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Each week a new verse-by-verse Bible study podcast given in expository style. Join us and see the Bible come alive as we study the truths that God‘s Word has for us.
Episodes
Sunday Jun 27, 2021
Sunday Jun 27, 2021
In today’s message I want us to look at the way we think about sin, and how we rank sin, from little sins that everybody accepts as ok and it is no big deal, to the really bad sins. I want you to ask yourself what are the really bad sins that people can commit, and how does that compare to the way that God thinks about our sin.
You see, we set a standard of the sins that we think are really bad, and those that are not so bad. We would say that pride is a sin that is not good, but murder is much worse. We would say that gossiping is just what people do, but a person who steals is much worse. Yet, that is not what the Bible tells us about how God thinks of these things. In fact, we have been studying over the last couple of weeks that pride makes the top of the list of things that God hates, and gossiping can be described as someone that "speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren," which is also in the list of seven sins that God hates.
Prov 6:16-19
16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
KJV
Now, I believe that the Bible says that God hates all sins, and we are required to repent of any sin, and there are no sins that we can just ignore. But, the Bible does tell us how God feels about different sins. For example, we know that God hates pride, and He hates it because pride is the sin that leads to all of the other sins. It is the sin that started it all with the fall of Satan and the fall of the human race. Pride is the root sin of all the others because it starts by saying God, I don’t need you. When you think you can say that God doesn’t matter, then all of the other sins are not really sins anymore because you get to decide what is right and what is wrong. That is the problem with pride, it is a deceitful sin. Anyone who thinks they can ignore God has a judgment day, and a place in hell, waiting for them. Because God will not be ignored.
I believe that what we have in these verses is a look into the mind of God and how He looks at sin. I believe God hates all sin, and that we need to look into our own hearts to determine if we agree with God. Are there some sins that we think are ok, some that we like and want to hang onto in our lives? Are there others that we believe are far worse when we look at the sin in other people’s lives? The truth is that sin is sin, and God hates all sin. Until we come to the place where we agree with God about all the sin in our lives, we will never live a victorious Christian life, and we will never be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Click on the link below to hear a message on how God thinks about sin.
Amen.
Sunday Jun 06, 2021
Sunday Jun 06, 2021
In today’s message God gives us some advice that is good for anyone in the business world today, for Christians or non–Christians. These are simply some good business principles. It is interesting that God has given us a lot of good advice for all mankind, the saved as well as the unsaved.
So, if I were to ask you what are the keys to running a successful business, what would you say the main ones are? Making sure you have a product that people want, right? That it sells for an amount that people are willing to give up their hard-earned money for. Good customer service, both before and after the sale. When it comes to choosing who you are going to buy from, customer service will usually win the ties. Price is generally first, but if it is a tie, or close to it, customer service can win out. Having good employees. Being innovative with your product, always improving it. Being able to manage your finances well, like when to borrow money, and just plain hard work, right?
Now, these are the things that you can learn from any business training class. Well, God has some pretty good advice for the business person in our lesson today on the topics of loans, hard work, and the kind of people you need to be careful around.
Click on the link below to hear a message on God sharing His wisdom on how to handle our business life, and our moral life. He tells us to beware of borrowing or co-signing on a loan, then He tells us that it takes hard work to succeed in anything that we need to do, most of all in completing the work that God has for us to do. In other words, don’t be a sluggard, and then we are to beware of the wicked person who has no other intention than to harm us. These seem like pretty common-sense pieces of advice, the question is, are we smart enough to listen and apply it to our lives?
Amen.
Sunday May 23, 2021
Sunday May 23, 2021
This week my wife and I celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary, and if you add the years that we dated before we got married, it has been 47 years. At the age of 16, I fell in love with a young lady that I met in church, and then we happened to go to the same high school as well. She was the first girl I ever dated, in fact, she has been the only girl I have ever dated, and the only girl I have ever wanted to date. There has been no other in my heart, but her. God’s special blessing has been on our relationship from the very beginning.
