Woodland Hills Church of Christ

Bible Classes / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The post 2 Chronicles 5 & 6 appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Eli Todd The post Jesus Reveals His Glory appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

New Testament Sermons / Speaker:Brent Moody The post Do You See This Woman? appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The post 2 Chronicles 1 – 4 appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Topical Sermons / Speaker:Chip Porter The post Where Do You Get Your Confidence? appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Chad Brock The post Jesus Calms the Storm appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The post 1 Chronicles 23 – 29 appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Chad Brock The post Jesus Heals the Man Born Blind appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Topical Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The Marriage of the Lamb (God's Marriage Covenant Parallels) Introduction: In our studies in Jeremiah, what has stood out to you about God? There is a major contrast between God's relationship with Israel in previous years compared to Jeremiah's time. What stands out is God's anger to the point of lacking any mercy or willingness to relent on the judgment about to come. We might think that God is finally fed up. True. But there is more to it than that. In our Bible studies it is preeminently important that we understand God.  In this lesson we will go back to the beginning of God's purpose for his creation as illustrated in his relationship with Israel. Most Christians recognize that Israel's relationship with God is described as a marriage. But what is often missed is that God is not just using marriage as a comparison to our marriages. The parallels to our marriages go much deeper than that. We begin with how God brought Israel into a marital relationship with him. All Things Leading to Marriage: Courtship There are many characteristics a woman seeks in a husband. The most important of these is a man who will lay down his life for her, love her, and nourish, cherish, and provide for her. And especially, she wants a husband who sees her value above all else. These are all the traits God presents to Israel as he prepares to propose a covenant marriage. Thus, in this courtship stage Yahweh introduces himself to Israel so they can “know him,” a term repeatedly used throughout Exodus and Deuteronomy. Exodus 5:1-2; 9:16 When Moses and Aaron went before Pharaoh, his reply was, “Who is Yahweh that I should let Israel go?”  Up to the 8th plague God's miracles were used so that Pharaoh, the Egyptians, and the whole world would know Yahweh. However, beginning with the 8th plague Yahweh uses the plagues so that Israel “may know that I am Yahweh” (10:2). You will remember that “Yahweh” is God's covenantal name, which indicates his faithfulness and also his eternal nature. Yahweh demonstrates his uniqueness above anything else or any being that claims to be a god. Just before the 10th plague, Yahweh again makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel just as he did with the plagues of hail and darkness. Thus God proclaims, “…that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel” (11:7). God is announcing to Israel the special place they have with him over all the other nations. Exodus 15:25-27 The Lord begins to tell Israel more of what he will do for them if they will enter a covenant with him: “…for I am Yahweh, your healer.”  In Exodus 16:6 in preparation for the manna, Moses said, “At evening you shall know that it was Yahweh who brought you out of the land of Egypt.”  In Exodus 16:12, God proclaims, “At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am Yahweh your God.” Thus God shows the people he will provide for them. All Things Leading to Marriage: The Proposal  Marriage offer: “…will you marry me?”  Covenant offer: Exodus 19:5, “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”  All Things Leading to Marriage: Proposal Accepted  An excited bride today responds, “Yes!”  Israel responds, “All the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the LORD.” (Exodus 19:8) All Things Leading to Marriage: Preparation  The bride prepares: hair, makeup, dress, jewelry. Exodus 19:14, “So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people; and they washed their garments.”  All Things Leading to Marriage: Presentation  The bride walks down the aisle toward the groom Exodus 19:4, “‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.'”  All Things Leading to Marriage: Vows  Present day: “…I take you to be my husband…promise to love, honor, and obey you”  “…love Yahweh your God with all your heart, soul, and might” (Deut. 6:5) “…what does Yahweh your God require…but to fear Yahweh…” (Deut. 10:32) “…obey my commandments that I command you today” (Deut. 11:13) All Things Leading to Marriage: Accepting Vows  Present day: “I do!” Exodus 24:3, “Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.”  All Things Leading to Marriage: Pronouncement  Present day: “I now pronounce you husband and wife…” Deut. 26:17-19, “You have declared today that the LORD is your God, and that you will walk in his ways, and keep his statutes and his commandments and his rules, and will obey his voice. And the LORD has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments, and that he will set you in praise and in fame and in honor high above all nations that he has made, and that you shall be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised.”  All Things Leading to Marriage: Reception  Present day: A time to enjoy the bounty of life together “You shall eat there before Yahweh your God and rejoice.” (Deut. 14:26) The Marriage of Christ to His People  Ephesians 5:22-33 Submission to our Head The love Christ has for his bride Christ, our head, sanctifying and cleansing us (preparing us for the wedding day) Christ presenting his bride to himself “in splendor, without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, holy and without blemish.”  Therefore, groom (Christ) and his bride leave all others and then cling to one another and become one. What is the key to clinging (holding fast)? Love and loyalty to Yahweh our Lord. Warning! It is easy to say we love God, but the challenge is to prove it. James 4:4, “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” This is a description of disloyalty, a lack of loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. 1 John 5:1-3 “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”  Ezekiel 16:1-15 Summation of God's courtship and marriage proposal.  Conclusion: Now we can understand the anger of the Lord in the days of Jeremiah. It would be no different for us if the same things happened in any of our marriages. Most importantly, we see that God is not giving us a marriage “picture” when he describes our relationship with him. This is a real marriage, much greater than what we experience in our marriages. In fact, it is our marriages that are the “picture.” Our marriage to our Savior is the reality.  The post The Marriage of the Lamb appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:David Desloge The post 1 Chronicles 21 & 22 appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Old Testament Sermons / Speaker:David Desloge The post A Fresh Look At Baptism appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Old Testament Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville Becoming “Good for Nothing” Jeremiah 13 Introduction: Illustrations are quite common in prophetical writings and especially in Jeremiah. When God gives these pictures it forces us to more plainly see our own present condition in his sight. Therefore, God gives us a photograph of how we appear to him when we do not live to glorify him. Chapter 13 gives us two vivid illustrations of how God sees Israel and therefore and warning to us. The Loincloth and Jars Filled with Wine, 13:1-14 The story: Jeremiah is commanded to purchase a loincloth, take it to the Euphrates (or Perath, NET, NIV, about three and a half miles from Anathoth), and bury it, then come back and get it. But when he retrieves it, it is ruined, “good for nothing.”  The “loin cloth”— “A short skirt bound tightly around the waist and reaching some way down the thighs.” Linen would the fabric used by the priests (Leviticus 16:4) and likely was worn as an undergarment based on the analogy God used.  The symbol of the loincloth is given in verse 11. Just as the loincloth would cling closely to a man's body so it was God's intention that his people cling closely to him and become “a people, a name, a praise, and a glory” to God. Is this the way you see your relationship with God?  