Preach The Word

Last week we looked at a man, Jabez, who had every reason to “throw in the towel” and quit. His name, Jabez (“The son of my sorrow; the son of my pain and affliction; and he will cause pain”) didn’t help him any. His brethren apparently did not help him any because II Chronicles 4:9 says, “Jabez was more honorable (worthy of honor) than his brethren.” He lived in a time when it seems there were ve...

I was talking with someone recently about this thing called a “comfort zone.” Everybody has a comfort zone. It is that temperature at which we feel most comfortable. It is the way of life in which we feel at ease. We probably all have people with whom we feel most comfortable. When we are in the wrong crowd, or the wrong situation, or the wrong place, doing the wrong things, we can feel very uncom...

I said something recently in a message when referring to our dad’s accident years ago and his response to one of his nurses at the hospital. She said he was lucky to survive a 35 foot fall, and he told her it was not luck. And I said, “I do not believe in luck, especially in the life of a child of God.” Now, you may believe in luck. You may believe that if the stars line up just right, and your ho...

These verses give us the account of Paul and Barnabas in a place called Antioch of Pisidia during the first missionary journey. There are two Antiochs mentioned in the book of Acts - Antioch in Syria and Antioch of Pisidia. These two men had been called of God and sent out by the church at Antioch in Syria. This church had its origin from persecution of the church at Jerusalem -- Acts 11:19-21 : “...

This coming Friday our great nation will celebrate another birthday, but this “God bless America” of ours is at a crisis point. For the most part, the America that we once knew, that we grew up in is gone. There are those who are referring to these days as “Post-Christian” America. This is not a pessimistic message, but we are going to do some serious talking about prayer for our nation - revival...

I agree with the preacher who said, “The greatest sin of the God’s people today is their ignorance of His Word.” We have greater access to the Word of God today - printed Bibles, phone apps, etc. - and yet many seem to know it less and know less about it than when it was not so readily available. In Sunday School and Vacation Bible School classes we once taught and challenged children to learn the...

We are truly living in troublesome times. Sin is ever-present. Immorality seems to be the order of the day. Many think lightly, or not at all, of such things as fornication, adultery, divorce. People are considered “enlightened” if they support abortion, homosexuality, and same-sex marriage. More and more our culture is accepting: lasciviousness, pornography, and drug abuse. All of this reflects a...

The third chapter of Malachi presents us the judgment and with joy. The first part of the chapter deals with God’s coming judgment on Israel. The last part presents joy and hope for those who remain faithful and true to the Lord. Malachi lived in a day much like ours. It was at the end of an age. It was a time when even God’s people were indifferent, insensitive, and insolent toward Him. In Malach...

I believe that the greatest detriment to the cause of Christ in the world today is what the Bible calls “carnal” believers - those who profess and even possess Christ, but they live like the world. Now, I am not saying that any of you are carnal. When I look out at this congregation this morning I see good people, people that have professed faith in Christ and people who, I believe, serve Him to t...

These verses show us how God used strong discipline to keep a church devoted to Him. It is also a warning about being quick with our vows. Each member of this church should hold this church (and every true church) in the esteem that Christ Jesus gave it. It is His body, and He is the Head. Speaking of Jesus, Colossians 1:18 says: “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, t...

I believe we are still living in the day of the “superstar.” We have been for some time now. The larger the splash you can make in this world, the more important, impressive, and irreplaceable you are thought to be. I believe that attitude exists among many preachers as well as often among people in general, and (I’ll say it) among many church members in particular. Some enjoy having a “big name”...

We are well aware that God has created and ordained only two institutions upon this earth - the family, or home, and the church. We can read about God’s establishing the first family in the book of Genesis (and we will do that in a few minutes). The family is the first and oldest of the two organizations that God has established. Description: A “family” refers to a household consisting of a father...

Someone has said that, in reality, every individual is actually 3 people, 3 persons. There is the person we are. There is the person we could be for evil. There is the person we could be for God. Dr. Vance Havner used to say, “God is using you all He can . . . but not all He could." If we would just “let go and let God" have His way in our lives, if we would just trust Him in a greater way in our...

America is a nation of many gods today. What is a god? It is any entity (whether being or spirit) that is worshipped as having power over people or nature; any person or thing that has the power to direct our lives. In America some of the gods that are worshipped are: money, power, fame, pleasure, sex, possessions, sports, even people. False religion and a variety of cults that exist today (Scient...

One of our favorite songs to sing this time of year is “Christ Arose.” It begins: “Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Savior, waiting the coming day, Jesus, my Lord.” I once had a friend ask me what Jesus was doing during those three days and three nights that His body was in the tomb. They asked, “He wasn’t just waiting for those three days and three nights to be over so He could come out of the t...

When you were a child did you ever question your parents’ love for you? Maybe When you were disciplined? Or, when you wanted something and didn’t get it? Or, you wanted to go somewhere and didn’t get to go? Or, when you didn’t get your way? But, when you grew up and matured, you saw how silly you were, right? Malachi is going to deal with some very immature people who who have decided to question...

As I look at our world I see that our homes are in trouble. Not only are they in trouble, but they are troubled. We have families fighting against each other -- husbands against wives, wives against husbands, children against parents, and children against each other. It appears, as though everybody is just angry with everybody. What happened to the good times? What happened to the days when famili...

We live in a day when things are changing on almost a daily basis. We have seen changes in technology. We have gone from rotary dial phones, to touch tone, to cell phones, to Apple watches. We have gone from 4 and 8-track tapes, to cassettes, to CD’s, to digital. We have gone from dial-up internet to today’s fiber optic service, and more. We have seen changes socially. Today, a person’s word is ra...

Paul is writing to Titus about the duties of a pastor. Titus was led to the Lord by Paul ( 1:4 ) and labored with him. He had been left in Crete by Paul to “set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city . . . ” In this letter he is giving instruction to Titus how to carry out the things he was instructed to do and to faithfully serve God. By the way, good instruction fo...

I believe the worst thing that can happen to any people, or to any church, short of denying the faith, is to become content and complacent - to be “at ease.” This is the warning God gave to Israel in our text - “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!” "At ease" speaks of being recklessly, c...

If you are saved, if you have truly, from your heart repented toward God and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ by God’s grace and through faith, you are going to heaven -- period. We know that one who is truly saved cannot lose that salvation. Jesus said, “. . . I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). I Peter 1:5 says we are “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation re...

As I have said many times here, I am constantly concerned about our worship and our approach to worship. It must always be pleasing to God. If we are not careful, we will take the things of God, even our worship of Him for granted (and I am afraid many do). They sit in a Sunday morning worship service barely making a sound when they sing and with eyes glazed over during the message from the Bible,...

As we begin this last message on commitment we need to be reminded of what it means to be committed. COMMITMENT is “an agreement, a pledge to do something in the future. It is the state of being obligated." So, “ to commit” has the idea of a duty, or a responsibility - faithfulness. As it has pertained to these messages, “commitment” refers to obligating ourselves to Christ and to the will of God...

It seems that while there is more church activity today (more preaching, more internet sermons, more missionaries, more church websites, etc.) there is more crime, more perversion, more ungodliness . . . and more churches closing their doors each year. According to Lifeway Research, 4,500 churches closed in the United States in 2019, while only 3,000 new ones opened. This trend of more closures th...

As a pastor and as a preacher of the Word of God, I often fear that, if we are not very careful, our “worship” of God will become mere habit. We can become mechanical in our worship - prayer, song, announcements, song, prayer, offering, song, message, song, prayer . . . GO HOME! We should not “come to church” to be put in the mood to worship, but when we come to church we are to bring our worship...