Month: May 2025

An Excerpt from “An Uncertain Sound-Christian Music in Laodicea” Available for purchase on amazon.com in ebook, paperback and large print paperback.

We were made for the sole purpose of glorifying God. This is why the word Glory, Glorify and Glorifying occur four hundred and thirty times in the King James Bible.  We were made to Glorify the Lord.  Music is a tool to glorify God. And when you think of it, this is really the ultimate test of any music we would desire to listen to. If we play it, does it glorify God? Are we playing it to entertain or to praise? Sacred music isn’t entertainment. Try playing any song on secular radio today and ignore the words for a bit,  just listen to the music. Does the sound of the music glorify God? What do you picture when you’re listening to it? Would you be listening to it if Jesus was sitting next to you? And that’s just listening to the music, let alone the words. Of course, the same can be said for any worldly entertainment, but music is emotional, and it resonates with us in a much different way than other forms of recreation. 

There is a direct correlation between the sounds of music that we hear and the emotions we experience. This was by design, and this is also why it is so easy for the Devil to subvert sacred music for his evil purposes. There have been many studies on the effects of music on the mind.  

“Music possesses the unique capability to induce profound emotional responses, often intertwined with personal memories of significance. The neuroscientific underpinnings of this phenomenon suggest that music’s emotive power is rooted in the activation of the brain’s reward system.”(From the National Library of Medicine: Cognitive Crescendo: How Music Shapes the Brain’s Structure and Function.)

Music has effects on our emotions and thought processes which, if used with a purpose of praising God, is an extremely positive feature.  The music that we play in church before the sermon is for preparing our hearts to hear the word of God.  Congregational singing, special music, it is to prepare us to hear what God wants us to hear. Music has been shown to help heal illness, influence children to become smarter, calm animals, even grow bigger crops. God made music and music can be positive just as he designed it.  However, Satan was in charge of the music, and Satan uses music today to subvert the purpose that God made it for.  

Conviction, n. “The act of convincing, or compelling one to admit the truth of a charge; the act of convincing of sin or sinfulness; the state of being convinced or convicted by conscience; the state of being sensible of guilt; as the convictions of a sinner may be temporary or lasting.”

By conviction, a sinner is brought to repentance.

Conviction is the feeling we get when we’ve done something wrong and we know that we’ve done something wrong. 

When you were a little child and stole a cookie out of the cookie jar, you felt that little tug of your conscience because you were aware that you were doing something wrong.  

For the world, conviction is their conscience that they depend on to guide their actions.  For the saved person, we know conviction as coming from the Holy Spirit who guides us to righteousness. 

John 3:5 “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

The Spirit mentioned here is the Holy Spirit of God whom we receive when we accept the gift of salvation.  We now have God as our conscience, in the person of the Holy Spirit, and he will never lead us astray.

The difference between a saved person and an unsaved person, besides their eternal destination, is that the saved person relies on the Holy Spirit of God to chastise, correct and convict them when they’ve gone astray.  

The unsaved person simply does what comes naturally as they are still run by their father the devil.

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So, here are some of the ways in which someone can avoid conviction.

1. Don’t answer the call of salvation.

If you never become saved, the only thing that the Holy Spirit will convict you of is your need for salvation.  

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

Mark 1:14-15 “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying,The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

God wants all of us to be saved and spend eternity with him.

If you chose to ignore the call of salvation, you won’t feel as bad when you do bad things because, firstly, you are still of the old nature and you aren’t concerned about sin, just not getting in trouble.  

You have situational ethics, you tell “white” lies, you can be sneaky as long as you don’t get caught, and secondly, you still believe that we are all just animals and we don’t have a need for a higher power or authority over our lives other than ourselves.

And, if you ignore the call of salvation long enough, someday, that call will just disappear. 

God doesn’t want to see anyone go to hell. 

2 Peter 3:9 “…..not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”  

But, he’s under no obligation to keep nagging you to become saved. 

Did you know that God allowed the people in Noah’s time 120 years to repent before he finally sent the flood?

Genesis 6:3 “And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.”

