There are two fundamental problems with the religious outlook of most people in the world, and Romans 10:3 reveals both of them: “For not knowing about the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.”
— The first problem most people have is that they have no concept of just how holy God is: Continue reading
A Christian disciple from India came to the United States a few years ago, and made the tour of a number of our Baptist churches, both observing and speaking. After a few weeks, he asked a question of his host. He said he had enjoyed the worship services, and the preaching, and the fellowships, and he noted all the good food they had eaten together at their Baptist churches. “But” he asked, “When do you fast?” That’s a good question. When DO we fast?
As we continue our series, “The Disciplines of Disciples”, we have seen that Jesus commands those who would come after Him to deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow Him. And we have seen that there are a number of spiritual disciplines which we are to adopt as His disciples, including daily time in God’s word & prayer, spontaneous praying throughout the day, and scripture memory. This morning we will look at another discipline, but one which has received scant attention from most Baptists, and that is the discipline of fasting. Continue reading
Won’t a person go to heaven no matter what they believe, just as long as they are sincere? The Apostle Paul wrote otherwise: “For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.” (Romans 10:2) Continue reading
In Mark 3:24 Jesus responded to the Jewish leaders who accused Him of casting out demons through Satan’s power by saying “if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom is not able to stand.” His word made sense in His present situation, but it also applies to some of ours. Continue reading
Although animals have many good qualities, and many of us have been blessed by their faithfulness and labor, there are some ways in which we are not to be like them. Psalm 32:9 admonishes: “Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding …” Continue reading
(Preached at Pleasant Ridge Baptist, Morganton, NC 6-28-15)
It has been a very disappointing week for Bible-believing Christians, the Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage at the top of the list. But we have much to be thankful for — including the blood of Jesus the choir just sung about — and that never changes! Because of what Jesus did for us, like that song says, we owe our lives, our all. And we will show how much that truth has impacted our lives in many ways — not least of all through our giving. When you love, you want to give.
One day last week Cheryl took our oldest grand baby, Corley Jane, to Walmart, and when I looked at the sacks when she got home, I said; “You have more bags of toys for Corley than you do for our food!” Cheryl said: “They aren’t all toys; there are some clothes and sandals in there too!”
Of course, grandparents are famous (or infamous!) for buying things for their grandchildren, and the reason, of course, is that we often demonstrate our love by the way that we give. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:21) In other words, you are willing to spend money on what is important to you. If you want to see where a person’s heart is, just follow their checkbook (or their debit card these days!) — what they spend money on will lead you to what is most important to them.
This morning as we continue our study, “The Disciplines of Disciples”, we remember that Jesus did not call us to merely “come to church”, but to “Follow Me”! We have seen that there are a number of ways in which we are called in the Bible to discipline ourselves and follow the Lord, among them a morning prayer time, as well as spontaneous prayer throughout the day; daily Bible reading and scripture memory; and some more “horizontal” disciplines, like fellowship and service in the church, and evangelism. Today we are going to look at a discipline which should be a part of every disciple’s life: the discipline of giving. As we will observe in our passage in Genesis 28, it’s not merely about money, but gets right to heart of what being a disciple is all about:
“Then Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the LORD will be my God. This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.'”
Christians in America have been dismayed by many recent events in our country, the Supreme Court decision regarding same-sex marriage prominent among them. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by what seems to be an unrelenting tide of ungodliness, and to throw up one’s hands and say like the Psalmist did at one point: “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (11:3) But all is not lost. Psalm 2 reminds us of that. Continue reading
Eric Metaxas’ biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer contains a one-page description of the German pastor and theologian’s outlook and practice of preaching. It is well worth reading by anyone who preaches, who hopes to preach, or who is instructed by preaching on a regular basis:
I'm a retired Southern Baptist pastor of almost 40 years. My wife Cheryl & I moved to Norman, OK in March of 2025. I share a weekly overview for Sunday School teachers of the weekly Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, as well as texts of my sermons and other articles.
shawnethomas 