“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:15-17) The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to Christians living in the small city of Colossae around A.D. 62 while im

“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” (Romans 13:11) What does the Apostle mean when he, speaking to believers, says “…now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” ? Was not our salvation a reality the moment we believed. Is it not true that…                         “The moment a sinner believes,                         And trusts in his crucified God;                       

“And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then thou shalt cut it down.”  (Luke 13:8, 9) Fruit-bearing trees follow natural cycles marking the years of their existence. There is a season for digging, pruning, caring, etc. There is a season for harvest when fruit is expected. If no fruit appears then the caretaker must wonder, why. After one fruitless year, the tree is allo

“Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said, Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it. Then Job answered the LORD, and said, Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.”  (Job 40:1-5) At the beginning of the book, Job is a wealthy man living in a land called Uz with his large family and extensive floc

“Then they said, “Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, let us strike him with the tongue, and let us not pay attention to any of his words.”  Jeremiah 18:18 (ESV) Jeremiah reveals to us the words of men in his day. These were the words of men who were very religious, who believed they were the people of God, who believed that they knew the truth, but were utterly

“And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.”  (II Chronicles 20:15) A great army surrounds Judah, and all hope seems lost. Earlier, enemies had snuck around the territory, preparing to attack, and by the time King Jehoshaphat discovered the plot, it was already too late. This was an evil, malic

“Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?”  (Isaiah 53:1) “But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?”  (Romans 10:16) A number of important facts are revealed in Paul’s statement in our second text, in which he makes reference to Isaiah’s complaint, which was recorded over seven centuries before. Clearly, he realized that he and the Prophet Isaiah shared the very same concern, though their

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”  (I Timothy 6:10) The first letter to Timothy is a Pastoral Epistle written by the apostle Paul, in roughly AD 63-66, to his travelling companion and surrogate son, Timothy. Timothy had a strong upbringing in the faith despite having a Greek father, as he was instructed by his mother, Eunice, and grandmother, Lois.

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”  (Hebrews 10:25) The lack of church attendance in America is not due to having so much spiritual life in the soul that church attendance has become unnecessary. This is how our wandering generation likes to paint it. Many say, “I’m good spiritually. I do not need church, or so much church.” Sadly, even churches have bo

“And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:59-62) At this point in the Gospel of Luk

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.” “There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” “The Law of the LORD is perfect, convicting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”  (Psalm 19:1, 3, 7) We have no way of knowing the time or occasion of this Psalm’s original composition, only that David wrote it and submitted it to the chief musician for use in the sanctuary. We have no need to know

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”   (Titus 3:5-7) Titus was a Greek follower of Jesus and a trusted acquaintance of the Apostle Paul, having provided aid during past crises. Paul had assigned Tit

“Go cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown." (Jeremiah 2:2) These were the words of Jehovah to His ancient people, as He remembers their sweet love and trust back when the nation was first born. Only very calloused hearts could hear such an appeal as this and remain unmoved. Let us consider these words spoken to

“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” (Ephesians 2:1-3) The story of how Pa

“Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.”  (Isaiah 45:24, 25) It is an honor to preach a Gospel of guaranteed success, one that also has universal appeal and invitation. Note Vs. 22: “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth.” Therefore, we take the Gospel to every creature, acc

“And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods. But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?”  (II Chronicles 2:5-6) In the second chapter of the book, King Solomon speaks with King Hiram of Tyre to request materials and skilled workers to aid in the construction of the temple of the Lord. Solomon expresses

“I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.” (Zephaniah 3:18) One might feel as if the text was written for the present day. If the Lord had fixed His eyes on the condition of the Church just now and had written this passage for this generation of Christians, it could scarcely have been better suited. It was written to encourage the faithful remnant of captive Israel, who were sorrowful and burdene

“Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”  (I Corinthians 6:18-20) Paul is writing this letter to the Corinthian Church, seeking unity as well as providing

“And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. And God spake unto Israel…and said Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt….I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.”  (Genesis 46:1-4) Jacob’s sons had recently returned from Egypt with glad

“He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.” (Jeremiah 10:12) In this passage (Vs. 1-16), the prophet shows the glory of Israel's God and exposes the folly of idolaters. Charms and other attempts to obtain supernatural help are copied from the wicked customs of the heathen. We should always remember to stand in awe, and not dare provoke God, by giving that glory to another which is d