Ironworks

     For Father’s Day, my wife and the kids gifted me with a little gadget called a “Tile.”  It is a little key tag that you can attach to your keys and with the app on your phone you can locate your keys if you misplace them. If you misplace your phone you can click the tag and find your phone also. It is pretty neat.. I can think about all the times I have been delayed, frustrated, and upset because I did not have my keys. As the church we need to remember the significance of the keys which are in the Lord’s hands.  “The Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven” “I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19      The authority to lay the terms and conditions of entrance into the kingdom of heaven are Christ’s alone. He gave His Apostles those keys to the kingdom which they subsequently preached in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost after

“Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them. For their heart studieth oppression, and their lips talk of mischief” Proverbs 24:1-2.     You know you have heard the expression, “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” A Christian needs to examine this saying a little closer. If you remember a few Sunday mornings ago that we discussed the sin of covetousness. I want to bring back to your mind that covetousness is desiring something that is not yours, and also it is desiring something that you cannot have. God’s warnings are throughout the Scriptures. New Testament Christians must remember we cannot have the life of the wicked.       Through the Inspired Word he declares do not be envious against evil men. Why would we envy evil men? Why would we want anything that evil men enjoy? Sometimes it’s the case that we want the benefits of their evil. A Christian who is not wealthy might look at the riches of the wicked and be willing to walk away f

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it; and he gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took a cup, and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto remission of sins.” Matthew 26:26-28      One of the most significant sources of confusion in Bible interpretation is when individuals will interpret figurative language as literal. Webster’s Dictionary defines figurative language like this: “Figurative language refers to words or phrases that are meaningful, but not literally true.” In addition.  We might think of this by simple expressions in the Bible. The church is the body of Christ as we spoke of last Sunday (Eph 1:22-23, 4:4. 5:23). Should we interpret the church as the literal, physical body of Christ? Do we transform into Jesus when we follow him? If so, what happens when I sin against God? I want to illustrate this point by speaking about