Church of Christ Sermons & Lessons 2013

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December 29,  2013
Sunday AM Sermon

December 29,  2013
Sunday PM Sermon

December 22,  2013
Sunday PM Sermon

December 22,  2013
Sunday AM Sermon

“Hallelujah” That’s how Psalm 106 both begins and ends. Praise the Lord! This Psalm well illustrates God’s steadfast love for His people in the face of their repeated unfaithfulness. Text: Psalm 106

December 15,  2013
Sunday PM Sermon

What kind of person does God welcome into His house? This one is truly blessed as Psalm 65:4 proclaims. Our text, Psalm 15, is considered to be a psalm of David. Within these five short verses, he describes how one keeps close to God. Text: Psalm 15

December 8,  2013
Sunday AM Sermon

I Thessalonians 5:21 proclaims, “Prove all things. Hold fast to that which is good.” It’s imperative that we are able to show to others in God’s Word what we believe and why. Some people ignorantly claim that you can prove anything by the Bible. Such is not true. Certainly there are people who have perverted and abased God’s Word and handled it deceitfully throughout the years. (II Corinthians 4:2) But there are things which can be proven by the Bible.

December 1,  2013
Sunday PM Sermon

Have you ever found yourself in what looked like a hopeless situation? Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, knew what it meant to face overwhelming odds. His choice, and God’s response, teaches us several lessons about what to do in difficult circumstances.

Text: II Chronicles 20:1-30

December 1,  2013
Sunday AM Sermon

Christians are encouraged throughout the New Testament to follow what is good and shun the evil.  In the short epistle of III John, we are given examples of both the good and the evil.

November 24,  2013
Sunday PM Sermon

Some choices we make are over and done with.  We choose to eat a hamburger for lunch as opposed to a salad.  Other choices are ones where we must continue to choose because our choice requires constant attention.  Choosing to raise a family involves countless choices throughout life.  Choosing to go to heaven and be with God is the type of decision that requires daily choices.

In Deuteronomy 30, God is going back over the covenant with the children of Israel.  He is reminding them of the importance of choosing life, life with Jehovah.  Read Deuteronomy 30:11-20.

Text:  Deuteronomy 30:11-20

November 17,  2013
Sunday AM Sermon

Read Luke 17:11-19. In the Bible, leprosy is a broad term for a variety of infectious skin diseases. A modern disease that would probably be similar is “Hansen’s Disease” which is spread by multiple skin contacts as well as nasal secretions. Some of the symptoms of leprosy included disfigurement of skin and bones, twisting of limbs, curling of fingers, tumor-like growths [lepromos], and loss of pain sensation.

In the Bible, lepers were the true “untouchables.” They were to live in isolation as outcasts. (Numbers 5:2-3, Leviticus 13:45-46) The leper had to make it clear that people were to avoid him. He lived a terrible life.

This text provides us with several lessons that today we need to take to heart.

November 17,  2013
Sunday PM Sermon

The books of the Old Testament contain many passages about the coming Messiah with prophecies which have been fulfilled by Jesus Christ. The Psalms in particular refer numerous times to the Messiah. Jesus specifically proclaimed that the Psalms spoke of Him. (Luke 24:44) “Then He said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” NKJV This lesson will examine several prophecies from the Psalms about the Messiah and how they were fulfilled by Christ.

November 10,  2013
Sunday AM Sermon

Dr. Jason Lisle wrote:  “When the Voyager I spacecraft reached the edge of our solar system in 1990, it turned its camera around and photographed Earth.  From such a tremendous distance, the Earth appears as a tiny bluish-white grain of sand lost in an ocean of black.  This famous image of Earth is named the Pale Blue Dot.  From a secular perspective, that is all Earth is – a tiny bit of rock and water in a vast and meaningless universe of chance.  But in the Christian worldview, this pale blue dot is the most important planet in the universe.

We will now look at a few of the incredible designs we see in our world, so that life can exist.

