Sermons from 2025

VII. It has become fashionable in modern Christianity to assume that a bonafide translation is impossible and the truth of God (Scripture) is confined to “original” languages. Consider: A. When someone is desperate to cling to an error which is refuted in the KJV, there is a tendency to appeal to the “original” Greek as found in an ancient manuscript. 1. Which Greek? There are two lines of Greek texts. a. One comes from...

VI. HAG 2:10-19. A. The twenty-fourth day of the month is significant throughout the remainder of the chapter. vs. 10, 18, 20. 1. Haggai delivers two messages: one to the priests and the people to snap them to attention for their good, the other to the governor to encourage and bless him with promises for he had been good. 2. Christian experience is marked by significant days also: not by high days which ...

Rationalizing I. rationalize: trans. To render conformable to reason; to explain on a rational basis. b. To clear away by reasoning. c. Psychol. To give plausible reasons for (one's behaviour) that ignore, conceal, or gloss its real motive. A. The truth of God is in accord with sound reasoning. We subscribe to a rational faith that can be declared. ACT 17:1-3; 1PE 3:15. B. Sinfulness, though, reaso...

IX. Consider the path of the true Old Testament scriptures. A. Recall that Jesus Christ authenticated the true O.T. as consisting of the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms written in Hebrew, excluding the books of the Apocrypha. MAT 5:18; LUK 24:44. B. apocrypha: A writing or statement of doubtful authorship or authenticity; spec. those books included in the Septuagint and Vulgate versions of the Old Testament, which were not originally wr...

The Primacy of Peter? (An Overview) A. Roman Catholicism holds that the Apostle Peter was given primacy (first in order, rank, chief place) by Jesus Christ in the visible church. 1. The church is supposed to be built upon Peter, the vicar of Christ. 2. Peter is supposed to have been the first Pope and the succession of popes flow from him in perpetuity of headship. 3. If t...

Psalm 130 I. This psalm directs us towards the true hope of God's Israel which is redemption from ALL iniquities. vs. 7-8. A. This Israel can only be spiritual Israel: the elect of God out of all nations who are the children of promise. ROM 9:6-8, 22-24. 1. Natural Israel is not universally redeemed from all iniquities. ROM 9:27-29. 2. Unless David was a false prophet...

Death I. die: intr. To lose life, cease to live, suffer death; to expire. II. Scripture identifies six types of death: A. Spiritual death in trespasses and sin. GEN 2:17; EPH 2:1. B. Separation from fellowship and accord with God. JAM 5:19-20; EPH 5:14; 1TI 5:6. C. Physical death. JAM 2:26. D. Reproductive death. ROM 4:19. E. Death unto sin (repentance, sanctification). ROM 6...

God’s Appointments I. Definitions. A. appoint: To determine authoritatively, prescribe, decree, ordain. trans. To determine authoritatively, prescribe, fix (a time, later a place) for any act. B. ordain: To appoint, decree, destine, order. trans. To appoint (a person, etc.) to a charge, duty, or office. Of the Deity, fate, or supernatural power: To appoint as part of the order of the universe or...

VI. The entire person of the elect, including his body, is the purchased possession of God. 1CO 6:20; JOB 14:12-15; 19:25-27. A. The inward part of man lives on after the body dies. LUK 16:22-24; REV 6:9-10. B. Cultures and religions worldwide have believed in life after death of the body. 1. “O happy day, (says he), when I shall quit this impure and corrupt multitude, and join myself to that divine company and council of souls who have q...

X. This section addresses the afterlife experienced between the death of the body and its resurrection. A. In PHIL 1:20-26 Paul expounds what life and death were for him. 1. For Paul, to live was Christ. a. Paul's life was given and sustained by Christ (GAL 2:20), was directed by Christ (1CO 9:21), was an instrument of Christ (ROM 15:18-19), and aimed at Christ in all things. PHIL 3:8. ...

Saul, Samuel and the Witch (1 Samuel 28) A. Samuel was a great prophet and well-noted in Scripture. PSA 99:6; JER 15:1. 1. He was the last of the judges of Israel before they had a king. 1SAM 7:15; ACT 13:20. 2. He anointed Israel’s first two kings, Saul and David. 1SAM 15:1; 16:13. 3. His ministry was a hinge of national and spiritual history. ACT 3:24. 4. This chapter shows that he even pro...

