The Witness of Submission and Suffering 1 Peter 2:13-25   Though we are citizens of another Kingdom serving a higher King, we must during our time of exile, submit ourselves to the authority that God has placed us under, in order that we may fulfill God’s purposes and be a witness to the watching world.   We would love to talk with you! Text 239.360.5030 with CONNECT and we will reach out to you to help you in your walk with Christ. You are loved here at First!

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Stranger Things - 1 Peter 2:13 - 25 - Alan Brumback - October 17, 2021

Our Christian Identity 1 Peter 2:4-12   Peter teaches us that we (believers) are a gospel community with a holy calling built on Christ our Cornerstone.   We would love to talk with you! Text 239.360.5030 with CONNECT and we will reach out to you to help you in your walk with Christ. You are loved here at First!

Stranger Things - 1 Peter 2:4-12 - Alan Brumback - October 9, 2021

It’s Time to Grow Up 1 Peter 1:22-2:3   We need to grow up because God gave us a new life that is only satisfied by the goodness of God that comes from drinking deeply in the Word of God.   We would love to talk with you! Text 239.360.5030 with CONNECT and we will reach out to you to help you in your walk with Christ. You are loved here at First!  

Stranger Things - 1 Peter 1:22-2:3 - Alan Brumback - October 3, 2021

How to live as an Exile? 1 Peter 1:13-21   A tourist, an immigrant, or an exile.   The battle for hope and holiness in a hostile world starts in the mind, reminding us of who we are in Christ. We are called to set our hope on the grace of God and set our lives apart for the holiness of God.   We would love to talk with you! Text 239.360.5030 with CONNECT and we will reach out to you to help you in your walk with Christ. You are loved here at First!  

Stranger Things - 1 Peter 1:13-21 - Alan Brumback - September 26, 2021

I am a Stranger 1 Peter 1:1-12   Who wrote 1 Peter? Answer: Peter. Most people like Peter. Peter is a down to earth guy who spoke his mind, had a big mouth and said dumb things. He was a fisherman who was not educated. Who did he write to? Believers who lived in Asia Minor (Turkey); to predominantly Gentile believers living in various locations. When did he write? Around 60-65AD. The emperor of Rome was Nero. Nero killed his mother, his first wife and his second wife. Most believe that Nero, in July 64AD, started the fire in Rome that burned down the city. Historians believe he did it because he wanted to renovate the buildings in Rome. The Roman Senate did not approve, so, he burned it down. Nero had a public relations issue, so like any good politician, he blamed the city of Rome being burned on this new religious sect called The Way. (Christians). He intensified their persecution. He put them in the Circus, where they would be eaten by lions and wild dogs for entertainment. He poured hot wax on them and nailed them on a post and set them on fire to light his gardens like human candles. Why did he write it? To give answers to questions that were bothering these believers so; questions about suffering and feeling different. These early believers were real people, going through real suffering in a world that now felt strange to them. Peter is writing to encourage them that it’s ok to feel like a stranger in a hostile world, because that is who they are now in Christ. If you are a Christian, you have a living hope and lasting inheritance in Jesus that enables us to live as a stranger and sufferer in a broken, hostile world.    

Stranger Things - 1 Peter 1:1-12 - Alan Brumback - September 19, 2021

Go: From Naples to the Nations Matthew 28:16-20   Matthew 28 is the resurrection story of Jesus that ends with the Risen Savior commissioning his disciples. Everything Jesus says here depends on the fact He is very much alive. A dead teacher cannot send his disciples. Jesus’ Resurrection is the proof he has all authority and therefore transforms all our priorities. If Jesus died and rose from the dead, then everything He tells us WE SHOULD DO and WE CAN DO! We must not let the distractions of life keep us from the convictions that sustain us for the mission that Jesus has called us to do.   To glorify God by making disciples of Jesus of all people.   We must not let the distractions of life keep us from the convictions that sustain us for the mission that Jesus has called us to do.   I. The Distractions that Stop Us (VS. 16-17)   - What is a Disciple? Someone who follows Jesus in faith and lifestyle and helps others do the same - Building an audience is not the same thing as making disciples.   II. The Convictions that Sustain Us   - God Wants to Use Me - God has Empowered Me: ---Luke 24:49 ---Acts 1:8 ---John 15:5 ---Zechariah 4:6 Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. -God is With Me (VS. 20b)   Matthew 28:16-20 ESV 16Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”   Luke 24:49 ESV 49And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”   Acts 1:8 ESV 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”   John 15:5 ESV 5I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.   Zechariah 4:6 ESV 6Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.

