20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven holding the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the abyss, closed it, and put a seal on it so that he would no longer deceive the nations until the thousand years were completed. After that, he must be released for a short time.
4 Then I saw thrones, and people seated on them who were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and who had not accepted the mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed.
This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
7 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 They came up across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the encampment of the saints, the beloved city. Then fire came down from heaven and consumed them. 10 The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Text: Revelation 20.1-10 Series: Eschatology: A Study of the End Times Church: South Caraway Baptist Church, Jonesboro, AR Date: October 5, 2022
24 As Jesus left and was going out of the temple, his disciples came up and called his attention to its buildings. 2 He replied to them, “Do you see all these things? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down.” 3 While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Text: Matthew 24-25, c.f. Mark 13, Luke 21 Series: Eschatology: A Study of the End Times Church: South Caraway Baptist Church, Jonesboro, AR Date: September 7 , 2022
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 14 He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works.
Text: Titus 2.11-14 Series: Revival Church: First Baptist Church, Mammoth Spring, AR Date: August 31, 2022
Question: What parts of the law do we follow today? Series: Wednesday Night Bible Study – Q & A Church: South Caraway Baptist Church, Jonesboro, AR Date: July 27, 2022
Question: How do we apply the promises of Israel to the church? Series: Wednesday Night Bible Study – Q & A Church: South Caraway Baptist Church, Jonesboro, AR Date: July 20, 2022
Question: How do we connect the Old and New Testaments? Series: Wednesday Night Bible Study – Q & A Church: South Caraway Baptist Church, Jonesboro, AR Date: July 13, 2022
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will: To the faithful saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus. 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Title: On an Introduction to Ephesians Series: John Newton Pastors Conference Church: Grace Baptist Church, West Memphis, AR Date: May 20, 2022
TEXT 19 “There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen, feasting lavishly every day. 20 But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was lying at his gate. 21 He longed to be filled with what fell from the rich man’s table, but instead the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torment in Hades, he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side. 24 ‘Father Abraham!’ he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame!’
25 “‘Son,’ Abraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things, just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.’
27 “‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house— 28 because I have five brothers—to warn them, so that they won’t also come to this place of torment.’
29 “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”
~Luke 16.19-31
Title: On the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus Series: Who is Jesus? A Study of the Gospel of Luke Church: South Caraway Baptist Church, Jonesboro, AR Date: May 08, 2022
8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead and descended from David, according to my gospel, 9 for which I suffer to the point of being bound like a criminal. But the word of God is not bound. 10 This is why I endure all things for the elect: so that they also may obtain salvation, which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. 11 This saying is trustworthy:
For if we died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.
~2 Timothy 2.8-13
Title: On 2 Timothy 2.8-13 Series: Revival Church: First Baptist Church, DeValls Bluff, AR Date: March 16, 2022
49 Remember your word to your servant; you have given me hope through it. 50 This is my comfort in my affliction: Your promise has given me life. 51 The arrogant constantly ridicule me, but I do not turn away from your instruction. 52 Lord, I remember your judgments from long ago and find comfort. 53 Fury seizes me because of the wicked who reject your instruction. 54 Your statutes are the theme of my song during my earthly life. 55 Lord, I remember your name in the night, and I obey your instruction. 56 This is my practice: I obey your precepts.
Zayin (ז) is the seventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet; accordingly, this is now the seventh stanza of Psalm 119. In this stanza, our psalmist begins to reflect on the relationship between hope and perseverance in the face of intense grief. This is a topic that I have written on recently here, but the main point is that the Christian hope is grounded in the promises of God’s Word. As our psalmist writes, “Remember your word to your servant; you have given me hope through it.” The God of the Bible is eternal, without beginning or end, and so, He always remembers His Word. And not only does He remember His Word, He always keeps it. He is a God of His Word, because His Word is the revelation of Himself. Therefore, His Word is certain and sure, and this is why Christians should be people of unconquerable hope.
In the New Testament, hope is one of a triad of primary virtues that distinguish the followers of Christ. As the scriptures so poetically remind us, “Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13.13). Of course, hope is one of the most powerful emotions in all the human experience, and it is hope, along with faith and love, that is the primary source of motivation and strength in the Christian life. For our psalmist, it is his comfort in affliction (verse 50), his courage in the face of ridicule (verse 51), his zeal in the face of sinfulness (verse 53), and his joy in the regular responsibilities of life (verse 54). This hope, a hope that is firmly grounded the promises of God’s Word by faith, gives our psalmist the strength to persevere in obedience no matter what obstacles or difficulties may come against him(verses 55-56).
However, in trusting in His promises, we are not simply left to some kind of blind faith. In many ways the story of the Bible is a record of promises that have been kept. As our psalmist puts it, “Lord, I remember your judgments from long ago and find comfort” (verse 52). The Word of God is the evidence that God keeps His promises. In his the two book set that surveys of the Bible’s message, Mark Dever describes the Old and New Testaments as “Promises Made” and “Promises Kept” respectively. And the gospel writers, in particular, are at great pains to demonstrate that “these things happened so that the Scriptures would be fulfilled.” (John 19.36, among others) This is the unanimous affirmation of the Bible’s authors, that “whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures.” (Romans 15.4)
This is the point, namely that our hope is not in vain, because we know beyond any shadow of doubt that God keeps His Word in every detail. In fact, He has already kept it by sending His Son incarnate to die on the cross for sin and rise again. This is why the author of Hebrews writes, “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” (Hebrews 11.1) When it is all said and done, Christians are people of hope, and our hope cannot be extinguished no matter what difficulties or hardships may come our way. “We wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2.13) While we wait, let us learn from our the commitment of our psalmist, “This is my practice: I obey your precepts.” (verse 56).
Faith seeking Understanding 