God knew that it was going to take Noah 120 years to complete the ark before he opened up the fountains of the deep and destroyed everyone on the planet except for those aboard.  

At any time, anyone on earth could have chose to believe what Noah was preaching and enter the ark to be saved from the wrath that was to come.  

Noah preached to the people all that time and they willfully ignored him.  

Genesis 6:5 says “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

When the flood started, it was too late for man and everyone except Noah and his family were left out in the rain.

God could have allowed Noah 300 years to build the ark.  He could have miraculously provided it instantaneously, but, he allowed a specific amount of time for people to come to their senses and heed his call.  

Eventually he stopped calling and they felt his wrath.

When Abraham begged God to spare the cities of Sodom and Gomorra if he could find even fifty righteous people, God would have spared the cities, but, as it turns out, he couldn’t even find anyone besides his nephew Lot and part of his family.

Genesis 18:23-26 “And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”

Verses 32-33 “And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.”

He couldn’t even find ten righteous people, but, God with his mercy was willing to let the cities go if only ten were found.

God doesn’t want anyone to go to hell, but he is absolutely under no obligation to continue allowing us to deny his calling. 

There will be a reckoning one day if we continue to ignore the call of the Holy Spirit to be saved.

The second way to avoid conviction:

2. Be saved, but ignore the leading of the Holy Spirit

John 16:13 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”

If you are a blood-bought child of God, the Holy Spirit dwells within you and convicts you of wrongdoing. You grieve the Holy Spirit when you choose to ignore his leading.  

Ephesians 4:30 says “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

Things you did when you were lost should no longer hold an attraction for you. 

The Holy Spirit tells you this.  

When you do wrong, even though you are saved and all your sins; past present and future have been forgiven, the devil still waits at the door.  

The Holy Spirit is there to remind you that those things are in the past and that you should no longer do them. You aren’t a slave to your past sins any longer unless you chose to make them master over you.  Your old habits you no longer have to do unless you willfully allow them to keep you in their power. 

We sometimes choose to still do the wrong things simply because we want to.  Our flesh may still desire that particular sin, and we will ignore the convicting voice of the Holy Spirit.  

We are all rebellious at times.  That’s the old creature trying to come back to life.  But, if we continue in our rebellion, we not only grieve the Holy Spirit, but we also lose our fellowship with God and our heavenly rewards. 

We may gain pleasure from ignoring the call to do right, but we also lose our joy that only comes from God.  

And, just like when we ignore the call of the Holy Ghost to be saved and he finally lets you go, so also will he do if you are saved and chose to continue in your sin.

Romans 6:1-2 says “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”

Again, God is under no obligation to allow us to stay on this earth if we are no good to him.  He will give us over to the devil to be punished and we may even lose our lives if we continue to ignore the conviction of the Spirit. 

1 Corinthians 5:1-5 “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

The church at Corinth had a problem.  A member there was committing a terrible sin. A sin that was so bad that even the heathen wouldn’t commit it.  The church was apparently choosing to ignore the sin for the sake of the person that was doing the sinning.  But Paul heard about it and judged the man from afar.  

He told the church that this person was to be ousted and to let the devil deal with him.  God gave this person over to the devil to be punished.  It says here “for the destruction of the flesh.”  

That means just how it sounds.  Paul said that it would be best if this person died rather than continue in his sin because it was adversely affecting the church.  

We can only surmise what happened after this because it doesn’t say, but it isn’t above God to allow a saved person to die because of the sin they continue or even begin, after salvation. 

We can be saved and know not to sin but still chose to because we are weak and rebellious.  

The Holy Spirit convicts us of our need for a saviour by showing us that our sin hurts God and will send us to hell. But, we still have a free will after salvation and satan will use that willfulness to try to destroy us one way or another.  

If we ignore conviction, it may just go away, but not in the ways you might think.

The third way to avoid conviction is to 

3. Heed the guiding hand of the Spirit and live for the Lord.

We live within God’s will and as a result, there is no need for conviction.  We are following the leading of Christ and striving to be holy and perfect as he commands us. 

