A Flock of Sheep, 1 Pet 5:2-3
In 1 Pet 5:1-4, Peter exhorted the elders, who were among the scattered strangers to whom he wrote this epistle, 1 Pet 1:1. He told them, in verses 2 and 3, to “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but […]
My Kingdom is Not of This World, Jn 18:36
There is something about the kingdom of God that has become abundantly clear, lately. Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. Jesus said to Pilate in Jn 18:36, “My kingdom is not of this world.” The Lord’s kingdom is above; it’s not down here. John the Baptist said, “He that cometh from above is […]
Stirred Up, Hag 1:14
In Hag 1:14, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the spirit of Joshua, and the spirit of the remnant of the people to work in the house of the Lord. It was time to rebuild the house, so God stirred up the spirit of the people to work. Stir up is to inspire […]
Helpful Ideas on Sermon Preparation
An old-time evangelist, on his death bed, gave a friend of mine this advice, “You preach the word and let the word preach to the people.” That’s some of the best advice I have ever heard. So, in looking for something to preach, keep in mind that you are preaching “the word,” not a sermon […]
The Word’s Free Course, 2 Thes 3:1
In 2 Thes 3:1, Paul requested prayer from the Thessalonians “that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you.” In this sense the word course is a moving or motion forward. So, the course of a river, for instance, is the the direction that the […]
What Pleases God, 1 Thes 4:1
Many of us grew up as people pleasers. We tried to please our parents. But the frustration seemed to always be that we were never good enough. The harder we tried, the harder it became to please them. Some of us just gave up trying. We have a tendency, then, to transfer this same behavior […]
Bear With Me, 2 Cor 11:1-33
Paul wanted the Corinthians to bear with him through some boasting. They might well bear with [meaning “in all likelihood they would bear with”] a fellow preaching false doctrine [2 Cor 11:4], so they should certainly bear with Paul. He wanted them to bear with him: Being jealous over them with godly jealously – 2 […]
Death Worketh In Us, 2 Cor 4:1-18
Today we are studying 2 Cor 4. The theme of this passage is from verse 12, “death worketh in us.” Paul constantly suffered as he preached the gospel, (what he called, “this ministry,” verse 1). In second Corinthians 3:6 he said, we are “ministers of the New Testament,” and in 3:9 he called his ministry […]
Get Real Joshua 5: 1-15
Get Real Jos. 5: 1-15 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO Most of us come to church on Sunday and listen to the preaching and teaching and go on home. Maybe there was some conviction; maybe there was some resolve to change, and maybe not. Then Monday morning we are back in the REAL world. Why isn’t the […]
Paul’s Ministry 1 Cor 9:1-27
Paul’s Ministry 1 Cor. 9: 1-27 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO In 1 Cor 9, Paul described his ministry to the Corinthians, to explain why he did what he did in the ministry. Notice these aspects of Paul’s ministry: Paul’s apostleship – 1 Cor 9:1-2 – Paul was an apostle by the will of God [Gal 1:1]. […]