Sermons and Biblical Studies

2 PETER 1:12–21 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 1:21). When Paul describes the Scriptures as inspired by God (or “God-breathed”), he calls attention to the origin, not the means of revelation. The origin is God … Continue reading “INERRANCY OF SCRIPTURE”

JOHN 17:1–19 “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17). One school of thought that tried to deal with the authority of Scripture was neo-orthodoxy. Karl Barth, considered the father of neo-orthodoxy, was the first to challenge the liberal skepticism that rejected the historicity of Scripture. At the center of the neo-orthodox … Continue reading “NEO-ORTHODOXY AND TRUTH”

2 PETER 3:10–18 His [Paul’s] letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:16b niv). A common question raised in discussions about the authority and authorship of Scripture is “How do we know that the books … Continue reading “CANON OF SCRIPTURE”

HEBREWS 4 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow (Hebrews 4:12a). Despite nearly 1800 years of church history in which the authority of God’s Word has not been questioned, the last 200 years … Continue reading “STANDARD OF TRUTH”

PSALM 18 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies (Psalm 18:3). When God delivers us from our greatest afflictions, we usually respond with the deepest expressions of love toward Him. Such is the case with David in Psalm 18 when God gave … Continue reading “A SONG OF PRAISE”

PSALM 17 Arise, O Lord, confront him, cast him down; deliver me from the wicked with Your sword (Psalm 17:13). Since the Fall, accounts of the righteous unjustly persecuted by the wicked are plentiful. Cain murdered Abel. Darius threw Daniel in the lions’ den. Throughout church history, millions have been tortured and killed for their … Continue reading “FACING PERSECUTION”

PSALM 16 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption (Psalm 16:10). No doubt David faced death many times. As battles raged around him and plots mounted to overthrow him, he knew well how fleeting life truly is. Yet through it all he maintained … Continue reading “NO FEAR OF DEATH”

PSALM 15 Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness (Psalm 15:1–2a). Returning to the Psalms, we examine David’s consideration of who may come into God’s presence. David realized many hypocrites praise God with their lips but do not honor Him with … Continue reading “A RIGHTEOUS STANDARD”

1 CORINTHIANS 15 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? (1 Cor. 15:12). One of the most critical questions asked of Christians is the inquiry concerning life after death. People want to know whether there … Continue reading “LIFE AFTER DEATH”

MATTHEW 23 “Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matthew 23:28). A popular reason for people abandoning the church is the claim that it is full of hypocrites. Usually such people were let down or hurt by someone in a church, and as a … Continue reading “THE SIN OF HYPOCRISY”