New Hope Bible Church

I am often asked the question: why doesn’t the Bible condemn men marrying multiple wives?  The Book of Genesis in particular can seem problematic, especially in today’s culture that is sensitive to an overtly male-dominated perspective.  The Bible is often attacked for appearing to make women less important than men. The reality is far from the truth.  It is true that the Bible clearly gives different roles to men and women.  In marriage, the man is given the role of leader and provider.  He answers to God for his marriage, and he is the head of his wife.  However, this does not mean that the wife is less important than the husband.  Just as the church is prized and immensely valued by Christ, so the wife should prized and valued by her husband.  In fact, 1 Peter 3:7 tells husbands to show honor to their wives, for they are fellow heirs of the grace of God.  If they neglect to show honor to their wives, their prayers will ...

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 3:11-13 Paul has a secret for us. He was speaking to the Philippians here, and he is thanking them for sending him some material support, most likely financial in form.  He is thankful they sent him some help, but he wanted to make something clear.  Although he rejoiced when he received their gift, he did not want them to think that he was desperate for it.  He was not necessarily rejoicing because he needed the gift.  He was rejoicing because it showed that the Philippian church was concerned for him; he knew they loved him. How can Paul, a traveling missionary, who said in anoth...

And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit." Having said this, He breathed His last. Luke 23:46 Jesus had revealed His love by praying for the forgiveness of the very soldiers who nailed Him to the cross.  He offered the hope of salvation to the criminal next to Him.  He made sure His mother was take care of.  He expressed the agony of being spiritually separated from God while bearing the weight of our sin.  He fulfilled prophecy by asking for a drink.  And finally, He mightily declared that the debt was paid, and it was finished.  Now, Jesus was about to breathe his last. No man took Jesus life from Him; instead, He laid it down.  This last statement shows Jesus willingly giving up His life.  He committed His spirit to the Father, and He died. This too was a reference to Psalms.  In Psalm 31:5, it says, "Into Your hand I commit My spirit; You have ransomed me, O Lord, God of tru...

Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. John 19:30 In Return of the King,  when the one ring is at last thrown into the great fires of Mt. Doom, Frodo, who carried this burden all the way to its end, simply gasps and says, "It's done."  There were no other words to say.  It's done.  The journey was accomplished.  The mission was fulfilled.  The work was finished. On the cross, at the end of His great work and life and ministry and mission, He shouts, "It is finished!" What was finished? First of all, prophecy was fulfilled.  When Jesus declared that He was thirsty, John 19:28 tells us that He did this because all things had already been accomplished.  Everything that the Old Testament said would happen to the Messiah up to that point, had happened.  The Scriptures were fulfilled.  He was born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) in Bethlehem (Micah...

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, "I am thirsty."  A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. John 19:28-29 Today is Good Friday.  It is the day we remember as that day Jesus Christ died on the cross.  We have covered four of the things Jesus said while on the cross, and today we look at another saying.  It is fitting that this fifth saying lands on Good Friday, because most of us associate crucifixion with intense physical pain.  And Jesus' saying today focuses on that physical element. Jesus said that He was thirsty.  There are three things to consider with this statement. 1. This fulfilled prophecy. In Psalm 22:15, David writes, "My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and You lay me in the dust of death."  Psalm 22 is the...

About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me?" Matthew 27:46 The first three things Jesus said reveal His outgoing love for those around Him, despite all that He was suffering.  Today, we look at the spiritual pain Jesus was experiencing on the cross.  This fourth saying is a quote from Psalm 22:1.  Some scholars think that only the first line was recorded, but Jesus may have quoted the entire Psalm.  However, all we know for certain is that He said this line.  I believe that Matthew specifically included the Hebrew lines in order to draw attention to the Psalm, which was originally written in Hebrew.  Jesus also spoke this line in Hebrew instead of Greek, for those around Him heard "Eli" and thought He was calling Elijah.  They did not understand the relation to the Psalm. (In both Hebrew and Greek, the name Elijah begins with "Eli.")  It i...

When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" From that hour the disciple took her into his own household. John 19:26-27 Today we are looking at the third thing Jesus said while He was on the cross.  This saying is a bit more personal, and we are still able to see what was on Jesus' heart during this time.  On Monday, we saw that Jesus was thinking about forgiveness.  Yesterday, we saw that Jesus was still looking to save all that came to Him.  Today, we see that Jesus still showed love and concern for those He loved. While Jesus was on the cross, He looked down and saw His mother, Mary, watching.  How excruciating this must have been for Mary!  Jesus did not look at her with a blank stare; He did not ignore her, even though He was in agony and pain.  He loved Mary.  He also saw John, arguably Jes...

And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise." Luke 23:42-43 Today we look at the next thing Jesus said while on the cross.  Remember, these last sayings of Jesus reveal His heart.  They reveal what was on His mind as He suffered and died.  Yesterday, we saw that Jesus asked the Father to forgive. Jesus was crucified between two criminals.  Here in Luke, we see that one of the criminals is insulting Jesus.  As he hurls abuse, He tells Jesus to free Himself and them if He is the Messiah.  Even as this man dies, He wants a sign from Jesus.  He will not believe.  He does not expect the sign to come, and he says it derisively. However, the other criminal rebukes the one insulting.  He asks the man if he does not fear God. They are suffering justly, but this man, Jesus, has done nothing wrong.  We see the heart of this crim...

