Opened Scriptures Bible Studies

Good afternoon On this Lord's day as we read the word, worship and praise our Great God, I wanted to share the story of a powerful hymn about the blood of Christ ans its power to wash our sins away. The history and words are included and I inserted a link to a very good choral & instrumental performance in hopes that you might be able to sing along. William Cowper was born in Great Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, England, on November 15, 1731.  His father was an English clergyman and his mother came from a prominent English family of royalty.   While he achieved much in his early years, Cowper was physically frail and emotionally sensitive throughout his childhood.  His mother died when he was six years old and that experience had a deep impact upon him.  He was never able to deal with his grief appropriately. He passed his law exam and was actually licensed as a lawyer, but the thought of appearing before the bar for his final oral examination...

Good morning to each one of you... Today we begin to study the first chapter of John's gospel. The first 18 verses are called the "prologue" and it is like a summary for the rest of that gospel. Let us read the first paragraph of chapter 1. John 1:1-5  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2  The same was in the beginning with God. 3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.  Jesus Christ is called the Word of God.  John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2  The same was in the beginning with God.  John is very explicit to let us know Jesus is also called the Word of God. He makes a connection to Genesis 1. God created by speaking all things into existence....

Good morning and may you all have a blessed Lord's Day! I have inserted the link to Pastor Alvis' sermon for Sunday, May 31, 2020. I know it will enrich our faith, challenge us where we are complacent and point us to our blessed hope and Lord of Glory.  May we all glorify God with our response to His word. Bob

I wish everyone a good Lord's Day tomorrow.  I am posting a powerful hymn arranged by Faye Lopez in 2006 but the words were written by the great reformer, Martin Luther around 1540. THis hymn begins with with the chorus and then repeats the chorus after each verse.  The hymn is based upon Isaiah 40:6-8. (See also Matthew 24:35; 1 Peter 1:25; Isaiah 55:11). Isaiah 40:6-8  The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:  7  The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.  8  The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.  Chorus: God's Word shall stand forever, The Bible shall prevail; God's Word shall stand forever, His truth can never, never fail. Verse 1 For feelings come and feelings go, And feelings are deceiving; My warrant is the...

Good morning to all of our Readers... Unique Aspects of John's Gospel. We briefly looked at some of the special features of the first 3 gospels of the New Testament. The first 3 gospels include the signs and the sayings of Jesus.  Now we will look  at some unique parts of John's gospel.  In a general sense the first 3 gospels tell us what Jesus said and did but John's gospel is distinctly different. John was used of God to tell us who Jesus Christ is.  Also, remember that the Apostle John witnessed the life, teachings and miracles of Christ that the other gospel writers witnessed. However, John chose to be very selective in the material that he recorded for us so that we would not miss his main focus of showing who Christ is. John uses the phrase "son of God" in reference to Jesus Christ 10 times, more than any other gospel. This is a key to knowing what John is telling us about Christ.  There are no Parables in John's Gospel. John...

Good afternoon to each one of our Readers. We have had a busy week as our oldest granddaughter gave birth to twins on Tuesday and we had our 5 yr old Great grandson spending two nights with us. Exiting times!  However, in all the excitement I forgot to post Pastor Alvis's mid week sermon. This is a great sermon on the providence of God in our lives. Bob

Greetings to all of our Readers around the world! Our world is full of chaos, confusion and uncertainty yet we have the greatest blessing of being able to look into the scriptures given by God to us.  I would like to study through the Gospel of John with you. John's gospel is unique. He wrote toward the end of the first century after having seen the birth of the church and the martyrdom of all the other apostles. John also saw where the church was getting off track and wrote his gospel to address these concerns.  John wants us to know certain doctrinal truths that had become compromised to some degree and he reinforced them strongly in his gospel and his 3 epistles.  Let us begin this study by comparing themes in the other 3 gospels to themes in John's gospel.  Unique aspects of Matthew's Gospel.   Matthew's intent is to present Jesus Christ as Israel's King and Messiah. Thus, Matthew starts with a legal family history that connects Jesus Christ t...

Good morning... A plea for Jehovah to rise up in judgment. Psalm 10:12  Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.   At this juncture the Psalmist cries out to Jehovah Elohim for justice because the wicked seem to be having their way and the people of God are in jeopardy. He pleads for God to remember the humble people of faith and asks that He rise up with mighty power to judge the wicked. Isaiah 41:10  Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.   The Psalmist is petitioning God for the same things that the prophets asked for. Isaiah received this strong assurance from Jehovah. He will be with them at all times. He encourages them to not be afraid because He is with them. Jehovah will bring strength and help and will hold them up in the battle.  The wicked will not get away with sin....

Good evening to all our Readers around the world.  I am posting a hymn history for a wonderful hymn that captures our need of grace due to our tendency to wander. The lyrics and a link to a good performance of the hymn are included. I hope that you find the story behind this hymn to be as inspiring as I do. Who was Robert Robinson? Robert Robinson was just a small boy when his dad died. In 18th century England, there was little in the way of a social welfare system and this meant that he had to go to work while still very young. Without a father to guide and steady him, Robert fell in with bad companions. Change of Fortune One day his gang of rowdies harassed a drunken gypsy. Pouring liquor into her, they demanded she tell their fortunes for free. Pointing her finger at Robert she told him he would live to see his children and grandchildren. This struck a tender spot in his heart. "If I'm going to live to see my children and grandchildren," he thought, ...

Good evening to everyone. I am posting an email from our Pastor because I believe you will find it encouraging to read. He is specifically speaking about ministering to the "Senior Saints" in our church family. My heart was warmed as I read it and I hope that yours will be blessed too.  Bob May 27, 2020 Good morning, One of the unusual blessings of our ministry together is a shared love for our senior saints.  We have watched our folks care for aging parents, minister tangibly through meeting needs, and initiating rest home ministries and seasonal gifts.  I find that every age group has evidenced a respect and appreciation for those who have loved the Lord, their families, and us.  I love our seniors.  In fact, high on our list of concerns during this epidemic is that about 25% of our congregation are “high risk” because of age or other physical challenges. My earliest pastorate began in 1986 when I was 25 years old.  If I remember corr...

Good morning... 1 John 5:19  And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. The wicked do not fear God or man.  Psalm 10:5-7  His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.  6  He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.  7  His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.  A wicked person does not fear God or man and will never deviate from his evil ways. This kind of person does not believe God exists much less that God will one day judge him for his wickedness. Wicked people are so full of pride that they believe all enemies are unable to resist them. Wicked people who do not fear God are sad because they have nothing to live for beyond what is right in front of them. Wicked people often seem to prosper in this life and they arrogantly think that they...