Notice the word “cling.” This is the same as Genesis 2:24—“a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife.” God is not a casual partnership, or something we do when it is convenient, or a part time effort. It should be evident in every moment of our lives that we are clinging to him. But they refused to listen and therefore they would become to God like the loin cloth, “good for nothing.” Well, what would you do with a pair of underwear that was all rotten with holes in it? Throw it away!  Look at yourself. You didn't just happen. You personally were created by God. But notice, not just created, but created to cling to God The question for us is quite obvious: Do we cling closely to the Lord or do we just “put him on” as an occasional “outer apparel?”  We should be reminded that everything God has done has been to create “a people, a name, a praise, and a glory.” When we do not dedicate ourselves to that purpose, we are literally good for nothing. No wonder God created Hell. It is like a trash can, a Gehenna garbage dump where what is unusable is cast. Therefore, God is giving us a choice, be a “vessel of honor” or decide to be trash. How did Judah become good for nothing? Pride! Here is where we can get confused. We think pride is simply thinking of ourselves too highly. No, pride has to do with our relationship with God. Verse 10 describes it as “stubbornly following their own heart.” We must read “heart” as our minds. In other words, we do what we want to do. We are like Solomon in Ecclesiastes, seeking and searching whatever our eyes see and desire.  Isn't it interesting that homosexuality is promoted by the word Pride? Without even realizing what they have done, we are called upon to be proud of sexual sins. Isaiah said, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” Here's how pride works: Very early in our lives we set a fairly ridged daily life. We get accustomed to it and we like it. We seek and search out things to do that give us some temporary pleasure, things that distract us from our work and fill that empty spot inside of us that we don't like to think about. We begin to think our little worldly idols are the only way to fill emptiness. Our distractions may not always be things that are morally evil, they are just things we like to do. But God is not in the picture. Or maybe a little bit. “Church” can be a good façade to cover up the truth that I just want to live life my way. “Every jar shall be filled with wine” (12-14)  The people's response indicated that they thought Jeremiah was telling them something that was obvious. “Of course every jar will be filled with wine! That's what we have been telling you! We will continue to live in prosperity. Babylon can do nothing to us.”  But Jeremiah explains it is not the wine of joy they will be filled with, God will fill them with the wine of God's wrath. God will dash them against one another and he will show “no pity or spare or have compassion.” They will be destroyed. That is exactly what God later said the Babylonians would do to them (21:7).  Thus God gives us a strong reminder: mercy comes to those who obey God and keep his covenant. In fact, mercy and forgiveness are embedded in the covenant (Jeremiah 31:33-34). There is no mercy outside the covenant!  God's Pain Over Judah's Demise (15-17) Vs. 15-16 God pleads with them—“hear, give ear; be not proud.” God is not saying he will stop the coming judgment. No, it's coming. “Give glory to the Lord your God” are the same words Joshua said to Achan. His death was still certain, and so was Judah's. But they could still have an eternal hope if they would give up their ways. Consequences to our sins remain, but we can still find eternal hope. Vs. 17 God's tears. Ezekiel 33:11, “As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” In our weakness and foolishness we may think that our sins are not hurting anyone. Well, that's not true, sin harms everyone around us, but what is especially not considered is that our sin harms God and is painful to God, even to the point of tears. He weeps bitterly for us just as we would for our own children.  The Shocking Consequences of Stubborn Pride (18-27) The problem with those who are prideful is they believe they can escape the consequences. “Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil (Ecclesiastes 8:11). “Yep! I'm not doing what I ought to do, but everything is going fine! I'm making good money. No worries!”  Then suddenly it happens… 18-19 The king and queen are dethroned. Even the cities of the wilderness are closed up and all Judah is taken into exile. What! That can't be! We were still offering sacrifices. 20-22 “What happened to your beautiful flock? Why are these special allies that you cultivated as friends destroying you?” It happened suddenly, like a woman in labor! But worse, why are we being violated like a woman in a siege? The answer is simple: it is the greatness of your iniquity! When judgment comes, that will always be the answer! 23-27 The inability to change. In spite of God's warning, they cannot change any more than an Ethiopian can change the color of his skin or a leopard his spots. God plainly warns us of the danger of procrastinating a change of lifestyle that is at best mediocre in serving God. The longer we stay in a lifestyle that does not give God our all, the more difficult it is to change.  The people of Judah are a perfect example. It became impossible for them to change! We think in our minds, “Oh that can't be so! I'm going to change at some point, I'm just not quite ready.”  What we don't realize is how deep in a pit our mind is already. We haven't just dug a little hole when we dabble a bit in sinful activities. Patterns and addictions develop in our brains as we practice sin. Sin detaches us from God. Every day we delay pushes us deeper until we do not know how to escape and no longer have the desire in our heart for God. It is what the Lord meant when he repeatedly accused Israel of having a hard heart and a heart of stone or when Paul referred to having a “calloused” mind (Ephesians 4:21). Wife: “I caught my husband watching porn. He was really sorry, but then I caught him again and again. I don't know what to do; he says he's sorry.”  Husband: “I found out my wife has had an affair. She is really ashamed and sorry, and she said it was only once. Should I just forgive her and let it go?”  I'm sure we would all say that if there is true repentance, it would be important to save the marriage. That being said, there is something most people do not think about. Those were not little sins that just happened and we should put it behind us. As Paul said, “…the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” These sins go deep and will be remembered and replayed for years to come.  Conclusion: Now listen again to the words: “This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is good for nothing.” Pride says, “I can quit my sins; I'm not too deep. What I'm doing is not that bad.” God has an entirely different take! Berry Kercheville The post Jeremiah 13: Becoming Good For Nothing appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Eli Todd The post Jesus Walks on Water appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The post 1 Chronicles 16 – 20 appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Topical Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville “Behold I Am with You Always”  Introduction: From ancient times God gave us an identity. He called us the offspring of Abraham who would bless the world (Genesis 12; Galatians 3:29) He said we would be a “kingdom of priests.” Exodus 19:5-6;  “ …you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.'  Cf. 1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. He prophesied in Zechariah 3:10, “In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.” How Can We Do What Seems Beyond Our Ability? Like Moses, we readily say, “Who am I that such a great work should be placed on my shoulders?”  First, remember Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 4:7, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”  Matthew 28:18-20 can you imagine what is was like for the apostles when Jesus told them he was leaving? It is evident by the fact that Jesus repeatedly encouraged them the night before his death. 2 Corinthians 5:16–6:1 He has made us a new creation, giving us the ministry of reconciliation, entrusting to us the message of reconciliation as ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. Therefore (6:1), we are “working together with him…” The fact that he has given us this ministry so that we can work together with him, indicates a partnership. In other words, we are not doing this on our own.   Training of the 12: With Every Command, Jesus Is There Mark 4:35-41 Stilling the storm. As we serve the Lord, unimaginable obstacles will arise…where is your faith?  