 | Eighty Words of Terror from the
Depths of Hades Luke 16:23-31 (Redick) Consider the last funeral you attended of an unbeliever - someone who lived all the way through life with no regard for the things of God. Look around in your mind's eye. What do you see there at the funeral? The flowers are meticulously placed, the music is soothing, the funeral director is wearing his best sad/pleasant/understanding face, and the person bringing the eulogy is winsome as he recounts the person's accomplishments in life. Little or nothing is mentioned about life after death. Everyone carefully avoids that subject unless it's the oft mentioned and misleading phrase, "at least he's in a better place." Now imagine that suddenly the funeral of that unbeliever is interrupted by the terrified voice of the deceased coming over the loud speaker system: "Please, somebody help me! I'm in agony in this flame! I'm in torment! Help me!" It would certainly change the mood, wouldn't it? Jesus' words in Luke 16 didn't interrupt a funeral, but they do interrupt our complacency with the terrified voice of man in the torment of hades. |
| Where's Jesus? Luke
15:1-7 (Redick) How do you harmonize the Biblical doctrines of holiness and separation with Jesus' practice of associating with sinners? This message deals with these issues and exhorts Christians to reach out for the lost people around them. |
| Precept and Principle 2
Samuel 6:1-19 (Redick) Would God kill a man for trying to help? A casual reading of II Samuel 6:1-19 seems to indicate that the answer is "yes." If at first you are upset by that, you're not alone. King David was angry with God when Uzzah tried to keep the ark from falling. But wait! Do't go away mad. There is more here than meets the eye. David reconsidered and carefully investigated the reason behind God's harsh action. His findings will not only vindicate God in your eyes (as though He needed to be vindicated!) but you'll find a valuable lesson about two crucial concepts: Precept and Principle. Learn the meaning of these two concepts and discover why there is often tension in the church. (This message is also a part of a series of messages called "David: The Shepherd King.") |
| Up From Lo-Debar: A Study in Grace 2 Samuel 9 (Redick) "We didn't earn our position with God, my brothers and sisters. I don't care how long or how fervently we have served the Lord. We stand where we do because of Christ, just like Mephibosheth stood where he was because of his father, Jonathan. So we shouldn't boast, as Paul mentioned in Ephesians. We shouldn't compare our record of service with that of others as though we were somehow worth more to God than they. We eat with our feet under God's table and enjoy the benefits of family membership because Christ suffered before us on our behalf." This message enumerates some of the major aspects of the doctrine of grace through an old Testament story in II Samuel 9. (This message is also a part of a series of messages called "David: The Shepherd King.") |
| What To Do When The Crisis Comes
1 Samuel 30 (Redick) Close observation shows that a crisis may either drive us toward God or drive us away from God. How do you handle a crisis? What will it do to your faith when it comes? Are you prepared for it? This message looks at a particular crisis through the eyes of the Old Testament character, David. From I Samuel 30, it points out how most people respond (which can drive them away from God), then reveals the commendable reactions of David which brought him back to God. |
| Have This Attitude in Yourselves Philippians 2:1-7 (Redick) Rebecca Williams put the matter of attitude into a poem that I like very much: One ship drives east and another west,/ With the self-same winds that blow:/ 'Tis the set of the sails and not the gales/ That determines where they go./ Like the winds of the sea are the ways of fate,/ As we voyage along through life;/ 'Tis the set of a soul that decides the goal/ And not the calm or the strife. |
| Saint Peter at the Gate Acts 2:14-41 (Redick) No, "Saint Peter" probably isn't standing at the pearly gates of heaven. He has absolutely no say in whether or not any of us go there. That will be determined by the presence or absence of only one person in your life: JESUS CHRIST. |
| Faking the Fa-la-la Psalm 102:1-7 (Redick) The Christmas season is, for many of us, a joyous time of family togetherness and sharing gifts. For others though, it is the loneliest time of the year. The suicide rate always increases at this time of year. The consumption of alcohol increases. I think we need to recognize that, though some of us can really get into the tradition of the season, there are others who, at best, must fake the fa-la-la. |
| Christmas: Where Did It Come
From and How Should I Deal With It? Matthew 1:18-25 (Redick) By late in the fourth century or early in the fifth, certain bishops of the church actually ordered the nativity celebrated each year during the period of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol, the god of the Sun, since no proof could be found in the Scriptures or in history for the actual birth date of the Lord Jesus. Thus, what was not Scriptural, but what became traditional to Christianity was mixed with all the extra baggage of mistletoe, evergreen trees, and other symbols that have be come a part of the observance as we know it today.... Does this mean we should ignore it? |
