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Episodes
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 Mar 01, 2020
Sunday Mar 01, 2020
Like most people, I spent a good deal of my youth getting an education in school. I went through elementary, Junior High, Senior High, and even college, and I learned a good deal in those schools. Not that I remember much of it, but the one thing that has stuck is how to learn. How to learn about a particular subject. How to study, and how to organize my thoughts about that knowledge in a meaningful way.
Now, to be honest, I hated studying while I was in school, and by the time I was done with college, I swore that I would never do it again. If I had to pick up a book to learn about something, I decided I could live with being ignorant. Well, you see how that worked out. I now have a job that requires me to study the federal regulations on such interesting topics as boycott laws, trade sanctions, and import and export laws. I also spend a good share of my time at home studying to teach these lessons. In other words, never tell God that you don’t want to do something that He wants you to do, because He has a way of making sure you do.
One of the other things that I learned in school was that a school cannot teach you many things about how to live in this world, especially about what is right and wrong. This is particularly true when it comes to living a victorious Christian life. There are some things that you will never learn in school. There are things that you will never figure out intellectually. There are things that you will never, never, ever know until you lay your intellectual pride in the dust and let God the Holy Spirit speak to you. In fact, the most important truths that will impact your life for all of eternity can only be known by the Holy Spirit speaking them to you. You won’t learn them in school. You won’t learn them in seminary, and you won’t learn them in the school of hard knocks. Our messages over the next couple of weeks are going to be about three of these tremendous truths.
Now, truth is so very, very important. There are those who are afraid of the truth, afraid of what that truth will mean in their lives. There are those who are willing to accept half-truths, socially adapted truths that allow them to deceive themselves into believing they are religious, or just a good person. Then, there are those who arrogantly think they know all truth. My prayer for you today is that you will have the humility to ask the Holy Spirit to speak the truth to you.
Click on the link below to hear a message on man’s basic problem, the sin of unbelief. Not believing on Jesus Christ is the great sin. That is the mother sin, the father sin, the parent sin, the sin of sins. The greatest sin is not believing. Unbelief does not come out of the head; it comes out of the heart. It is a predisposition against Almighty God. It is not trusting the God who loves you. Refuse the Lord Jesus Christ, and you are condemned because you have not believed. You have refused Him. That is the greatest sin, and with it brings the greatest penalty.
Amen.
Sunday Dec 22, 2019
Sunday Dec 22, 2019
Today’s message is part II of a pair of messages on how we, as believers, will do even more than Jesus did. He tells us that this is true in,
John 14:12
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
KJV
Now, that is a statement that will make you step back and ask the Lord, “You expect me to do what? Not only will I equal what You did, but that I will exceed what You did? Really?” The answer to that question is yes.
What are the works that Jesus Christ is talking about? In other words, when Jesus said, "The works that I do shall ye do, and greater works than these," what type of works does He mean? Jesus says it is having everlasting life! Eternal life. That is the greater work. And the greater works that Jesus is talking about, the greater works that we will do, refer to salvation ministry.
The next question is who is going to do this? Is it you or Jesus? The answer is yes and yes. When Jesus says you're going to do greater works than these that I do, the secret is that He will still be doing it, but He will be doing it in us.
How does this come to pass? Jesus says, "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name. I will do it.” When we ask in the name of Jesus, we're asking in His name, for His authority. Authority is power. Jesus said, "If you ask anything in my name, friend, I'll do it. And greater works than these that I do will you do." Who's doing it, you or Jesus? Yes! Yes! What are you doing? What is this business about? Why are we here? To get souls saved.
Why did Jesus say, "If you ask anything in my name, I will do it?" Why would Jesus make this promise to us as believers? He says it is so "... that the Father may be glorified in the Son." Jesus made this promise to bring glory to the Father. It ought to be the greatest desire in your life to see others come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Jesus says, "The works that I do will you do, and greater works than these will ye do, that you believe in Me."
Amen.
Sunday Dec 15, 2019
Sunday Dec 15, 2019
In today’s message we are going to talk about what it means when Jesus says that we as believer will do greater works than He.