Mark 6:7-13 Sending out the twelve (limited commission). When the Lord gives “unreasonable” commands, where is your trust?  Mark 6:30-44 Feeding the 5000. When what we have is not enough, do we trust he will supply what we don't have. Mark 6:45-52 Get in the boat and go to the other side. When we have seemingly used all our strength, do we trust him to bring us the rest of the way?  Conclusion: Our strength and resources will never be enough—but it isn't our strength that matters—it is his. Luke 17:1-6 Berry Kercheville The post Evangelism: The Lord with Us appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Old Testament Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville Psalm 127 Unless the Lord Builds the House Introduction: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” That is a mouthful and deserves our careful consideration. There is more to these words than you might imagine, and certainly more than I imagined. The key to the Psalm is dependence on God, without which all of one's effort will be in vain (used 3x) in the text. The psalm reminds us to have an acute awareness of God's overseeing presence in our world and in our lives. Human strength and the apparent success in human ventures cannot be proven in short time frames, but can only be evaluated over a lifetime. Isaiah 40:6-7 “All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; sure the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” The context of this passage is God's reminder that it is only his word “implanted” and applied in our lives that will enable us to overcome the withering of our grass-like existence. Three Concerns for Building, 1-2 The efforts of building a “house.” The application could apply to any project, from the church, to a business, to one's own household. Obviously, “house” is not speaking of a place to live, but of a large family that grows over generations. We all hope and pray that the generations following us will continue to be faithful to the Lord. There will almost always be exceptions when certain of our descendants turn from God, but this psalm speaks of our actions at the present. Are we going to build the house, or is God building our house?  Guarding what one has built. Again, that could be a city, a nation, one's own home, or one's life. A watchman is watching for an impending attack. Evil lurks at any given moment. Human ability to watch and warn is limited. But God can see all, and without him our watching is in vain. It is not that a watchman in the city us unnecessary, any more than a builder is not needed to build a house. But our human limitations leave us vulnerable without God as the primary “watcher.”  Our house needs to be guarded from the evil one. His attacks come from every angle: TV's, computers, phones, alcohol, and worldly influences. Are we ensuring that the Lord watches the house?  How one treats his labor in building. God desires to give sleep/rest to his beloved. Labor is good and commanded by the Lord, but it is intended to be balanced with other responsibilities. The Preacher in Ecclesiastes 9:7-10 prioritizes God and family ahead of one's work. We must work, but we must not “eat the bread of anxious toil” trusting in self instead of the Lord. Consider the word “vain.” We know the word because of its use in Ecclesiastes. Just as in Ecclesiastes, “vain” indicates that which is short term, not long term. It is the opposite of success and eternal life and joy. When we understand the word, we can see how Solomon warns us by negative statements. Building, watching, and laboring without the Lord's direction will end in failure. The opposite is then also true. Building, watching, and laboring with our eyes on the Lord, will not be vain, but instead, guarantees success. Therefore, there is security in building, watching, and laboring when the Lord is the goal and primary focus. Any effort or work we humans pursue, also comes with doubt and fear of failure. But when the Lord builds the house, we can be confident in the best outcome. Even in the midst of trials and missteps, we are always steadfastly following the goal, knowing that the Lord produces the outcome. The Primary Focus of Building Now we see what the Lord is building. The focus is on children that are a heritage or inheritance from the Lord. Complimenting verses 1-2, our children are not “ours,” they are “a heritage from the Lord,” and therefore as parents we are stewards (caretakers of another's goods) of our children, a blessing God has entrusted to you. God's primary goal for our children is not fun or happiness. If the Lord is building our house, and we are to be found faithful as stewards of God's children, teaching them that they are image-bearers of God sent throughout the world to reflect God's image. They are “children arrows” so that when he “speaks with the enemies in the gate,” parent nor child will be put to shame. Verses 3-5 are a contrast to the vanity of verses 1-2. The last three verses exhibit a house built by the Lord, a house over which the Lord will watch, and a household in which labor is kept in balance so that anxiousness is taken away because of one's trust in the Lord. The result: “God gives to his beloved sleep.” The implication is not just a good night's sleep, but a comfort and security knowing that the Lord is our ultimate provider. It is the opposite of the agonizing labor of one who is filled with fear and anxiety concerning his future. Verses 4-5 mirrors the three times in Genesis that the Lord commanded, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” What is especially noteworthy is that the Lord said it twice following the Flood in Genesis 9:1, 7. It is difficult to read those words and not take to heart a direct command from God. Consider a few reasons why children were important to God: Most importantly, bearing children is kingdom work. We say, “Oh but look at how evil the world has become!” Yes, but it has always been that way, and God gave us the responsibility of filling the world with his image-bearers and children-arrows that will be able to “speak with his enemies in the gate.” Remember, the Lord is building the house, the Lord is watching over our lives and family, the Lord is taking away our “anxious toil.” Trust the Lord. Consider this: what are the expectations of the survival of a church that does not have children? If there are no children, you might as well preach their funeral. Soon the light that at one time shone brightly in those areas is now dimming, and soon will be extinguished. However, in this psalm the Lord is primarily exalting the benefit of children to the individual couple. Children are an “inheritance and reward from the Lord.” And what is especially wonderful today, because of Sacred Selections, those who are unable to have children can adopt without going into debt and those who cannot adopt can financially support adoption: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27). One more benefit: children grow us spiritually. Children require us to mature. Notice that the text refers to “children of one's youth.” Yes, we had children when were young and dumb, but if we trusted in God, “the Lord built the house and the Lord watched over our efforts.” Marriage and children change us to be more perfectly in the image of God, and is one of the primary ways the Lord prepares us for his eternal kingdom. Seeing the Greater House the Lord Is Building Psalm 127 is about a household. It is about building a house with the direction and help of the Lord. Without the Lord, the house and household are failures and do not reach the purpose of the Lord. In the text, the focus is not on a father or a mother, they are understood to be present and are builders along side the Lord, but they are not the focus. The Lord is the focus. He is the one who builds and watches; he is the one who gives rest to those who trust him and gives children arrows as an inheritance. Now I want you to tie this into the way the Lord pictures children in his kingdom. We are too narrow in our understanding if we are simply looking at the children of a physical family. Isaiah 53:10 This text briefly sets up what we will seen in chapter 54. In spite of the Lord offering himself in death, in his resurrection he will “prolong his days” and “see his offspring.” Just as “the Lord builds the house” in the psalm, so here we see the true house the Lord is building.  Isaiah 54:1-3, 13 This text gives us a description of how the Lord will see his offspring. Sarah, long dead, though desolate and unable to have children, will now see her children. In fact, she will have so many children that her offspring will be far more than children that come from the physical offspring of Abraham's concubine wife who was not barren. You might say, “But Sarah only had one child!” Oh no she didn't! In fact, Sarah is still having children! Even Isaac would not have been born if were not for the Lord building the house.  