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November 12,2007; I have eaten Ashes like Bread

Focus Text: Psalm 102.8-11

“My enemies reproach me all day long, Those who deride me swear an oath against me. For I have eaten ashes like bread, And mingled my drink with weeping, Because of Your indignation and Your wrath; For You have lifted me up and cast me away. My days are like a shadow that lengthens, And I wither away like grass.” (Psalm 102.8-11).

The 102Psalm from which today’s focus text is taken has an introductory statement at its beginning; it reads as follows: “A Prayer of the afflicted…  ( Click for more )

Nov. 9,2007; The Series - Jesus, Unique & Unequaled Teacher

Focus Text: Matthew 16.29-32

Jesus said to the Sadducees, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.” (Matthew 22.29). We are limiting our comments to the first of His two charges, i.e., “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures…”

I was mistaken once when I failed to properly follow directions to a restaurant; I was also mistaken not long ago when I failed to read the time correctly. The Sadducees were mistaken, but in an entirely different way.…  ( Click for more )

Nov. 8,2007; The Series - Jesus, Unique & Unequaled Teacher

Focus Text: Matthew 16.22-29

Detractors with specific agendas frequently set traps for their “victims.” Such was certainly the case when the things noted in today’s focus text unfolded. “The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying: ‘Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had…  ( Click for more )

Nov. 7,2007; The Series - Jesus, Unique & Unequaled Teacher

Focus Text: Matthew 16.20-23

Detractors don’t always wear the uniform of the obvious enemy; frequently they come dressed in the garb of a friend. Jesus’ detractors were sometimes from within His own camp, and sometimes from even the most unexpected sources from within that select group. Today’s message will look at one such detractor (for however brief a period) and how Jesus responded to his comments.

“Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus…  ( Click for more )

Nov. 6,2007; The Series - Jesus, Unique & Unequaled Teacher

Focus Text: Mark 3.13-21

I wonder what would have happened in 1948 on the morning after the presidential election if Harry Truman had believed the headlines of the Chicago Daily Tribune, the headlines which boldly proclaimed, “Dewey Defeats Truman.” I wonder what would have happened if George Foreman had believed his critics who said a man over 40 could never compete against the young guns coming up in boxing (Hint: You’d probably be eating greasy hamburgers instead of ones with the fat grilled…  ( Click for more )

November 5,2007; Monday Miscellany

Focus Text: Galatians 4.1-6

Dickens opened A Tale of Two Cities with, “It was the best of times; It was the worst of times.” The atomic clock link on my computer says it is twenty-five hours later that it was twenty-four hours ago. The worldtimeserver.com website can literally tell me what time it is in almost any spot on the globe. There certainly are many, many ways of looking at time, and all of them have their merits. However, time really is something that deserves our careful consideration, especially when it comes to spiritual…  ( Click for more )

Nov. 2,2007; The Series - Jesus, Unique & Unequaled Teacher

Focus Text: Matthew 21.45-46

“Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.” (Matthew 21.45-46).

It is a clear fact that Jesus could read the thoughts and innermost secrets of men’s hearts if He chose to do so. Sometimes people silently thought things around Him and He miraculously “intercepted” their thoughts and…  ( Click for more )

Nov. 1,2007; The Series - Jesus, Unique & Unequaled Teacher

Focus Text: Matthew 21.45

Perceptions can be wrong; sometimes they are directly opposite the facts; sometimes they are accurate. In the case of the chief priests and Pharisees, their perception about one matter was dead on. “Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His [Jesus’] parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.” (Matthew 21.45).

Actually the word “perceived” in the focus text is not as strong as it could be; the underlying Greek word is used 223 times…  ( Click for more )

Oct. 31,2007; The Series - Jesus, Unique & Unequaled Teacher

Focus Text: Matthew 21.40-44

After telling the parable of the wicked vinedressers, Jesus posed a question to the religious leaders in Jerusalem; He asked, “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” (Matthew 21.40). In spite of their unwillingness or inabilities to follow the Scriptures, these men certainly responded correctly to Jesus’ question! They bluntly stated, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other…  ( Click for more )

Oct. 30,2007; Jesus – Unique & Unequaled Teacher (the series)

Focus Text: Matthew 21.33-40

In dealing with the hardhearted religious leaders of His day, Jesus told the following parable:

“There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.…  ( Click for more )

Monday Miscellany; October 29,2007;

Focus Text: Isaiah 55.8-9

It was just a routine doctor’s visit that took me into the crowded metropolitan area. I turned into the parking lot reserved for all the patients who had a doctor in the multistory office building in which my doctor also had an office. As fortune would have it, the parking lot was jam-packed. I drove up one row and down the next looking diligently for a place to park my car, but without success for quite a while. Finally after minutes of searching and with patience getting thin, I spotted a spot and wheeled…  ( Click for more )

Oct. 26,2007; Part 12 of TBD

Focus Text: Matthew 4.13-17

“And leaving Nazareth, He [Jesus] came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.’ From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent,…  ( Click for more )

Oct. 25,2007; Part 11 of TBD

Focus Text: Matthew 21.28-32

If we listen carefully, compliments come from all sorts of unexpected places. I, like most people, appreciate a genuine compliment and so I listen carefully just in case one is passed and I fail to hear it! The two women that I was visiting had consistently caused trouble of one sort or another in the congregation where I was preaching. I called on them, hoping to understand them better and come away with some hope of how we might work together more effective for the cause of Christ. While talking to them, I learned…  ( Click for more )