GO: From Naples to the Nations - Alan Brumback - September 12, 2021

“The Vision for the Church’s Mission” Revelation 7:9-10 Dr. Paul Chitwood   Five Questions:   1. Who do we see in the vision? 2. Where are they? 3. How did they get there? 4. Why are they there? 5. So what?   Revelation 7:9-10 ESV 9After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

September 4, 2021 - Dr. Paul Chitwood

Nahum: A minor prophet with a major message of Condemnation and Comfort.   Nah-who? (1:1) Oracle - Nineveh - Book - Nahum - Elkosh   Nahum’s prophecy presented a great dichotomy between Condemnation and Comfort.   “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Cor. 1:18   1. The Condemned: Nothing can stand against the condemnation of God’s wrath (1:2-6)   “for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” -Exodus 20:5-6   “Nineveh was going to receive the judgement that had been postponed at the time of Jonah....Past blessing does not guarantee present peace. The people of each generation must seek and serve God for themselves.” -Clive Anderson   Who can stand before his indignation? Indignation- anger aroused by something unjust, unworthy   2. The Comforted: God is good, our refuge, and we are not forgotten (1:7)   The Lord is good “I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works. Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, and I will declare Your greatness. They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, and shall sing of Your righteousness.” Psalm 145:5-7   A stronghold in the day of trouble “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.” Prov. 18:10   He knows those who trust in Him “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Prov. 3:5-6   Which Headline are you reading today? Is it one of Condemnation or Comfort?   “The wrath of God is here revealed from heaven against his enemies, his favour and mercy are here assured to his faithful loyal subjects, and his almighty power in both, making his wrath very terrible and his favour very desirable.” -Matthew Henry   Condemned -“Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts,” 2:13, 3:5a   Comforted - “Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace! Keep your feasts, O Judah; fulfill your vows, for never again shall the worthless pass through you; he is utterly cut off.” 1:15   “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” -Isaiah 52:7   “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1   “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” Col 1:19-20   “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.” 2 Cor. 1:3   What word comes to your mind when you think of the Goodness of God?Faithful, merciful, grace, salvation, provision, health, family, new pastor, blessings, children, steadfast, wife, husband, Bible, eternity, protection, refuge, love, plan, purpose, justice,

August 28, 2021 - Kevin Taylor

Following God to the Promised Land Exodus 23:20-32 Dr. Alan Brumback   God challenges and encourages us to follow Him by giving His presence to guide us and His promises to sustain us.   I. God’s Presence will guide us to the place He has prepared for us.   I send an angel before you to guard you on the way   To bring you to the place I have prepared   Tozer, A Cloud by Day and Fire by Night: If we are open to the Holy Spirit, He will lead us on the pathway; a destiny He has in mind for us. At this point, we may not fully know what that is. We may not know where we are going, but as long as we are following the Lord, we have nothing to fear. As we let go of our past, we can get a firm grip on the future God has for us.   II. God’s Promises will sustain us as we obey what He tells us.   Why was idolatry so alluring: - It felt guaranteed - It was convenient - It was normal - It was fun   “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” John 14:1-3   Exodus 23:20-32 ESV 20 “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. 21Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him. 22“But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 “When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, 24you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces. 25You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. 26None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. 27I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. 29I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. 30Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land. 31And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32You shall make no covenant with them and their gods.   John 14:1-3 ESV 1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

August 22, 2021 - Dr. Alan Brumback

Series: Judges Speaker: Dr. Jon Akin   If you want to end up like everyone else, don’t make Jesus your king   Judges 19:10-30; 21:25 Ruth 1:1-5; 4:13-17   Judges 19:10-30 ESV 10But the man would not spend the night. He rose up and departed and arrived opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). He had with him a couple of saddled donkeys, and his concubine was with him. 11When they were near Jebus, the day was nearly over, and the servant said to his master, “Come now, let us turn aside to this city of the Jebusites and spend the night in it.” 12And his master said to him, “We will not turn aside into the city of foreigners, who do not belong to the people of Israel, but we will pass on to Gibeah.” 13And he said to his young man, “Come and let us draw near to one of these places and spend the night at Gibeah or at Ramah.” 14So they passed on and went their way. And the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin, 15and they turned aside there, to go in and spend the night at Gibeah. And he went in and sat down in the open square of the city, for no one took them into his house to spend the night. 16And behold, an old man was coming from his work in the field at evening. The man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was sojourning in Gibeah. The men of the place were Benjaminites. 17And he lifted up his eyes and saw the traveler in the open square of the city. And the old man said, “Where are you going? And where do you come from?” 18And he said to him, “We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, from which I come. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to the house of the Lord, but no one has taken me into his house. 19We have straw and feed for our donkeys, with bread and wine for me and your female servant and the young man with your servants. There is no lack of anything.” 20And the old man said, “Peace be to you; I will care for all your wants. Only, do not spend the night in the square.” 21So he brought him into his house and gave the donkeys feed. And they washed their feet, and ate and drank. 22As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, worthless fellows, surrounded the house, beating on the door. And they said to the old man, the master of the house, “Bring out the man who came into your house, that we may know him.” 23And the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not act so wickedly; since this man has come into my house, do not do this vile thing. 24Behold, here are my virgin daughter and his concubine. Let me bring them out now. Violate them and do with them what seems good to you, but against this man do not do this outrageous thing.” 25But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and made her go out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until the morning. And as the dawn began to break, they let her go. 26And as morning appeared, the woman came and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her master was, until it was light. 27And her master rose up in the morning, and when he opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, behold, there was his concubine lying at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold. 28He said to her, “Get up, let us be going.” But there was no answer. Then he put her on the donkey, and the man rose up and went away to his home. 29And when he entered his house, he took a knife, and taking hold of his concubine he divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel. 30And all who saw it said, “Such a thing has never happened or been seen from the day that the people of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day; consider it, take counsel, and speak.”   Judges 21:25 ESV 25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.   Ruth 1:1-5 ESV 1In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 3But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.   Ruth 4:13-17 ESV 13So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

