Woodland Hills Church of Christ

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Woodland Hills Church of Christ episodes

March 26 Genesis 1 – 11 Drawing Summary
Bible Classes / Speaker:Michael Lindsey
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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44 min
March 22 Sharpening Our Beliefs
Quarterly Group Studies Class / Speaker:Adam Malone
Series: Have you heard of Woodland Hills
Topic: Sharpening Our Beliefs
Scripture : Matthew 5:21-32
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42 min
March 22 Genesis 1-11 in the Old Testament
Bible Classes / Speaker:David Desloge
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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44 min
March 22 Genesis 42–45 True Repentance: Joseph, Jesus and Us
Old Testament Sermons / Speaker:Scott Kercheville
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35 min
March 19 Genesis 11:10-32 Genesis 11 & Beyond
Bible Classes / Speaker:David Desloge
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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46 min
March 15 Luke 19:1-9 – Then Who Can Be Saved?
New Testament Sermons / Speaker:David Desloge
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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33 min
March 15Jeremiah 10 – The Idolatry of Scarecrows
Old Testament Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville
The Idolatry of Scarecrows
Jeremiah 10
Introduction: In Isaiah, the Lord made many arguments to the people about the foolishness of idolatry. One hundred years later and a new generation, he heightens his description of the foolishness of humans and their idols.
Of course, the bad news is, our problem with idols is greater than their problem. You might say, “What are you talking about? We don’t have golden calves and female Ashtorath.” Yes, and that is what makes our idolatry worse. We love to deny we have a problem and that makes it a bigger problem. Consider a few passages:
1 Corinthians 5:11, “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or covetousness, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”
Colossians 3:5 “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
Luke 12:15 “And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” In the followup parable of the Rich Fool, Jesus said the covetous man was not “rich toward God.” Simply building bigger barns was not the problem. His eyes and heart were on taking his ease and thinking his happiness would be attained through having a wealthy retirement.
In 1 Timothy 6:6-11 contrasts the love of money to being content with food and clothing. When we are not content, it is evidence of idolatry.
These passages are not to suggest that specifically coveting money is the primary problem with Christians. Most Christians are very liberal with their giving. Coveting is more subtle than that.
Paul speaks of “all manner of covetousness” in Romans 7. In the most basic sense, idolatry is “inordinate desire.” It is desire that places anything above service to God or what should be given and dedicated to God.
These desires do not even have to be literally fulfilled in order to be idolatrous. Jesus said that the lust of the heart was enough to commit the sin (Matthew 5:21ff).
When lives are lived this way, what makes it idolatry is we are trying to fill an inner void with something other than God. Israel’s idols were in addition to what they believed they couldn’t or might not get from God, especially in a timely fashion.
“Learn Not the Way of the Nations” (10:1-16)
10:2 In other words, do not think the way our culture thinks. Do not be influenced by what influences people today. What could that be?
Present cultural idols:
Money & pleasure
An automobile. And idol? Always has been. Remember how you felt with your first car? The commercials prove it. You can pretend you live like the rich and famous. Just sign up for a $700/month payment and you can ride in luxury and appear amazing. But you actually have made yourself poor and turned your eyes away from the living God (v. 10) who can give you true riches.
Job/career/economy
Marriage/Family/Children
Sexuality (a major idol! Always has been, and especially today)
A life of ease. [desires for retirement: travel, rest, enjoyment, live for self, but what are the plans for more effort in God’s kingdom? “Rich toward God.”
Politics/Leaders/President/Congress (how we worry and are anxious, but they are human and not God. They may do a “little” good or a “little” bad in comparison to the King of kings, but our anxiousness proves our idolatry.
