Sound Teaching

There are many misconceptions about the nature of Jesus Christ. These can be held by those who are antagonistic to the idea of God and His Son. They also are often held by those who would identify themselves as followers of Jesus.
We can know Jesus only by what is revealed in the Bible. We have Old Testament prophecies, the gospels, and what is revealed to us in the remainder of the New Testament. It gives us a complete picture of Him, one that often conflicts with the claims made by those ignorant of these words. Let’s examine some of the contrasting views of Jesus. What is legitimate, and what is not! As John wrote, “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him” (John 1:10).

It is wrong to think Jesus will let everyone into heaven!

Jesus truly loves all mankind. It His desire that all men be saved, and He died to accomplish our redemption. But that gift Jesus has given has conditions! “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Continue reading “The World Does Not Know Jesus!” →

In contrasting the sacrifice of Jesus with that of the blood sacrifices offered under the old covenant, the Hebrew writer quotes from Psalm 40:6-8, establishing it as a Messianic prophecy.

As seen in the preceding verses, God did not intend or desire for the animal sacrifices under the previous covenant to continue. They were insufficient to deal permanently with sin. Each year the offerings were continued.

God’s purpose was to send His only begotten Son into the world, Jesus, to offer up Himself as that efficacious sacrifice for sin. Jesus did God’s will. He proclaimed from the beginning of His life (Luke 2:49) until the end of His life (Matthew 26:39) that His purpose on earth was to do the will of His Father in heaven. In so doing, His sacrifice accomplished the change in the covenants, as the new will was ratified by His shed blood.

It is also that blood that finally cleanses us, separating us in holiness to God. Because sin’s debt has been paid, Jesus’ sacrifice was “once for all.”

An interesting point in Israel’s history came as the people began to clamor for a king. Samuel was the judge over Israel at that time, and understandably was disappointed at the Israelites who seemed to be rejecting his rule over them.

“Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, ‘Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.’ But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us…’”(1 Samuel 8:4-6). In response to their request, Samuel prayed to the Lord, who told him, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:7). Continue reading “Samuel’s Character” →

I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God. I believe every part of the Bible comes ultimately from God, not man. I know there were multiple human authors, but ultimately these authors penned the words given them from God Himself.

It is important to note that this is the Bible’s claim for itself. We have Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. The verse starts, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” The word inspiration is a bit different than how we use it in modern times. The etymology of the Greek word shows this, theopnuestos: theo – God; pneustos – breathed. Every indication both in scripture, and in the reception of scripture in early times show this to be the case. Remember Peter’s words in 2 Peter 3:16 in talking about Paul’s writings: “which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.”

Peter’s earlier words, “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21).

I don’t expect all to agree. However, it is not possible for a man to legitimately claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ, and at the same deny the plenary (complete) and verbal (every jot and tittle) nature of Biblical inspiration.

A misunderstanding, or disregard of God’s intent for local congregations to be autonomous has led to significant historical error and unauthorized practices among those who claim to follow Jesus Christ. 

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When we speak generally of the cross, as Christians we are referring to the death of Jesus 2,000 years ago. The Romans who meted out the sentence of death to Jesus practiced crucifixion. Crucifixion consisted of the hanging of the person on a wooden crossbeam affixed to a wooden pole. Suspended from the ground, the unfortunate soul would die from a combination of severe blood loss, shock and progressive suffocation. This death would commonly take several days.

It was an ignominious death from torture. It was a public spectacle, designed to deter conquered people, slaves, rebels and criminals. It seems a bit of a paradox for such an action and symbol to have such a precious meaning to any people. However, in the case of Jesus, the Roman crucifixion was God’s sin sacrifice, offered on the behalf of sinful man. It is the most important event in the history of mankind, as God’s plan for redeeming man was fulfilled in the shedding of the Christ’s blood on that cross. Continue reading “The Two Sides of the Cross” →

In 1 Timothy 2 we have a series of directions given by the great apostle to Timothy regarding prayer. It brings to mind Jesus’ words, commonly called the Lord’s prayer (Luke 11) as the disciples requested of Him, “Lord, teach us to pray” (11:1).

Paul was teaching Timothy how to pray, or to be more specific, a part of what his prayers to God should consist. How should we pray for others?

First, note who the others are… they are specified. First, “all men” (2:1). We do not pray merely for those with whom we are familiar, but with all the family of man. Continue reading “Paul’s Instructions Regarding Prayer” →

In his effort to show the superiority of the New Law to the Old, the writer here emphasizes the inadequacy of Old Testament sacrifices. Later in the chapter, the contrast is given by noting the sacrifice of Christ Himself under the New.

Old Testament sacrifices for sins were not sufficient. This truth is indicated clearly in verse 4 of our text. In fact, they were never intended to take away sin. They were a type of what was to come, the blood of Jesus Himself.

This sacrifice of God’s only begotten Son is uniquely capable of bringing redemption for sin. This is why His sacrifice only happened once. It accomplished the task. With the blood of bulls and goats under the law there remained a consciousness of sin. The Jews each year had a sacrifice of atonement, designed to deal in whole with the sins of the previous year. This sacrifice accomplished “the purifying of the flesh.” But the sacrifices had to continue year by year, as the Jews did not obtain the complete purification that would come from a better sacrifice. “But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year” (3).

That is the question asked in Malachi 3:8a, “Will a man rob God?” Who can imagine such a thing? It makes no sense at all. God has given us “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). To seek to rob God is both foolish given His power and place as our Creator and Judge, and ungrateful as we seek to take advantage of our benevolent and grace giving Father in heaven. Who would do such a thing?

And yet, God proclaimed, “You have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ IN TITHES AND OFFERINGS.” (3:8b, emphasis mine).

Do you offer up your contribution (tithe) to the works of God on the first day of the week, as instructed in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2? Are you consistent in so doing? Do you give willingly and cheerfully, (2 Corinthians 9:7)? Do you give sacrificially (2 Corinthians 8:1-5)?

Remember this phrase in the word’s Paul used, “let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper” (1 Corinthians 16:2).

This how we can rob God. It is God who has brought us our prosperity! What we have, first belongs to Him. He doesn’t require all of it back, only a generous, sacrificial portion that shows our devotion to Him. Don’t rob God!

God expects His children to be totally devoted to Him.  This is seen in our love for and obedience to the Almighty. Our study, meditations, and prayers help us to grow closer to Him! 

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The book of Deuteronomy is extremely interesting to read. It consists of a series of farewell addresses delivered by Moses to the second generation of Israelites as they camped on the plains of Moab, poised to cross the Jordan River and conquer the Promised Land.

There were three speeches which make up the primary content of the book. In the first speech of Moses was a historical review highlighting God’s faithfulness to Israel (1:1-4:43). The second (longest speech) was Moses’ restatement of the terms of God’s covenant with Israel (4:44-26:19). The third speech was a call by Moses for Israel to renew that covenant with God (27:1-30:20).

Moses’ second speech was an expansive, hours-long address that restated the Ten Commandments, detailed the covenant laws for life in the promised land, and concluded with a solemn series of blessings for obedience and curses for rebellion. It is estimated that a normal speaking cadence would require between 2 and 2.5 hours to complete the speech. This makes a single article fairly ineffective as an attempt to summarize the material. There is simply to much to discuss. Continue reading “A Deuteronomic Warning” →