When Jesus died, He gave the great commission to go into all the world. For approximately ten years the gospel had been preached to the Jews. Finally, the gospel is preached directly to the Gentiles.
The first century preaching was accompanied by such amazing signs, wonders and miracles it would have been easy for the preachers to try to lift themselves up. However, they constantly used their God given power to point to Jesus.
This is one of the great texts of the Bible, Paul’s assurance that we are saved by the grace of God. He makes clear that salvation from sin is a gift from God, but he also makes clear the necessary role we must play in God’s plan to save.
When King David heard these words from the prophet Nathan, he said, “I have sinned against the Lord”(2 Samuel 12:13). Afterward, he penned the heart wrenching Psalm 51 in which he pleads for God to cleanse him of his sins. From a tragic series of events comes a timeless example of what we must do…
What kind of character does it take to give your life to the Lord? That is the kind of character Stephen demonstrated in the giving of his life.
As our country moves more in the direction of being a secular nation, how will we respond to the wave of demands to stop preaching what are viewed as politically incorrect truths?
As the Lord neared the end of His earthly ministry, He continued to prepare His disciples for the road ahead. In this text, He deals with four questions that required their self-examination, as well as our own.
The title is from a quote by Oscar Wilde, who lived up to his name. The struggle to which he humorously refers is not very funny to us. If not for the Lord’s help and strength, we would have no hope resisting temptation’s power.