When Jesus was walking on this earth, all the power of Hell was launched against Him. There was no other time in human history when the demonic activity was more actively at work and furiously engaged against the Kingdom of God. (Incidentally, the world will experience a similar unleashing of the powers of Hell during the Tribulation Period describ…

John Wesley, the leader of the Methodist Revival in 18th Century England was once asked how he knew if his preaching was successful. He responded, “I know my preaching is successful if some are angered and some are saved.” Wesley’s ministry revealed something of the same kind of rejection, anger, and denunciation that descended upon our Lord when H…

In the account of when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness we discover the essence of every temptation we experience as well. In every temptation we face, whenever we have a crises or need, or whatever trial we go through, the question we face is: “Am I going to trust God and obey Him or am I going to do something else?” The temptation is …

Since Alex Haley's best-seller— “Roots: The Saga of an American Family” – and blockbuster television miniseries aired in 1977, a new genealogy craze has swept the nation. Genealogy is the second most popular hobby in the U.S. after gardening. It's a billion dollar industry that has spawned television shows, scores of books, and a cottage industry i…

In Luke chapter 3:21-22, the Gospel writer gives us a sketchy description of the baptism of Jesus. And it raises the question, “Why would Jesus be baptized by John the Baptist?” John preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus was sinless and did not need to repent. So why did he come to be baptized by John?…

Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11)!” From this great man, there is much we can learn about preaching the gospel in such a way that people repent and are forgiven of their sins.By Bill Slabaugh

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, . . . and we were all made to drink of one Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:12).” Paul uses a great word picture here. He says that when we are baptized in the Spirit, when we are immersed in Him, we were made to drink of the one Spirit. The Spirit of Go…

Preparing the way for the coming of the Lord Jesus, John the Baptist came preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 3:3). John makes it very clear that repentance is necessary to be forgiven and to be saved. But how can we know that we have truly repented of our sins and how do we do that? How can we tell the real thing fr…

It was against the backdrop of political and religious darkness that “the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness” (Luke 3:2b). John the Baptist came on the scene preparing the way of the Lord when politically there was wickedness, intrigue, and conspiracies. And religiously there was a degenerate priesthood that had align…

YouTube and social media is filled with the performances and the amazing accomplishments of child prodigies. We are amazed at a six year old who plays the piano at Carnegie Hall or a seven year old who performs surgery in India. Then there is the two year old toddler who is a pool wizard and is already a member of the American Pool Association. But…

The days following Christmas can be a bit of a letdown. The gifts have been unwrapped and enjoyed. The left overs have been eaten. The daily routine begins to set in. And on top of all of that, the difficult year of 2020 is coming to end without the difficulties and struggles coming to an end. So what do we look forward to now? The answer is found …

In the TV program, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Charlie Brown asks in frustration, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” Linus responded, “Sure Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about.” And Linus took the stage and recited Luke 2:8-14. This is what Christmas is all about.…

In the early days of WWII, Winston Churchill told the people of Britain that they were in their “darkest hour.” Now we the people of America are in a “dark winter.” When we come to Zacharias’ song of praise in the first chapter of Luke, we see the end of a long extended darkness. We see the promise in which “the Sunrise from on high will visit us" …

Concerning the birth of John the Baptist, who would prepare the way for the coming of Jesus into the world, the Gospel of Luke records, “Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.” (Luk…

We most often think of giving God thanks and glorifying Him for His mercy and what He has done for us. But how often do we think of giving Him thanks and glorifying Him because He is a God of judgment? According to the Virgin Mary’s Song of Praise in Luke chapter 1, the coming of Jesus Christ into the world at Christmas is not only about extending …

At that first Thanksgiving celebration in the Plymouth Colony, half of the chairs were empty. More than half of the pilgrims had died the previous winter and half of those where children. The Thanksgiving Holiday is borne out of extremely difficult times in history. History tells us about a time of severe religious persecution, of insurmountable ad…

Detrick Bonhoeffer said of Mary’s song of praise in the first chapter of Luke, “God is not ashamed of human lowliness but goes right into the middle of it, chooses someone as instrument, and performs the miracles right there where they are least expected. God draws near to the lowly, loving the lost, the unnoticed, the unremarkable, the excluded, t…

Mary, the young mother of Jesus, is a good example of how God confirms His Word to us. It was going to be hard for Mary but God, with whom nothing is impossible, is going to confirm it. Along the way, He is going to give confirmation and assurance in Mary’s humble obedience. Along with the greatest task that takes the most determined obedience come…

Martin Luther remarked, “[The angel] might have gone to Jerusalem and picked out Caiaphas’ daughter who was fair, rich, clad in gold embroidered raiment and attended by a retinue of maids in waiting. But God preferred a lowly maid from a mean town.” When we come to the announcement of the angel to Mary that she would conceive and bear the Son of Go…

All of us who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior have experienced doubt. We believe, but we get our eyes off the Lord and onto the trial that looms before us. It’s like putting a penny close to your eye. It blocks out the brilliance of the sun. If you let problems and trials consume your vision, they block the glorious power of the Almighty God and …

Someone has said that God is predictable in His unpredictability. This is a pattern that we see in the pages of the Gospel of Luke as he writes the account of the events leading up to the birth of Jesus. God shows up as it were in unexpected places. In Luke 1:8-17, the aged priest Zacharias was fulfilling his priestly duty of burning incense in the…

In Luke chapter 1, verse 5-17, we see how God is at work in the unexpected. We see how God works extraordinarily in the ordinary circumstances of life. And how He works in the all-to-often difficult and troubled, yet, commonplace situations. We see how God is at work in our own lives and how God was at work in the lives of an ordinary couple by the…

The Gospel of Luke shows us that our faith in Jesus Christ is rooted in history. In the same way that history can verify something of the life of Caesar Augustus, Cleopatra, Winston Churchill, or Abraham Lincoln, Luke wrote an accurate, orderly, historically true account of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Therefore, it can be believed with c…

Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? With all this talk these days about social justice, what does it really mean biblically “to do justice and love kindness?”By Bill Slabaugh

In the introduction to this message, Pastor Bill presents God’s plan of redemption and His plan for the ages in the form of a picture book. You will discover a vivid way to both understand and describe God’s plan of redemption from the fall of humankind to the second coming of Jesus Christ. (The picture book illustration has been adapted from Pasto…