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In Genesis 6:5-7 we read of God’s displeasure with the world and its wickedness. However, as God pronounces judgment on the world and prepares to destroy it with a flood, we find encouraging words concerning one man: “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen. 6:8). This simply means that Noah found favor in God’s sight, and the result of that favor was escape for he and his family from the flood! But why did he find grace…

Yesterday, May 2, 2022, news broke that the Supreme Court may overturn the infamous Roe v. Wade decision. Though the Court’s final verdict has not yet been announced, the political machine has kicked into high gear churning out narratives and talking points attempting to convince us to think emotionally and incorrectly about abortion in general, and the decision of the Court in particular. But, the politicizing, gaslighting, and nonsensical debating on Twitter and cable news is simply noise to distract…

The growth of the first century church was both spectacular and constant. What caused this tremendous growth? One passage summarizes their success well: ¬“Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied” (Acts 9:31). Brethren, if we are serious about church growth, we will pay close attention to these principles of church growth. First, the church…

Today the average American lives 78.8 years. That averages out to approximately 945 months, 4,111 weeks, 28,781 days, or 690,746 hours. On the surface that certainly seems to be a long, long time. But, really it is not. Ask someone who has lived for 80 years how quickly their life has progressed and it is almost guaranteed they will say that is has absolutely flown by! The Bible says the same. “Man that is born of a woman is of…

One of the most thought-provoking questions in the Bible is the one asked by Cain in Genesis 4:9. When the Lord questioned him concerning the brother whom he murdered (Abel), his response was: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”. This is a question we need to ask ourselves today. Do we have a responsibility to watch out for and care for one another? When we turn to the New Testament, it becomes clear that the answer is absolutely. First, consider our…

One of life’s most difficult challenges, is dealing with difficult challenges. How do we cope with tragedy, cancer, war, or dozens of other issues we encounter in life? The painful reality is that many of life’s challenges are simply beyond our control. Neither you nor I have any bearing on the ultimate outcome of the war in Ukraine. We cannot dictate economic policy in Washington, and we cannot prevent a fatality accident caused by a drunk driver. As much as…

If someone were to ask, “Do you believe that you will be in Heaven?” How would you answer, and why? Consider how Psalm 15 answers the question, “Who May Dwell with God?” The answer is… People who have the proper character, verses 1-3: Beginning in verse 2, David writes, He who:“Walks uprightly”, which means “to live blamelessly.” “Works righteousness”, which means “living according to God’s standard.” “Speaks the truth”, which means “speaking honest things.” Then in verse 3, David writes…

The first recorded controversy of the early church is found in Acts 3. After healing the lame man on Solomon’s Porch, Peter preached the gospel to the crowd that had gathered and many obeyed. Unsurprisingly, the event caught the attention of the Jewish leaders, who arrested Peter and John. How did the church react to this challenge? Acts 4:23-31 tells us that they prayed. They prayed together (v. 24a). Peter and John “went to their own companions” and they “raised…

Peter wrote of the “exceedingly great and precious promises” given to the children of God (2 Pet. 1:4). Indeed, our Father has promised us great things. Blessings such as forgiveness (1 John 1:9), fellowship (Heb. 13:5), peace (Phil. 4:7), and eternal life (1 John 2:25) are all ours to enjoy. These promises motivate us to faithfulness and comfort us in times of distress. No wonder the Hebrews writer reminded his readers of them to encourage them to remain faithful to…

Peter wrote of the “exceedingly great and precious promises” given to the children of God (2 Pet. 1:4). Indeed, our Father has promised us great things. Blessings such as forgiveness (1 John 1:9), fellowship (Heb. 13:5), peace (Phil. 4:7), and eternal life (1 John 2:25) are all ours to enjoy. These promises motivate us to faithfulness and comfort us in times of distress. No wonder the Hebrews writer reminded his readers of them to encourage them to remain faithful to…

The world is full of carnal pleasures seeking our allegiance. The “god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4) blinds us with the “pleasure of sin for a season” (Heb. 11:25) that we may find ourselves enslaved to the Father of lies (John 8:44). This was one of the many problems in the Colossian congregation. In addition to Gnosticism convincing many that Christ was not truly the Son of God, carnality and sin of every kind gained entrance into the body…

4. He is before all things (Col. 1:17). Since He created all things, it logically follows that Christ preexisted all things. In fact, Christ is eternally existent. In John 8:58 He said, “…before Abraham was, I AM.” There was a point in time when Abraham began to exist. That time has never come for Jesus because He existed before time. There has never been a time when Jesus did not exist, and there will never be a time when He…