Loving the Scriptures

No matter who you are, you were born into this world as a sinner who rebels against God. And whether Jew or Gentile, both sides have the same sin problem. But in this episode, as we continue our study of John, we talk about how through Jesus Christ salvation is for the world, and not just for one people. We also talk about spiritual birth, and the things that do not  produce that birth.   Order a...

In this episode we begin our study of the text of the book of John, starting with a discussion on Jesus Christ, the Word, being identified as God. What does this communicate, both to the original audience and to us, and why is it important?   Order a copy of my book:  Signs of the End : What Jesus Taught His Disciples in the Olivet Discourse  Amazon: https://a.co/d/0592Fozu    Please be sure to le...

In this episode I introduce our study of the Gospel of John by talking about John as an eyewitness, and what that says about the truthfulness of the claims of Christ, as well as the divine makeup of the Bible as a whole.   Order a copy of my book:  Signs of the End : What Jesus Taught His Disciples in the Olivet Discourse  Amazon: https://a.co/d/0592Fozu    Please be sure to leave a review!   Musi...

Prayer is more than communing with God when we have time, and it is more than just going to Him only when there is a crisis in our lives. So how should we view prayer? How should it be used? In this episode, I share a sermon I preached on this topic, drawing from Colossians 4:2-4.   Order a copy of my book:  Signs of the End : What Jesus Taught His Disciples in the Olivet Discourse  Amazon: https:...

In this episode, we talk about the wonderful truth of justification as a reminder to us of who we are in Christ and what has been done on our behalf. Hearing such truths should never get old, so be sure to give this a listen!   Order a copy of my book:  Signs of the End : What Jesus Taught His Disciples in the Olivet Discourse  Amazon: https://a.co/d/0592Fozu    Please be sure to leave a review!  ...

Sin and the wrath of God are not popular things to talk about, but in order to fully appreciate the good news of salvation, we must understand the bad news. How does man's concept of sin measure up to the Bible's? Why is sin such a problem? And how did Christ's sacrifice take care of the sin problem? We discuss in this episode.   Order a copy of my book:  Signs of the End : What Jesus Taught His D...

For so long, our Christian culture has treated evangelism in transactional ways: pray a prayer to receive Jesus into your heart, and you become a Christian. But what is the problem with this kind of mindset? And how does it effect our understanding (or misunderstaning) of the gospel and the new birth (regeneration)? These things we will explore in this episode.   Order a copy of my book:  Signs of...

This episode is a special Christmas episode, where we examine the words of Matthew 1:21: "She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."   Order a copy of my book:  Signs of the End : What Jesus Taught His Disciples in the Olivet Discourse  Amazon: https://a.co/d/0592Fozu    Please be sure to leave a review!   Music: http://www.purple-planet.c...

In this episode, we talk about how we should view evangelism in light of God's work in regeneration, as well as talk about the role of faith and repentance for the one who hears the message. How does obedience to the command to repent and turn to Christ align with the truth of God's regenerative power "even when we were dead in our trespasses" (Eph. 2:5)?   Order a copy of my book:  Signs of the E...

The question, "How dead is dead?" is ridiculous. Dead is just dead; there are no degrees. When it comes to spiritual death, understanding a person's utter helplessness before Christ is helpful in understanding the miracle of regeneration in Christ. In this episode, we talk about man's inability to respond to God in their spiritual deadness, and the work of God in spiritually raising someone from t...

The Bible says that sin had separated us from God. But the good news is that in Christ Jesus we have been reconciled to God. What is reconcilation, and why is it such a glorious truth? We talk about it in this episode.   Order a copy of my book:  Signs of the End : What Jesus Taught His Disciples in the Olivet Discourse  Amazon: https://a.co/d/0592Fozu    Please be sure to leave a review!   Music:...

How did Paul specifically regulate tongues and prophesying in the church? Why did he set down the regulations as they were? Are women to remain absolutely silent in the church? We answer these questions as we finish up 1 Corinthians 14, exploring how the answers to these questions contribute to love and proper order in the church.   Order a copy of my book:  Signs of the End : What Jesus Taught Hi...

