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Woodland Hills Church of Christ episodes

June 29, 2025 The Grumbling Saints: See The Lord (Exodus 16-17)
Special Studies / Speaker:Greg Prince
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36 min
June 26, 2025 2 Kings Chapters 1 & 2
Bible Classes / Speaker:Berry Kercheville
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44 min
June 22, 2025 Giving God Our Best In The Supper
Quarterly Group Studies Class / Speaker:Adam Malone
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36 min
June 22, 2025 1 Timothy Chapter 5
Bible Classes / Speaker:Adam Malone
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47 min
June 22, 2025The Gospel Begins with a Covenant (Pt 2)
Topical Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville
The Gospel Begins with a Covenant, part 2
Deuteronomy 29-30
Introduction: In Romans 10, when Paul described “righteousness based on law,” he quoted Deuteronomy 27:26, “Cursed is anyone who does not fulfill the words of this law by doing them.” But Paul followed by quoting Deuteronomy 30:11-14, “For this commandment which I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it far off…that we may hear it and do it.” Therefore, Paul quoted from the same sermon in which Moses spoke of the curse of the Law, but also spoke of “righteousness based on faith” so that it was possible to be obedient to God and live.
The turning point from being cursed to having life is 29:1. God made an additional covenant “besides the covenant that he had made with them at Horeb.” Though the hope of mercy was embedded within the Law (Exodus 20:5-6), it was not explicitly described, as a covenant that would be found in Christ.
Therefore, this text was both an encouragement to Israel and a foreshadow of God’s covenant with us. Since Paul referred to this text to show how we can have life, we need to study it carefully because it is the basis for our life or death. We learn exactly what God expects of us as we live in his covenant.
Please remember, if you are a Christian, you entered into this covenant. Your salvation or condemnation is before us in these chapters. And as pointed out in the first lesson, our heart is critical to this covenant.
Blessings and Warnings of the Covenant
Reminder: God’s “additional” covenant carries with it both promises and warnings. In this covenant we are offered by life and death. No passage could be more critical for us.
Further, please be aware, this text is directed to people who have already entered the covenant, but need to be exhorted in how to live in the covenant.
29:2-9 Look what I have done for you, “therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them!” A primary key for how we are to respond to God’s covenant is remembering what he has done.
29:12 “…so that you may enter into a sworn covenant of the Lord your God…”
When we confessed Christ as our Lord, and touched blood with him in baptism, we entered a sworn covenant of loyalty and allegiance to the Lord. Ask yourself, Did you mean it? Or, was it like Israel, without a heart to understand, eyes to see, and ears to hear?
When I talk to a married couple considering divorce, the first point they always forget is that they made a sworn promise before God and many witnesses. You will be severely judged it you break your word.
29:13 The blessings of the covenant. But also what we will lose if we do not keep the covenant.
We are his people (God protects his people, unlike idols)
He is our God (He is the true and living God who can be counted on, unlike anything else in life)
We have the promised blessings of Abraham (these blessings reverse every curse)
29:17 “You have seen their detestable things…” Those detestable things are still in our midst – idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold. It is still these that take our hearts away.
29:18-19 Therefore “Beware…” It’s back to the heart!
Somewhere deep in our hearts is a “root.” It may not have sprouted to the surface yet so that it can be seen or is evident to anyone around. But it is there, and it is going to bear poisonous fruit. Just like any weed, you can just chop it off at the top – try to keep it from being seen – but it just comes right back, and will soon win the battle.
Verse 19 gives us the picture of this “root.” Can’t you just see an Israelite doing this? He walks around among the people, he attends Sabbath worship and hears the words of this sworn covenant! But inside, the root is alive and well, and he says to himself, “All will be well even though I walk in the stubbornness of my own heart.” We need to change our “want to” from the world to God.
Verses 20-21 Moses makes this very clear. You may walk around with that in your heart as you pretend to serve the Lord, but what is waiting is the anger, jealousy, smoke, and curses of the Lord! So much so, that God will single this person out for calamity.
Verse 28 Moses concludes the above point. If this person and the nation does not pull up the poisonous root, God will uproot them and cast them into another land. (Notice how he switched from one person to the nation. One person can affect the whole nation.)
Verse 29 A verse we love to quote, but it has a deeper meaning. Two messages:
There are a lot of things God has not revealed. Be satisfied with that and trust God. I’ve often heard people say, “Well I just don’t understand this or that…why doesn’t he just tell us this or that.” Often times he has, you just haven’t studied carefully enough. But even when he hasn’t, God doesn’t have to tell you everything just like a parent doesn’t have to tell their two-year old why they shouldn’t run into the street.
The main point: the things revealed belong to us…that we may do all the words of this law. Look, concentrate on what is revealed and do it!
How to Have a Heart to Serve God
Keep in mind that our “heart” has been the key to this entire text. Ritualistic obedience is not enough! God’s emphasis on having our hearts completely dedicated to him has a purpose of keeping us from simply obeying “laws” like a child would in “cleaning” his room, pushing dirt under the bed and hiding trash in the closet. God wants our hearts. How do we give our heart to him?
