We continue our sermon series, Unafraid, looking at different people in Scripture who walked in the Lord without fear of this world. This week, we start our look in Judges 2 and 3 at Othniel.

Judges 2:11-13  REBELLION

JUDGES 2:14-15 and JUDGES 2:20-21  CONSEQUENCES    PEOPLE CRY

Judges 2:16  GOD ANSWERS                                       

JUDGES 2:17  REBELLION                                           

Judges 3:7-8  In the middle of spiritual confusion and cultural chaos God looks for A COURAGEOUS VOICE.

Judges 3:9  REPENTACE IS THE FIRST STEP TO VICTORY.

Judges 1:10-13

Matthew Henry - "Caleb is doing what older men should do, and that is inspire the younger generation to serve God."

A few things about unafraid Othniel.

1. Othniel had a questionable background.

2. Othniel was of questionable age.  

Judges 3:10-11

3. Othniel had unquestionable courage AND an unquestionable commitment

We start a new sermon series, Unafraid, as we look at what it looks like biblically to live a life without fear. We look at Caleb from Judges where we have an example of what it a life without fear looks like.

In our lives, either faith or fear is going to win the day.
They don’t co-exist! 

Judges 1:20

A FEW THINGS ABOUT UNAFRAID CALEB  

1.   Joshua 14:6-8 Caleb is not a JEW!

2.  HE whole-heartedly FOLLOWED GOD - Joshua 14:8, 9, 14

3.  Judges 1:20 HE trusted God for THE impossible  

How different would my life be if I surrendered to faith in God,  and not to fear?

In our final week of For Every Season, we discover through Psalm 33 why we sing.

PSALM 33:1-3

Colossians 3:16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

1. We sing to GOD because HE told us to sing to Him! 

New songs come from a fresh awareness of God’s grace.
Old songs remind us of what has been true for generations.

PSALM 33:4-9   2. We sing to God because He has done great things.

PSALM 33:10-12   3. We sing because God has chosen us as His Children.

PSALM 33:13-17  4. We sing because even though God is all-powerful, His eye is on us.

PSALM 33:18-19  5. WE SING BECAUSE HE HAS DELIVERED US FROM DEATH!

PSALM 33:20-22  6. WE SING BECAUSE HE LOVES US.

In seasons of hurting, it is difficult to find comfort and peace. But there is a source that we can draw from. In Psalm 34, we find the future King David running for his life in a cave, surrounded by others who are miserable. Yet, David can still praise God.

Psalm 34 Superscription

Psalm 34:1-3
1. WHEN I AM HURTING I WILL PRAISE GOD PASSIONATELY AND PUBLICLY.

PSALM 34:4-7

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise…

PSALM 34:8-10

2. WHEN I AM HURTING I will trust God to be my protector and provider.

PSALM 34:11-16 

3. WHEN I AM HURTING I will pursue peace and I will reject evil.

PSALM 34:17-22

4. When I am hurting, I am not condemned and I know I will be delivered.

As we continue our sermon series For Every Season, we hear from fellow church member, Dr. Matt Kim, a Professor of Preaching and Pastoral Leadership at Truett Seminary. In Psalm 95, we see a calling on our lives to worship and the how, why, and a warning.

PSALM 95:1-11

1. THE HOW OF WORSHIP: We worship the Lord by coming to Him, by singing, by making a joyful noise, and by coming into His presence with thanksgiving (vs. 1-2).

There is nothing complicated about the verb ‘come,’ except to say that worship is all encompassing. Worship is personal and participatory at its core, never passive. -  Doug Webster,The Psalms:

So we have a parallelism here. Look with me to 1B and 2B.

1B begins “Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.”

2B says “Let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise.”

We come so often to God, if we come at all, as beggars. We ask and beg: give me; bless me; help me; guide me; grant me. And that’s one necessary level of our existence. But in thanksgiving and adoration we come to God not to ask but to give! We come not whimpering but shouting praise; not in guilt but in gratitude. We feel not distant from God but close to God. We are like a traveler who is home again at last, the prodigal at a banquet. Those moments may be seldom, but when they happen we know that we were created for God. - Don Postema, Space for God

2. The Why of Worship We worship the Lord because He is a great God and there is no other! (vs. 3-7)

There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign overall, does not cry, Mine! - Abraham Kuyper,.

