Apr 12, 2013 | Matthew
The ministry of the Lord Jesus was beginning a transformation period. If you think back on it, ever since creation, the “work” of the Son of God has changed and changed again. There were things which He did to Israel and the patriarchs which were special. “But when...
Apr 11, 2013 | Matthew
In Luke 9 we have the condensed version of the event that we are studying here in Matthew 16. Luke omits verses 18 and 19. “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it....
Apr 10, 2013 | Matthew
One of the heretical doctrines of many cults is that the leader, or some group, controls the keys to Heaven. Some demand allegiance to the founder of the cult, and so when that leader dies, so does the cult. Some place all their converts and devotees in communes or...
Apr 9, 2013 | Matthew
When the Lord Jesus said, “And I say also unto thee…” He basically meant – “You’ve just said something really important, and now so will I.” Peter had said – on behalf of all the disciples – “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus replied,...
Apr 8, 2013 | Matthew
I have heard it said that there are a hundred million billion stars in the universe. One hundred million billion – that is an astronomical number (no pun intended). That is a number exceeded only by America’s national debt – it is almost incalculable. With that many,...
Apr 7, 2013 | Matthew
This scripture gives us the opportunity to consider, once again, our doctrine of Ecclesiology – the church. You might not think that this is important, but it is. As Bible believers there are several doctrines which we hold, but which are hated by churches around us....
Apr 6, 2013 | Matthew
This is not the first time that Christ Jesus has called Himself “the Son of Man.” And this is not the first time that I have said anything about this title. Just as Jesus spoke of this often, perhaps we should refer to it often as well. But it’s not a matter of...
Apr 5, 2013 | Matthew
In Matthew 24, the disciples came to Christ and asked Him to explain Bible prophecy to them. In His reply, He said that toward the end of time, there would be more and more famines, earthquakes and wars. And then He said, “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many...
Apr 4, 2013 | Matthew
The preaching ministry should have a variety of purposes. One ought to be to teach and explain the Word of God – so that we all might understand what God says. A second purpose ought to be to find ways to apply those things to our hearts. Paul spoke to all pastors...
Apr 3, 2013 | Matthew
Let me begin by outlining some of what believe, and what we do not believe, about the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. I wish that we had a dozen visitors here this evening, so that this wouldn’t simply be a review. First, I believe that Jesus started His church long...
Apr 2, 2013 | Matthew
Most of our Lord Jesus’ ministry thus far has been around the Sea of Galilee. I can’t tell you how many times that little church has crossed the lake from one side to the other. And I can’t tell you which direction they were headed on this occasion. John Gill among...
Apr 1, 2013 | Matthew
As I hope you noticed from our earlier scripture, this is not the first time that the Pharisees came to Christ tempting Him to perform miracles. In chapter 12, Jesus after calling them “an evil and adulterous generation,” responded in exactly the same way as He did...
Mar 8, 2013 | Matthew
I have entitled this message “The Glorious Return,” but it doesn’t have the connotation some might expect. It’s not about the return of the Lord in the air for His saints, and it’s not about the establishment of the Millennium or anything quite so eschatological....
Mar 7, 2013 | Matthew
For the third time in the Book of Matthew, either Matthew or the Lord Jesus refers to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” In chapter 10, when Christ was giving His disciples their commission, He specifically said, “Go NOT into the way of the Gentiles, and into...
Mar 6, 2013 | Matthew
Have you ever had a stomach flu so terrible that you thought you were on brink of death? Maybe it was a head-ache so severe you thought your cranium might explode. Have you ever been so hungry that you didn’t think you’d have the strength lift your fork?...
Mar 5, 2013 | Matthew
I will try not to keep you long this afternoon. I just want to make a few explanatory remarks about these somewhat cryptic words of our Saviour. With just a little thought, there is nothing really remarkable about what is said here. Let’s start by looking at the...
Mar 4, 2013 | Matthew
Most people in the Western world think that they have a good handle on Jesus Christ – who He was. Many will happily prove their knowledge by declaring that He is the Son of God, the Saviour. But then they will say that He was born on Christmas Day in the year 1. But...
Mar 3, 2013 | Matthew
A crafty lawyer came seeking to ensnare Lord Jesus one day asking, ”What do you think is the greatest of all the commandments?” He was probably thinking that no matter what answer the Lord gave it could be disputed. If the Lord said that the second commandment was...
Mar 2, 2013 | Matthew
Our Lord’s conversation here revolves around tradition. As I was considering the subject, it seemed to me that there are only slight differences between tradition, habit and doctrine. That is something to which I’ll return in just a few minutes. But first, if what I...
Mar 1, 2013 | Matthew
Among the many things which this passage teaches us is the danger of religious decay. Any group gathered together for the worship of the Lord can degenerate into Pharisees and hand washers. And of course, that is not what we are about. We are in the soul-cleansing...
Feb 9, 2013 | Matthew
The final phrase of Matthew 14 is: “and as many as touched (him) were made perfectly whole.” When was the last time that you felt “perfectly whole”? Can you even remember when you were “perfectly whole?” Do you suppose that the statement really means what it appears...
Feb 8, 2013 | Matthew
How did Peter walk on the water and why did he sink? Those are related questions, and the single answer is related to “faith.” How many times has the Lord asked you the question: “Wherefore didst thou doubt”? For me it has probably been in the thousands of times....
Feb 7, 2013 | Matthew
For years I subscribed to a magazine called “Christianity Today” – feeling somewhat guilty the entire time. There were two reasons for my subscription – the religious news articles and the cartoons – the latter of which I would often put into our bulletin. Earlier...
Feb 6, 2013 | Matthew
Having looked at the Lord Jesus in relationship to this storm, let’s move on to look at ourselves. I mean, let’s look at the disciples. The Word of God has been given to us as a means of revealing Jehovah, but it is more than just that. Have you ever visited...
Feb 4, 2013 | Matthew
Many things in our Saviour’s life are recorded in all three of the Synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke. Once again, the word “synoptic” is related to “synopsis” – a summary. In the case of the first three gospels, each summarizes the life of Christ, and they...
Feb 3, 2013 | Matthew
I hope that many of you would call yourselves “Bible students.” If you are not, I hope that some day the Lord will create in you such a love for the Word of God that you will become Bible students. The requirements do not include a working knowledge of Greek and...
Feb 2, 2013 | Matthew
You’ve been sent to the store to buy some vegetables – or perhaps some fruit. Whichever it is, you are in a hurry, and you don’t examine the fruit bag or vegetable box very well. The items on the top look good enough, but you don’t try to look past them to see what’s...
Feb 1, 2013 | Matthew
We could use Herod as an example of several wicked things. For example he is a picture of the ultimate in political corruption. When you think about American politics, please keep in mind that we could be under the dominion of people a lot worse. The family of Herod...
Jan 11, 2013 | Matthew
History is littered with spiritual casualties. There have been a great many famous atheists and unbelievers who were exposed the truth of God earlier in their lives. I have read that both Marx and Lenin attended Christian churches and Sunday Schools in their youth...
Jan 10, 2013 | Matthew
The Lord Jesus had spent perhaps the better part of a day teaching His Kingdom parables to a large crowd. Afterward He spent even more time discussing some of the finer points of those parables with the disciples. Then late in the day, when it was just the twelve,...