November 10,  2013
Sunday PM Sermon

When Barnabas comes to Antioch, he “sees the grace of God.”  What exactly did he see?  But first, what is grace Grace is often translated as “unmerited favor.”          Grace is an undeserved blessing; a favor or kindness shown without regard to merit or worth of the recipient.         Vine’s Dictionary includes the idea that grace bestows pleasure and delight; also loving kindness and goodwill.         Also inherit in the word is the idea of loveliness and agreeableness.

Text:  Acts 11:19-23

October 27, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

People are very interested in genealogies.  They want to know who their ancestors were and how they lived.  Some want to know if they are descendants of royalty.  Genealogies were very important in Biblical times as well.  William Barclay, in his commentary on Matthew, wrote:  “The reason for this interest in pedigrees was that the Jews set the greatest possible store on purity of lineage.  If in any man there was the slightest admixture of foreign blood, he lost his right to be called a Jew and a member of the people of God.”

The Scriptures place much emphasis on the genealogy of Jesus Christ.  (Hebrews 7:14)

October 13, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

The title of this lesson is answered “No” by multitudes throughout the world.  But is that true?  The only reliable answer comes from God’s Word. Let’s first note Ezekiel 18:20-24.  “The soul who sins shall die.  The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son.  The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.  But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.  None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live.  Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?  says the Lord God, and not that he should turn from his ways and live?  But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live?  All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.”  NKJV

October 13, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

It was the waning days of the nation of Judah. Their last great king, Josiah, was dead. In his place his son, Jehoiakim began to reign. Read II Kings 23:36-37. “Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done.” NKJV Our aim is to see what evil he practiced and to see what we can learn from his life.

October 6, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

Life is not perfect. Bad things happen to good people. Everybody makes mistakes, bad choices. The question is: “Can God bring good out of these?” Yes, He can! Read Romans 8:28. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” NKJV This is clearly seen in the life of the Old Testament character, Joseph. It’s to his life we now turn our attention.

September 29, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

The apostle John wrote his gospel to persuade people to believe that Jesus was the Son of God.  (John 20:30-31)  From the opening verses, he declares that Jesus is truly God.  Throughout the gospel, Jesus claims divinity by the use of “I Am” statements.  It is to these we now turn our attention.

September 29, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

Anyone concerned with eternity is concerned with the answer to the question:  “Can I know I’m saved?”  People typically choose one of two sources:  One’s feelings and God’s Word.  Which is correct?

September 22, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

“Hope is a good thing.”  Andy tells Red in the movie, Shawshank Redemption.  The prophet Jeremiah declared, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.”  (Jeremiah 17:7-8)  Even though he is often called “The Weeping Prophet,” he still had a message of hope for the people of his day.  (Jeremiah 30:2-3)  The 32nd Chapter of Jeremiah tells that God told him to buy a field which turned out to be a “purchase of hope.”

September 22, 2013
Sunday AM Bible Study

Much is heard on the radio and television about the need to be baptized with fire.  Some religious groups include that phrase in their name.  But what does the Bible say about the baptism of fire?  And is it something that we should do?

September 22, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

Each of us has been entrusted with the precious gospel.  The Lord expects us to be faithful stewards or managers of it.  But what does it mean for us to be faithful ministers?  Paul answers that question in II Corinthians 4:1-4.

September 15, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

There is a growing belief among many in the Lord's church that our freedom in Christ equates to freedom to live as we see fit.  The belief that strict obedience to God's will is unnecessary is gaining an ever increasing following.  I have had discussions with denominational people who have said they believe that strict obedience to the will of God is too burdensome.  One of the arguments they use is that through the gospel, we have freedom in Christ and that this freedom releases us from God's law.  The wording they use to promote this is deceiving.   They say that our salvation in Christ is by grace through faith and that Christians have been set free from the bondage of law.  Well, in the proper context, that is a true statement.  However, that statement is used to promote the idea that strict observance to God's law is no longer necessary under the gospel.   We have been set free from the bondage of the old law of Moses.  We are not set free from the law of God as some are promoting.  The purpose of this lesson is to examine what true freedom in Christ really is and what one must do in order to be truly free in Christ.  

September 1, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

You hear a lot about giving your best; giving your best on your job, in school, on the athletic field.  Did you know that God wants your best in worship?  He’s always wanted His people to give their best.  They haven’t always done it, though.

