Taylor's Chapel Baptist Church

If you have God's Word… turn with me to 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. And this morning… we are gonna be talking about "Satan's Battleground". There's a battle… that's much more deadly. There's a battle… that is much more sinister. It's a battle…for…the mind. There's a deadly war… that's being waged against God by Satan! And folks… the battle ground… is YOUR mind…and YOUR soul!

Now right here… we're introduced to someone unexpected. It's not a king. It's not a warrior. It's not a priest. But instead… it's a woman named Deborah. Now… throughout church history... people have argued about Deborah. Some have tried to explain away her leadership. Others have tried to use Deborah… to make arguments… Scripture itself never makes. But folks... we just need to get out of the way… and simply let the Bible speak. The Bible presents Deborah with tremendous honor. She's called three things. First… Deborah Was a Prophetess. Now what does that mean? Folks… it means she spoke God's Word faithfully. Now we need to stop for a moment… and we need to understand what a prophet actually did. Most people hear the word "prophet"… and immediately think of someone who… predicts the future. Now… sometimes prophets did predict the future. But their primary responsibility… was something much greater. A prophet represented God… before the people. They proclaimed God's truth. They called people back to covenant faithfulness. They confronted sin. They encouraged obedience. Matthew Henry once wrote: "The greatest work of a prophet… is not foretelling the future, but bringing men… back to God." Folks... in Judges 4… that's exactly what Deborah was doing. Israel had forgotten God's Word. So God raised up somebody… who would faithfully proclaim it.

Last week we said that there are three things… that we need to learn about faith… that God taught Abraham. And the first thing that we talked about… was the root of Abraham's faith. And what did we say… the root of faith is? The root of faith is this: It's a revelation from God. Remember what we said? We said God must speak …before you can have faith! All faith… is a response of trust… in what God has said! Today I want to pick up where we left off. And I want to talk… not only about the root of Abraham's faith…but also about… the requirement of Abraham's faith.

Tonight... we begin the third major cycle… in the Book of Judges. And before we even read the first verse... I want you to notice something. Each cycle has become progressively worse. Under Cushan-rishathaim... Israel served eight years. Under Eglon... Israel served eighteen years. Now... they're about to face another enemy. One that's more organized. One that's more technologically advanced. One who possesses a military force… unlike anything Israel has faced… since Joshua. They were about to encounter an extremely powerful Canaanite king named… Jabin. And they were about to run head-long into Jabin's Chief Commander… Sisera. And God will once again raise up a new Judge to deliver them… and her name is Deborah. But this chapter… isn't ultimately about Jabin. It isn't primarily about Sisera. It isn't even… first and foremost about Deborah. It is about a God... who continues pursuing His people... even after they repeatedly abandon Him.

If you have God's Word…turn with me this morning…to the book of Genesis. And this morning… I want to start off by asking a question. Is there anything wrong… with wanting to be great? I think most of us would say, "Oh no preacher! We're Christians! We're supposed to be humble! We're not supposed to… "want to be great"! It would be wrong for me to… "want to be great!" Well let me start off by saying this: It would be wrong for you NOT… to want to be great! But in order to be "great"… you have to understand what "true greatness" really is!

So in the Book of Ruth…Ruth makes a choice. She chooses God. And she makes a very wonderful choice… that not only transformed and changed her life… but in a very real sense… has touched your life and my life… because we're gonna see…not only does she become a beautiful picture of redemption and salvation… but she became an ancestress of the Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh! And King David was one of her descendants! Now many times in life… we think we've got it bad! We think things are going badly for us! And we think there's no hope for us! Well…this morning…I want you to think about Ruth for a little while.

Here in Ruth we see a bright hope…a bright hope for dark days. And today… we're going to be talking about… the choices that people make… because you're gonna see that a man named Elimelech made a bad choice. And then in a couple of Sunday's… you're gonna see the choice that Ruth made… which was a wonderful choice. And folks…listen to me…our lives are the sum total of our choices! And so today… we're gonna think about this thought, "It Is Decisions That Determines Destiny." We're going to learn some things about decision making today… the importance of decisions…because we have to make decisions every day… whether we like it or not.

