Gooch Lane Church of Christ Podcast

With springlike weather, it won’t take long for gardeners to begin getting excited about upcoming plantings. Care will be taken to get soil prepped and ready, seeds ordered, and garden tools sharpened so that everything will be conducive to good growth. What, though, if God was the gardener? Through the prophet Isaiah, God described His people as a vineyard, elaborating on the great care He had taken for protection and success to ensure growth. However, for all the preparation, Israel became a degenerate vine, producing nothing but wild grapes. As a result, God pronounced woes on this nation, explaining what their rejection of the “Heavenly Gardener” would mean for them. Even his prophet had a lesson to learn. This sermon will explore the Lord’s words through Isaiah and the prophet’s reaction to them. It will also delve into the lessons that modern Christians can learn as the time came for Isaiah to take a hard look at himself as he lived in the midst of the degenerate vine.

A sermon given by Greg Chandler on February 18, 2024.

To be holy as God is holy means putting away all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander (I Peter 2:1). Still, there may be those who choose not only to keep these unholy characteristics but to also use them against others. While this is always difficult, it is especially hard when it is a fellow Christian. How does God expect me to deal with it if I find myself in such a situation? How do I remain holy when treated in an unholy way by a fellow believer? This sermon will explore these questions and seek to find wisdom from God on how to deal with un-Christian behavior with a Christlike attitude.

A sermon given by Greg Chandler on February 11, 2024.

Throughout the Bible, particularly Psalms and Lamentations, God demonstrates how to handle those times in life when it appears He is far away. Though the writers’ situations varied, they were united in recognizing the need to approach God to ask why bad things were happening and when He would come to their rescue. Their writings help the modern generation when those same types of situations occur. 

A sermon given by Greg Chandler on February 4, 2024.

Being holy as the Lord is holy brings one to love fellow believers with a sincere and fervent love. This type of love, however, requires significant changes in attitude; any thought or behavior that seeks another’s harm must be put away. As believers model their lives after their Savior, they become living stones that are fit for building a spiritual house for God. This study will discuss putting away those things that seek harm and coming to love those with whom they will be eternally joined. 

A sermon given by Greg Chandler on February 4, 2024.

How do you know if you are holy as God is holy? In answering that question, many might say it is an Inner, “better felt than told experience.” Others might consider it great works that testify quite publicly of one’s changed status. Peter, however, states that proof of holy living is seen in the treatment of fellow Christians. This study will examine how attitudes and actions directed toward members of the body of Christ demonstrate whether one is seeking to live holy. 

A sermon given by Greg Chandler on January 28, 2024.

For years, Christians have sung about “amazing grace” and “grace that is greater than all our sins.” Indeed, a lack of appreciation for God’s gracious gift of salvation is to miss His grand gift seen in the work of Jesus Christ. This, however, is not the full picture of grace. The apostle Peter wrote, “Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (I Peter 1:13b). At both the time of baptism and the second coming of our Lord, grace ushers us into a new life. What, though, should mark our lives between these two life-changing events? Peter answers this question: “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct” (15). This study will focus on not only the appreciation we should have for God’s grace but also how holiness will transform our lives so that we will be ready to meet Him when grace brought “at the revelation of Jesus Christ” comes to fruition. 

A sermon given by Greg Chandler on January 21, 2024.

Nearing the time of His death, Jesus prayed to the Father not only about the mission He was bringing to its grand conclusion but also for those who would take His gospel into all the world. As a part of His requests to the Father, He prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:17). His requests did not stop here; He also prayed for those who would hear the message of the apostles and seek salvation in this truth. This sermon will explore how a Gentile Centurion was able to see Jesus’ authority and how this authority is evidenced in Jesus’ prayer to the Father.

A sermon given by Greg Chandler on January 14, 2024.

This study will focus on how both congregationally and individually, we can develop habits and strategies to grow in our holiness in 2024.

A sermon given by Greg Chandler on January 7, 2024.

After 40 years in the wilderness, likely very little seemed new to Moses; however, a burning bush that did not burn up ended the monotony! As he approached this spectacle, he heard none other than the voice of God commanding him to take off his shoes since he was on holy ground. With this command, a 40-year partnership with God commenced that would forever seal his name as a faithful and loyal servant of Yahweh. Since then, only one other heard the specific command to remove shoes because of being on holy ground, yet the concept has been present for all who would dare to commune with God. This study will explore how one can draw near to the holy God without fear of destruction and how, like Moses, a partnership with the holy God can begin.

A sermon given by Greg Chandler on January 7, 2024.

A report on the evangelism work in Malawi given by Larry Vinson on December 31, 2023.