Category: Epistles

10-Jun-18 II Corinthians 4:7-18   Not many of us here this morning would describe a particularly horrible time of suffering in our lives as a slight momentary affliction. In fact very few of us would ever describe any kind of suffering that we have endured as a slight momentary affliction. I don’t think it would […]

06-May-18 1 John 5:1-5 From time to time, a good thing for us to do is to check our identity. Usually when we think of making an assessment of our identity, the first question that arises is, “Who am I in this world? Where do I fit in this big, round chunk of rock that […]

11-Mar-18 Ephesians 2:1-10 Oftentimes, in the Scriptures, the normal definitions of being dead and being alive don’t really apply. And this can be confusing because most of us, being the practical sorts that we are, tend to believe that we know the difference between being dead and being alive. Being alive, for instance, generally implies […]

11-Feb-18 II Corinthians 4:1-6 The Apostle Paul is putting himself into a very dangerous spot in our passage this morning. He’s putting himself into the trust of a group people who do not trust him at all. On the surface, this is a rather stupid thing for him to do. It is brave, but stupid. […]

21-Jan-18 1Corinthians 6:9-20 I have come to enjoy these lists of aberrant behaviors in the Scriptures, because they provide me with a wonderful opportunity to promote my self righteousness. If you are anything like me, you have probably already satisfied yourself that like me, you have probably already satisfied yourself, that like me, you are […]

21-May-17 I Peter 2:18-25 We do not like slavery. The very idea of it is repulsive to us. It is inconceivable to us that one person could own another human being. To us, that is the most basic violation of human rights. This becomes especially true when we realize, that as Christians, we cannot truly […]

07-May-17 I Peter 1:6-9 May grace and peace be yours in abundance! And blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! These two greetings, one for one another as fellow exiles and refugees, and one for God who has given us a new birth, a living hope, and an eternal inheritance that […]

30-April-17 I Peter 1:3-5 May grace and peace be yours in abundance! Last week we began our sermon time, and ended it, for that matter, with a wonderful greeting for our fellow exiles and refugees on this planet. This week we begin with a wonderful greeting for God. “Blessed be the God and Father of […]

04-Dec-16 Romans 15:1-7 It has been said that church is the only place that we willingly and joyfully and regularly go where we will interact, fellowship, and worship with people that we would ordinarily have no other reason to associate with. I’m totally convinced that this is one of the most apt descriptions of the […]

27-Nov-16 Romans 13:11-14 A Thanksgiving tradition in my family is the exchanging of Christmas lists. Once the abundance of food on the dining room table has been acceptably reduced to dividable leftovers, out come the Christmas lists. The reason for this, of course, is that the end is near; there isn’t much time left, and […]