The Real Problem Is Within!
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:27-28 For the past several weeks, I have had a plethora of...
Beautiful, But A Shadow
“But when Christ appeared as a high priest o the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation).” Hebrews 9:11 Israel is breathtakingly beautiful. Yesterday, we spent the morning and...
The Tragedy of the Ages
I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. Romans 9:1 Since arriving in Israel two days ago, I began to experience what the apostle Paul speaks of...
Has God’s Word Failed Regarding Israel?
In the 1980’s, while pastoring a small church in Florence, Alabama, I was invited to hear Benjamin Netanyahu lecture at a college near my home. He is currently Prime Minister of Israel but at the time was Israeli ambassador to the United Nations. I went and...
Prayer for Israel
“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.” Romans 10:1 It has been over thirty years since I visited the land of Israel. The first time I went was in 1975, and I traveled on the same plane as Kathryn Kuhlman. I remember...
The Fire Spreads
This Reformation Day I was reminded by a friend of the lasting fruit the mighty Reformation produced, much of which continues to be borne today. When we think of the Reformation, we almost inevitably think of the bright shining stars that dotted the landscape such...
My Friend Kevin
I preached the memorial service for a dear friend this weekend. His name was Kevin, and our local church family has suffered a great loss with his passing. I was personally close to him and I miss him already. At his service, everyone who spoke basically said the...
Soli Deo Gloria
In a certain sense, the final Sola of the Reformation sums up all the others. It is that salvation from start to finish is for the glory of God alone. Artists like Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frederick Handel alluded to it to signify that what they composed...
Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)
The Reformers also taught and proclaimed that salvation was by grace alone. Why is this sola so important? There are several reasons, but the main one is that it distinguishes the Gospel from every other religion on the face of the earth. For the Gospel is the...
Sola Christus (Christ Alone)
Sola Christus was another one of the Solas of the Reformation. This reminds the faithful that Christ’s works alone accomplished human redemption. Only by his cross work, his resurrection and ascension were it possible for human sin to be forgiven. Luther, in...
Sola Scriptura
“All Scripture is God-breathed” (II Timothy 3:16). The end of this month marks the five hundredth year since the Reformation began when a German monk nailed his 95 theses to the door of Wittenburg Church. That started a revelation that changed medieval Europe, not...