Tag Archives: prayer

Good Fathers Teach The Word Of God

Proverbs 4:1-4 HEAR, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. 2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. 3 For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. 4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

Let’s break this down.

Proverbs 4:1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

The father as the head of the family teaches his children to love God’s Word. In a section of scripture the Jews call “The Shema” or “The Hearing”, God tells His people:… Continue reading

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God’s Word Our Rest – Hebrews 4:1-12

Hebrews 4:1-3, 8-9 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into HIS REST, any of you should seem to come short of it. 2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. 3 For we which have believed do enter into REST, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into MY REST: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. … 8 For if Jesus had given them REST, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remaineth therefore a REST to the people of God.

We took a break from Hebrews last Sunday to commemorate “Resurrection Sunday” or what many call “Easter”. We talked about the importance of the Resurrection of Christ, and explained how – without the Resurrection – there is no proof that Jesus of Nazareth is the One and Only Messiah. I brought out last Sunday that there were two very common names in Israel, … Continue reading

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The Lord Knows (Part 1)

2 Peter 2:9-14 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: 10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. 11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. 12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; 13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; 14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

Whereas 1 Peter addressed threats outside the Church, 2 Peter deals with threats inside or from within. Last week we saw the Scripture address the threats of the false prophets who rose up from within the Church. As I heard a preacher say one time,

“It isn’t the water OUTSIDE of the boat that is dangerous to those on the boat. It’s the water INSIDE the boat that will sink us, and drown us.”

As Peter – under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit – addresses these false prophets, it’s clear that he is angry, terse, and very pointed. Continue reading

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The Nurture Of The Christian

I heard a preacher tell a story to illustrate a point – and I liked the story at first, but now don’t know about it. A young man wanted to be a dealer in Jade, so he went to an expert in Jade to learn all he could about it. He asked this wise old Jade dealer to apprentice him – and the old man agreed. He asked the young man to come back the next morning. When he did, the old man put a piece of Jade in the young man’s hand … then he began to talk about his life. As the old man rambled on as old people often do, the young man became impatient. “What does this have to do with Jade?”, he asked. The old man assured him that, in time, it would all make sense. He then began to ramble on about his life. At the end of the day, the young man returned the Jade to the old man, and went home, promising to return the next day.

Day after day the same thing happened. The young man would come to the old man’s business, he would hand him a piece of jade to hold tightly in his hand. Then the old man would ramble, telling stories about his life. This went on for about three weeks, and the young man had become so frustrated that he was about to quit. But one day he went in and the old man slipped a piece of Jade into his hand …. but it WASN’T. It didn’t feel right. The weight was off. It was too porous

The moral of that story – so the preacher said… Continue reading

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God Used A Little Old Couple

How did we come by December 25th as the time to celebrate Christ’s birth? The earliest Pastors believed that Christ was crucified on the 15th of Nisan, 33 AD. Many Bible scholars consider this to be March 25th. Around 300 years after Christ’s crucifixion the Church came to believe that Jesus was concieved 9 months from March 25th, the day that He died on the Cross. … Continue reading

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The “S” Word

1 Peter 5:5-7 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Slide 2
Slide 3 Air Force Boot Camp

I remember very vividly the day I got off the bus at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. The drill instructor got onto the bus, and looked us over. As he did, he said “I see you all are in different clothing, and with different lengths of hair. We want to make your stay here as peaceful as possible. I’m your drill instructor, but I want you to regard me as your friend and momma. For the next 8 weeks I’m going to do my best not to hurt your feelings. If you’ll get off the bus, I’ll show you where the accomodations are. And if at any time you feel uncomfortable, let me know – and we’ll do everything we can to accommodate you.”… Continue reading

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Above All Things

1 Peter 4:7-8 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

As Peter looked at the madness of society around him, he declared “the end of all things is at hand”. Both Israel and Rome had become so decadent and divorced from the God of Scripture, that he knew it was not long before both nations would collapse. Israel would collapse in 70 AD, as Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed. Rome would fall a little over 400 years later, in 476 AD. Moral corruption, the political division of the empire, and invasions by what we would call “illegal aliens” who attacked the citizenship. The Bible tells us:

Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

What kept the Roman Empire going for 400 years after Israel was scattered?

God’s Church, the people for whom Christ died.

Nations have come and gone since Christ walked this earth. These once great nations are now only found in history books:… Continue reading

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A Double Amen Door

John 10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

The Double Amen Emphasizes Truth

Jesus loved to ask His hearers questions, questions to make them think. But Jesus also loved to use illustrations. He looked at the world around Him, and used truths from that world to explain Heavenly things.

Word Study: Today Jesus starts out with “Verily, verily”, which is literally “amēn amēn”. When the Preacher is speaking in the Church, sometimes the people (if they’re not asleep) say “amēn”. When a prayer is said, we generally end it with “amēn”.

Have you ever thought about what “amēn” means?

In the Old Testament, God used the word “amēn” (also the Hebrew ‘āman) to refers to “something that is faithful, established, or unshakable”. Through Isaiah, God prophecies that Israel is going to be punished for rejecting His leadership. Though God will set up a King named Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and promises that …

Isaiah 22:23 And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure {‘āman} place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house.

Nonetheless Israel will fall, because they continue…. Continue reading

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Are You Ready?

Two weeks ago we studied:

1 Peter 1:13-16 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

During that sermon we discovered that – though a person is saved, in the words of

Titus 3:5 (CEV) {God} saved us because of his mercy, and not because of any good things we have done. God washed us by the power of the Holy Spirit. He gave us new birth and a fresh beginning.

It is not the “good” things that we do or have done that save us. The “work of God” is that “You believe in Jesus, Whom the Father has sent” (John 6:29). It is the work of Calvary, the Cross of Christ that covers our sin. It is our belief in Jesus as He is that brings us into a right relationship with God. Once we believe in Christ, drinking of His mercy:

Psalm 116:13 (NKJV) I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the LORD.

REPENTING of our sins, we turn to Him Who alone can save us. But listen Beloved: Once saved, we are to live as “OBEDIENT CHILDREN”. We are not to be like the world. We are to live so as to please our Heavenly Father. … Continue reading

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I Am He, The Light Of The World

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

God Is The Source Of All Light

“light” is a very interesting thing. Light allows us to see colors. Light is made up of different wavelengths or colors, and white light is the combination of every color. When sunlight lands on a colored surface, the reflected wavelengths are what cause us to see the color. For instance, if something is RED, the RED WAVELENGTH is reflected back to our eyes, but all the other colors of the light are absorbed. So you see RED. There are different forms of light, some visible and some not. When we think of light, we think of the SUN as it is the biggest visible source of light. One commentary notes:

“Light waves have different forms: radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays. Sunlight is a source of visible light and ultraviolet radiation. X-rays and gamma rays are used in medical diagnosis, cancer treatment, and security.”

The Bible tells us that God created light before He created the sun or the stars. God did not create the darkness, but the Light…. Continue reading

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