John 14:12
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
KJV
So, what is Jesus saying here? Does that mean that Jesus fed 5,000, so I am to feed 10,000? That is greater works. Jesus walked on water. Does that mean that in order for me to do greater works, then I am to fly through the air? Then we come to the really big one, Jesus raised the dead. Now, how am I going to top that? Am I going to be walking around raising people from the dead?
Jesus tells us the answer in John 5:24.
John 5: 24
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
KJV
What is a greater work than healing a man who's been paralyzed for 38 years? It's very clear. Jesus says it is having everlasting life! Eternal life. That is the greater work. And the greater works that Jesus is talking about, the greater works that we will do, refer to salvation ministry. That is the what. What are the works that Jesus Christ is talking about? What are the works that we will do that are greater than His? Salvation ministry.
Click on the link below to hear a message on what the work of the believer is to be. It is the work of bringing men, women, boys and girls bound in the golden chains of the gospel and lay them at Jesus' feet. We are to reap the harvest that Jesus planted.
Amen.
Sunday Nov 24, 2019
Sunday Nov 24, 2019
In today’s message, we are going to cover a set of verses that are as clear a statement that Jesus can make that He is preparing a place for us to spend eternity with Him. He is in heaven today, but someday He is coming for us. Heaven is real, and therefore Hell is real, and I want to be with Jesus in this place that He has prepared specifically for me and everyone else who has made Him their Savior.
This set of verses talks about heaven. These verses tell everyone, who calls Jesus their Lord and Savior, that when your work for God is done on this earth, Jesus Christ has a place for you. It is a place specifically designed for you by the One who loves you like no other. One of these days, Jesus is coming for His bride, and that puts my heart at peace. I don’t have worry about my retirement plan in heaven. Jesus has already taken care of it. I don’t have worry about which medical insurance plan I need for heaven because Jesus has already taken care of that as well. The day is coming when there will be a shout, Behold, the Bridegroom is coming. That is what I am waiting on, Jesus is coming for me.
Click on the link below to hear a message on one of the most blessed truths that I know, Jesus Christ may come at any moment for His church.
John 14:1-3
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
KJV
Amen.
Sunday Nov 10, 2019
Sunday Nov 10, 2019
In our message today, the Lord is going to give His disciples, and all of us, a new commandment, “…to love one another, as Christ has loved us.” Now, I have to admit, for me, that is a tall order because there are people around, even some Christians, who are hard to love. But that is what this new commandment tells us to do.
John 13:34
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
KJV
Now, Jesus is not just talking about loving other Christians. He is talking about everyone. He is saying that we should love everyone as Christ loves us. Is there someone you know that you just say, Lord that is not happening, I cannot love this person? Someone who has done you wrong, perhaps, even harmed you? Friends that have betrayed your trust? Family members who may have abused you, either physically or mentally? There are likely more than just one person who may fit into this category.
Well, why is it a new commandment? Love is not new. The Old Testament certainly taught us to love. In the New Testament gospels, Jesus even gave us a summary of all the commandments when He said,
Matt 22:37-39
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
KJV
What’s new, is that Jesus said that “we are to love as I have loved you.” Never before has this world known love like the love that Jesus Christ showed and the love that Jesus Christ gave. And that is what made it radically new. We are to love others not just as we love ourselves, but as Jesus loved us. This takes the love we are to show to a whole new level.
Click on the link to below to hear a message on how to love that person, who has harmed you, in the same way that Jesus Christ loves them.
Amen.
Sunday Nov 03, 2019
Sunday Nov 03, 2019
Today’s message is about the lessons that we can learn from Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. However, the focus is not on what Judas did, or even what character flaws led Judas to betray Jesus, but on what we can learn about our Lord Jesus Christ from this event. The story of Judas and his betrayal is but the black velvet background on which the brilliant character of the Lord Jesus Christ is displayed.
Just like a well-cut diamond has many facets that make it beautiful and desirable, the Lord Jesus Christ has many facets of His character that make Him beautiful and desirable. There is no question that Jesus outshines every person who has ever lived, or ever will live. And there are many things about the character of Jesus that are in this story.
Click on the link below to hear about the six facets of our Lord’s character that I want you to walk away with today:
Number one: His spiritual insight, Jesus knows everything there is to know about you, and He still loves you in spite of what He knows about you. Jesus knew from the foundation of time that Judas would betray Him, and He still loved Judas.
