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The love of the truth is fundamental to salvation. This is not a new revelation. This has been a fundamental since day-one of our human existence. The God who requires that we love the truth today is the same God who made it a requirement in the beginning. The next few editions of these messages will be devoted to showing that what we have just stated is true, namely, that the love of the truth has always been essential to salvation.

God instructed the first humans as to what they had to do to continue in fellowship with Him. They were capable of obeying Him, and His instructions…  ( Click for more )

Special problems faced the saints at Thessalonica. Some of them had been deceived into thinking that the second coming of Christ was to occur immediately. Paul wrote them to correct this error and to present them with the evidence needed to recognize such error in the future. The principles still apply. It is from his writings that this series is titled.

Read a portion of the text from which this phrase comes: “And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do…  ( Click for more )

With this message we begin an open-ended series; your critical reading is earnestly requested.

The love of the truth is a fundamental. If it is missed, there are no substitutes. One cannot “make up for” the love of the truth by doubling up on prayers, or sacrifices or fasts or penances or by doing any other duty or by performing any other privilege. A skillful artisan of wood can cover his errors and make it such that none could ever detect the small flaws in his work; after so long a time the artisan himself may even forget the improperly aimed blow of the hammer…  ( Click for more )

"To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen." (Jude 1.25). This word of glory which recognizes the rightful and eternal place of God is just what the phrase implies – a word of glory. Jude’s entire epistle revolves around the need to recognize God’s authority, but to recognize it in word AND in deed. This message also revolves around the need to honor God in deed and not merely in word.

We stand on the eve of the day which is styled Christmas. In millions of homes during this season,…  ( Click for more )

The decision to make Jesus Lord of Lord and King of Kings was made in a time and place that was totally outside the realm of human influences. The actual elevation and coronation of the Lamb of God to His current position of Authority and Dominion was also completed in a time and place that was outside the realm of human influences. Furthermore, the continuing Dominion and Power wielded by our King is achieved completely outside the realm of human influences. These things are said to establish this one point: The Kingdom of the Lamb was likened to earthly kingdoms for our sakes,…  ( Click for more )

Dominion and Power belong to the One who sits on the throne and to the Lamb (see Jude 1.25 and Revelation 5.13-14). This means that this descriptive phrase is applicable "…Both now and forever. Amen." (Jude 1.25). In the human experience we have not, yea cannot, know of a comparable kingdom or King.

Our mortal existence mandates that rulers vacate their offices and that they be replaced by another, if for no other reason due to death. The kingdom in which our Lord reigns is not such a kingdom nor will He ever vacate His throne. There are several implications…  ( Click for more )

Jude spoke of the fact that glory and majesty and Dominion and power belong to God, "…Both now and forever. Amen." (Jude 1.25). John saw a kingdom in which the Lamb reigned eternal (Revelation 5.13-14). Daniel prophesied that "…the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed" (Daniel 2.44). These are not different and competing kingdoms but they are one and the same. This kingdom is similar in some ways to earthly kingdoms but it is dissimilar in other ways. Consider these points as we continue this study.

Connect the…  ( Click for more )

Jude wrote: "To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen." (Jude 1.25). Dominion and Power belong to God. We noted previously an awesome scene before God’s throne, the one which John saw in a vision. It ended like this: "‘Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!’ Then the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever." (Revelation…  ( Click for more )

Focus Text: Jude 1.25

The third and fourth major points of this miniseries taken from Jude’s Doxology are Dominion and Power, respectively. Jude writes, "To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen." (Jude 1.25). As has been stated earlier, it is not a question of whether or not we grant Dominion and Power to God; He possesses the same by the mere fact that He is God; God has Dominion and Power by definition! Since there is considerable overlap in the definitions of the two words, Dominion and Power,…  ( Click for more )

Jude and the Hebrews writer were the only two New Testament scribes to use the term Majesty. It is probably not by happenstance that each of them used the term to refer to Deity rather than humanity, or as we have styled before, Majesty belongs to God.

In his second usage of the word, the author of Hebrews said, "Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man."…  ( Click for more )

Majesty belongs to God. As Jude put it, "To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen." (Jude 1.25). Perhaps the best way to begin this discussion is by thinking about the way we use the term Majesty in our culture.

In countries that are ruled my monarchs, it is quite common to refer to those at the top of the government as "Your Majesty." This is the case whether the ruler is a king or a queen. Those who address the king or queen commonly refer to them as His Majesty or His/Her Royal Majesty.…  ( Click for more )

Glory belongs to God. As Jude put it, "To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen." (Jude 1.25). We concluded our previous installment with these words: "The Glory of God is not a glory to be compared with the glory of man. Don’t make the mistake of creating God in your image but see yourself as a creature made in His image!"

