Introduction To A Shadow Of Things To Come

As much as I love working on studies and posting new things, I hardly ever seem to have the time to do indepth writing anymore - yet I am always working on new sermon outlines for my devotionals at the Gospel Mission. I normally toss the outlines once I develop them into longer studies, but often dread losing work that I put time and prayer into. I am sure I have oodles of untyped outlines in boxes and drawers that would be a blessing to others - IF I ever typed them out. As a preacher, I am blessed many times by reading sermon outlines by others, so why not have an outlet to post these "shadow outlines" here - a shadow of things to come (Lord willing).

I use that blog title in two senses:

1. In reference to Colossians 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

All of Scripture is about the Lord Jesus Christ, and even the types and pictures found in the Old Testament, when properly studied out, find their substance and fulfillment in the Saviour.

Revelation 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Jesus is the spirit - the heart and soul, if you will, the central figure and theme of all Biblical prophecy. All of the Word of God points to Him.

Hebrews 10:7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

If you miss Jesus in all your studying and reading of the Bible, you've missed everything!

2. These sermon/devotional outlines are a shadow of fuller messages to come (that will be posted on Buy The Truth, Lord willing, when and if I am able to develop them further). While they may be simply a shadow now, their substance and body is of Christ, as all true Bible study should be!

Even if I am unable at times to work on full studies, I can still be a blessing to others by posting these outlines. This also helps me keep my focus on studying the Word of God, and still keeps me actively developing the gift of teaching that the Lord has entrusted me with.

I hope these outlines are a blessing to you, and perhaps may be a springboard for more indepth Bible studies and devotionals on your part.

April 21st/2010
Jerry Bouey

A Shadow Of Things To Come Table Of Contents

A Shadow Of Things To Come

Shorter Devotionals Posted On Buy The Truth

If you read only one article on this website, please let this be it:
God's Simple Plan of Salvation
It concerns the most important decision you will ever make in your life!
Don't let this opportunity to be saved pass you by.

Here is my Table Of Contents for my devotional blog to make it easier to find studies you are interested in or have previously read.

I will be updating each link below as I add them to Buy The Truth. Bookmark this page if you are interested in more encouraging, but shorter devotionals, such as word studies or interesting thoughts on a passage.

Chronological Table Of Contents

Most important posts for this blog:

Introduction To A Shadow Of Things To Come

First 156 Messages Preached At The Gospel Mission

Devotionals Preached At The Gospel Mission In 2010

Devotionals Preached At The Gospel Mission In 2011

All My Blogs

2010:

I Am The Bread Of Life
The Shepherd's Rod And Staff
Compound Names Of The Lord
I Am The Light Of The World
Come - Invitations From God/14 Gospel Invitations
Who I Am
True Worship
Thankful For The Love Of God
Lessons In The Valleys: The Valley Of Strength (Elah) Introduction (1 Samuel 17)

2023:

September:

Power For Preaching And Serving The Lord
Reading The Scriptures
Saved To The Uttermost!
She Was A Virgin (Law Of First Mention)
Some Sevens In Scripture
More Sevens In Scripture
Sevens In Revelation
Old Study On Sevens In Revelation
Consecutive Verses
Romans 5:3-5
All Of God's Word Is True
Requirements For Bible Studying And Preaching
What To Read On Laundry Day
For Whom Did Christ Die?
Draw Near To God
Does Jesus Care?
Fervent Charity
Does God Delight In You?

October:

In The Day When I Cried
No One Can Pluck You Out Of God's Hand!
Thy Gentleness Hath Made Me Great
What A Wonderful Picture
For A Season
I Am Poor And Needy
The Song Of The Redeemed

November:

The Lord Sees Our Potential
A New Name
Sevenfold Promises And Statements In The Old Testament
Written By God's Spirit
He Is Risen!
Sevenfold Promises And Statements In The New Testament - Part One
Sevenfold Promises And Statements In The New Testament - Part Two
Taken From The Evil To Come
Romans 8:1 - Now No Condemnation
Romans 8 - God Is For Us

2024:

An Orchard Of Delights
New Testament Apostles - A Word Studies
Behold - Your Saviour! (a devotional preached in 2011)
Sowing The Wind And Reaping The Whirlwind (a devotional preached in 2011)
Saved To The Uttermost! - Part Two
God's Greatest Poem

2025:

Praise God (a devotional preached in 2004)
The Savour Of Jesus' Name
From Bitter To Sweet

Devotionals From My Blog, A Shadow Of Things To Come

Devotionals From My Blog, A Shadow Of Things To Come

I realize my other blogs are not getting anywhere near the traffic of this one. I had created another one for shorter devotionals or sermon outlines, so then those who wanted more indepth studies can go here (on Buy The Truth), and those who want neat little nuggets can visit A Shadow Of Things To Come. Lately, I have been thinking of merging the content and having them all on one site - perhaps indicating in the Table of Contents which ones are shorter or which ones are outlines. That way, visitors can access which ones they prefer - or check them all out at their leisure, without having to miss out on some because they are on another blog. It would create lesser work for me - as well as make it easier on all to find specific content. Starting today, I will be moving all the blog entries from A Shadow Of Things To Come over to Buy The Truth. I hope these devotionals, studies, and outlines are all a blessing to you. I still have my other blogs, in which I put up new content occasionally - but Buy The Truth and Songs In The Night (my poetry blog) are my most active ones, and Lord willing, I intend to keep adding new content to both as time goes on.