If you will remember…a couple of weeks ago… we began reading 1 Corinthians 15:35. And we began pondering… the answer… to the question: "How … are … the dead … raised … up?" And we said… just like that seed of grain…which appears to die…to decay…to rot…there is still… a germ of life… that stays in that seed! And although the seed appears dead…it springs forth and reproduces new life! The grain of wheat produces a new head of wheat… with grain just like the grain that was buried in the ground! It brings forth new life! Folks…there is a part of you …that never…dies. Just like that grain of wheat…there is that spiritual nature in you …that does…not...die! Well this morning…I want to pick up where we left a couple of weeks ago. And today I want to ask a new question. And the question I want to ask is this. Will we know each other in heaven?

'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. '

Well…tonight we pick back up with Judges 3:10… and we begin by talking about what happened when God called Othniel? "The Spirit of the LORD came on him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the LORD handed Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into his control…" (Judges 3:10, HCSB) Folks… it's easy to give up on people isn't it?

If you have God's Word… be finding 1 Corinthians 15. And this morning… (and next week)… we're gonna be talking today about "The Resurrection of The Body". You know… one of these days… there's something very wonderful… that's going to happen to these bodies of ours!

And this is where we pick up with our study tonight. What happened once Israel chose "a different way of life"? Folks... they forgot their God.

If you have God's Word… go ahead and be finding Joshua 3. And if you'll remember… last week… we talked about… rivers of difficulty…and "The God of Miracles… Who's Able To See Us Through". And we talked specifically about a few things. First… we talked about the "The Possibility Of Miracles"! And we said… you don't have to worry about … "is it plausible...is it possible?" You just have to admit the fact…of GOD! Then we began focusing our study… on "The Purpose of Miracles". And we said that… in this passage of scripture… God performed miracles to commence a program…to confirm a prophet…to comfort a people…and to communicate a principle! But this morning… I want us to change our focus a little bit. And I want us to see…"The Preeminent Miracle". And as we do…I want you to get ready for a blessing… because there's one in what we're about to see.

If you have God's word… turn with me to Joshua 3. And this morning… I want to talk to you… about rivers of difficulty… rivers that are keeping so many people… from their "Land of Opportunity". You know… God has so much for us. And… He wants to bless us. But so many times… it seems as though… there's a dark swirling river…maybe it's a river of doubt…maybe it's a river of weakness… maybe it's a river of fear… maybe it's some besetting sin…maybe it's some problem… but so many times… there's some dark swirling river… that keeps us… from receiving all that God has for us! Well…this morning… I want to talk about "The God of Miracles… Who's Able To See Us Through".

So let's step into Judges 3… and begin exploring verses 1-10. Right here… God begins to expound on the Nations that He chose NOT to drive out. And He explains why.

If you will remember…last week… we spent time talking about… the parable of the dragnet. And we talked about the first great truth… of this parable. And the first great truth of this parable… is that we're living… in the days of "gospel invitation". We've been given the privilege …we've been given the authority…to say to anybody… anywhere "Come!". We have been given the glorious job… of throwing the gospel net… into a sea of lost souls. But now there is a second truth here that I want us to see. And I think it is the main truth of the parable. Not only is Jesus illustrating "gospel invitation" in this parable…but He's also illustrating "gospel separation". And I think that's the main thing the Lord is emphasizing. The main emphasis in the parable… is towards the future. He is looking toward a future day. Now look at Matthew 13:49. Jesus is explaining this parable… and he begins explaining the meaning of this parable… as it pertains to the future.

This morning we come to the next parable. And with this parable… Jesus wraps it all together… and helps us to understand … what you and I are supposed to be doing as Christians… in this day and age. It's… the parable of the dragnet. It's… the parable of men fishing in the sea. Now I think when Jesus told this parable… the disciples probably began to nod their head with approval and understanding. Why? Because this was very familiar to the disciples. They understood the task of fishing … and they understood it pretty well! Many of the disciples of Jesus were fishermen.