Distinctions Between Sexes I. This message is a summarized review of previous detailed messages preached on the topics. II. A major area where necessary distinctions are challenged is that of the sexes. A. sex: Either of the two divisions of organic beings distinguished as male and female respectively; the males or the females (of a species, etc., esp. of the human race) viewed collectively. B. God made two sexes at the...

Life From The Dead I. The theme of salvation is God’s will and power to miraculously make alive that which has not life. A. God made man out of non-living dust and breathed life into him. GEN 2:7. 1. Because God in power made Adam from that which had no power to do so of its own accord, Adam was the son of God. LUK 3:38. 2. Because God in power acted in the virgin Mary who had no power of ...

The Harmless Lord Jesus Christ I. Definitions. A. harm: Evil (physical or otherwise) as done to or suffered by some person or thing; hurt, injury, damage, mischief. Often in the set phrase ‘to do more harm than good’. B. harmlessness: The state or quality of being harmless; inoffensiveness. C. harmless: Free from harm or injury; unhurt, uninjured, unharmed. Now rare. 4. Doing or causing no harm; not inju...

2 Timothy 2:14-19 A. Paul here warns against unprofitable words and their effects which undo men but not God. B. “These things” (v. 14) could include all things which Paul had taught Timothy (v. 2) and specifically the faithful saying of the faithful God in vs. 11-13. 1. These include certain promises of God to the elect for whom Paul labored. v. 10. 2. They are certainties in spite of man’s unbelief. v. 13 c/w ROM 3:3-4. 3. ...

The Unpardonable Sin (Blasphemy Against the Holy Ghost) I. There are three portions of Scripture where this subject is related. MAT 12:31-32; MAR 3:28-30; LUK 11:14-12:10. II. Seldom is all the information on any given topic in one place in the Scripture. A. Topics should be considered cumulatively by gathering the relevant information on that topic from the various places it appears in Scri...

The Gospel Not Involved In Regeneration (Ten Reasons Why) I. The CONDITION OF MAN precludes it. The gospel cannot help: A. those who are dead. GEN 2:17; EPH 2:1-3; COL 2:13. B. those who cannot see it. JOH 3:3. C. those who cannot hear it. JOH 8:43. D. those who cannot understand it. JOH 8:43; ROM 3:11. E. those who will not seek God. PSA 14:2-3; ROM 3:11. F. those who cann...

Soberness, Moderation, Temperance sober: Moderate, temperate, avoiding excess, in respect of the use of food and drink; not given to the indulgence of appetite. Of demeanor, speech, etc.: Grave, serious, solemn, indicating or implying a serious mind or purpose. moderation: Limitation, restriction; a fixed limit; a restricting provision or clause. Control, rule, governance. temperance: The practice or habit of restraining oneself in provocation, passion, desire, etc.;...

Double Minded I. Definitions. A. double-minded: Having two 'minds'; undecided or wavering in mind. B. waver: Of persons, their sentiments, etc.: To exhibit doubt or indecision; to change or vary; to fluctuate or vacillate (between); to falter in resolution or allegiance; to show signs of giving way. C. establish: To render stable or firm. a) To strengthen by material support. b) To...

Anger And Its Management I. Definitions. A. anger: The active feeling provoked against the agent; passion, rage; wrath, ire, hot displeasure. B. angry: Of persons: actively affected against the agent or cause of trouble; feeling or showing resentment; enraged, wrathful, irate. C. rage: Madness; insanity; a fit or access of mania. Obs. exc. poet. 2. Violent anger, furious passion, usually ...

Four Generations (Proverbs 30:11-14) A. generation: That which is generated. 5. The whole body of individuals born about the same period; also, the time covered by the lives of these. 6. Family, breed, race; class, kind, or ‘set’ of persons. Obs. 1. Jesus described Israel of His day (especially its leaders) as being a childish, implacable generation. MAT 11:16-17. 2. Jesus ca...

V. “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment...” (MAT 5:22). This issue alone deserves attention. A. The Jews stressed the judgment of outward actions only, such as unlawful killing (v. 21) which was to be adjudicated and punished by sentence of death in wilful cases. NUM 35:31. 1. They knew the Law differentiated between premeditated or active killing and one ...

Our Manner of Prayer A. Our Lord Jesus Christ recommended a manner of prayer for disciples. MAT 6:9-13. B. manner: The way in which something is done or takes place; method of action; mode of procedure. 1. Christ is not teaching that this is a formula (A set form of words in which something is defined, stated, or declared, or which is prescribed by authority or custom to be used on some ceremonial occasion) of prayer. ...