Audio Of Poems Presented In Church in 2022

Poems Presented In Church

In 2021 to 2022, for about 10 months in the two main Sunday services, I presented poems in church as a ministry. Usually I shared an introduction to the poem (perhaps the story behind it if it was one of mine or if I knew of the events surrounding it), then I presented the verses behind it and a Biblical exhortation to draw closer to the Lord. 

While we were recording the sermons preached each service, we did not think to actually record the poem presentations until about the last four months. The poems were a blessing to share and God's hand was definitely upon that ministry, as the poems and challenges I read often went with the theme of the sermons preached, the songs chosen, and many times both - yet the hymns chosen each day and the Pastor's themes or passages were not announced to me in advance. It was a ministry wholly dependent upon the Lord's guiding, and His hand was very evident for all those months.

For various reasons, the Lord guided me to stop this particular ministry the end of last Spring. In several of the poem presentations you can actually sense that there was spiritual warfare going on, and the introductions did not come across as smoothly or as coherently as other poems I had recorded. I have still decided to post the audio of those couple of poems too - as the stories are still a blessing to hear and the poems themselves came across clearly, even if the introduction seems rough. If you choose to listen to them, please do not judge the whole ministry in light of the few that did not go as well as the others.

The poems that were actually recorded are listed below in the order they were presented. Feel free to leave comments here or on their individual pages if there were any that really touched your heart, strengthened you spiritually or simply blessed you in some way.

Poems Presented in March 2022:

Two Roads Or Three? - Morning of March 6

In The Presence Of The Lord - Evening of March 6

Poems Presented in April 2022:

The Touch Of The Master’s Hand – by Myra Brooks Welch - Morning of April 3

All My Springs Are In You - Morning of April 10

Immanuel – by Charles Spurgeon - Evening of April 10

The Day My Saviour Died - Morning of April 17

Take A Second Look At Calvary - Evening of April 17

Thou God Seest Me - Morning of April 24

"God Meant It Unto Good" - by Freda Hanbury Allen - Evening of April 24
(Rough presentation, but good story and poem read clearly)

Poems Presented in May 2022:

Thirsting In This Wilderness - Morning of May 1

Under Construction - Evening of May 1

Mother’s Day In Heaven - Morning of May 8

God’s Love Through The Storm – Author Unknown - Evening of May 8

Quietness And Confidence – by E.J. Carr - Morning of May 15

I Sleep, But My Heart Waketh - Evening of May 15

Waiting For A Change - Author Unknown - Morning of May 22

“No Accidents” - by Felicia Doss - Morning of May 22
(Bit of technical difficulties accessing book on my ipad - story and poem presentation are very good)

When This Lion Begins To Roar - Morning of May 29

God Is – Author Unknown - Evening of May 29

Poems Presented in June 2022:

Wrestling Until The Break of Day - Morning of June 5

Be Thou Clean - Evening of June 5

Death Meets His Match - by Elwood McQuaid - Evening of June 12
(Good presentation of poem, but no introduction)

The Father Of The Fatherless - Morning of June 19

Slow Down, Daddy - Evening of June 19
(no introduction, but good poem presentation)

All My Blogs

I wanted to try something new, so I created two new blogs.

One new blog, called The Substance Of Things Hoped For (Faith-based Stories and Illustration), was created for a place for me to be able to quickly repost all the stories and illustrations that Angela Trenholm (my webpartner) had on her family site (Trenholms Of Kelowna). EarnestlyContending.com (our domain and the central hub for all our personal sites) got repeatedly hacked a little over two years ago and we lost all the content and had to rebuild from scratch. It is a lot of work trying to repost articles, stories, songs, etc. that were posted from approximately 21 years ago onwards, but I am making a valiant effort. Doing it in a blog format also gives me the opportunity to easily add new content.

The second blog is for posting Daily Devotionals once again - devotionals and poems. I had done that for several years back in 2004 onwards, but eventually it became too much work to keep doing that project and work full time, developing new messages to preach at the Kelowna Gospel Mission. I had turned many of those outlines into full length studies and stored the rest in various boxes to hopefully develop more fully someday. That time did not come till now (of course, now I need to sort through all those boxes!!). This new devotional blog is called Just A Closer Walk With You (Daily Devotionals And Poems).

For those who may be new to Buy The Truth or my blogs in general, or perhaps had not visited for quite a while, I also wanted to list all the other blogs here for you as well, so you can easily check them out and bookmark them if you so desire.