Leviticus 11:44 “For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

1 Peter 1:16 “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

If we aren’t breaking the law, we have nothing to fear from those in authority. 

If the speed limit is 25 miles per hour and we drive 25 miles per hour because we respect the law, the officer running the speed trap won’t have a reason to make you fear his authority.  

When God tells us to tithe, and we do it without hesitation or reservation, we aren’t feeling a conviction that we didn’t obey.

When we read the Bible and do what it says, we are rewarded.  

When we pray and spend time with the Lord, we gain peace and joy.  

Keeping ourselves unspotted from the world will result in us not being convicted for doing wrong.  

So, of these three methods for avoiding conviction, I’m sure you will agree that the third one is by far the obvious choice.  

God wants us to have a joyful life. He doesn’t want to convict us of sin, he wants us to avoid it because we love him and want to please and bring glory to him.

Living a conviction free life is hard because we still have the flesh to deal with.  

But, if we continually reflect on God’s promises and what he’s already done for us, it’s not really that hard to want to please him.  

We are a sorry people if we accepted the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross but choose to continue in our sins that he bled and died to forgive us for.  

Mistakes and missteps happen when we take our eyes off of God and instead focus on our flesh.  Satan loves to turn our eyes away from God.  

Jesus didn’t endure the heartache of the cross just so that we could continue sinning.

If we say we love the Lord, we should show it by doing his will and avoiding the things of this world that would keep us from receiving our heavenly rewards.

1 Corinthians 3:12-15 says “Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”

Avoiding conviction is as easy as following the lead of the Holy Spirit and choosing to do the will of God, forsaking our own feelings or wants.  We have a great debt to pay to our Saviour as we honor his sacrifice and allow his will to be done in our lives.

Avoid conviction and just submit to the will of God.

John 15:11 “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

Our lives are filled with favorite things.

We all have things in our lives that make us happy; things that please us. We surround ourselves with those things because they make us happy.  

We have a favorite color, we have favorite foods, we have favorite music, favorite smells and sometimes even favorite people.

These are all things that please us.  God gave us these things in our lives to make us happy.

My favorite color is blue.  I like blue things.  I decorate my areas of my home with things that are blue. I like to look at blue things. 

That’s my favorite color and it pleases me.  

I like other colors as well, but if someone gives me a choice between blue and any other color, I’m more likely to choose the color blue. 

Who else has a favorite color?

I have a favorite food. It’s spaghetti.  

I would eat spaghetti every night of the week if I could get away with it.  Meatballs, sausage, cream cheese, green peppers, onions.  Spaghetti is my favorite food and it pleases me.

Who else has a favorite food?

I have a favorite music. I like to listen to classical music when I’m studying or reading my Bible.  I listen to christian music as well such as quartets and others that have visited our church, but when I study, classical music for me is the best choice because there are no words. I’m not distracted by the lyrics.  

If I play music with lyrics, I tend to sing along in my head and that means I can’t concentrate on what I’m studying.  Classical music is soothing.  It doesn’t get in the way of my study.  

I listen to classical when I’m driving as well. Rachmaninov, Vivaldi, Strauss, Bach. 

This music keeps me focused while I’m praying. I can stay focused on God and not on lyrics to a song. 

I listen to classical music a lot. It’s my favorite and it pleases me. 

Who else has a favorite music?

I have a favorite hobby. I collect diecast cars.  

Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Majorette, Greenlight. 

I like collecting them because I had them as a child and it’s just fun for me.  At last count I think I have just over a thousand of them. Some are just worth what I paid for them but others are worth a lot more. 

I have fun shopping for them when I’m in a store, trying to figure out which ones I already have. Sometimes I buy several of the same car because I forget what I already have. I find them at yard sales and online. For me it’s fun and it pleases me.  

I give quite a few of them away when I do inspections and there are kids there. I have boxes and boxes of them, some still in their packaging.  Collecting these cars is my favorite hobby and it pleases me.

Who else has a favorite hobby?

I have a favorite pastime.  Writing these sermons and recording them for my podcast.  I have a chair at home with a build in desk, my notebook, a Bible and a fountain pen.  God gives me an idea, and I do my best to put it down on paper.  I use many different commentaries from the many different study Bibles I have to see what some other preachers have to say on the subject I’m writing about, I use my computer to search the Bible for certain words or phrases. 