Ebal and Gerizim A. Definitions. 1. Ebal = stone or bald/bare mountain. 2. Gerizim = cut up/off, rocky. 3. bless: To declare to be supernaturally favoured; to pronounce or make happy. To pronounce words that confer (or are held to confer) supernatural favour and well-being. To confer well-being upon; ‘to make happy; to prosper, make successful.’ 4. curse: trans. To utter against (persons or things) wo...

The Holy Spirit I. The Holy Spirit (or Spirit of God) is also called the Holy Ghost. MAT 3:16 c/w LUK 3:22. II. The Spirit has personality. He is not just a force. 1CO 2:10-11; ROM 8:26-27; 1TI 4:1; JOH 14:16-17. III. The Holy Spirit is declared Deity. ACT 5:3-4; ISA 6:5, 8-10 c/w ACT 28:25-27. IV. Consider the diverse operations and provinces of the Spirit. 1CO 12:4-6; REV 1:4 c/w ISA 11:2. A. The Spirit takes part in creatio...

6. Consider the Spirit's ministry of empowering. a. The goal of the gospel is obedience. ROM 15:18; 16:25-26. b. The Holy Spirit empowers to obey. EZE 11:19-20; ROM 8:13-14. (1) This power must be sought through believing prayer. EPH 3:16-17; MAT 6:13; ROM 5:2 c/w HEB 4:16; 11:6. (2) This power is experienced in faithful obedience to the word...

The Evening Sacrifice A. In his journey to the cross, Jesus Christ was led as a lamb to the slaughter. ISA 53:7 c/w ACT 8:32 c/w MAT 26:57; 27:2, 31. B. There was a particular hour to which He was appointed. JOH 12:27; 13:1. C. Jesus died shortly after the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.). MAT 27:45-50. 1. This was the time of the appointed daily evening sacrifice in Moses' Law. EXO 29:38-39. 2. It was at the time of the evening sacrifice w...

Christ’s Letter to Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22) A. Preliminary thoughts. 1. This letter may be the most critical of the seven letters to the churches. There is no commendation for them. ct/w REV 3:1-4. 2. For them is reserved a rarely seen attribute of God: disgust. 3. They were fat, satisfied, indifferent fence-straddlers lacking zeal and who were ignorant of their poor...

Qualifications For Baptism I. Sometimes the question arises as to why a minister of Jesus Christ does not automatically baptize a petitioner. This study addresses that issue. II. To be qualified for baptism according to Scripture, there are some absolute requirements to be met. A. One must be a penitent believer who confesses sin and confesses Christ. MAT 3:6-11; MAR 16:15-16; ACT 2:38-41; 8:12, 36-37; 16:14-15, 31-34; 18:8;...

Believe Me Not I. Men are to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. ACT 16:31. A. There are “...lords many...” (1CO 8:5). B. There is “...another Jesus...” (2CO 11:4). C. There are “...false Christs...” (MAT 24:24). D. It is therefore necessary to qualify which lord, which Jesus, which Christ is to be the object of true faith and worship. II. The Lord Jesus Christ of the Scriptures is the One Who does th...

Vestiges, Double-Hearts and Drawbacks I. The heart’s devotion to God is vital to our unimpeded success in following Christ. There is a place for godly emotion of the heart in Christian duty. A. Conversion is largely a matter of full submission from within to the will of God: making Him one’s first love. MAT 22:36-37; REV 2:4. 1. Belief should be from the heart, fully. ROM 8:8-10; ACT 8:37; PRO 3:5. 2. Jesu...

Humble Thyself And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself... (Philippians 2:8) I. Definitions. A. humility: The quality of being humble or having a lowly opinion of oneself; meekness, lowliness, humbleness: the opposite of pride or haughtiness. B. humble: trans. To render humble or meek in spirit; to cause to think more lowly of oneself. C. humble: (adj.) Having a low es...

Governing The Tongue I. Man's tongue is his glory. PSA 30:12; 16:8-9 c/w ACT 2:25-26. A. Man is distinguished from the brute creation by his power of diverse, complex oral communication in both concrete and abstract ideas. B. Man was made after the similitude of God (JAM 3:9) Who communicated to man His will by His mouth in intelligent speech. GEN 1:27-31; 2:16-17. 1. Man accordingly commu...

Judges I. This study is meant to be a light treatment of the Book of Judges. II. Preliminary observations. A. This book deals with a 450 year period after the conquest of Canaan. ACT 13:17-20. 1. An addition of the years of the different judges’ seasons does come to 450 years. 2. The KJV is accurate in its historical analysis in ACT 13:19-20. 3. Some modern versions corrupt the actual hi...