Text:  Malachi 1:6-14

September 1, 2013
Sunday AM Bible Study

September 1, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

In the year, 1859, The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin was published.  The world has not been the same since!  His theory claims that all life came about by blind chance, by accident, and we’re not created by a super-natural being.  And through the years, life became more and more complex.

August 25, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

When one goes looking for a car to buy, the choice may be based upon many factors:  cost, size, gas mileage, style, function. . .  When one goes looking for a church, how should the choice be made?  Upon what grounds should you choose?

August 25, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

Our culture is changing rapidly and not in the right direction.  Our society is getting further and further away from God. So how do we, as God’s people, live in a culture gone wrong?  An excellent example of someone doing that very thing is Job.  Read Job 1:1-8.  We see his steadfastness, service, and separation while living in a culture gone wrong.

August 18, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

It took Israel three months to reach Mt. Sinai.  (Exodus 19:1-2)  They had witnessed God deliver them out of Egypt; they had seen the ten plagues; they saw the Red Sea parted; they had bitter water turned into sweet; and bread rained down from heaven during that three months.  The nation encamped here for about eleven months.  (Numbers 10)  This account points back to what God said in Exodus 3:12.  Jehovah reminded the people of His great care for them.  (Exodus 19:3-4)  Eagles’ wings denote strength and power.  (Deuteronomy 32:10-12)  Three very important things are revealed while Israel is encamped at Mt. Sinai.

Text:  Exodus 19:1-25

August 18, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

Read Luke 2:8-15.  Note that the shepherds did not say, “Let’s go see if this has happened.”  They knew the angels’ announcement was a trustworthy saying.

Text:  II Timothy 2:11-13

August 11, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

Do right and wrong depend upon the situation?  Some people say “Yes”.  Does the end justify the means?  Again, some would say “Yes”.  In the mid sixties Joseph Fletcher wrote a book titled Situation Ethics in which he set forth his belief that acts like lying, stealing, adultery can be good and acceptable.  Unfortunately, that belief is practiced by many in our society including some religious people who claim that Jesus Himself taught this in Matthew 12:1-8.  So, did Jesus’ disciples break the Law of Moses?  Did Jesus defend and excuse the sins of the disciples?  Can we set aside God’s law in an emergency situation?  The only way to know the answers to these important questions is to examine God’s Word, especially our text in Matthew.

Text:  Matthew 12:1-8

August 11, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

People from all walks of life are searching for meaning in their lives.  What’s it all about, they ask?  Why are we here?  How can I find happiness and contentment?  They look under every rock, so to speak.  Knowing the answer is out there; they continue to search.  They note each new religion, new philosophy, new life style

August 4, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

Read Psalm 24.  These words of David assert that the God who created the earth and owns everything on it is the same God into whose presence the worshipper enters.  This God is the King of Glory!  The apostle Paul, in I Corinthians 2:8; refers to Jesus as the “Lord of Glory.”  For such He is!  Jesus, the King of Glory, entered Jerusalem on a Sunday nearly 2,000 years ago.  It’s to that event we now turn our attention.

Text:  Matthew 21:1-17

August 4, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

Most of us here today would say that addition is the easiest part of math.  God’s Word speaks of the importance and necessity of addition.
Text: II Peter 1:1-9

July 27, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

A star is a marvel of creation.  It has a core temperature of millions of degrees and releases massive amounts of energy.  Our sun is a star and releases about 70,000 horsepower per square yard.  The Bible mentions several stars and constellations:  The Bear (Arcturus), Orion, and Pleiades.  (Job 9:9)  Scripture informs us that Jehovah created the stars on Day 4 to give light on the earth.  (Genesis 1:16-19)

July 27, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

Jesus was to be a man of sorrows.  (Isaiah 53:3)  The New Testament records three instances when He wept:  At the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35); when He prayed (Hebrews 5:7); and at the sight of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44) What made Jesus weep over Jerusalem?

July 21, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

When we hear the word adultery, our minds immediately register sin.  And so it should, for adultery is sin, a transgression of God’s law. 

