Mar 14, 2012 | Matthew
Here is something to keep in mind in regard to John the Baptist – despite the way that he might have appeared to these Pharisees and Sadducees, he really did have their best interests in mind. But unlike the Sadducean priests of the 21st century, he...
Mar 13, 2012 | Matthew
As I was thinking about these Pharisees and Sadducees coming to John, I noticed that their approach was different from the way that they later came to the Lord Jesus. With Christ, it was always adversarial – they came attacking – with arguments and...
Mar 12, 2012 | Matthew
I know that it would have been a little early, but what might have been the likelihood that Saul of Tarsus came to John down there in the valley of the Jordan? I can just picture the great scholar Gamaliel taking his little band of disciples down to hear the radical...
Mar 9, 2012 | Matthew
Amongst the common people of Israel who came to hear the preaching of John the Baptist, there were two specific groups – the Pharisees and Sadducees. History tells us that there were at least four sects, or groups, among the Jews in John’s day. There were...
Mar 8, 2012 | Matthew
I think that John the Baptist gives us a good opportunity to study the subject of humility. We all need to be more humble than we are, but it needs to be a Biblically-governed humility. It needs to come from within us, from the place where the Holy Spirit resides....
Mar 7, 2012 | Missions
There are a lot of Christian scholars who don’t like John the Baptist, and who try to call him some sort of Old Testament prophet or servant of God. I know that it is true, because I have often read it, but I can’t understand why they want to do it. Maybe...
Mar 5, 2012 | Matthew
I foresee our Sunday study of Matthew becoming exceedingly long. If there are 13 messages from all 28 chapters then we will again take about 350 services in that study. Of course, I’m leaving the door open for the Lord to return and bring it to an end, but...
Mar 4, 2012 | Matthew
Last Sunday, a couple of people mentioned that they were blessed by the message on John the Baptist. And I was told that one person said that she had never before heard any lessons on John. I went home and checked my records and to my surprise that comment was quite...
Mar 3, 2012 | Matthew
Wednesday I picked up the mail at our box down the street, and as I walked home, I glanced through it all. Within that little bundle was an envelope from the Internal Revenue Service, Philadelphia, PA 19255. Immediately my heart skipped a beat. About five years ago I...
Mar 2, 2012 | Matthew
Back in 1972 I bought a book by S.E. Anderson, published by the church of M.L. Moser in Little Rock, Ark. It’s title was “The First Baptist.” Very surprisingly, the forward to the book was written by W.A. Criswell, pastor of the huge First Baptist...
