In John 3, Nicodemus seeks out Jesus in the evening and begins speaking with Him about the teachings of God. The discussion turns toward the idea of being born again, a process Jesus says people must go through to be part of God’s kingdom – a process Jesus describes as involving water and the spirit. Continue reading

In I Corinthians 15, Paul covers the concept of the resurrection in detail. While the Corinthian Christians seem to have faith in Christ’s bodily resurrection, they have problems with the concept of our own physical resurrection. Paul discusses the hope and power of the resurrection as well as the implications involved in denying the resurrection. Continue reading

I Corinthians 15 centers around the idea of resurrection – not only of Christ but of ourselves as well. The saints at Corinth do not deny that Jesus is bodily raised from the dead. What they have a problem with is our own bodily resurrection. In the first few verses, Paul establishes three facts about Continue reading

Verses 3-12 of I Peter 1 consist of four large sentences that build up to his thoughts that will continue through the rest of the chapter and into the next. He begins by blessing God for the hope of the resurrection and the gift of salvation. He claims this hope is a motivation for rejoicing Continue reading

Say you received an invitation to a State of the Union address. Would you be excited? Would you tell your friends? Would you be curious as to why you were chosen? How would you prepare to go? Would you accept the invitation? This lesson is actually about our worship together, our act of giving reverence Continue reading

In Florida, there used to be a Billboard on U.S. 119 with a picture of the Mona Lisa and the logo, “Remarkable Reproductions.” It was an ad for an art studio that specialized in creating low-cost facsimiles of famous pieces of artwork. You could have something that was close to the original, but was close. Continue reading

Another preacher once observed that there is an epidemic among churches in a desire for generic preaching – preaching that will not upset or challenge anyone in attendance. Unfortunately, this kind of preaching is little more than a continual meal of desserts. Also, in this context, many preachers are viewed as disposable congregation employees as Continue reading

One of the essential steps in establishing the first century church is the preaching we read about to people of various cultures and nationalities. When speaking in the home of Cornelius, Peter comes to the realization that God does not discriminate, and in Romans 2:2 states that God’s judgment is based on truth. In verses Continue reading

In Luke 14:31, Jesus is speaking about preparation and counting the cost of discipleship. One of the illustrations He uses discusses a king preparing for battle, and this carries with it the idea of knowing the opposition one is up against. Throughout history, we can see examples of successful military commanders who anticipated and outmaneuvered Continue reading

In Isaiah 2:2-4, the prophet describes many nations coming to the mount of the Lord to worship Jehovah. They joyously come to the house of the Lord with their focus on God, and, when we come together to worship, we should be as eager and as willing as those people described by Isaiah. When we Continue reading