The children of Sarah are so many that God's true Israel must “enlarge their tent” so that the offspring of Sarah is spread abroad through the whole earth and possesses the nations. Verse 13 confirms this even further. “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.” Let's add one more text: Isaiah 56:3-5. God calls to the eunuchs, those who cannot have physical children, and tells them not to think of themselves as those who cannot produce offspring, for God will give them “in my house a monument and name better than [physical] sons and daughters.” So today is Mother's Day. That's nice, but it isn't the Mother's Day the Lord celebrates. Teresa's co-worker told her yesterday that she doesn't go to church on Mother's Day; it's too depressing. Well, that's not the way it is in God's kingdom, and that is not the way it is in this church. Everyone here are mothers and fathers of offspring equally great as the beautiful children we have present with us. No one is a dry tree in the kingdom of God.  Conclusion: “Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married, says the Lord.”  Berry Kercheville The post Psalm 127 Unless the Lord Builds the House appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Chad Brock The post Jesus Feeds the 5000 appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The post 1 Chronicles 13 – 15 appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Topical Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The First Step in Reaching the Lost: the Need for Compassion Introduction: When we hear the term “evangelism,” it often either stimulates fear or apathy. Fear comes from the thought that I must be able to teach someone or I need to talk to a stranger or in some places, I need to knock on doors. Apathy comes from the belief that participating in evangelism is limited to those who have the “gift” of talking to people about the Lord. I don't have the gift, so I am exempted. First, it is a mistake to limit reaching the lost to the above descriptions. Being a church that highlights saving souls includes a vast array of talents and work that includes every Christian. We will talk about how we can all play a part in another lesson. Second, participating in evangelistic efforts is not optional. It is a critical part of our identity and an expectation of Jesus. Genesis 12; Exodus 19:5-6 (more later). 2 Timothy 1:6-7 God did not give us a “spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.”  What is the first step in reaching the lost? The Heart of Jesus Defines Compassion, Matthew 9:35-38 When we “see the crowds,” what are our typical responses?  Judgmental Apathy  Is our first thought, this person needs the Lord?  How is seeing the crowds “harassed and helpless” different than how we see them? [We tend to see them “according to the flesh” (2 Corinthians 5:16), thus better off than us—wealthy and without a care. Or, they got themselves into the mess they have created of their life.] Therefore, what is Jesus seeing in the crowds to make him come to this conclusion? How We See Ourselves Determines Compassion, Luke 7:36-50 Why didn't Simon have compassion on the sinful woman? He did not see the seriousness of his own sin and therefore the greatness of his forgiveness. When we do not feel our own sinfulness and the magnitude of Jesus offering his life for us, we cannot have compassion on others. Example: the Pharisees tended to seek the outwardly moral person to convert (Cf. Matthew 23:15).  There is a tendency to look down on those who seem to be “worse sinners” than what we have been. It is a great danger of those who have “grown up in the church” or have lived fairly moral lives. Example: What made Paul the greatest of all “evangelists”? [1 Timothy 1:12-16] The Extent of Compassion, Luke 10:25-37 Why would this Samaritan have compassion on a Jew (those that the Samaritans hated) who was beaten when a priest and Levite would not? What did it take for the Samaritan to save the man who was beaten? Time, money, and sacrifice.  To love our neighbor is defined when we ask ourselves Jesus' question: “Who was neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” Asked another way, “Who will be neighbor to those who have been enslaved by the devil?”  Berry Kercheville The post Evangelism : The First Step in Reaching the Lost appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Old Testament Sermons / Speaker:David Desloge The post The Covenant Between the Pieces appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Chad Brock The post Jesus Heals the Paralytic appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:David Desloge The post 1 Chronicles 10-12 : The Rise of King David appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Eli Todd The post Jesus Heals the Garesene Demoniac appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The post Chronicles: Introduction & Survey (Part 2) , 1 Chronicles 1 -9 : The Genealogies and their Purpose appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Old Testament Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville Broken Covenant, Broken Prophet Jeremiah 11-12 Introduction: When we read most of the literary prophets, we learn virtually nothing about the prophet himself. But in Jeremiah, we live with the prophet throughout his mission. It is clear that God wants us to feel Jeremiah's emotions and disappointments so we can see the heart of God through him. God and Jeremiah suffer together as they battle with Judah over their unfaithfulness and the coming Babylonian invasion. In these two chapters we see God revealing a sermon Jeremiah is to preach to the people concerning the consequences of breaking God's covenant. After the sermon, the Lord shows Jeremiah that the people are plotting to destroy him. This sets up the beginning of a “broken prophet” that culminates in chapter 20 when  Jeremiah decides to quit. Jeremiah is now realizing the depth of Judah's sin and the seeming uselessness of preaching to these stubborn people. Most importantly, we learn about ourselves—the seriousness of living in a covenantal relationship with God, and the challenges we face as we suffer in the midst of a broken world.  Broken Covenant: “Hear the Words of This Covenant”, 11:1-17 1-8: “Covenant” is a common word used in scripture that we are all familiar with. However, most Christians are a bit fuzzy on the type of covenant God instituted with his people. God's covenant with Israel was called a “suzerain” covenant. It is defined as, “a sovereign or a state exercising political control over a dependent state.”  You might be familiar with this when you consider Babylon conquering Judah in 605 BC. Babylon now controlled Judah, and as long as Judah paid tribute and did not rebel or make deals with other nations, they could live in peace. But if Judah did not keep those terms, Babylon would destroy them, which is exactly what happened. Israel's covenant with God was also suzerain. Though Israel had done nothing to deserve it, God had graciously delivered Israel from the bondage of Egypt. The covenant came after deliverance, and if they do not accept the covenant, they are returned to bondage or destroyed. But if they kept the covenant, God promised to care, protect, and provide for them, and even make them great if they gave their total allegiance to him.  Whether Christian or not, we have the same covenant with God. Through Christ deliverance is offered.  If we accept and keep the covenant he will give “exceedingly great and precious promises.” (2 Pet. 1:4) In Jeremiah's sermon, God makes the terms of the covenant quite clear. If you are accustomed to lawyer–like language as when you sign a mortgage or rent a house, you will be surprised at the simplicity of God's covenant. The foundational premise of God's covenant with his people is obedience. We see God's repeated statements in this section: “Hear the words of this covenant” (2), “do all that I command you” (4), “Hear the words of the covenant and do them” (6), “…warning them persistently, even to this day, saying ‘Obey my voice.'” How difficult is it to understand these repeated commands of hearing and obeying? How do so many not understand, “Obey my voice,” and “be careful to obey my covenant” (18x in Deuteronomy). What it really exposes is a person's half-hearted desire to be saved. A person who tests God's commands against their own desires and believes it won't matter if they intentionally compromise God's instructions, simply does not want to “make your election and calling sure” (2 Peter 1:10). 