Judges 1 ends… not with complete victory—but with incomplete obedience… and a land still filled with enemies. And this sets the stage for Judges 2. Judges 1 shows us what Israel did… but Judges 2 explains how God responds—and why it matters. • The question is no longer: "Why didn't they drive them out?" • The question becomes: "What happens… when God's people consistently choose partial obedience?" So if you have God's Word… turn to Judges 2… and let's begin reading.

Good morning! And even more importantly! Happy Easter! This morning...if you have God's Word...please be finding Isaiah 53. And as you turn...let me begin… by saying this: Jesus has given so much for us... yet... the world refuses to see what has been given. There's a refusal to see... all that was done… so that we may live eternally. But Isaiah was shown the cost that would be paid... and the reason why...many years before it even happened.

As we come together this Easter morning as God's people… we take time to remember all that our Lord… Savior and King Jesus Christ did… to save us of our sins… and all that He did… to make a way for us to come home to the Father. This morning… we're gonna remember the events of Good Friday. And we're gonna celebrate the greatest happening in all of human history. We're gonna celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus!

Now last week… we spent a considerable amount of time… talking about this parable. And if you will remember…last week we placed our focus… on the "Bread that was baked." And we began talking about… what that bread represents. Do ya'll remember that?! We said that this blessed bread…was supposed to be something made to satisfy the heart…the mind of God! And when Jesus is talking to these Jews about "three measures of flour"…immediately…they would go to Abraham… when he entertained guests from heaven! They would go back to the grain offering… in the Old Testament… and they would've understood what the bread represented! And what did we say it represented? We said… "the bread"… represents the church! It represents fellowship with God! It represents… communion with God! Now…this morning…we're gonna move our focus a little bit. There is "the bread that's baked" But there's also… "the leaven that's latent". There's leaven… hidden in the bread! How did it get there? Well…this sneaky housewife comes into the kitchen… and the bible says… that she hides leaven in the three measures of meal!

Well tonight… we pick back up where we left off. And we begin taking a look at another tribe. Tonight… we look at the tribe of Naphtali.

Over the course of the past several weeks… we have been in Matthew 13 studying the parables of Jesus Christ. And this morning… we're gonna continue that study. So… if you have God's Word… turn with me to Matthew 13:33… and we will begin reading "The Parable Of The Leaven".

Tonight… we'll finish up Judges 1. And we will turn out attention to the final tribe mentioned in Judges 1. Tonight…we turn to Dan—a tribe that didn't merely compromise… but instead… we see a tribe who saw defeat! They were a tribe that was pushed back from their inheritance.

In the ancient world… pearls were incredibly valuable. In fact… pearls were often considered more precious than gold. Kings and queens desired them. And many people throughout the world… sought after them… because they were symbols of wealth… and beauty. And merchants… dealing in pearls… would travel far and wide…across seas… and deserts… looking for the finest pearls… the world had to offer! Now what we have here…is a story of a priceless pearl. A merchant man…who loves pearls…travels the world around…and then he finds that One…Great…Priceless…Precious …Pearl. And this man sells everything He HAS…in order to buy that One…Great…Priceless…Precious… Pearl! And Jesus said, "This is a parable…of the Kingdom…of Heaven!"

Now this morning…I want us to move on… and tighten the focus a little bit. The last time we spoke… we saw the Sacred Sower…that's Jesus. We saw the small seed…that's the pungent Gospel that we preach. We saw the significant shrub that comes up. That is what the Gospel is supposed "to do". But now watch…watch. The fourth thing we see… is a strange shade tree.

Today we are going to begin looking… at the strange mystery of the mustard seed… and the Devil's dirty birds. And we're gonna learn…why there are false cults in the world. You see…not only do you have those who reject the Gospel…not only do you have those who imitate the gospel… but you also have those who actually pervert the gospel. And we're gonna see that in the Parable…of the Mustard Seed!

Tonight, we're going to take a look at another tribe of Israel. We're going to take a look at a tribe that Most of you probably don't know a lot about. We're going to take a look at the tribe of Asher. And we're going to find out that Asher, well, that was the tribe that compromised the coast. And long before they compromised the coast, before there was a tribe named Asher, there was a man. named Asher.

