Sermons and Biblical Studies

I once preached a sermon in which I said that the Lord is self-sufficient and does not really need us. I bothered some people by that, for they thought the Lord really needed them. They thought that if they should resign or retire, the Lord would have to scramble to find someone who could take … Continue reading “INDISPENSABILITY:
PRIDEFUL THOUGHTS OF”

I once heard a very fine speaker, an effective preacher, describe what he had found in the emotional responses of an audience. He said he had told the story of a faithful old sheep dog. In the midst of a great storm, the herder knew that 11 young lambs were missing. Once, twice, three times … Continue reading “INDIFFERENCE;
APATHY; JESUS CHRIST: HIS DEATH”

Our lofty idealism would argue that all Christians should be perfect, but a blunt realism forces us to admit that perfection is rare even among the saints. The part of wisdom is to accept our Christian brothers and sisters for what they are rather than for what they should be.… There is much that is … Continue reading “IMPERFECTIONS
OF MEN”

We take it for granted and we are not surprised at all about the eternal nature of God but the greater wonder is that God has seen fit to put His own everlastingness within the hearts of men and women.… I believe that this is the truth about our troubles and our problems: We are … Continue reading “IMMORTALITY;
SIN: CONSEQUENCES OF; MAN: SPIRITUAL SEARCHING”

It was then that Paul wrote a letter to a young friend, Timothy. “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure” (2 Timothy 4:6), he wrote. He knew that death was near, so he wrote on: “I have fought a good fight” (4:7)—past perfect … Continue reading “IMMORTALITY;
ETERNITY; DEATH: TRIUMPH IN”

A purified and Spirit-controlled imagination is, however, quite another thing, and it is this I have in mind here. I long to see the imagination released from its prison and given to its proper place among the sons of the new creation. What I am trying to describe here is the sacred gift of seeing, … Continue reading “IMAGINATION;
WONDER”

Now brethren, this is one of our greatest faults in our Christian lives. We are allowing too many rivals of God. We actually have too many gods. We have too many irons in the fire. We have too much theology that we don’t understand. We have too much churchly institutionalism. We have too much religion. … Continue reading “IDOLATRY;
RIVALS OF GOD”

We who are involved in the upward gaze of this long-range faith identify ourselves with Jesus Christ forever! We are satisfied that God is at work. We are satisfied to be misunderstood for Christ’s sake. We are willing to be treated as the minority, for the people of God are always in the minority in … Continue reading “IDENTITY
WITH CHRIST; ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE”

We should all be aware by this time that one way the devil has of getting rid of something is to make jokes about it. Every one of us needs to be warned often about the corruption of our minds by the papers and magazines and entertainment. There is a legitimate humor, and we all … Continue reading “HUMOR:
PROPER PLACE OF”

One of the most shocking things in the church is the dirty-mouthed Christian who always walks on the borderline. There is no place for borderline stories that embarrass some people, and there is nothing about sex or the human body that is funny if your mind is clean. There was once a gathering of officers, … Continue reading “HUMOR:
OFF-COLOR”