Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
The Lord Jesus loved to use parables to teach spiritual and eternal truth. He used illustrations taken from the common life of Israel in order to teach about Heaven. And He used stories, sometimes simple and familiar stories but sometimes made-up – fictitious...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
I couldn’t believe that it has been this long, but six years ago we made a study of Paul’s Prayers. I believed at the time that it was relatively exhaustive, but apparently I was mistaken. We didn’t look at Romans 10 when we made that study. This...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
“Anne of Green Gables” is celebrating its hundredth birthday this year. That book has had a phenomenal success, selling more than 50 million copies. In fact, according to Wikopedia, there have been only three books published in the 20th century which have...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
This will sound like a great many other sermons, but I make no apologies, because the theme is very common. It is not only very common, but very, very important. “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness (but only) to everyone who believeth.” Not...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
At this time of the year, here in North Idaho, there is nothing more incongruous than a dark, full-face, sun tan. Sunburns and suntans which show a negative racoon-type face are perfectly understandable. Those people who are addicted to snow-boarding or skiing might...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
As I said this morning, we have little more than a Bible study for you this afternoon. There is a word used five times in these ten verses, but it is used at least three different ways. That provoked my curiosity and a little bit of study, which I would like to share...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
I’ve been in the ministry long enough know that even good Christians can get easily side-tracked. By that I mean that they get shunted off onto doctrinal sidings and driven into dead-ends. Even those who hate and avoid the word “doctrine” are often...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
We all know what it is to eat a wonderful meal. It has your favorite main course, and a vegetable or two which you like, then perhaps a great dessert. I think that it can be said that eating has evolved – and digressed – throughout the years. Cooking and...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
The Apostle Paul had his own favorite words, just as most of us do. I’ve mentioned this before, pointing out some of them, but I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this particular word. Seventeen times, he uses one or the other of a pair of synonyms...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
When God created the universe, did He begin small and work up to the really big stuff? By that I mean, when He created life, did He begin with algae and plankton, using them to develop more complex forms of life? Did Jehovah begin the universe with creation and then...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
Using Acts 20:27 for my basis, in the past I have used this motto: “Preaching the whole counsel of God.” Paul told the Ephesian eleders , “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” While I haven’t deliberately...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
Let’s say that I had a huge cancerous tumor growing out of the back of my neck. It appeared almost over night, and before I realized it, that thing had intertwined with my spinal chord and the base of my brain. Immediately we knew that this was an inoperable...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
I have read this scripture twenty-five times or more in the last month, preparing messages for this series. Years ago I memorized this passage, and early on I recharged my memory every week, reviewing the many hundreds of verses that I had temporarily captured in my...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
There are two kinds of people in this world – Those who over-emphasize the differences between people in this world and those who don’t. We are all different, and for some people the number of those differences eventually becomes critical. With the help...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
When we lived in Deming, N.M., a starving, stray cat attached himself to our family, and was quickly adopted. In the beginning he was nothing but skin, bones and ears, and thus he was given the name “Gilligan.” In our yard we had several trees, including...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
As it stands right now we are finishing up with chapter 10 this evening. It occurred to me the other day, that the next time that I preach through the Book of Romans, it might be helpful to make one major change in my approach. Since chapters 1-11 are primarily...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
Let’s say that I promised to give you $1,000.00 right after church today. But when I come up to you, pulling out my wallet, you hold up your hand, telling me that you don’t want it. You might say that you are doing all right; the Lord has blessed so that...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
Let’s loosen up just a little and have some fun this evening. Even though we start with the Book of Romans and an argument which Paul was making, let’s shift gears, run back to the Old Testament, and have brief glance at part of the life of Elijah....
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
Over the years, I have seen parts of hundreds of North American rivers, both big and small. And I suppose that most of you have as well. We have seen many at their source and later seen them at their mouth. For example, most of you have seen the beginning and end of...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
I hope that you haven’t been able to discern this, but I’ve been struggling with my messages from this chapter. It’s not that I don’t like what I see here, or that I am afraid that you’ll not like what is taught. I’m struggling...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
I think that I have told you about this man before, but I bring him up again because this is important. While I was pastoring in New Mexico, I met a young man and his wife who had marriage problems. They called me for counseling, but unfortunately there wasn’t...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
Do you ever feel as though I have been reading your diary, or your mind, or watching you like a Gestapo spy? Without being conscious of it, the pastor should be lead of the Lord sufficiently to expose your secret sins once in a while. It was years ago, but I had the...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
As far as I know, the silliest commercials on television right now, are a series promoting Old Spice. And there is one pair in that series which is particularly funny, at least to me. The first of this pair ran for a few weeks, and it was apparently so popular that...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
I gave some thought to reversing messages and teaching this lesson this morning. Obviously, these verses come before the verses that we looked at earlier today. And this has a gospel theme, but the truth is, Paul’s reference did not. His mention of...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
These verses conclude the first half of the Book of Romans – chapters which deal primarily with salvation. And these words form perhaps Paul’s highest praise for that salvation. The prophet and theologian turned psalmist in these verses. It sounds as...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
When I was preparing for today, I re-read chapter 11, jotting down some more potential messages. A sermon could be built around the words, “wise in your own conceits” – verse 25. Verse 25 also makes reference to the interesting thought of the...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
As any casual reader knows very well, the Bible is a book filled with blood. Sometimes it is there in all its vivid color, and sometimes it is only implied. And if you stop and consider the subject, that blood is almost always related to sin in some way. The Bible is...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
When the Apostle John was beginning his record of the Revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, he wrote an introduction which set the tone for much of the theology of the book. In Revelation 1:4 he wrote: “John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
Like a few of you I grew up in the 1960’s. I was not lost in the 60’s; actually I was found during those 60’s. The Lord in His grace saved my soul – and my life – at a time when pivotal decisions stood before me. I was spared the...
Jan 15, 2015 | Romans
Just as it was last week, this message is really the conclusion of the message started this morning. Last week we looked at the Christian’s sacrifice and then the Christian priest who offers it. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,...
