The finishing of the building of the wall in Nehemiah is a high point of the Old Testament. So is, later in the book, when Ezra reads the law and the people show respect. Their respect is shown when, for hour after hour, they stand at the reading of God’s Word. Using that concept, this lesson is meant to cause parents to ask: when will our children see us stand for the Word of God?
John DeBerry, of Memphis, Tennessee, delivers the second of three sermons on the subject of "Looking at America Through the Eyes of Faith." In this sermon, the long-time gospel preacher looks at our nation through the eyes of a preacher.
John DeBerry, of Memphis, Tennessee, delivers the first of three sermons on the subject of "Looking at America Through the Eyes of Faith." In this sermon, the Tennesse State Representative looks at our nation through the eyes of a politician.
Vance Hutton, of the Double Springs Church of Christ, concludes his four-part series on "overcoming." In this last lesson, again taken from the Revelation of John, he expounds on the thought that those who overcome will get to come over to Heaven. [NOTE: The first three parts of this series were preached the previous three nights at three other sister congregations.]
Sometimes, great things come in small packages, and that is true with many Bible verses. This lesson is designed to help us all see just how many great themes can be packed into one verse of Scripture. Ecclesiastes 3:11 states, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” In that verse, there are at least 3 great Biblical themes.
Solomon was the wealthiest person to ever live, yet he wrote that the end of all matters is to “fear God and keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:12). Wealth is not a bad thing in and of itself, but the Bible warns about the dangers of a wrong view toward money (1 Timothy 6:10). It is no wonder Jesus spoke so much about money and possessions, including the Parable of the Rich Fool. The Bible teaches us not just to avoid wrong, but to do right, so it speaks of contentment when it comes to mate...
We have all been so hurt that we were not sure if we could put one foot in front of the other. However, doing something helps us avoid laziness, avoid bitterness, and helps with our health and healing. In 1 Kings 19, we see one of God’s great servants, Elijah, in a place of despair. This account can help us see what we should do when we are grieving and hurting.
We live in the “whatever” culture, where we aren’t supposed to really care about anything. But temptation and sin are still big deals, and we must remain vigilant. The account of Achan comes on the heels of a high point in the Old Testament (the defeat of Jericho), but sin was in the camp (Joshua 7:11) and they lost their next battle at Ai. Achan could not hide his sin, and what we see in his response is how temptation and sin slowly but surely regress in our lives if we allow them to.
Mothers have influence, the question is, what type of influence will they express? Hannah influenced her son, Samuel, in ways that expressed themselves throughout his amazing life. Her name is from a form of the Hebrew word for “grace,” and she used that grace to influence her son.
There can be no doubt that the overall view of marriage and sexuality are changing in our culture. Almost every major study shows a movement away from “traditional” marriage and Biblical views of these vitally important themes. But Scripture declares, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1). Jesus took us back to the beginning when He spoke on marriage. Matthew 19 is chosen as our Scripture for two reasons: 1) Jesus makes it clear that what He is statin...
The Bible is filled with blood, from Genesis 3 through Old Testament sacrifices and, of course, the blood of Jesus on the cross. Exodus 12 points us to one account that contained much blood, the Passover, but also pointed forward to something even more amazing.
Psalms 138-145 are penned by David, and remind us of his struggles, but also his trust in the Lord. Psalm 142’s superscription notes that it was penned when David “was in the cave.” We do not know for certain which cave this is, but David, when on the run from King Saul, spent a great deal of time in caves. He is hurting and scared, but the poem, in full, reminds us that God cares for us.
Isn’t it wonderful that the book of Revelation pauses to let us “behold” our home of the soul? While many things are revealed, this lesson will focus on just three that are found in Revelation 21:1-4 that show us how wonderful heaven really will be.
The context for our lesson starts back in Revelation 18, where the fall of “Babylon” (probably representing Rome) is found. Then, praise breaks out. Seven times in Revelation 19:1-10 there are words of praise (Revelation 19:1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 10). And all that simply sets the stage for what happens next! John sees a white horse (Revelation 19:11), but the One seated on the horse arrests John’s attention. In the next several verses, at least seven different descriptions are given of this One w...
“The old Jerusalem Gospel” reminds us of Luke’s recording of the Great Commission. While Matthew and Mark’s accounts are more well-known, Luke’s connects the message with where it was to begin: the city of Jerusalem. They were to preach two specific things.