The topics of love, and romance, and marriage, and all of the things associated with them, are subjects that everybody is interested in. At least, you ought to be interested. It is a universal subject, no matter who you are, or where you live; and you never really outgrow it. Now, the girls get interested a little bit before the boys because they mature a little earlier. This means that the girls start thinking about the boys before the boys start thinking about the girls. That is a good thing because the girls need a head start before the hormones start raging in the boys. But, it is not long before the boys are catching up with the girls, and from then on it is “neck and neck.”
Love, romance, and marriage, are very wonderful things, and we need to find out what God has to say about them, because God has some very definite wisdom on the idea of romance and love, and how to be blessed by your marriage. Now, contrary to popular belief, God is not some kind of “cosmic killjoy.” Don’t get the idea that God is against love and romance and marriage. He is not. Yet, when God says, “Flee fornication, and “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” God is not trying to keep sex from us. He’s trying to keep sex for us. Because it is a wonderful gift of God.
God has a special blessing for you when you allow God to choose your mate. God wants you to be fulfilled. God wants you to have sexual fulfillment. God wants you to have real joy. God doesn’t want you to miss His best. Don’t miss God’s special blessing for your life.
When God says, “Thou shalt not,” what He is really saying is, “Don’t hurt yourself.” When God says, “Thou shalt,” He’s saying, “Help yourself to happiness.” God wants you to have satisfaction. God wants you to have joy. This is God’s plan. This is the design that we should follow.
Click on the link below to hear a message on how you can receive this special blessing by finding the right spouse, and then how to keep from destroying, or ruining, this wonderful gift of God.
Amen.
Sunday May 16, 2021
Sunday May 16, 2021
This message is about a task that God has given to every born-again believer. That task is to allow the light of Jesus to shine through us to reach a dark world full of people who need to hear the gospel message of Jesus Christ. What makes this challenging is that we must live our lives in such a way that brings glory to our Lord, and still avoid the sin that is around us. I believe that is one of the reasons that God has given us the book of Proverbs. To show us how to live a victorious Christian life, in a world full of sin.
God’s wisdom is the key to living in this dark world that is full of evil. Satan would like nothing better than to destroy the witness of a child of God. The world likes nothing better than to see a righteous man fall. This chapter of Proverbs is giving us the instructions from our Creator to live a victorious Christian life so that we can bring people to Christ and eternal life.
Click on the link below to hear a message on God’s instruction manual for living a life that honors God.
Amen.
Tuesday May 11, 2021
Tuesday May 11, 2021
When your children were growing up, did you have certain lessons in life that you wanted to share with them? Perhaps, it was a work ethic, the value of morals and integrity, to be kind, yet strong, and to have the convictions of their faith. Most of all, a love for God that surpasses all other things. A parent shares with their children the things they value the most. Our love of God is what we should value the most, and it is that love that we need to share with our children.
The book of Proverbs is God giving parental advice to His children. He is sharing with us the things that He wants us to value the most, wisdom, humility, honor, integrity, a kind and gentle spirit, a love for others, and most of all to know how much He loves us.
Click on the link to below to hear a message on the value of holding tight to God’s wisdom that He shares with us through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. God has told us that there is nothing that compares to His wisdom, and that if we will put Christ first in our lives and hold onto His wisdom, then God will bless our lives as we work for His purposes.
Amen.
Sunday May 02, 2021
Sunday May 02, 2021
God wants us, as believers, to be free from the bondage of the world so that we might live a life that follows God’s chosen path for us. But, have you ever asked yourself, how do we walk that path, and what should we expect as we walk that path? That is the focus of today’s message, what does God’s Word say about what it is like to walk God’s chosen path for each of us. God wants you to know that it is a peaceful life. It is peaceful in the good times, and it is peaceful in times of stress.
God’s path requires that you give the Lord your love and loyalty, and to put Christ first in all that we do. If we do these things, then we will have God’s peace. As a result, we know that, come what may, all will be well. There is no greater gift this side of Heaven than to have the peace of God standing watch over our hearts.
