No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
“Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not.”
– Job 14:1-2
Main Thought: When we read these words of Job, we are reminded that our physical lives are very brief. Even if we live to 80, 90, or 100 years old, it is a very brief time in respect to history, and especially in regards to eternity. It begs the question, especially as Christians, of what we are spending our time and energies on. When I was a young man, I thought I had all the time in the world to increase in my knowledge of God and to grow in my faith. But now, I look back and see that the time passed very quickly and there is still so much of God’s Word that I do not deeply know, and I am still dissatisfied with the progress of my spiritual growth. Job’s words confirm to me that I should count each day as a gift from God and that the focus of my life should not be on that which is temporal, but that which is eternal. Whatever age we are as Christians, the call of Christ is for us to “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33). We cannot know if we will have tomorrow, but the call for us today and all the days He is pleased to give us is to live our lives for the glory of God. Adam and Eve were created by God and put into the Garden of Eden for a plan and a purpose, not just to sit around and admire the creation. We too as Christians have been saved, not just to sit around and dream about heaven, but we have been saved with a mandate to glorify God by preaching the Gospel, grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, grow in holiness and sanctification, serve and bless others, and carry out the call of the Church, which is to go into the world and make disciples of all nations. May every believer and every Church strive to be a lighthouse on a hill, magnifying Christ until we go to be with Him or until He comes again. Remember that this is our calling, and may God give us strength and endurance to fulfill this calling.
David Webber is married to Mary with four children and four grandchildren, and serves as the Pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Longview, TX. He obtained a BS in History from the University of Texas at Tyler, TX, and pursued studies at Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, TX. Throughout his ministry, he has been an invited preacher and educator in numerous churches and various Bible conferences. Surrendering to the gospel ministry’s calling in 1972 at the age of 16, he received preaching licensure from Little Flock Baptist Church in Longview, Texas, in 1974. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in History from the University of Texas at Tyler in 1978, he was ordained in December of 1980 by Faith Baptist Church. Following this, he contributed his services to Faith Baptist in Longview and subsequently engaged with Grace Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, where he instructed Sunday School and delivered sermons as needed. In February of 1994, Faith Baptist invited him to lead as their pastor, a role he has faithfully held to the present day. David writes a blog for the church website and is a writer for The Art of Worship.
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
“And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'”
– 1 Corinthians 1:30-31
Main Thought: We all know that it is wrong to boast or brag about ourselves. Proverbs 27:2 tells us “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth…” So when it comes to ourselves and boasting of our own accomplishments or knowledge, it is wrong. However, in this passage of Scripture we are told boasting is appropriate, because in this case, our boasting is in what Christ has done for us and what we are now in Him. The history of the church at Corinth at this point was one of division, pride, and arrogance. Some had picked sides in regards to preachers (1 Cor. 1:12), others were taking pride in certain spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12 & 1 Cor. 14), and some flaunted their wealth at the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:17-21). In these verses, Paul reminded them, and us, that all that we possess as Christians is in Christ, and there is no place or room for boastfulness or pride. Because of Christ, we now have true wisdom, not the wisdom of the world that is only temporal, but the wisdom of the Gospel that leads to eternal life and the wisdom of His Word that helps us to grow in Christ and walk righteously in this world. Paul also reminded them that in Christ they are righteous because the righteousness of Christ has been put on our account, meaning we are now declared eternally righteous in the eyes of God (Rom. 4:23-5:3). Also, because of Christ we now possess a position of sanctification, or holiness, where God does not see us in our sinfulness, but because of Christ we are seen as eternally holy. And last, because of Christ we now possess redemption, which means we have been bought by Christ out of our slavery to sin and the punishment of our sin; we have been delivered by Christ’s blood from that. This is why if we do any boasting, or any bragging, as Christians it should always be in our Lord, because all that we possess is because of what He has done for us. After all, He became the substitute for our sins. May our lives and our mouths boast to others of what we are and have because of Christ.
David Webber is married to Mary with four children and four grandchildren, and serves as the Pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Longview, TX. He obtained a BS in History from the University of Texas at Tyler, TX, and pursued studies at Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, TX. Throughout his ministry, he has been an invited preacher and educator in numerous churches and various Bible conferences. Surrendering to the gospel ministry’s calling in 1972 at the age of 16, he received preaching licensure from Little Flock Baptist Church in Longview, Texas, in 1974. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in History from the University of Texas at Tyler in 1978, he was ordained in December of 1980 by Faith Baptist Church. Following this, he contributed his services to Faith Baptist in Longview and subsequently engaged with Grace Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, where he instructed Sunday School and delivered sermons as needed. In February of 1994, Faith Baptist invited him to lead as their pastor, a role he has faithfully held to the present day. David writes a blog for the church website and is a writer for The Art of Worship.
