Merkel Church Of Christ

Hebrews 12

Jay Don Poindexter

This morning we heard lessons from three young men, Kent Cates, Cameron Wallace, and Caleb Cates, who have spent last week at Oldham Lane preaching camp.

Hebrews 1: 1-4 Gal 4: 1-2 Matt 28: 18

The last formal lesson Christ taught His apostles (chosen disciples) was that of the True Vine and its branches (John 15:1-8, 9). When the apostles’ hearts were troubled at His leaving (John 14:1), He instructed them to abide/remain in Him and let His word abide/remain in them so that they might love each other and bear much fruit to the glory of His Father.

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:12-13 (NASB)

Those of us who have had a Christian mother, or watched one, know well what a beam of light that Christian mothers are into this dark world and into our lives. The darkness of this world has not appreciated, understood, nor overcome the light that Jesus Christ shines into it through Christian mothers (John 1:4-5; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Philippians 2:14-16; Ephesians 6:10-12). Jay Don Poindexter

Exodus 12

We may think of God as waiting in heaven for us to change our lives by our own strength and effort. He told us what is right and wrong. Now, He waits to see if we can force ourselves, knowing the difference, and choose the right and do it. More important than what we think is what God says: Rom 12:2; James 4:4-10; 1Tim 2:4; Acts 2:38-39.

Paul, as a prisoner, writes to all the saints in Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons, to encourage them against the four thieves of joy in this world: things, people, circumstances, and worry. These four things are often the source of anxiety. In this letter he gives them a very short and clear message in Philippians 4:5: The Lord is near. Paul didn’t minimize the facts of life in this world, but he deliberately puts them in perspective with ...

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the historical fact upon which our faith is based. In the first gospel of Christ sermon, Peter preached that God had accredited Jesus by many signs, miracles, and wonders but that He also raised Jesus from the dead to immortality. The subsequent implications of His resurrection are that He has been made both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:24, 31, 32, 36). This gospel is same gospel that the church in Corinth received, took a ...

Treasure in Jars of Clay Paul the Apostle had a glorious ministry by and in the mercy of God. It gave him vision to see past the temporary troubles of this life and wholeheartedly speak the truth that he honestly lived. He encouraged the church in Corinth to see their faith and lives the same way by keeping their eyes on what is unseen, the eternal, and not the temporary! Today, the church will do well to do the same!

2 Corinthians 4:13- 5:10 Romans 8:23-24  

Psalm 19 – The Word’s Place in Our Lives The creation declares to us the knowledge and power of our Creator, but it does not tell us the story of our sin and our desperate need for redemption. The creation declares the glory of an eternal Creator, but it does not tell us the story of our gracious redeemer. The creation should amaze and humble us, but it takes the word of God, to bring our hearts to repentance and

Where Are You? Gen 3:9 tells of God’s question to Adam, after he had sinned. God is not looking for information. He is calling Adam to awareness of the consequences of his sin and his need for God’s help. God calls today for the same reason, He wants to rescue and clothe us. (Gal 3:27; Rom 16:20)

Suffering and God’s Purpose in It All people in this world suffer. As God’s people it is not ours to know the what and why of our suffering. It is ours to trust God and His promises through it! James 1:2-4 Rom 5:3-5 Psa 22 Isa 53:3

We do not judge our faith by mere appearances. The value of our faith is not found in the numbers of people who agree with us, nor is it found in measurements of success the way this world measures success. The value of our faith is found in the One who is the basis of that faith, Jesus Christ. He is Lord, the Almighty (Rev 1:8. 18), and we eagerly await His return (Rev 22:12-21)

The reality is that our enemy the devil is far greater than we are. A spiritual being described as so powerful that a wag of his tail disrupts a third of our heavens. It is this powerful beast and his fury that deceives the whole world and leads them astray from God. Also a part of this reality is the war fought in heaven for our sake and the victory that is ours over this enemy because of our Savior ...

At times God’s people can feel forgotten or forsaken and find their souls mourning, oppressed, disturbed, and downcast. When the circumstances of life overwhelm us, we can certainly feel this way, and if we do, we need to remember that in Christ Jesus – God is NOT against us (Romans 8:31)! In psalms 42 & 43 the soul of the psalmist is panting and thirsting for God’s presence, to be with his God in a way so that despair and ...