Phil 4:7
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
KJV
When we walk along God’s path for our lives, His wisdom tells us that we can have peace in good times and times of stress because we know the place where faith stands:
Prov 3:26
26 For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
KJV
Faith takes its stand in the Lord. Never believe that this struggle between good and evil, light and darkness, and truth versus lie, is a mighty battle between equals. It is not. It is not even close. God is the omnipotent, omniscient, Creator of all things. He has but to speak and all evil is defeated.
Click on the link below to hear a message on what we should expect when we walk God’s path for our lives. The answer is that God does not ask us to walk that path without His promises to bless us with His wisdom and power to succeed on our course. The key to finding these promises, and to accomplishing His will, is to put Christ first in all things, and to hold dearly to the wisdom that comes with the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
Amen.
Sunday Apr 18, 2021
Sunday Apr 18, 2021
Last week we started talking about what it means for a believer to be in financial bondage to the world, and how that impacts their ability to do the work that God has for them to accomplish. We said that God has a plan for every aspect of our lives, and our finances are part of His plan. In fact, God promises that if you will follow His amazingly simple plan, then you will find true financial freedom.
Prov 3:9-10
9 Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
KJV
Look at the promise the Lord has given us in these verses. He says, “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”
God wants you to know that He has a plan for you, and His plan for you is not to be in bondage; God’s plan is for you to have liberty and freedom. God does not want His children in bondage to anything or anybody other than the Lord Jesus Christ. And when you’re in bondage to the Lord Jesus Christ, that’s perfect liberty.
Click on the link below to hear a message about six principles from the Word of God that you can use in your life to find financial freedom. If you want to get out of financial bondage, or better yet, if you want to keep yourself out of financial bondage, to enjoy the freedom that comes from serving the Lord, then these six principles from the Word of God will make that happen for you.
Amen.
Sunday Apr 11, 2021
Sunday Apr 11, 2021
Have you ever had a time when you were sitting there working through paying your bills, and you just thought “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to never have to worry about whether there would be enough?” What if something happened to my health, or a family member’s health? What about losing my job, with no prospects of finding another? What if your brother-in-law came back, again, needing to borrow more money? I mean, he is your wife’s only brother, and it really doesn’t matter that he has never paid back the other loans you have made to him.
One of the leading causes of divorce is financial stress. If you allow it to, worrying about having enough money to meet your needs can consume you. Dreaming about financial freedom is a natural result of that worry.
God knows that these things are all true, problems occur, you have needs, and so the question is, what does God have to say in His word about true Financial Freedom? Does God have a financial plan for you and your family? Well, of course He does. God has a plan for every aspect of your life, and your finances are part of His plan.
Well, in this section of verses God has a very important message for each of us, as believers. God wants you to know that He has a plan for you, and His plan for you is not to be in bondage; God’s plan is for you to have liberty and freedom. God does not want His children in bondage to anything or anybody other than the Lord Jesus Christ. And when you’re in bondage to the Lord Jesus Christ, that’s perfect liberty, for the Bible says,
John 8:36
36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
KJV
Click on the link below to hear a message on how you can determine if you are out of God’s will for your life and in financial bondage. God loves you and He does not want you to be in bondage.
Amen.
Sunday Mar 28, 2021
Sunday Mar 28, 2021
There is a popular bumper sticker out there that says “God is my Copilot.” Well, if that is true in your life, then you better swap seats. God needs to in the driver’s seat of your life. We all like to be in control of our lives, but if you are to know God’s will, then you must let God be the one who chooses your way, not you. You see, finding God’s will is not something that you are to figure out in your flesh. It is not a puzzle that we need to figure out. God is not leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for us to follow. No, instead, we are called to trust in the Lord.
Someone once said, “To know the Lord Jesus is to love Him. To love Him is to trust Him. To trust Him is to obey Him. To obey Him is to find God’s will for your life. And to find God’s will for your life is to be blessed.” The Word of God says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” No ifs, ands, and buts about it. If you let Almighty God choose the way, control the way, confirm the way, and clear the way, then you will know the will of God for your life.
