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"I WILL"

There is a simple story contained in the gospel of St. Luke that recently caught my attention.   I haven't heard anyone use this story for the basis of a sermon or teaching before (although I'm sure many have), maybe because it is so very short and the narrative is very direct, but it is for those reasons that it stood out to me.   The story is about a leprous man who came to Jesus for healing.  "And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." (Luke 5:12 NKJV).  This man was in a desperate condition.  He didn't have just a touch of leprosy, he was full of leprosy.  His was an extreme case.  Without divine intervention, he likely didn't have much longer to live.  In his desperation he came and fell down at Jesus' feet, begging the Lord to make him clean.  Clearly, the man had faith that ...

BE STILL AND KNOW

It is impossible to determine for certain the occasion for which the 46 th Psalm was written.  Some commentators believe that it was written after God delivered King Jehoshaphat from a great army of Moabites and Ammonites.  Others believe that it was written during King Hezekiah’s reign when the Assyrians under King Sennacherib besieged Jerusalem.  This we do know: this Psalm was written to encourage Israel to trust in the LORD Jehovah during difficult and frightening times, and Israel certainly had an abundance of those!    It is said that Psalms 46 gave Martin Luther much comfort and encouragement during the times that he faced fierce opposition to his preaching and ministry.   It is said that it was one of the portions of scripture that inspired the words to his hymn A Mighty Fortress Is Our God .       The psalm opens with these words of comfort and encouragement: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” ...

WHAT RESURRECTION MEANS TO ME

"But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." (1 Corinthians 15:13, 14).   The resurrection of the dead is a fundamental truth of the Christian faith.  Upon this one truth lies the hope of every man and woman who names the name of Christ.  Jesus' entire life and ministry was driven toward this one outcome: that He would give His life freely as an offering for our sin, and that God would raise Him from the dead to gain the ultimate victory over death, sin, and the devil.   The mystery of eternal life begins in Genesis, in the very beginning when God created man and woman.  He planted a garden in Eden, and among all the trees planted there, God placed two unique trees.  The one tree was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  The other tree was the Tree of Life.  God told Adam and Eve that they could freely eat of any tree in...

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT - PART FOUR

SECTION VIII ENTERING AT THE STRAIT GATE   JUDGING OTHERS   “Judge not, that ye be not judged.   For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” (Matthew 7:1, 2).   The question of whether or not Christians can or should judge others has been debated for centuries.   There are those who strictly believe that judging others is forbidden.   Besides the one command from the Savior that is quoted above, they direct us to many other places in scripture which speak plainly about not judging.   For instance, James wrote, “Speak not evil one of another, brethren.   He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge .” (James 4:11).   Paul tells us, “ Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein th...