August 14, 2021 - Dr. Jon Akin

Series: Judges Speaker: Dr. Jon Akin   God still uses sinner-saints   Judges 13:1-5 Judges 13:24-25 Judges 15:18-20 Judges 14:3 Judges 21:25 Judges 16:18-21 Judges 14:4 Judges 16:22-31 Hebrews 11:32-34   Judges 13:1-5 ESV 1And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. 2There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children. 3And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. 4Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, 5for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”   Judges 13:24-25 ESV 24And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson. And the young man grew, and the Lord blessed him. 25And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.   Judges 15:18-20 ESV 18And he was very thirsty, and he called upon the Lord and said, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19And God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi, and water came out from it. And when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore the name of it was called En-hakkore; it is at Lehi to this day. 20And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.   Judges 14:3 ESV 3But his father and mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.”   Judges 21:25 ESV 25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.   Judges 16:18-21 ESV 18When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up again, for he has told me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands. 19She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. 20And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. 21And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison.   Judges 14:4 ESV 4His father and mother did not know that it was from the Lord, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.   Judges 16:22-31 ESV 22But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. 23Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, and they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.” 24And when the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said, “Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has killed many of us.” 25And when their hearts were merry, they said, “Call Samson, that he may entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars. 26And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.” 27Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained. 28Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. 30And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. 31Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years.   Hebrews 11:32-34 ESV 32And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.  

August 7, 2021 - Dr. Jon Akin

Series: Judges Speaker: Dr. Jon Akin   Be willing to offer all you have as gratitude for God’s love not bargaining to get it.   1. Be convinced of God’s great love for you!   Pattern: 1) God raises up savior 2) Israel rejects him 3) Gentiles accept him 4) He saves Israel   2. So be willing to offer God all you have out of gratitude NOT bargain   2 Options: 1) Human Sacrifice 2) Tabernacle Dedication   Jephthah’s response to the Ammonites in 11:12-28 shows that he is well-versed in the Pentateuch so vowing a human sacrifice would be strange for him given how strongly it’s denounced in the Pentateuch.   He is empowered by the Lord’s Spirit right before he makes the vow (11:29).   The loss of his daughter’s virginity is the emphasis when the vow is carried out not her death (11:38ff.).   2 Kings 3:27 shows that the Bible is willing to describe child sacrifice, which it does not here.   Jephthah is commended in both the OT (in the same list as Samuel; 1 Sam 12: 11) & the NT (Heb 11:32-34).   Vows for victory in battle are legitimate things that God responds positively to in the OT (Numbers 21:-3).   There is a provision in the Pentateuch to cancel out rash vows (Lev 5:4-5) & certainly someone who could rehearse the minutia of Pentateuch history would know this & rescue his only child from death.   Animals didn’t stay in the house in the ancient world, so it’s dumb to think that Jephthah thought an animal would come out to “greet” him   Judges 10:6-16 ESV 6 The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him. 7So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites, 8and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed. 10And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.” 11And the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? 12The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand. 13Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. 14Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” 15And the people of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.” 16So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel.   Judges 10:11-17 ESV 11And the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? 12The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand. 13Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. 14Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” 15And the people of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.” 16So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel. 17Then the Ammonites were called to arms, and they encamped in Gilead. And the people of Israel came together, and they encamped at Mizpah.   Judges 11:29-40 ESV 29 Then the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites. 30And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, 31then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” 32So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the Lord gave them into his hand. 33And he struck them from Aroer to the neighborhood of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim, with a great blow. So the Ammonites were subdued before the people of Israel. 34Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot take back my vow.” 36And she said to him, “My father, you have opened your mouth to the Lord; do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, now that the Lord has avenged you on your enemies, on the Ammonites.” 37So she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: leave me alone two months, that I may go up and down on the mountains and weep for my virginity, I and my companions.” 38So he said, “Go.” Then he sent her away for two months, and she departed, she and her companions, and wept for her virginity on the mountains. 39And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made. She had never known a man, and it became a custom in Israel 40that the daughters of Israel went year by year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year.    

