The Silence of the Christ – Mark 14:53-63

At the very beginning of His earthly ministry, the true identity of Jesus Christ was exposed by Satan. Jesus was born like any other child, and in many ways He had an ordinary childhood and young adulthood. At the age of 30, He came to John and requested baptism, at...

Essential Service – John 16:1-11

When I was a child, every once in a while I’d see someone who was blind, walking down the street with the help of his seeing-eye dog. Sixty-years ago, that was about the only “Service animal” I’d ever see. But today, things are very different. We can hardly go to the...

Chickens, Children and Citizens – Matthew 23:37

Let’s begin by calling Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus – the baby born in Bethlehem Judah; the child raised in Nazareth Galilee – was the most divisive person in Israel in His day. He was completely polarizing. Very few people in the days of Herod and Pilate had no...

Profound and Problematic – Psalm 9:1-10

I have no idea how many people in Central Florida are repeating the words of this Psalm today. David said, “I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth all thy marvellous works.” The CHRISTIANS who have suffered through Hurricanes Helene and...

Is Anything too Hard for the Lord? – I Samuel 2:1-10

Like you, I have seen images and heard about what Hurricane Helene has done up and down the East Coast.  But I admit that my heart is still filled with the images and experiences I had in Canada two weeks ago.  Not only have we heard about destruction and devastation,...

When Christ Disregarded His Own Advice – Proverbs 6:1-5

It has been several years now, so my memory of the details may not be spot on. But as I remember it, one day the church phone rang, and I heard a woman’s voice. She mentioned her name and that she was then at the mini storage place at the corner of 12th and Highway...

Unbelievable Belief – Galatians 2:20

I would like to begin with a quote from the well-known preacher, A.W. Tozer. Tozer was a Christian Missionary Alliance pastor. This comment was made most likely about 75 years ago. He wrote – “Something has happened to the doctrine of justification by faith…...

Goodness and Severity – Romans 11:18-25

Some of the silliest commercials on television are a series promoting a brand of men’s hygiene products. One of the earliest in this long series was particularly funny. The first ran for a few weeks, and it was apparently so popular that they came up with a sequel,...

The “What’s in it for Me” Gospel – Isaiah 43:21-28

The Book of Isaiah is filled with wonderful scriptures which are well-suited for the preaching of the gospel. One example is found in the passage we just read: “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.”...

Ineffective Religion – Matthew 7:21-23

What is the best test for the value of something? It is not necessarily the number of servings per pound. I might go into a grocery store and see a piece of meat which I think is a good price. But you might realize that there is too much fat or an inedible bone, and...

Without Excuse – Romans 1:14-21, 32

Banff National Park, up there in the province of Alberta, is one of my favorite places. In driving from Post Falls, to Calgary, the southern route through the Crowsnest Pass, is a little shorter, but I prefer the road that passes north through Banff. Not only are the...

Failure of Great Potential  – Luke 18:18-23

I have preached from this bit of Biblical history several times – but not recently.  And I believe a visiting speaker, a year or two ago, also spoke from one of the accounts of this young man.  Our subject is often called “the rich young ruler,” but in none of the...

Jailor Behavior – Acts 16:11-34

I read a statement the other day which appears to me to be a relatively good description of today’s world. “We are living in a time when sensitivities are at the surface, often vented with cutting words. Philosophically, you can believe anything, so long as you do not...

In Every Garden there is a Tomb – John 11; John 19:41

I read a statement the other day which struck me – and stuck with me. The context was the death and burial of the Lord Jesus, when He died for our salvation. After quoting John 19:41, which says, “Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the...

The Baptist’s Christology – John 1:15-18

Probably, neither the Apostle John, nor John the Baptist, ever considered themselves to be theologians. Technically, a “theologian” is someone who academically studies the nature of God and religion. John the Apostle, the penman of this gospel, and John the Baptist,...