Pastor Robert Hammond In Christ, we have an omnipotent Savior — A Savior with unlimited power! Isaiah asserts that he is "mighty to save" (Isa 63:1). Matthew adds that Christ is the one who "hath power on earth to forgive sins" (Mat. 9:6). And John records that he has "power over all flesh" to "give eternal life" (Jn 17:2). The power of Christ is demonstrated in his creation. The Bible reveals, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by hi ..read more

Pastor Robert Hammond "Why do I need to believe in Jesus since I already believe in God?" That is an excellent question, indeed! The simplest answer I can offer is that Jesus taught that we cannot have a relationship with God the Father unless we have a relationship with God the Son. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). Earlier, Jesus also said, "If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me." I'm sure you'll agree that this raises an important q ..read more

Pastor Robert Hammond To say that truth is absolute is to say that there is one verion of truth that is univerally applicable to all people throughought all of time — regardless of individual circumstances. Today, we live in a world that increasingly rejects this idea. Many prefer to create alternative versions of truth that feel more relative to their circustmances. And yet, the Bible reveals that God is both absolutely truthful and that his words are univerally applicable to all people throughout time. In fact, the Bible testifies to the truthful nature of God the Father, God the Son and Go ..read more

(Meditations on John 5-6). The Old Testament establishes the principle that truth is discerned through the testimony of multiple witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6,19:15). Today, this principle is applied in modern courtrooms. The innocence or guilt of the accused is assessed through the testimony of multiple witnesses. Jesus taught that this principle also applies to evaluating his claim to be the Son of God! In John 8:17-18, Jesus told the Pharisees, “It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth wit ..read more

Pastor Robert Hammond At Long Hill Baptist Church, we praise God for equipping us with His words! We're aware that the debate around Bible versions has, at times, been less than gracious.  Our desire is to graciously communicate the rationale for a our decision to make exclusive use of the King James Bible (which is also known as the Authorized Version). We recognize at least four key reasons for using the King James Bible: The Kings James Bible is an accurate translation of the correct version of the Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament. It uses the Hebrew and Greek texts that h ..read more

Pastor Robert Hammond Growing in our walk with Christ involves accepting the truth that life is more about humbly serving him than about pridefully living to serve ourselves. John the Baptist said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). In John 12-13, examples of Christ-like humility are contrasted with cases of self-centered pride.  First, we find Mary humbly annointing Jesus’s feet with an expensive perfume called spikenard (12:1-8). John records that Mary then wiped his feet with her hair. Mary’s humble heart is seen in her willingness to use the expensive perfume on som ..read more

In John 10, Jesus portrays himself as both the shepherd of his sheep (10:2, 11, 14)  and the door of the sheep (10:7, 9). The Bible pictures the Lord’s people as his sheep (Isaiah 53:6, Matthew 9:36, 1 Peter 2:25). In Bible times sheep and shepherds were familiar to most people. They understood that sheep are vulnerable animals that depend upon a shepherd to provide for them and to protect them. What an apt depiction of God’s people and Christ our shepherd!  Consider several aspects of the relationship of the shepherd to his sheep. Jesus says that he is the good shepherd (10:11, 14 ..read more

(Meditations on John 8-9). God has great purposes for allowing trials (Romans 8:28). In 2019, I developed an eye problem that left me without vision in half of one eye. An emergency surgery restored my vision, albeit with some lasting effects. I’m thankful that the Lord has worked through this trial to grow my dependence upon him. Not long after my own vision trial began, I met a man who lost his vision after suffering a stroke. Although he had strayed from God, he evidently remembered that “he that is of God heareth God's words” (John 8:47). And so he allowed me to read Scripture to him. Tha ..read more

Pastor Hammond Recently, I was asked to explain my understanding of Jesus' statement in which he indicated that only the Father knows when Christ will return: Mt 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. This is difficult because we understand that Christ is God the son and that he therefore has perfect knowledge (omniscience).  How may we reconcile his omniscience with his claim that he doesn't know when he will return? Here's a short answer:  Chri ..read more

Pastor Robert Hammond Long Hill Baptist Church cares about people who identify as members of the LGBTQ community.  There’s several important things that we want you to know: We love you.  And God loves you, too. If fact, Jesus proclaimed, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). In love, we share that, according to the Bible, a person doesn’t belong in the LGBTQ+ community simply because they lack a natural attraction to people of the opposite biological gender. In f ..read more