When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.  But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they are doing." And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves. Luke 23:33-34 Have you ever wondered what was on Jesus' mind and heart as He hung from the cross? Jesus once said that the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart (Matthew 12:34). So if we want to hear the heart of Jesus, we must listen to His words.  The Gospels record seven different sayings spoken by Jesus while He was on the cross.  As this week leads us to Easter, we will be looking at one saying a day. Today we begin with the first saying.  "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they are doing." Imagine the scene.  Jesus has been arrested, beaten, scourged, humiliated, and condemned.  He was spit on, His beard was plucked, and a crown of thorns...

Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. During this time, with everything we hear on a consistent basis, our hearts and minds are under attack.  Fear can seep into us with every new cough, every weird feeling in your throat, every time we hear of another sick person.  I spoke to a friend yesterday, and he said that he feels like he is simply waiting for the symptoms to show up.  I can relate to that feeling, considering that my wife has shown symptoms over the past two weeks.  I look at my children, and I listen to every cough or sneeze.  Every time they feel warm, I reach for the thermometer.  Over time, this fear can build and grow, and anxiety can find fertile ground within us. However, the Word of God gives us an antidote for this anx...

Ephesians 5:15-16 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. If there is one thing that I have learned during this season of staying home, it is that lack of time was never the problem.  There are things around the house that I have been wanting to get done, but I told myself I did not have the time right now.  I have been wanting to spend extra time in prayer and Bible study, but again, I told myself that I was too busy.  Now that I have the time, and I am not too busy, it is pretty convicting that the extra time is still filled up with things that are not on my list.  I have found that lack of time was not a reason, only an excuse. How about you?  Have these days been productive for you?  Have you been completing items on your list of goals? Despite this new realization about my priorities, I see a glimmer of opportunity in this time of quarantine, home life, an...

Philippians 4:8: Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. What's on your mind?  That may be pretty obvious right now.  It seems like one thing is on everyone's mind- this coronavirus.  It comes up in every conversation; it is on the top of every news source; and it is all over social media.  But what does all this thinking, reading, talking, and posting do for us?  Nothing, really.  At least, nothing positive.  On the other hand, it does have the potential of creating some negative effects.  It can stir up fear, feed worry, distract us from better things, and cause us to isolate ourselves even further from each other. But why do we allow our minds to dwell on this so much?  When has life not been fragile?  When have we not been in complete de...

As you know, this week churches across the nation have shut their doors and cancelled their services.  We are told not to congregate in groups larger than 10 people and to limit social visits.  At New Hope, we have also cancelled our activities and services for now.  We are not sure how long this will last, so I thought I would give some thoughts on where we go from here and some reminders that are good to keep in mind. This is the first time we have experienced something like this. First, I think it is important to note that a situation like this has not happened in our lifetime, as far as I know.  Your pastor and elders have never led a church through a crisis like this.  So the decisions made are made prayerfully, and we daily seek wisdom from the Lord.  We will strive to lead New Hope according to what we believe is the Lord’s will, and we simply ask for grace and patience from you, our church family. You are t...

The Day Death Thought He Won Life can be so good.  When I see my son play, when I see my wife smile, when I have a good belly laugh, I am reminded how good life can be.  But even in the happiest times, there is always a shadow.  For life does not last.  No matter how full, how happy, how healthy, how long life may be, death always finds us.  He finds everything.  He claims everything.  Trees die, flowers die, animals die, we die. And how we hate him.  We avoid him, ignore him, fight him, run from him, fear him, hate him, and yet death always wins.  He is relentless.  He haunts us, follows us, seeks us, finds us, and claims us.  Paul says it well in Romans.  All have sinned, and so all are cursed by sin, and sin spreads, and sin invites death.  For the wages of sin is death.  Death never fails to exact what is due him.  Romans 5:14 s...

This week in our service we talked about Barnabas and how he encouraged Paul in his ministry.  What an amazing story!  It makes me wonder how many people around me have great potential to accomplish mighty things for Jesus if they simply receive encouragement!  And who will encourage them if I don't?  Are you being a Barnabas to the Pauls in your life? I hope you are. And if you aren't yet, I hope you will! And you can start today. So here are 4 simple ways to encourage someone this week! 1. Send an encouraging letter. Have you ever opened your mailbox to find an unexpected letter from a friend?  It does not happen often, but when it does, how special do you feel?  Sending someone a random, encouraging letter is a great way to let someone know that they are not forgotten.  It will make their day!  And it is easy to do.  Who could you send a letter to this week? 2.  Call someone to let them know you appreciate them. 99% of the p...

Matthew 22: 37  And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. Matthew 16: 24  Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. John 13: 35  By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Thank you John for delivering a great message this past Sunday. You absolutely teed up a great platform for 2018. God is so good and faithful. Our world loves to talk about “love”. It fills the talk show circuit, scripted within publications, lectured by motivational counselors, and expressed within most homes. It has to be one of, if not the most talked about subjects in our world. Throughout the Christmas season, Peace, Joy, and Love are co...