Lessons from Samuel

Today was our AWANA awards day for the 2013-2014 year. After the awards, TJ Sipes, our AWANA missionary, encouraged both young and old to learn from Samuel and Eli’s reactions to God calling Samuel.

(NOTE: The first minute and a half are scratchy; our apologies. The recording didn’t start exactly as it should have this morning.)

Dependence in the Life of a Follower

After a storm, you sometimes see branches on the ground. While they may still have leaves on them, those leaves will die, and the branch becomes little more than kindling. This is the picture that Jesus uses to illustrate our need to depend on Him not just for salvation, but for everything.

The Need for Readiness

Watch. This imperative was a recurring theme in Jesus’ teaching, and today, we look at one of those teachings. We do not know how long we have, and we do not know when Christ is returning, so we should live the way we want to be found when our time on earth is through.

A Sure Foundation

The wise man and the foolish man both built great houses. One fell, and the other remained. Of all of Jesus’ parables, this one is not hard to understand at all; we simply need to do it.

A Comparison of Hearts

In the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, we find a parable that was not explained itself, but the reason that it was told was written. Jesus once again emphasized the importance of the heart in becoming a citizen of the kingdom of God.

The song “Better Than the Pharisees” was performed by Jay Rustin.

Dragnet: Just the Facts

The Parable of the Net was one that Jesus explained, so we do not have to speculate as to what He meant by it; “just the facts” are enough for us to be both convicted and motivated by this description of the kingdom of God.

The Darkness Shall Turn to Dawning

When Mary came to the tomb that Sunday morning, she wasn’t singing “Low in the grave He lay.” All she knew was that He was gone. But, with one word, Jesus broke through her darkness and transformed her sorrow into joy. Bro. Danny takes us through this early Sunday morning garden encounter, and reminds us that He still does this today.

The Rapture of the Church

This week, while Bro. Danny enjoys the new arrival of his second grandchild, Bro. Jerry Masterson preached to us about the coming rapture. We do not hear as much about it as we used to hear, but it is vitally important that we are ready for it.

When Faith Is Extravagant

If something catches Jesus’ eye and makes Him pay attention, we should probably pay attention with Him. We take a break from parables to look at the story commonly known as “The Widow’s Mite.”

In the sermon, you will hear references to a video, as well as to songs. We were honored to have The Men of Music, a Southern Gospel trio, worship with us this morning. The video is on the front page of their website.

When Love Conquers

The Good Samaritan - we have laws named after him, but what does his story tell us about the kingdom of God? While last week’s message dealt with indifference, this deals specifically with contempt, the walls we build up, and the ways we try to justify our inaction.