Studying for the Ultimate Knowledge – II Peter 1:5-9

Picture a little boy who is dying of a rare neurological disease called adreno-leuko-dystrophy (ALD). We’ll give this boy name – Lorenzo Odone. When he begins showing symptoms, his parents take him to various experts who eventually are able to diagnose the problem,...

Becoming Who We Ought to Be – II Peter 1:1-4

For what purpose did the Lord save you, calling you unto Himself? Ultimately, it was for His glorification. That God would take – that God could take – a child of the devil like me, and call me “His child,” is certainly a blessing beyond understanding. But it...

The Most Important Occupation of All – Mark 4:3-9; 14-20

For some of you, at some point this morning, I am going to offend you. Believe it or not – that is a part of my commission. I have been tasked to remind you that you are not good enough for God. YOU are not good enough for heaven. You are a sinner in desperate need of...

June 8 in Baptist History

Robert Robinson was on his way to becoming a minister in the Church of England when the Lord interrupted his plans. After the death of this father there was no money to continue his education, although he did what he could to expand his mind. In 1752 he went to hear...

Peter’s Preface (Part Two)  – II Peter 1:1-4

By what logic do any of us think we deserve or can expect God’s blessings?  Because sin has wrecked every part of being, we have no right to anticipate anything but trouble in our lives. Eliphas was often off track but he was accurate when he said to Job, “Man is born...

An Ordinary and Typical Example – Philemon

Last week we looked at an extreme, but typical, example of the DEPRAVITY of man. I tried to use Judas Iscariot to show the depths and length to which sin has corrupted the children of Adam. That man, who facilitated the crucifixion of Christ, was a...

June 1 in Baptist History

Samuel Stennett is perhaps the most well-known member of a family of early English Baptists.  His great-grandfather, Edward; his grandfather, Joseph; and his father, Joseph, were preachers, as were his brother, Joseph, and his nephew, Joseph.  Confused? Samuel was...

Peter’s Preface – II Peter 1:1-2

The last book we studied in a verse by verse fashion was Peter’s first epistle. That was three years ago. Tonight I’d like to begin to take a look at the sequel – Peter’s second Holy Spirit inspired work. And why? Out of many reasons, I’ll just point out that here is...

An Extreme, yet Typical, Example – John 13:1-4; 18-30

Judas Iscariot is, without a doubt, one of the most hated men in the Bible. After all, he was one of humanity’s most blessed men – he was one of Christ Jesus’ closest disciples. The first time Judas’ name is mentioned, it is in the list of disciples found in Matthew...

Saintly Thirst – Psalm 63:1-2

I tell myself that it is not an addiction, but there might be some debate about that. Every morning I have a set pattern of things I do, depending on the day. Every day at some point, either earlier or later, I fix myself a cup of coffee. It might be said that I have...

May 25

Michael Sattler was born in Germany about 1490.  At an early age he entered a Benedictine Monastery where he learned Greek and Latin, and where he studied Paul’s Epistles.  Through the Word of God, the Holy Spirit brought Michael to the truth of the gospel, after...

May 18

In 1794, three Baptist families and one lady became determined to leave England for America in search of religious freedom. They formed themselves into a Baptist church and called one of their men, John Healy, to be their pastor. After spending about six months in New...

April 2025

Pastor and Brethren: Wonderful Rain Last month I reported the destruction of many homes because of the terrible fires that occurred here in Oklahoma. Now, however, the Lord has sent us much rain. Our rain gauge in our front yard that measures eight inches was...

Lovest Thou Me? – John 21:15-17

There are a lot of organizations in the world which run on volunteer labor. Go into most hospitals or museums and notice the people serving there without pay. Sometimes the leadership of the group is highly paid, but the grunt work is done free of charge. Why do those...

What Manner of Love – I John 3:1-2

Let’s pretend that baby has been born, immediately giving great joy to his parents. But it is only a matter of months before his mother recognizes that her baby is blind. Taking him to their doctor, her fear is confirmed, and it is declared there is nothing that can...

May 11

John Hart was a resident of Hopewell, New Jersey, before the Gano family moved to the area.  In my book on the Ganos, I mentioned Brother Hart, but I didn’t call him a Baptist, as is often implied in other histories.   He appears to me to be a Presbyterian.  He was...

Spring Up, O Well – Numbers 21:10-20

In the midst of this uninspiring travelogue, we have a lesson on faith. I have read this paragraph many times and usually found my eyes glazing over and my mind falling to sleep. We should fight against this tendency whenever we read God’s Word, because every part of...

March 2025

Dear Pastor and Brethren: Terrible Fires On the fourteenth of March, the west side of Stillwater was ravaged by terrible windblown fires. Some seventy homes of high-end quality were burnt to the ground in just a few minutes because the wind velocities reached as high...

Stalking the Lord Jesus – John 1:35-39

This afternoon I would like to take you to three semi-related scriptures. They all have questions which were posed to the Lord Jesus, but they had different purposes and answers. I bring them up because perhaps we should have the same questions – if we ask with proper...

May 4

In Great Britain during the 17th century, God’s Baptist people were brutally persecuted. Toward the end of that period, Edward Terrill, a member of the church in Bristol, kept a journal, from which we can glean an insight into the dangers of that period. 1682. Jan....

Wherever Your Feet May Take You – Joshua 1:1-3

I understand that Bro. White was preaching series of messages from the Book of Joshua before his move. He may have addressed this thought, and some of you may have heard it. But the rest of us haven’t had that privilege, so I turn first for you. But if you are among...

The Heart of the Matter – Genesis 6:5-6; 8:21

This morning, I’d like to talk to you about the health of your heart. No – as you shall see in a minute, this is not a new twist on the social gospel. However… doing a little research on the internet, I found a list of cardiovascular diseases. Some of you may...

April 27

Rarely do we get to follow the chain of faith which has led to our salvation. We may know the person who led us to the Lord, but rarely do we know who was instrumental in that person’s salvation, and beyond that we know even less. Ultimately, this is to the Lord’s...

Wednesday or Friday? – John 19:16-18; 28-35

Last Friday, after our time of prayer, some of the men were talking, and wife of my former pastor came up. I mentioned that she had found a church to attend in the DC area, but she was disappointed that her new pastor was leading the church in a “Good Friday” worship...

The Victory of Victories – I Corinthians 15:55-57

The little six-year-old crept out of his family’s rental cabin and ran down to the dock at the edge of the lake. Pretending to be a pirate in the early morning sun, he was flashing his wooden sword, forcing his enemy walk the plank. All of a sudden, it was he who fell...

April 20

William Keen was born on this day in 1820 in Washington County, Tennessee.  At the age of twenty-one, after a period of severe conviction for sin, he was born again.  During special meetings at the Fall Branch Baptist Church he, along with seventy-five others, were...

Seeing Through the Impossible  – Hebrews 11:24-27

It probably began earlier, but when Moses reached his fortieth birthday, his heart drove him out of Egypt.  He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh and identified with his mother’s people, Israel.  In a sense the persecution of them fell on him, but he was able to...

So Walk Ye in Him – Colossians 2:6

The Epistle to the Colossians was written by Paul when he was under arrest in Rome. Most likely, some of you have “spent time” thinking about the clause “under arrest,” but most have not. What is it to “arrest” something? It is to stop, hinder, or to check the forward...

April 13

The first translation of the complete Bible from the original Greek and Hebrew into German was not made by the Protestant Martin Luther, but by the Anabaptists Ludwig Hetzer and Hans Denck. Historian Ludwig Keller, wrote in 1914, “The fact is by no means yet...