There are those… who are being led astray… day in and day out! And the reason they are being led astray…the reason…they are growing up as weeds and not wheat… is because we…have not …been… awake! We… have not… stood… for what's right! We …as Christians…have been too interested in compromise. We as Christians… have been too interested in tolerance! In order to ensure that we don't offend anybody with our beliefs…we have simply closed our eyes and went to sleep! There have been way too many "feel good" sermons given! And they're like a lullaby… given to put people to sleep! Folks…we need an alarm clock to wake us up! We have got to realize that some of our loved ones… are going to be the Devil's weeds… because of our dullness and our drowsiness! Folks…we need to sound an alarm!

Tonight… we continue our steady with the tribe of Zebulun. We take a look at who they were… what they were supposed to do… and how they failed.

Tonight… we'll pick backup where we left off… and we'll take a look at Ephraim. And we'll try to understand who they were as a tribe… and how they failed to obey God.

I think most of you know…that not everybody who claims to be a Christian…IS…a genuine Christian. The late great Dr. Vance Havner said, " Too many church members have been starched and ironed … but they've never been washed." They have never come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord.

If you will remember… last week…we began talking about the parable of the seed sower. And in that parable …we said that the seed sower was who? The seed sower was Jesus Christ right? And the seed was the Word of God. And the emphasis last week was on the fact that… when Jesus was sowing seeds…He sowed them with a generous hand! He just scattered them everywhere! He wasn't attempting to be a soil tester...He was simply sowing seed…and that's what we're supposed to do. But this morning… we're gonna discuss the main emphasis in this parable. And the main emphasis of this parable… is the soil! Now there are four different kinds of soil in this parable. And the soil represents the hearts of men and women. It represents the hearts of those who hear the word!

If you have God's Word… be finding John 20. And as you are looking for it… I have a question for you. What is the only…man…made…thing…in heaven? The answer is the scars in the hands…feet…and the side of the Lord Jesus…that He took…back…to heaven… with Him! Now… he keeps those scars… as a memorial of His death! Don't ever get the idea that He no longer bears those scars… because the Bible tells us… that when He comes again…we will see those scars!

Tonight… we pick back up were we left off. Judah continues their march forward to take the Promise Land. And now they have reached the midpoint of their conquest. Why do I say that? Because in this next verse… they go with the Simeonites… to help them take the land that was promised to them. And where did their land sit? It was right square in the middle of Judah's land.

You know…I sure do enjoy watching a garden grow . About this time of year every year… as the cold winter weather sets in… I start thinking about the spring. And the further along we go into the winter… the more I long for it. And one of the things that really stokes that fire… is when I get those first seed catalogs. I start thinking about tilling up that garden and sowing some seeds. I just absolutely enjoy watching… as God makes those little ol' bitty things… spring up and grow! I just absolutely love to watch a garden grow. And as I thought about that this week… I began to think about something else. Did you know that we as Christians are gardeners? Did you know that we… as Christians… are seed sowers? This morning and next Sunday… I want to spend some time… taking a look at a parable… that we haven't visited in a while. So… if you have God's Word… turn with me to Matthew 13 … and let's begin talking about this subject, "Sowing seed!"

While many people will choose to call my generation "Generation X"… I choose to call my generation… and all those following it… "The Lost Generation". How did this happen? How did we go from "The Greatest Generation"… to a generation of immorality so quickly! How did we end up in the mud hole we are in today? What happened? And this isn't just a question concerning "Generation X"… this is a question concerning all the children of today! What is happening to our children?

Let me start off with a question this morning. If we don't know God's will as believers…what are we? Are we uninformed? Are we searching? What are we? If we don't know God's will as believers…folks… we're being foolish. You say, "Preacher…that's pretty rough! I can't believe you're gonna start out the message this morning that way! I mean…come on preacher! The Bible doesn't talk like that!" Turn with me if you will… to Ephesians 5:17…and let's see what the Bible has to say about understanding the Will of God.

One of the questions that I am asked a lot is this: "Preacher…How can I know… the will of God for my life?" Most of us are willing …to acknowledge that… God has a plan for our lives! But the problem is…many times…we have trouble trying figuring out… what that plan is!