9-13 “Conspiracy!” This is another word that was common in those days. When the people of a suzerain rebelled, which Israel did many times with foreign conquerors, it was called “conspiracy.” This typically happened when the subject nation made treaties or alliances with other nations. Israel had done this by their multiplicity of gods and their trust in the nations instead of God. In other words, God's demand of us is loyalty, total allegiance to him. Anything less and we are in violation of the covenant. “Seek first…” 14-17 Consequences of violating the covenant. Note that even the prayer of a prophet will not save them. Note verse 15: “even sacrificial flesh” will not avert their doom. When we continue in violation of God's covenant, no amount of prayer, going to church, and taking the Lord's Supper is going to save us. Again, God desires “steadfast love, not sacrifice”. It is foolish to think that outward acts of worship would somehow make up for idolatry (vs. 17). We cannot have other “gods” in our lives and think that God is not provoked to anger. Please note God's response to our lack of complete allegiance to him: he “has decreed disaster against you,” and we are “provoking God to anger.”  Broken Prophet: “Like a Gentile Lamb Led to the Slaughter” 11:18-23 Surprise Jeremiah! Their conspiracy is not just against God, it is against you. Anathoth was Jeremiah's home town. He was a priest in that town. Even his own family (12:6) and people have turned against him and warned him that he would be killed if he continued to preach in the name of the Lord. 12:1-4 Jeremiah pleads his case before God. Notice the similarity of Jeremiah's complaint to our world today. We might think, “Amen, Jeremiah,  something has to be done about this wickedness. It's destroying everything!” — How long? (Vs. 4).   12:5-6 God's Reply:  What a surprising answer God gives that is so important for us: If you get weary running with men, how will you handle running with horses? In other words, this is only the beginning of your trials.  At this point, Jeremiah is so much like us. This isn't right! This is so unfair! This is not the way it is supposed to be! But God's time for judging the wicked is not our time. In the letters to the seven churches, how many times did Jesus warn the Christians to “overcome” and not give in to the persecution? Instead of saying, “I will protect you,” he said, “more of you will die…be faithful unto death.”  The Hebrew writer repeatedly said the same thing: “Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” (Hebrews 10:35-36) 7-13 God's Complaint. After warning Jeremiah that the next danger he will face is his own brothers, God launches into a description of what his people have done to him. We see God placing Jeremiah in a similar position has had been done to Hosea. Jeremiah suffers in a similar way as God so he can feel the pain and disappointment and so preach to the people. 7: God has had to forsake the “beloved of my soul.”  8: They have become like a lion in the forest, roaring against him and wanting to devour him. Therefore, “I hate her.” We should learn to never say, “No matter what we do, God still loves us.” God desires for us to be saved, but when we turn against him, we are his enemy. This isn't just us living sinfully—“a victimless crime.” We are destroying the kingdom of God, God's eternal purpose. We have joined the enemy. Can you imagine hating one of your children that way? Yes! Especially when we love God and God's kingdom more than anything or anyone else in this world. 12-13 “The sword of the Lord devours.” Destruction is decreed, “but no man lays it to heart” (vs. 11).  Conclusion: There are two choices before us, and only two. When God gave his own Son on the cross, he offered us freedom from our bondage to Satan. That freedom is dependent on us entering into his covenant. The covenant is simple to understand: Hear my voice…Obey my words. If you refuse follow the covenant, you are still in bondage and will die in your sins. The other choice is to stand with Jeremiah. As Jesus said, “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 16:25 As God said in Deuteronomy 30:15, 19, “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil…I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life.”  Berry Kercheville The post Jeremiah 11-12 Broken Covenant, Broken Prophet appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Eli Todd The post Jesus Turns Water Into Wine appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The post Chronicles : Introduction & Survey appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Topical Sermons / Speaker:Brian Roberts The post God’s Patience Before Judgment appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Old Testament Sermons / Speaker:David Desloge The post Tempted by Fear appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Eli Todd John 1:1-18 John 1:43-51 The post Jesus: The Ladder from Heaven appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:David Desloge The post 2 Kings 23-25 (Kings Finale) appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Topical Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The post Bernice Stories: Seeing the Work of God appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Chad Brock The post The Miracles of Jesus (Intro) appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Topical Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville Resurrection! Introduction: If you consider yourself a “believer,” the very foundation of the being a disciple of Christ is the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth after three days in the tomb. As Paul argued in 1 Corinthians 15, if there is no resurrection from the dead, then… Christ has not been raised If Christ has not been raised, then all of scripture is a lie. If Christ is not raised, then our teaching and our faith is worthless and we are still in our sins eternally lost. If Christ has not been raised, we are of all people most to be pitied. Of course, if Christ was raised and reigns as King, then…Instead of the believer being “most to be pitied,” the most to be pitied are those who refuse to believe and take advantage of the resurrection by obeying Jesus. However, the resurrection of Jesus poses a greater issue than just the fact that Jesus raised from the dead. We make a huge mistake if we simply celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus every first day of the week. Jesus and the apostles taught that the resurrection carries with it power that believers are to use in their daily lives.  Paul wrote that we are to comprehend “what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:19-20).  God's Repeated Foreshadowing and Symbology By looking too narrowly at the evidence, here is what I mean. We must not simply examine the evidence for the resurrection of Christ, though that evidence should be examined carefully. There is evidence for the power of God in resurrection throughout scripture. Ephesians 2:4-5 “But  God, being  rich in mercy,  because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses,  made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Every person who is a disciple of Christ should be acutely aware that Jesus' resurrection was intended to bring about both a present and future resurrection. We should be able to see our present resurrection simply by comparing our lives prior to Christ to our present lives.  Therefore it is critical to be reminded that God's resurrection power has been evident long before Christ and long before our transformation. God has always been giving life to the dead.  Genesis 2:7 “then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Until God breathed into Adam the breath of life, Adam was nothing but dead molecules formed out of dirt. We live physically because of the power of God's Spirit breathing life into us. After the sin of the Garden and the pronouncement of the curse of death, God repeatedly illustrated his power and desire to raise us back to life.  Genesis 5 In the midst of 10 generations of, “and he died,” Enoch “walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.”  When God chose Abraham and Sarah through whom the world would be blessed, God intentionally waited until both of them could not have a child before giving life to their dead bodies. Romans 4:17-19 “as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the deadness of Sarah's womb.”  We need to consider the great impact this has on us. If Abraham and Sarah do not have offspring, there is no Israel and there is no Christ and there is no us with hope and the world remain dead. Notice! God purposely did not leave our salvation in the hands of natural reproduction. The salvation of mankind is only in the hands of God and his power to give life to the dead.  