• Faithful Men Of God (Solid Christian Articles)

• A Shadow Of Things To Come (Outlines and Short Devotionals)

• Songs In The Night (Christian Poetry and Songs)
• The Psalms Of David In Metre (By Isaac Watts And The Church Of Scotland)

My original websites (before I started any blogs) are:

• Eagle's Wings Ministries (My Bible Study Site)

• Bookmark this page: EWM Table Of Contents

• Home Of The Real McCoy (My Christian Poetry Site)

• Bookmark this page: HOTRM Table Of Contents

Most of the content on Home of the Real McCoy are my own poems, plus some poems that I have included in several books of poetry I have put together; whereas Songs In The Night contain both my poems and any poems, songs or hymns by others I wanted to pass on to others. I have added pages for various poems that I presented in church in 2021 or 2022 (as I cannot seem to add the audio files to my blogs). Just look for those poems within Songs In The Night or Home Of The Real McCoy Table Of Contents. I do have them marked on there. Still a few more to put up with the audio files, but I will indicate those ones too when they are made. I have also decided to duplicate my personal poems on Home of the Real McCoy and Songs In The Night, in case we are ever hacked again. Building all those pages from scratch was more work than I ever expected.

I hope all these blogs and pages are a blessing to you.

In Jesus' precious name,

Jerry Bouey

List Of All Studies From 2022-2026

I thought it might be beneficial to list all studies/devotionals that I have put in this blog, for those who want to be able to quickly find one again, or for those who may be perusing this blog and are wondering what is in it. I have put an * beside the studies that were a tremendous blessing or encouragement to me when studying them out. Any messages that I preached at the Gospel Mission have @ beside them. All links below will open in a separate window.

If you read only one article on this website, please let this be it:
God's Simple Plan of Salvation
It concerns the most important decision you will ever make in your life!
Don't let this opportunity to be saved pass you by.

Note: My original Bible study site is Eagle's Wings Ministries (this link takes you to the Table Of Contents for it). In light of the repeated hacks on our main domain (ie. Earnestlycontending.com and the loss of all previous content, I am duplicating the studies here so as to avoid having to remake and reformat all the previous content from scratch again. The link above takes you to the new page on this blog with all the active links. They will be changed/updated as I transfer them to this blog. All links will work, even if they take you to my older site. I would encourage you to bookmark this link, as it will give you access to all my older studies that were posted on my original site. Newer studies are posted on the various Table Of Contents below.

Click here for the List Of All Studies From 2006

Click here for the List Of All Studies From 2007

Click here for the List Of All Studies From 2008/2009

Click here for the List of All Studies from 2010

Audio Of Poems Presented In Church In 2022

You can see all my other recent devotionals or shorter word studies posted on one of my other blogs by clicking on the link below (I thought it best to keep Buy The Truth mostly for more indepth studies, though there is some overlap):

A Shadow Of Things To Come - Please read this post: Devotionals Moved Here

Table Of Contents For All New Studies Posted 2022-2026

November 2022:

The Lion Of God's Word

September 2023:

They Would Not - But Will You? The Blessings They Missed

Diligently Seeking The Lord

The Disobedience Of King Saul
**Two New Blogs Added**

November 2023:

The Lord Sees Our Potential

September 2024:

Ordained And Predestined

December 2024:

What Is Your Name? (Sermon)

January 2025:

A Peculiar Treasure
A Type Pictured In Revelation Four

April 2025:

Is Your Armour On? (Study from 2002, including audio of adapted sermon preached in 2023)
The Armour Of Light  (older devotional from 2002)

Exercising Thyself Unto Godliness

November 2025:
The Perfection Of Forgiveness (a study in seven parts)

Series TOC's:
(These studies are also listed above, in the order they were posted)

Genesis
Psalms
Song Of Solomon

Expositional Studies

60 Day Devotional Series: Numbers In The Bible

A Shadow Of Things To Come

I have created a new blog for my devotional outlines. Please stop by and bookmark it if you are interested.

I wanted to have an outlet to post less developed studies or outlines from messages I have preached at the Gospel Mission. I have entitled it A Shadow Of Things To Come Lord willing, I will be posting more regularly there, as I am still regularly preaching at the Mission, but don't always find the time to work on writing up my studies.

The first few studies I will be posting will be a series I am currently preaching through on the I Ams of Jesus from the Gospel of John. The first sermon outline posted is pretty long (I Am The Bread Of Life), but most of them will not be anywhere near that length. These outlines will also contain links or quotes from other articles and poems that I have used in my devotionals. I have about 10-15 minutes to preach at a time, and sometimes I find a solid poem can really hit home the point after covering the related Bible passages. It is also a blessing to be able to preach various series, as I can develop or build upon themes covered in other messages.

I hope this new blog is a blessing to you as well.

A Look Back

Today: For 2 1/2 years, I posted Daily Devotionals (from July 2004 to October 2006) on several websites and my mailing list. I have these Devotionals also posted on Eagle's Wings Ministries, but somehow never got around to posting the month of October 2006 - perhaps because it was only half a month. Then my new job at the Gospel Mission took up a lot of my time and I was no longer able to send out Devotionals on a daily basis after that point.

Some of the Daily Devotionals were links to my own studies, some short(er) Devotionals of mine as well; plus, links to excellent books, articles, and studies gleaned from solid Bible study sites on the Web. Unfortunately, over time many of these links became outdated - some of these boards and study sites went out of Internet existence - and I was not able to keep up with updating the links. Some of the best blogs and study sites I have found that are currently available are now in my Links bar on the side of this blog.

