“And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days He did eat nothing: and when they were ended, He afterward hungered. And the devil said unto Him, ‘If Thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.’ And Jesus answered him, saying, ‘It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ And the devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, shewed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto Him, ‘All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be Thine.’ And Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.’ And he brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto Him, ‘If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down from hence: for it is written, ‘He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.’ And Jesus answering said unto him, ‘It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.’ And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from Him for a season.” ~Jesus as He dealt with Satan (Luke 4:1-13)
Month: January 2014
Of Treasure, Pearls, A Great Catch, Stewards and the Judgment
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Jesus saith unto them, “Have ye understood all these things?” They say unto him, “Yea, Lord.” Then said He unto them, “Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.” ~Jesus (Matthew 13:44-52)
The Word of the LORD Came…
The Word of the LORD Came…
Genesis 15:1, 4
1. Abraham had just passed over great wealth considering the glory of the LORD (14:21-24).
2. There could have been some apprehension, second guessing of himself following.
3. There was evidently some fear; what is going to happen now?; type questions of what had happened.
4. The Word of the LORD came and gave Abraham hope, vision and promise for the future.
I. …IN TIMES OF DOUBT AND FEAR (John 14:1-3).
II. …TO GIVE HOPE, PROMISE, VISION.
III. …GIVING ASSURANCE OF RIGHTEOUS DECISION MAKING (v. 6).
Application –
i. Trust in the LORD with all your heart; lean not unto your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6).
ii. The LORD knows that where we are not guided by vision we perish (Proverbs 29:18).
iii. Believing the LORD is the way of righteousness (Romans 10:9-13).
-Tim A. Blankenship
Preached January of 2011.
The Good Seed, and the Tares in the Kingdom
“He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of Man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” ~Jesus (Matthew 13:37-43)
Mustard Seed, and Leaven within the Kingdom of Heaven
“The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.” Another parable spake He unto them; “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” ~Jesus (Matthew 13:31-33)
Evil Within the Kingdom of Heaven will be Dealt With
“The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, ‘Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares?’ He said unto them, ‘An enemy hath done this.’ The servants said unto him, ‘Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.’” ~Jesus (Matthew 13:24-30)
Soil Conditions, Heart Conditions and Harvest Revisited
“Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” ~Jesus (Matthew 13:18-23)
Iraq suffers deadliest year since 2008. Double Christmas Day church bombings in Baghdad kill 37. Please pray for peace.
(Washington, D.C.) — As the last of U.S. military forces departed from Iraq one year ago, al-Qaeda and other Radical Islamic movements have launched the worst wave of violence in Iraq in five years.
All Iraqis need our prayers, including the Christians who have been repeatedly targetedby the jihadists.
Two bombing attacks on Christians in Baghdad alone on Christmas Day left 37 people dead and scores wounded.
“Violence in Iraq has reached its worst level since 2008, the UN mission to Baghdad has said, reporting that more than 8,800 Iraqis were killed in 2013,” reports the UK Guardian. “The UN said 7,818 civilians died last year. The total including members of the Iraqi security forces surged to 8,868, with 759 people killed in December alone.”
“Al-Qaida in Iraq has found fertile ground in all this discontent and has attacked the Iraqi government …by killing members of its army…
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God Created
God Created
Genesis 1:1
1. The Bible is all about God; His Son; His Spirit and God’s work in the world and the universe.
2. The Bible always assumes the existence of God without doubt.
3. The Bible is the only authority for God that we have.
4. According to Hebrew scholars this first verse is made up of seven Hebrew words; from which we can see seven key truths (from the HCSB Study Bible)
I. GOD EXISTS (Heb. 11:6).
II. GOD IS ETERNAL AND EXISTED BEFORE THE UNIVERSE WAS MADE (Heb. 1:10-12).
III. GOD IS THE MAIN CHARACTER OF THE BIBLE.
IV. GOD HAS DONE WHAT NO ONE ELSE CAN DO; HE CREATED FROM NOTHING.
V. GOD IS MYSTERIOUS; ONE, TRINITY, INVISIBLE, IMMUTABLE, OMNIPOTENT, OMNISCIENT, OMNIPRESENT; AND UNEXPLAINABLE.
VI. GOD IS CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH – ALL THAT IS (Psalm 33:6, 9; Heb. 11:3).
VII. GOD IS INDEPENDENT OF HIS CREATION – CREATION IS DEPENDENT UPON HIM (Acts 17:28).
Application –
i. We in our existence owe it to the One who created us.
ii. God in His mercy came down to us in the person of His Son, and died for our sins.
iii. The Creator dying on a part of His creation, for His creation, to have fellowship and life with Him.
iv. Mankind; The human race is dependent upon our Creator; He is not dependent upon us.
v. Glorify God by receiving His one and only gift for reconciliation with Him – Jesus Christ death on the cross.
-Tim A. Blankenship
A message preached at Carr Lane Baptist Church in January 2011
Blessed are The Eyes that See, and The Ears That Hear What Jesus Says
“Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, ‘By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: for this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.” ~Jesus (Matthew 13:11-17)
Soil Conditions, Heart Conditions and Harvest
“Behold, a sower went forth to sow; and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: and when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: but other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” ~Jesus (Matthew 13:3-9)
The Fire and Hammer 