Sermons and Biblical Studies

Persistence of the spiritual yearning is often ruined by side interests. God wants His people to talk Christ and to think Christ and to dream Christ and to love His Word and His ways and to be so dedicated to it that the conversation normally swings around to it when they’re together. And I do … Continue reading “DEDICATION;
REVIVAL: CONDITIONS FOR; APATHY”

The “dedicated” matador would likely win some sort of prize for sheer absurdity and may be allowed to stand as the uncrowned champion of all those who seek to waste their lives in the most foolish way. But dedication to vanity is not confined to bullfighters. The truth is, dedication of the life to anything … Continue reading “DEDICATION;
LIFE PURPOSE; ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE”

There was Brother Lawrence, the man who practiced the presence of God. He wouldn’t pick up a straw from the ground but for the love of God. When he was dying, they said, “What are you doing, Brother Lawrence?” He said, “I’m doing what I plan to do through all eternity—worship God. When I die … Continue reading “DEATH:
TRIUMPH IN; WORSHIP: FOR ETERNITY”

Death is not the worst thing that can happen to a person!… For the Christian, death is a journey to the eternal world. It is a victory, a rest, a delight. I am sure my small amount of physical suffering in life has been mild compared with Paul’s. But I think I have some understanding … Continue reading “DEATH:
TRIUMPH IN; HEAVEN: LONGING FOR; WORLD: CONTENTMENT WITH”

I recall that there was a good man of God by the name of Samuel Rutherford, whose witness shone like a star in dark England in days gone by. He was a poet, an author, and a great preacher—a man who loved Jesus probably better than any man of his times. His convictions were unpopular … Continue reading “DEATH:
TRIUMPH IN”

We share with other believers the hope that for many of us the return of Christ may circumvent death and project us into the Immaculate Presence without the necessity of dying. But if not, then let there be no gloomy faces among the few that gather to pay their last regards. We lived with the … Continue reading “DEATH:
PREPARATION FOR; FUNERALS”

It is in the record of the early Methodists in England, when there was persecution and testing in every direction, that John Wesley was able to say, “Our people die well!” In more recent years, I have heard a quotation from a denominational bishop who estimated that only about ten percent of the men are … Continue reading “DEATH:
PREPARATION FOR”

With the promises of God so distinct and beautiful, it is unbecoming that a Christian should make such a fearful thing of death. The fact that we Christians do display a neurosis about dying indicates that we are not where we ought to be spiritually. If we had actually reached a place of such spiritual … Continue reading “DEATH:
NO FEAR OF; HEAVEN: LONGING FOR”

I once heard a Methodist bishop say that when he was a very young minister he was called to the bedside of an elderly woman who had obviously but a few hours left for this world. The bishop admitted that he was badly frightened, but the old saint was completely relaxed and radiantly happy. He … Continue reading “DEATH:
NO FEAR OF”

There is nothing heroic about our passing, leaving families and friends, but then, death is never heroic and it is never kind. Death is never artistic, always much more likely to be crude and messy and humiliating. The preacher who once stood with strength and keenness to preach the living Word of God to dying … Continue reading “DEATH:
ENEMY; DEATH: TRIUMPH IN; HEAVEN: CERTAINTY OF”