John the Baptist I. (JOH 1:6) There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. A. His name was by divine order, the first so named in that family line. LUK 1:13, 59-63. B. His name in Greek was Ioannes (SRN G2491), which, according to Thayer, means, “Jehovah is a gracious giver.” 1. That Greek word, according to Brown-Driver-Biggs Hebrew Dictionary, is from the Hebrew Yochanan (SRN H3110), which mea...

V. Consider the parentage, generation and nativity of John. LUK 1:5-80. A. The time was the reign of Herod the Great, the monster who ordered the slaughter of all children of two years and under. v. 5 c/w MAT 2:16. 1. John would be born during a time when rising to prominence was dangerous. 2. John would, though, be raised in privacy in the deserts. LUK 1:80. B. John’s parents are of note. v. 5. 1. Zacharias (from ...

III. Judges 1. A. Joshua had died without appointing a successor but at least the children of Israel were yet willing to proceed with Canaan’s conquest and sought God’s direction. vs. 1-3. 1. This was proper protocol. NUM 27:21. 2. A lack of inquiry of God had earlier been costly. JOS 9:14. 3. A church’s efforts in evangelism should likewise be according to the commands and guidelines of Scripture. ...

C. Zacharias was offering the appointed incense when an angel appeared unto him in the temple. LUK 1:8-11. 1. This was one of the hours of prayer. Note the association of incense and prayer. PSA 141:2; REV 8:3-4. 2. Mind that duty is not a substitute for prayer, nor prayer a substitute for duty. The people who may be most expected to receive blessing are a people who respect the service of God’s house and that His house is a house of prayer. MA...

e. As a Nazarite, John would have been “different” and “separate” and under other restrictions. NUM 6:1-8. (1) He would have been restricted from contact with dead bodies. (2) He would have had long hair, the exception to the rule for men (1CO 11:7, 14), which, if ignored, erases the distinction of the Nazarite’s hair. (3) Jesus Christ, Whose Spirit authored 1CO 11:7, 14 would not have ...

E. Zacharias was doubtful about the promise and was struck dumb in judgment. vs. 18-25. 1. His doubt concerned perceived human limitations. a. Often, our moments of weakness of faith follow this pattern and hinder us from living freely and fully by the promises of God. b. Our inadequacies and limitations are the very instruments of God bringing glory to Himself. 2CO 12:9-10. c. Believers need help with ...

IV. Judges 2. A. This chapter consists of three sections: 1. vs. 1-5 deal with a relatively current corruption. 2. vs. 6-10 is a summary review of events following Joshua’s death. 3. vs. 11-23 is a general historical overview of the time of Judges and of idolatry. B. The angel from Gilgal reproved the whole nation in his message. v. 4. 1. This angel may have been the LORD Himself inasmuch as he said, “...I made you ...

Christ, Our Altar For Sacrifices I. The Jews for centuries offered carnal, bloody sacrifices on a material altar which never took away sin since the sacrifices themselves were under the bondage of corruption. HEB 10:1-4. A. Paul makes clear to the Hebrew Christians that the uncorrupted Jesus Christ offered Himself one time only as a sacrifice to put away sin. HEB 9:14, 26-28. B. There is therefore no more offering for sin. HE...

VI. John “...waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts until the day of his shewing unto Israel” (LUK 1:80). A. That day came at a notably identified time. LUK 3:1-2. 1. The sceptre had departed from Judah: they were a subjugated nation under Gentile dominion. Therefore the time of Shiloh/Messiah was at hand. GEN 49:10. 2. The seventy weeks of Daniel’s prophecy of Messiah’s anointing could be generally ...

VII. The beginning of John’s ministry was a watershed moment in God’s program. LUK 16:16. A. The prophesied kingdom of God was preached as being “at hand” and people were actively pressing into it by faith, repentance, confession of sins, and baptism. MAT 3:1-6; 21:31-32 c/w LUK 7:29-30. 1. This was a movement which was not political liberation or building/rebuilding/beautifying an earthly temple but spiritual reform. ...

Judges 3. A. This chapter begins the details of the repetitive roller-coaster pattern of sin, bondage, crying, deliverance, rest and return to corruption. We see here three judges/saviors: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar. B. The closing verses of JDG 2:20-23 are here given more details (vs. 1-4), a typical pattern of God’s communications to us in Scripture, adding line to line, here a little, there a little. ISA 28:10. 1. It is spe...