Now, let me just give you some very practical advice and I want you to think about it. The way to know the will of God for your life is to do the will of God immediately and in all things. In all your ways acknowledge Him. Don’t wait till tomorrow morning. I mean, starting now! Number two: Obey Him in the small things; then the big ones will take care of themselves. Everything big is made of little things. “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.” (Luke 16:10)
It’s hard to steer a ship that’s not moving, that means that God can’t steer a life that is not moving towards Him. I want to repeat again, the way to know the will of God for your life is to do the will of God immediately and to do it in all things. Obey Him in the small things; then the big ones will take care of themselves.
Amen.
Sunday Mar 21, 2021
Sunday Mar 21, 2021
Each of us, as a believer, is seeking the will of God for our lives. We ask, are we doing what God has planned for us? Are we touching the people around us with the gospel message of the cross?
As husbands, are we prayerfully leading our families in the path that God has chosen for us? Are we the spiritual leaders of our families? Does our family even know that we think about the will of God for the family? Do they ever see us praying? Do you pray together as a family seeking God’s will?
As wives, are you the prayer warrior that God wants each of us to be, but so often it is the wife and mother of the family that fills this role? Does your family know that God is the one making the choices in your life? Can they see God in the way you conduct yourself on a daily basis?
As married couples are you walking in the same direction, yoked together, pulling in the same direction, with your eyes on God? Are you both surrendered to God? Not just committed, but completely surrendered to the one, true, living, almighty God of all creation.
How to decide when and where to move in the work of Lord? That is always a crucial question facing those that would do the Lord’s work. Certainly, for most believers, the most difficult part is separating the desires of our own heart from the desires of the Lord. Sometimes they coincide, sometimes they do not.
Seeking the Lord’s will is something each Christian should be doing on a daily basis.
Finding the Lord’s will is the result of quiet, careful, meditation on the Word of God with a surrendered heart.
So how do you know which way is right? You start by asking yourself whether your heart is in a condition that can even hear the will of God? In other words, are you speaking from a surrendered heart that is fully obedient to God? If your heart is not surrendered to God, if you are not obedient to God’s Word, then you cannot know the will of God.
Then, have you prayed and asked God to reveal the sin that is in your heart, and then confessed and repented of it? If there is unconfessed and unrepented sin in your life, that sin will keep you from hearing God’s will.
Isaiah 59:2
2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
KJV
In my experience, this is the single biggest block between the prayer of the believer and the answer from God. Many people want to live in sin, knowingly, and then expect God to ignore it and act like it doesn’t exist. That will not happen. God knows every sin, in every dark corner that you have placed it. If you want to know the will of God, then you must first confess and repent of your sins.
Next, ask yourself, have you prayed about the question and then listened for God’s response, or have you simply told God the answer you want to hear?
Then ask, is what you want meeting the purpose of Christ for this church being here, or for you still being on this earth? Will it bring lost people to know Him? If it doesn’t, then you need to rethink, and change your desires.
Are you willing to accept God’s answer, whatever it may be? You cannot know the will of God by intuition, or based on past experience, you must be willing to pray and accept God’s will, or it will never be revealed to you. Why should God reveal His will if He knows you will not accept and be obedient to it?
Now, we have been talking about how to have God’s wisdom in our lives. We need God’s wisdom in order to discern God’s will in our lives. Our study over the next couple of weeks will be on how to determine the will of God in our lives, and the very first thing we must do is to make Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior. You cannot know the will of God unless you have made the Holy Spirit the president of your life, not just a resident in your heart, but the president of your life. Then, once you are saved, once you have completely surrendered to the Holy Spirit, the very next thing you must do is to be obedient to the Word of God. You must obey God’s commandments. In order to do that, then you must have God’s Word hidden in your heart.
Click on the link below to hear a message on how to determine the will of God for you life.
Amen.