I am re-posting some of these studies and articles here and on my other study blog (with sound articles by others), Faithful Men Of God. Some of these books can still be found on Baptist Bible Believer's Website. I also wanted to include the entry for October 1st/2006, as a look back at where I was when I started at the Mission. Then, Lord willing, I will later post an updated testimony of the Mission now.

October 2006:

Wow - September sure was one busy, hectic month for me! God was stirring up some things in my life and getting me to leave the nest I was in - so that I would be ready to move into the new sphere He wanted me to be a part of now. (See Deuteronomy 32:11-12) I am no longer working full-time at the hotel (though the door is still open for me to work shifts here and there), but am now working at the Gospel Mission where I have been preaching once (sometimes twice) a week for over 2 1/2 years, and have done several years of volunteer work on top of this.

I have been praying for ways to get more involved in the lives of the people there - and all of a sudden this job opportunity came up (the senior evening position in the Mission), and the job was basically dropped in my lap. Because of the work the Lord was doing in my heart prior to this point in time, I knew this was exactly where the Lord wanted me to be. A lot of things fell into place - including His peace like a blanket covering my heart and mind. I am finished with the full-time graveyards at the hotel, and am adapting to the days at the Mission now...

It will be 4 days on, and 4 days off (plus whatever odd shifts I might still get at the hotel - no set schedule there though). That will give me plenty of time to work on studies, my websites, my blogs, etc. and still work on my messages at the Mission. I was thinking that if I had to preach up to 4 days in a row that would mean I would have to shorten my messages and not have as much time as needed to develop them - but even will a full hectic week last week, the Lord still gave me two messages - the second one (Pharaoh's Four Proposals) actually went a little longer than planned, but it sure had everyone's attention! Praise the Lord for His grace - especially for this step into greater ministry opportunities, for a day job that will allow me more time to get involved in church soulwinning times (could not easily do that before with full-time graveyards), for being able to be around the people at the Mission throughout the week (not just on the day I was to preach), and for more opportunities to preach the Word of God (which gives me more experience in this area too - not just more opportunities to get the Word of God out to those in the Mission) - also, I am looking forward to being able to do more series and build upon prior messages (which I can easily do if I am preaching two to four days in a row).

My message today (linked above) is what I preached on Sunday - the basic idea is not new to me, as someone has pointed out these four passages in a message I have read before (though theirs dealt with Satan trying to hinder us from being involved in our local church - attempting to hinder us from worshipping God in the manner and place He has designated - and using work as one of the main hindrances from assembling together with other believers). Using the same four passages as my springboard, I took it in another direction, aimed at presenting the Gospel to the lost at the Mission.

October 1st/2006
Jerry Bouey

List Of All Studies From 2010

I thought it might be beneficial to list all studies/devotionals that I have put in this blog, for those who want to be able to quickly find one again, or for those who may be perusing this blog and are wondering what is in it. I have put an * beside the studies that were a tremendous blessing or encouragement to me when studying them out. Any messages that I preached at the Gospel Mission have @ beside them. All links below will open in a separate window.

If you read only one article on this website, please let this be it:
God's Simple Plan of Salvation
It concerns the most important decision you will ever make in your life!
Don't let this opportunity to be saved pass you by.

Note: My original Bible study site is Eagle's Wings Ministries (this link takes you to the Table Of Contents for it). In light of the repeated hacks on our main domain (ie. Earnestlycontending.com and the loss of all previous content, I am duplicating the studies here so as to avoid having to remake and reformat all the previous content from scratch again. The link above takes you to the new page on this blog with all the active links. They will be changed/updated as I transfer them to this blog. All links will work, even if they take you to my older site. I would encourage you to bookmark this link, as it will give you access to all my older studies that were posted on my original site. Newer studies are posted on the various Table Of Contents below.

Click here for the List Of All Studies From 2006

Click here for the List Of All Studies From 2007

Click here for the List Of All Studies From 2008/2009

Click here for the List of All Studies from 2022-2025

Audio Of Poems Presented In Church In 2022

Table Of Contents For All Studies Posted 2010

February 2010:

True Friendships *@
What God Wrote @

March 2010:

A Psalm Of Guidance (Psalm 25) - Part One *@
A Look Back
Three Avenues Of Temptation
The Touch Of Faith
A Look Back (my testimony on this time in my life)

The Story Of Four Gardens:
Part One - The Garden Of Eden @
Part Two - The Garden Of Gethsemane @
Part Three - The Garden With The Empty Tomb (Lord willing, will be preached March 22nd, and written up asap)
Part Four - Paradise, The Garden Of Eternity (coming soon)

Six Things The Lord Opened @

May 2010:

Continue *@
The Giver, Or The Gifts? @
Who I Am *@

October 2010:

Thankful For The Love Of God *@


Series TOC's:
(These studies are also listed above, in the order they were posted)

Genesis
Psalms
Song Of Solomon

Expositional Studies

60 Day Devotional Series: Numbers In The Bible

First 156 Messages Preached At The Gospel Mission

First 156 Messages Preached At The Gospel Mission

When I submitted to the call to preach* and started preaching in 2004, I kept a list of the titles/themes and main passages preached at the Kelowna Gospel Mission. Friday was the day I was scheduled to come in each week and preach before the supper meal (sometimes I was also given the opportunity on Saturdays, though I was not scheduled on that day - more as a fill in if someone needed me to do it). When my computer crashed in fall 2006, I thought I had lost this list, so I stopped keeping track of the messages preached, except to date the studies if I later typed them up and developed them. Looking through an old file folder tonight, I found that original list among some files that were recovered from my harddrive.

