Woodland Hills Church of Christ

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Topical Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The Gospel: Our Need of a King Introduction: “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 ESV). You will notice in the above text that the good news (gospel) brings peace, happiness, and salvation. But the “gospel” is not peace, happiness, and salvation, it is that God has returned to reign over his people. And when God reigns, the result is peace, happiness, and salvation. The text illustrates our need for a King and his kingdom. If we were asked why we need the gospel, I’m sure most of us would immediately answer that we need to be saved from our sins. That would be absolutely true, but what we need to pursue this morning is that the need for forgiveness is secondary to the primary reason we need the gospel. The primary reason is because we need a King. When you became a Christian, did you think of Jesus as your King? Did you even think you needed a king? Probably not. Most of us were just thinking about our need for a Savior so that we can be forgiven. In fact, if someone said that the most important thing we need is a king, we would likely have said, “Why?” That is interesting because it means we did not consider the emphasis both Old and New Testaments devoted to a King and a Kingdom. How did Jesus begin his model prayer? “Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come…” God’s Promise to David (2 Samuel 7:8-16) The rise of kings ruling over Israel is an interesting study. In 1 Samuel God rebuked the people for desiring a human king instead of him. But God allowed it. There may have been many reasons, but primarily God allowed it to prove that we are unable to rule over ourselves without disastrous results. Even David fails to bring what is needed. Therefore, notice in this text that when David desires to build a house for God, God rejects his plan and promises that he will build a house for David through one of his descendants will establish a throne and kingdom that will last forever. Again, we do not see God immediately talking about the need for salvation from sins, but the need for a King, a King who will establish a Kingdom. Verse 13: “he shall build a house for my name…” indicates the ultimate purpose of God’s name (character and honor) be exalted in the earth (the first request of Jesus in the model prayer – “hallowed be your name”). Verses 9-11: Note the benefits/end purpose of this kingdom: 9: “I will make for you a great name…” That is like saying that God will make him famous. Note the similarity of the promise to Abraham. 10-11: “I will appoint a place for my people…so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more…and I will give you rest from all your enemies.” These words give us an understanding of the greater purpose God had and the need for a Kingdom. God’s intent is not primarily about individual salvation, but a collective, a “holy nation,” a people with a great name. “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us into a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever.” (Revelation 1:5-6) The Hope of the Messiah–King Consider, what was Israel looking for in their messiah? The word “messiah” is the same as the “Christ,” and “Christ” is the “anointed.” Anointed for what? Anointed to be the King. That is exactly Israel’s hope, a fulfillment of the promise to David. As Isaiah 52:7 tells us, the good news is “Your God reigns.” The gospel is first and foremost a royal proclamation. The apostles seemed to understand the importance of a king and a kingdom far more than we have. We can see this by the number of times they asked Jesus about what their position would be in his kingdom. Even the thief on the cross asked Jesus to remember him when he came into his kingdom. We have misread that text by thinking that the thief asked Jesus to forgive him. No, he asked to be in his kingdom. It is the kingdom that people desired and longed for. This was the promise to Mary when the angel appeared to her: “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:31-33) When we read Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 we are in such a hurry to talk about “repent and be baptized” that we neglect Peter’s lead up to the command. 30: “Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne…” 33: “Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.” 34-35: “For Dav

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Topical Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The Gospel Illustrated: The Ethiopian Eunuch Introduction: In our last two lessons we have explored how we should be thinking and responding when the scriptures refer to the “gospel.” We have had a narrow view of the Lord’s purpose for us by thinking that the Lord is just trying to “get us saved.” This has often caused huge mistakes in how the gospel message is taught, so much so that there has been an inordinate emphasis on getting a person to baptism. Please do not misunderstand. As we will see in this text, Philip’s teaching brings the eunuch to the point that he requests baptism. The concern we should have is not whether baptism is important and necessary – it certainly is – but the greater importance is what should be taught in order to bring a person to desire to be united with death, burial, and resurrection of Christ in the water of baptism. In other words, the Lord was not simply interested in forgiveness, but in disciples who promote and live out his kingdom values. Seeing the Story of Philip and the Eunuch “Now and angel of the Lord said to Philip…” We read that easily, do we not? We might say to ourselves, “Yes, those were the days when the Lord sent angels and was intimately involved with getting the gospel out to the whole world.” I hope you see the silliness of that thought. Do we really think that the Lord no longer is involved in getting his people connected to those who need to gospel message? There are a number of reasons why we should not think that way: Jesus made a promise at the end of the Great Commission when he said, “Behold I am with you even to the end of the world.” Throughout the book of Acts we are given repeated assurances that the Lord is working with the Christians to get the word out to the world: Acts 11:21, “And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.” Paul urged the Colossian Christians to “pray that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ…” We may not get an “angel visit” as Philip did, but that does not mean the Lord isn’t working with us in getting the message out. If there is any problem we have with this it is that we do not open our eyes to see the opportunities that the Lord is putting before us. “An Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official…in charge of all her treasure… He had come to Jerusalem to worship…” “An Ethiopian” tells us about his dedication to God. He had traveled at least 1000 miles to worship at one of the feasts in Jerusalem. Further, as an Ethiopian we would conclude that he was a proselyte, a Gentile convert to Judaism. That he was a eunuch meant that he was limited to the “court of the Gentiles” and was not allowed in the sanctuary (Deut. 23:1). This follows a pattern the Luke began at the beginning of chapter 8. The gospel is now being spread beyond the nation of Israel. Samaritans were taught and baptized at the beginning of the chapter. Now an Ethiopian is taught. Then in chapter 10, uncircumcised Gentiles will come to Christ. The “all the world” great commission is being fulfilled. “And he was reading the prophet Isaiah.” That is such an amazing statement. It is apparent that while in Jerusalem this Ethiopian purchased a scroll of Isaiah, which would have cost him a significant amount of money. Imagine his excitement as he studied this great prophet on his journey home! Think of what he has read so far: The idolatry of ancient Israel and God’s judgment against them by the Assyrians and Babylonians. But on the positive side, God’s promise to return, reign over the nation again, and bring her enemies into judgment. He would have also seen glimpses of the coming Messiah/King and the glory that he would bring Israel. But here is where he would have become confused. Philip was told to join the chariot, and as he ran to him he could hear him reading Isaiah. And as if the timing was planned perfectly by the Spirit, the eunuch was reading in Isaiah 53, the Suffering Servant song. Reasons he would have struggled with that text: No one, not even the apostles understood or believed that the Messiah would die. No rabbi taught it. It was completely outside the realm of possibility in the minds of the Jews. Isaiah’s text speaks of this suffering one as God’s “servant,” one who would be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted” (52:13), and yet also die. That alone does not make sense. But further, the eunuch asked Philip, “Who is this prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” That is a good question seeing that Isaiah spoke of four different “servants of the Lord” in his prophecy. Peter tells us that even the angels struggled with these prophecies. The Context of Isaiah’s Good News We are told plainly the answer to this question: “beginning with this scripture, he told him the good news about Jesus.” Indeed! Philip preached the gospel by using Isaiah. What he didn’t do is go straight to the point and say that Jesus died and rais

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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

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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.

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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

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