In the days of the great Chicago evangelist, Dwight L. Moody, a story is told about the LOVE of GOD. Moody was preaching an evening service one day and a poor drunkard stumbled up the steps to the front door of Moody’s church. He pushed the door open, scanned the room, and saw no one inside. His eyes, however, were drawn to a large sign that hung over the pulpit up front. It read: “GOD IS LOVE.” It struck him—with anger, I might add. He slammed the door, and staggered...
In order to understand scripture, it’s really important sometimes to have some background. What was going on at the time that this particular piece of scripture (a letter) was written? What was it that the original audience might have understood in their context … better than you and I understand it in our context? Again, the original recipients of this letter to the Hebrews were probably 2nd generation Christians, but not so far removed from Judaism that they would not remember some of the references here… Here’s your ‘background’ today...
HOPE … is an ingredient we need, as followers of Christ, in order to ‘hang in there’ in this life. The truth is, we live in a world that would just as soon persecute us or put us down, as thank us for the Christ-like lives we lead and the Christ-like love we share. Hope comes from a confidence in our faith in Christ … and is sustained by a God-given diligence to persevere in this world—never allowing our faith to waver… Today, as we continue on in Hebrews, Chapter...
Rev. Carl Burnham, beloved pastor of the Chapel on Fir Hill in Akron, Ohio, wrote in 1962, just prior to his [death], ‘When I die, if my family wishes to inscribe anything on my gravestone, I would like it to be the promise of Jesus Christ in Hebrews 13:5, ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”” For in due season the springtime will arrive…Then, when the resurrection sings itself in the robin’s glad song, and bursting buds defy the death grip of winter, and you walk upon the yielding...
Have you ever found yourself in a situation that you absolutely did not want to be in? Perhaps it was some kind of a journey in life that you didn’t want to take—a job change, a move, a relational upset—but life seemed to be pushing you in that direction whether you liked it or not. It was the kind of a journey you were forced to take … against your will! How in the world would life ever seem normal again? I believe that’s what the holy couple must’ve felt...
HE IS RISEN! That message, folks, is not just for Easter! For those who put their faith in Christ for their eternal lives, this is a message of HOPE for all year long… Jesus himself had much to say about the reality of eternal life. Let’s listen now, as we turn to the Apostle John, and hear these words of HOPE… “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not...
In a book called “Through the Windows of Heaven,” the authors tell us this: Science says if there is any such thing as infallible proof, it is the repetition of the same experiment. With that in mind, hear this: • Jesus rose from the dead, and Mary Magdalene encountered him—experiment one. • The women encountered him—experiment two. • The disciples encountered him—experiment three. • The apostles encountered him—experiment four. • Five hundred people saw him after the Resurrection—experiment five. Each one of these … is the repetition of the same...
Edgar R. Fiedler was an American economist who served both the Nixon and the Ford presidencies, dying in 2003. Fielder was a rather entertaining sort who at one time came up with what he called “Fiedler’s Forecasting Rules.” Here they are: It is very difficult to forecast, especially about the future. He who lives by the crystal ball soon learns to eat ground glass. The moment you forecast, you know you’re going to be wrong — you just don’t know when and in which direction. If you’re ever right, never...
According to English author G.K. Chesterton, “Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all…As long as matters are really hopeful, hope is mere flattery or platitude; it is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength.” HOPE, folks, is the gift of Easter! It was for the earliest of disciples … and it still is for us! It’s the ‘sign of Jonah’ that Jesus spoke of, isn’t it? Jonah spent how many days in the belly of the whale (3)?...
