January 25, 2012

Hypocritical Condemnation – Judah and Tamar (1/25)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Genesis 38-40.

Genesis 38 is a tragedy caused by the moral bankruptcy of the individuals involved. First Judah’s son Er was killed for his wickedness (Genesis 38:7). With his widow Tamar left childless, the responsibility fell to his brother Onan to have children with her. He forsook this responsibility and was killed (Genesis 38:8-10). Then Judah told Tamar to remain unmarried until the third son, Shelah, was old enough to marry her (Genesis 38:11).

However, Judah did not honor his promise. So Tamar decided to trick her father-in-law, pose as a harlot, and commit fornication with him. In the process she conceived (Genesis 38:12-18). Eventually, her sin would be obvious.
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January 20, 2012

Esau Despised His Birthright (1/20)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Genesis 25-26.

Esau and Jacob, though twin brothers, were very different from one another. “Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents” (Genesis 25:27). One day when Esau returned from the field hungry, Jacob took advantage of the opportunity to secure the birthright in exchange for his stew.

“Esau said to Jacob, ‘Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished.’ … But Jacob said, ‘First sell me your birthright.’ Esau said, ‘Behold, I am about to die; so what use then is the birthright to me?’ And Jacob said, ‘First swear to me’; so he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. … Thus Esau despised his birthright” (Genesis 25:30-34).

The birthright, among other things, was the right of the firstborn to the greater inheritance. Esau forfeited long-term prosperity for short-term comfort. He gave away the firstborn’s inheritance for a single meal.
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January 17, 2012

Joel Osteen, Homosexuals, and Heaven

Joel Osteen, the popular mega-church preacher known for proclaiming the gospel of prosperity, was interviewed recently by Oprah and asked if he believed homosexuals would be in heaven. Osteen stated his belief that they would. He then explained that while he believed homosexuality was described as a sin in the Bible, he did not believe it was any worse than any other sin. Therefore, his conclusion was that since those who commit other sins will be in heaven, then homosexuals must be there as well.
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January 8, 2012

I Know That My Redeemer Lives (1/8)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Job 17-20.

“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth” (Job 19:25).

Job’s troubles were not going to be solved by his own actions. He understood this. Only God could deliver him. Despite the fact that his wife urged him to reject God (Job 2:9) and his friends repeatedly told him that God was the one who had afflicted him, Job held to his faith in the Lord. As long as his Redeemer lived, he had hope.
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October 21, 2011

Dealing with Threats to Unity within a Local Church

Recently I’ve preached  a few lessons about things that threaten unity within a local church. The outlines have been posted on my other site – DIY Sermon Outlines. Below is a list with links to the various lessons in that series.
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August 18, 2011

Someone Has His Father’s Wife

Disbelief

The church at Corinth had several problems that Paul needed to address in his first epistle. One notable problem was the case of the man who had taken his father’s wife and how the congregation had reacted to it. There are several lessons we should take from this. First, let us be reminded of the situation that existed there:

“It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife. You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst” (1 Corinthians 5:1-2).

Following this, Paul went on to describe the appropriate way to handle this situation. Let us notice some lessons from the brother in sin, the congregation, and what God wants us to understand about sin and His church.
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March 11, 2011

How Could a Loving God Send Anyone to Hell?

Many people struggle with the above question. We know that God, by His very nature, is love (1 John 4:8), and that hell is a place of eternal torments (Matthew 25:41, 46). How then could God condemn anyone to such a place? This does not fit with the concept many people have of a loving God. Therefore, many start to doubt the existence of hell or even the existence of God.

The Scriptures teach that God will send certain individuals to eternal punishment in hell. Not only that, but His doing so will not be inconsistent with His nature, but instead will be consistent with the way He is described in the Bible.
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