Samson Part 4: “Let Me Die With the Philistines”

October 17, 2016September 25, 2019 BigSpringsDelilah, Judges 16, Nazirite, Philistines, Proverbs 6, Samson

Judges 16:1-31; Prov 6:20-26; Col 3:1-7 October 16, 2016 • Download this sermon (PDF) Congregation of Christ: Those of us who were raised in Christian homes and churches remember a few things about Samson. And these are mostly the “good” things about him: his God-given strength, his victories over the Philistines, and his prayer to God at the end to kill the Philistines in their own pagan temple. The not-so-good thing is his affair with the Philistine woman Delilah. Those of you who remember the music of the 60s may…

Church Blog

Explaining Our Church Sign

October 15, 2016September 25, 2019 BigSprings

I changed our church sign last week. The feedback was mostly positive. But some may be wondering why or how? So here’s my explanation for “Hypocrites Welcome Here.” Is the Church Full of Hypocrites? Most unbelievers, when invited to come to church by their relatives or friends, will balk saying, “I don’t like going to church. It’s full of hypocrites.” The sad thing is that there are many church signs that say, “This Church is Not Full of Hypocrites. We Have Room for More.” But is the church really full…

Judges Sermons

Samson Part 3: Vengeance at Firefox Field and Jawbone Hill

October 10, 2016September 25, 2019 BigSprings1 Corinthians 10, 300 foxes, Exodus 17, Isaiah 53, jawbone hill, Judges 15, living water, Philistines, precious blood, Samson

Exod 17:1-7; Judges 15:1-20; 1 Cor 10:1-5 October 9, 2016 • Download this sermon (PDF) Congregation of Christ: I’m not sure if they still teach World History in high school these days, but do you know that there was a Thirty Years’ War in Europe from 1618-48? This war was also known as the religious wars. It began when Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II of Bohemia (present-day Czech Republic) suppressed the religious freedom of Protestants. The Protestants then appealed to other Protestant states of England, Netherlands and Denmark for help.…

“Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me”

October 9, 2016September 25, 2019 BigSpringsExodus 17, Exodus 33, Isaiah 53, John 4, living water, Moses, precious blood, rock of ages, toplady

Today, we sang “Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me” written by the Reformed hymnwriter Augustus Toplady in 1776. I want to focus on why Toplady prays to Christ as the “Rock of Ages” who was “cleft” for him. The original first stanza was: Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee! Let the Water and the Blood, From thy riven Side which flow’d, Be of Sin the double Cure, Cleanse me from its Guilt and Pow’r. The word “cleft” as a noun means a split or…

Judges Sermons

Samson Part 2: “She is Right in My Eyes”

October 2, 2016September 25, 2019 BigSpringsActs 2, Judges 14, Nazirite, Samson, Timnah

Scripture Readings: Judges 14:1-20; Acts 2:22-24; 3:17-21 October 2, 2016 • Download this sermon (PDF) Congregation of Christ: In our last study in Judges Chapter 13, the writer introduces Samson, his father Manoah and his mother, and the announcement of his birth by the Angel of the Lord. The Messenger revealed to his parents that they will have a son, but God has ordained him to be a Nazirite from conception. A Nazirite has three vows: to abstain from wine or any produce from the vine; stay away from dead…

1 Peter Romans Sermons

“Be Subject to the Governing Authorities”

September 25, 2016September 25, 2019 BigSprings1 Peter 2, Belgic Confession Article 36, civil magistrate, government authorities, Jeremiah 29, Romans 13

Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 29:1-7; Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-25 September 25, 2016 • Download this sermon (PDF) Congregation of Christ: These last few days, violence and looting have erupted in Charlotte these last few days, and in many other cities in the last year whenever there are black people who are shot by police officers. Some people even advocate violence against police authorities. These are all to protest what they perceive as social injustice and police brutality. And in recent weeks, a protest has been getting much attention. It centers around…

Church Blog

10 Reasons Why Christianity is Totally Distinct from All Other Religions

September 24, 2016September 25, 2019 BigSpringsBuddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, world religions

© September 2016 by Nollie Malabuyo * Download this article (PDF) The goal of these interfaith services is to bring greater awareness to how all paths lead to the same God. ~ quote from above image Christianity is totally distinct from other religions such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism in these ten beliefs: 1. God is a Trinity—one God in Three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matt 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14). All Three Persons are of the same essence, without beginning or end, almighty, and all-knowing (Eph 4:4-6; John…

Judges Sermons

Samson Part 1: Two Nativities

September 20, 2016September 25, 2019 BigSprings1 John 2, Angel of the Lord, Judges 13, Manoah, Nazirite, Romans 12, Samson

Scripture Readings: Judges 13:1-25; Romans 12:1-2 September 18, 2016 • Download this sermon (PDF) Congregation of Christ: Last Sunday, we learned about Jephthah’s sinful vow to offer a burnt sacrifice to the Lord to gain his favor. God never required a vow in order to approve of a person’s request. And the tragic end to this vow is the burnt sacrifice turned out to be his only child, his own daughter. Today, we will study another kind of vow made by Israelites. But this vow was not made by…

Sermons

Jephthah Part 2: The Agony of Victory

September 12, 2016September 25, 2019 BigSpringsEphraimites, Gilead, Jephthah, Judges 12, Matthew 5, Shibboleth

Scripture Readings: Judges 11:29-12:7; Matthew 5:33-37 September 11, 2016 • Download this sermon (PDF) Congregation of Christ: Do your remember the TV program Wide World of Sports? It was the most popular sports program from the 1960s to the 1990s, and its byline was “The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat.” What could be more thrilling than winning an Olympic gold, or a championship game? And what could be more agonizing than losing a championship, even if it means being second? Our culture is a culture of No.…

Judges Sermons

Jephthah Part 1: Using God

September 4, 2016September 25, 2019 BigSpringsAmmonites, Gilead, Jephthah, Judges 10, Judges 11

Scripture Readings: Judges 10:1-11:28; Philippians 2:1-11 September 4, 2016 • Download this sermon (PDF) Congregation of Christ: Last Sunday, we studied the ascension to power of Abimelech, another evil oppressor of Israel. Abimelech was not a foreign oppressor, since he was the son of Gideon. After he oppressed Israel for three years, the LORD raised up two judges, Tola and Jair, the sixth and seventh judges. Since we know very little of these two men, they and Shamgar back in Chapter 3 are called “minor judges.” In this series,…