[2nd Timothy 4:5]

INTRODUCTION

A. In previous lesson, we considered the offices of elders and deacons within the Lord’s church as part of the leadership that Christ established within each local congregation to help it carry out the work that group of believers is to do. But we know Christ established more than just these helpers in the church, having also established, as Paul wrote, “the apostles, the prophets, the Continue reading

One of the unfortunate events of life that we all must face is its inevitable end - death. As the famous Benjamin Franklin once said, ‘In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.’ The fact is, I may be able to get around paying taxes [either legally or illegally], but there is no escaping death. As the writer of Hebrews reminds us, “It Continue reading

[1st Samuel 12:19-25]

INTRODUCTION

A.  The greatest blessing we may ever know is the gift of forgiveness and constant care our Lord grants to those who are in Christ Jesus. It is a relationship that was made possible by the extension of God’s grace to man and the provision of the very means - the only means - of our salvation, and one for which we should be eternally Continue reading

We are all probably familiar with the story of the Israelites’ captivity in - and deliverance from - Egypt. It all began when Jacob moved his family down to Egypt from Canaan because of the severe drought that had stricken the region (Gen. 46:1-47:12); initially, Jacob’s descendants enjoyed the favor of the Egyptians because of Joseph’s standing, but after Joseph died and the Israelites began increasing in number (Exod Continue reading

[2nd Cor. 8:1-5]

INTRODUCTION

A. When God gave the Law to the Israelites, He instructed them through Moses to “be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (Deut. 5:32). The instruction was that they do exactly as God said - no more and no less. But, as we well know, the Continue reading

[1st Corinthians 6:1-20]

INTRODUCTION

A.  As the apostle Paul continues his letter to the Colossian brethren, he now addresses other problems at Corinth; this time it is a matter of taking one another to law and a warning against sexual immorality. One thing we should see clearly from this series of studies is that even early in the history of the church, local churches could not make a claim Continue reading

[Ephesians 4:25]

INTRODUCTION

A.  In this series of lessons, we have been looking at the need to be Practicing Our Faith, as a contrast to being people whose faith is in word only. In these lessons, we have been - and will be - concentrating on the actions that define and demonstrate our faith so we may honestly examine ourselves and see whether or not we are the Continue reading

Last week we introduced and looked at those whose main task is being a caregiver, with the focus being solely on parents as some noteworthy caregivers. While the term ‘parent’ may not be the first one we might think of when speaking about caregivers, hopefully we now see the valuable duty they serve and we now think about how we can encourage and assist them in their efforts. I am Continue reading

INTRODUCTION

A.  We are all here today - hopefully - because we love the Lord and seek to praise Him through our songs and prayers and our very lives. We recognize God as the God of gods and King of all kings and in so doing, we reject all other claims to be God and reject all other religions as false because He established only one covenant Continue reading

At some point in our lives, we will meet someone whose main focus is being a caregiver. We might notice that, as caregivers, they are unable to do many of the things the rest of the world is doing because their main responsibility does not allow them the time or the freedom to go and do as they might want to do. Sometimes, we forget about the task of the Continue reading

[2nd Timothy 4:2]

INTRODUCTION

A.  As disciples of Jesus Christ, we should have a special appreciation for the written and revealed word of God, for it is the very means by which we learned of our spiritual state of sinfulness - and the plan of God by which we could be delivered from that sin. As disciples, we know the value [I hope] of the written word and its study, for it Continue reading

Scientists recently reported that the Phoenix Mars Mission lander had tested soil samples that indicated water had once existed on the red planet. This, of course, is believed to be ‘proof’ that life may have existed there at one time - a theory that scientists have been trying to prove for many years. Some of these same scientists are seeking to ‘prove’ that life once existed on Mars so they Continue reading

[John 4:20-24]

INTRODUCTION

A.  In this series of lessons, we have been looking at the need to be Practicing Our Faith, as a contrast to being people whose faith is in word only. I hope we recognize by now that faith without action is meaningless. James said, “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (Jas. 2:17), and if we are not acting on our Continue reading