When Christians do ministry by their own understanding or for their own exaltation, the results can lead to chaos and confusion. But as we will see in this episode, when ministry is done God's way, the results can be truly amazing. We see how Paul makes this point in 1 Corinthians 14:20-25, when he outlays what can happen when the Corinthian church prophesies for the purpose of edification, instea...

In this episode, we continue our examination of 1 Corinthians 14, and talk about Paul's exhortation to the church to build others up in love, and why he heavily promotes the gift of prophesying to the Corinthian church.   Order a copy of my book:  Signs of the End : What Jesus Taught His Disciples in the Olivet Discourse  Amazon: https://a.co/d/0592Fozu    Please be sure to leave a review!   Music...

The Corinthians had a love problem in their congregation, and were putting much of their focus on how to elevate themselves instead of loving others. So how does Paul instruct them in this regard? Having laid forth his words in "the love chapter" (1 Cor. 13), he continues his thoughts by telling the church how love should lead to the desire to build up the church. We begin to explore this in this...

In this episode we explore the subject of tongues, looking specifically at three instances in the book of Acts where they are mentioned. What can we learn about tongues from these passages, and can they help us determine if tongues are for today or if they have ceased? *Note: In the course of the message, I say that John's Baptism was for forgiveness, but that's not what I meant to say; I meant to...

Paul says that love is the greatest out of faith, hope, and love. Why is that the case? We answer that question in this episode, as well as explain what this has to do with the Corinthian problem that has been discussed in 1 Corinthians 12.   Order a copy of my book:  Signs of the End : What Jesus Taught His Disciples in the Olivet Discourse  Amazon: https://a.co/d/0592Fozu    Please be sure to le...

This episode is a sermon that continues our examination of Paul's teaching of love in 1 Corinthians 13. What is love, and how are we to demonstrate it to others?   Order a copy of my book:  Signs of the End : What Jesus Taught His Disciples in the Olivet Discourse  Amazon: https://a.co/d/0592Fozu    Please be sure to leave a review!     Music: http://www.purple-planet.com   Reunited Kevin MacLeod...

Order a copy of my book:  Signs of the End : What Jesus Taught His Disciples in the Olivet Discourse  Amazon: https://a.co/d/0592Fozu    Please be sure to leave a review!     Music: http://www.purple-planet.com   Reunited Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http:creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

First Corinthians 13 is famously known as the "love chapter," but before we examine Paul's words on what love is, in this episode we set the stage in the first few verses by talking about the importance of love as a motivation in what we do, especially as it relates to exercising our spiritual gifts for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7). What does God think of our ministry if love is not the mo...

In this episode, we finish 1 Corinthians 12, talking about the right and proper attitude we should have about our gifts, the role of those gifts, and our ministry toward one another. We explore how wrong perspectives on the spiritual gifts and our place in the body of Christ can lead to prideful thoughts that run contrary to God's design.   Order a copy of my book:  Signs of the End : What Jesus T...

In this episode, we talk about spiritual gifts, what some of them are, and how they relate to Paul's illustrative concept of the church being a single united body in Christ.   Order a copy of my book:  Signs of the End : What Jesus Taught His Disciples in the Olivet Discourse  Amazon: https://a.co/d/0592Fozu    Please be sure to leave a review!     Music: http://www.purple-planet.com   Reunited Ke...

When you think of "manifestations of the Spirit," do you usually think of a display that is grand and impressive? While the Spirit's manifestation has been shown in this way, it is not the only way. In this episode, we talk about manifestations of the Spirit as Paul spoke about to his Corinthian audience, and we talk about how the "simple" manifestations are just as glorious as what we might deem...

In this episode, we introduce our study of 1 Corinthians 12-14 by looking at the first few verses of chapter 12. We talk about the Corinthian context on their perspective of spiritual gifts, and their misunderstanding of the purpose and proper use of those gifts. This will set the stage for the corrective Paul will lay out as the passage unfolds.   Order a copy of my book:  Signs of the End : What...

In this episode, I share a sermon that I delivered on January 3, 2021 during the Covid pandemic and amidst the discussion of whether churches should open their doors. But Covid or no Covid, this message regarding the importance of continually gathering together as a body of believers is relevant.   Order a copy of my book:  Signs of the End : What Jesus Taught His Disciples in the Olivet Discourse...