Woodland Hills Church of Christ

Bible Classes / Speaker:David Desloge The post 1 Kings Chapters 13 & 14 appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Old Testament Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville Job Chapters 15, 16, 17 The post Job 15-17 : Second Round of Speeches – Eliphaz & Job appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Topical Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The Gospel We Didn’t Know But Always Desired Introduction: In our last lesson we introduced the true meaning of the “gospel of Jesus Christ,” also called the “gospel of God” or the “gospel of the kingdom.” A few reminders are in order: There is a difference between the “plan of salvation” and the “gospel.” The plan of salvation is certainly part of the gospel message, but to speak only of the plan of salvation empties the gospel of its power and meaning. 1 Corinthians 1:17, “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom lest the cross of Christ be empties of its power.” It is not difficult to see that preaching baptism is not preaching the gospel. Again, that is not to depreciate baptism, but it is to show that forgiveness of sins is not the primary emphasis of the gospel message. The gospel has to do with a kingdom. It is the gospel of the kingdom that was preached by Jesus, that was foretold by the prophets and anticipated by the Israel nation. Acts 1:6, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” Acts 3:19-21, “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.” –– Restoration is another way of summarizing the gospel message. The Kingdom Is the Good News Remember, “kingdom” is used by the writers of the Gospels 105 times. Luke introduces Acts with Jesus teaching the apostles for 40 days about the kingdom. Luke ends his letter with Paul “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ.” Lord and Christ are ways of proclaiming Jesus as the King of this Kingdom. Why a Kingdom? New Testament writers speak of an eternal kingdom: “For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:11). We can see just from these statements that though forgiveness is necessary to enter the kingdom, the Kingdom is the real goal; the Kingdom is the good news because of what is enjoyed in that Kingdom. Consider some implications of the kingdom: In Jesus’ parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price, the kingdom is the greatest treasure that any human can possess. It is so great that a rational person would be willing to sell everything in order to attain it. It’s value is beyond anything we can conceive of. The Kingdom is a community of people. It is a family reunion, a household, “an assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven” and are joined with “innumerable angels in festal gathering” (Hebrews 12:22-23). (This fact has always caused me to be confused about Christians who meet as little was possible with other Christians and virtually live independent lives. How can that Christian find any joy or hope in seeing and living eternally with fellow disciples?) The Kingdom is where Jesus “crowns us with glory and honor.” (More on this in another lesson) One of the major implications of the eternal kingdom is that God has now provided us the abundance of life that our inner soul has always desired. David describes is as the fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11). It is this last point that we will focus on in this lesson. Visualizing the Gospel of the Kingdom The “Gospel” is the integration of three biblical stories: In the Story of Creation we are presented with a glimpse of God’s purpose. We see God making a “material realm” in which humans become the pinnacle of his creation, image-bearers (Ikons) crowned with glory and honor, who multiply his image throughout the world and are given dominion over the world. Adam and Eve are pictured as priestly mediators in God’s Garden Temple. This is made more evident by later passages that indicate God’s purpose for us: Exodus 19:4-5; Isaiah 61:6; 1 Peter 2:5, 9. God not only dwells with man in his Garden, he also foreshadows the eventual relationship he will have as an eternal marriage. Cf. Hosea, Ephesians 5:22-34; the marriage of the Lamb, Revelation 21. It is important that we give careful attention to this Creation story since it prepares us for what God planned for us in his eternal kingdom. The Story of Israel foreshadows God’s restoration of the fall of man. Israel illustrates the failure of man to live up to God’s creative purpose, and the need for God to be a Redeemer, Rescuer, and Righteous King who lead them in attaining God’s purpose. The Story of Jesus brings the Creation Story and the Israel Story to God’s intended glory for himself, for his true Israel, and for a Kingdom filled with righteousness and joy. When we do not understand that the “Gospel” is an integration of the Story of Israel and the Story of Jesus, what do we often miss? We miss

Bible Classes / Speaker:Adam Malone The post 1 Timothy – Items of Interest (Chapters 2, 3, 4) appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The post I Kings Chapter 12 appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Old Testament Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The post Job 11-14 : Speeches of Zophar and Job appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Topical Sermons / Speaker:David Desloge The post The Death Problem appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Adam Malone Theme Verses (Chapters 5, 6) Items of Interest (Chapters 1)   The post 1 Timothy – Theme Verses (Chapters 5,6) & Items of Interest (Chapter 1) appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Special Studies / Speaker:Josh Higgins The post Caleb appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Special Studies / Speaker:Josh Higgins The post Ananias appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Special Studies / Speaker:Josh Higgins The post Epaphras appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Special Studies / Speaker:Josh Higgins   The post Onesiphorus appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Special Studies / Speaker:Josh Higgins The post A New Way To Love appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Special Studies / Speaker:Josh Higgins The post Barnabas appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Berry Kercheville 1 Kings 11: 1- 13 The post 1 Kings Chapter 11 appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Topical Sermons / Speaker:David Desloge The post Horror in the Wilderness appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Adam Malone The post 1 Timothy – Read Book | Theme Verses appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Topical Sermons / Speaker:Drew Hull The post Principles of Discipleship appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The post 1 Kings Chapters 9, 10 appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Topical Sermons / Speaker:Danny McGee The post Joy Comes Through Christ appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:Jared Partain The post The Fruit of the Spirit – Lesson 13 appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

