Colossians 3:15 says, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body and be ye thankful.” At First Baptist Decherd we certainly have much to be thankful for. God has given us a great vision and that vision is being fulfilled before our very…
The events recorded in Genesis 16 is another example of how our decisions affect those around us. This one event changed the course of history and set the stage for the conflicts that we see in our day. With the birth of Ishmael, we have the birth of the birth of the arch enemy of…
Being in a position of leadership is never easy. There are always things to deal with. There are difficult decisions to make, there are distractions, there is difficulty in communication, and the list goes on and on. As a leader, I realize there are several things that I need to work that every leader should…
Sanctification is one doctrine that we tend to shy away from. We love to talk about the doctrine of redemption, justification, propitiation, and glorification. When these doctrines are preached we respond with shouts of ‘amen’ and ‘glory to God.’ However, when it comes to sanctification it is met with silence. The apostle Paul prays that…
Abram’s story reminds us of a soap opera. In one episode we find him the triumphant man of faith, believing God for the birth of a miracle child, and we say to ourselves, “Abram believed God!” But in the following episode, we see him fathering an illegitimate child, squabbling with his wife, and in a…
Not only does the scriptures testify that Jesus is the Son of God, but Jesus Himself also testifies to this fact. In the context of Jesus’ conversation with the Jews concerning His healing of the blind man, Jesus makes it very clear that He is the Son of God. In this passage we see two…
In John 10:1-10 we saw how Jesus is the door. Jesus is the door of the sheep. The sheep is the nation of Israel. Jesus is the door through which the Jews are called out of their religion and called into a relationship with Jesus. Salvation is not only available to the Jews. It is…
The New American Commentary says, “The war of the kings sets the scene for this second account in the trilogy of Abram-Lot stories (chaps. 13; 14; 18–19). Lot contrasts Abram in two ways in this episode: first, he is the passive, impotent figure compared to the courageous champion Abram; second, Lot is incompetent as leader…
The purpose of the Gospel of John is to reveal who Jesus is. After Jesus heals the man born blind, Jesus engages in a discourse with the religious leaders of His day. This discourse is recorded in 10:1-42. In having this discussion, Jesus makes it very clear who He really is. Jesus speaks a parable…
When Jesus healed the man born blind, it created quite a stir amongst the religious leaders of that day. This is common ground for Jesus. Everywhere Jesus went, He was met with some form of opposition and questioning by religious leaders. Unfortunately, many sincere followers of Christ face the same type of scrutiny today. There…
Pastor Chris Noland 