Oct. 24,2007; Part 10 of TBD

Focus Text: Matthew 21.28-32

Calloused hearts are not the kind of soil in which the seed of the gospel will grow. For that reason, Jesus warned His followers to beware of false teachers and others whose motives are not genuine. In this series we have sampled how Jesus dealt with the chief priests and elders who came and confronted Him in the temple. After absolutely stopping their mouths with superior reasoning, Jesus directly proceeded to tell two parables, both of which were aimed at them and their ilk. In this view of Jesus, the unique and…  ( Click for more )

Oct. 23,2007; Part 9 of TBD

Focus Text: Matthew 21.23-27

There’s no dilemma like a real dilemma! Jesus knew (knows) about dilemmas; He was confronted with a false one in the focus text and He responded with a real one. Let’s examine this amazing event and the reasoning power of Jesus.

The false dilemma, though it was thinly veiled by the chief priests and elders, was, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” As members of the Sanhedrin, these questioners were in positions of authority granted by men. From…  ( Click for more )

The Last Suit You Wear

Monday Miscellany; October 22,2007

Focus Text: 1 Timothy 6.6-10

“The Last Suit You Wear,” as performed by Larry Sparks was one of IBMA’s (International Bluegrass Music Association’s) 2007 nominees for “Song of the Year.” I don’t know all the lyrics, but it has two great lines and the title that are the focal points of today’s message. These lines are great because they are true, and because they express truths that are vital to all of humanity. Consider these truths as we administer Today’s…  ( Click for more )

Oct. 19,2007; Part 8 of TBD

Focus Text: Matthew 21.23-25

Is it right to answer a question with a question? Let’s let Jesus answer this question and then reason as to when and how such might be appropriate.

“Now when He [Jesus] came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?’ But Jesus answered and said to them, ‘I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what…  ( Click for more )

Oct. 18,2007; Part 7 of TBD

Focus Text: Matthew 21.23-27

Jesus “practiced what He preached” when it came to being discriminating in His teaching of others. With the background of our previous two messages in mind (messages on the need to judge and to be discriminating regarding our hearers), you are asked to read (or reread if you have been following this series from the beginning) the focus text and today’s message.

“Now when He [Jesus] came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and…  ( Click for more )

Oct. 17,2007; Part 6 of TBD

Focus Text: Matthew 7.6 & John 7.24

Discrimination – is it a good thing or a bad thing? What if someone said that Jesus frequently discriminated when it came to teaching other people? Would you take that as a good thing, or would you be offended that someone accused Jesus of such practices. The answer is not as simple as one might think; consider this basic question in today’s message.

First, we will look at a modern definition of discrimination taken from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth…  ( Click for more )

Oct. 16,2007; Part 5 of TBD

Focus Text: Matthew 7.1-20

Do you agree that it would be a terrible thing to put words into Jesus’ mouth? What about claiming that He said one thing when in fact He said another? How would this be different from telling a lie about Him? Or, would it be different? Yet, day after day many people, some of them with totally blasé attitudes, put words into the mouth of Jesus, the Unique and Unequaled Teacher. Let’s see how they affront our Savior.

Let’s start by quoting the best known verse in the Bible (this is my opinion…  ( Click for more )

October 15,2007; The Power of "Un"

Focus Text: Isaiah 1.16-20

Consider the following list of words: Wise, holy, thankful, just, lawful, worthy, merciful, loving, forgiven, fruitful, godly, penitent, righteous, clean, believing, faithful, profitable. Do you like this list of words? Do you see these words as positive human attributes/conditions? To anyone who actually loves God, this list is a virtual recipe for success both here on in eternity. Now let’s turn that list around.

Consider each of the words again from this list. Now, in order to illustrate…  ( Click for more )

Oct. 12,2007; Part 4 of TBD

Focus Text: Matthew 21.23-27

It has been said, mistakenly, that time heals all wounds. However, if the Jewish Sanhedrin [the supreme Jewish judicial, ecclesiastical, and administrative council in ancient Jerusalem] was wounded by the seemingly radical actions of Jesus in cleansing the temple (see Matthew 21.12-13), they certainly did not allow time for healing to occur! In twenty-four hours or less after Jesus cast out the moneychangers, the elders and chief priests confronted Him as He walked and taught in the temple. This confrontation is…  ( Click for more )

Oct. 11,2007; Part 3 of TBD

Focus Text: Matthew 26.52-56

There is something to be said for the WWJD [What Would Jesus Do?] mentality; however here is an indisputable fact: No one can know what Jesus would do without knowing what Jesus did! In other words, it is fruitless to discuss what Jesus would do in any given circumstance if we do not know with certainty what Jesus did while here upon this earth. Those who brandish the WWJD acronym must either trust the written record of Jesus’ life (i.e. the Bible), or they ought to admit they simply do not know what Jesus would…  ( Click for more )

Oct. 10,2007; Part 2 of TBD

Focus Text: Matthew 21.23-27

What Would Jesus Do [WWJD]… if someone publicly asked Him a crucial religious question, a question that if left unanswered could result in the loss of a soul? Would He attempt to study in private with the querist, hoping to avoid a public confrontation, but yet capitalizing on the possibility of teaching a lost soul? Would He seize the opportunity to respond to the inquiry, teaching the lost person but at the same time demonstrating His superior knowledge of the subject and impressing other hearers for good?…  ( Click for more )