For more than two hundred years, every person who entered the temple saw everything the way Solomon had established it. Entering through the east gate, one first saw the magnificent bronze altar designed by David and built and dedicated by Solomon. That was exactly the way it should be. One should not approach God’s holy presence without a reminder of man’s need…

When one first reads those verses in Exodus about God hardening Pharaoh’s heart, he can so easily arrive at the conclusion that God forced Pharaoh to do wrong. He can decide that man does not have free will for God totally controls the will of man. Is it possible to reconcile these two concepts? To answer that let me ask, “How does…

Last week, we studied the words of Solomon who described himself as “…on the verge of total ruin, in the midst of the assembly and congregation” (Prov. 5:14). What caused this? Because he hated instruction, despised correction, chose disobedience and refused to listen.  Every Christian needs to be aware of how this could happen to them in the assembly. On the other…

So many Christians feel rather good about their spiritual lives because they attend worship on a regular basis. They partake of the Lord’s Supper almost every Sunday and even come at other times depending on what else is happening in their lives. What we often overlook is that one can worship regularly, yet at the same time can unknowingly be on the…

In the midst of his suffering, Job longed to die. Who has ever been so blessed and then suffered so much because of the adversity which surrounded him? He longed to die, but death would not come. He described his future in these words. “For when a few years are finished, I shall go the way of no return” (Job 16:22). “The…

There is a phrase, most often used in a question form, to describe one’s relationship to the Lord and one’s salvation. It is not uncommon for individuals to ask others, “Do you know the Lord as your personal Savior?” There is nothing wrong with this phrase, but it can so easily be used in a way vastly different from the way the…

There is a marked contrast between Paul’s attitude when he said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ” (Rom. 1:16), and the attitude so many have today. Tragically, there were those in the first century who were ashamed of the gospel, and the same attitude is found in our day. Some are ashamed of brethren who boldly speak the truth.…

As the book of Judges closes, the future of Israel is so dismal. It had been that way for hundreds of years. Centuries before, the Jews had entered a land which flowed with milk and honey. Under the leadership of Joshua, they had conquered thirty-one kingdoms (Josh. 12:24). They could have had more if they had conquered the nations on their southern…