| The Prophet and the Prostitute
The book of Hosea (Redick) You and I may not be able to identify with the feelings of a God as big as the universe who is all-knowing. But we can identify with the anguish and pain of unfaithfulness in marriage. God tells us through Hosea how He feels about our unfaithfulness. Imagine coming home and finding your mate in bed with someone else. That is how God feels when we are unfaithful to Him! |
| Dealing With Guilt Matthew
26:57-75 (Redick) Guilt is one of the most powerful and distressing emotions in the experience of mankind. Few feelings are as painful as guilt and personal disapproval. Strong self-condemnation can turn a happy life into a nightmare. Guilt can gnaw on the conscious mind by day and invade the sleep and dreams of a person by night. It is behind much unhappiness and is certainly a factor in many cases of depression and suicide. Since it comes from inside it is not something that can be escaped by simply running away. This message offers help. |
| The Church of the Living Dead Revelation
3:1-6 (Redick) How do you wake up a dead church? Most of us probably feel inadequate for the task, since we too are subject to spiritual and emotional ups and downs. Why not let Jesus tell us? This He does in Revelation 3:1-6 as He addresses the church at Sardis. |
| How To Overcome Your Enemies Romans 12:14-21 (Redick) Christ doesn't train his soldiers to use the weapons of evil, because He knows that by doing so, we would be tremendously outgunned. The enemy has had all of human history to learn to use the weapons of evil. We have only a few years. We cannot match Satan at his own game. Would you take on Mike Tyson in the ring after just five boxing lessons? It is about as reasonable to take on Satan by using evil to try to overcome evil. You won't last long in that ring. There is another way to deal with your enemies. |
| The High Cost of a Hot Temper Numbers
20:1-12 (Redick) "Anger is the wind that blows out the lamp of the mind." This old Arab proverb carries the weight of truth. Angry people do things they would never do in calmer circumstances. This message, based upon Moses' outburst of anger against the Israelites and his consequent exclusion from entering the promised land, reminds us that unbridled anger carries a high price tag. |
| The Way of the Transgressor is Hard Proverbs 13:15 (Walker) Though the consequences of eternal judgment can seen remotely distant and in the future, sin often has a price that is paid for in the here and now. Knowledge of this is helpful both as a deterrent and an explanation of why some people suffer. A message by Alan Walker. |
| The Critical Issue of Trust Luke 16:10-11 (Redick) This message was preached on August 16, 1998, the day before President Clinton's video testimony before the Kenneth Star Grand Jury and his subsequently brief address that was televised to the American people. It was not intended to be a political statement but a plea for morality in both private and public life. |
| What Is a Sincere Repentance?
Psalm 51 (Redick) "The thing that troubled me most about the President's confession last Monday was that he spent the first 45 seconds saying he took full responsibility for his actions and then the next 2 1/2 minutes blaming the Independent Counsel for the trouble his own (the President's) actions have caused. Had he simply told the truth, it seems to me that much of the trouble he complained about could have been averted." |
| Seven Things to Remember When You're
Unfairly Treated Various texts (Redick) How do you react when someone treats you unfairly? Let's say someone double crosses you or cheats you. Maybe someone lies about you and your reputation is damaged. Perhaps your boss chews you out for something you know you didn't do or singles you out because he doesn't like what you stand for. What is your typical response? |
| Seven Things to Watch Out For So You
Don't Lose Your Faith Various texts from Hebrews (Redick) Many wary Christians, cautious and mindful of the big things that could take them away from the faith, seem rather oblivious to the gradual dangers. They aren't concerned because it hardly seems that anything of significance is taking place. "I'm OK. Don't worry about me. I'm as committed as ever," they say. But they are really drifting. |
| Every Loser's Recognizable Limp Genesis
3:6-19 (Redick) I seriously doubt that you or I will be able to stand before the Lord on judgment day and say, "But my wife made me do it," or "I did what I did because of my repressive childhood." We won't be able to blame the church, the school, the society, the government, or anyone else. To be sure, if these have caused us trouble, they will pay for it, but we will still be responsible for what we have done. God expects us to behave responsibly in whatever situation we are in. |
| Jump-Start for a Cold Heart The