However, there is another kind of adultery, which we do not take seriously enough in our teaching.  That is spiritual adultery.  But the consequences of an unrepentant spiritual adulterer, carries the same consequences as physical adultery.

July 21, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

When God sent orders to Philip to leave Samaria and go down the road that led from Jerusalem unto Gaza, Philip was obedient.  (Acts 8:26-27)  The Bible says, “He arose and went.”  Philip obeyed God without question.  If we are going to be effective soul winners like Philip, we, too, must be submissive.  We must, at all times and at all cost, be willing to do what “God wants us to do; and not what we want to do.  However, at times this is very difficult for many of us.

Evangelism

July 14, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon
 

Following Afar Off

“And they that had laid hold on Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.  But Peter followed Him afar off. . .”  Matthew 26:57-58

Following afar off is just as serious a danger for us as it was for Peter.  There are Christians today, once committed to Jesus Christ, who are even now following afar off.   What should I look for to see if I am following afar off?

July 14, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

The Word Was God

Read John 1:1.  This is the beginning of the prologue to John’s account of the gospel which ends at Verse 18.  The prologue summarizes how the “Word” which was with God in the beginning came into the world and became the Jesus of history.

July 7, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

We speak often and of necessity concerning the need to protect the unity for which our Lord prayed so fervently and for which He gave His life.  We challenge those doctrines and practices that threaten it.  We work to preserve it.  We refuse to stand aside when doctrines that have not originated with Jesus Christ threaten to destroy it.

June 23, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

June 23, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

June 16, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

June 16, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

Text:  I Corinthians 15:50-58

June 11, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

June 11, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

June 2, 2013

May 26, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

May 12, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

May 12, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

May 12, 2013
Sunday AM Bible Study

May 5, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

May 5, 2013
Sunday AM Bible Study

May 5, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

April 27, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

April 27, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

April 21, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

April 21, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

April 7, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

Fifteen Periods of Bible History
It can be easy to get confused about the chronology of the Bible events.  Did Nehemiah live before Job?  Did Isaiah live before or after the Babylonian captivity?  How many years lapsed between the prophecies of Malachi and the coming of John the Baptist?  These questions can be more easily answered by breaking up Biblical history into fifteen periods.  This will help us become much better students of God’s Word and better understand God’s plan of redemption. [This division is not original with me, but I cannot find the person who first presented this separation.  It is one that helps my study.]

April 1, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

April 1, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

Do Christians have good reasons for believing that Jesus actually rose from the dead? Listen to the following:

March 10, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

Yes, indeed, the end is near!  The end of the Christian age is near.  It was near in the first century and it’s near in the twenty-first as well.  Because this is true, how should we act?  Should we make more specific predictions about the coming of Christ?  Should we go hide in a cave?  We should do exactly what the apostle Peter told his first century readers to do.

Text:  I Peter 4:7

March 3, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

When Jesus told the apostles in Matthew 28:19 to “make disciples of all the nations,” what was He telling them to do?  When He told them in Matthew 10:24 that “a disciple is not above his teacher,” what was He trying to get them to understand?  So in this lesson we want to examine what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.  The rewards are too great to lose.  (John 12:26)

March 3, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

The Bible is a source of tremendous comfort to those who are grieving or suffering.  Listen to the following words of the Apostle Paul.  (II Corinthians 1:3-7)  He consoles us in our pain as we draw from His comfort and share it with others in pain.  There are always hurting hearts.

February 24, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

The Need for Church Discipline

“Does church discipline have a place in the body of Christ today?”  The answer is a most definite “Yes!” While this is certainly a difficult subject, it is very needed in the church.  So why is church discipline needed?

 February 17, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

The older one gets, the more he/she is concerned about the condition of their heart.  We will have various medical tests performed that measure the physical health of our heart.  Our desire is to hear the doctor say, “Your heart is in good shape; it’s very sound.”  So what did the Apostle Paul tell Titus was needed for one to be “sound in the faith?”

