The Sword of the LORD

Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me? (Jeremiah 32:27).   There are many of you who are sincere Christians, but you struggle with some besetting sin or another, and don't know how to get free once and for all.  You feel hypocritical every time you fall, and you are battered by your guilt, and hindered in your ministry.  This message is for you.  There is an answer to your dilemma, and it is much simpler than you might imagine.   I recently read a tract by the great Charles G. Finney which was first published in 1839 in the Oberlin Evangelist .  The tract was entitled, How to Overcome Sin , and the portions that I quote were edited by the late Keith Green.  In it he writes:   “There are multitudes of anxious Christians who are inquiring what they shall do to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil...They ask, "Why am I overcome by sin?  Why can't I get above its’ power?  Why am I ...

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it." (Amos 8:11, 12).       In a day when there are more churches in most cities than there are gas stations and pizza places, and the Word of God has gone out over the air waves of radio and television to every corner of the world, it is difficult to imagine that the prophet Amos could have been describing this present time when he spoke of a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.   The key to understanding this prophecy, however, is in the wording.   God was speaking of a time when there would be, not an absence of the Word itself, but of hearing the Word.   We are told in Romans 10 , " So then faith cometh by hearing, and h...

When we think of the heroes of the Bible, we often think of them as supermen and superwomen who were supernaturally endowed with wisdom and strength to perform the tasks that God asked them to do.   The truth is, however, that these folks were no different than you and me.   They were subject to the same temptations, the same weaknesses, and the same doubts and fears that we all have.   Although Moses was raised in Pharaoh's house, and enjoyed all the privileges of court, it was not until he was rejected by both the Egyptians and his own people, and felt himself a complete failure, that God was able to use him.   David was just a sheep herder and the youngest of his family.   He was considered so insignificant that his father didn't even call him to come to the feast that was held for the prophet Samuel.   Tax collectors, uneducated fishermen, and harlots - these were the ones whom God called and blessed.   We read in the 3rd and 4th chapters of Ac...

"Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:6, 7).                                                                                                                        Edwin Cole, who has been called “the Father of the Christian Men’s Movement,” has said that the definition of faith and the definition of fear are the same.  He said, “ Faith is believing that what you cannot see will come to pass.  Fear is believing that what you cannot see will come to pass.”  This being true, it appears ...

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 Jesus...

  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 whe...