Book of Haggai (Redick) God says, "Blame me when things go badly in a life that has upside down priorities. I'm the cause of it! Don't blame the weather. Don't blame the economy or your clientele. Blame me!" A message from the book of Haggai. |
| You Have a Life! Matthew
16:24-25 (Redick) This message was preached at a banquet given to honor ministry leaders in a local congregation. Rehearses three great benefits we have in our lives of service in Christ. |
| Don't Get Bent Out of Shape Luke
13:10-17 (Redick) For eighteen years this dear daughter of Abraham was dominated by her illness. She was bent over at the waist - creased most unnaturally at the middle. She couldn't straighten up. In a kind of forced humility, or perhaps better said, a forced humiliation, she saw life from the level of half her stature. The horizon of her vision was the dusty realm of wagon ruts and camel hoof prints. Bent double, she had to look at the people she met at a strange and unnatural angle. Her life had become a forced bow. |
| The Barren Fig Tree Warning Luke
13:1-9 (Redick) Every time I hear of a new poll taken by some polling organization like Gallop, I hear of how religious America is. Yet where is the fruit? For all the religion and all the church going that still takes place in this country, where is the influence on the culture? Where are the changed lives? Why is honesty and honor in such short supply? Why do good economic conditions mitigate the lack of honor in the highest office of the land? Where can you find people of real integrity? Based on Luke 13:1-9. |
| Faith that Still Turns the Savior's Head
Luke 7:1-10 (Redick) "So many who come to the churches in our land today come with no higher motives than the gratification of self. Rather than challenge these poor motives with convicting and convincing preaching, churches openly cater to it. They put on big stage productions designed to attract these fickle, self-centered people. Then, once they have been attracted, they do nothing to challenge their selfishness. When the party is over, these same people leave, having changed little if any at all." |
| How to Stand Up for What You Believe In
Matthew 5:10-12 (Redick) "Where are our wounds? Is there nothing to fight for? How complacent are we about the world's causes, both great and small? Have we accepted with weak resignation that nothing can change, and that to try isn't worth the effort? Perhaps the call to comfort rings louder than the call to bear a cross. ... If the church is the body of Christ, as Paul claims, shouldn't it also have some wounds? Yet too often churches avoid controversy. A pastor at mid-life wrote, 'Wherever the Apostle Paul went, there was riot. Wherever I go, they serve tea.'" - A quote by Craig V. Anderson. |
| Coming to Grips withYour Mortality
2 Corinthians 5:1-10 (Redick) "A little girl went to the back fence of her grandparent's yard and tried to look through it to see what was beyond. It was a rock fence and there were no holes so in frustration she cried out to her older brother who was also in the yard. He came over and picked her up so she could see over the barrier. 'That's better,' she said. Sometimes when we can't see our way through our troubles here, we need to let God's word pick us up so we can look over them and beyond them to what is to come so we don't lose heart. The answer to our stresses isn't always their removal." Facing and preparing for reality with the believer's reward is the best approach. |
| Act Like Men! 1
Corinthians 16:13 (Redick) "There is a confusion of gender roles. Many people don't know what it means to be male and female. They don't know what they are. We have confused women clamoring to get on the battlefield and cross-dressing men clamoring to get into their pantyhose." This message was preached at a men's breakfast gathering. |
| How to Praise God in Any Circumstance
1 Timothy 1:12-17 (Redick) Former persecutor Saul found God's grace and became Paul, the Apostle. From then on his praise couldn't be stopped. Hungry, naked, imprisoned, beaten, it didn't seem to matter. Better perhaps than any man alive in his day, he could praise God in any circumstance. |
| Seven Sure Ways to Promote Christian Unity
Ephesians 4:1-3 (Redick) "It is much easier to think and speak of the big things that are "out there" than the sticky, difficult little ones that occur right here among us. Yet unity really starts in the individual congregation... it only takes one cantankerous church member to shatter the unity of an entire congregation." |
| The Miracle and the Word Acts
14:1-20 (Redick) "The generation that craved a sign in the time of Christ but rejected His Word is gone, but their descendants live on today, still craving miracles, but rejecting the Word. They are attracted by claims of miracles today, but they quickly fade away when the Word comes to bear on their lives." |
| Picking Up Stones: The Story of the Woman
Caught in Adultery John 8:1-11 (Redick) "While certain sins carry greater earthly consequences sometimes, we dare not forget that in God's eyes, all sin is serious and all sin carries the death penalty. Thus we should not maximize the sins of others in our minds and minimize those in ourselves." |
| A Businesswoman Comes to Christ