VIII. John’s ministry generally had broad acceptance. MAT 3:5. A. The people were for a season willing to rejoice in his light. JOH 5:35. B. But John did not use the crafty sophistry of the religious leaders. c/w 2CO 4:2. 1. He was not a warm, fuzzy light but a burning one. JOH 5:35. 2. He did not try to zealously affect men with pretended care. GAL 4:17 c/w 2SAM 15:1-6 ct/w 1TH 2:5. 3. He was resolute, stedfast, unwavering. MAT 11:7. 4. He was not a l...

Naaman (2 Kings 5) A. Jesus referred to Naaman, the leprous Syrian, in LUK 4:27-29. 1. Naaman was cleansed at a time when many lepers in Israel were not cleansed. a. Naaman was an uncircumcised Gentile who would be immersed in Jordan. b. Naaman was a proficient military leader who had success against Israel. 2KI 5:1-2. c. This great man was a leper,...

Idle Words, Questionable Expressions I. God knows altogether every word we speak. PSA 139:4. II. Our speech is a window to the heart. LUK 6:45. A. Our speech can bewray us (expose us). MAT 26:73. B. We can gain reasonable insight into what is going on in another’s heart by his speech. What is most in a man’s heart (the abundance) is commonly known by his speech. C. God doesn’t need to wait to hear us speak to know o...

IX. The apex of John’s ministry was his baptism of Jesus Christ. MAT 3:13-17; MAR 1:9-11; LUK 3:21-23. A. The sinless Jesus submitted Himself to this ordinance of a temporary figurative death, burial and resurrection which spoke of His own work to save us. 1. Whereas John’s baptism was of repentance for the remission of sins, Jesus had no sin and therefore nothing to repent of and have remitted. 2. Jesus was/is flawlessly ...

E. NOTE: The sinless Jesus submitted to this ordinance administered by a sinner. Behold this great condescension of Almighty God which shows us that obedience in godly things is not absolutely conditioned upon the flawlessness of the one in authority. 1. As a child, he subjected Himself to sinful parents. LUK 2:51. 2. To qualify as a brother of the new spiritual kingdom, He subjected Himself to sinner John’s baptism. 3. As a civilian, He subjected Hi...

Some Thoughts On The Nazarite A. The O.T. law of the Nazarite is found in NUM 6:1-21. 1. Being a Nazarite was not binding upon all in Israel but only to those so appointed by God, as Samson (JDG 13:5) or a vow, as Samuel. 1SAM 1:11. 2. This law pertained specifically to a seasonal voluntary vow of a Jew, and is not binding upon Gentile believers. c/w ACT 21:23-25. 3. This was a vow that a woman of Israel could ma...

V. Judges 4-5. A. These chapters set forth the next degeneration and oppression of Israel, against which a remarkable female judge (Deborah) and a remarkable female domestic champion (Jael) were called and honoured. 1. Deborah the prophetess (JDG 4:4) is one of a number of prophetesses in the record. c/w EXO 15:20; 2KI 22:14; NEH 6:14; ISA 8:3; LUK 2:36; ACT 21:9. 2. The Holy Ghost called these women prophetesses, in contr...

Prompts v. Prudence and Prayer I. Wisdom calls us to be prudent. PRO 8:12; 13:16; 14:15; 22:3. A. prudent: Of persons (rarely of inferior animals): Sagacious in adapting means to ends; careful to follow the most politic and profitable course; having or exercising sound judgement in practical affairs; circumspect, discreet, worldly-wise. B. In making choices of action, we know we are on solid ground when Scripture clearly gives ...

VI. Judges 6. A. This chapter begins the account of Gideon being raised up to judge Israel. Next to Samson, Gideon’s record as a champion of faith (HEB 11:32) is the longest in this book. B. Israel’s sin in going after the gods of the Amorites (v. 10) brought them again under oppression, this time to the Midianites. They had chosen Joshua’s “Door #2” and were Judges 6-26-25 Page 9...

Getting Closer To God The Right Way I. This sermon is a follow-up to a previous message about making good choices based on knowledge, prudence and prayer for wisdom and understanding, not on subliminal prompts. II. It has become popular for professing Christians to emphasize relationship over religion in connecting with God, and there is some truth in this. But half-truth can also be half-lie. A. Sometimes the concept of relationship (kin...