I get caught up in writing and sometimes I find myself sitting in my chair for hours with classical music playing and writing until my hand goes numb.  I take a break, and before you know it I’m back in my chair writing again.  Every sermon I write starts out with pen and paper. I write it all longhand, even the full scripture reference. I then type them into my computer to be printed out.  I have several notebooks with hand-written sermons in them.  After I preach them, I go back and edit them so that I can record them for my podcast.  Writing sermons and studying the Bible brings me closer to God and it pleases me. It’s my favorite pastime.

Who else has a favorite pastime?

I have a favorite person. I love my church family and all of you but my wife Becky is my favorite person of all.  

I like spending time with her.  We share a lot of the same interests, we like a lot of the same foods, we listen to the same types of music, we laugh at the same jokes and silly things we see on Facebook.  

We are different in a lot of ways, but I’m convinced that God made us for each other.  God gave me Becky to be my help on this earth.  I love a lot of people, but Becky is my favorite. 

Who else has a favorite person?

I have a favorite smell. It’s incense. I like to burn incense when I can because I enjoy the smells. I have a variety of different smells but they all pretty much amount to the same things and it pleases me.  I particularly like balsam fir.  Now, Becky doesn’t like incense so I can’t burn it when she’s around but I will whenever I can.  Incense is my favorite smell and it pleases me.

Who else has a favorite smell?

So here’s the lesson:

We tend to spend a lot of time, money and effort on things that please us.  We will buy our favorite food, even if it might be more expensive.  (I will only buy Kraft American cheese. I don’t like the other brands.  I only like Skippy peanut butter for obvious reason.  I use real butter, not margarine.  I use real cream in my coffee.  I prefer raw sugar over regular sugar. )

We might wait to buy something if it’s the “wrong” color until we find it in our favorite color.

If I’m looking on Facebook and someone is selling a collection of hot wheels, I might just buy them instead of something else I had planned on using the money for.

We spend time, money and effort on things that please us.  And when I say please us, I mean it pleases our flesh.

Now, there is certainly nothing wrong with having favorite things, but, do we end up putting those things ahead of God?

Do we spend time pleasing God as much as the things he’s given us to please our flesh?

God deserves our worship, he deserves our devotion, he deserves our time and he deserves our efforts.  Do we spend as much time pleasing God as we do pleasing ourselves?

John 8:29  Jesus said “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.”

Romans 8:8 “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

It’s not wrong to please ourselves. God wants us to be happy. But, we should also strive to please God before ourselves.

So, we know what we like and what pleases us. What pleases God? What are some of God’s favorite things?

One of God’s favorite things are Upright and Righteous People.

1 Chronicles 29:17 “I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness…..”

God’s favorite people are upright and righteous.

1 Thessalonians 4:1 “ Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.”

Job was an upright man.

Job 1:1 “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.”

Upright means honest, just, not deviating from correct moral principles. Perfect means finished, complete, not defective. 

Did you know that God wants all of us to be perfect?

In Matthew 5:48 Jesus says “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

Jesus tells us that we are to be perfect, just as God is perfect.  

Finished, complete, not defective.  Our souls become perfect at salvation.  We are perfect when we accept Jesus’ gift of redemption.

2 Timothy 3:17 “That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

Righteous and upright people please God.

Faith pleases God.

Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

This says that if you don’t have faith, there’s no way you can please God. We please him with our faith.  We believe this Bible without reservation.  We not only believe, but it says here that he rewards those that seek him.  

Not only do we have faith in this book, but we go looking for his truth, we don’t just wait for it to come to us. 

Faith is what leads us to salvation. Faith pleases God and without faith he’s not happy with us at all.

Deuteronomy 32:20 says “And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.”

All through the gospels, Jesus calls out those that lack faith.

Matthew 6:30 “Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?”

Matthew 8:26 “And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.”

Matthew 14:31 “And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”

Faith pleases God and a lack of faith displeases him.