He [Satan] is a creature striving to be superior to the Creator. . . . Elevation of the Son is a problem for Satan, but bending the knee before God is what he disdains most. . . . Like any creature, Satan owes more to God than gratitude, though grateful recognition of the gift received is all God requires. In failing to give thanks, Satan is injuring God’s merit; he is refusing to give God even a fraction of what is due to God. . . . The unquenchable desire to be superior to God holds Satan captive. - Miroslav Volf The Cost of Ambition,

3. The Warning of Worship In every season, worship the worthy Lord, before your heart grows hard, and your praise turns cold (v. 8-11).

And I’ll praise you in this storm, And I will lift my hands, For you are who you are

No matter where I am, And every tear I’ve cried, You hold in your hand, You never left my side, And though my heart is torn, I will praise you in this storm. - Praise You in This Storm, Casting Crowns

When we walk through difficult seasons, how do we know who to trust or if we can trust? In this week's sermon, Pastor John walks through Psalm 18 and how we can find trust in different seasons of our lives.

PSALM 18 SUPERSCRIPTION - Psalm 18:1-3

1) Review the attributes of God, and you’ll find your trust in Him increase.

PSALM 18:4-6  PSALM 18:7-15

2) We trust most deeply in the thing we consider to be the most powerful. 

PSALM 18:16-24
3) The easiest person for God to lead is the obedient.

PSALM 18:25-30

4) God’s past trustworthiness gives us confidence to live in His present trustworthiness.

Psalm 18:31-42

5) Few things grow our strength and gentleness like trusting God in difficult days. 

PSALM 18:43-50

6) For those who put their hope in God, through Christ, every season of trust eventually ends in victory!

We continue our sermon series looking at Psalm 51 as we look at repentance and the depths of sin. Also, we find new life in Christ which is freely given.

Psalm 51:1-17

Sin is the serious defiance of God.

Sin firstly is offensive to THE LORD.

Sin is extensively devastating.

God is so gracious.

Exodus 34:6  The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

God’s grace is costly to Him, but free to us.

Confession leads to restoration.

Honestly leads to a re-created heart.

Humility leads to re-established joy.

We continue in our sermon series, For Every Season, in Psalm 40 as we look at what it looks like to wait. When we find ourselves waiting on the Lord, what is our response?

PSALM 40:1-3

God bends down, listens, and lifts up those who are waiting. 

What if your season of waiting allowed others to see what to do in their season of waiting?

PSALM 40:4-5

In a season of waiting, don’t fall for lies, and trust that you are in God’s view!

PSALM 40:13-15

There will always be detractors, accusers, and betrayers while you wait.

PSALM 40:16-17

A season of waiting is not a wasted season if the Lord becomes the greater reward than your desired outcome.

In this week's sermon, Pastor John covers Psalm 46 where we find God as our help in time of trouble and a fortress we can run to. Especially in a season of life filled with anxiety. And even now, as we reflect on the flooding in the Hill Country. God is our provision!

PSALM 46:1-11

Psalm 46:1 1. God is both awesome and accessible.

PSALM 46:2-3 2. Nothing - absolutely nothing - should move God’s people, who are under God’s hand, into fear!

PSALM 46:4-5 3. God has given ME provisions so that I will not drift into anxiousness.
> His Presence.
> His Help.
> His Holy Spirit. John 4:13-14

PSALM 46:6-7 4.The Lord, who is with ME, rules the world!

PSALM 46:8-9 5. Remember the vast capabilities of God! He is at work to bring ME peace

PSALM 46:10-11 6. Choose quietness over panic to hear again that God is with ME.

This week, we continued our sermon series For Every Season and took a look at Psalm 30. As Believers we are called to joy. But how do we do so even in seasons of tumult?

Joy is THE enthusiastic state of our soul as we believe that God is with us, for us, and in us!

Psalm 30:1-12

VV1-3 When we focus on our situations we become enslaved to them, when we focus on God we experience freedom! 

VV4-5 the bent of God is grace and favor toward His children. 

Weeping believer, there is certainty that joy is coming

VV6-7 Both poverty and prosperity are used for God’s purposes in our lives.

VV8-10 A Bold Prayer: God, extend my life so that I can praise You for more days!

VV 11-12 Joy is BOTH AN EXTERNAL AND AN eternal CONDITION FOR those who know God!