Category Archives: Expository Articles

06 Jan

The Hall of Faith: Gideon

EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Jeff Smith | Manassas, Virginia

This is the eighth article in the Hall of Faith series and considers Gideon, the fifth judge of Israel. Thus far the series has considered twelve of those mentioned in Hebrews chapter eleven. Gideon is the first in the list of faithful that the author didn’t take the time to describe in detail (Hebrews 11:32). That list includes five judges, King David, and all the prophets. Truly it would take many words to highlight all their individual acts of faith. The Hebrew writer only gave Gideon an “honorable mention.” Let us dive into the heroic acts of this valiant warrior, as the angel of the Lord referred to him (Judges 6:12). Read More →

15 Oct

The Hall of Faith : Rahab the __________

EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Reagan McClenny | Lufkin, Texas

What word immediately comes to your mind to fill in this blank? Rahab the … what? If you’re like me, “Harlot” is the word that comes to mind. Indeed, that’s the way the New Testament authors identify her.

Hebrews 11:31, “By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.”

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20 Jul

The Hall of Faith: Faith Waits On God

EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Marshall McDaniel | Athens, Alabama

Do we trust God, even when He asks us to wait? Scripture repeatedly issues the command to wait on the Lord and often associates it with divine blessing. The Bible affirms that believers who wait on God will experience His goodness, joy, salvation, and strength (Lamentations 3:15; Psalm 27:13-14; Isaiah 25:9; 40:31). Hebrews 11 mentions several notable people – Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Moses, and the Israelites – who waited for God and received His gracious gifts. In this study, we will consider the perseverance of moses, Joshua, and Israel. Their examples show us thhatt waiting on the Lord always yields the best results. Read More →

17 Apr

The Hall of Faith: By Faith Moses…

EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Jesse Flowers | Cookeville, Tennessee

Without question or debate, one of the greatest men to ever walk this earth was Moses. How great was this man of God? Consider the following:

  1. The first covenant that God made with Israel is most commonly known as “the Law of Moses” (Josh. 8:31, 32; 23:6; Lk. 2:22; 24:44).
  2. He foretold one of the great Messianic prophecies when he declared: “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him” (Deut. 18:18-19). The apostle Peter declared that his prophecy found its fulfillment in Christ (Acts 3:22-26).
  3. The word of God testifies of him saying: “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth” (Num. 12:3).
  4. The LORD defended His servant after Aaron and Miriam criticized him, with a sharp rebuke saying: “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?” (Num. 12:6-8).
  5. Consider how the Book of Deuteronomy ends following the death of Moses. “But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, in all the signs and wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land, and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel” (34:10-12).
  6. When Jesus was gloriously transfigured on the mountain, Moses (along with Elijah) was sent by God to appear alongside His Son to discuss the Lord’s coming decease (Luke 9:28-36).
  7. Finally, consider that those who have victory over the beast “sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested’” (Revelation 15:3-4).

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01 Jan

The Hall of Faith: Moses’ Parents

EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Tyler Sams | San Antonio, Texas

“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command.” (Hebrews 11:23).

The first people in Hebrews 11 to be described as having faith, yet left as nameless in the text, are the parents of Moses: Amram (father) and Jochebed (mother). Like many others later in chapter 11, they are praised for their faith, yet their names do not appear in the text. Their names are not omitted because their actions were unimportant or inconsequential — their story is recorded for the overwhelming role that faith played in their lives! Let’s do justice to this godly father and mother and explore the faith they exhibited which is held up as an example for us. Read More →

10 Oct

The Hall of Faith: Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Jesus, and Us

EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Shane Carrington | Sulphur Springs, Texas

Introduction

The story of Israel is the story of Jesus. God’s plan for bringing Christ to the world was earnestly set in motion from the time God promised Abraham that his descendants would become a great nation. God told him,

“Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3).

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28 Jan

In Spirit And In Truth

EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Jeff Asher | Nachogdoches, Texas

In John four, Jesus converses with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. His objective is to prepare her intellectually and spiritually so that He may introduce Himself to her as the Messiah. He used the circumstances of their meeting and their mutual need for the well to initiate the conversation. Jesus asked her to favor Him by drawing water from the well for a drink. Read More →

08 Oct

Jesus: The Man and Perfect Example (A Portrait of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke)

EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Reagan McClenny | Lufkin, Texas

What was Jesus like as a child? I’ve often thought about this question and once posed a similar question to a group of 5th-grade boys in a Bible study. I asked them, “What would Jesus be like if He was here and your age?” While the exercise was helpful, their answers revealed an (understandable) naivety and lack of understanding of who Jesus really was on earth. Their answers were a caricature of cliches about Jesus more than how He would have really behaved. They suggested, “He would only study his Bible all the time,” and “He might skip school to pray.” “Would He play games?” I asked. “Oh no!” they replied, “He wouldn’t have time for that!” It was difficult for them to imagine Jesus living a physical life as a man on earth.

Would our answers of who Jesus was on earth be any closer to reality? Read More →