Number two: His sovereign control, Jesus was in control of all things. It was the Lord’s permissive will that allowed Judas to choose to betray Him. But what Judas meant for evil, Jesus turned to good for His purposes and our salvation. When man rules, God overrules.
Number three: His seeking grace, Jesus sought the redemption of Judas. Jesus knew what Judas would do, but He still washed Judas’ feet in an act of love. He still warned Judas. He still sought to bring Judas into repentance.
Number four: His steadfast mission, nothing that Judas did changed the plan of Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of the world. Nothing that Judas did could derail Jesus, He was steadfast in His mission. That same message applies to you. Don’t you let some hypocrite, some false preacher, or somebody who falls into sin derail your calling for God. Your worship is not to be of a sinful person. It is to be of Jesus Christ the almighty God of all Creation who will never fail you.
Number five: His sympathizing love, Jesus loved Judas, Judas rejected that love. A man will go to hell unsaved, but no man will go to hell unloved. Jesus loves the whole world. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” We are to love our neighbors and our enemies with that same love. Why? Because that is exactly what Jesus did to Judas.
Number six: His solemn justice. There is a God of justice. The Lord Jesus Christ is a God of infinite love, but He is also a God of great justice. You may choose to reject God’s love, but if you do, then you will face God’s great justice. If you don't get saved, then you will spend eternity in the same place as Judas, not because of how good or bad you are, but because you rejected the love of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Sunday Oct 20, 2019
Sunday Oct 20, 2019
This is the second part of a message on the lessons we can learn from the portion of Scripture where Jesus is in the Upper Room and He washes the feet of His disciples. One thing I want us to remember as we go through this message is that we shouldn’t focus on the physical act of Jesus washing the feet of His disciples, but on the spiritual messages that Jesus was illustrating by performing this act of service. Our Lord is teaching personal service to one another.
Eph 4:32
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
KJV
What our Lord was doing is saying, "Peter, I am going to forgive you your trespasses. I'm going to wash your feet." Well, if Jesus has forgiven me of my trespasses, then I need to forgive each of you of your trespasses. That's what it's all about. Jesus says, "If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, then you need to wash one another's feet." You need to forgive your brothers and sisters in Christ, and you need to build them up in the faith. There are people around you whose feet you need to wash, spiritually, because Jesus has washed our feet.
Gal 6:1-2
1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
KJV
How dare we go around refusing to forgive and restore and renew. Our Lord expects us to be in the foot washing business. There ought to be no animosity, no unforgiving spirit. "Be ye kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." "If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet."
Click on the link below to hear four lessons that we can learn from foot washing:
• Salvation is essential.
• Security is eternal.
• Sanctification is extended.
• Service is expected.
Amen.
Sunday Oct 06, 2019
Sunday Oct 06, 2019
Jesus Christ has been my Lord and Savior since I was a young man. His Holy Spirit has lived in my heart for more than 50 years. In fact, it is hard for me to remember a time when the Holy Spirit was not my constant companion in everything that I did. I have chosen to live my life in the center of God’s will. I am God’s servant and that is the desire of my heart, to serve God in all that I do. However, that has not always been the case. There have been periods of my life when I have ignored Holy Spirit who lives within my heart. I have put Him in closet within my heart and told Him that He was not welcome in certain areas of my life. I wanted Him close by if I needed Him, but otherwise I didn’t want to be bothered. I wanted to live my life, my way. Now, every single time I did that, the Holy Spirit convicted me, chastised me, even took me out to the woodshed to discipline me. In short, I failed in all aspects of my life when Jesus was not first in my life. It is when Jesus is the President of my life, not just a resident, that I truly live an abundant life in the way God wants me to live.
