public ministry began with that doubt-pr...

A. Peter opens this last chapter by calling his brethren beloved. v. 1. 1. In Chapter 2, Peter had stressed godliness. 2. Here, he follows his own admonition to add brotherly kindness. c/w 2PE 1:7.

B. The saints are here reminded to heed the words of the prophets and those of the apostles. 1. The messages of the prophets and the apostles are in complete agreement. ACT 26:22. 2. There is a particular message pertaining to end times that apostles and prophets have always declared: God’s promised comi...

(Romans 3:1) A. Definitions. 1. advantage: Benefit; enhancement, improvement; increased well-being or convenience; resulting benefit. to one's advantage: to one's benefit, beneficial to one. 2. profit: The advantage or benefit (of a person, community, or thing); use, interest; the gain, good, well-being. Formerly sometimes pl. when referring to several persons. B. Much of Paul’s epistle to the Romans was aimed at Jews (specifically Jewish Christians), to urge them from Moses and their own misconc...

I. Definitions. A. save: trans. To deliver or rescue from peril or hurt; to make safe, put in safety. B. deliver: trans. To set free, liberate, release, rescue, save. C. everlasting: Lasting for ever; infinite in future duration; endless; = eternal A. 3. D. eternal: Infinite in future duration; that always will exist; everlasting, endless. E. temporal: Lasting or existing only for a time; passing, temporary. Now rare or merged in 2. Of or pertaining to time as the sphere of human life; terrestrial as opp...

V. Between the legal salvation at Calvary and the bodily salvation at Resurrection Day, the inwardly saved elect (the quickened) can experience other salvations. A. Since Christ is specially (in a special manner) the Savior of believers (1TI 4:10), by faith they may through Him be saved: 1. from vain thinking and ignorance of the true God. ACT 17:22-23; 2CO 10:5. 2. from fear of death. HEB 2:15. 3. from deceptions of lies and sins. ACT 3:26; 26:18; JOH 8:31-32; EPH 4:20-22. 4. from a stained record befor...

A. It is possible to despair of life. 2CO 1:8. 1. Conditions may be such that a heart fails. LUK 21:26. 2. desperate: Of a person: Having lost or abandoned hope; in despair, despairing, hopeless. Driven to desperation, reckless or infuriated from despair. Hence, Having the character of one in this condition; extremely reckless or violent, ready to run any risk or go any length. 3. Without the temper of gospel hope, desperation can drive one to irrational and/or unscriptural reactions. ACT 16:27. 4. Paul ...

I. Definitions. A. pestilence: Any fatal epidemic disease, affecting man or beast, and destroying many victims. B. epidemic: Of a disease: ‘Prevalent among a people or a community at a special time, and produced by some special causes not generally present in the affected locality.’

II. If Covid-19 is a pestilence, we should particularly heed what Scripture says about such. A. A pestilence is a sword of God. LEV 26:25; 1CH 21:11-12. B. If God thus judges His own people, so will He jud...

The record of Isaac is laden with illustrations pertaining to the Lord Jesus Christ. A. Both were the long-awaited sons of promise. GEN 12:1-4 c/w 17:17 c/w GAL 4:4; LUK 1:68-70. B. Both were the beloved and only-begotten sons of their fathers. GEN 22:2 c/w JOH 3:16. C. Both were spiritually generated. MAT 1:20 c/w GAL 4:29. D. Both were persecuted by their own brethren. GEN 21:9 c/w JOH 1:11. E. The sacrifice of Isaac is particularly rich with parallels to Christ, for therein we see faithful submission ...

2CO 3:5-18. A. Paul compares the temporary glory of Moses’s shining countenance with the temporary glory of the Law. B. Moses’s face shone and was vailed as he gave the Law to Israel. EXO 34:29-35. C. Once the Law was given, we read no more of Moses’s shining face and his vail. D. Accordingly, the Law itself was a temporary glory. 1. It was added until Christ. GAL 3:19. 2. It was a schoolmaster to bring men to Christ, not a taskmaster to keep men in bondage to unbearable burdens. GAL 3:24 c/w ACT ...

G. Paul had a great desire for the salvation of Israel. ROM 10:1. 1. He knew he couldn’t alter the elective purpose of God to only deem the children of the promise as the seed of Abraham. ROM 9:1-29 c/w JUDE 1:7. 2. He rather earnestly desired the conversion of the elect among Israel to the knowledge of salvation through the righteousness of One: Jesus Christ. ROM 10:2-4; 5:17-19. 3. There remained an elect remnant “Israel of God” (GAL 6:16) that needed that salvation of knowledge and faith as much as an...