Text:  Titus 1:9-14

 February 17, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

Caleb Followed the Lord Fully

Recall the story of the twelve spies sent to spy out the land of Canaan.  (Numbers 13:1-2)  They brought back both good news and bad news.  Caleb, one of the twelve spies, tried to encourage the people.

 But ten spies with their discouraging report caused the people to groan and weep.  Caleb and Joshua knew they could take the land with the Lord’s help.  The people didn’t believe Caleb and Joshua; so they spent forty years wandering in the wilderness.  Caleb and Joshua were spared. What Does It Mean to Follow the Lord Fully?

February 3, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

You may have heard, “The Bible is filled with contradictions.”  Scripture has been attacked in this manner for centuries.  Many believe these accusations because they have heard them so often.

What is a contradiction?  One way to look at it is this:  “A thing cannot both be and not be, taken in the same sense and at the same time.”  For example, a thing cannot be both a door and not a door, taken in the same sense and at the same time.  Baptism, for a penitent believer, cannot both be necessary for salvation and not necessary for salvation.  If the Bible claimed that both statements were true, then we would have a real contradiction.

February 3, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

No doubt we live in troubling times.  We look out and see signs that our world is drifting further and further away from God.  What are these signs?

• A Low View of Human Life
• The Acceptance of Homosexuality
• The Crisis of the Family

January 27, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

The Power of One.  Since our efforts can result in great good being done for the Kingdom, where should I begin in teaching the lost?  One writer, Berry Kercheville, suggests three principles that need to be understood by the unbeliever at the beginning.

• The Old Testament Covenant Has Come To An End
• We Cannot Add To, Take Away From, or In Any Way Change What God Has Said Without Being Condemned
• The Plan of Salvation Includes Baptism

January 27, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

Everybody likes a good treasure story.  The story of the discovery of the Law in the Temple during Josiah’s renovation is about as good as they come; because God’s Word is a treasure that is priceless.

Text:  II Kings 22-23

  January 20, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

God’s people were led out of Egyptian captivity by the hand of God.  But something happened on the way to the Promised Land.  Hebrews 3:7-11  Their hearts were hardened and they turned away from God.  One can fall away today as they did.  The Hebrew writer continues on in the next three verses and tells us how to avoid this great tragedy. Text:  Hebrews 3:12-14

Take Care
Exhort One Another
Remain Firm to the End

January 20, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

As children of God, we understand ours is a sinful society.  The solution to our society’s problems lies not in entertainment, pleasure, or pop psychology; but in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  (Romans 1:16-17)  Since “righteousness exalts a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34) We need to come to an understanding of what righteousness truly is.

I.  The Meaning of Righteousness

II. Must Exceed that of Scribes and Pharisees

III. Must Hunger and Thirst after Righteousness

February 10, 2013

First Lukewarm Church of the Apathetic.  “Nothing too boring, nothing too exciting.  We want it to fit into our American Culture Christianity.  No songs too slow, no songs too fast.  Nothing from the ancient songs and nothing after the 70s.”  Nothing ever challenging.  We want encouragement and comfort.”

I. The lukewarm man feels he does a great and marvelous thing by making it to the church service.

II. The lukewarm person gives God the left-overs, not the first fruits. 

III.  The lukewarm man lets Jesus control part of his life, not all of it. 

IV. The lukewarm person loves himself and this world more than other people and heavenly things. 

January 6, 2013
Sunday AM Sermon

Why should the Bible be trusted?  Very simply the answer is because its author is Jehovah God!  (II Timothy 3:16) We know that the Bible is “inspired”, “God breathed.”  How much of the Scripture is inspired?  All Scripture and every Scripture is a product of God.

I.  The Bible’s Portrayal of God

II. The Bible’s claim of Its Truthfulness

III. The Bible’s Use of Itself

January 6, 2013
Sunday PM Sermon

An abomination is something that causes extreme disgust or loathing; something repugnant or shameful, detestable.  These are very strong words but ones our God used to describe what the Canaanites commonly practiced.  These practices were all used by the Canaanites to know the future.  Israel was to rely instead upon God’s revealed will.

I. What Were These Abominations?

II. What Would God Do About It?

III. Who Was the Prophet He Would Raise Up?