“I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” (John 11:42)
There are some people who refuse to pray in public, because of the warning Jesus gave in Matthew 6 against praying on street corners in order to be seen by men. But although perhaps from sincere motives, these misgivings are not right. There is a place for sincere public prayer — and Jesus modeled it for us here. Continue reading
“Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?'” (John 11:40)
These words of Jesus, spoken to Martha before He raised Lazarus from the dead, could well have been spoken to each of us, in our own personal situations. It is such an amazing promise; it should be one of our most quoted, and most referenced verses, in all the word of God. This is what it is all about: “If you believe, you will see the glory of God.” Continue reading
I have never in my lifetime seen the kind of vindictiveness expressed towards a president as we have seen evidenced towards President Trump: the hatred, lack of submission, people saying “He’s not my President”, etc. I was not a big fan President Obama, but the Bible teaches us that we are to respect governing authorities, so I never called him “Obummer”, or some of those other derogatory names, or say that he wasn’t my President. The truth is, that the men who are duly elected, ARE our President, whether we like it or not. It is our choice whether we will love them, pray for them, and cooperate with them.
And it is the same with Jesus Christ. We saw last week that He is the King of the Universe. That is a fact. HE IS KING, whether you like it or not; but it is your choice whether you will accept Him here on earth, and cooperate with Him. Those who choose to believe in Him, and cooperate with Him, are called His “disciples.” And these first verses of Matthew 5 tell us something about the relationship of the King and His disciples. Continue reading
“‘… and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord, I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.” John 11:26-27)
Martha’s statement here was a great confession of her faith in Jesus in general. But here she faced a very specific crisis in her life: her beloved brother Lazarus had died. What about that faith now? Continue reading
“… and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:26)
Jesus’ claim to be the resurrection and the life is so significant, and so frequently quoted, that the last sentence in verse 26 is often often missed. But that last little sentence is a vital one. Continue reading
“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)
These words of Jesus are some of the most familiar in the New Testament. But they come as Jesus’ answer to Martha’s confession that her brother Lazarus, now dead, would “rise again on the resurrection on the last day.” Martha was putting her faith in the FUTURE; in a DOCTRINE: “the resurrrection … the last day.” But Jesus indicates here that there was more than that, and it was available for her right NOW! Continue reading
I served as pastor of Southern Baptist churches in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana for almost 30 years before taking a medical leave from the pastorate in February 2013 due to dysautonomia (POTS) and moving to Norman, Oklahoma. Blessed with renewed health, I was called as Senior Pastor of Pleasant Ridge Baptist in Morganton, NC in February 2015.
In this blog I share daily devotions from my own personal Bible readings, as well as sermons, book reviews, illustrations -- and occasional humorous "peeks" at life inside this pastor's home!
