David confessed, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5). This sin problem is not David’s dilemma alone. Every one of us shares this sad testimony. We are all sinners – by nature, birth, inclination, choice, and conduct. Paul indicts us all: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10-12). Consequently, we do not need anyone to teach us how to sin. If you don’t believe...

What does the Bible teach about hell? To ask this question is to acknowledge that hell is a biblical teaching. That is an appropriate starting point for considering the doctrine of hell. A discussion about hell is not like a discussion about purgatory. Scripture nowhere states, affirms, or implies purgatory exists. It is a construct of Roman Catholic tradition, not a teaching of scripture. The doctrine of hell, however, is clearly a biblical teaching. You may not like what the Bible says about hell. You may not agree with what the Bible says about hell. You may not believe what...

It is time to study the word of God. You pray for illumination (Psalm 119:18). You select a passage of scripture to study. You then… This is where many people get stumped. Every time. They come to the text with good intentions. But they do not have a clear process for properly understanding the text. To get the right answers in your study of scripture, you must ask the right questions. This is called inductive Bible study. Here are five fundamental questions to ask as you study a passage of scripture. OBSERVATION: What does the text say? Just because you...

Thanks for reading my blog. Saturday Shout-Outs is my weekly bulletin board. You can sign up for email updates of future posts under the picture to the left. Thanks to Pastor Lawrence Vaughn and the Mt. Sinai Church of Port Arthur for the opportunity to preach their summer revival. So here's the "accident" I had this week. I bumped my head on a speaker shelf in the auditorium before church Wednesday night. Hard. Really hard. Very painful. A little bloody. Extremely embarrassing. Thanks for your prayers and concern, Shiloh! I appreciate those who have shown initial interest in the expository...

Paul instructed Timothy to "preach the word" (2 Tim. 4:2). What does this solemn charge (2 Tim. 4:1) mean? At the least, it means that our preaching should be focused on and filled with the truth, wisdom, and message of the scriptures. Of course, just because a man reads, quotes, and talks about the Bible in his sermon does not mean he is preaching the word. Many use the word of God as a springboard to proclaim a self-styled, man-centered message. But it is clear that you cannot preach the word if you do not actually use the word in...