To confirm, consider Romans 9:6-8: “But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.' This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.”   The implications of this are profound. It is the children of the promise that are counted as offspring. In other words, we are brought to life just as Isaac, not because of “works” or by anything we could have done, but by the power of the Spirit of God implanted in us through the resurrection of Christ.  Therefore, God has tied together the two greatest miracles/signs in the life of Jesus: the virgin birth and the resurrection of Jesus. Even the entrance of Jesus into this world would not be by natural procreation, but by the power of the Spirit of God overshadowing Mary. Now we can see the importance of salvation only coming through our lifelong “obedience of faith” in Jesus Christ (Romans 16:26), and no other way!  As Jesus said to Nicodemus, “You must be born from again.”  John 3:13 “…children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of he flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” Disciples Are Living Proof of the Resurrection Story  If disciples' lives do not demonstrate and reflect the resurrection, they are not disciples!  John 20:19 “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.'” This scene represents the condition and faith of the apostles prior to Jesus' appearance to them following his resurrection. The contrast is this scene as Peter and John all the Jewish leaders who condemned Jesus to death: Acts 4:10-13 “let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished.” What caused the change? Nothing but the bodily resurrection of Jesus.  But that was not the only change: Acts 8:3-4 “But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.” Note the affect that the resurrection had on disciples who were under the threat of imprisonment and death. No fear! Certainly they did not stay and get unlawfully arrested. But neither were they silent. Therefore, Jesus' foundational principle for our future resurrection is our willingness to give up our lives. Matthew 16:24-25 “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.'”  Romans 6:3-8 “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.”  2 Corinthians 5:14-17 “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”  Conclusion:  The above texts give us a clear picture of whether we have hope of a resurrection to life with the Lord.  First, we must be united with him in a death like his as we are buried with him in baptism into death. This is the beginning of our covenant relationship with him. Second, since we have died with him, we no longer live for ourselves but for him who died and was raised.  Finally, please beware that our future resurrection can be either good news or bad news. John 5:28-29 “Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.”  Berry Kercheville The post Resurrection! appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:David Desloge Speakers: David Desloge, Michael Lindsey The post Genesis 1 – 11 Questions & Answers (Part 2) appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Topical Sermons / Speaker:Danny McGee The post Salvation Narrative appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:David Desloge The post Genesis 1 – 11 In The New Testament appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Michael Lindsey The post Genesis 1 – 11 Drawing Summary appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Quarterly Group Studies Class / Speaker:Adam Malone Series: Have you heard of Woodland Hills Topic: Sharpening Our Beliefs Scripture : Matthew 5:21-32 The post Sharpening Our Beliefs appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:David Desloge The post Genesis 1-11 in the Old Testament appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Old Testament Sermons / Speaker:Scott Kercheville The post Genesis 42–45 True Repentance: Joseph, Jesus and Us appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:David Desloge The post Genesis 11:10-32 Genesis 11 & Beyond appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

New Testament Sermons / Speaker:David Desloge The post Luke 19:1-9 – Then Who Can Be Saved? appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Old Testament Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The post Jeremiah 10 – The Idolatry of Scarecrows appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:David Desloge The post Genesis 10:1-11:9 Table of Nations, Tower of Babel appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Michael Lindsey The post Genesis 9:18-29 Sin After the Flood appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Topical Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville “And He Gave Evangelists…” (3) Introduction: Purpose of these lessons: Understanding the need of and the work of an evangelist is critical whether you stay at this church or must relocate. It is disturbing to often see both evangelists and shepherds who do not know or practice what God called them to do. Ephesians 4:11-16 reminds us of the importance of evangelists and shepherds in a local church as gifts God has given to equip Christians so that every part of the body can do its share, which causes the growth of the body and the edifying of itself in love. My primary purpose in these lessons has been to call attention to the great need we have throughout the brotherhood to raise up evangelists and shepherds who truly reflect God's purposes in Ephesians 4:11-16. The work of evangelists has especially been an enigma to Christians everywhere partially because we evangelists tend not to say much about our work and also because there are considerable differences in how preachers do their work. Thus it is easy for Christians to be confused about what the word is supposed to be and what we should look for in a preacher.  In this final lesson of our series we will consider the challenges & expectations of a prospective preacher and the challenges of a church in their relationship with him and his work. The Preacher and the Local Church Woodland Hills is not a typical church, especially when it comes to preaching and teaching. Not many churches have the number of men and women who possess the drive and desire to know God's word and the talent to teach/preach the word. Because of you, such desire and talent becomes contagious, causing others to want to join in the effort.  Ephesians 4:15-16 “…Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. That's God's goal and purpose for us and the elders and I love the work and progress in that regard. The church is learning to build itself up in love. Beautiful. Therefore, training other men to teach and preach (who have no plans of full-time preaching) is vital to the future and health of a church. We need future shepherds who have been trained and practiced in preaching and teaching. That has been a major failure in many congregations. Ephesians 4:11-16 includes the shepherds in equipping the saints.  Preaching and teaching creates a maturing of the church as a whole. Ephesians 4:15— Maturity is indicated by the ability to speak the truth in love.  Remember, we have a responsibility to the kingdom, not just to this church. Preparing and training men and women to teach (2 Timothy 2:2) is important for the kingdom as a whole when some of our members have the need to move to others areas (Julie is teaching a woman in Florence, AL that may never have heard the gospel if she did not move there).  However, as mentioned previously, there is more to the work of an evangelist than just a sermon. It is not uncommon for a men to get good at preaching a sermon, and then decide that qualifies them to be an evangelist. Or, the church decides we do not need a preacher because the men can just do the preaching. This has led to the increasing problem for churches who have a man who never trained and therefore does not understand the work. He can give a sermon, but does not know how to lead and equip the church in evangelism and spiritual growth. A topical sermon once a week is not going to do that.  The last two churches Teresa and I visited were clearly floundering. The goal of the church was to just to have a worship service and have someone preach a sermon. The sermons were “okay” but were not with purpose or direction to equip the church for the goal of Ephesians 4.  Two problems typically exist: Visitors will never come back for that kind of preaching, nor will members do any inviting. Evangelism is simply not on the radar. In fact, the only “evangelism” done is “church-building evangelism”—if the lost want to be saved, they know where we are!  