THE SALT OF THE EARTH Matthew 5:13 Sodium Chloride – SALT - gets a lot of bad press. It is blamed for everything from hypertension to obesity to heart disease. The need for salt is questioned. Its use is discouraged. And its presence on many tables is often more decorative than anything else. But this was not the case when Jesus announced to his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth.” In the cultural world of the ancient Near East, salt was an essential and valuable commodity. For example, the Roman government often paid their soldiers’ wages in salt....

Let me begin by putting my cards on the table (pun intended): I BELIEVE THAT GAMBLING IS A BIBLICALLY INDEFENSIBLE ACTIVITY.• I agree with GEORGE WASHINGTON: “Gambling is the child of avarice, the brother of iniquity, and the father of mischief.” • I agree with MARTIN LUTHER: “Money won by gambling is not won without self-seeking and love of self, and not without sin.”• I agree with AUGUSTINE: “The devil invented gambling.”• I agree with MARK TWAIN: “The best throw at dice is to throw them away.” • And I agree with STANLEY HAUERWAS: “Tell the people who are involved...

GOD HELPS THOSE WHO CANNOT HELP THEMSELVES 2 Chronicles 26:15-21 Isaiah’s glorious vision of the Lord God begins in Isaiah 6:1 with these classic words: “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.” Unfortunately, this passing time-reference is basically all many of us know about Uzziah, King of Judah. But it is definitively not all that scripture has to say about him. A fuller record of Uzziah’s story is told in 2 Kings 15:1-7, where he is called Azariah, which...

THE HYMN OF CHRISTPhilippians 2:5-11 Philippians 2:5-11 is called THE HYMN OF CHRIST, because scholars tell us that this passage records an actual hymn that was sung in worship by the early church. Contextually, Philippians 2 is a call to spiritual unity. In verses 1-4, Paul says, “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry and conceit, but in humility count others...

I am being greatly challenged by the study of Philippians. And it has been very convicting to preach the radical ideals of the Apostle Paul. Actually, Paul's thoughts here are not radical. They are Christian! However, many of us who follow Christ today (including and especially me) are so spoiled by the blessings of God that we do not really know what it means to live radically for the Lord Jesus Christ. I praise God for all that I am learning in my studies. And I pray that congregation of SMBC is also being edified as we study "the Epistle...

SURPRISED BY GRACE 2 Samuel 9 “O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell in your holy hill?” David begins Psalm 15 with these provocative questions. The body of the psalm answers these opening questions. It describes that character and conduct of the person who pleases God. The last line of Psalm 15:4 tells us that a godly person is one “who swears to his own hurt and does not change.” He keeps his word even when it costs him. She keeps her promises no matter what. The point is that godly people are promise keepers. David...