Great Themes of the Bible Sabbath Exodus 20:8-11 A newspaper editorial seems to describe well the times we live in. It said, “The world is too big for us. There’s too much going on, too many crimes, too much violence, and excitement. Try as you will, you get behind in the race, in spite of … Read more

Great Themes of the Bible “Fellowship” The Bible tells us that we were all made for relationships. The Lord said in the beginning that it wasn’t a good thing for any of us to be alone. This is what is at the heart of the Great Commandment. Jesus said that we are to love the … Read more

Great Themes of the Bible “Mercy” Psalm 86 When it comes to our relationship with God, our greatest need is God’s mercy and grace. Knowing the difference between mercy and grace, however, is a must because mercy and grace are two words that are often confused being used together in a number of verses and … Read more

Great Themes of the Bible “Grace” Recently we looked at the theme of God’s mercy, and saw the comparison between God’s mercy and His grace. And while both are often used side by side, they are different. God in His mercy doesn’t give us what we deserve, death and His wrath because of our sin. … Read more

Great Themes of the Bible “The Gospel” Who doesn’t like to have a little good news? And while we all like to hear some good news, what we can’t stand and even hate are those who say, “I’ve got some good news and some bad news. What do you want to hear first?” Really! But … Read more

Great Themes of the Bible “Revival” Psalm 85:6 George Orwell tells a story of a wasp that flew down and began sucking the jam off his plate. Orwell picked up his knife and cut the wasp in half, but the wasp didn’t notice as it continued with its meal. Unfortunately everything the wasp sucked up … Read more

Great Themes of the Bible “Commitment” Joshua 24:14-15 In 1519 Spanish explorer Cortez landed at Vera Cruz to begin his conquest of Mexico with only 700 men. Legend has it that before they set off Cortez ordered the ships burned and made his men to watch their only means of retreat sink to the bottom … Read more

Great Themes of the Bible “Hope” Everyone needs hope, because without it our spirits would die within us. We see this happening in the life of Solomon. He said, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12 NIV) Hope that doesn’t fail cannot, however, be attained … Read more

Great Themes of the Bible “Joy” Acts 16:16-40 There’s a little bird I’ve come to admire, the Chickadee. This bird lives in some really harsh country, the northern U.S. and Canada. Picture it’s the beginning of winter and all the migratory birds are long gone, and the animals are either in hibernation or hunkered down … Read more

Great Themes of the Bible “Love” 1 Corinthians 13:1-8a There’s a nature kind of love, which is the most prevalent love that’s found in the world today. It’s a love that only loves lovely things or lovely people. It’s what keeps Hollywood in business. And it’s a love that’s quite logical when you think about … Read more

Great Themes of the Bible Forgiveness Tonight’s theme on forgiveness isn’t something that most of you have heard over the years. But to be successful in our Christian faith, forgiveness is vital. So in some ways I feel like the Apostle Peter who said, “For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you … Read more

Great Themes of the Bible “Idolatry” “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:21 NKJV) The Apostle John gives some important advice here. John’s first letter was written around 90 A.D. He’s back from his Patmos exile and historians say he was quite feeble and only able to speak a few words at a … Read more

Great Themes of the Bible The Church Acts 2:41-47 When Stephen addressed the Sanhedrin to give his testimony, he gave rise to what God called the church to be. “Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen.” … Read more

Great Themes of the Bible “Faith” Hebrews 11 Over the years I’ve seen many give up on their faith in Jesus Christ, and there’s a lot of different reasons as to why. Maybe they’ve prayed, but still they or their loved one contracted an illness or disease, or their loved one died. Or maybe it … Read more

Great Themes of the Bible Self-Control 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 As we continue going through our series, “Great Themes of the Bible,” and seeing how most of our lives are out of our control, I thought it apropos to look at the quality of self-control, which is the last quality Paul listed out in His “Fruit … Read more

Great Themes of the Bible “The Incarnation” This will more resemble a teaching than what I’ve done in the past, but it is probably one the most important doctrine, or theme, that we can study. And as we’re coming up to Christmas, it’s what the Christmas story is all about, and that is God becoming … Read more