[Exod. 32:26]

INTRODUCTION

A. Anyone who has had some dealings with farms understands what a dividing line is. We have fences that keep out some creatures and keep the rest of them in. Farmers use barbed wire to remind the ones who get too close that there is the dividing line. Some farmers use electric

fences to remind their own animals that this is as far as they go!

To those who run… Continue reading

[1st Peter 2:11-17]

INTRODUCTION

A. I am sure I don’t have to tell many of you in here that there are many people in the world who live to find fault in others - especially in those who profess to be followers of God and Christ. Unfortunately - and as unfair as it may be - there are some who are constantly looking for the smallest fault or slip-up in those… Continue reading

There are some scriptures to which most of us gladly go for a reinforcement of our beliefs, or certification of our worth, yet not quite as willingly make the same application when it involves another’s worth. Was the Bible written for me? Yes. Was it written for you? Yes. Was it written for the man on the street who lies in the gutter for lack of a bed of his… Continue reading

[Mark 11:15-19]

INTRODUCTION

A. After Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time, facing His imminent crucifixion, He went into the temple and “began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.” (Mark 11:15) He would not even allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. (Mark 11:16) After having done this, He… Continue reading

[Proverbs 16:18]

INTRODUCTION

A. As we saw in our beginning lesson of this series, our enemy the Devil is busy striving to deceive and destroy as many souls as he can before time ends, and he has many devices at his disposal to achieve his goals. Again, as a reminder, Paul noted that we disciples should behave in a particular way so as to not give the Devil an opportunity to… Continue reading

The apostle Paul wrote and reminded the young evangelist, Timothy, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2nd Tim. 3:16, 17; NKJV). The word I would like to focus on today is the word instruction. We know what that is, right? Well… Continue reading

The apostle Paul wrote and reminded the young evangelist, Timothy, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2nd Tim. 3:16, 17; NKJV). The word I would like to focus on today is the word instruction. We know what that is, right? Well… Continue reading

INTRODUCTION

A. The history of the Israelites is well-known, from the exodus from Egypt and the wilderness wanderings, to their conquest of Canaan and their settlement and growth, through the judges and kings, the divided kingdom and the eventual fall of each. As was prophesied by God, the Israelites would eventually be taken into captivity to a foreign land, and there they would be for 70 years until He brought the… Continue reading

[Job 2:10]

INTRODUCTION

A. In spiritual matters, we spend a great deal of time trying to convince those who are still lost to obey and be saved, knowing the serious and eternal consequences of not obeying the gospel. But once we convince others of the need to obey the gospel and they become a child of God, our work is not finished; we must continue to teach them, encourage them… Continue reading

The American poet, Robert Frost, wrote a poem entitled “The Mending Wall” that spoke of a man’s wondering about a stone fence that defined the border between his and his neighbor’s property, and which he was repairing. The speaker in the poem seemed to be pointing towards opposing such barriers, but the neighbor uttered those now-famous lines which many mistakenly believe was the main idea in the poem: “Good fences… Continue reading

INTRODUCTION

A. Those who are followers of God do so because they are convinced that God is, and that He is worthy of following. A “faith” that is based more on feeling that conviction is really no faith at all, so if we say we believe in God, it must be based on true conviction that the evidence for God and his character are believable and that His word is unimpeachable… Continue reading

[2nd Corinthians 5:17]

INTRODUCTION

A. A few years ago, a man ran for President with the simple slogan for the campaign: “It’s Time For Change.” Not long ago, in the last Presidential election cycle, our current President ran on the same slogan, simplified even more: “Change.” Sometimes, voters choose a man for that reason alone: they want change. It could be a change of philosophies, a change in political parties, a… Continue reading

The apostle Peter, by the inspiration of God, wrote to the Christians of the first century regarding their conduct as it would be seen by those of the world, and admonished them to “abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify… Continue reading

INTRODUCTION

A.  In January 1994, the San Fernando Valley experienced a devastating earthquake. [I believe the last measurement I saw was a 6.6 on the Richter scale.] The immediate result of the earthquake was unbelievable destruction, the extent of which had not been seen before to many of those people who lived through it. The streets were pushed up into the air and from side to side as if they were… Continue reading

[2nd Corinthians 2:10, 11]

INTRODUCTION

A.  The history of the devil is long and varied, and man’s view of him is today as varied as it has ever been. Most of us have seen illustrations of the devil as some red creature with horns and a long, pointed tail, holding a pitchfork, while other portray him in much scarier ways and others more tamely.  Many people have their own idea of… Continue reading

A recent article on a church leadership web site addressed some possible ‘church trends’ in the coming years, most of which dealt with the attitudes of those who attended or visited the worship assembly, and gave suggestions about how to address those attitudes and desires, and how church leaders should prepare their churches for these coming trends. Without getting into an extended discussion on this, let it be said that… Continue reading