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Quarterly Group Studies Class / Speaker:Adam Malone The post Giving God Our Best In Worship appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Bible Classes / Speaker:David Desloge The post The Fruit of the Spirit – Lesson 12 appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Topical Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville What It Means to Preach the “Gospel” Introduction: When you think of sharing the “gospel,” what do you think of? What does that mean to you? If a friend said, “Since the gospel is ‘good news,’ tell me what that good news is,” what would you say? “Gospel” is such a common word in religious circles that we make numerous assumptions about its meaning. We have been told that “gospel” is “good news,” and the good news is that Jesus has come to take away our sins. To preach the gospel is to tell people what they need to do to be saved. In fact, “gospel” may be one of the most misunderstood biblical concepts, and its misunderstanding has done serious damage to God’s people and God’s cause. In this lesson we will give an introduction to what it means to preach the gospel. Preaching in the “Gospels” Let’s begin with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It is truly noteworthy that these four books are all called “gospels” and yet there is precious little in their accounts that talk about the plan of salvation – the very words we would use to describe the “gospel.” Further, it is striking that though Jesus repeatedly preaches the “gospel,” he never tells anyone the “plan of salvation.” When Mark introduces his account, he says, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God as it is written in Isaiah the prophet…the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” Most of you will recognize the quotation coming from Isaiah 40. Therefore, knowing the broad scope of Isaiah, how is chapter 40 a turning point in the book? In the words of Isaiah, the voice cries, “All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field…surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:6-8). Their only hope is the power and promise of God. Thus Mark describes a “new Israel,” one who bring life by immersing in the Spirit. This one is baptized, symbolizing the baptism of the Red Sea leading his people to a new exodus. God proclaims him to be his “beloved Son,” unlike faithless Israel. He is then perfected in a wilderness trial, and then proclaims himself as King over the Kingdom of God. You will notice that the word “gospel” is used three times in the text: 1, 14, 15. There is no “plan of salvation” here, but the gospel is certainly being preached! Instead of a plan of salvation the Gospel accounts tell us of a King and Creator who has returned to take back his kingship, his Kingdom, and especially his people by crushing his enemies who have destroyed his creation. “King and Kingdom” is the critical message in Matthew — Luke. In regards to God’s kingdom, the word is used 105 times in these three accounts. This fits perfectly Isaiah’s words, “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). Be aware, it is not just “your God reigns,” it is the implications of that reign in the fulfilling of God’s plan from the foundation of the world. In other words, the story of God through Israel is now being brought to completion in the story of Jesus. In contrast, to “kingdom,” all four Gospel accounts mention “church” only one time when referring to the NT church. Jesus certainly preached the gospel, but he did not preach “the church.” Church refers to his purpose to gather those who saved to himself. Remember, “church” is saved people. “Church” does not communicate God’s ultimate purpose or the plan of God or even the plan of salvation. “Church” refers to the people God has redeemed by his blood, who are then called to fulfill his eternal plan, first in the earthly realm and then in the heavenly or eternal. In other words, he called us because he has a purpose through us. Our focus is to be on that purpose. Over the years many Christians have approached sharing the “gospel” by preaching the church. Obviously, there is only one way that can be done and that is by preaching “church” in denominational terms. Acts & Gospel Sermons When we learn that the apostles “preached the gospel” (14:21), what is it that they preached? The book of Acts gives us the “Cliffs Notes” of seven sermons that describe apostolic gospeling from Jerusalem to Rome. First observation: these sermons tell a story. They did not empty the Gospel Story, nor reduce the gospel to the “Plan of Salvation.” The Gospel in the Epistles Both Peter and Paul summon the people to “believe” in how Jesus, King and Christ (Messiah) is the completion of the story of Israel. When Paul introduces Romans with, “I am not ashamed of the gospel…in it the righteousness of God is revealed,” his description of the gospel in the rest of the book connects Jesus to Israel’s story. Paul mentions baptism only one time in the book, but he does so, not to teach the plan of salvat

Bible Classes / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The post 1 Kings Chapters 4, 5 & 6 appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Old Testament Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The post Job Chapters 8, 9 & 10 appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.