It may surprise you, but the most important part of a good preacher training program is the amount of time the one being trained spends with the preacher! (Many preachers do not do this because it is so time-consuming) When we see training in the NT, it is on the job; it is a mentorship. When I train, the man goes with me to all studies so he can see and learn. He is with me in the “office next door” so that I'm available to him every time he has a question. Many hours are spent with me preparing him with my years of experience so that he is ready to face the work by himself.  [Recent young man was told he was “ready” after preaching a few sermons]. I know what it is like to start preaching without a mentor who can give me his experience. (1) Years of trial and error and bad mistakes. (2) Unimaginable stress. (3) A church that has to deal with my inexperience. The above also brings up the importance of a good church who is patient with an evangelist (young, but also the older!). Doctors speak of their work as a “practice,” and so it is with a preacher, there is always growth and learning that must continue. What a Church (and Preacher) Need to Know about Preaching (Seven General Abilities and Traits Needed to Preach) A passion and ability to study the scriptures—“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:14-17).   A willingness and ability to teach the word both to Christians and to the lost—“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control…what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also…do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 1:6-7; 2:2; 4:5). An evangelist should always be looking for an opportunity. This is not about just teaching at the building. A passion and skill to preach—“…devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching…Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (1 Timothy 4:13; 2 Timothy 4:2). There are two extremes: (1) “I just like to preach,” and (2) “I would prefer to just teach the lost.” Disciplined work habits—“Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress” (1 Timothy 4:14-15). A person who loves people, is good with people; friendly, loving, and caring—“And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness…” (2 Timothy 2:24-25). True also of shepherds! Some preachers are loners. Some spend too much time with members, they do not study enough. A person who has an exemplary lifestyle—“an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity…Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Timothy 4:12, 16). You are a Christian first, then a Christian who preaches.  A person who is able to handle the pressure and stress of the job—“As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5). Preacher Challenges a Church Needs to Know Every preacher will occasionally fall into a “rut” that he is not aware of, whether in sermon delivery or sermon topics. Examples: Filler words: um, uh, like, “right” (at the end of a sentence), just, etc.  Length of sermon (which is usually just trying to cover more material that can be comfortably assimilated for the time period given). Over-estimating the audience given the “brief” setting of our worship. An FC lecture is 50 minutes given to people who are expecting it. Further, there is not an 90 minute worship lead up to the lecture. Wanting to tell you everything we have studied and thus, adding points into a sermon, that though interesting, are not necessary to the message of the sermon, and therefore detract from the message. Especially in this regard, a sermon must be different than a Bible class. More details can be given in a class setting than in a sermon. The above is where members can come to the rescue! “Did you realize that you have been doing “thus and so” in your preaching?  The challenge of preaching to the new Christian and the mature Christian.  Preparing a sermon is not like “making a widget” or baking an apple pie for the one hundredth time. Each week starts from scratch. Each week is a brand new creative challenge. There is no doubt sermons would be better and possibly avoid some pitfalls if we could spend 40 hours to prepare a sermon instead of 15. But that would neglect teaching the lost and other parts of the work.  Many times members are amazed with how great a “meeting preacher” is with his sermons. And I completely agree. But I can tell you that if you go online and listen to this same preacher every week at his home church, it will be good, but usually not as great as the meeting sermons. Why? If he does a lot of meetings, he will have preached and refined the meeting sermons many times. That isn't possible with the first time he preaches it at the home church. Question: Is it acceptable to have a preacher who does not in some way lead the church in and participate in sharing the gospel with the lost? To be sure, all preachers have different talents. Some of us are not very good at setting up Bible studies with the lost (we often do not have many opportunities). But, there is no excuse for not doing “your share” with the abilities you do have.  Paul tells Timothy, “If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed…Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.” (1 Timothy 4:6, 12) I have known preachers to say, “I'm just not good at evangelism.” I'm sorry, you must be misunderstanding what God is requiring here: If you know enough about the Bible to preach a sermon, you surely known enough to teach Mark and Acts to someone who is lost. And you certainly should be working on your knowledge & skills of teaching and answering commonly asked questions. [my beginning was without any knowledge of how to reach the lost] You may feel inadequate in a conversation with a person you do not know well, but (1) you can practice just getting to know a person, and (2) you can rely on other Christians and their talents to bring you opportunities. It is one things to feel inadequate (Moses certainly did, as many of the prophets), but it is another to take on the role of an evangelist and decide not to do evangelism Conclusion: I hope these lessons have helped you better understand the need of evangelists and the challenges of both churches and evangelists. All of us need to be a part of encouraging and promoting the preparation needed to produce evangelists an shepherds in a local church. It starts at a young age! Berry Kercheville The post Ephesians 4:11-16 And He Gave Evangelists… (3) appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

New Testament Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville I Am the Door of the Sheep, the Good Shepherd John 10:1-21 Introduction: As we read the text before us our first thought might be, “Never have more beautiful words been uttered than these”—“I am the door of the sheepfold; I am the good shepherd.” Those words by Jesus should give us great comfort. However, a more careful examination reveals that in the original context Jesus was offering more than comfort, he was also revealing condemnation. When Jesus says, “I am the door of the sheep…I am the good shepherd,” we must remember that John proclaimed Jesus as the “Word.” With every “I AM” statement, Jesus is revealing the beauty of God, and also the very nature of God. Both statements should alert us to three truths that must be clearly accepted and acted upon by us: We are sheep. It is foolish to think of ourselves any other way. Sheep are extremely vulnerable. They are among the weakest of all farm animals and are completely unable to protect themselves apart from a shepherd. We, however, in contrast do not think of ourselves that way. As Jesus said in the conclusion of chapter 9, we think we see, when we are actually blind.  Without a shepherd, we are without wisdom or direction. Sheep have no idea how to seek good food and water for themselves. On their own, they will starve, become diseased, and die. There is no such thing as “wild sheep” who roam in the open country. We must choose a shepherd to lead us. There are other choices for “shepherds.” Many claim to be shepherds, but there is only Good Shepherd. All us are “hirelings.” Seeing the Movement through the Text As usual, seeing a new chapter division causes us to conclude that we are starting a new event in Jesus' life. But careful reading shows that this is not so. Note the lead up to chapter 10: In chapter 5, Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath who had been in physical bondage to his illness for 38 years. In chapter 6, Jesus took on the escalated role of a new Moses leading a new exodus. He portrays this by not only feeding the people, but also crossing the sea by walking on it, and then proclaiming himself to be the bread of life.  In chapter 7, during the Feast of Tabernacles, and at the time of seventh day when the priests poured out water at the altar and calling to God to give them the abundance of water, Jesus cried out, “If any man thirsts let him come to me and drink…out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.”  