Hebrews 11 talks all about Faith. Faith is one of God’s favorite things. 

God has a favorite smell.

Genesis 8:20-21 “And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.”

Numbers 28:2 “Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, My offering, and my bread for my sacrifices made by fire, for a sweet savour unto me, shall ye observe to offer unto me in their due season.”

2 Corinthians 2:15 “For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:”

In the Old Testament, animal sacrifices were made and burned on an altar to sacrifice to God.  God’s favorite smell, his sweet savour, is the sacrifice of the people. 

When Jesus became that sacrifice for us and we accept his redemption, we are now a sweet savour in Christ. In other words, Jesus’ sacrifice becomes a sweet savour when we are washed in his blood.

God has done so much for us so that we can have pleasure in this life on earth and he’s made a way for us to have an eternity with none of the things here that cause us grief.  When this life is over, if you are a blood-bought child of God, there will be no more sickness, no arthritis, no hearing issues, no blindness, no aching, no mental issues, no injuries. 

We will be complete.  

Our souls are already complete in Christ, but our bodies will be made perfect in heaven.  All the things that we think are our favorite things here on earth won’t matter at all in heaven. We’ll have new favorite things up there!

Because God has given us all this, we should want to give back to him by giving him his favorite things and pleasing him with our lives.  We have no reason to be selfish and think that we deserve anything from God because all we deserve is an eternity in hell.  We did nothing to gain our salvation but repent of our sins and acknowledge his sacrifice. We somehow lose sight that we should want to please God because of what he’s done for us instead of looking for other ways he can make us happy.

Pleasing God is the duty of every christian who owes so much to the Saviour for what he’s done for us.

Let’s strive this week to do things that please God.

John 1:6 “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.”

John 1:1-8 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.”

Who was John the Baptist?

Well, according to the Bible, John the Baptist was the first Christian, the first Christian witness, the first Christian prophet, the first Christian preacher and the first Christian martyr.

So who exactly was he and why was he so important?

1. John the Baptist was Jesus’ second cousin.

Luke 1:35-45 “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

So the angel was telling Mary about how she was to carry the saviour, and how he was the Son of God and then “oh, by the way” your cousin Elisabeth, the one that was supposed to be barren, is into her sixth month.  

So, Elisabeth was Mary’s cousin, which makes John and Jesus 2nd cousins. 

This revelation to Mary from the angel seems strange until you look at the importance of who John was to become. It doesn’t seem relevant to the story until you look at it later. Here’s the angel telling Mary that she is to be with child of the Holy Ghost and that her child is going to be the son of God and then as a side note, “your cousin is pregnant as well.”

The birth of John was foretold to his father by the same angel, who didn’t believe it and was struck dumb because of his unbelief.  

Luke 1:5-20 “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.”

Luke 1:57-66 tells the story of the birth of John.  

“Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.”

2. John the Baptist was kin to Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb. 

Luke 1:39-44 “And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.”

John was just a man, born of Zacharias and Elisabeth, but he had a purpose for God. He was filled with the Holy Spirit and he obeyed the will of God. We should strive to do the same in our lives. 

3. John was what we might consider a wild man.  

John the Baptist wasn’t your typical Baptist preacher.  He wasn’t polished, he didn’t dress nice, look nice, and he probably didn’t smell very nice.

Matthew 3:4 “And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.”

Camel’s hair wasn’t a very glamorous garment.  It was long and shaggy. It was course and probably not all that comfortable.  It probably didn’t smell very good after the rain.  So it says here his clothing was made of camel’s hair and he wore a leather girdle.  In II Kings 1:7-8 we read about another character that wore the same type of garments.  “And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words? And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

Remember what the angel said to Zacharias regarding his son?

Luke 1:17 “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

In the old testament, Elijah was called Elijah. In the new testament, he is referred to as Elias.

So it was fitting that he wore the same type of garments that Elijah in the old testament wore. 

It says also that he ate locusts and wild honey.  Now, I love honey, and I can imagine that wild honey tastes pretty good. But it would take a lot of honey to make me eat a locust.  