As a result of this lifelong relationship with Jesus, it is sometimes hard for me to understand why someone would choose to reject Jesus as the Son of God, as their Lord, and as their Savior. Knowing what I know and what it has meant to me, it just doesn’t make sense to me why the vast majority of people would turn away from the free gift of eternal life in heaven with Jesus. It boggles my mind. Yet, it is true. Whether it is for self-centered reasons, or to chase after a false religion, they deliberately, willfully, and knowingly, choose to reject Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It doesn’t mean they cannot be reached. It doesn’t mean that they are morally bad people. It just means that, so far, they have made a deliberate decision to reject Christ. It means that if they were to die today, they would spend eternity in Hell, without God. Unfortunately, the longer a person lives rejecting Jesus, the harder it gets to ever reach them with the truth of who Jesus is. In other words, their mind is set in its ways. Their heart becomes hardened to the gospel message that is found in the Bible. They say, it cannot be true. That the words of the Bible have been corrupted by man. When you die, you die, and that is it.
Listen to me, the Bible is the one true word of God, and the God that I believe in, is powerful enough to protect His word from any efforts by man to corrupt it. If you believe that man can corrupt God’s Word, then you do not believe in the same almighty Creator of all things that I do. You do not believe in the God of the Bible.
I also believe that there comes a time in everyone’s life when they must choose Jesus as their Savior, or to reject Him. The Holy Spirit is patient with each of us.
2 Peter 3:9
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
KJV
Jesus declared that He stands at the door knocking.
Rev 3:20
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
KJV
Jesus wants you to choose Him, but when the Holy Spirit determines that your decision is final, He will stop convicting you, and walk away. He will harden your heart to the word of God, and you will be doomed to die and go to Hell.
Click on the link below to hear a message about how the Jews, in their stubborn unbelief, finally rejected Jesus as the Messiah, and Jesus stopped knocking, stopped pleading with them, and then hardened their hearts.
Amen.
Sunday Sep 29, 2019
Sunday Sep 29, 2019
Have you ever had an event or an experience that you knew was going to be really, really, bad in front of you? You knew it needed to be done, people were depending on you, but you had a few days that you had to get through before it would begin? The waiting, the dreading, the sheer horribleness of it playing on your mind. I can think of things like watching my mother’s last few days on the earth, and the suffering she was dealing with. I knew her death was imminent. I knew it would happen in the next few days. I knew she would be in heaven soon, but I had to steel myself for the emotions that would come.
A soldier facing some kind of really tough battle. He knows the chances were slim that he was going to make it, but he couldn’t let his brothers in arms down. These were men he depended on, and they were the ones who depended on him, so he prepared himself to deal with it.
This is what our next few messages are going to be about for Jesus. He knew this was the reason that He had come to earth. His whole life had been about this coming hour. The entire human race depended on Him completing the work of salvation. He knew that He was about to carry the burden of every sin that had ever been committed and would ever be committed. He knew the ugliness of the world’s worst sins was about to be thrust upon Him and He would have to die as punishment for that sin. He dreaded the hour, but He knew the whole world depended on Him, and so He prepared Himself. There was so much He needed to do before that hour came, but His disciples needed to hear what He had to say. These next several weeks are going to be a study in how much Jesus loved each and every one of us, even the Jews and the Romans who would crucify Him.
Click on the link below to hear a message on what is likely the Lord’s last attempt to convince the Jews that He was the Son of God, the Promised Messiah.
Amen.
Sunday Sep 15, 2019
Sunday Sep 15, 2019
What would it take to make you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? What words would you need to hear Him say? What words would you need to hear from God? What sign would you need to see?
How about Jesus, himself, proclaiming to be God? Here is just one of the many times Jesus has said this in our study so far.
John 10:29-30
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
30 I and my Father are one.
KJV
Would that be enough to convince you that Jesus is the Son of God? No? Well how about the time God spoke from heaven proclaiming Jesus to be His Son?
Matt 3:16-17
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
KJV
Would this be enough? You have the sky opening up, the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and the voice of God telling you that Jesus is His Son. Would that be enough?
Well, how about watching Jesus raise Lazarus from the tomb after he had been dead for four days?
John 11:43-44
43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
KJV
Would seeing a miracle of this magnitude be enough to convince you that Jesus was the Son of God?
Click on the link below to hear a message on how people who have heard the words of Jesus, they have heard the words of God from heaven, and they have seen Jesus perform thousands of miracles, and some believed, and some did not. In some respects, this lesson saddened me. I know why it occurred, I know the purpose of our Lord coming, and for that I am forever happy and grateful, but it saddens me that people could know all of this and still turn away from Christ as their Savior.
Amen.