Our future state in the world of eternity depends entirely on what we are in the present!" (JC Ryle) This is a sermon preached by Ryle (find it in his Practical Religion) and which is very appropriate for the first day of another new year.
John gives us the heart of the Incarnation in the 14th verse of his opening chapter. The Word became Flesh and dwelt among us.
In Matthew chapter 2, the account of Herod attempting to kill Christ, we see the outworking of Revelation 12 in which the dragon (Satan) waited by the woman until she gave birth. When we consider Bethlehem and the manger, we should always remember that the dragon was lurking nearby.
We must firmly believe the repeated truth of Scripture that the Lord works His power in and through weakness. Christ was born as an infant, not as a powerful king.
John Bunyan wrote an extensive article on the parable of the barren fig tree. With his help, we are going to devote several sermons to this subject of the fruitless "Christian"
We must worship the Lord with joy, gladness, singing and most of all - with thanksgiving.
What did Jesus mean when He said that Zacchaeus was a son of Abraham? And what did He mean when He said that He came to seek and save that which was lost? Who is lost? Who was He seeking?
Christ comes to Jericho and salvation comes to Zacchaeus!
The rich young ruler chooses to keep his penny while rejecting the billions in real treasure in heaven. He kept his idol. What might be an idol you need to jettison?
