Faithful Sayings: Recent Episodes
Leon Valley Church of Christ
1 Peter: Submission For Christ's Sake Part II, Husbands & Wives by Leon Valley Church of Christ
Faith, love, and hope all stand or fall together, for they are all produced by the same source--the Word of God. Not only are faith, love, and hope produced by the Scriptures, but they are fed and sustained by it as well. Every Christian must be growing in each of these areas if he or she would be pleasing to God. Find more Bible teaching and resources at leonvalleychurch.org.
Who was Judas Iscariot in Scripture? Was he always destined to fail and betray Christ? What can we learn from his example?
Our question today is: Can a Christian lose salvation and isn't salvation for the Christian always spoken of in the past tense?
Men can and do take what God says to heart. Most do not. This is a certainty stated in Scripture. Why must this be the case? Jesus teaches us that Truth is hidden from all who close their eyes to Truth–due to the condition of their own heart (Matt. 13:11-15), and from those who “do not have love for Truth” (2 Thes. 2:10).
Is the clergy/laity distinction seen in so many churches today have any biblical precedent? If not, what does the Bible actually say? Should I find security and hope in associating myself with a certain party?
The New Testament frequently uses words like "chosen" or "elect" to describe God's people. What I would like to do is consider how the Bible uses these words, and what it means to be called, chosen/elected.
The word “heart” is used nearly one thousand times in the Bible, where it predominantly refers figuratively to the seat of thought, emotion, and will. Note: “the thoughts of your heart,” “love God with all your heart,” and “obey from the heart.” Vine’s Dictionary of New Testament Words says “it came to stand for man’s entire mental and moral activity.
Let's take time to examine Acts 2 and the prophecies that pointed to the pivotal events of that particular Pentecost. What we find will help us better understand the nature of the church and the identity of God's People.
Q & A: Your Music Program Is Unusual. Is This Standard Practice? by Leon Valley Church of Christ
Prior to His coming, faithful offerings of the types and shadows of Christ were the ancient Jew’s only hope for becoming one of God’s people in the true moral sense. Sacrifice pertained directly to the atonement for sin, and sin is what separates man from God (Isaiah 59:2). Isaiah clearly prophesied of Christ’s sacrifice (Isaiah 53), saying, “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities” (verse 5, see vv. 1-12). Then Hebrews 10 makes it clear that the types of Christ needed His actual sacrifice to give them substance. Jesus Christ, crucified and resurrected, is the key—the only means—by which sinful people may become the people of God.
In Acts 4, the disciples prayed for boldness to preach God's Word and for God to confirm that Word with miraculous signs. Should we pray for something similar today?
The local church is charged with helping needy saints, and individual Christians have the responsibility to help those in need just as the good Samaritan did. But how do we determine if someone is in need?
God selected one individual–Abraham–through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed. From Abraham God would bring forth His people, the Hebrews. But He had a greater purpose in mind than mere land, prosperity, and peculiar religion–He desired the salvation of every person.
The Lord our God is ONE (Deut. 6:4). Biblically, when someone worships God (prayer, praise, service), one can address the Father, Son, or Spirit, but understand you are not addressing Father or Son or Spirit exclusively. It’s impossible to do so, because God is ONE. Let's read some Scripture.
In one sense, all people are the “people of God” and they were created with a high and noble purpose indeed. Whatever God's purpose for man may be, man’s greatest good can be realized in achieving that end. In God’s Word and in this study those who seek to satisfy His divine purpose are called the “people of God” in a very special sense (1 Peter 2:9- 10). In this series we will seek to trace the unfolding of God's purpose and plan for the development of His people.
Jesus said, "All authority has been given to Me in Heaven and Earth." (Matt. 28:18). What exactly does that mean and what are the implications of it? Why was authority important to Jesus? Why should it be important to us?
