The Preaching of the Cross

THE BIBLE Baptist Church of DeLand, FL

The Preaching of the Cross is the daily weekday radio ministry of Pastor James W. Knox, featuring in-depth, expository Bible teaching.

  1. 15H AGO

    When Heaven Opens: Part 6

    Heaven opening in Scripture isn’t a vague symbol or a mood. It’s a pattern God uses to reveal something specific about Jesus Christ, and once you see it, the Bible’s storyline snaps into focus. We keep moving through the “opened heaven” moments and slow down long enough to ask the real question: when heaven opens, who stands at the center of the scene? We start with Revelation 19, where the coming Victor rides forth and bears the name “The Word of God.” That title is more than poetry. It connects the Old Testament “word of the Lord” to the incarnate Christ who comes to judge, to make war, and to reign in righteousness as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The armies of heaven follow, yet the victory is His alone. The sharp sword from His mouth points to the unstoppable authority of His word and the certainty of His rule, pictured by the rod of iron. Then we turn to John 1 and the calling of Nathanael, where Jesus promises, “Ye shall see the heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” We walk through Philip’s testimony, Nathanael’s prejudice against Nazareth, and the simple, timeless answer to skepticism: “Come and see.” From the fig tree to Jacob’s ladder, we trace how Christ stands as the living link between heaven and earth, the one mediator who brings fellowship back between God and man. If you want Bible teaching on the open heaven theme, Revelation 19, John 1, and what it all means for faith, prayer, and knowing Christ, press play. Church Website — BibleBaptistDeLand.com Ministry Website — JamesWKnox.org  YouTube Channel — YouTube.com/JamesWKnoxSermons Sermon Audio — SermonAudio.com/BibleBaptistDeLand Web Store — Store.JamesWKnox.org

    28 min
  2. 1D AGO

    When Heaven Opens: Part 5

    Heaven opens, and a man dies praying to Jesus. Then heaven opens again, and a reluctant apostle finally lets the gospel cross a line his prejudice had drawn. We follow those two scenes straight through Acts 7 and Acts 10, because they expose what we really believe about prayer, salvation, and the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. We start with Stephen’s martyrdom and his direct prayers to the Lord Jesus, including the stunning words “Receive my spirit” and his plea for mercy toward his killers. From there we slow down on the Bible’s hope-filled language about death for the Christian: the body “sleeps,” but the believer immediately departs to be with Christ, which is far better. This is not vague comfort, it is gospel certainty rooted in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Next we turn to Cornelius and Peter, where the opened-heaven vision of the sheet forces a major shift in the Book of Acts. Cornelius is devout, generous, and consistent in prayer, yet still needs the new birth and the clear gospel message. Peter’s “Not so, Lord” meets God’s firm correction: “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.” The takeaway lands hard and practical: in Christ Jesus there is no spiritual superiority of race, status, or background, and no place for a church culture that treats people as unclean. Subscribe for more expository Bible teaching, share this with a friend who needs clarity on being born again, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway: where do you see “Not so, Lord” showing up in your own life? Church Website — BibleBaptistDeLand.com Ministry Website — JamesWKnox.org  YouTube Channel — YouTube.com/JamesWKnoxSermons Sermon Audio — SermonAudio.com/BibleBaptistDeLand Web Store — Store.JamesWKnox.org

