Sermons from 2024

Gluttony I. Definitions. A. gluttony: The vice of excessive eating. (One of the seven deadly sins.) Also rarely an instance of this. B. glutton: One who eats to excess, or who takes pleasure in immoderate eating; a gormandizer. C. gormandize: intr. To eat like a glutton; to feed voraciously. II. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are not to only beware of something that is sinful b...

Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) v. 1. Jericho had a colored history. A. It was the firstfruits of Canaan, utterly destroyed and rebuilt under a curse. JOS 6:26 c/w 1KI 16:34. 1. Sin and false religion, once destroyed in us by repentance to the truth, ought not to be rebuilt either. GAL 2:18; 4:9. 2. Christ once destroy...

H. Satan’s power through the lie is best realized by deception, not by plain declaration. 2CO 11:3. 1. A summary of Satan’s deception of Eve in GEN 3:1-6 is that he basically conned her into thinking she could maximize her existence by acting independently of God and His truth. 2. Jesus Christ's life on earth was the model of NOT acting independently of God. JOH 5:30; 6:38, 57; 8:28, 42, 54; 14:10. 3. There is no fulness acting independently o...

vs. 17-20. 1. vs. 17-18 set forth pros and cons of emotional thinking. A. zeal: In biblical language... denoting ardent feeling or fervour... B. The Greek word translated zealously affect(ed) is “zeloo” (SRN G2206) and means to have warmth of feeling for or against. C. The false teachers in Galatia were manipulating the emotions of the Galatians toward themselves and away from Paul and the true gospel of Jesus Christ. (1) ...

vs. 21-31. 1. Paul here sets forth a powerful illustrative argument drawn from real history, not from a fable. A. If the Genesis account of Abraham were little more than a shepherd’s campfire story, Paul’s use of it would be as vain as the Ephesian townclerk’s reasoning in ACT 19:35-36. B. Christian faith is rooted in fact, not fable, and is not in conflict with genuine science. 2PE 1:16; 1TI 6:20. C. If you can’t trust Genesis...

Entering Canaan (Joshua 3-5) A. At the border of Canaan, Israel had to go through a virtual burial in water as was their “baptism” through the Red Sea years earlier. JOS 4:23 c/w 1CO 10:1-2. 1. This generation would again have to overcome fear of death by faith. c/w HEB 11:29. 2. A notable miracle would animate their bold obedience and this is the basis of Christian fait...

The Best Gifts I. The O.T. church was provided gifts for that economy. A. They were given circumcision as an outward token of covenant inclusion. JOH 7:22. B. They were given political/geographical nation status. 2SAM 7:23. C. They were given a king like the nations. HOS 13:11. D. They were given prophets with signs to prove their calling. PSA 74:9. E. They were given deliverance miracles and manna for fo...

Luke 11:1-13 vs. 1-4. A. Here Christ taught His disciples how to pray. Sometimes we need instruction concerning prayer. ROM 8:26. B. Use the plural pronoun. Pray for others of God's family as well as yourself. C. Begin by acknowledging your relationship to God as His children. You have inside help here. GAL 4:6. D. Seek the honor of God's name first. E. Express a desire for the divine governmen...

Chapter 5. vs. 1-6. 1. The conjunctive adverb, “therefore,” ties this concluding order with what has been previously expressed. v. 1. A. In their Gentile superstitions before conversion, they were in bondage to weak and beggarly elements of the world even as others (GAL 4:3, 9) and a reversion to that bondage implied the preeminence of self over a Savior who died in vain. GAL 2:21. B. The children of promise are so through Christ, no...

The Daughters of Zelophehad A. Zelophehad was of the tribe of Manasseh, and had no sons. NUM 26:33-34. 1. The promised inheritance of Canaan was divided by lot among the tribes of Israel. a. The tribal lands were basically provinces of the kingdom to be preserved as such in each tribe. b. The family name was to be perpetuated in estates. NUM 26:52-56. 2. The tribes of Reuben, Gad and ...