There are several ideas about the working of God. Some believe that our present universe is the result of evolution and God had no part in it. Others believe that God was active in the creation of the universe but then stepped off of the stage. The Bible, however, teaches that God was at work in the creation and that his work continues to this very day.
The church at Corinth was riddled with issues and problems, yet they are still called a “church.” The appeal to them was to be unified (1 Corinthians 1:10). How could that happen? By centering on “our message,” the message of the crucified Christ. The cross was central to Paul’s preaching and life (1 Corinthians 2:1-2; Galatians 2:20; Galatians 6:14), but it is also OUR message, and it will solve so many problems if we will focus there.
Of all the things that the book of Revelation tells us to “behold,” this may be the strangest, as we are to behold our enemy. He is depicted as having “seven heads” (vast knowledge), “ten horns” (extreme power), and “seven crowns” (powerful ruler), and Revelation 12:9 makes it clear that this is our enemy. Revelation 12:9 also gives us four descriptions of our enemy that will serve as our outline.
If all we think of when we consider Jesus is Him being “meek and gentle,” we have missed the full picture of Christ. Revelation 14 opens with an amazing scene and gives us a picture of Jesus not just as a conqueror, but as a fierce warrior. This vision should help us stand in awe of Him.
Several times in the book of Revelation, we read the word, “Behold!” This series will look at seven of those times. The first is found when a door is standing open in heaven (Revelation 4:2), and John’s attention is held by the One seated on the throne (Revelation 4:3) and the light that enveloped the scene. That vision reminds us of God’s majesty and power. As we behold the almighty God, we will turn to Isaiah 40 and notice several things from that chapter that we often stand in awe of, but tha...
Barton Kizer, along with his family, visited with us in order for Bro. Kizer to present a report on the mission work that is being done by the Cusco Team in Cusco, Peru. For more information on this mission work, visit Cusco Team .
What is now commonly called “settled science” accepts evolution almost without exclusion. In fact, Bill Nye even said that teaching creationism to the next generation is a form of child abuse. But Genesis 1 is still in the Bible and is logical and reasonable. This lesson is designed to show how the creation account of Genesis 1 is actually better science and more reasonable than is evolution.
Too many people let experts tell them the Bible is not reliable or that it has been disproven by science This lesson will give a short list of reasons why we can fully trust every word of the Bible It is intended to encourage you to seek even more reasons to build your trust in Scripture
We need to love the Church for many reasons God is glorified through it it is Christs body etc But that love needs to extend to all of Gods plans for the church including the organization of the church This lesson quickly explores that organization then focuses on deacons the very special servants of each local congregation
Focus on Restoration Lesson 4Haggai had delivered great speeches and the work was beginning But near the end of the book he made one more speech that reminds us that restoration is not a onetime act Our society struggles with things that are never truly accomplished yet we must continue to judge ourselves by the standard of Scripture and restore what needs to be fixed at all times
Jesus is our example in all things and that includes prayer He did not just teach about prayer He modeled a faithful life of prayer John 17 is the only text that scholars are absolutely certain is the full text of a prayer though there are other texts that are possibly the full text of a prayer from our Lord but He prayed often Herbert Lockyear wrote The Master never discussed any difficulties about prayer He took it for granted that men ought always to pray This lesson will give three observati...
Focus on Restoration Lesson 2Though Haggai had made a powerful first speech his work was not done One speech rarely changes everyones mind In his second and shortest speech Haggai reminds the people I am with you declares the Lord This lesson is designed to show how understanding Gods presence can motivate us to action
Prayer is a simple concept but also unfathomably deep because we are speaking to God Many struggle with prayer Would God really care about me I dont know the right formula Hebrews 4 reminds us that because Jesus knows what it is like to be human we can go before the throne with boldness literally without ambiguity Hebrews 416 Still some struggle This lesson is designed to remind us of four things we can always do in prayer and need to do regularly as we pray
Focus on Restoration Lesson 1Can you imagine leaving a project undone for more than a decade and a half Thats what Haggai and Zechariah were sent to fix Ezra 3 tells us that the people of God rebuilt the altar to God then laid the foundation of the temple at which there was rejoicing Haggai 11011 and weeping Haggai 112 With that the work stalledfor 16 years Haggais series of speeches motivates the people to action after 16 years of not doing what they were to be doing This lesson will focus on t...
As a part of our annual state of the congregation address Adam Faughn presents our theme for 2018 FocusSimplify Submit and Serve