Poor people still eat locusts today in that part of the world and the fact that the Bible explains his diet, it shows that he was a servant to God and not a polished preacher like the Pharisees. 

4. John the Baptist was spoken of by the prophets.

Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.”

John the Baptist was sent as a messenger to tell the people of Jesus and make things ready.

Isaiah 40:3 “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

The book of Isaiah is unique in that it has 66 chapters just as the Bible has 66 books.  Each chapter of Isaiah corresponds in some way to each book of the Bible in order.  So Isaiah chapter 1 has references to Genesis, and Isaiah chapter 66 has references to Revelation. The 40th chapter of Isaiah lines up with the book of Matthew which is the 40th book of the Bible.  Isaiah 40 and verse 3 talks of the coming of Jesus and the ministry of John the Baptist.  Matthew chapter 3 and verse 3 says “ For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”

Tell me again how it was just men that wrote this book!

5. John the Baptist Prepared the way and preached repentance.

Luke 3:3-4 “And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”

Matthew 3:1-2 “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

John preached repentance which as we learned is a change of heart that leads to a change of direction.  He warned people that soon they would have a key to reach the kingdom of heaven but only if they changed their hearts and repented of their sins.  

He baptized them with water to show their confession of sins.

Matthew 3:6 “And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.”

He preached that your fruits would be made known if you were truly repentant and he called out the fakers.

Matthew 3:7-8 “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:”

John was the very first Christian preacher and he didn’t hold anything back concerning his work for God!

6. John the Baptist was complimented by Jesus.

Matthew 11:1-15 “And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

John held a special place in Jesus’ heart.  Not only was he kin, but he was the forerunner, the messenger that told of the coming of Jesus’ ministry.  Jesus knew what was going to happen to John and when it happened, the Bible tells us that Jesus went out on his own away from everyone else.

7. John the Baptist was the first Christian martyr.

Matthew 14:1-13 “At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.”

Herod was having an affair with his sister-in-law and the preacher, John the Baptist, preached against him so he had him thrown into jail.  History will indeed repeat itself.  People get offended when preachers call out their sin.  Sound familiar?

Herod would have had John killed but he feared John’s followers. Christian people need to stand up for the truth and righteousness and defend our preachers who are telling the truth of God!

Herod threw himself a big birthday party and promised Herodias’ daughter whatever she wanted because she danced for him and pleased him. 

Wicked men do wicked things.

Herod is having an affair with his brother’s wife and at the same time he’s lusting after her daughter.

Herodias’ daughter, at the request of her evil mom, asked for the head of John the Baptist on a plate and Herod, because he swore an oath to give her whatever she wanted, made it happen.

Matthew 14:11-13 “And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus. When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.”

8. John the Baptist was sent from God. 

John 1:6 “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.”

John was just a man. He was born of a man and a woman who were under the same curse as all of us before salvation.  God chose to use this man, this mortal man to fulfill prophecy and herald the coming of the messiah.  It simply says here, there was a man sent by God.  

Why was he sent?

He was sent by God to be a presence.  Each of us has the capacity to influence at least 3,000 people in our lifetimes.  Have we taken the time to ask God to allow us to influence those people according to his will?

He was sent by God to be a partner.

John 20:21 says “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”

God isn’t looking for people with exceptional skill or talent. He’s looking for a willingness to go and partner with him. Do we submit to the will of God to partner with him?

He was sent by God to proclaim.

We should be willing to share the message of Jesus and his Salvation. 

A man met his neighbor in his driveway every Sunday morning as he was getting ready to leave for church, and each Sunday, without fail, his neighbor would ask him if he would go play a round of golf with him.  The man politely refused each time and told the neighbor that he was on his way to church. Years of this went by and many invitations to play golf were given by the neighbor, until one Sunday the neighbor said this. “You know, it’s strange that for all these years, and all these Sundays, I’ve invited you to go play golf with me but you refuse because you go to church.  I’m just wondering why, after all these years of me inviting you to golf, you’ve never invited me to church?”

We have a powerful message to give the world.

We have the knowledge of the gift of eternal life.

John the Baptist was sent by God to proclaim Jesus. Those of us that are saved have been sent to do the very same thing.

