Matthew 7:14
"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
Across every country you have interstates, highways and roads. Most people choose the interstates if they are traveling a long distance. Oftentimes the interstate is not as direct a course as a highway or road, but it is often the most traveled way. With every trip you take, you have to decide which way you are going to go.
Genesis 1:18
"And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good."
God's creation is a perfect creation, not only in what was created, but how it was created. One part of this great creation is the firmament. The Scriptures teach us that in this firmament, God made "...two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night..." Of course, we understand those two great lights are the sun and the moon. Each have their own importance to the firmament, but God made it clear that they were to be separated for that purpose to "...rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness..." After the powers were separated and at the end of that day God said, "... and God saw that it was good."
Malachi 3:2
"But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:"
It is amazing how the presence of a spiritual authority causes one to immediately do right. As a preacher, I'm amused how people apologize to me for accidentally saying a wrong word in my presence as if they sinned against me. I've seen people quickly get their beer cans out of sight and quench their cigarette all because the preacher showed up. The presence of God's representative was enough to cause one to put sin away.
Zechariah 8:23
"Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you."
There is something missing in today's Christianity. When you look at the works of Christianity in years gone by, you will clearly see that they had something that this generation did not have. They did not have the technologies that we have today, yet they seemed to reach more people than we are today. The one thing Christians from yesteryear clearly understood was that they needed God, and they were willing to do whatever it took to get His presence in their lives.
Nahum 1:3
"The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet."
Every spring when the temperatures begin to rise, storms rise up as the clash of cold and warm air collide. There is nothing like going through the night with the lightening flashing and the thunder rolling. It is always amazing to me the power of the thunder as you can feel the vibration of the sound in your house. There is no doubt that it can be intimidating at times when the thunder sounds as if it is directly overhead.
1 Peter 5:7
"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."
There comes a time in everyone's life when the load that they carry seems so heavy that they are about ready to explode. It is in these times when you feel that nobody can help or understand what you are going through. It is in these times when people often make drastic mistakes with their decisions and life.
Hebrews 1:9
"Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."
One of the themes liberals usually trumpet about God is that He is a loving God. There is no question that God is a loving God. But, when you study the Scriptures you see that the love of God also causes Him to hate sin. It says in the verse above, "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity..." The unpleasant side of God that many do not want to talk about is that He also hates sin. Yes, He is a loving God. Yes, He loves righteousness, but His love of righteousness forces Him to hate sin.
Psalm 91:1
"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."
Dwelling in the shadows is a phrase that normally talks about someone who does not like to be the one being noticed. They are the ones who work behind the scenes and truly don't want any recognition. It is those who dwell in the shadows that oftentimes make things happen.
2 Timothy 1:16
"The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain:"
Paul was obviously bound in prison, and it is very evident that he did not have many people who would come and see him. We don't know much about Onesiphorus, but the one thing we do know about him is that he was willing to help the Apostle Paul when others were not willing. He was willing to be an encouragement to someone who was considered an outcast when others would not do so. It was the very act of regularly visiting the Apostle Paul that encouraged him to keep on going for the LORD.
Hosea 3:2
"So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley:"
This is not the usual love story. This is not the dream that a young girl wants to live out, but the love story in the Book of Hosea is an important love story. It is about a man whom God told to go and marry a harlot. Hosea obeyed and he loved her, but she wanted to go back and become a harlot. She left him and went back to her adulterous ways. Yet, when others would have left her and divorced her, the love of Hosea moved him to buy her back, even after all the shame she had brought to him.