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”
– Proverbs 28:13
Main thought: We often mistakenly think that worship is a Sunday thing that we do and that no preparation prior to Sunday is necessary. But the reality is that throughout the week prior to corporate worship on Sunday, there should be and must be preparation for worship. To think that we can go to worship the Lord on Sunday giving little thought to Him during the week is a great error. The first way that I think that we should prepare for worship is a daily confession of our sins. As Christians, we have been given a new nature, we are a new creature in Christ, and our desires now are focused on pleasing our Lord. But we are still affected by sin and we still sin, and this sin while not severing us from our salvation in Christ (Philippians 1:6), can and does affect our fellowship with Christ. An example of this is seen in the life of David, who committed adultery with Bathsheba and his unconfessed sin definitely brought the displeasure of God and broken fellowship, but when he confessed that sin fellowship was restored (Psalm 51). Also, we see how Peter denied our Lord three times on the night of Jesus being falsely accused and taken away, but obviously, we see from the accounts in Acts that Peter was restored to fellowship with our Lord and was greatly used by God. We deceive ourselves if we think that we do not sin (1 John 1:8), and we also deceive ourselves if we think that the little sins that we commit and leave unconfessed do not affect our fellowship with God and our ability to worship Him with the people of God on Sunday. Our sins need to be confessed, for as Solomon writes here that if we conceal our sins, we will not prosper. I believe the application is that we will not prosper in any way, especially spiritually, if we fail to confess and forsake sin. We are assured here that if we do confess and forsake, God in His mercy will forgive us and cleanse us so that we might daily have right fellowship with Him, and when we do so, we will be truly prepared to worship the Father in spirit and truth (John 4:23), when we come together with the people of God to worship Him.
David Webber is married to Mary with four children and four grandchildren, and serves as the Pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Longview, TX. He obtained a BS in History from the University of Texas at Tyler, TX, and pursued studies at Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, TX. Throughout his ministry, he has been an invited preacher and educator in numerous churches and various Bible conferences. Surrendering to the gospel ministry’s calling in 1972 at the age of 16, he received preaching licensure from Little Flock Baptist Church in Longview, Texas, in 1974. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in History from the University of Texas at Tyler in 1978, he was ordained in December of 1980 by Faith Baptist Church. Following this, he contributed his services to Faith Baptist in Longview and subsequently engaged with Grace Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, where he instructed Sunday School and delivered sermons as needed. In February of 1994, Faith Baptist invited him to lead as their pastor, a role he has faithfully held to the present day. David writes a blog for the church website and is a writer for The Art of Worship.
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
“Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise; then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word.”
– Psalm 119:41-42
Main Thought: One of the great assurances we have of our salvation is the many promises of God in His Word. In the Psalm here, David speaks of that promise. Very often, we need to go to the promises found in God’s Word concerning our salvation when we are going through trials and testing. Those promises remind us that God has given us His Word and our salvation will stand the test of time and eternity, no matter what the tribulation we are going through or perhaps sometimes even the doubt in our minds that comes with the testing of our faith. One of the great statements of David is found in Psalm 27:1 where he writes “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” How can we fear the loss of our salvation when we know that the Lord, who is my salvation, holds that salvation in the very palm of His omnipotent hand? The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:31: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” and then says “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine…” (Romans 8:35). Then after going through a whole list of those things that test our faith, says that nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39). David knew that his salvation did not rest in his own ability, but that it rested in the promises and power of the God who loved Him. David knew the treachery of the broken promises of men, but he also knew by faith that the promises God made to Him were steadfast and sure, never to be broken. I am reminded of Jesus’ words to the apostles, knowing what was about to come and knowing that their faith would be tested, told them in John 16:33: “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Did Jesus demonstrate his overcoming of the world? Yes, when he overcame death and the grave, demonstrating to them that not even death could overcome His love for them and His promises to them. Perhaps you are going through a trial of your faith; perhaps you have been forsaken by friends or family, or maybe you are having a crisis of health. David had known such trials, but in the midst of those things he knew the promise of God’s salvation. Today, do not listen to the taunters, do not even listen to the doubts of your own mind, but listen to the promises of God’s Word regarding your salvation.
David Webber is married to Mary with four children and four grandchildren, and serves as the Pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Longview, TX. He obtained a BS in History from the University of Texas at Tyler, TX, and pursued studies at Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, TX. Throughout his ministry, he has been an invited preacher and educator in numerous churches and various Bible conferences. Surrendering to the gospel ministry’s calling in 1972 at the age of 16, he received preaching licensure from Little Flock Baptist Church in Longview, Texas, in 1974. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in History from the University of Texas at Tyler in 1978, he was ordained in December of 1980 by Faith Baptist Church. Following this, he contributed his services to Faith Baptist in Longview and subsequently engaged with Grace Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, where he instructed Sunday School and delivered sermons as needed. In February of 1994, Faith Baptist invited him to lead as their pastor, a role he has faithfully held to the present day. David writes a blog for the church website and is a writer for The Art of Worship.