Acts 16:11-15 (Redick) "...there are those on the political and social scene today who wish to restructure our society and remove the issue of business competition under the guise of equality. If someone is successful, the government should confiscate most of what he or she makes and redistribute it to those who are not successful. Christian people who know the Bible shouldn't fall for it. The natural result of doing your work "heartily" and becoming skillful is that some end up being more skillful than others and their businesses move ahead. You will not find a place anywhere in the Bible that says such competition is bad or that such a person who succeeds should be penalized. Actually, such activity is commended and rewarded." |
| Thinking About Thanks Luke
17:11-19 (Redick) One of my own unscientific observations since I became a Christian is that newer congregations sometimes tend to live in better harmony with one another than older ones. Have any of you noticed that? Among churches that divide and split, many have been in existence twenty or more years. If the observation is valid, there may be several reasons for it. One of them may be that the farther church members get from the realization of their former desperate condition outside of Christ, the less they are willing to tolerate those who are just coming into Christ. Of course, that could be said another way: The farther we get from gratitude for our salvation, the less tolerant we become. My reason from bringing it up? Thanksgiving could be the antidote! |
| Rekindling a Missionary Spirit at
the Beginning of the New Millennium (Various texts) (Redick) "A missionary is one who never gets used to the sound of heathen footbeats on their way to a Christless eternity." |
| A Worship Lesson Direct from the Throne
Room of God Isaiah 6:1-8 (Redick) I recall hearing a preacher describe several comments he heard on a Sunday morning after services. The first was from a new Christian who enthusiastically said, "This is one of the greatest worship services I’ve ever attended!" Moments later, another member came up and snapped, "That music absolutely ruined worship for me this morning!" The preacher's comment was that it was hard to believe both people were in the same service! |
| How to Get Back on Solid Ground with God
Psalm 51:1-10 (Redick) Neglected, unconfessed sin transfers feelings of guilt to the inner steel belts of your life. Zeal for God is corrupted with the resultant rust. At first, nothing appears to be wrong. You may even "keep driving" on it, but after awhile things begin to break down. Warmth of love for the Lord cools; interest in God's Word declines; prayer becomes less important. Soon spiritual progress comes to a bumping halt. You have a spiritual "flat tire." Just like the car you once enjoyed driving would become a miserable means of transportation with a flat tire, so your spiritual life becomes miserable. You’re easily bored. The joy of salvation is gone. |
| A Look at Loyalty Ruth
1:14-17 (Redick) The famous Bible Commentator, Matthew Henry, went to London before his publishing days, and met a young lady of the nobility. Despite her wealth and his poverty, the couple fell in love. She went to ask her father if she could marry him and he said, "He’s got no background, you don’t know where he’s come from." She said, "Yes, I know, but I know where he’s going and I want to go with him." |
| Seven Men Who May Have Saved the Church
Acts 6:1-7 (Redick) This should probably be logged as the very first attempt of Satan to get the church sidetracked from its mission by doing good. Taking care of widows is Christ-honoring work but there ought to be enough people who can do it so as not to hinder the preaching of the gospel. (First in a series about Deacons in the church.) |
| Let These First Be Tested Acts
6:1-7; 1 Timothy 3:8-13; Philippians 1:1-2 (Redick) When God’s word says that deacons (and other church leaders) must meet certain qualifications in order to serve, we will honor those instructions and appoint only those who are so qualified.(Second in a series about Deacons in the church.) This message also has a Deacon Nomination Form. |
| Your Life in the Stars?
Jeremiah 10:2 (Redick) It has been claimed that Adolph Hitler never entered a country without first consulting with his astrologers. There also seems to be evidence that, during the war, England hired astrologers to predict what Hitler’s astrologers would be telling him! |
| Monitoring the Spiritual Heart Matthew
13:1-23 (Redick) There are lots of people around today with such superficial hearts. Many of them come to church. Just put on a big show. Promise them something for nothing. They jump on the Jesus bandwagon for the things that are promised. Their enthusiasm even sometimes temporarily eclipses that of the stalwart saints around them! But then the pressure gets on and they're gone. |
| Esteeming Our Elders 1
Thessalonians 5:12-13 (Redick) Author's Note: The following message was preached at a special service to honor two of our elders for their years of service and dedication. It could be easily adapted to a similar occasion in most any church that has elders. |