The Dignity of Labor

September 1, 2016September 25, 2019 BigSprings1 Corinthians 7, dignity of labor, Exodus 20, Genesis 2, Labor Day, Sabbath

Psalm 90:17; 1 Corinthians 7:17 September 4, 2016 (KSYC) • Download this article (PDF) This Labor Day weekend, the nation’s airports and freeways will be full of travelers as usual. This is the last three-day weekend of the summer, and for most, a last chance to enjoy a short vacation, go to the beach or park, visit or invite family and friends and grill out. But very few know what they are celebrating other than a vague notion that it is about people who work. But what really does…

Judges Sermons

Abimelech the Vengeful Destroyer

August 29, 2016September 25, 2019 BigSprings1 Corinthians 3, Abimelech, Gideon, Judges 9, Shechem

Scripture Readings: Judges 8:33-9:57; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 August 28, 2016 • Download this sermon (PDF) Congregation of Christ: Remember the foreboding epilogue to Gideon’s life? It says that he had many wives who bore him 70 sons. One of his sons was from a Canaanite concubine in Shechem, whom he named Abimelech. And what does “Abimelech” mean? “My father is king.” Although publicly, Gideon declined to be the king of Israel, he acted like it, and considered himself a king (Jgs 8:29-31). Our text is a long story of…

Judges Sermons

Gideon Part 3: All’s Not Well That Doesn’t End Well

August 7, 2016September 25, 2019 BigSprings1 Corinthians 10, Abimelech, Baal, Colossians 3, ephod, Gideon, Judges 8

Scripture Readings: Judges 8:1-35; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17 August 7, 2016 • Download this sermon (PDF) Congregation of Christ: The title of our study this morning is the reverse of a well-known proverb or cliché, “all’s well that ends well.” It means that everything has turned out well, even though some things went wrong and the outcome was uncertain, along the way. Did you know that this proverb was popularized in Shakespeare’s play of the same name? It is the story of a beautiful woman in a court in…

Judges Sermons

Sermon Series on the Book of Judges

August 2, 2016September 25, 2019 BigSpringsAbdon, Barak, Book of Judges, Deborah, Ehud, Elon, Gideon, Hebrews 11, Ibzan, Jair, Jephthah, Othniel, Samson, Tola

Date Scripture Readings Title 06/05/16 Judges 1:1-2:5 (text); Ephesians 6:10-20 “I Will Never Break My Covenant With You” (web) (pdf) 06/12/16 Judges 2:6-3:6 (text); Ephesians 6:1-4 “There Arose Another Generation Who Did Not Know the LORD” (web) (pdf) 06/19/16 Judges 3:7-11 (text); Romans 13:1-4 The LORD Saved His People Through Othniel (web) (pdf) 07/03/16 Judges 3:12-31 (text); Hebrews 4:12 The LORD Sends Ehud to Bring a Sacrifice (web) (pdf) 07/10/16 Judges 4:1-24 (text); Hebrews 11:32-33 Deborah: A Woman Leads Because of Men’s Neglect (web) (pdf) 07/17/16 Judges 5:1-3 (text); 1 Timothy 2:8-14; Titus 2:1-5 “Quiet…

Judges Sermons

Gideon Part 2: The LORD Saves His People With 1 Against 450

July 31, 2016September 25, 2019 BigSprings300 Spartans, Esther, Gideon, Judges 7, Leonidas, Midian, Xerxes

Scripture Readings: Judges 7:1-8:3 (text); 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; 13:4 July 31, 2016 • Download this sermon (PDF) Congregation of Christ: Did you know that the Olympic Games starting next week, Queen Esther, the famous Battle of Thermopylae, and Gideon may all be part of a common thread? The Book of Esther begins with a great assembly called by King Ahasuerus of Persia (modern-day Iran), also known by his Greek name Xerxes. The gathering was in the capital city of Susa, attended by all officials and servants, nobles and governors…

Judges Sermons

Gideon Part 1: God’s Grace Towards Rebels

July 25, 2016September 25, 2019 BigSpringsBaal, Ephesians 2, Gideon, Judges 6

Scripture Readings: Judges 6:1-40 (text); Ephesians 2:1-10 July 24, 2016 (ZCRC Pasig & BSCC) • Download this sermon (PDF) Congregation of Christ: Gideon and Samson are the two most romanticized judges of Israel in the Bible. They’ve been subjects of “Be Like” sermons and two of the most frequently told stories in Sunday School. Today, we will have the first lesson on the story of Gideon, which spans Chapters 6-8 of the Book of Judges. This narrative begins with the familiar opening refrain of the stories of the judges. After…

1 Timothy Judges Sermons

“Quiet in the Church”

July 17, 2016September 25, 2019 BigSprings1 Corinthians 14, 1 Timothy 2, complementarian, egalitarian, Judges 5, role of women, Titus 2

Scripture Readings: Judges 5:1-3 (text); 1 Timothy 2:8-14; Titus 2:1-5 July 17, 2016 (ZCRC Pasig & BSCC) • Download this sermon (PDF) Congregation of Christ: Forty years ago, in 1976, the Episcopalian Church USA allowed homosexuals to become members of the church. Then in 2003, this denomination ordained an openly gay bishop. Six years later, in 2009, the ECUSA officially recognized same-sex marriages. And last year, they officially rejected the doctrine of marriage as the union between a man and a woman. When the ECUSA first ordained an openly…

BREAKING: Pastor Plans to Use Pokémon GO for Evangelism

July 15, 2016September 25, 2019 BigSpringsevangelism, Pokemon GO, Sinners' Prayer

About 8:20 this evening, my wife and I were taking our daily 30-minute walk around the church property when we noticed a car drive into the church parking lot. The car had Oregon plates, so I thought he might be looking for some place nearby. I approached the man driving and asked, “May I help you?” “Oh, my son is playing Pokemon GO, and we thought a creature was in your church sign. It turns out it’s on that building across the street,” pointing to Big Springs Elementary School.…

Deborah: A Woman Leads Because of Men’s Neglect

July 10, 2016September 25, 2019 BigSpringsBarak, Canaanites, Deborah, Jabin, Jael, Judges, Sisera

Scripture Readings: Judges 4:1-24 (text); Hebrews 11:32-33 July 10, 2016 (ZCRC Pasig & BSCC) • Download this sermon (PDF) Dear congregation of Christ: Most Christians are familiar with three of the twelve judges of Israel: Samson, Gideon, and Deborah. And for many evangelicals, Deborah is often used as proof that the Bible supports women pastors, elders and deacons. Our text, of course, tells us that Deborah is both a judge and a prophetess. In a recent General Assembly of a confessional Presbyterian denomination with which our federation has a…

Proverbs Sermons

The Beginning of Wisdom

July 7, 2016September 25, 2019 BigSpringsbeginning of wisdom, fear of the Lord, Proverbs 1

During the VBS and parsonage construction on June 27-July 1, Pastor Adrian preached a series of five messages on the Book of Proverbs. The first sermon was preached before our congregation together with the two teams. The next four were spoken before the two teams on Monday-Thursday evenings, so they were focused more on the youth. I’ll be posting the messages here. Here’s the first one. Text: Proverbs 1:7; Reading: Proverbs 1:1-7 * Download this sermon (PDF) By Rev. Adrian Dieleman, Trinity United Reformed Church, Visalia, California “You are…