As we conclude our series in Romans, we find Paul’s final exhortation to his brethren whom he loved very much. There are some thirty-five names mentioned in this chapter, most of which are original to the letter and mentioned nowhere else. What can we learn from Paul’s farewell?
Since Proverbs began with a father’s words, it seems fitting that it should end with a mother’s words to her son. She counsels him on how to rule well and warns that the wrong kind of woman can ruin him. The strange woman, like alcohol, can drain a man’s strength and willpower, leading him into sin to the detriment of himself and others (Pro. 31:4-9). Thus she urgently appeals to her son to use wisdom in making one of life’s most important choices–deciding who he will marry. By inspiration Lemuel’s mother describes a wise woman, worthy of affection and praise, and one who would be a strong spiritual force for good in his life.
Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together, and we cannot accomplish all that we need to do without working together. Paul concludes with a final exhortation to unity and steadfastness in the Gospel.
You can’t solve a problem, until you understand the issue, and you can’t properly answer a question until you understand what’s asked. These brethren in Rome had a problem. If we can understand what the problem was and how Paul went about correcting it, then we can use Romans 14 to fix the same problems in our time. If we can understand the issue that hindered these brethren, we’ll be less likely to misapply Paul’s solution to problems he does not address in Romans 14.
God says the rod and reproof give wisdom. I want to spend a moment thinking about that second part of the equation–reproof–the verbal instruction we give to train our children in godliness.
How should a Christian relate to civil authorities? What is his or her responsibility? What if that government is evil and opposed to Christ and His will? Let's consider these questions as we read Romans 13.
He who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently – Solomon (Pro. 13:24) Scripture reveals hatred as the driving force behind parents’ neglect to discipline their children. No father can passively allow his kids to do whatever they want to do and, at the same time say, “I really love them.” Apathetic, non-interventionist styles of parenting (aka lazy parenting), yields a host of terrible consequences.
In this portion of our Proverbs series, we’re going to focus on parenting–guiding and training our children in godly wisdom, so that they may live in the fear of the Lord from a young age.
Be transformed. It's a command, meaning spiritual growth will not happen by accident. How does the Bible say we can be transformed?
We can use words to comfort, convict, teach, encourage, bless, and communicate the Gospel to the lost. Yet, words also have the potential to inflict great harm–to curse, insult, blaspheme, etc. Scripture teaches us everything about using words wisely and righteously–Proverbs alone addresses the issue 150 times in 915 verses. That’s one-sixth of the book.
To borrow and modify something Emerson once said: You cannot obey the Gospel too soon, because you never know how soon it will be too late. That’s one of the messages we find within Romans 11.
Too many folks spend money they don’t have for stuff they don’t need to impress people they don’t like. – Will Rogers
“Ignorance is one of the scariest things out there, because those of us who are most ignorant are also the ones who often don't know it or don't want to admit it,” said Vera Nazarian. The Bible distinguishes between willful and unwitting ignorance (cf. Num. 15:27; 2 Pet. 3:5), but makes no distinction in the consequences of ignorance. Whether we’re talking about ignorance of sin or ignorance of God’s will (the two are inseparable, are they not?), the end result is condemnation. Never once in Scripture do we find that there is blessing to be had in ignorance.
We have a tendency to think it’s always someone else’s fault–Adam pointed to Eve, Eve pointed to the devil, but at the end of the day we’re all responsible for our own choices. No amount of self-pity or complaining that we were “duped” will remove our accountability to God.
We’re overrun with ads and commercials encouraging us to chase all kinds of products. What’s worse is that such marketing usually promises happiness and “worry free living” if you buy said product or service. I mean, c’mon, really? Worry free? Talk about overpromising and underdelivering. Biblical wisdom calls us to be content with what we have. How many of us have overextended ourselves financially because we weren't content?
God affords all people the opportunity to find salvation through Jesus Christ–to find a place in His glorious kingdom forever. Why would anyone be upset about this, especially people who expected such a kingdom? Paul explains why even religious people reject Christ, and the sad consequences of their bitter response to God.