*(Ie. as a regular part of my life. During my four years as a bus runner - the man that ran to the doors to pick up and drop off the children - I had preached about two or three times to the children on our Sunday School bus [the two lessons I remember are "Loaves and Fishes," and Leprosy, where I put my hand in a jar of water then into a bag of floor to give the kids a gross picture of leprosy - which they loved!]; and I had also led several Sunday services, including preaching short messages, at a Senior's home during my one semester in Bible College. For a few months in 1999, I also wrote devotionals for a friend to preach at the Mission while I also was volunteering there.)

I am posting this list here as a reminder to myself of the messages God laid on my heart in my first three years of preaching, as well as an encouragement to others who may be called to preach. Perhaps you are just a friend or visitor who is blessed by the studies and devotionals posted on this blog (as well as Eagle's Wings Ministries), and are curious to know what some of those earlier messages are. (For the record: I prefer to use the term messages when referring to the devotionals I preached at the Mission, because to me a sermon is something that is preached for 1/2 hour or more - something more developed and fleshed out, not something you covered in perhaps 10-15 minutes. Overall, my average preaching time would be about 7-10 minutes. Below, there are two 20 minute "sermons" [20 minutes was about the limit of their attention span] that I preached at a local Senior's home, and there was a message I preached at a church service last year at the Mission that went exactly 30 minutes - and that was My Seven Most Used Passages.)

Devotions preached at the Gospel Mission (*ones later turned into studies - some of these were expanded and contain more material than was originally preached; **ones that were already studies before being preached - some of these were shortened or highlighted due to their length):

2004:

February 6th - Lessons In The Valleys: The Valley Of Trouble (Hosea 2)*
13th - Lessons In The Valleys: The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death (Psalm 23:1-3)*
14th - Lessons In The Valleys: The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death (Psalm 23:4-6)
20th - The Prodigal Son (Luke 15)
27th - Leprosy And How It Pictures Sin (Leviticus 13-14)*

March 5th - The Importance Of The Word Of God: five comparisons (like a love letter, last will and testament, a biography/historical book, instruction manual, a diary).
12th - Jesus, The Friend Of Sinners (John 15:13)
19th - Living Water (John 4)
20th - Repentance
26th - Is Your Name Written Down?**

April 2nd - Foundation On The Solid Rock (Matthew 7:24-27)
9th - He Loved Them Unto The End (John 13:1)
16th - The Promises Of God* (Not sure what study I developed this into, as I have no study posted on my sites by that name)
23rd - The Value Of One (Luke 15 - one sheep, one coin, one lost son - plus read an excellent song by that title)
30th - The Christian's Race

May 7th - Forgiveness (John 8:1-11)
14th - Abraham On Mount Moriah (Genesis 22)
21st - Isaiah 53
28th - My Hiding Place (Psalm 32)*

June 4th - Who Touched Me? (The woman with the issue of blood, Luke 8)
11th - Two Cries From The Cross (Luke 23:34, 43)
18th - Father, Into Thy Hands (Luke 23:46) - The example of Jesus' relationship with our Heavenly (Abba) Father.
25th - The Storms Of Life (Matthew 14 and Psalm 107)

July 23rd - God Has Not Forgotten You (Isaiah 49:13-16 and Luke 12:6-7) (Also preached at the Senior's home - about a 20 minute message)
30th - Three Appointments*

August 6th - The Simplicity Of Salvation*
13th - Lessons In The Valleys: The Lily Of The Valleys (also preached at Senior's Home - about a 20 minute message)*
20th - My Strength*
27th - Laodicea: The Lukewarm Church (Revelation 3:14-22)*

September 3rd - The Father's House (John 14:1-6)
10th - Two Debtors (Luke 7:36-50)
17th - The Great Supper (Luke 14:16-24)
24th - The Great Change Salvation Brings (Zacchaeus and the maniac of Gadara)

October 1st - What Is The Purpose For Trials? (Amos 4:6-12 and Romans 8:28-29)
8th - The Reasons Why Jesus Came*
15th - Romans 8:28 (contrast between Adam Aulin's and Brian's stories - probably posted within my Daily Devotionals, though I cannot find the specific entry right now. Adam's testimony is the Foreward to my second poetry book)*
22nd - Present Tense Salvation (ie. how the Bible states we are saved, are forgiven, are sanctified, have already passed from death to life, etc.; also shared some of my testimony)
29th - The Story Of Three Gardens: The Garden Of Eden*

November 5th - The Story Of Three Gardens: The Garden Of Gethsemane*
19th - The Story Of Three Gardens: The Garden With The Empty Tomb (John 19:41)
26th - Abraham - Following, Not Knowing

