The Spirit of God was upon Jesus, and with Jesus, from the very first moment of His human existence. “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall …
His Brothers Shall Return
During Advent, I have been preaching through a series of messages on the Lord’s family — Joseph first, then Mary, and then His brothers and sisters. The outline for the sermon yesterday had been done since Wednesday, and in that message I was pointing out how the Lord’s brothers did not believe in Him until …
What the Lord’s Brothers and Sisters Knew
Introduction Jesus had four brothers, and at least two sisters (Mark 6:3; Matt. 13:55-56). The names of His brothers were James, Joses, Judah, and Simon. James was the author of the book of James, and Judah was the author of the book of Jude (Jude 1:1). With Joseph and Mary having that number of children, …
When Preaching to Humans, In Other Words
“In preaching to children, and to the great mass of adults, illustration is simply indispensable . . . The example of our Lord decides the whole question” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery, p. 216).
Spring Loaded
One of the things we should have realized by now is that the world around us is far crazier than we could ever have dreamed. Just when we have finally accommodated ourselves to taking yesterday’s staggering discoveries for granted, along comes another one. Our sinful hearts have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for …
What Mary Knew
Introduction Last week we considered what Joseph knew, and obviously Mary knew all the same things, and for the same reason. But she had more direct experience with the marvels that came to earth through her. For example, the angelic communication with Joseph came through dreams, but came to her directly. The Text: “And the …
On Knowing Where You Have to Land
“The preacher, of all men, should study the common mind, and seek fully to understand, not only its forms of expression, but, what is still more important, its ways of thinking” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery, p. 210).
Up and Down the Pew
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) The Basket Case Chronicles #137 “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that …
What Joseph Knew
Introduction Before discussing what Joseph knew, we should perhaps begin by considering what we know about Joseph. Despite the fact that we tend to assume we know very little, we may be surprised to discover how much in fact we do know. This is even more surprising when we consider that in the entire scriptural …
Proclaiming By Remembrance
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) The Basket Case Chronicles #136 “After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as …