Israel’s False Religion

October 23, 2016September 25, 2019 bigspringschurchcontemporary worship, false worship, idolatry, John 4, Judges 17, Judges 18, regulative principle of worship

Judges 17-18; John 4:19-25 October 23, 2016 • Download this sermon (PDF) Congregation of Christ: We come now to the last two sermons on the Book of Judges. In Chapters 1 and 2, the book opens with an introduction to how Israel went spiraling down into idolatry and unbelief after Joshua died. The second major part of the book, Chapters 3 through 16, tells the stories of the twelve judges appointed by God for Israel, and how even the behavior of these judges also went into a downward spiral. After…

“Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me”

October 9, 2016September 25, 2019 bigspringschurchExodus 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…

Gospel of John Sermons

Believing Because of Signs and Because of the Word

November 16, 2015September 25, 2019 bigspringschurchAssyria, Egypt, Isaiah 19, John 4, Malachi 1, Samaritan woman, woman at the well, worship in spirit and truth

Malachi 1:11; John 4:7-30; 39-42 (text) November 15, 2015 • Download this sermon (PDF) Congregation of Christ: Nothing has changed in 2,000 years since our Lord Jesus Christ first appeared preaching and teaching in Palestine. In the Gospel of John, Jesus performed so many signs, or miracles as we call them today, that John says, “Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25). Today, many people still look for all sorts of signs…

Psalms Sermons

“My Soul Thirsts for You, O God!”

August 17, 2015August 17, 2015 bigspringschurchas the deer panteth for the water, John 4, Psalm 22, Psalm 42, Psalm 43, worship

Readings:Psalms 42-43 (text); John 4:13-14 August 16, 2015 • Download this sermon (PDF) Dear Congregation of Christ: Today, Christians are bombarded on television, books, seminars with promises of a life of prosperity–of health, wealth and happiness. That Christian life is a life without sadness, grief, loneliness, struggles, or even death. But what our Lord Jesus Christ promises his people is a life of struggles, pain, persecution, and even martyrdom at the hands of God’s enemies. We have already studied several of the Psalms, and what have we found? Many of the…