December 17th - Have You Any Room For Jesus? (Luke 2)*
24th - Immanuel (God is with us - dealing with depression, and the victory in the assurance of knowing that God is always with us) and Hosanna (O Save Us Now poem)


2005:

January 7th - Forgiveness and New Mercies (Micah 7; Psalm 103; Lamentations 3; Philippians 3)
14th - Jacob's Ladder (Started a series on Lessons From The Life Of Jacob, preached an intro* and Jacob's vision in Genesis 28 - how it pictured salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ)
21st - Jacob Wrestling With God** (Some of this message made its way into Wrestling Until The Daybreak and certain aspects of it were used to start and end my second poetry book - see the title poem, The Seasons Of Your Pilgrimage - when studying the life of Jacob out in November 2004, one of the primary lessons the Lord impressed upon my heart was how walking with the Lord will change you forever, and this has been one of the most life-changing messages I have learned - consider Hebrews 11:21 in light of Genesis 32 - why was Jacob leaning on a staff? Not because he was old, but because his wrestling with God transformed him and affected him for the rest of his life!)
28th - What God Did In Jacob (Jer 29:11; Heb. 11:21; Eph. 2:10; Phil. 1:6 - dealt with how Genesis emphasized the name Jacob when he was carnal or unbelieving, but Israel when he was walking in faith - and how this increasingly became his name as he walked more with the Lord)

February 4th - Why Paul Was Not Ashamed*
11th - One More Night With The Frogs (Plagues of Egypt contrasted with sin in our lives - the title of this message came from Hugh Pyles sermon/book on the same name; though I did not copy his message, I did use his general theme. This was the first in a series of messages I did on the 10 Plagues Of Egypt and the Lord leading them out of bondage.)
18th - Separation between God's dealings with the Israelites and the Egyptians (contrast between the saved and lost as portrayed during the Plagues Of Egypt)
25th - The Passover and how it was a type of Christ (the final message on the Plagues Of Egypt, and God's greatest deliverance)

March 4th - The Rapture (read Rising In The Arms Of Love)
11th - What Is Man? (Series on Questions from Job)*
18th - If A Man Die, Will He Live Again? (Questions from Job)
25th - Six Things The Lord Opened**

April 1st - The Touch Of Faith (the woman with the issue of blood)*
8th - Paul's Sermon On Mar's Hill
15th - Heart Disease*
22nd - Jesus Only (Mount Of Transfiguration)
29th - Jonathan And David's Friendship

May 6th - A More Sure Word (2 Peter 1 - His comments on experience of the Mount of Transfiguration)
13th - All Thy Waves And Thy Billows (Jonah 2 & Psalms - Developed into a study on Psalm 42-43)*
20th - God Would, But They Wouldn't
27th - Devotion from Days Of Praise (Make It As Sure As You Can)

June 10th - Lessons In The Valleys: The Valley Of Strength (1 Samuel 17)
11th - The Blood Of Jesus (Hebrews 12:22-24 and Genesis 4)
17th - What Jesus Takes Great Joy In*
18th - Matthew 6:24-34 (also read The Fifth Sparrow)
24th - All Our Tomorrows (Psalm 139:1-12)*
25th – The Lord Thinketh Upon Me (Psalm 139:13-18)*

July 1st - Jesus And Barabbas (How Jesus' substitution and dying in place of Barabbas pictures His substitution for the guilty sinner)
8th - My Personal Testimony (of salvation)*
9th - My Victory Over Depression*
15th - What Is Truth? (Pilate's question as the springboard to present the Bible as the source of all truth)
22nd - Lessons In The Valleys: The Valley Of Weeping (Psalm 84)

August 5th - When Life Doesn't Go As You Planned (Joseph's life)*
12th - The Lord Is Like An Eagle (Message written by someone else)
19th - What God Cannot Do (also read God Is)*
26th - Ye Must Be Born Again (conversation with Nicodemus)

September 2nd - The Crippled Man with No Man to Help Him (John 5)
9th - Jesus Washing His Disciples Feet (John 13)
16th - Jesus' 7 I Am statements
22nd - Shared some thoughts on John 11 and read Through This Valley (This was the day my Mom went home to Heaven - and these thoughts are what led to the Eulogy/Gospel message I was able to preach at her Memorial - Our Mom's Victory Through Faith)

October 7th - John 14 (Father's House, and the Comforter)
14th - The Fountain Of Living Waters*
21st - Does God Care? (Mark 35-39, and Revelation 4, about the rainbow around the throne)
22nd - Read excerpt from God's Abounding Love
29th - Paul's Defense Before Felix (Acts 24, with illustrations from A More Convenient Season)

November 4th - Paul's Defense Before Agrippa (Acts 25-26, with illustrations from Almost Persuaded)
11th - The Roman Guards - three types of responses (Matthew 27:27-38; John 19:31-34; Mark 15:37-39)
18th - What Is Written On Your Record?*
25th - Sinking In The Mire*

December 2 – It Is Well With My Soul (2 Kings 4; the story behind the hymn)*
16 - The Meaning Of Christmas*
30 – The God Of Second Chances (Abraham, Jonah, Peter, Mark)


2006:

January 6th – The Word Of God In These End Times (2 Tim. 3)
7th – Abba, Father (Presented the Gospel by using the three times the phrase, Abba Father is used, then recounted the story of the Prodigal Son from the perspective of God's desire to have close fellowship with us)*
14th – Abraham Offering Isaac (Genesis 22)*
21st – David and Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9)**
28th – The Bondservant (Exodus 21:2-6)

February 3rd – Seven Benefits of Faith in Romans 5:1-11* (Most of the time when preaching to the crowd at the Mission I do not see immediate fruit - but right after this message, a coworker asked the crowd if there was anyone who wanted this peace with God that was just preached about, and if so to raise their hands and pray with him to trust the Lord for salvation. Several people raised their hands, but one that I noticed was a friend of mine who before that point in time was "just not ready to receive Christ" - but now she trusted Him for salvation, shortly thereafter following in believer's baptism. While I do not put a lot of stock in a "sinner's prayer" - ie. a "repeat after me" prayer - in this case, I know the person truly did get saved. Pat is one of the most attentive listeners to the messages at the Mission, and there have been some definite changes in her life. I can only trust the Lord with those others who prayed, as He knows whether they understood what was preached and were truly repentant when they prayed.)
10th – Doing God’s Will & Having Our Needs Met (Matthew 6)
17th – Living Inside The Veil (Hebrews – Christ’s death opened the way to God - Used the first part of this message: Inside The Veil And Outside The Camp - Harry Ironside)
24th – Wake Up Calls For The Lost And Saved (Jonah 1 - How God used the trial of the storm to awaken the lost mariners' to their need for salvation, and to chasten Jonah and wake him up and bring him to repentance)

March 3rd – Why I Am An Ambassador For Christ (2 Corinthians 5)*
10th – The Passover Lamb
17th – The Rich Young Ruler & The 10 Commandments
18th – Running The Race Of The Christian Life*
31st – John 14 (This was, I think, the message I preached just before I left to go to my Dad's funeral - God gave me tremendous comfort to pass on to my family.)

April 7th – The Trial Of Your Faith (Job 23:8-10; 1 Peter 1:6-8; Rev. 3:18)
14th – Psalm 22
21st – Buy The Truth/What Is Truth?*
28th – The Prodigal Son (Tackled from the perspective of repentance and how it affected the Prodigal Son's life)*

May 5th – Hidden In The Cleft Of The Rock*
12th – The Lord Looseth The Prisoners (Ps. 146:7; Isaiah 61:1-2; 2 Chron. 33)* (Not sure what study I was using for this, unless it was something I never posted on my personal sites, but instead posted on a message board. I think in this message I touched down on how the Lord can free those from the bondage of their addictions.)
19th – Jesus, The Sinner's Surety (Genesis 43-44)*
26th – Mustard Seeds And Mountains*

June 2nd – Resting On The Promises*
9th – Earthen Vessels (John 9)
16th – A Song In The Night/In The Dark (Job 23:8-10 and 35:10, 14)
23rd – Psalm 63 (plus 55:6-7)
30th – The Armour Of God

July 7th – The Apostles #1 - Simon the Zealot*
14th - The Apostles #2 - Bold And Rash Peter*
21st – The Apostles #3 - Thomas The Doubter*
28th – The Apostles #4 - Jesus Loved Them To The End*

August 4th – John 3:16 - The Gospel In A Nutshell*
11th – When The Wicked Prosper (Hab. 1 & Ps. 73)
18th – Discouragement (Ps. 61:1-4 & 62:5-8)
25th – No Man Cared For My Soul (Ps. 142 – not the study, just the Psalm)

September 1st – His Banner Over Me Was Love (Song Of Solomon 2:4)**
8th – Matthew 14 (If I remember correctly, I focussed on Jesus' reaction to the news of His cousin's death - that even in His grief He ministered to others)
15th – Seeking And Searching
23rd – Read Devotional on Love by Paul Chappel (This was my first or second day as staff at the Gospel Mission; therefore my preaching opportunities greatly increased from this point on.)

October 1st – Pharaoh's Four Proposals*
3rd – The Lord Uses Clean Vessels* (After this message, I had one of the men from the Mission's Recovery program come to me and tell me he wanted to be one of those clean vessels the Lord could use. Encouraging results!)
8th – The Danger of Being Unthankful (Romans 1:19-22; 2 Timothy 3:1-2; Psalm 105:1-7)
9th – Why God Gives Us Another Day (Acts 17:23-28; 14:17; Romans 8:32; 12:1)* (Unsure of what study I was using for this, unless it was also something posted in my Daily Devotionals or on a message board)
12th – Safety And Rest Only Found In The Ark (Gen. 7&8, quote by Spurgeon - how the Ark pictured our rest in Christ)
14th – John 3:16 (Read from Commentary by Ironside)
15th – Childlike Faith
16th – The Samaritan Woman (John 4)
17th – Leprosy And Jesus’ Compassion
21st – David and Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9)**
22nd – God’s Guidance (Psalm 25)
23rd – David And Jonathan’s Friendship
24th – Proverbs On Friendships
25th - ? (I believe I tackled a third message on the theme of Friendship, but not exactly sure where I took the message or what passages I used)
28th - Love Your Enemies** (A childhood friend who I had not seen for 20 years came and stayed at the Mission. I opened up my home to him, lent him a key, then came home from work to find my house ransacked and various items stolen by him to sell for drugs. God taught me a powerful lesson on choosing to love my enemies.)
30th - Owe Nothing But Love (Romans 13:8)
31st - Are You Burdened?