    29 min
  3. 2D AGO

    When Heaven Opens: Part 4

    A man is on trial for telling the truth about Jesus and the courtroom turns into an execution. But the most shocking part of Stephen’s story is not the stones, it’s where he looks while they fly: “Behold, I see the heavens opened.” We follow the Bible text in Acts 7 and trace how Stephen, “full of the Holy Ghost,” is steadied by a vision that lifts him above fear and rage.  We talk about what it means to receive the Holy Spirit at salvation and why Scripture also speaks of many fillings in a believer’s life. That distinction isn’t abstract theology here, it explains how Stephen can face betrayal, false accusation, and death with a clear mind and a tender heart. His eyes aren’t fixed on his enemies; they’re fixed on the glory of God and on Jesus Christ exalted in heaven.  Then we slow down at one of the most striking details in the passage: Stephen sees Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Thirteen times the Bible pictures Christ seated in finished victory, yet here He stands, rising in sympathy and readiness to strengthen His suffering witness and to welcome him home. We also unpack why Stephen calls Jesus the “Son of Man,” how that title echoes Christ’s own words before the same council, and why Stephen’s confirmation pushes his opponents over the edge.  The message doesn’t dodge hard questions. Why does God allow evil to exist and seem to win? We explore human free will, God’s patience, and how persecution ends up spreading the gospel and even setting the stage for Saul of Tarsus to be converted. If you’re searching for biblical encouragement in trials, Christian courage, and a clearer view of Jesus Christ, press play, then subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the teaching. Church Website — BibleBaptistDeLand.com Ministry Website — JamesWKnox.org  YouTube Channel — YouTube.com/JamesWKnoxSermons Sermon Audio — SermonAudio.com/BibleBaptistDeLand Web Store — Store.JamesWKnox.org

    28 min
  4. 3D AGO

    When Heaven Opens: Part 3

    Heaven doesn’t “open” in Scripture for small talk. When God pulls back the curtain, He moves history forward and He confronts the human heart. I’m Brother James, and this broadcast follows our series on the times in the Bible when heaven is opened, landing on one of the most life changing scenes in Acts 10: Peter on the housetop, the great sheet lowered from heaven, and the command that shatters old categories of clean and unclean. We walk through what God intends by Peter’s vision and what it means for the church, the gospel, and salvation by grace. The message to Peter is a message to us: God purifies by faith in Jesus Christ, not by ceremony, heritage, or human labels. The cross ends the old wall between Jew and Gentile, and the church becomes a people gathered from every nation with a heavenly origin and a heavenly destiny. Then we turn to the next opened heaven scene in Revelation 19. John sees the white horse and the Rider called Faithful and True, crowned with many crowns, judging in righteousness with eyes like a flame of fire. We talk about the robe dipped in blood as testimony that Christ already won the decisive victory at Calvary and will return to claim what He purchased. The broadcast ends where prophecy always should end: with a direct, urgent question of whether you have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and are ready to meet Him. Subscribe for weekday Bible preaching, share this with someone who needs clarity on Acts 10 or the second coming of Jesus Christ, and leave a review that tells us what line challenged you most. Church Website — BibleBaptistDeLand.com Ministry Website — JamesWKnox.org  YouTube Channel — YouTube.com/JamesWKnoxSermons Sermon Audio — SermonAudio.com/BibleBaptistDeLand Web Store — Store.JamesWKnox.org

    29 min
  5. 6D AGO

    When Heaven Opens: Part 2

    A funeral has a way of stripping the noise away. I start with that kind of moment and a simple, weighty truth: Jesus Christ is not a Savior for one group, one color, or one nation. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and that reality puts a responsibility on every believer to speak clearly about salvation while there’s still time. No one wants to look into a casket and realize they stayed quiet when they should have pointed a friend to the cross. From there, we return to our “open heaven” Bible study and linger at the baptism of Jesus Christ. We walk through why He was baptized, what God revealed when the heavens opened, and how the Father’s voice and the Spirit’s descent frame Christ’s public ministry. Then I draw out three practical rules for true Christian service: living in the joy of sonship, keeping our headquarters in heaven through constant communion with God, and accepting that testing often follows dedication. Next we move to Acts 7, where Stephen, full of the Holy Ghost, looks up and sees the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. That open heaven moment explains courage under persecution, highlights the reality of the risen and exalted Christ, and even sets the stage for Saul of Tarsus to be shaken by a heavenly vision that will change him forever. If you want expository Bible teaching on the Holy Spirit, Christian discipleship, and keeping your eyes on heaven when life turns hostile, this message will steady you. Subscribe for weekday preaching, share the episode with someone who needs hope, and leave a review to help others find the broadcast. Church Website — BibleBaptistDeLand.com Ministry Website — JamesWKnox.org  YouTube Channel — YouTube.com/JamesWKnoxSermons Sermon Audio — SermonAudio.com/BibleBaptistDeLand Web Store — Store.JamesWKnox.org