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
“All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.”
– Psalm 86:9
Main Thought: In this verse of Psalm 86, David is reminding us and all who will ever read this, that it is not men or governments that make nations and determine their power or success, but it is the Lord who has made them. They did not come into existence of their own will and power, but God brings nations into existence and places of prominence. At the same time, God brings those same nations back down, usually because they have lifted themselves up in pride and have forsaken and forgotten the Lord who created them. In Daniel 4, we have recounted the story of how King Nebuchadnezzar was lifted up in pride and declared how he had made Babylon great by his own power (Daniel 4:30). In a moment, God took his reason and his kingdom from him, and made him like a beast of the field for a time. When God brought him out of this time of madness, he lifted his eyes to the heavens and praised God “who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation….and he does according to his will among the host of heaven…and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?'” (Daniel 4:34-36). Nations and leaders may deny and not worship the God who created them now, but David makes it plain that one day all the nations and their rulers will come and bow their knees and worship the Lord and glorify His name. Our call as believers in Christ is to call all men and nations to acknowledge Him, worship, and glorify Him now in humble adoration as long as we have breath. In Psalm 2:12, David reminds us to “kiss the Son, lest he be angry…Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.” Oh, what a wonderful thought it is for the believer in Christ, the ones who have kissed the Son, that this One who saved us and now rules our hearts and lives and we worship and glorify, will be the object of our eternal worship because our refuge is in Him. Lift high His holy and glorious name for now and forevermore and worship Him!
David Webber is married to Mary with four children and four grandchildren, and serves as the Pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Longview, TX. He obtained a BS in History from the University of Texas at Tyler, TX, and pursued studies at Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, TX. Throughout his ministry, he has been an invited preacher and educator in numerous churches and various Bible conferences. Surrendering to the gospel ministry’s calling in 1972 at the age of 16, he received preaching licensure from Little Flock Baptist Church in Longview, Texas, in 1974. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in History from the University of Texas at Tyler in 1978, he was ordained in December of 1980 by Faith Baptist Church. Following this, he contributed his services to Faith Baptist in Longview and subsequently engaged with Grace Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, where he instructed Sunday School and delivered sermons as needed. In February of 1994, Faith Baptist invited him to lead as their pastor, a role he has faithfully held to the present day. David writes a blog for the church website and is a writer for The Art of Worship.
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
– 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
Main Thought: Many of us are astounded in this day and time by what we see around us from those who are not Christians to those who are unbelievers. These unbelievers hear the same Gospel that we have heard, but not only reject the message of the Gospel but often speak of it with viciousness and blasphemy. Very often we hear people decry the exclusive claims of Christianity, that Christ is the way, the truth, and the light, as intolerant or bigoted. Others will say that when we call certain types of immorality sinful–especially sexual immorality, like living together without marriage or homosexuality– then we are being unkind or unloving. These rejections of Christ, however, should not be shocking considering what Paul has to say in these verses. Men and women reject Biblical truth because they are spiritually blind, blind because Satan blinds their minds. We must remember that he is the great deceiver and has great spiritual power. Remember that when Jesus was confronting the Pharisees in John 8, he eventually said to them “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires (lusts).” (John 8:44). However, we understand that Satan does not have ultimate spiritual power. Only our Lord has omnipotent power, and millions of times throughout the course of time He has broken the power of blindness held by Satan, opened the eyes of unbelievers, and delivered them from the realm of spiritual darkness into spiritual light (1 Peter 2:9), delivering those of us that know Christ, from a destiny of eternal death into the promise of eternal life. Perhaps today you are burdened for someone you know and love who is under this curse of death and darkness, and perhaps are beginning to think that they are a hopeless case. But remember the one who wrote this, the apostle Paul, who was in great spiritual darkness, persecuting the church. He was stopped one day on the road to Damascus by Christ and his blindness was removed, making him see the beauty and wonder of the One he had persecuted. Certainly, if Jesus did that for him, then we can know that no one is beyond the power of God and redemption. I pray that we do not despair of those lost deeply in sin, but trust in the great saving power of our God.
David Webber is married to Mary with four children and four grandchildren, and serves as the Pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Longview, TX. He obtained a BS in History from the University of Texas at Tyler, TX, and pursued studies at Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, TX. Throughout his ministry, he has been an invited preacher and educator in numerous churches and various Bible conferences. Surrendering to the gospel ministry’s calling in 1972 at the age of 16, he received preaching licensure from Little Flock Baptist Church in Longview, Texas, in 1974. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in History from the University of Texas at Tyler in 1978, he was ordained in December of 1980 by Faith Baptist Church. Following this, he contributed his services to Faith Baptist in Longview and subsequently engaged with Grace Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, where he instructed Sunday School and delivered sermons as needed. In February of 1994, Faith Baptist invited him to lead as their pastor, a role he has faithfully held to the present day. David writes a blog for the church website and is a writer for The Art of Worship.
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.