November 1st - Don’t Worry About Your Daily Needs (Jehovah-Jireh - using Genesis 22:8 and Romans 8:32 to show that if we trust God with our greatest need - ie. salvation - we can also trust Him to meet all our other needs)
2nd - The Presence Of The Lord (Dwelling in God's presence, both in this life and in Heaven)
3rd - How To Understand The Bible (Probably some basic Bible principles and promises to claim while studying God's Word, such as John 7:17; 8:31-32; and James 1:5)
7th – The Lord My Shepherd (Names Of God)
8th – Jehovah, I Am (Exodus 3:14 and John 8:58)

156 so far...

A little later in November, I preached two messages consecutively. One on Hell (what it contained, and how to be saved from it), then another on Heaven (what it contained, and how to be assured of going there when you die). As bleak as the message on Hell was, more people attentively listened to that one than the one of Heaven! I think people take Heaven for granted. One man had gone through some serious health issues that brought him to the mission. The message on Hell got his attention, and made him realize where he stood before God. A fews days later, I preached a message on Romans 10:1-13, and 17, and calling on the Lord for salvation (looking through some of my notes, though undated, this one seems to be the one this man referred to), and this man trusted the Lord to save him. That week he went back into the hospital. While I was visiting him, he related what I posted above about those two messages that got his attention and brought him to the Saviour. I gave him a couple of studies to strengthen his faith. Very shortly thereafter, he went to some kind of care home, and I have not seen him since. I don't know if I ever got his last name - and all this time later, I can't even remember his first name. I was hoping he would contact me from his new home - but he never did, and the hospital won't give that kind of information out. I trust he did get saved - I don't think he was faking the peace and joy that I saw on his face - and that even if I don't know where he is, the Lord does - and I will see him in Heaven too one day.

List Of All Studies From 2008/2009

I thought it might be beneficial to list all studies/devotionals that I have put in this blog, for those who want to be able to quickly find one again, or for those who may be perusing this blog and are wondering what is in it. I have put an * beside the studies that were a tremendous blessing or encouragement to me when studying them out. Any messages that I preached at the Gospel Mission have @ beside them. All links below will open in a separate window.

If you read only one article on this website, please let this be it:
God's Simple Plan of Salvation
It concerns the most important decision you will ever make in your life!
Don't let this opportunity to be saved pass you by.

Note: My original Bible study site is Eagle's Wings Ministries (this link takes you to the Table Of Contents for it). In light of the repeated hacks on our main domain (ie. Earnestlycontending.com and the loss of all previous content, I am duplicating the studies here so as to avoid having to remake and reformat all the previous content from scratch again. The link above takes you to the new page on this blog with all the active links. They will be changed/updated as I transfer them to this blog. All links will work, even if they take you to my older site. I would encourage you to bookmark this link, as it will give you access to all my older studies that were posted on my original site. Newer studies are posted on the various Table Of Contents below.

Click here for the List Of All Studies From 2006

Click here for the List Of All Studies From 2007

Click here for the List Of All Studies From 2010

Click here for the List of All Studies from 2022-2025

Audio Of Poems Presented In Church In 2022

Table Of Contents For All Studies Posted 2008-2009

February 2008:

For His Name's Sake *@

September 2008:

Was Hebrews Written By Paul?
When I Consider Thy Heavens @
Upheld By The Lord *@
Our Mom's Victory Through Faith @

October 2008:

Four part series: Our Calling In Christ
Part One - The Hope Of Your Calling *@
Our Hope In Christ (Follow up study) *@
Part Two - The High Calling *@
Part Three - The Holy Calling *@
Part Four - The Heavenly Calling *@
Lowest Common Denominator Gospel
Lessons In The Valleys: The Lily Of The Valleys *@
Building Up The Walls In Our Lives *@
Lessons In The Valleys: The Valley Of Trouble *@
When Life Doesn't Go As You Planned *@
First 156 Messages Preached At The Gospel Mission @
Why I Am An Ambassador For Christ *@
Running The Race Of The Christian Life *@
Arise, And Come Away *@

November 2008:

How Do You Treat Those Suffering In Their Trials? (Part One)
How Do You Treat Those Suffering In Their Trials? (Part Two)

September 2009:

Abba, Father @
Our Walk In Ephesians - Part Two (Walking In Good Works) *@
Our Walk In Ephesians - Part Three (Walking Worthy Of Our Calling) @

October 2009:

God's Word Is Forever

Our Walk In Ephesians - Part Four (Walking In Newness Of Life) (Ephesians 4:17-32) @ - Coming very soon
Our Walk In Ephesians - Part Five (Walking In Love) (Ephesians 5:1-2) *@ - Coming soon

Series TOC's:
(These studies are also listed above, in the order they were posted)

Genesis
Psalms
Song Of Solomon

Expositional Studies

60 Day Devotional Series: Numbers In The Bible