29:3-4
Consider what their “eyes” saw: trials, signs, great wonders. They actually saw these mighty works of God but still did not have a “heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.” Their problem was not God, which is evident by the fact that God is reminding them of what he has done for them. Their problem was a lack of deeper perception and consideration along with outright forgetfulness.
As Christians we can’t understand how this whole nation could watch God destroy Egypt and deliver them across the Red Sea, but still have no appreciation for God himself nor recognize God’s amazing character, love, and mercy on their behalf.
However, that forgetfulness and lack of deeper perception is actually a tendency among “believers.” In verses 2-9, God reminds Israel of what he has done! What? Were you guys asleep when this happened? No, they just went on in life with their daily challenges and lost sight of how they were surviving from day to day.
Do we do the same? Who gave you a place to live, a job, clothes and food? Who gave you a mind and a talent to be successful? Who gave you wisdom to avoid evil consequences of foolish decisions? Who gave you a floor in your house and salt and pepper on your table? Who gave you a bed to sleep on and a bathroom to use? Who sent is Son to save you and who died on the cross for you? James said, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…” (1:17).
Consider a few quick examples of unappreciated gifts:
In Luke 7:36-51, we read about the contrast of Simon the Pharisee and the sinful woman. Simon demonstrates no appreciation for God or Jesus. But Jesus said of the sinful woman, “she loved much because she was forgiven much.” Everyone of us needs a constant reminder that it is important to be aware of our failures, past and present, and therefore the greatness of forgiveness.
In Ephesians, Paul spent three chapters detailing what God had done for us. Note the emphasis Paul places on our former life:
“You were dead…”
You “followed the course of this world and the prince of the power of the air.” You worshiped the devil!
You “lived in the passions of your flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind.” Your life was summarized and doing whatever you wanted to do.
You “were by nature children of wrath.” God had a storehouse of wrath waiting to be poured out on you. You were in the same condition as Sodom and Gomorrah. In a short time, you were facing everlasting doom where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The very next words of Ephesians 2 are, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved” (Vs. 4-5). Do you remember that…really remember?
2 Peter 1:3-11 “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.” (2 Peter 1:8-9)
Now let’s admit something. At some point in our lives every one of us lacked a heart for God, and just like Israel, many who are Christians have not yet attained the heart for God that he desires. Further, just as I remember that in myself even when I was attending worship, you know if you are in that condition. Yes, you want God in your life. You want to maintain forgiveness, and you don’t necessarily want to go hog wild into sin. But knowing God and his word is not a passion for you. There are simply other things that you would rather pursue than God.
So, what do you do about it?
If you are not a Christian, you have to come to grips with the seriousness of your sins and the eternal consequences as we read from Ephesians. In the sight of God you are dead and the wrath of God is waiting for you. I know, you might think, “Is hell really the end result? After all, I’m not a ‘bad’ person.” Look, if hell wasn’t real and the end result of us living without obeying Jesus, Jesus wouldn’t have come to earth and endured the cross! Not only that, it is that same Jesus who spoke more about hell than any writer in scripture. Yes, you need to do something about your condition…and it is urgent.
If you are a Christian, you may have grown up believing that obeying some commands is all that God has required of you. The problems with that belief are evident:
First, this text reminds us that our covenant with God is founded on love – God’s love for us and our love for him. God gave up everything for us, and we must give all our heart, soul, mind, and strength for him.
Second, God describes the relationship we have with him as a marriage. How would you like a loveless marriage? Or worse, how would you like a marriage in which your spouse loved someone else? You wouldn’t like it, and neither does God.
Third, there is no joy in serving and being with God without a deep, passionate love for him. Serving God without love is nothing but an annoyance.
Therefore, since we cannot snap our fingers and be in love with God, God’s answer is that you must seek him and actively pursue the knowledge of him, and pray to him for help, so that you will love him. God is a sure thing. When you know him, you will love him, because no one and no thing is his equal. He designed us to love him. You may think that is a simplistic answer, but the doing is not simple. It requires time, discipline, and a desire above all else. And again, this is urgent! You must start now! Procrastinating expecting you will get to it some day, will never happen.
Final text: God’s Encouragement, 30:11-14
Conclusion: Embedded in the Gospel is a covenant––a marriage covenant at that!. And, embedded in the covenant is a circumcised heart that loves God with all his heart and soul, and will be careful to obey him.
Cf. Hebrews 8:10, “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
Why did God say the above? Because that describes people in his covenant!
There is only one way to win this battle. You must pursue God with all the strength you have. You cannot wake up every morning with your own will and your own desires filling your heart. It is the pursuit of God, hungering and thirsting for him, that will give you life. It is the pursuit of a lifetime because the Gospel is a pursuit for glory.
Berry Kercheville
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47 min
June 19, 2025 1 Kings Chapter 22
Bible Classes / Speaker:Berry Kercheville
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44 min
June 18, 2025 1 Kings Chapter 21
Bible Classes / Speaker:Jared Partain
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45 min
June 15, 2025 There’s A Sinner Coming To Dinner
Topical Sermons / Speaker:David Desloge
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37 min
June 15, 2025 1 Timothy Chapters 3-4
Bible Classes / Speaker:Adam Malone
The post 1 Timothy Chapters 3-4 appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.
