God Tells us about Four Specific Trees   This morning I’d like to talk about four different trees.  Three of them were physical trees, and one is a spiritual tree. The first tree was in a physical paradise, and it was there to give physical life.  The next tree was also in the same physical paradise, and although it no doubt looked just as beautiful as the…

      God Needs You, in the Body of Christ   For those who want to follow along in their bibles, go ahead and open them to  Romans chapter 12.   And follow along as I read  verses 1 thru 3.    Romans 12, 1 thru 3.. “Therefore I exhort you, brothers, through the compassions of God, (some versions say “by the mercies of God”)  to present your bodies as…

    “..I come not to abolish, but to fulfill”  (Mathew 5:17)   In our previous lesson, I talked about how Jesus “fulfilled” the law and the prophets.  And as I said previously, to “fulfill” the law and the prophets means..  “to bring them to completion”.   Jesus didn’t come to simply abolish the old law, but rather, to bring it to it’s natural end.  “Do not think that I came…

      How did Jesus Fulfill the Law and the Prophets ?   Jesus said to His listeners, in  Mathew 5, verse 17;  “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets;  I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.”    There is so much misunderstanding concerning that verse, that I thought I’d say something about not only that specific verse, but also about…

    The Age (the ages) of the Patriarchs   Today’s lesson is meant to be kind of a “fun” lesson, with several interesting facts to think about.  And to begin with, I want to read a verse that’s a bit hard to comprehend.  But it kind of gets our minds going, and gets us thinking. It’s  2 Peter 3, verse 8,  and here’s what it says;  “But, beloved, do…

    The Providence of God is Manifested –  Continued..   (Please see the  previous lesson, called  “The Cross And God’s Providence” outlining the first three points on how the providence of God has been manifested)   #4.  By giving His Son to die on the cross, God provided man with an essential message, No sinner can be saved apart from the grace of God—through the blood of Jesus Christ….

      Christ Removes the Veil    I’d like to read from  2 Corinthians, chapters 2 & 3  today.  And I’d like to begin with  chapter 2, verse 14.   Open your bibles and follow along if you wish, or just listen as I read. 2 Corinthians 2, verse 14  and following.. “But thanks be to God, who always leads us triumphantly, as captives in Christ, and through us, spreads…

      THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD AND THE CROSS OF CHRIST By no amount of good works — no matter how great — could any human being earn (or obtain) the forgiveness of even one sin which he has committed.  If man could have been saved by meritorious works, there would have been no need for the grace of God (the unmerited favor of God).  God’s gift of His…

    Repentance, and the 5 “R’s”    Even though the word Repentance, only has one “R” in it, there are really 5 R’s, to true Repentance.  And those 5 “R’s” would be.. Recognition of sin;  Remorse for sin;  Resolve over sin;  Reformation from sin;  and Restitution for sin .   And we’ll touch on each one of those 5 “R’s” in a little while.   There’s more to understand about…

    What Must I do to Inherit Eternal life?     That’s a question that I wish everyone would ask.  What must I do to inherit eternal life.  A lot of people would simply say..  What must I do to be saved.  Saved from the consequences of sin, so that you can inherit eternal life. Well, in the bible, in  Mark chapter 10,  we have the story about a man…

    Philippians 4, Verse 7   Let me read to you  Philippians 4, verse 7.  It’s a commonly quoted verse, that I’m sure we’re all familiar with.   It says;  “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”   That’s a wonderful thought isn’t it ?  The peace of God, keeping our hearts, and keeping our minds.  That meaning there is…

    It’s the First Day of the Week   We are assembled here today, because of the fact, that this is the first day of the week.  This is the day of the week, specified in the bible, when Christians came together, and worshipped God as a congregation.   We read these words in  Acts 20, verse 7;  “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together…

        Helpful Guidelines for Understanding the Bible   Let me suggest some guidelines that will help you immensely in correctly understanding the bible.  These guidelines deal with our basic approach to the study of the bible.  In other words, they have to do with our “attitude” towards bible study.   #1.  Always approach any study of the bible, with the proper respect and reverence for the word of God. …

          Sin and Repentance   One of the questions that I received here on the website was, “How do we balance our repentance with the level of our sin?” I’m sure the thought behind that question was that if you have sinned a lot, you must repent a lot.  And vice-versa;  If we only sin a little, we only need to repent a little.    And…

        Jesus is a Well of Living Water   I’d like to read to you from  John chapter 4,  and I’ll begin with  verse 1;  “When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,  (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.  And He had to pass through Samaria. …

  What is the Gospel ?   In our previous lesson  “I Make Known To You The Gospel – Part 1”  we learned that the meaning of the word “gospel” is..  “good news”, sometimes called “glad tidings”.    The gospel of Christ, is the “good news” or “glad tidings” of Jesus Christ, and His sacrifice for the sins of the world.  Romans 1:16  says;  “For I am not ashamed of…

    1 Corinthians 15, verse 1;    In  1 Corinthians 15, verse 1,  the apostle Paul wrote these words;  “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel, which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand..”    Paul is making known to the congregation at Corinth, something that he has already preached to them..  “..I make known to you the gospel, which I…

    Do bible Things in Bible Ways, and Call Bible Things by Bible Names   Last week I talked about the saying, that we should “Do bible things in bible ways, and call bible things by bible names”.    And I mostly talked about the first part of that saying;  That we should do bible things, in bible ways.   For example, when we assemble to worship God, we need…

          “Sticks and Stones can Break My Bones, But Words can Never Hurt Me”   I’m sure you’ve heard that, and even said that when you were a child?  But is it true?  I’m pretty sure that sticks and stones can break your bones;  But, is it true that “words can never hurt me?  Well, we’re going to answer that question as we study several bible…

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection?  The Gospel of John, in  chapter 20 and verse 7,  tells us that the face cloth (or napkin) which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes.  The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed separate from the grave clothes.  Here’s…