Let me start out today by asking you a question. And I want you to answer it honestly. Are you…a growing Christian? Do you love and know the Lord Jesus Christ better today…. than you did last year or last week? A wise man once said, "To cease to be better…is to cease to be good." There are so many Christians who are saved… but they're not growing! And you'll never know the kind of victory that you ought to know…and you'll never have the kind of joy that is yours have …until you learn to be…a growing Christian.

This morning…we're gonna look a story… about a man who came to Jesus. And this man had a weak faith. Some people might call it a superficial faith…or maybe even worse…a superstitious faith. But he went from that superstitious faith… to a strong faith…to a saving faith.

Tonight…we're gonna pick up where we left off… and we are going to travel with Judah as they make their way into the Hill Country... and ultimately... into the Land of The Giants.

Tonight… we pick up where we left last week. Tonight…we continue forward in the conquest of Canaan. And we march on to a place called Debir (formerly Kiriath Sepher). And it is here… that we'll get a sneak peek at Israel's first Judge.

Tonight, we pick back up where we left off. Judah had captured the city of Jerusalem, and they press on in their efforts to take ownership of the land as God had directed. "9 After that, Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev and the western foothills." (Judges 1:9 HCSB) Now we read this passage of scripture, and our general inclination is to just go on to the next verse. But have you ever wondered why these three areas? Why are these three zones called out specifically? Why where these so important to Judah's conquest?

Now, we won't read it all this morning, but sometime when you have the opportunity, I'd like for you to read Nehemiah 3 from beginning to end, because I want you to see that after these people had done everything else… I want you to see how they really began to build!

A couple of weeks ago, we began talking about Nehemiah. And we talked about the biblical principles he used when he began the task of leading the effort to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. And if you'll remember, we said that when Nehemiah had received the commission from the Lord, the walls of Jerusalem had decayed. They were broken down. They had fallen to the ground. And it left the people of God without defense. It left the people of God in despair. And when Nehemiah received his call from God, he fixed his focus on that call. Nehemiah said, "God had laid something on my heart!" And when he felt the call, he fasted. He prayed. He wept. And God had told Nehemiah what to do! And we talked about the fact that God has a job for every one of us! God has a plan for every life! And if we are to ever realize that plan, we needed to spend some time praying and meditating to find the will of God for our lives! Like Nehemiah, we need to fix our focus on God's call. And then after Nehemiah fixed his focus, we said that he went out to survey the situation. He needed to find out how bad the walls were. He went out to find the facts. He arrives in Jerusalem, and rather than asking people about the condition of the people, the city, and the wall, Nehemiah goes out to see what the condition really is for himself! He saw that God's work was in ruin. This morning, I want us to spend some time talking about how, after Nehemiah had formed a fellowship to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, he fortified his faith and the faith of those around him. So let's start reading in Nehemiah 2:18.

Folks, let me say this very morning, God is calling us as a people to "Rise Up And Build". And as we read this passage of scripture, I want us to look at some truths. I want us to look at some principalsthat are laid down before us today. There are certain principlesthat are spiritual principles. And they are used when you build anything! You see, today you have a life to build! And these same principles will be truein the building of your life! You have a family to build! And these principles will be true in the building of your family! You may have a business to build! And these principles will be true in the building of your business! We have a church family and a church fellowship to build! And these same principles will be true in the building of the church family and the church fellowship!

Tonight we pick up where we left off. Judah has Adoni-bezek in chains, and they are now heading for Jersualem. The men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire. (Judges 1:8 HCSB)

Tonight we're gonna pick back up with our study. And we're gonna talk about what happened after this. Right after Joshua dies and Judah is appointed to take the lead in driving the Canaanites out, what do the leaders of Judah do?

Did you know that each and everyone one of us has something call a "world view"? We have some idea about our origin. We have some idea about our purpose, and about our destiny. Now, if you're a bible believing evangelical, your world view is probably pretty well settled. But knowing what you believe isn't enough. You also need to know something about what other people believe. And you need to know something about the currents that are moving us in the tide of history and how we ought to react to it.

Tonight… we pick backup where we left off last week. Joshua has died. Israel is left to carry out the commands given by God through Joshua. And a very important question is asked. What is that question? "Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?" Why is this question so important?