Randall Johnson

Lust and Adultery – Matthew 5:27-30

Then presidential candidate Jimmy Carter said in an interview in Playboy magazine in 1976: “I’ve looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times. God knows

More Than We Want to Admit – Matthew 5:21-26

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/ By Randall Johnson

Sheryl Crow sings a rather haunting song called “Murder in My Heart” and one of the stanzas says, “Went out late last night, Just to get a little air, And I walked beneath the streetlights,

Moral Righteousness – Matthew 5:17-20

I was recently in a discussion with some men in my church about ethics and a distinction was made between ethics and morals. I know this is somewhat artificial, but think of ethics as one’s standard

Salty Light – Matthew 5:13-16

Why is Matthew including, at some length, this sermon of Jesus from the mount (Luke includes a portion of this sermon preached on another occasion, Jesus no doubt preaching the message in several towns

Daily Thoughts from Hebrews: Reaching Our Potential

For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care

What Is Marital Love – Matthew 5:31,32

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/ By Randall Johnson

Cindy Wright and her husband Steve have a marriage ministry, but she confesses that it has taken her a long time to realize what it takes to honor her marriage: “Love isn’t something that’s

Mountainside Sermon – Matthew 5:1-12

I’ve heard some pretty amazing sermons in my life. I even studied one in American history, Jonathan Edward’s Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Sermons have moved people to good and evil

Gone Fishing – Matthew 4:1-25

I attended a men’s retreat one year, a fishing retreat, and was paired with a older boy and a fishing pro in a boat on the river. The pro told us exactly where to cast our lines and sure enough we

Stay Tuned for an Important Announcement – Matthew 4:12-17

What do you think are the most important announcements the world has ever heard? What about Satan’s announcement to Adam and Eve, “You will not surely die”? Or what about the announcement

Temptation – Matthew 4:1-11

How do you deal with temptation? The easiest way, it seems, is to give in to it, but that leads to the saddest of lives. God uses our conscience to help us say no to temptation to sin. Adam said yes, and

Jesus and the Spirit – Matthew 3:11-17

My senior year in high school was amazing from the standpoint of learning more about being a Christian. I was sharing my faith and people were responding with challenges to my theology. Can you really

Going Through the Motions – Matthew 3:1-12

Yes, there really is a “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” musical soundtrack and in the overture Buffy sings about going through the motions: “Every single night the same arrangement. I go out

Oh, This Jesus! – Matthew 2:13-23

Matthew’s great concern is to show us that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies about Messiah. He has fulfilled the prophecy of Micah by being born in Bethlehem, David’s

Our Own Magi Journey – Matthew 2:1-12

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/ By Randall Johnson

There are a lot of unanswered questions about the Magi or wise men who came to visit Jesus when he was still living in Bethlehem, not even two years old. Who were they? Did they have a teaching from Daniel

Uniting the Human and the Divine – Matthew 1:18-25

Greek mythology is rife with tales of the gods having sexual relationships with humans and producing demigods. Some Bible students even believe that Genesis 6 depicts fallen angels having relations with

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