Author: Alan Holden

Be Doers of the Covenant, James 1:22 Introduction The Israelites gathered at Mount Sinai were terrified of God and needed to know how to please a God Who is a Consuming Fire. How does one please a holy and terrifying God? We Please God by Worshiping God Alone. A. Exegesis Commandment 1, vv. 2-3–>No other…

The Awesome God Introduction The God that made Sinai smoke and tremble is still around. The picture yielded by the text is of a God so powerful that the mountain on which He descends is filled with fatal attraction; like moths to a flame, we want to draw near despite the danger. God is an…

Prepare to Meet Your God! Introduction Events are not coincidences; they are the work of Providence. We do not discover God; God reveals Himself to us and prepares us for a relationship with Him. God, in His grace, delivered the Israelites and prepared them to enter into a covenant relationship with Him. Thesis: God prepares…

and Deuteronomy 20:1-4 How to Deal with Daily Hassles Introduction All of life’s hassles and battles are spiritual battles. However, we do not fight these battles under our own power–the battle is the Lord’s. God taught Israel that they must depend on Him to win their battles, not their own strength or ingenuity. That does…

Axioms of Christian Maturity Thesis: Maturity in the Christian life is dependent on three things: an intimate and accountable association with other Christians; witnessing; and hearing Jesus speak to you. Introduction An axiom is a truth that is so self-evident that it needs no proof. In this passage God gives examples of these axioms of…

The Assurance of God’s Commission Introduction Have you ever felt like your life was adrift? Ever felt like your life was in the middle of a raging hurricane? What did it feel like: were you calm as if in the eye of the storm, or were you panicked, nervously sick, terrified? God’s pledge of deliverance…

Christian Leadership Introduction Aesop’s fable of the frogs epitomizes the world’s view of leadership. Frogs pestered Jupiter for a leader. Jupiter gave them a log. Frogs were happy. They realized they could jump up  and down on the log and run all over him. The log offered no resistance. It did not have any direction…

Stephen: An Example of a Spirit-filled Christian Thesis: The Spirit-filled Christian is endowed with God’s power to endure the world’s opposition, so that the testimony of Jesus is made effective. Introduction The Scripture often exhorts us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. But what does that mean? Think for a moment about a water-saturated…

God’s Faithfulness in Troubles Introduction Billy and his teammates were disappointed and angry. They had lost the ball game to a team that had resorted to unnecessary roughness. Billy went home and told his mother, “Before the game we decided that we would try hard and not cheat or say any bad words. The fellows…

Genuine Healing Those Who Are Suffering or in Trouble, v. 13 A. Meaning of the Greek word, kakapatheia to suffer hardship, trouble, difficult times to be the brunt of mistreatment to be suffering from persecution the word does not refer to physical disease or illness B. “He should pray,” v. 13 No promise that the…