No Boasting – Romans 3:23-32

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 I probably watch as much sports as the average American male. There are plenty of men who don’t have televisions and who don’t watch much sports at all. This is probably a good thing, but it doesn’t make him a better man than anyone else. Some of...

The Grand Conclusion – Romans 3:28

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 I was thinking that with last Sunday evening’s message we would be finished with chapter 3. But as I was reading it over to see if I had missed anything, it struck me that Paul had reached a peak in verse 28. If the Holy-Spirit-inspired man of God pronounced...

The God of the Jews – Romans 3:29

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 Have you ever noticed that when people talk about Acts 9 they say, “that is the chapter of Paul’s conversion?” They might say that was when the Lord saved Saul of Tarsus, but they don’t often say that it is the chapter of Saul’s...

The Law of Faith – Romans 3:23-4:5

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 I realize that I am impatient – but I am apparently too impatient. I keep saying to myself, and sometimes to you, that we are finished with Romans 3, and it’s time to move on. But I want to be a thorough as possible, so I re-read the scripture asking the...

January 18

Jan 16, 2015 | This Sunday in Baptist History

Samuel Howe passed into the presence of his Saviour on this day in 1641. For seven years he had been the pastor of the church that met in Deadman’s Place, London. One has to wonder how that name came to be.) With very little formal education, Pastor Howe had a notable...

Reckoned of Grace – Romans 4:1-5

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 I have no proof of this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some computer determined that I use the word “grace” somewhere in eight or nine of every ten messages that I preach. Lately, in addition to the two occasions that the word is used at the end of...

Abraham’s Faith – Romans 4:1-5

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 As we have said a few times recently, one of the great heros of the Jews was their forefather Abraham. The Lord Jesus referred to that fact, but said that if they really knew Abraham, they would recognize Christ. Abraham wouldn’t go about trying to kill his...

What Saith the Scripture? – Romans 4:1-5

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 This afternoon I have one primary purpose – to emphasize Paul’s emphasis of the Word of God. Thus far in our study of Romans we have had three messages on the Bible. Romans 3:1-2 – “What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of...

The Psalmist’s “Blessed Man ” – Romans 4:6-8

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 For the sake of argument, let’s say that your favorite team has made it into the playoffs. They are your favorite team, because they are from your town – they have always been your favorite. But this year, there is an added attraction for you – the...

Abraham’s Vocabulary – Romans 4:13-16

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 There are people who spend a lot of money to buy the biggest and newest computers available. And then all that they do with those computers is fill them with games. Now, I have nothing against computer games – per se – although I understand that some of...

Heir of the World – Romans 4:13

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 That the first part of verse 13 is confusing is seen in the variety of explanations offered by the commentators. And judging by that, I’m going to say that whether or not we fully understand Paul’s thought must not be critical to our faith. “For the...

Expostulations on Abraham’s Faith – Romans 4:13-25

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 As I was reading through Romans 4 a couple of weeks ago, I jotted down some notes which had the potential of developing into messages. One of them referred to the fact that Abraham believed that Jehovah could quicken – resurrect – the dead. “And...

Expostulations on Abraham’s Faith (Part II) – Romans 4:13-25

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 A fifteen point message is a bit long for one sitting, even if each of those points are as sharp and wonderful as I usually make them. Keeping that in mind, I cut short our morning message and finish it this evening. We were talking about Abraham’s faith,...

Heirs with Abraham – Romans 4:13-21

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 One of the most heart-warming stories in the Bible is that of David and Mephiboseth. Saul had 3 sons and 2 daughters, and at least one of those sons was twice the man that his father was. Prince Jonathan was courageous, wise, out-going and, more importantly, far more...

Justified by Grace through Faith unto Peace – Romans 5:1-2

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 No one can accuse Paul of not being thorough. And because he has been so thorough, we have already reasonably covered the subject of justification. The word in its various forms has come up ten times thus far in the Book of Romans. In one way or another, we have...

The Six Realities of Eternal Security – Romans 5:1-5

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 Paul does not completely finish the subject of saving grace at the conclusion of chapter 4. But he does begin to take the subject to a new level. It’s a strange phenomenon, but there are a lot of people who begin their spiritual journey theologically correct,...

The Security of God’s Love – Romans 5:1-11

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 The Matterhorn was one the last mountains in the Alps to be climbed. It is like an arrowhead coming up out of the ground and piercing the sky. It may not be in the Rockies, or the Himalayas, but it is still a huge mountain at about 14,700 feet high. The article that...

Christ Died for the Ungodly – Romans 5:6-11

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 I’d like to take our message from this morning one step farther. But there is a problem in that this is considered by many people to be a very big step farther. It’s a step that a lot of preachers would never make, because they don’t trust their...

Serendipitous Doctrine – Romans 5:6-12

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 According to my records, this is the 208th message that I have prepared and preached on the subject of sin. Spread over 35 years that may not sound like a lot of sermons – just 6 per year. But then again, when we are talking about only 3 congregations that is...

The Right Hope – Romans 5:1-2

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 We had a man and his family who visited with us for a while, before he decided that we were unworthy. One of the first things that upset him was that I made reference to the magazine “Christianity Today.” I don’t suppose that I need to confess that...

The Diamond of God’s Love – Romans 5:8

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 In South Africa men go deep into the earth – miles under the ground – to bring up diamonds. In other places diamonds are scooped up by shovels and sometimes even picked up like dimes on a street. As they are first seen, these diamonds are not...

Jesus’ Precious Blood – Romans 5:8-9

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 There are churches up and down this valley that have been filled with people today. Many of them are much younger churches than this one, but some of them just seem to be young. They behave like the young – they are immature and foolish. The atmosphere in many...

Saved from Wrath – Romans 5:8-10

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 As the extremities of the earth were explored in the 17th and 18th centuries, the people who were involved in those discoveries often gave them names based on the events of that day or how they felt about the place. Sometimes the same name has been given to several...

Four Contrasts – Romans 5:12-19

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 It seems like 50 years ago that Judy and I were sitting in the living room of Missionary Ken Johnson for first time. We had been living in Lethbridge, Alberta, for the better part of a year, and he and his family were in living in South Calgary about a hundred miles...

The Watershed – Romans 5:8-10

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 There is a place not far from here, at which, technically speaking, if three drops of water fell only 1 inch apart, they would begin to trickle off in three different directions. One would eventually flow into the St. Joe River and then into the Spokane. Another...

The Peak of the Pyramid – Romans 5:8-11

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This is one of the most famous phrases in the history of the United States. These three things are listed among the “inalienable rights” of every American. I am told that it was Thomas Jefferson...

Blessings of the Fall – Romans 5:12-17

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 In the introduction to a message a few weeks ago, I mentioned my first meeting with missionary Ken Johnson. I said that one of the first questions he asked me was what I understood Paul to be saying in Romans 5:12. What I didn’t tell you was that I fully...

Adam, the Type of Christ – Romans 5:12-19

Jan 16, 2015 | Romans

 Let’s start with a silly question: How many points of agreement do two things have to share before they are similar to one another? For example how similar are the giraffe and the ponderosa pine? In nearly every way they are very, very dissimilar. However, they...