Posts from 2021 (Page 3)
You Are Worthy: Revelation 5 – Kevin Cauley
Revelation 4 pictures God on His throne. The four living creatures cry out, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” Revelation 5:1-7 occur in the same setting. And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the back, close sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice, Who is worthy…
Beloved, Believe Not Every Spirit… (Part 2)
The meat of John’s admonition is found in two present tense imperatives. First, John says, “believe not every spirit.” Second, “try the spirits.” In the first century the Holy Spirit miraculously inspired men to preach and teach the word of God (c.f. 1 Cor. 12-14). Unfortunately, there were many who tried to take advantage of that by falsely claiming inspiration in order to deceive God’s people into believing a lie (Eph. 4:14). Therefore, Christians were commanded not to continually believe…
Beloved, Believe Not Every Spirit… (Part 1)
It is a sad but true fact that God’s people have always had to deal with false teachers and false teaching. Moses warned of false prophets who would speak that which would not come to pass (Deut. 18:21-22). Jeremiah wrote of those who prophesied for dishonest gain (Jer. 6:13-14), and whose message originated from within their own hearts (Jer. 23:16). The New Testament speaks of “false Christs” (Matt. 24:24); “false teachers” (2 Pet. 2:1); “false apostles” (2 Cor. 11:13); and…
The Wicked are like the Chaff
The Bible is full truths that fly square in the face of typical human thinking. Scripture’s description of a blessed and happy life stands as a perfect example. Man seeks blessing in wickedness. For many, life is about self-actualization and fulfilling the desires of the flesh. Psalm 1 teaches us that such a life is destined for ruin. The Psalmist said the ungodly “are like the chaff which the wind drives away.” The ancients brought their grain to the threshing…
To Envy a Bird in God’s House
Birds are fascinating creatures. One could argue that they possess more freedom than anything else God has created. A bird is not contained to any one area, he can fly wherever he wishes. Yet, wherever a bird goes he eventually finds a place to settle and nest. The sons of Korah were servants in the house of God and undoubtedly watched birds of all kinds and numbers settle into comfortable nests throughout the temple complex. The Psalmist’s desire to be…
Why Doctrine Matters
History is an unending cycle. Buried within the pages of the past are previews of the problems of the present. Humanity’s desires and needs, joys and struggles never change. Consider the problem of unhealthy teaching in the early church. This was one of Paul’s primary concerns in his first letter to Timothy and thus correct doctrine is an emphasis throughout the book. If Paul were writing today, he would write the same thing. The church still needs to be reminded…
The Lord’s Anger – G.K. Wallace
Jesus became angry (Mark 3:5). We usually think of anger as a vice and not a virtue, and yet Jesus became angry. We usually regard anger as littleness and not bigness, but Jesus became angry. The angry man is the likely man to sin. Anger is strictly forbidden in God’s Word. In Psalm 37:8 the writer says, “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath.” The teacher of old said, “He that is slow to anger appeaseth wrath,” and we are exhorted,…
Respect of Life – Tom Moore
For us to properly respect life we must ask: “Who am I?” The question “Who am I?” is a very important question for every human being to consider. It is difficult to overestimate how powerfully we are affected by the way we think about ourselves: our self-concept, our sense of personal identity. This has a huge impact on our view of life. The reason our nation has such a low view of life is their failure to understand who humans…
The Bible Speaks to Husbands – Jeff Sweeten
The struggle in our society to deal with changing roles in marriage should be lain squarely at the feet of husbands. The failure to live according to the Divine paradigm has produced a host of single moms, a generation of delinquent children, and a public willing to pass off every conceivable perversion as a “marriage.” If we are to reclaim a sense of godliness in design for a partnership that began in the Garden, men must step up to their…
Help Wanted!
From coast to coast throughout our nation hang signs from the doors and windows of businesses reading “help wanted.” A vast labor shortage exists in our country and businesses of every kind and size are struggling to manage. The culprit behind this phenomenon is COVID-19 and its gargantuan ripple effects. Some are still afraid to leave their homes and go back to work, lest they catch the virus. Others have seen their industries crumble or their previous employer shutdown. But…
Why Did Jesus Weep? – Ronnie Scherffius
One of the most well-known verses, and the shortest in our English Bibles, is “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). How incredible that the gospel which most forcefully expresses Jesus’ deity (cf. 1:1-3, 14; 5:17-18; et al), also, in such a simple way beautifully portrays the depth of His humanity! But have you ever pondered upon the thought of “why” did Jesus weep? At first this may seem to be a nonsensical question, for the context of the statement is the death…
Thinking Right About Abortion
People are masters at taking something simple and making it complicated. With the passing of S.B. 8, abortion is front-page news again, people are doing what they do best, complicating the issue. Statements about constitutional rights and vigilante justice, due to the way the law was written, are simply noise to distract the populace from seeing the picture clearly. Regardless of what may be said or what law may be written, the truth remains–abortion is murder. Scripture unequivocally condemns the…