46 min
June 15, 2025The Gospel Begins with a Covenant
Topical Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville
The Gospel Begins with a Covenant, part 1
Deuteronomy 29-30
Introduction: What has been evident in this series of lessons is there are many facets to understanding the Gospel message. Not the least of these is that obedience to the gospel includes a covenant with God. When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper and took the cup, he said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many…”
Unfortunately, as with many other aspects of the gospel, we do not give much thought to our covenant with God. However, the very first thing God did after bringing Israel out of Egypt and to Mt. Sinai, was to make a covenant with the people. Embedded in the covenant is deliverance, ongoing forgiveness, protection, and ultimate glory. When we remember the Lord each week in the taking of the Supper, it is the covenant with the Lord we are to remember.
In this lesson, we will look more closely at that covenant. You might be surprised that we can look at our covenant from a text in Deuteronomy, but as we will see, this text is a foretelling and foreshadowing of God’s covenant with us – as it is “gospel,” good news. But it is also a covenant, which carries responsibilities on our part.
Understanding the Context: 1-13
You will notice in verse 1 a unique statement. The covenant-words in this final sermon by Moses, are in addition to the covenant that God made at Sinai. How are we to understand that? The following text in 29-30 helps.
29:13 This covenant has to do with the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham that would be fulfilled in the Messiah and his kingdom.
30:6 This is clearly fulfilled in the words of Paul in Romans 5:5-6. It is through the offering of Christ while were were yet enemies that “poured the love of God into our hearts.”
30:11-14 These words are quoted by Paul in Romans 10:5-10 to describe salvation by faith in Christ as opposed to to the works of the Law.
What then is the message? This text is a detailed description of the future covenant God would make with the disciples of Christ. Israel will fail this covenant, but those who follow Christ will succeed. Therefore, this text is a warning. The Lord will reveal the ways Israel will fail. We must guard our hearts from the same failure. (1 Cor. 10:11)
One other consideration of the context. The word “heart” is at the center of covenant acceptance.
29:4 “The Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.”
29:18-19
30:6, 10
30:14, 16-17
When There Is No Heart in the Covenant
Verse 4 is critical to understanding both Israel’s challenge and Israel’s problem. We might initially read this as if God is holding out on them by not giving them the heart they needed to serve him. But that is not the case. Certainly Moses had such a heart, as did Joshua and Caleb, but not the nation as a whole.
Therefore, verse 4 brings up the uniqueness of what God did to bring about this covenant with Israel. Earlier in Deuteronomy, God even mentioned this by reminding Israel that no god has ever delivered a people out of slavery from another nation. Two things are unique:
God acted first prior to the covenant offered. He did so even though Israel had done nothing to deserve his mercy.
This brings up the most rudimentary, foundational principle about God and his love for his creation. Delivering Israel is God’s notice to the whole world that humans are not designed nor able to successfully direct their own lives. But all mankind, from Adam on has been bound and determined to succeed on their own. Israel’s bondage illustrates the end result. Saving us anyway illustrates incomparable love.
“I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). Even many Christians do not learn this lesson!
Israel failed because they did not realize that even though God “delivered them,” they really were not yet delivered until they united their hearts to God and saw his commandments as their true deliverance. God was not looking for “servants,” he was doing what he pictured in Hosea; he took them out of bondage for the purpose of a marriage because that is their real salvation. The same is with us. Our God and King saved us from bondage to have a relationship because that is our real salvation. He wants our heart! 30:6
This was perpetually God’s problem with Israel, and unfortunately, is still a problem today. How would you summarize Israel’s wilderness wanderings? They would not tolerate hardship or inconvenience. They hated it that God would not satisfy their every lust in spite of the fact that they were going to the Promised Land.
To avoid Israel’s doom we must look beyond the here and now and understand that baptism is not all there is to deliverance from bondage. (Cf. John 6:44-45) Israel “saw” the signs, but not really.) This is especially illustrated in the rebuke Jesus gave after feeding 5000:
John 6:25-27 “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.”
Then Jesus said, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” Therefore, the Gospel does not just happen when we were forgiven, but when we truly give up our own personal desires and live as is described in 30:6
We could summarize Israel’s attitude: “We are glad to have you as our God. There are certainly some nice benefits. We are glad to adhere to some worship times. After all, we know you get angry when we don’t, and we don’t like it when you are angry. But really, we have our own lives to live and we would like to live our lives in ways that make us happy without your intervention.” This is exactly the way Gomer treated God. If you were married, would you tolerate that? Exactly! And God doesn’t tolerate it.
Therefore, are we living according to Deut. 29:4 or 30:6? According to Deut. 30:15, that is the only way they/we will live!
You have surely seen the point. The present-day half-hearted–when it’s convenient–don’t ask me to change my ways–or make a sacrifice, service to God is not keeping the covenant and will not give life.
Berry Kercheville
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40 min