The Book of Joshua, Chapter Twenty-Four, verse fifteen records Joshua’s epic challenge to the nation of Israel as they consolidated their conquest of the Promised Land and as he entered the sunset of his life.  “Choose you this day whom ye will serve” were not only the words of a great leader and courageous soldier but those of a father who experienced favor from God.  This sermon examines the sources of Joshua’s divine favor.   

For fifty-seven verses, in 1 Corinthians, Chapter 15, the Apostle Paul shares the truth about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the impregnable fortress and irreplaceable foundation of Christian faith.  And then, with but one word, “therefore,” in verse 58, he moves from principle to practice, from rhetoric to relevance, from argument to application, from exposition to experience and challenges the Corinthian church to be focused, faithful and fruitful.   We can do this too because of the "power of the previous" as it is embodied in Jesus’s glorious resurrection.

In the Book of Hebrews, Chapter 4, verses 14 – 16, the author writes with the expressed purpose of encouraging persecuted Christians to hold on to their faith.  He reminds his readers that they have a friend in high places.  This sermon reminds us that Jesus is that Friend and He is unique because of His position, promotion, person and provision.  

Writing from prison in Philippians, Chapter Three, verses 7 - 11, the Apostle Paul shares the essence of the Gospel.  He is committed to telling the truth.  His powerful witness extended to the “saints in Caesar’s household”.  This sermon focuses on the characteristics in the life of every believer and every church who stands up for Jesus.   

On a very practical level, Psalm 46, stanzas 10 – 11, is a command to slow down, to stop, relax or quit.  It is a spiritual speed bump.  The author of this psalm recognizes the possibility that in life we will find ourselves at times speeding up because of pressure, problems and pain.  It is like being on a treadmill but someone else is controlling the speed or incline.  When this happens, we can “step out of the traffic and take a long, loving look at our God”!  

In the fifth and final sermon of the “Quit Jiving, Forget Surviving and Start Thriving” series, we learn that we can thrive through times of physical, emotional, mental and even spiritual weariness.  In 1 Kings, Chapter 19, verses 1 – 8, the prophet Elijah, after courageously confronting idolatry in the nation is experiencing burnout and severe depression.  God taught the prophet yet another lesson.  He had to learn to lean.  We must as well!   

A few years ago, the word “rumble” became associated with a fight or conflict.  Today’s message, Part 4 in the “Quit Jiving, Forget Surviving and Start Thriving” Series focuses on the possibility that we can thrive through times of spiritual conflict.  In First Kings, Chapter 18, the prophet Elijah challenged King Ahab and his entourage of false prophets to a fight.  His valiant and victorious confrontation strengthened the faith of God’s people.  

Facing a crisis in life?  In Part 3 of the “Quit Jiving and Start Thriving Series, Dr. Stubblefield believes we have a choice!  We can stress or we can stretch!  This timeless spiritual lesson and biblical principle takes center stage in 1 Kings, Chapter 17 when the prophet Elijah resuscitates the dead child of a disadvantaged and distraught woman who hosted him in her home during a famine. 

In the second sermon of the series, “Quit Jiving, Forget Surviving and Start Striving,” the focus is on 1 Kings, Chapter 17, verses eight through sixteen.  God orders the prophet Elijah to leave the Brook Cherith and travel to a town called Zarephath.  Here, the prophet and the desperate widowed mother who became his benefactor survived and thrived through economic difficulty.  They exercised God’s precepts, embraced God’s priorities and experienced God’s power.  

In the first sermon of a series titled, “Quit Jiving, Forget Surviving and Start Thriving”, Dr. Stubblefield focuses on an epic passage in First Kings, Chapter Seventeen, verses one through eight.  The prophet Elijah, facing opposition was booked during a famine at the Brook Cherith where he experienced God’s miraculous protection and provision.  We can too when we follow where God guides, know how God provides and trust that God abides.