* Editor's note: the audio quality is poor in some spots due to apparent issues with the microphone. In most cases it is just a brief interruption. There is one case that lasted for 20-30 seconds where there was essentially no audio. This segment was removed from the recording.

Peace (ISA 52:7) How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, t...

Galatians 4:27 A. GAL 4:27 is a difficult text to properly interpret, especially if one does not heed basic rules of Bible study like word definitions, comparative analysis, context, etc. 1. What is the relevance of this verse relative to the main theme of Galatians (justification)? 2. Who is “the desolate?” 3. Who is “she which hath an husband?” B. Many commentators consider this verse to be descriptive of the gre...

vs. 13-18. 1. The thrust of this chapter now shifts from the doctrinal error and implications of law-works justification to the practice of Christian living by and according to the Spirit. A. The basis for spiritual living in Christ is first being born of the Spirit. JOH 3:5-8. (1) This is the work of God, not sinful flesh. JOH 6:63; TIT 3:5. a. Natural generation is the principle of biogenesis: life from life. ...

Numbers 19:17-22 A. This entire chapter deals with the preparation and application of a purifying water of separation which was infused with the ashes of a pure red heifer and kept. 1. It was “...a purification for sin” (v. 9). 2. It particularly cleansed away defilement from contact with dead persons and associated things. c/w NUM 31:21-23. 3. Paul gives the best explanation of this by relating it to the s...

Boundaries I. boundary: That which serves to indicate the bounds or limits of anything whether material or immaterial; also the limit itself. II. Legitimate boundaries are everywhere and to be respected. A. God Himself is bound by His being. 1. He is God in Three Persons, no more nor less. 1JO 5:7. 2. He cannot die, lie or deny Himself. 1TI 1:17; TIT 1:2; 2TI 2:13. B. It was...

Drawing I. Definitions. A. draw: trans. To cause (anything) to move toward oneself by the application of force; to pull. B. drawn: Moved by traction; dragged, hauled, pulled; attracted; extracted; protracted; strained, stretched, made thin by tension. II. The account of the woman at the well of Samaria provides an insight into God’s saving of sinners unto Himself. JOH 4:1-26. ...

Forward and Backward I. The Christian walk should be positive, forward, drawing closer to conformity to Jesus Christ. This is a charge of the ministry. EPH 4:12-13. A. We are to walk in newness of life. ROM 6:4. B. We should put off the old man and put on the new. COL 3:9-10. C. We should follow light, not darkness. 1TH 5:4-8. D. We should grow in grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ. 2PE 3:18; P...

vs. 19-26. 1. Paul continues his theme of “spirit v. flesh” by laying out plainly things which are the works of the flesh and things which are the fruit of the Spirit. A. These details highlight the fact that Christ’s kingdom is a spiritual kingdom not of this world. JOH 18:36; LUK 17:20-21. B. The fruit of the Spirit is expected in the kingdom of God and is actually part of the inheritance. (1) They accord...

Hebrews 5:1-9 A. As Paul was setting forth the superiority of Jesus Christ over all things in heaven and earth, he had impressed upon the Hebrew Christians “...the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus” (HEB 3:1). 1. He is a great high priest Who intercedes in heaven, not on earth. HEB 4:14. 2. He is the Son of God, not a son of Aaron. HEB 4:14. 3. He was without sin (HEB 4:15), and having borne o...

Chapter 6. vs. 1-5. 1. Paul gives further instruction about Christian living as members of the church. A. He still calls them brethren. v. 1 c/w GAL 1:11; 3:15; 4:12, 28, 31; 5:11, 13; 6:18. B. Some were spiritual (v. 1) and were accordingly tasked with restoring someone in a fault. (1) The spiritually-minded will do this moreso than the carnally-minded whose judgment is lacking. Carnal minds will not readily concede the Holy S...