How important is the spiritual discipline of daily Bible reading and study? Let's answer that question by looking at Paul's words to Timothy, a young man whom he personally trained and sent to Ephesus to preach the Gospel.
The Bible is beautifully consistent in calling God’s people to see suffering for what it is–preparation and progress, not punishment and defeat. “For momentary, light affliction is PRODUCING for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison...” (2 Cor. 4:17)
We might wonder why the language of Scripture can be so cryptic at times. The Bible is the inspired Word of God, and it is made up of several different genres, including poetry and prophecy. The apostle Peter himself acknowledged there are "some things that are difficult to understand" (1 Pet. 3:16ff), so why didn't God make them plain? Why did Jesus use parables to reveal so much about His kingdom? Scripture offers us the answer if we have the patience to find it.
As we conclude this section of Romans we find more words imparting great comfort and hope to God’s people–those “in Christ Jesus” (8:1). We come to see that even though we are finite, sinful people who cannot give adequate (or even intelligible) words to our sufferings, God still understands the groaning of our hearts (vv. 26-27). We find assurance that God can use all things Paul has afore mentioned–the law of the spirit of life, putting to death the deeds of the body, being led by the Spirit of God, present sufferings, our hope, etc.–all these things He causes to serve our redemption (i.e. our spiritual good, v. 28). Furthermore, those who conform to the image of His Son are justified (righteous) and will be glorified when He comes in judgement (vv. 1, 29-30). Finally, there is no earthly or demonic force powerful enough to separate us from the love our God (vv. 31-39). Let’s meditate on these these points in more detail.
Having money isn’t wrong, neither is having a lot of money. The prevailing formula from some in our society seems to be: Rich = Evil. This simply isn’t biblical. One can be wealthy and righteous just as one can be poor and sinful. Abraham, Job, and David, among others were wealthy people, but these men are also remembered for their faith. The Bible is not so concerned about wealth as it is one’s attitude towards it. The love of money, not money itself, is the root of all sorts of evil (cf. 1 Tim. 6:10). Money can be used wisely to glorify God, or it can be used to dishonor and spent in pursuit of pleasure.
As one preacher once said, “The time of our suffering is short, but the bliss and reward of Heaven is eternal.” Paul’s main point here (vv. 18-25) is that this suffering will be well worth it. It’s a message that will help us persevere in the faith and cling to our hope. So how does Paul go about strengthening our faith and deepening our hope? That’s the question I want to answer. Paul puts the suffering of God’s people in context so that we might have the right perspective.
We’ve all made purchases we wished we could take back. Either we invested in a product that we thought would be fantastic and make life easier only to discover that it would work better as a paperweight. We’ve all committed to something that, at a later time, we desperately wished we could undo. A man named Esau stood to gain a great deal from his father Isaac, but Esau was impulsive and imprudent. If we aren’t careful, we can easily make the same mistake that he did. We, too, may awake one day to find that the inheritance promised to us will have passed by forever—lost for an eternity.
"The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand." –Vince Lombardi While Solomon had much to say by way of warning against laziness, he spends much time exhorting us to be diligent and proactive. In Scripture, regardless of one’s economic status, all are called to be diligent workers.
How does Scripture define those who are truly the sons and daughters of God? There are a number of places we can look to find the answer, but we're going to be focusing on Romans 8. If I want to be a true child, a true heir, and a true brother to Christ, what is God calling me to do?
As we move forward our study is going to be more topical in nature than exegetical. Solomon addresses so many aspects of life within the book–money, debt, marriage, work, parenting, relationships in general–so our approach will be to take one of these topics a week and consider what Proverbs teaches us about them.
In this part of our series, Paul reveals the importance of having a mind set on the spirit. Let's hear how he describes the spirit versus the flesh, and reflect why it is vital that we have the proper mindset.