John the Baptist was the first Christian, the first Christian witness, the first Christian preacher, the first Christian prophet and the first Christian martyr. 

The Bible has a lot to say about fools

If you spend any amount of time reading the Bible, you’ll quickly discover that God has quite a bit to say about fools. In fact, the word “fool” appears 64 times in 61 verses in the Old Testament and 9 times in 8 verses in the New Testament. The plural, “fools,” shows up 34 times in the Old and 8 times in the New. And if you include “foolish,”you’ll find it 52 times throughout Scripture.

Clearly, God wants us to understand something about this subject.

Now, when I talk about the word fool, I always like to go back to Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary. Some might wonder why I reference such an old version, but here’s the thing: the 1828 Webster’s definitions align with biblical principles. They reflect a time before political correctness watered down language, and words still carried the weight of truth.

Webster’s 1828 defines fool as:

“One who is destitute of reason, or the common powers of understanding; an idiot. In scripture, fool is often used for a wicked or depraved person; one who acts contrary to sound wisdom in his moral deportment; one who follows his own inclinations, who prefers trifling and temporary pleasures to the service of God.”

Now, compare that to the modern Merriam-Webster:

“A person lacking in judgment or prudence.”

Notice how much lighter and less severe that sounds? That’s why I stick with the old definitions. They don’t flinch in the face of truth. And according to Scripture, a fool isn’t just someone who makes silly mistakes — it’s someone who rejects God’s wisdom and chooses their own way over His.

In fact, the Bible identifies several types of fools. Let’s look at five of them:

1. The Careless Fool

In Matthew 7:21-27, Jesus tells the story of two builders — one wise and one foolish. Both heard His words, but only one obeyed. The wise man built on a rock, the fool built on sand.

I see this kind of thing all the time in my work as a home inspector. People building decks or homes without understanding what makes them safe. They may have had the tools and opportunity to do it right, but chose their own shortcut methods. It might stand for a while, but when the storms come — it falls.

The careless fool hears God’s Word but doesn’t act on it. Maybe they believe God exists, maybe they attend church, maybe they even claim to be saved — but there’s no real surrender, no true obedience. They build on sand.

Jesus said:

“And great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:27)

2. The Hypocritical Fool

In Matthew 23:15-19, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees, calling them “fools and blind.” These religious leaders were experts at playing the part but their hearts were far from God.

I know what that’s like because I’ve been there. When I first started attending a Baptist church back in 2005, I was smoking three packs a day. I’d sit through a service, then light up a cigarette in my car. I knew better, but I was putting my own will ahead of God’s. One day, under conviction, I prayed and asked God to either take the addiction or send me somewhere else where it wouldn’t matter. That day I threw away my cigarettes and haven’t touched one in nearly 20 years.

Hypocrisy isn’t always obvious. It can be as simple as claiming to follow Christ while refusing to forgive others, or using foul language, or choosing your own desires over God’s commands. The hypocritical fool says one thing and lives another.

And God sees it all.

3. The Sleeping Fool

In Matthew 25:1-13, Jesus tells of the ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom. Five were wise and five were foolish. The foolish brought lamps but no oil. And when the bridegroom came, they were unprepared.

Oil in the Bible often symbolizes the Holy Spirit. These foolish virgins knew the rituals — they had the lamps, but not the Spirit. And when the time came, it was too late.

Paul warns in Romans 8:9:

“Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”

We can’t afford to sleep through this life, assuming there will always be time to get right with God. The day is coming when the door will shut. And those still asleep in their sins will hear the terrible words:

“I know you not.”

4. The Materialistic Fool

In Luke 12:16-21, Jesus tells about a rich man who had so much stuff he planned to tear down his barns and build bigger ones. He thought he had it made. But God called him a fool, saying:

“This night thy soul shall be required of thee.”

We live in a world obsessed with stuff — homes, cars, gadgets, money, status. But none of it will matter when we stand before God. As the old saying goes, “There are no U-Hauls behind hearses.”

C.T. Studd said it best in his famous poem:

Only one life, ’twill soon be past;
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

We’d do well to remember that.

