matthew-7:15-bsb

It was pointed out to me that the title of last month's E-teaching, Jesus, the Greatest Prosperity Preacher, was a phrase also used by a popular prosperity preacher in one of his teaching articles. He used that phrase, however, not as I did, but rather as a serious claim that Jesus was in fact just ... Read More

Imagine a person taking a block of wood and carving it to look like a bearded man in a robe. At the bottom of his wooden figurine, he carves the name "Jesus." Finally, each day he bows before it in worship. Does that make him a Christian? No, that makes him an idolater. He is worshipping something t... Read More

According to the New Testament, the outstanding characteristic of a false teacher is his underrating the necessity of holiness, which is reflected by his teaching and personal life. Numerous scriptures bear this out. For example, consider what Jesus taught about false prophets in His Sermon on the M... Read More

Generally speaking, this entire chapter is about holiness. God's call to the world to repent and believe is obviously a call to holiness. It is a call to make oneself ready to stand before King Jesus to give an account. It is a call to be prepared for future life in the heavenly kingdom by living in... Read More

Was James writing to heaven-bound Christians in the first half of this chapter? Keep in mind that he previously addressed some who professed to be saved, but whose faith was void of works, proving them to be unsaved (2:14-17). I tend to think that same theme has surfaced once more in 4:1-10, and Jam... Read More

Like most teachers, Jesus sometimes repeated to one group what He'd already taught another group. Some of what we read today Jesus taught during His sermon on the mountainside (see Matthew 6-7), so we'll only consider what is new to us. Teaching about prayer, Jesus used an illustration about a man w... Read More

Some years ago I was admonished by one of the wealthiest men in my city, a retired CEO of a huge multi-national company, with the following words, "It is the responsibility of guys like you to tell guys like me what God expects of us, lest we not be ready to stand before Him one day." It seemed, he ... Read More

“Sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it” (Gen. 4:7, emphasis added). As was pointed out in the previous chapter, our sanctification is a joint effort on the part of God and ourselves. We grow to be progressively more like Jesus as we cooperate with the Father... Read More

In order to begin properly I think we need to do some defining--what it really means to be a Christian. WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN? Everybody & his brother has an idea about that, & there are all kinds of good truths that are shared about being Christian. One of the unique ways, I believe, to find a defini... Read More

The Beatitudes Thomas Watson, 1660 CHOICE EXCERPTS God has two fires "I have refined you in the furnace of affliction." Isaiah 48:10 "Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his demons! And they will go away into eternal punishment!" Mt. 25:41, 46 God has two... Read More