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Psalm 1: The Ways Of A Blessed Man Contrasted With The Ways of a Sinner.

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Psalm 1:1  Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  2  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.  3  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.  The Psalmist begins this book of 150 chapters by contrasting the ways and life of a Godly man with the ways and life of an ungodly man. Thus, two different paths of life are presented to us. One is the path to God's blessing and the other is the path God's judgment. This connects with Jesus teaching us that there are two gates.  One gate is restrictive and only one person at a time can enter. The other gate is wide and everyone is barging through it. The straight or restrictive gate opens to a narrow path that leads to eternal lif...

Bob Swisher: Context Of Revival Under King Joash: Six Years Of Darkness Before Revival Came

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Good day to each of our Readers.... Though we are unable to meet together in church to worship God and to hear His Word preached, I look forward to a grand reunion in heaven with each of you. It is our wonderful God who leads each of you from around the world, to this blog to read and study His Word together. I count it a great privilege to teach God's Word to you and I pray for the will of God to be accomplished in each of our lives.  Below you will find the link to the YouTube channel of Heritage Baptist Church were my wife and I attend. Pastor Mike has once again asked me to teach the adult Sunday school on a longer term basis. I love my Pastor very much and there are times when he simply needs an Aaron or Hur to come alongside and support him. We are studying revival and before looking at the next King (Joash) we need to look at the context preceding his revival. First, we saw that the revivals enjoyed by King Asa and later, His son Jehoshaphat, ended because Jehoshaphat's ...

The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 28 Resurrection Power And The Great Commission

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Matthew 28:1  In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.  In our last post, we noted that the two Mary's were watching to see where Nicodemus and Joseph buried Jesus. Their intent was to honor Christ with what they called a second embalming. As soon as it was permissible under the Jews sabbath rules, they arose and went forth to Jesus' tomb. Mark 16:1-3  And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.  2  And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.  3  And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?   Mark's gospel tells us that both women carried more of the sweet spices that were used to honor a king who died. Notice, that they came...

The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 27 Part 8 The Tender And Honorable Burial Of Jesus' Body

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We reached the point where Jesus laid down His life as a perfect sacrifice for the sins of all humanity for all time. We noted how prophecies were literally fulfilled in the particular aspects of Christ's death on the cross. God was at work reconciling a world of lost sinners to Himself through the sacrifice of His Son, our perfect Lamb. Jesus cried out with a loud voice "It is finished" and mankind's sins were atoned for. We saw the mighty miracles of a sun darkened during the time of day it shone the brightest. God shook the earth with a mighty earthquake such that a battle hardened Roman centurion shouted out "Truly, this was the Son of God!" Now we turn our attention to what happened to Jesus' body. Matthew 27:57-58  When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:  58  He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.  This Joseph was a...

The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 27 Part 7 God's Powerful Testimony For His Son, Jesus Christ.

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Matthew 27:50  Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.  We studied the suffering and death of Christ right up to the point when He laid His life down for our sins.  We will focus on the powerful things that happened after Jesus died. Remember, that God turned out the lights of heaven while His Son hung on the cross bearing our sins. John's gospel tells us that Jesus said He had power to lay His life down and power to take it up again. Thus, when He yielded up the ghost, Jesus laid His life down after having declared that "It is finished" with regard to all the sins of all humanity for all time! Matthew 27:51  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;  What was the veil of the temple? This was constructed in accord with the pattern God gave Moses in the book of Exodus.  The veil in the Temple that King Solomon built was about 60 feet high and...

The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 27 Part 6 "It Is Finished" Is Jesus' Victory Shout!

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Matthew 27:45  Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.  As the moment of Jesus' death drew near, some startling events occurred. A supernatural darkness covered "all the land" from the 6th to the 9th hour. This corresponds to a timeframe beginning at noon and lasting until three PM. Thus, when the sunlight was at its peak hours, God turned out the lights! Scholars debate about whether the world was plunged into darkness, or was restricted to Judea where Jesus lived and ministered. This seems to have been a darkness that covered Judea only, making it a most notable miracle. Exodus 10:21-23  And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.  22  And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:  23  They saw not one another, neither rose any fro...

Bob Swisher: Revival Under King Jehoshaphat: Lessons Of Revival Lived Out

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  Below is the link to our church YouTube channel where you can view the livestream of the Sunday school lesson I shared on August 2nd. This is a series of lessons about the good kings of Judah under whom revival occurred. Jehoshaphat was in a good place. He recovered from the alliance he made with wicked king Ahab, and when he returned to Jerusalem, God's prophet strongly rebuked the king. Rather than hardening his heart toward God, he heard and heeded the message. 2 Chronicles 20 begins by telling us that a massive army composed or Moabites, Ammonites and natives of Mount Seir, were advancing toward Judah. Their purpose was to drive Judah out of the land that God gave them. We learned that testing's or trials often follow times of revival and faithfulness to God. Satan does not want us to worship God, He does not want us to live for God's glory, nor does he want us to share the gospel with others. We also learned that God uses trials and afflictions for our good. Jehoshap...

Pastor Alvis' July Sermons & Lessons

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Here is where to find indexes to all Bible lessons posted on this blog since its inception in 2019. Click on the drop down menu and look for the archives tab. Then find the date listed below to find the appropriate index. I hope this will help you find lessons on a particular book of topic that we have studied through. An index for all lessons posted from 2019 through 2021 , was published on September 7, 2022. An index for all lessons posted in 2022 , was published J anuary 24, 2023. An index for all lessons posted in 202 3 was published on February 28, 2024.  An index for all lessons posted in 2024 was published on January 21, 2025. An index for all lessons posted in 2025 was published on January 24, 2026. Below are the links to the YouTube channel of Heritage Baptist Church where my family attends. Pastor Alvis is an excellent pastor, a close friend and one who lives in accord with the gospel. His sermons are well grounded in God's truth and he is always careful to preach an...