    28 min
  6. APR 2

    When Heaven Opens: Part 1

    Heaven opens over the Jordan, the Spirit descends like a dove, and a voice from above declares, “This is my beloved Son.” That single scene raises a question most people skip too quickly: why would a sinless Jesus insist on being baptized at all? We slow down and follow the text, because the answer leads straight to the gospel, the cross, and our access to God.  We begin a new teaching series on the “opened heaven,” starting with the baptism of Christ in Matthew 3, Mark 1, and Luke 3. We contrast John’s baptism of repentance with the truth that salvation is not achieved by water, then we press into what baptism is meant to picture biblically: death, burial, and resurrection. Along the way we address the claim that baptism washes away sin and show why that view collapses when you read the baptism of Jesus carefully.  From the opened heaven come three clear witnesses: the Father speaks, the Son stands in the water, and the Holy Ghost descends, giving a public display of the Trinity and a public confirmation that Jesus fulfills Old Testament Messiah prophecy. We also connect the opened heaven to Hebrews 10, where the blood of Jesus provides a new and living way into the holiest, making the cross the reason heaven is opened to the saints of God. If you want expository Bible preaching on Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, and the atonement, this message is built to strengthen your confidence in Scripture and sharpen your understanding of the gospel.  Subscribe for weekday preaching, share this with someone who has questions about baptism and salvation, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway from the opened heaven. Church Website — BibleBaptistDeLand.com Ministry Website — JamesWKnox.org  YouTube Channel — YouTube.com/JamesWKnoxSermons Sermon Audio — SermonAudio.com/BibleBaptistDeLand Web Store — Store.JamesWKnox.org

    29 min
  7. APR 1

    Heroes of the Faith: Daniel Smith

    Every day is a holy day, or it’s nothing at all. That’s where we start, and it’s where Daniel Smith’s life keeps taking us back again and again. He isn’t presented as a super-saint with rare gifts, but as a man who simply belongs to Jesus Christ, and proves what God can do with a believer who stops holding back. We walk through Smith’s journey from a shy boy under strong preaching and missionary stories to a moment of real conversion, when he finally knows Christ as the Lamb of God who purchased his redemption. Then the road opens to Christian missions with the China Inland Mission, right into the dangers of a changing China. Along the way we share one of the most searching scenes you’ll hear about prayer: D. E. Host inviting a young missionary to pray, then praying for hours with a weight and intimacy that leaves you asking, “Have you prayed today?” From there we follow Smith into hard places and unlikely people, including the Nosu, where he goes despite warnings that they are “not worth it,” and witnesses repentance and gospel response that only God can produce. War, communism, escape, loss, and separation do not end the calling, and the later years show a steady rhythm of Bible reading, disciplined prayer, and itinerant Bible teaching that keeps bearing fruit. If you care about revival, evangelism, consecration, prayer, and what a faithful missionary life looks like in the real world, this one will press on your heart in the best way. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review letting us know: where do you need to stop hesitating and simply say, “I’ll go”? Church Website — BibleBaptistDeLand.com Ministry Website — JamesWKnox.org  YouTube Channel — YouTube.com/JamesWKnoxSermons Sermon Audio — SermonAudio.com/BibleBaptistDeLand Web Store — Store.JamesWKnox.org

    28 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

The Preaching of the Cross is the daily weekday radio ministry of Pastor James W. Knox, featuring in-depth, expository Bible teaching.