“Show me a thoroughly satisfied man, and I will show you a failure,” said Thomas Edison. How painfully and dreadfully true this is in spiritual matters. Paul knew that he had come up short in his obedience to Christ, as we all do, but he would never be satisfied with coming up short! He knew that he was wretched, but he also knew Christ could and would save him so long as he strove to be faithful.
As we begin to look at God’s wisdom on various subjects in Proverbs, it’s important to remember that it’s God’s wisdom. There are other ancient and modern collections of wisdom literature with their own sayings and ideologies, but the biblical book of Proverbs stands apart from them because it alone declares that true wisdom is rooted in the knowledge of God (1:7; 9:10.
On the night He was betrayed, Jesus revealed to His disciples that one of them would betray Him. Upon hearing this, all were deeply grieved, and “they each one began to say to Him, Surely not I, Lord?” (Matt. 26:22
For so many, “freedom in Christ” is synonymous with “freedom to do as I please”, yet this is wholly antithetical to the Truth. As we can quickly see in the verse cited above the Christian is dead to the Law (i.e. the Law of Moses), BUT he or she has been joined to Christ wherein there are new obligations. Namely, that “we might bear fruit for God.” Freedom in Christ does not grant us the right to do as we please; freedom in Christ grants us the opportunity to do what is right–to serve God with a clear conscience. Christians are joined to Christ for a purpose–“For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” (1 Thess. 4:7).
“I respectfully decline the invitation to join your hallucination,” Scott Adams once said. Not all invitations should be accepted, and Solomon certainly thought so. In this final section of his introduction to Proverbs, we’re treated to the last words of Lady Wisdom and Madame Folly–each offering us an invitation to come and dine with them. One invitation we must accept, the other we must refuse at all costs.
What stands in our way as we seek the Truth? I don't necessarily mean the Bible, but the Truth in general–the Truth about anything. What do we allow to stand in our way, what hurdles are before us? I'd like to discuss what the Bible offers as hindrances to seeking and adopting Truth, as well as how we can overcome these obstacles.
We gain access to God’s grace through faith in Christ, as Paul taught (Rom. 5:1-2), yet faith is not acceptable without obedience (Jas. 2:20ff), therefore grace cannot be had without obedience–grace demands it. Grace demands obedience not only to be accessed initially–“for by grace you have been saved through faith” (Eph. 2:8), but it demands obedience after one is reconciled to God, lest the Christian “fall short of the grace of God” and “receive it in vain” (Heb. 12:15; 2 Cor. 6:1).
It’s been said that “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”1 There can be no understanding without the desire to understand. Paul spoke of a category of people who would “always be learning but never able come to a knowledge of the Truth.”2 Why is that?
What does it mean to be close to God, or to "feel" close to God? Is this a biblical concept, if so how is it defined? We often hear folks speak in these terms, and perhaps we use the same terminology to describe our relationship with God. Let's go to the Bible and test, not only the language, but the very idea of "feeling close to God."
This is the critical thing the Holy Spirit would have us understand: “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:1-2). This text, so often isolated and abused, is clearly connected with the previous example of Abraham discussed in chapter four. To wit, through an Abrahamic type faith (implicit trust and obedience), we can be justified (declared righteous) before God. It is through faith in the blood of Jesus that we find favor with God and a perfect standing before Him.
Solomon was a concerned father, to be sure, but his voice is used by the Holy Spirit to express the concerns and admonitions of our Heavenly Father– the One who “disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.” What does our Father want us to know about sexual purity? What warnings does He have to share? What wisdom does He impart to help us see the danger and consequences of sexual immorality?
As Paul continues to reveal how one can be justified (declared righteous) before God, he draws our attention to Abraham, asking, “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter?” (Rom. 4:1). This “matter” being the matter of justification, so Paul hones in on Abraham to instruct us further upon soul-saving faith.
