God’s Not In Our “Box”!

Posted on 2014/08/05 by Shawn Thomas

II Kings 14 tells a story which is hard for many of us to put in our “box”, theologically speaking. It relates how Jeroboam II came to reign over the northern tribes of Israel. Jeroboam was named for the infamous king who split Israel from Judah, and whose deviant religious practices influenced generations to come. Jeroboam lived “down” to his namesake! 14:24 says “He did evil in the sight of the Lord.” But it is the story of the prosperity of his reign which is difficult to deal with.

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“Are You A Disciple?” Luke 9:23 Sermon

Posted on 2014/08/04 by Shawn Thomas

(Preached at First Baptist, Pauls Valley, OK 8-03-14)

In Matthew 28, Jesus gave His Great Commission to go and “make disciples.” The most important business of the church is to make disciples. But what does it mean to be a disciple? It means more than raising your hand, or going forward and filling out a card, or being baptized, or being a member of a church. It is a commitment of your life to Jesus to be His follower. Jesus tells us something of the kind of commitment He requires of His followers in Luke 9:23:

“And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.'”

I. To Be A Disciple Means to Deny Your SELF

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The Secret of Confidence

Posted on 2014/08/04 by Shawn Thomas

If Christians would train themselves to apply Psalm 16:8, it would give them the ability to overcome every fear and anxiety, and bring God’s power to bear on every situation in their lives: “I have set the LORD continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

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“Until Now”!

Posted on 2014/08/01 by Shawn Thomas

II Kings 13:23 describes God’s treatment of the people of Israel who had rebelled against Him for years. It says that “YHWH was gracious to them … and would not destroy them or cast them from His presence until now.” There is an important lesson in those last two words, “until now.”

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What Is Your Legacy?

Posted on 2014/07/31 by Shawn Thomas

In II Kings 13, the Bible tells of two of the kings of Israel, Jehoahaz and Jehoash. Neither of these kings was godly. It is of note that they are both described in their relationship to Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the first ruler of the northern kingdom. Verse 2 says that Jehoahaz “followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat”, and verse 11 says that Jehoash “did not turn away from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.”

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“Eschatou”, not “Eschatology”

Posted on 2014/07/30 by Shawn Thomas

Many of God’s people are fond of dwelling on the “end times”, otherwise known as “eschatology”, from the Greek word “eschatos”, which means “end.” But this obsession is unhealthy and was rebuked by Jesus when He addressed His disciples in Acts 1. He gave them — and us — another focus instead:

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Do They See You Trust God?

Posted on 2014/07/29 by Shawn Thomas

Jehoash, the king of Judah, had been used by God to bring reform & revival to the land. But it did not appear that he finished well. II Kings 13:17 says that the King of Aram set his face to invade Jerusalem, and verse 18 says: “Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own sacred things and all the gold that was found among the treasures of the house of YHWH and of the king’s house, and sent them to Hazael king of Aram. Then he went away from Jerusalem.”

One is left wondering about the actions that Jehoash took. Continue reading →

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The “High Places” Are Alive & Well

Posted on 2014/07/28 by Shawn Thomas

II Kings 11-12 describe a revival that took place in Judah under Jehoiada the priest, and Jehoram the young king who was under his influence. But the scriptures relate that the revival was not complete. Verse 3 of Chapter 12 says: “only the high places were not taken away”. This is a common statement regarding the state of religion in Israel. Even in times of revival, the “high places” were not taken away. What were these “high places”?

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And The City Was Quiet

Posted on 2014/07/25 by Shawn Thomas

II Kings 11 describes the tumult which happened in the land of Judah, as Athaliah, the wicked queen, was deposed, and Jehoiada the priest led a “revival” in the land which saw young Joash made king. The people renewed their covenant with God and the king (:17), and then in verse 20 it says: “So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet.”

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Honoring the Godly

Posted on 2014/07/24 by Shawn Thomas

Psalm 15:4 says that those who may fellowship with God will despise the reprobate, “but honors those who fear the LORD.” There are “two sides” to this “coin”: we are indeed to despise those who live perverse lifestyles, which we explored in the devotion on this Psalm yesterday. But the positive side of this is that we should HONOR those who fear God.

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