Sermons – Eastside church of Christ

Paul began this chapter by telling Timothy of his role in making disciples (v. 2). He mentioned three “occupations” that illustrated Timothy’s work as a preacher. Two of these were directly related to the work of making disciples (soldier and farmer). In a related passage, Paul mentioned another related “occupation” – a shepherd (1 Corinthians 9:7). The work of making disciples is ongoing. We do it by doing the work of the farmer, the shepherd, and the soldier.

God created the world, and it operates according to the rules He established. This includes times of “seedtime and harvest” (Genesis 8:22). The outcome of the harvest depends (in part) on what was planted, when it was planted, and how it was done. This illustration of sowing and reaping is used throughout the Bible. As we consider some passages that describe sowing and reaping, we learn about what we are to do, what we are to avoid, and what the consequences are of our choices.

The New Testament repeatedly emphasizes the togetherness of brethren in the early church. Shortly after the church was established, the first Christians were meeting and eating together. Many churches today host “fellowship meals” – meals hosted by a congregation and conducted as part of the church’s work. But was Luke describing a church-sponsored meal? If not, are these meals at least authorized?

It is good and necessary to revisit certain topics from time to time. We do not want to “drift away” from what we have learned previously (Hebrews 2:1). Some topics are so foundational that they affect what we believe, teach, and practice (individually and collectively). The topic of bible authority is one of these foundational topics. We will take another look at it here, perhaps in a different way to help reinforce the concept for us.

James said we will be “judged by the law of liberty” or “the law that gives freedom” (NIV). This should affect how we “speak” and “act.” So what does this mean? What is the “law of liberty”? How does recognizing this affect our lives? And how does this impact our view of others?

In this chapter, the rulers of God’s people were condemned, yet the false prophets tolerated it because they were comfortable, and they attacked anyone who jeopardized the current arrangement. In the same way today, false teachers are content when they have their livelihood, but when this is threatened, they “declare holy war.” This same mentality exists among various groups today – more than just false teachers/prophets. They are concerned with their livelihood, wealth, status, etc. When that is threatened, they will invoke God, the Bible, a sense of morality, etc. as a defense for their “right” to have what does not rightfully belong to them.

In this short epistle, Jude warned about false teaching, reminded us of examples of God's judgment, and explained how to combat false teachers.

This is the final lesson in our series on Gideon. He was a hero of faith (Hebrews 11:32) who helped deliver the Israelites from the Midianites. Yet he certainly had his faults. In this lesson, we will see how he was an illustration of the wise man’s warning: “Pride goes before destruction” (Proverbs 16:18). For all of the good things Gideon did, he later allowed himself to be puffed up with pride, which led him to do things he should not have done. This is a warning for us because we can do the same.

When the time came to go to battle against the Midianites, Gideon assembled a large army. Yet God dramatically reduced his number in order to teach him (and us) a lesson. Despite the smaller number, Gideon’s army of 300 defeated the Midianites because God was with them. The lesson from this is that we need to trust in God, not the number of people on our side.

The Israelites were being oppressed by the Midianites (Judges 6:1-7). God sent an angel to call Gideon to deliver them (Judges 6:12-16). He questioned God and doubted his ability to carry out this task, but he went. He was a hero of faith (Hebrews 11:32). Through his leadership, God would deliver Israel. Yet something had to be done first. He had to deal with the problem that caused all of the trouble – idolatry.