Category: Subject Index

“You, Yourself, are to be feared; and who may stand in Your presence when once You are angry? You caused judgment to be heard from heaven; The earth feared and was still, when God arose to judgment, to deliver all the oppressed of the earth. Surely the wrath of man shall praise You; with the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself. Make vows to the Lord your God, and pay them; let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared” (Psalm 76:7-11).

Fear of God is sadly lacking in our day. Men have forgotten previous judgments, and a generation has arisen that scoffs at the Almighty. They really shouldn’t do that. It is not in their best interest to anger the Divine. And yet they rage in their ignorance, and secure for themselves the eventual, eternal judgment of God.

When that day comes, no man will stand before Him. All will be brought to their knees, “For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’ So then each of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:10-12).

If we confess Jesus today, it will bring us the salvation He offers (cf. Romans 10:10). If we wait until judgment, it will be a confession of His power and authority over us, and the justness of our condemnation. Regardless, the Almighty God of heaven “ought to be feared.”

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Invitation delivered by: Stan Cox

Galatians 6:1-5 reveals two important points:

1) We need to show love for one another by helping our brethren get to heaven.

2) Ultimately, each individual will be held accountable by God for his own actions and words.

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The text of John 15:1-8 contains Jesus statement of self-identification, “I am the true vine…” This text teaches us not only about Jesus, but about our responsibilities toward Him.

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An exegesis of Hebrews 5:11 – 6:3, with applications.

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Invitation delivered by: Stan Cox

1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 establishes that the judgment day will come at a time we can not predict. We must be prepared for judgment!

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In our society, the religious views I hold are considered by the majority to be hateful and intolerant. Words like bigot, misogynist, legalist, homophobe, Islamophobe and worse are used to describe me simply because I hold to a Christian worldview that is informed by the holy scriptures. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont senator recently stated that an individual who held such values to be true, “is really not someone who is what this country is supposed to be about.”

Continue reading “I Do NOT Preach Hate!” →

Why are people who ridicule the idea of a Bible pattern of authority to be followed so quick to advocate for the authoritative nature of a select few passages? They contend loudly and strongly for verses like:

• (John 3:16), “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
• (Matthew 7:12), “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
• (Philippians 4:13), “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
• (1 John 4:7-8), “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

If the scriptures that show how to worship, how to practice religion, how to make disciples, how to organize, what to teach and how to work together as a church can not be considered authoritative, then why are the scriptures above accepted as true and binding?

Integrity demands a more consistent hermeneutic than that, wouldn’t you say?

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“O Lord, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep. A senseless man does not know, nor does a fool understand this” (Psalm 92:5-6).

You will notice that the Psalmist refers to those who question God as being foolish and senseless. The words may seem harsh, but similar, harsher things are said by the other side.

For example, one atheist I came across on the internet wrote the following:

“The fantasies and delusions are equally foolish whether it’s the belief and obedience to a psychotic voice in the head or an imaginary deity residing in some magical place no one can see. Religious beliefs should be placed in the same class as mental sickness or any other serious psychological disorder that degrades the quality of life and the individual’s ability to deal with reality.”

The warfare between right and wrong, good and evil, sin and righteousness, has always been and always will be. Two things come to mind as we consider this truth.

One, trust in your faith. It is rational, founded in the reality of Christ Jesus as our Savior. He did live, did die on the cross, and His resurrection was witnessed by many (cf. 1 Corinthians 15).

Two, never think for a second that the world (or the worldly) is your friend. The world is under the sway of the wicked one, who seeks to devour the child of God (cf. 1 Peter 5:8). This is why Paul wrote, “…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).

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The Lord’s church is very different from the religious denominations you typically see in America. This sermon discusses some of the things that makes the church of Christ unique.

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Powerpoint Slides

The text of James 1:21-25 supplies thoughts regarding the 1) Importance of knowing how we look to God; 2) Importance of improving our spiritual appearance; and 3) God’s word is the only reliable mirror to determine how we appear to God.

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Powerpoint Slides

Invitation delivered by: Stan Cox

This short lesson uses the text of 1 Peter 1:3-6 to note that our living hope is cause for rejoicing despite the suffering we may experience in this life.

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One of the fundamental responsibilities of a Christian is to love his brethren. “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another” (1 John 3:10-11). It is an imperative, and as Christians we should be mindful of obeying it.

One of the most effective ways to show your love for the brethren is through the practice of hospitality. It is one of an impressive list of characteristics which indicate a faithful child of God. “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality” (Romans 12:10-13).

Continue reading “Refreshing the Spirits of the Brethren” →

The Bethel church in Redding, California is offering a weeklong seminar it calls “Bethel School of the Prophets.” The course costs $395, and states as its purpose, “Our goal for this one-week, intensive training is to help facilitate prophetic ministry in local churches and ministries. We hope to help develop prophets and prophetesses…”

This is an example of religious error taking advantage of the extremely gullible. Only a cursory reading of scripture is sufficient to expose the fallacy of those who would claim to be able to “develop” prophets.

First, the text of 1 Corinthians 12 reveals that the spiritual gift of prophecy (as the other gifts) was given by the Holy Spirit. “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:29-31). In verse 28 of that text Paul states that it is God who “has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.” You can’t teach someone to be a prophet!

Second, the scripture reveals that at the time God’s will is revealed in full, the gift of prophecy would cease! “For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away” (1 Corinthians 13:9-10). Now that we have the perfect (complete) will of God revealed, there is no more need for partial expressions of knowledge. Prophecy has ceased!

Never underestimate the willingness of men to take advantage of, and deceive the gullible! (Ephesians 4:14-15; Mark 13:22).

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:15-17).

Paul here discusses the preeminence of Jesus Christ. As a part of this praise he states, “in Him all things consist.” This statement is a part of Paul’s contention that Jesus Christ is the means through which the universe was created, and the reason why the universe was created. In other words — big picture — it is all about Him.

The phrase, “He is before all things” indicates His eternal nature. The phrase “in Him all things consist” indicates the means by which the universe continues to exist! This is an indication of His unlimited power. As the Hebrew writer put it, “upholding all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3). Without Jesus Christ, this universe would cease to be!

The world sees Jesus as a man. All of the representations of Jesus, seen in movies and books, make Him out to be smaller than He is. As Paul put it, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15). And, that is why we worship and adore Him!

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