Handel’s Messiah at the end repeats the word “forever” 16 times. The Psalmist does it 10 times more! There is both a comparison and a contrast between Psalms 135 and 136. As to the comparison, the subjects mirror each other, except the part in Psalm 135 about idols. Thus both are a call to praise, bless, and […]
CHRIST our ADVOCATE: “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 Jn 2:1). The word advocate (par-ak’-lay-tos) refers to someone “called to one’s side to give aid; one who takes up another’s […]
“It may be that the Lord your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh…” (2 Ki 19:4). Interesting, isn’t it? God not only hears the petitions of His people, but the grievous words of His people’s critics, too. The National Statuary Hall in Washington, DC’s Capitol used to be the chamber of the […]
Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834–1892), was converted at age 15, and preached his first message in a cottage at Teversham the following year. Just four years after his conversion, Spurgeon, then only 19, was called to the New Park Street Chapel, a large congregation in London. Spurgeon both preached and wrote with deep passion for Christ. […]
The word “biography” comes from the two Greek words: bios, meaning “life” and graphia, meaning “writing.” Is your birth the first chapter? Not even close. […]
“Praise God, from whom all blessings flow! Praise Him, all creatures here below!” —Thomas Ken (1674) Psalm 135 begins with the word Praise! Who should praise Him? His People should! “O you servants of the Lord! You who stand in the house of the Lord” (vv 1-2). Today every believer is a “full-time servant of the Lord” and has unlimited access […]
CHRIST OUR ANCHOR: “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus…” (Heb 6:19-20). Stephen Hopkins is known as the U.S. colony of Rhode Island’s greatest statesman. A surveyor, politician, Chief Justice of […]
“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mt 26:41). As Leonard Ravenhill put it, “A sinning man stops praying; a praying man stops sinning.” The spirit of a believer, referred to as “that which is born of God” (neuter), always votes for the Lord’s […]
How does human life differ from that of the animals? There are dramatic consequences if man is simply the latest animal in the evolutionary process. Morality then becomes a mere convention. Purpose is nonsensical, for there is no Purposer. Animal existence is the highest goal we can hope for, and life has no real value. […]