5. The Unbelieving Fool

Luke 24:25-27 shows us another kind of fool. Jesus, speaking to two disciples after His resurrection, says:

“O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.”

They had the Scriptures. They’d heard the prophecies. But they still didn’t believe.

The same is true today. People see God’s handiwork in creation, yet deny His existence. They hear the Gospel, yet refuse to believe it applies to them. Paul describes them in Romans 1:20-22:

“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.”

And Psalm 14:1 says it plainly:

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.”

Man has no excuse. Creation itself proclaims the Creator.

In Closing

So we find in Scripture:

• The Careless Fool
• The Hypocritical Fool
• The Sleeping Fool
• The Materialistic Fool
• The Unbelieving Fool

And God’s Word leaves no doubt: He desires all to be saved.

1 Timothy 2:3-4 reminds us:

“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

If you’ve seen yourself in any of these descriptions — don’t be a fool. God won’t be mocked. His will is sure. And His mercy is still available today.

Today is the day of salvation.

I want to talk to you about a place called heaven.

Heaven is a place every believer longs for—a place of eternal peace, joy, and the presence of God. So, it only makes sense to learn more about it now, before we get there. Let’s take a look at what heaven is, where it is, and some of the surprising things that won’t be there.

Where is Heaven?

The Bible is clear—heaven is up.

In Genesis 11, God says, “Let us go down,” and in II Kings, Elijah was taken up into heaven by a whirlwind. Over and over, scripture reminds us that heaven is high above us (Psalm 103:11, Psalm 14:2, Acts 1:9-11, Revelation 4:1).

There are three heavens:

The sky (first heaven),

Space (second heaven),

And beyond all of that—the third heaven, where God dwells (2 Corinthians 12:2).

That’s where we’ll be, if we’ve been saved by the blood of Jesus.

When do we go to heaven?

There are two ways:

When we die physically, if we are in Christ, we are immediately in His presence (2 Corinthians 5:8, Philippians 1:21-24).

Or—we go in the rapture, being “caught up” in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

We don’t know when the rapture will happen, but we’re told to watch the signs. And friend… those signs are happening all around us. Global government, increased knowledge, deception, natural disasters, moral decay… we’re seeing it unfold (Daniel 12:4, Matthew 24:7, 2 Timothy 3:1-5). The stage is being set.

So, let’s talk about what we won’t find in heaven:

1. No More Sin

No more temptation. No more falling short. No more guilt. Just freedom from the sin nature we’ve wrestled with all our lives. Revelation 21:27 says nothing that defiles will enter. We will be clean—forever.

2. No More Pain, Heartache, or Disappointment

Every tear will be wiped away (Isaiah 25:8, Revelation 21:4). We will weep over loved ones who didn’t make it—but Jesus Himself will wipe those tears away. There will be no more sorrow, no more loss. Only healing.

3. No More Anxiety or Worry

No more stressing over bills, doctor’s appointments, or difficult people. Heaven is perfect. There’s no need unmet. No shadow cast. The light from the throne of God is enough.

4. No More Sickness or Physical Pain

No more cancer, no more aching backs, no more migraines, no more eyeglasses, no more wheelchairs. Our bodies will be incorruptible (2 Corinthians 15:42-43). Whole. Restored. Powerful.

5. No More Hunger or Thirst

Revelation 7:16-17 promises we’ll never go hungry again. No more rationing food, no more cold nights, no more wondering where the next meal will come from. The Lamb will feed us and lead us to living water. Even the thermostat will be just right!

Heaven will be everything we’ve hoped for—and more.

But friend, only those who have received the gift of salvation will be there. If you haven’t made that decision, don’t wait. Eternity is a long time to be wrong.

Heaven is real. It’s up. It’s glorious. And it’s waiting for us. And oh, what a day that will be—forever with the Lord, learning something new about Him every day of eternity. Sitting at Jesus’ feet. Hearing His voice. Meeting the heroes of the faith. Living in light, peace, and love that never ends.

The first thousand years in heaven will be better than anything we’ve ever known. And the next million? Even better than that.