In chapter 8, Jesus at the same time, proclaimed himself as “the light of the world,” and then followed up in chapter 9 with giving sight to a man born blind,  As we come to the end of chapter 9, we see that Jesus has not only healed the physical sight of the man, but has also brought to spiritual sight. The man was cast out of the synagogue by the Pharisees, and therefore banned him from the flock of Israel. In 9:39, after the confession of belief by the man born blind, Jesus makes a startling statement that his entrance into the world was “for judgment.” That is not that he came “to judge,” but that his entrance created a judgment between those who knew they were blind and needed sight, and those who believed they could see and therefore did not know they were  blind. As you read those final verses of chapter 9, and then into chapter 10, you will recognize immediately that there is no break. Immediately, Jesus answers the Pharisees who had just challenged his statement that they did not recognize their own blindness. The metaphor of “entering the sheepfold by the door,” and “I am the door to sheep.”  With this metaphor, Jesus speaks of a communal sheepfold that was common in the city. A large enclosed area was provided in which many different flocks of sheep were housed. There was one entrance guarded by a doorkeeper who knew the different shepherds and would only allow a true shepherd to enter. Once inside a shepherd would call his sheep, and only his sheep would respond by gathering to him. He would then lead them out and they would follow because they knew his voice. In this picture, Jesus is speaking of how one would enter this sheepfold. The only legitimate way to enter was by the door. Anyone attempting to enter another way was a thief and a robber In the second picture Jesus speaks of a temporary sheepfold that would commonly be set up for the night out in the open field. This sheepfold consisted of four walls but no door. Once the sheep were inside the enclosure and night had fallen the shepherd would lay down at the entrance of the enclosure. He literally became the door of the sheepfold. No sheep could enter or leave except through him. And no wolf or robber could enter except over his body. A true shepherd would never leave that post and leave the sheep unattended. [remember David killing the lion and bear?] But a hireling, one who was in it just for pay and did not love the sheep, would flee and save his own life at the first sign of danger. A true shepherd would literally die protecting the sheep. If the sheep were stolen or destroyed it would only be after he had given his life. In both illustrations Jesus has placed Himself squarely in contrast to the Jewish leaders as to who was the true shepherd of the flock. They were not true shepherds and did not care for the sheep. Their only interest was self-interest. They neither entered by the door of the sheepfold (were not true to God’s teachings), nor did they care for the sheep like a true shepherd. Those who followed them were not of the Lord’s flock, while those who would not hear their voice [blind man] but instead heard the voice of the Lord were of the true flock. It was no surprise that they cast out the healed blind man or that this man followed Jesus. They were not the good shepherds and he refused to hear their voice. The Primary Message in the Context Making the connection between chapters 9 and 10 allows us to see the message Jesus is giving the Pharisees. Jesus is exposing the serious condition of the Pharisees and everyone else who remains blind while they think the see.  As with the Pharisees, when a person thinks he sees, he is like a lamb who decides he can explore any part of the countryside he desires. Some sheep, and most people, think they will be fine exploring whatever they desire. Their thoughts and their ways become their shepherd. Cf. Isaiah 55:8-9. Therefore, Jesus is proclaiming that you cast this blind man out of your sheepfold because you are a thief and a robber. He has now not only entered another sheepfold, but he actually entered by the door of the sheepfold. We must hear the message today. There is only one sheepfold and there is only one door to that sheepfold, and that is Jesus. There is no other!  We often see Christians “slipping, falling away, turning in other directions, and generally no longer fully trusting in the Shepherd. The simple question is, where do you think you are going? You leave the shepherd and the sheepfold and you will lose life. You will die.  Verse 11 “I am the good shepherd.” Contrast verse 10, “The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy.” Jesus is the good shepherd, not a good shepherd. Jesus is clearly calling on us to choose! There is a choice. Which will you choose? Ask yourself, what happened to those leaders? What happened to the Pharisees? What happened to the Jewish nation? They followed other shepherds and they were destroyed…brutally!  The Message for Us: The Sheep Hear His Voice  That is what is unique about sheep: they follow the voice of their shepherd, and they not only will listen to his voice, they will flee from a stranger—any other potential shepherd. What is a stranger? What is another shepherd? Paul said in well in Ephesians 2:2, we followed “the course of this world, the prince of the power of the air.” Most people, and even some who call themselves Christians, do not know who they are following. If it is not the good shepherd, it is the devil. When I read this the first thing I think of is, as dumb as sheep are, in this regard, they are smarter than us. Listen to the good shepherd.  How do you know if you are in the good shepherd's flock? You hear his voice! Please remember, Jesus is talking to the most religious people of his day. We often meet people who are very sincere in their beliefs. But sincerity is not the test. Do they hear his voice, or are they ignoring his voice and following their own voices? This is simple identity question. Follow his voice and you are his sheep. Don't follow it, and you are not his sheep. Verse 3 “…he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” This is not, “Hey, you all can come out now!” He calls each by name. A shepherd would have a certain “voice” he would use for each animal. Jesus knows us individually. He is calling you, specifically you. Will you follow? Verse 14, “I know my own and my own know me.”  Principle: Shepherds lead, they do not drive the flock!  Shepherds must be decisive concerning the direction and needs of the flock.  It is the reason they are “elders.” They are expected to have greater wisdom and greater experience than the flock. The flock is able to lie down when the elders lead and take the flock where they ought to go. When the children of Israel wanted to go back to Egypt, Moses didn't take a vote. The question is not what would the congregation like to do. The question is, what is the best for the spiritual welfare of the church! Many elders of churches have told me that after COVID, the church got accustomed to not meeting Sunday evening, so we went along. Really? You didn't answer the question of where you are leading this church and how will meeting less enhance our spiritual growth. The sinfulness of shepherds who think they are cowboys. Your flock are sheep, not cows. Matthew 20:25. The Value of Following: “I Am the Door…the Good Shepherd” Those who enter will “go in and out.” — They are always safe; the wolf cannot touch them. The good shepherd is always there. 10: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Jesus is the only path to life, that is, true abundant living. He is not just talking about eternity, that abundant life is even being tasted now. 13-14: Jesus is the only one who cares for the flock. Only Jesus can be trusted with our lives. “He knows his own.”  15: Jesus lays down his life for the sheep. “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) 17: Jesus lays down his life so that he could give and attain an even greater life. Conclusion: It is almost humorous to read in verse 20 that some heard this and said, “He has a demon, and is insane.” No, insanity is living without the Good Shepherd.  Berry Kercheville The post John 10:1-21 I Am the Door of the Sheep, the Good Shepherd appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Michael Lindsey The post Genesis 9:1-17 God’s Covenant appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Michael Lindsey The post Genesis 8:20 – 9:7 Noah’s Sacrifice appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Old Testament Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The post Jeremiah 5 – 9 : Disaster Looms – The Temple Is Not The Answer appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.