Theological Theft – Malachi 3:7-12

Try to picture a gang of thugs in one of the run down areas of Los Angeles, Chicago or New York. They control all the local crime in their neighborhood, including prostitution, drugs, gambling and protection. They are the total masters of their little domain, and the...

The Poet Laureate – Ephesians 2:8-10

Back in the days of medieval kings, art was the property of those kings and queens – monarchs only. The common man was so concerned with earning his daily bread that he had little time for beauty. The king commissioned the musicians, and he bought the sculptures. He...

The Messenger of the Messenger – Malachi 3:1

I mentioned in an earlier lesson that some commentators start chapter 3 with the last verse of chapter 2. Obviously, the men who translated and put together the King James Version did not agree. And here may be the reason why: Malachi 2:17 appear to be the words of...

Blessings into Curses – Malachi 2:1-2

I hope you believe that God is God. Do you understand what I mean by that? I don’t mean, I hope you believe that Jehovah is God, or Elohim is God. That is an eternal truth. I mean: I hope you believe that God is truly sovereign. Sovereignty is a part of the definition...

The Dreadful King – Malachi 1:14

Do you see the word “voweth”in this verse? “Cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and VOWETH, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing.” If I am not mistaken, that word takes us from Israel’s required sacrifices to their freewill offerings. This...

Esau have I Hated – Malachi 1:2-5

This scripture, along with Paul’s explanation and application in Romans 9, are among the most hated passages in the Bible. They are also among the most abused of all scriptures. Then a result of that abuse, they have become some of the most misunderstood by Christians...

Office of Deacon (#6 – Duties) – Acts 6:1-7

Believe it or not, I can read some of your minds. Some of you have been thinking, “The pastor is saying that our church needs to have some deacons. But after five lessons, I have yet to figure out WHY we need those deacons. All of this is much ado about nothing.” This...

Office of Deacon (#2 the Problem) – Acts 6:1-7

The early days of the church in Jerusalem were as unique as they were exciting. People were being converted in prodigious numbers – unparalleled at any point since. And after the ascension of Christ a pair of God’s angels offered wonderful encouragement to the eleven,...

Things Above – Colossians 3:1-2

  This afternoon, let’s think about the word “above” as we find it in verse 1. There are several Greek words translated “above.” “Huper” (hoop-ER) for example is found 11 times in the Bible – it is an adverb or a...

More than Conquerors – Romans 8:33-39

When I was a boy, living in Omaha, Nebraska, I played with two brothers who lived up the street. After Craig LeMaster – my best friends were Mark and David Wormington. My mother enjoyed visiting with Mrs. Wormington, but she did not like her husband. The man owned a...

Baptist Distinctives – Jude 1-4

What I have for you this evening will not be much more than an outline – or maybe two or three outlines. There won’t be too much meat on these bare bones, but I have reasons for this. First – the points I’d like to make this evening should we well-known to most of...

Goliath’s Shield Man – I Samuel 17:1-11

I have read, studied and preached from this chapter many times. But it occurred to me the other day that there has been something I’ve skipped over – over and over again. As Goliath came out to challenge Israel, there was a man who came out ahead of him. Verse 7 –...

These Are Not Drunken – Acts 2:1-28

Our message this morning was from Acts 2:40 – “Save yourselves from this untoward generation.” We began reading from verse 29 – “Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David.” While I was preparing for that message, I began looking over the...

The Brand of Christ – Galatians 6:14-18

As you can see these are the last words of Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians. Having studied this book just a few years ago, I hope you remember Paul’s general purpose. The Book of Galatians is a defense of the doctrine of justification by faith alone. It carries...