Opened Scriptures Bible Studies

Good morning to all... Psalm 10:4  The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God:  God is not in all his thoughts. Amos 8:4  Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail. Psalm 10:2  The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.  Psalm 10 is unique because it opens up the thoughts and patterns of the wicked ones. It gives us insight into what evil people do and how they think. It also helps us understand why they do it. Most important, it shows us our great need to depend upon the LORD.  Pride is what drives the wicked. "A proud look" is first on the list of 7 things that God hates (Proverbs 6:16-19). Pride is the sin that resulted in Lucifer being ejected from heaven (Ezekiel 28:12-15; Isaiah 14:12-15). Shame follows when the wicked are governed by pride (Proverbs 11:2). The wicked cause contention, chaos and division...

Good afternoon to our Readers around the world. I am posting another hymn history, this one about Isaac Watt's well known hymn "O God Our Help in Ages Past." I hope that this will be a blessing to you and that you can sing along with this hymn as the lyrics are also included below. In addition, I included a link to a good performance of this beautiful hymn. Isaac Watts (1674-1748) penned a hymn for days like this. “O GOD, OUR HELP IN AGES PAST,” a paraphrase of Psalm 90, was written in 1714 when England was in crisis, faced with another wave of religious intolerance. Watts knew about intolerance. He was nursed on the steps of the Southampton jail where his father, a Protestant with “Nonconformist sympathies,” was imprisoned for worshipping with his family outside the state-sanctioned Church of England.  When he wasn’t fighting for religious freedom, Isaac Watts, Sr. ran a boarding school. There, he taught his frail and sickly son to love languages. Young Isa...

Good Morning to each of you. My hope and prayer for this new week before us is that we view it as a fresh start, a new beginning where we can pray, study the Word and serve God with renewed vigor. Please continue to pray for the present troubles that some of our readers are undoubtedly facing in various parts of the world.  Most of all, may our hearts be encouraged by knowing that God is still on His throne moving His kingdom purposes forward, oftentimes in ways and places completely unknown to us. We can trust God to always honor His Word and to keep His promises. Psalm 10 is a prayer to Jehovah not to delay in rescuing the afflicted and oppressed. This Psalm describes the overwhelming power of the wicked and evil doers in great detail. It captures the spirit of rebellion against God's moral authority that rages in their hearts. It is a prayer for God to quickly intervene to help the helpless as the wicked unleash their evil plots against them.  Common ground ...

Good morning to all of our Readers... Below is the link to our church YouTube channel so that you can watch/listen to Pastor Alvis preach his sermon for today, May 24, 2020. I trust that we all will have our hearts encouraged and challenged by Pastor's sermon and may the Spirit of God take the Word of God and do a mighty work in us. Bob

Good morning..... Psalm 9:18-20  For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.  19  Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight.  20  Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah. We bring this study of Psalm 9 to a close and it ends as it began. King David is trusting Jehovah with all of his needs and concerns. Our last post focused on the subject of murder and the millions of innocent babies being aborted each year. We noted that innocent blood cries out to Jehovah for justice and vengeance.  David now shows us our need to trust our cares and concerns to the LORD.  Jehovah cares about the poor and needy and so should we. Psalm 9:18  For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.  King David brings the plight of the poor to our attention and rightly so...

Good evening to all of our Readers.... I want to share an urgent prayer request with you. We have Readers and believers who follow this blog all around the world and sometimes they are face daunting troubles.  We have some Readers and believers in one part of the world who face a government pressures and possible loss of independence. It is possible that their internet access may be restricted or cut off.  Please pray for these Readers and believers to be kept safe by the power of God, according to His perfect will. Please pray that the gospel will continue to be available to them even as the government moves to restrict their freedoms. Please pray that each one of the believers in these places will rely on God more and more during this time of crisis.  I do not want to name the specific countries involved so that no one's identity is compromised.  Christ tells us how to pray. Matthew 5:44-45  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them t...

Good morning.... Psalm 127:3  Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. God will not let murderers escape His judgment. Psalm 9:12  When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.  This is a verse that captivates our attention. Jehovah is the subject in verse 12 and the pronoun "he" refers to Jehovah. This text ties in with the judgment of God that was mentioned in verses 4-8 so this is also a passage of judgment.  Jehovah is the one making "inquisition" for blood. What does this mean? We have to turn back to Genesis 4 to see what this text is telling us. Genesis 4:1-10  And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.  2  And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.  3  And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain...

Good morning... Psalm 46:1  God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 9:9-11  The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.  10  And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.  11  Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.  In Psalm 9, King David began with praise that was built on the foundation of the swift and righteous judgment of Jehovah. Now he is going to lead us back into the glories and spiritual realities of knowing Jehovah as Savior, Deliverer and Sovereign.  Remember that Jehovah is the promise and covenant keeping God who inhabits eternity and who dwells with those who have humble hearts and contrite spirits. David is describing a man or woman who has exercised repentant faith in God's provision for salvation. This is the unchanging God who will always d...

Good evening to all of our Readers... Here is the YouTube link to Pastor Alvis' midweek sermon titled "Embracing God's Thoughts on Every Matter." I hope this sermon is a blessing for all of you! Bob

Good morning to all of our Readers around the world! The Lord has granted us another spring morning to enjoy in North East Ohio. All the trees, bushes, lawns and flowers are incredibly beautiful and many of the flowing plants fill the air with wonderful scents. This always reminds me of the beauty of resurrection Sunday as our victorious Lord Jesus Christ arose from the grave to become our sweet smelling savor offering to our Father in heaven. The judgment of God's enemies is final. Psalm 9:3-6  When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.  4  For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.  5  Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.  6  O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.  We made our way through the f...