When ancient Israel was at its most prosperous economically, politically, and militarily, it was at its worst spiritually (see Amos and pretty much any other minor prophet). Living wisely (in a God-pleasing way) necessitates cultivating wisdom in the heart. Remembering that we have a limited time to do this will instill a sense of urgency. There was another wise man, Solomon, who had much to say about this in Proverbs chapter four, so our study continues.
Let’s continue our study of Proverbs chapter three wherein Solomon is pointing us to the real treasure that’s at our fingertips: “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom”, he says, “for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold” and “She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.”3 While people scramble to stockpile material wealth, hit the jackpot, or win the lotto, the Lord extends the very thing that will make us truly rich–His wisdom. Not rich in the “I’m gonna make it rain Benjys” sense, but rich in peace and honor and life.
In offering His Son, God is both just and the justifier of those who obey Him (Rom. 3:26). God cannot sin, it is against His very nature and He cannot be reconciled to it (1 Jn. 1:5), and it is also the nature of God to love sinners and seek reconciliation with them (2 Cor. 5:20-21), yet we are powerless to cleanse our souls from sin. No one but God could resolve the problem, only God Himself could be faithful to both aspects of His being (i.e. be just and merciful), and He did so by sending His Son to the cross, thus becoming the justifier of those who submit to Him in faith (Heb. 5:9).
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”1 These words comfort me now as much as when I first read them. These verses are one of six pieces of instruction contained in the first twelve verses of chapter three. Let’s go back to the beginning, shall we?
Paul takes hypocritical Jews to task just as he did hypocritical Gentiles. Herein is a warning for us also: just because we have been instructed in the will of God–the embodiment of knowledge and truth (Rom. 2:20)–and may be confident, capable instructors ourselves, doesn’t necessarily mean we have applied His teaching to our own hearts (v. 21).
Previously Lady Wisdom was pictured as one crying out, imploring the naive to come and learn in order to save themselves. Solomon will now picture wisdom as something to be sought after in this second speech beginning in chapter two. This speech–which fills all of chapter two–can be broken down into four parts: a call to pursue wisdom (vv. 1-4), the benefits of wisdom (vv. 5-11), two dangers that wisdom guards against (vv. 12-19), and a final summary of consequences (vv. 20-22). Let’s dive in.
The second half of Paul’s discourse of Romans 1 diagnoses the cause for all the evil, corruption, and social decay observed in the world: it is man’s refusal to acknowledge and worship God, the Creator of all things and source of every good and perfect gift (Jas. 1:17). That’s it. There’s more to say, but the big take away here (as Paul begins to prove that all men are guilty of sin) that people are to blame for everything wrong in the world: political, moral, social ills and corruption can all be traced to prideful humans pursuing perverted desires because they refuse to humble themselves before Almighty God and submit to His authority and laws.
Wisdom is more like a skill that the Bible is calling us to attain and use. Using wisdom and pursuing wisdom involves mental activity, but it goes beyond that, and is seen all of one’s conduct, not just in the way one thinks or what someone may say. “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.”1 So in the Book of Proverbs, those who live with integrity and uphold justice in the fear of the Lord are the very same ones who heed Lady Wisdom.
There are so many points to be taken from the opening of the Roman letter as Paul lays out his thesis: The Gospel is the power of God to bring salvation to all who believe (Rom. 1:16-17). Let's dive and see how he goes about it, and what implications there are for us.
Last week we saw a sweeping, bird’s-eye view of the Book of Proverbs. In beginning with the overall big picture of Proverbs, my hope is that we’ll not lose sight of the forest as we consider the various trees of the book. The first of those trees is a series of ten speeches from a father to a son, with four interludes thrown in from Lady Wisdom. The main thrust here is that the son should listen to wisdom and cultivate the fear of the Lord, while living a life that honors God, bringing forth success and peace.
The Book of Romans has been called the Mount Everest of the New Testament. It's difficult to discuss any biblical subject without bringing some point from Romans into the conversation. I'd like to begin a weekly study of this book with you and welcome and comments or questions you may have.
