Luke 17:20-21 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” The Pharisees asked…

Isaiah 55:2 Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,and you will delight in the richest of fare. The number one problem of mankind throughout time is that we don’t listen to the Lord. In Isaiah 55, the prophet, inspired by God, exhorts the people to listen, listen. While these words were originally meant…

My family and I are taking a short vacation this coming weekend and in my absence this coming Sunday Dr. Dennis Cravens will be giving the sermon. It is entitled The Forgotten Gift and here is a brief preview provided by Dr. Cravens: “Now these three remain: Faith, Hope, and Love. But the greatest of…

1 Corinthians 6:20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. What did Paul mean when he said “you were bought at a price”? It means that for the Christian our bodies no longer belong to us but to the Lord because He purchased us with His blood. Revelation 5:9 And…

In Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, he offers a lot of tough but encouraging words of instruction regarding how Christians are to live life. Within these few chapters, he defines the very nature of God (chapter 13), he reflects on Israel’s history (chapter 10), and he addresses some cancerous disunity in the…

1 Corinthians 5:12-13 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.” These verses speak of an unrepentant person who lives in sin as if it is acceptable behavior. Following Christ’s guidelines in…

In our Sunday morning adult Bible Study we have been engaged in an in-depth look at the book of Isaiah. We have finally made it to Isaiah 53. In the time of Jesus, Hebrews interpreted the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 to be Israel as a whole. This is notably true of the Targum of…

This Sunday we begin a short series on “Keeping the Body Holy”. How can we maintain church purity in a polluted culture? 1 Peter 1:14-16 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in…

John 8:32 (NASB) and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jesus Himself is the truth that sets us free (John 8:36). He is the source of truth, the perfect standard of what is right. He frees us from continued slavery to sin, from self-deception, and from the deception of…