Mind Your Own Business I. Scripture teaches us that it is God’s province to have full insight into everything we think or do. HEB 4:12-13. A. Do you know of a sinner who should be trusted to assume such power? Do you tinker with such power using technology? B. Man’s fall was brought on by a desire to know more than was appropriate. GEN 2:17; 3:5. C. Jesus Christ warned of a season when nothing would be covered: as...

VII. Judges 7. A. This chapter sets forth one of the most incredible military victories of all time wherein a Judges 6-26-25 Page 11  small troop of 300 with improbable outfitting were used of God to defeat a multitudinous army of Midianites. This engagement far outranks the later famous 300 Spartans of the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC) who were wiped out by the Persians. Oliver Cromwell’s ...

Building In Spite Of Troubles (Nehemiah 4) I. The Book of Nehemiah is an account of the building/rebuilding program in the post-captivity return of some of the Jews from Babylon. Nehemiah’s account focuses on the wall. A. Daniel had prophesied that the wall would be built in troublous times. DAN 9:25. B. The builders faced troubles from without and from within, very typical for those who ...

VIII. Judges 8. A. vs. 1-9. 1. In the thick of Gideon’s victorious “evangelism” campaign of converting the Midianites to reduction and death, Gideon must deal with trouble in the church. c/w ACT 14:27-28; 15:1-2. 2. The first grief was from Ephraim who had just had the glory of slaying two princes of Midian. v. 1 c/w JDG 7:24-25. a. This was a peevish reaction born of envy and v...

V. This year, I have been made keenly aware of the potentials for individual and corporate chaos that AI can represent to believers. I can tell you with certainty that Christians are not immune to being sucked into the rabbit-hole of manipulative information-overload. A. A faithful watchman should warn people of impending or current danger. EZE 33:1-7. B. Of particular concern is danger to the souls and minds of men. HEB 13:17. C. I would rather be guilty of a...

4. Consider the mechanism of idolatry and the implications. This is a simplified summary: a. One senses the need for a higher power above the mundane limitations of nature. He may not even sense such a need but knows that the concept of a higher power is valuable in controlling others and so concocts a god. b. The tendency of sinful man is to concoct “gods” that accord with and accommodate his superstitions, carnal nature and expectations....

IX. Judges 9. A. The pendulum of peace and oppression in this chapter rests at its nadir for a season of civil strife and war. 1. When Satan is not trying to destroy the church from without, he is much willing to destroy from within (and sometimes through petty strife or power seizures). ACT 20:29-30; JAM 4:1; 1CO 6:6-8; 3JO 1:9-10. 2. As regenerate believers, we need to be ever on guard against internal fact...

IX. This series of messages has been particularly focused on the risks to Christian well-being and peace in the church through unwarranted, unwise and even sinful exercises in information- gathering (which technology is accommodating at exponential rates). A. Meddling and snooping into another person’s private affairs are forms of being a busybody, and are condemned. 1PE 4:15. B. The internet and AI have only exacerbated the problem, and AI videography...

What Saints Are Elected To (1 Peter 1:1-5) I. This epistle was meant to be a testimony of the true grace of God. 1PE 5:12. A. There are popular testimonies in the world of false grace which scorns election, perverts it or mingles it with works, an impossible mixture. ROM 11:6. B. The apostle’s testimony of God’s true grace begins with election! C. The epistle is addressed...

X. Judges 10. A. This chapter again sets forth the pendulum swing of true worship to idolatry, of peace to oppression, and of repentance which works salvation. This chapter is basically the set-up for the details of an unusual deliverer in Chapter 11. B. vs. 1-5. 1. In the wake of the depraved, murderous Abimelech (JDG 10), there were about 45 years of stability while they stayed away from idolatry. This was a notably long ...

Romans 4:4-5 I. ROM 4:4-5 is commonly explained as teaching that the sinner's faith is not a work on his part since work is there contrasted with belief. This study corrects that and proves that there is a kind of faith that is counted for righteousness. Not all faith is valid. JAM 2:19; ACT 15:5. A. The reward of heavenly inheritance (COL 3:24; 1PE 1:4) is of grace, not works or debt. B. Many affirm that the spi...

XI. Judges 11. A. This chapter sets forth the judgeship of Jephthah whom God raised up in response to the call for help against Ammon by the reforming Gileadites. JDG 10:17-18. B. Because of the unusual calling of Jephthah, a bastard, and his fateful vow detailed in this chapter, it will be helpful to remember: 1. Israel was prone during this era to embracing Canaanite religions and the gods of the Canaanites were noted for ...