"What is truth?" was Pilates cynical reply to Jesus when the King of Kings revealed He came to testify to the Truth. Jesus clearly established the Word of God as Truth (Jn. 17:17), and claimed to be the embodiment of that Truth (Jn 14:6). He is the final revelator of Truth (Heb. 1:1), so why so much ballyhoo about Truth being relative, or even non-extstent? Everyone believes in some truth, but what are holding to (if anything) as the standard of Truth?
John said, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day" in Revelation 1:10; what did he mean by "the Lord's Day"? Was this a special occasion? Is there a way we can trace Scripture and history to answer this question? I believe there is and, more importantly, we'll discover why it matters.
What will Heaven be like? Does the Bible offer any clues? Should we all have the hope of Heaven? What conditions are necessary to go?
Scripture makes clear that God has always intended to save man from eternal condemnation (Rev. 13:8; 1 Pet. 1:20), but what are the specifics? What has He called man to do, if anything?
There's so much discussion on this topic. I want to take a fresh look at the Scriptures today and allow them to speak for themselves with regard to water baptism. What is it? Why is it in the New Testament? What did Jesus say about it? What did the Holy Spirit inspire the apostles to say about it?
One of the many New Testament descriptions of God's people is designation "children of God". What does it mean to be a child of God? How does the Bible explain this new identity, and what the implications of being a child of God? How do I become one of God's children, and how should my adoption as a son of God change my worldview?
Does the Bible have anything to say about transgenderism or transsexual behavior? How are Christians to navigate this issue with wisdom, and speak the truth in love? Let's go to the Scriptures and rediscover what God's will is for men and women made in His image.
Legalism, legalistic, pharisaical, and other similar terms get thrown around a lot in the religious world, but what do they really mean? Let;s try to nail that down, and self-diagnose ourselves biblically, asking, "Am I legalistic?"
Losing someone we love can be hard, and at times of grief, it can be difficult to trust God. Does the Bible offer anything to help us grieve the right way? How can we break free from despair and doubt?
Adultery is a destructive force that has left many broken marriages and families in its wake. What is the biblical perspective of adultery? How does God say we should deal with it? How can we prevent it?
What does it mean to be a member of a local church? Is there any such thing as a "maverick" christian? What is God's design? What are the implications of local church membership? Open the Scriptures with me and let's study to find God's answers together.
Accountability: Everyone needs it, nobody wants it. Or at least it seems that way. Think of the daily reveals of sexual misconduct from people who've been unaccountable for years. A lack of accountability is not the sole reason for their dishonest, abusive, reprobate behavior, but it certainly didn't help. Scripture teaches us to want accountability. Let's go to the Word of God and see what we can learn.
We find a sad trend among God's people in the Old Testament that continues to this day: apostasy, or leaving/forsaking God, if you prefer. Why do people make this choice? What would lead us to make this choice or even refuse to come to God in the first place? I think the answer to these questions is the same. Let's see what the Scripture says.
Christmas has been celebrated for centuries as a commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. My question is: who started this tradition? No doubt we read of the birth of Christ and His glorious entrance into the world as a man on the pages of Scripture, but where do we find the command to observe that day religiously? Where does the Bible instruct us to memorialize His birth? The answer may surprise you.
Suffering and difficulty in life are common to all men. What does the Bible have to teach us about overcoming adversity? How can we maintain a right perspective and attitude when we encounter hard times? Let's go to the Scripture and find out what the Lord has to say.
The apostle Paul knew the secret to contentment. With so many folks overpromising "peace" and "worry-free living" only to disappoint and underdeliver, is there anything that can really bring lasting joy in this life? The Bible says there is. But the answer is not found in buying more stuff, getting a better job, or moving into your dream home. Nope. The answer is Jesus Christ. How can this be? Let's find out together.