I. “A mistake is to assume wrongdoing on the part of an individual because they prefer their privacy. The idea that many people have, ‘if you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to worry about’, is nonsense and presents the dangerous belief that one is guilty until proven innocent. I do have something to hide: my life, which is nobody's business but my God's. The right to privacy is a God given right. We demand privacy all the time, such as when going to the bathroom or taking a sh...

A. Preamble. 1. I am not an “anti-vaxxer” but I am pro-Christ, pro-inquiry, pro-conscience and anti-coercion when it comes to the government of a mature free person’s body. 2. Jesus Christ is the supreme example of a human Whose holiness, mind and conversation should be our aspiration, and Whose sinlessness was evident in all that He did and in what was done to Him. EPH 4:13; HEB 4:15; 1PE 2:22. 3. Man is made in the image of God (1CO 11:7; JAM 3:9) above the brute creation (PSA 8:4-8) and should not be ...

IV. Some things should be kept secret rather than openly broadcast. PRO 12:23; 25:9. A. The ability to keep a secret is an act of faithfulness. PRO 11:13. B. Be wary of a man that cannot keep a secret. C. Your closest friends with whom you share the most should be people you can trust. PSA 41:9. 1. The breach of such trust is a grievous thing: betrayal. 2. Betrayal is something that is done only where trust and closeness existed. 3. One of the most piercing, telling statements our Lord ever made was to J...

I. Our thoughts are to be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. 2CO 10:5. A. The government of our thoughts is what determines our actions and character, good or bad. PRO 23:6-7; ROM 12:3. B. The thought of foolishness is sin. PRO 24:9; MAT 5:28. C. It behooves us to guard against allowing temptation to take root in our thoughts. JAM 1:14-15. D. Mind that evil thoughts proceed from the heart, not the brain. There is a moral dimension to thought beyond the cognitive, analytical aspect. MAT 15...

A. King Saul was a direct trouble to David and sometimes an indirect one, as here.

1. Saul did not earlier utterly destroy the Amalekites as commanded. 1SAM 15:3, 9.

2. Had Saul done right, David would not have had to run a campaign against them (1SAM 27:8), nor would David’s band have here been ravaged by them.

3. The costs of sparing when God says, “Spare not” may be immediate or delayed, direct or indirect. We know not what troubles we may cause by sparing inappropriately.

a. D...

III. The truth of the gospel accords with soundness of mind. 2TI 1:7; ACT 26:25 A. Paul was saved from irrational, dark thoughts about decent people. ACT 8:3; 9:1; 26:11 1. He was ignorantly zealous, a dangerous premise he later denounced. ROM 10:1-3 2. His pre-conversion problem was a false belief about acceptance with God. 3. History is filled with examples of God-fearing people struck down by people with a faulty soteriology. Consider the wrath against those who refused infant baptism which was falsel...

V. Gird up the loins of your mind (1PE 1:13) against the toxin of futility. MAL 3:14. A. It may seem that conformity to God’s righteousness and expectations is futile when you are only looking at the immediate picture. PSA 73:13-18. B. It may seem that your dedication to principle and promise is not yielding the results you expected in the time and manner you expected. But faith in principle and promise must be partnered with patience. HEB 6:12. 1. This was where Abraham drifted. GEN 16:1-4. 2. This is w...

Introduction 2PE 3

The purpose of this study is to soberly consider the coming judgment that we will all face before Almighty God and take stock of our lives in light of it. It is an exhortation to fear God and to get right with him. And if you are right with him, to keep the faith and wait with patience for his glorious return. It aims to provoke sinners to repentance and to comfort the righteous who are troubled by the evils of this world and long for the new heavens and the new earth wher...

HEB 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

I. Believing and knowing there is a God, in and of itself, is not sufficient to please God and is not an indication that we are coming to God. A. The devils believe in God. (JAM 2:19) B. Ungodly men can know and believe there is a God and know there is coming judgement for sin, yet be condemned objects of his wrath. God has reve...

Editor's note: The beginning of the message is missing from the audio recording.

VIII. Beware of placing too much value on men’s opinion of yourself (or of others). 1CO 4:3. A. It is this very error that is causing such spiritual, emotional and psychological trouble among social mediaholics, particularly younger people. Dark thoughts overtake them. B. It is one of the ironies of life that the person who is striving to do well and doesn’t worry much about his own popularity ...

This is an extemporaneous message addressing the need to worship God according to his terms rather than our own.

COLOSSIANS 2:13-23 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly...