For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. (Romans 3:23) God is righteous, perfect, and infinitely holy. That’s His standard. It is sometimes called “glory” in the New Testament. Let me paraphrase Romans 3:23: For all have sinned [that’s our condition] and fall short of the perfection, holiness, righteousness, and […]
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Don’t Play with Fire
From then on, Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” (Matthew 4:17) I ask you, how could a man as godly as David fall as far as he did with Bathsheba? How could he be responsible for murdering a man on the […]
Read MoreThe Dark Side
To discipline a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child. (Proverbs 29:15) It’s helpful to remember that the deadliest killer of humanity is not heart disease or cancer … it’s depravity. Every one of us has it. Every one of us suffers from the consequences of it. And to […]
Read MoreSin’s Consequences
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. (Genesis 3:6) The […]
Read MoreThe Enemy Within
For I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. (Psalm 51:5) Webster says depraved means, “marked by corruption or evil, perverted, crooked.” It’s important that you understand this is an internal disease; you can’t detect it from the outside. Most folks don’t “look” depraved. Most of us do a masterful job […]
Read MoreFree Offer
It doesn’t take a Ph.D. in English Literature to observe that God offers us a gift in salvation. The gift is eternal life, which is directly connected to His Son. Now let’s be clear and cautious. Becoming a member of a church is not the way to salvation.
Read MoreThe Downward Spiral of Defiance
Talk about going from bad to worse. Defiance is the classic illustration. First, defiance begins with carnal attitudes. Long before there are carnal actions, there are carnal attitudes. It can happen to adults just as quickly as it can to teens or kids. Perhaps it would help if I spelled out a few of the attitudes by describing some actual thoughts in the minds of the defiant.
Read MoreGod Takes Action in Response to Defiance
King Solomon planted seeds of willfulness and independence that reaped a harvest of rebellion in his heart. God’s first reaction to Solomon’s defiance was a strong statement of divine anger (1 Kings 11:9). Okay, what else does the Lord do? After stating His anger, He raises up human adversaries. Look at how He does this—it’s intriguing. Read carefully 1 Kings 11:14 and then verse 23.
Read MoreGod’s Attitude toward Defiance
Solomon planted seeds of willfulness and independence that reaped a harvest of age-old rebellion in his heart. Let’s see what God did in response to Solomon’s defiance. Read 1 Kings 11:9–11. His very first reaction was a strong statement of divine anger. Right off the bat: “Now the LORD was angry with Solomon” (v. 9). What a refreshing balance, what a clean breath of air! Of course God was angry!
Read MoreDefiance: A Biblical Warning
When it comes to the topic of rebellion, King Solomon’s story is pretty incredible. Although bright, rich, capable, and the son of a famous father, Solomon became an insolent, carnal man. We need to see how God dealt with him—the epitome of defiance. The part of Solomon’s biography that interests us today is recorded in 1 Kings 11.
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