10:3-5
10:5 “…they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.” They ultimately have no real power. Ecclesiastes 1:3-11 — the same things keep happening over and over. Obviously, whatever we think these “gods” are doing, they are not doing. All is vanity—just a breath. (Vs. 3: same word as in Ecclesiastes)
“Like scarecrows in a field”— Consider the scarecrow. What does it do? It pretends to be a real person; it pretends to be a threat to birds and anything else that could eat the crops of a farmer’s field. But it isn’t real. It can’t do anything. A bird could land on it and do things birds do when the land on something, but the scarecrow knows nothing about it. The scarecrow is a fraud. It has nothing to do with reality.
What is a scarecrow made of? Wood and other things that God has made. What are our idols made of? Only things that God has made. And we take what God has made and we form it and prop it up in our minds as if it has power and intelligence, and can fill our inner desires. But it doesn’t. If fact, our desires are always greater than the reality of having.
“Fasten it with hammers!”
Instead of simply being content with what God gives us and enjoying it for the day, we think it is something to be grasped, something that has importance to satisfy out lives. But it is not the source of life. They are frauds.
Verses 8-9, “They are both stupid and foolish; the instruction of idols is but wood…beaten silver…gold…clothing violet and purple…all the work of skilled men.” In other words, our idols are glamorous. That is what draws us to them (Eve and the Tree).
10:10-11 “The Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King.” No one replaces God after four years. It is pleasing God that should be our concern, because his wrath can make the earth quake and nations fall. Only the living God can truly affect the life we live!
Remember the first place you lived? Little apartment or old rundown house that was cheap enough for you to make ends meet? Would it really make that much difference if you had to go back to that? If God is your hope and dreams, not a bit!
Why would we be so foolish as to be anxious about all these idols around us and what they could do for us? These gods did not make the heavens or earth!
Notice verses 12-13. He made the earth by his power, wisdom, and understanding. Simply by uttering his voice—he just speaks—and storms and rain appear. Now where is our trust? In the wisdom of this world? No, we must “wait for the Lord.” He has the wisdom. We can pray and trust what he will do. That is true comfort!
10:14-15 When we serve an idol or these idols, we have made ourselves as fools. NLT, “The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge! The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make, for their carefully shaped works are a fraud. These idols have no breath or power. Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies! On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed.” Humans have become like their idols—worthless!
The Remedy of Idolatry: Prayer of Jeremiah, 10:23-25
Summation of 17-22: Gather up your belongings; you are about to be slung (Heb. “Hurl a stone from a sling”) out of the land! Your idols have failed you. You sowed to the wind and you will now reap the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7).
Verse 23: Jeremiah’s acknowledgment, this is not my life.
Oh how we want to choose the way our life should go and how it should be lived! In that case, the greatest idol of our life is ourself.
How interesting that God did not create us to govern ourselves successfully. That may seem odd at first, but it is not odd. God created us to attain our greatest possibilities in and through him. That is true because their is nothing greater than him!
Idolatry, pure and simple, is when we think we can direct our own steps.
Verse 24: Since we cannot direct our own steps, we always need God’s correction (Hebrews 12). His correction can come many different ways, but it must be listened to if we are to be pleasing to him. None of us like correction, but it is a mark of humility. Jeremiah’s request is that God corrects “only in due measure” (NIV) and not in God’s anger, as had to be done to Judah.
Verse 25: This verse may offend the sensibilities of some, but we should rejoice when the nations who devour and consume others by wickedness are finally destroyed. Only then can righteousness prevail and the gospel spread freely.
Conclusion: Let’s ask ourselves, “How serious is idolatry? How serious is it in our own lives?” The letter of 1 John says nothing about idolatry until John offers a final admonition of love to his brethren in the verse last verse: “Little children, keep yourself from idols.”
Berry Kercheville
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38 min
March 15 Genesis 10:1-11:9 Table of Nations, Tower of Babel
Bible Classes / Speaker:David Desloge
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The post Genesis 10:1-11:9 Table of Nations, Tower of Babel appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.
42 min
March 12 Genesis 9:18-29 Sin After the Flood
Bible Classes / Speaker:Michael Lindsey
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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46 min
March 08Ephesians 4:11-16 And He Gave Evangelists… (3)
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
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47 min