July 31, 2021 - Dr. Jon Akin

Armor of God Ephesians 6:10-20   Ephesians 6:11 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.   We don't fight for victory, we fight from victory.   Four Challenges Ephesians 6:10-20   1) Be Strong (vs. 10) 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.   2) Stand Against (11-12) 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.   3) Take Up (vs. 13-17) 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,   The belt of truth (6:14a)The breastplate of righteousness (6:14b)The shoes of peace (6:15)The shield of faith (6:16)The helmet of salvation (6:17a)The sword of the Spirit (6:17b)   4) Keep Alert (vs. 18-20) 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

July 24, 2021 - Dr. Rob Wilton

Series: Judges Speaker: Dr. Jon Akin   Be careful what you wish for   1. Be careful what you wish for because it can ruin you   2. Be careful what you wish for…it can point out your need for salvation   Judges 8:29-35 ESV 29 Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house. 30Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives. 31And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he called his name Abimelech. 32And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, at Ophrah of the Abiezrites. 33 As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. 34And the people of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side, 35and they did not show steadfast love to the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good that he had done to Israel.   Judges 9:1-6 ESV 1Now Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother’s relatives and said to them and to the whole clan of his mother’s family, 2“Say in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal rule over you, or that one rule over you?’ Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.” 3And his mother’s relatives spoke all these words on his behalf in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.” 4And they gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless fellows, who followed him. 5And he went to his father’s house at Ophrah and killed his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, for he hid himself. 6And all the leaders of Shechem came together, and all Beth-millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.   Judges 9:22-25 ESV 22Abimelech ruled over Israel three years. 23And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, 24that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers. 25And the leaders of Shechem put men in ambush against him on the mountaintops, and they robbed all who passed by them along that way. And it was told to Abimelech.   Judges 9:36-38 ESV 36And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the mountaintops!” And Zebul said to him, “You mistake the shadow of the mountains for men.” 37Gaal spoke again and said, “Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and one company is coming from the direction of the Diviners’ Oak.” 38Then Zebul said to him, “Where is your mouth now, you who said, ‘Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’ Are not these the people whom you despised? Go out now and fight with them.”   Judges 9:50-57 ESV 50Then Abimelech went to Thebez and encamped against Thebez and captured it. 51But there was a strong tower within the city, and all the men and women and all the leaders of the city fled to it and shut themselves in, and they went up to the roof of the tower. 52And Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it and drew near to the door of the tower to burn it with fire. 53And a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull. 54Then he called quickly to the young man his armor-bearer and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’” And his young man thrust him through, and he died. 55And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, everyone departed to his home. 56Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers. 57And God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem return on their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

July 17, 2021 - Dr. Jon Akin

Series: Judges Speaker: Dr. Jon Akin   How can I stop running in circles and make actual progress? Judges 6:1-16   1. You need repentance not regret 2. You need Gospel-centered sermons 3. You need God’s kindness that leads to change not vice versa 4. You need an encounter with God’s presence 5. You need to know your main problem is worship 6. You need an unlikely savior 7. You need your faith strengthened to see God is way bigger than your problems   Hebrews 11:32,34 “And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets who…were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.”   8. You need to heed warnings of judgment 9. You need a King as well as a Savior   Judges 6:33-34 ESV 33Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East came together, and they crossed the Jordan and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him.   Judges 6:1-16 ESV 1 The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. 2And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. 3For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. 4They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey. 5For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in number—both they and their camels could not be counted—so that they laid waste the land as they came in. 6And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the Lord. 7When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of the Midianites, 8the Lord sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery. 9And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10And I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice.” 11Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. 12And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 13And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” 15And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” 16And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”   Judges 7:2 ESV 2The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’   Judges 8:22-28 ESV 22Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.” 23Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.” 24And Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you: every one of you give me the earrings from his spoil.” (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) 25And they answered, “We will willingly give them.” And they spread a cloak, and every man threw in it the earrings of his spoil. 26And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and besides the collars that were around the necks of their camels. 27And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family. 28So Midian was subdued before the people of Israel, and they raised their heads no more. And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.   Judges 8:22-28 ESV 22Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.” 23Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.” 24And Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you: every one of you give me the earrings from his spoil.” (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) 25And they answered, “We will willingly give them.” And they spread a cloak, and every man threw in it the earrings of his spoil. 26And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and besides the collars that were around the necks of their camels. 27And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family. 28So Midian was subdued before the people of Israel, and they raised their heads no more. And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.   Judges 7:2 ESV 2The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’    

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