A couple of weeks ago the elders met together in my study to discuss some matters and my computer screen was visible to a couple of them. I had been working on a sermon and was on my last point. I had only typed two words under the final heading which were, “In conclusion.” One brother said to me, with a mischievous smile, “Is that the first or the last conclusion?” My … [Read more...]
A Prayer and a Promise (Hebrews 13:20–21)
Sometimes being confronted with exhortation upon exhortation can become less than exhilarating; in fact, it can become discouraging. For example, we hear over and over the challenges to persevere in the Christian life. And so we get back into the race and we run with our eyes fixed on Jesus. But, as in previous attempts, we may find ourselves once again losing our focus. We … [Read more...]
Please, Pray (Hebrews 13:18–19)
A funny thing happened on a recent Sunday morning. Not only did we lose power at the church during the service, but our church vehicle ran out of power on the way to take people home after the service. I was standing in the church parking lot when the vehicle was towed in by another church member. When I asked the driver what happened, he said that the vehicle ran okay in first … [Read more...]
Yielded and Yielding (Hebrews 13:17)
Every true Christian wants to grow and to yield a harvest of spiritual fruit for the glory of God and the good of others—not to mention the benefit this accrues for us personally. The Christian also desires this for his local church. We desire to be a church that happily and holily brings in the harvest. But this requires a holy harmony between the congregation and its leaders. … [Read more...]
New Covenant Sacrifices (Hebrews 13:15–16)
In a recent blog post Albert Mohler of the Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, USA addressed the recent United States Supreme Court decision to legalise homosexual marriage. The title of his article was “Everything Has Changed and Nothing Has Changed.” This sounds like a contradiction, but it is a reality that applies in several areas, including to the situation faced by … [Read more...]