Today’s passage of scripture is one that I have found to be one of the most important in the New Testament in regards to understanding the afterlife.   However, my view is not one that is widely shared among Biblical commentators.   There is much disagreement over the proper interpretation of this passage amongst Biblical scholars.  By way of disclaimer, I do not profess in any way to be a Biblical scholar. However, I will tell you how I view Biblical interpretation.  I believe that God’s word is sufficient in and of itself through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit working

Read More…

As we have been looking at the last few chapters, we have noticed a steady downward progression in the attitude of the scribes and Pharisees towards Jesus and His gospel which He has been preaching.  At first, there was a curiosity on the part of the Pharisees towards Jesus.  They heard great crowds were following Him.  They heard that He was supposed to be a great teacher.  They heard about some of the miracles that He was doing.  And so they had a certain curiosity to see what He was doing. Then that curiosity progressed to the point of becoming

Read More…

I remember as a boy growing up in North Carolina someone once showing me a stack of old money that they had found in their attic.  There was enough money  there to make a person rich.  There was only one problem.  Printed on the notes was the words the Confederate States of America.  It was money that was printed in the South during the Civil War.  A lot of people in the South were paid for goods and services or for serving in the Army of the Confederacy with those bank notes.  But when the  Civil War was over, those

Read More…

Today’s passage is a parable commonly known as the parable of the prodigal son, which is part of a trilogy of parables that Jesus gave in this chapter.  They were given by Jesus in response to the attitude of the Pharisees who grumbled when sinners and tax collectors came to hear Him preach.  And particularly they thought it was inappropriate for Jesus to receive them and even eat with them.  So in response, Jesus tells them three parables, a trilogy; first a parable of the lost sheep, secondly the parable of the lost coin, and thirdly the parable of the

Read More…

If you’re a regular here at the Beach Fellowship, then you know that I don’t usually try to pander to the holidays with my messages.  As you know, we are going through the book of Luke, chapter by chapter and verse by verse, which is our custom.  But it just so happens that today my message does in some degree address mothers.  So for those of you that feel that I should attempt to recognize the holidays more in my messages, then you’re going to get your wish today.  However, as they say, be careful what you wish for.  If

Read More…

Obviously from our scripture text this morning, I am not planning a typical Easter message.  We celebrate Easter every Sunday morning and we certainly celebrate Easter this morning, but I will not be preaching an Easter message, per se. However, millions of people all over the world are celebrating Easter today.  And undoubtedly many people are attending services who rarely go to church at all except for on the major holidays like Easter and Christmas.  And I don’t want to disparage people that only come to church on major holidays.  I would always want to encourage people to come to

Read More…

I’m sure many of you have heard the famous story concerning a young black musician that lived in the 1920’s and 30’s named Robert Johnson.  According to a mixture of actual history and  folklore, Robert Johnson was a Mississippi blues singer and songwriter, who according to legend, sold his soul to Satan “at the crossroads” in exchange for his remarkable talent on the guitar.   Robert Johnson was born and raised in Mississippi and started playing blues guitar in the late 1920s. His wife and child died in childbirth around 1930 and afterwards he is said to have become bitter

Read More…