Good evening everyone, it’s good to see everyone out tonight. I’d like to thank the elders for giving me the opportunity to be able to preach. I said this last time I was up here, but it’s worth saying again: It’s one thing to study the Bible on your own, but when you have to be prepared enough to teach others about it, you gain a whole… Continue reading

[Genesis 1]

INTRODUCTION

A. In 1988, A Brief History of Time [written by Stephen Hawking] was published and has become one of the best-selling books on science of all time. The book was an attempt to explain a range of subjects in cosmology, including the Big Bang, black holes and light cones, to an audience untrained in the cosmological sciences. Its main goal was to give an overview… Continue reading

Recently, a similarly-titled book topped the best-sellers list [Eat This, Not That]. The book was an attempt to give the reader instruction as to how to eat healthier and lose weight at the same time by placing two choices side by side and making a head-to-head comparison. This method of teaching is effective because it not only teaches what is good, but visibly demonstrates why it is better than the… Continue reading

[2nd Corinthians 12:14-13:14]

INTRODUCTION

A. As Paul continues his to address the brethren at Corinth, he concludes with some remarks regarding his desire to come to them again, but with a warning about their behavior and what should be done before he comes to them again. These words should not be taken lightly by us, anymore than they were to be taken lightly by the ones who first… Continue reading

[Colossians 3:1, 2]

INTRODUCTION

A. In the movie of this title, we are introduced to Carl and Ellie, lifelong friends and partners, who have a dream of exploring the wilds of South America someday, but never quite get around to the great adventure they sought. After Ellie’s death, Carl becomes somewhat of a hermit and an old grumpy man who resents the fact he is being surrounded by… Continue reading

Many times, in religious discussions, someone will argue against a point that has been made and reply, “But my preacher said…” - as if he or she were the authority that should answer all doubts! There are several problems with this “defense”; let’s consider a couple, and then consider what we should appeal to as our authority in all spiritual matters:

Clear Religious Differences Exist. To even a casual observer… Continue reading

[Philippians 2:12-13]

1. INTRODUCTION
   1. Millions of dollars each year are spent in this country in the pursuit of bodily perfection. Men and women join gyms, buy vitamins, purchase equipment, and invest hundreds of hours working toward their goal of being more physically fit.
   2. Others could care less about this physical pursuit.
   3. Paul told Timothy, “… exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for

[2 Corinthians 4:17-18]

1. INTRODUCTION
   1. As we look at Paul’s life of service and the difficulties he faced in teaching the gospel, he refers to the sufferings of this life as “light affliction which is for a moment.”
   2. In contrast to eternity, we understand that 30, 40, 50, 80 years of dedicated service to God is “but a moment” or “the twinkling of an eye.”
   3. Is the loss

Paul admonished the brethren at Ephesus to “be imitators of God, as beloved children” (Eph. 5:1). In this brief instruction are some important implications for us who are disciples of Jesus Christ today; they were not just words for the brethren who lived 2000 years ago. Just prior to this, Paul had written that they were to “put on the new man which was created according to God” (Eph. 4:24)… Continue reading

[1 Corinthians 3:9-15]

INTRODUCTION

1. 1. Jesus’ focus in this life was not to setup a physical kingdom. His kingdom was spiritual in nature, from the very beginning.
   2. Just like the Jews of the first century, it can be very easy for us to forget the spiritual nature of His kingdom today. We are comfortable with the physical because we can hold it, touch it, see it, but the spiritual is often harder

[Hebrews 12:2]

INTRODUCTION

1. 1. This life is continually filled with distraction. One of the things I struggle with more than anything else is remaining focused — with things small (tapping, clicking, mouth-noises) and large (task management, balancing time).
   2. In our spiritual life, we also have many distractions. We can be distracted by evil things of this world, or even by focusing too much on good things from God. What

Have you ever had the experience of frequenting a local restaurant, only to go there one day and see a sign hanging in the window that says “Under New Ownership”? How did that make you feel? Anxious? Nervous? If the service and/or food had not been up to par, maybe you welcomed the new ownership, hoping things would actually improve! No matter what the situation, though, the mere announcement that… Continue reading