Even of the realm in which God exists Paul wrote, "All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another…  ( Click for more )

"To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen." (Jude 1.25). A benediction is man asking of God the blessings he thinks he needs; a doxology is man’s attempt to ascribe to God the blessings and honor He deserves. This, the final verse of Jude’s doxology, lifts God to His rightful place and mentions four great avenues or themes of blessings: 1) Glory, 2) Majesty, 3) Dominion, and 4) Power. These, Jude says, are to be recognized "Both how and forever." This ten-part miniseries will look…  ( Click for more )

Focus Text: Luke 22.39-46

There were very few people who loved Jesus more than His apostles (save Judas, of course). However, on this fateful night, even their great love for Him could not stay the exhaustion that their sorrow brought upon them. The time had come! Jesus was on this very night to be betrayed into the hands of sinners and begin the arduous and excruciating journey to Calvary.

“Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, ‘Pray that you may not enter…  ( Click for more )

Focus Text: Isaiah 52.1-3

Jesus slept at some odd times, at least the way His disciples saw it. He slept while a storm on the Sea of Galilee terrified them horribly (see Matthew 14.23-27). Sometimes, Jesus’ disciples slept at the most inopportune time, like the time of His imminent arrest and death (see Matthew 26.36-46). Sometimes other people in the New Testament fell asleep resulting in almost laughable, if not so serious, consequences (for example Eutychus in Acts 20.7-12). However, no case of sleepiness was more unfortunate, inopportune, and deadly than the spiritual…  ( Click for more )

Focus Text: Matthew 23.37-38

Hear more of Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate” (Matthew 23.37-38). We will focus on a portion of this text as we continue our theme of Jesus Wept while Jerusalem Slept!

The term “how often” suggests that Jesus’ wish for Jerusalem was not a fleeting feeling;…  ( Click for more )

Focus Text: Matthew 23.1-15

Only a couple of days had passed since Jesus had wept as He entered the great city of Jerusalem (Luke 19.41). When He came into the city, He found what He had always found – men consumed with doing evil in the name of religion. His passion for truth and His compassion for those who followed these evil leaders moved Him to cleanse the Temple of these hypocrites and to denounce their evil ways (Luke 19.45-46).

This was not the only time He had purged the temple of these types of influences; He first did this about three years previous at the…  ( Click for more )

Focus Text: Luke 19.41-46

Passion and compassion are closely connected words. In fact, if one looks closely at the word compassion, he will find passion nested inside of it. Passion defined connects with love, affection, devotion, and similar emotions for some thing or some one. By definition, compassion connects with other people. As people, we may be passionate about many things, e.g., our jobs, our cars, our boats, our things! However, compassion defined involves other human beings and feelings of empathy for their condition. Jesus was passionate and compassionate. Jerusalem…  ( Click for more )

I asked my friend what was the most radical position, in a religious context, he had ever seen where a matter of judgment was held to the exclusion of doctrine. In other words, what had he witnessed people do that may have been right in itself, but when pressed to extremes, became harmful or even contradictory to other Bible teachings. He began to talk about a couple of things, one of them being the Lord’s Supper and how it was observed; he also mentioned how some had pressed the idea of one [communion] cup to the point of making it a matter of fellowship.

I had a hidden…  ( Click for more )

Focus Text: Mark 10.13-16

“Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.’ And He took them up in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them.” (Mark 10.13-16)

The disciples who rebuked those who were…  ( Click for more )

Focus Text: Luke 19.37-40

“Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying: ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’ And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, ‘Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.’ But He answered and said to them, ‘I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.’”…  ( Click for more )

This message completes our brief study of the subject of mercy. We will use it to summarize some of our findings as well as to present a final challenge regarding mercy.

The Bible teaches that God is the Father of mercies (2 Corinthians 1.3-4). This means that He is the origination point from which all mercy has derived. He is not only the point of origin, He is also the Champion of mercy in its various forms and in innumerable instances. Hence, to speak of God as the Father of mercies is but to affirm His constant character of ultimate goodness especially when it come…  ( Click for more )

Can I depend on God’s mercy to save me? The Universalists seem to think that God’s love, mercy, and grace will ultimately triumph over all evil, resulting in the eternal salvation of every mortal who ever lived. Is this a proper concept of mercy? If not, what view ought I to adopt concerning God’s mercy and those to whom it is manifested?

Some fundamentals are in order. Though God’s love, mercy, and grace are essential to the salvation of every soul, none of these can save apart from a righteous response from the hearer of the gospel. God’ love is…  ( Click for more )

No study of mercy could be complete with considering the 136th Psalm. It is quoted in its entirety here. It is not difficult to discover its theme. Read it slowly and let it's truth sink deep into your heart.

1Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

2Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever.

3Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever:

4To Him who alone does great wonders, For His mercy endures forever;

5 To Him who by wisdom made the heavens, For His mercy endures forever;

6…  ( Click for more )