“you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom… Read More »
Nets, Hooks, And Jesus
“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”-Matthew 4:19 The word of God has much to say about the humble profession of the fisherman. Our Lord’s first four apostles were harvesters of the sea. When Jesus called Andrew and Peter, he told them he would make them fishers of men. For the Jews… Read More »
The Last Waltz
I do not know Matthew Bassford. As you read this, he is preaching his final sermon for the Jackson Heights church in Columbia. It will almost certainly be the final sermon of his life. I do not know why Matthew and I are friends on Facebook. One of us made the poor decision to accept… Read More »
There Is One God And His Name Is YHWH
“I am Jehovah, that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth;”-Isaiah 44:24 (ASV). Have you ever had one sentence or one idea influence your thinking on a subject? A few years ago, I heard a Bible professor (his name escapes me) comment on the creation account in the… Read More »
The Word Of God Is A Blessing
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”-Hebrews 4:12 What would the Christian church be without the word of God? Certainly, much of the religious world… Read More »
Life And Death; Conflict In This World
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,”-Romans 8:28 These words of the Holy Spirit through Paul can be equal parts comforting, perplexing, misapplied, and as Peter would say, “hard to understand,”-II Peter 3:16. To grasp the meaning, we must start with what the word of God is… Read More »
Beginnings and Endings
“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”-Matthew 1:1 I wish my memory would allow me to name the person who first suggested a study of the opening and closing verses of Bible books to me. It has been a most profitable tip for studying God’s word. … Read More »
In Defense Of The Five Steps; Part II
In 1874, a preacher and medical doctor named T.W. Brents wrote a 500-page book entitled The Gospel Plan of Salvation. It would be difficult to overestimate its influence. It is an exhaustive and decisive rebuttal of Calvinism. It was not new doctrine, but it codified The Five Steps (hereafter TFS) as the best way to… Read More »
In Defense Of The Five Steps; Part I
One of my favorite sermons is entitled The Five Steps Is Not The Gospel. I am fond of it because I believe it is important to focus on God’s grace extended to me through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Son of God. “The Five Steps” (hereafter TFS) are often referred to… Read More »
May God’s Will Be Done
“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”-Job 42:2 Did you marry the person you thought you would when you were 13-years old? How many of us are working the same job we had in high school? Did my favorite football team1 or basketball team win… Read More »