Sermons – Eastside church of Christ

In previous lessons, we have studied the need for authority and how authority is established. In this lesson, we are going to talk about the difference between generic and specific authority. It is important that we understand the difference or we can get ourselves in trouble, and we will discuss how.

In the previous lesson, we discussed the need for authority. In this lesson, we are going to see how authority is established. We will consider how God communicates His will for us, and look at a practical example to see how to apply this.

The Lord expects us to understand His word (Ephesians 3:4), and also have unity based on that understanding (1 Corinthians 1:10). This necessitates a proper understanding of hermeneutics (how to interpret the Bible). This lesson will be the first in a series on hermeneutics, and we will begin by discussing the need for authority.

Many churches have some type of statement of faith or confession that they adopt as a unifying belief. A common one is the “Apostle’s Creed.” However, rather than adopting a man-made confession like this, we should go to the Bible. Paul expressed a statement of faith about Jesus in his first letter to Timothy (“common confession”). It was “without controversy” (KJV) because this is what first-century Christians believed, and we must as well. We are going to examine this “common confession” and see what we should believe about Jesus.

After David became king, he looked for an opportunity to show kindness to someone of Saul’s house. He learned of Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, who was crippled. The kindness David extended to Mephibosheth provides an important lesson for us to help those in need as we have opportunity (Galatians 6:10). However, this example also teaches us about GRACE. David’s kindness to Mephibosheth parallels (in several ways) the grace which God shows to us. In this lesson, we are going to consider this example and what it teaches us about the grace of God.

On the day of Pentecost, the first gospel sermon was preached following the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. Peter identified Jesus as the Messiah and announced the promise of salvation. This is important for us because the same promise is available today. We need to understand Peter’s message – what was the promise and how to take advantage of it.

Jesus spoke of the need for His disciples to take up their cross and follow Him. In order to appreciate what is involved with this, we need to understand Jesus’ mission and the world’s response to it. We do not want to respond as the world does. It will cost us something to follow Jesus, but the reward is worth it. In this lesson, we will consider this passage and see what Jesus taught about taking up our cross.

When Paul was in Athens, he was bothered by the idols that filled the city, which prompted him to teach in the synagogue and market place. His message piqued the interest of the philosophers, and they wanted to hear more. The people were “very religious,” but the God of heaven was “unknown” to them. So Paul proceeded to teach them about the one true God. We encounter many people today who are like the Athenians – they do not know God. How can we begin to teach them? Consider what Paul explained to these pagan philosophers.

In our text, the wise man encouraged efforts to rescue those who were headed for destruction. Sometimes this is done by protecting someone from PHYSICAL harm (murder, rape, injury, kidnapping, etc.). It can also be done by protecting someone from SPIRITUAL harm, and we will focus on this in this lesson. The world we live in is a dangerous place spiritually. Many are headed for destruction. Many others have been led astray after once being on the right track. What can we do to help them?

The providence of God is something many Christians take for granted. But if they try to explain it, the description is often ambiguous, speculative, and uncertain. What makes it even more difficult is that the only time the English word providence is used in the Bible, it is referring to a human governor (Felix), not to God. Does that mean there is no such thing as divine providence? Or course not, but it does mean we need to be careful how we talk about it. So we are going to look at providence and see what the Bible says about it.

Many people have questions about the use of alcohol. Is it permitted for Christians? Not everyone will agree on this answer, but we want to examine the Scriptures to answer the question. In this lesson, we are going to discuss the evils of alcohol, including its negative effects, its dangers, and the threat it poses to Christians.

There are several names, phrases, and descriptions used for God throughout the Bible. In this lesson, we are going to focus on one of these – He is the God of Israel. When Moses first came to Pharaoh to tell him to let the people go, he described God in this way. This description highlights the fact that God is different from the “gods” of the other nations. The God of Israel is the only true and living God. Therefore, He is superior to all other “gods.” 

When talking about spiritual matters with other religious people, there are some things we find in common with them. However, there are also some significant differences between churches of Christ and other churches. Some are curious about this, and we want to be ready to give an explanation (cf. 1 Peter 3:15). NOTE: There is no “official” position (no written creed or denominational headquarters deciding on doctrine), so we cannot speak for all “churches of Christ.” However, some teachings and practices are generally common, but different from other churches.

There are several names, phrases, and descriptions used for God throughout the Bible. In this lesson, we are going to focus on one of these – He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When God called Moses to lead the people out of Egypt, this is how He first identified Himself to him. This description emphasizes God’s covenant relationship with His people. When understood in the overall picture of the Bible, it assures us that God keeps His promises.