Saraland Sermons - saralandchristians.com

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Sermons, Bible classes, and special studies are added to this site for the encouragement and edification of all. This material is provided by Christians at Saraland Church of Christ, located just outside of Mobile, Alabama. Visit our website for more information at www.saralandchristians.com

  1. 2d ago

    The God Who Pursues (Luke 15:1-10)

    In Luke 15:1–10, Jesus shows us the heart of God for the lost. While the Pharisees and scribes complained that Jesus welcomed sinners, tax collectors and sinners were drawing near to hear Him. Why? Because Jesus is the kind of Savior broken people are not afraid to approach. In this sermon, we explore why sinners felt comfortable near Jesus, why religious people despised that mercy, and how the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin reveal God’s love, God’s pursuit, and heaven’s joy over one sinner who repents. This message digs into powerful questions like: Why did sinners feel safe around Jesus? Why did the Pharisees hate that Jesus received sinners? What do the parables of the lost sheep and lost coin teach us about the love of God? How does God pursue the lost? What does Luke 15 teach about repentance, grace, and the joy of heaven? You’ll see that God does not look at lost people with disgust or indifference. He seeks them until He finds them. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, and this sermon helps us see that every lost soul matters to God. If you have ever wondered whether God still wants sinners to come near, whether Jesus really welcomes the broken, or what the Bible teaches about God’s pursuit of the lost, this sermon will encourage and challenge you. Luke 15 reminds us that while religious hearts may grumble, heaven rejoices when sinners repent. #Luke15 #LostSheep #LostCoin #JesusReceivesSinners #GodPursuesUs #GodsLove #Repentance #Grace #Sermon #BibleSermon #ChristianSermon #JesusSeeksTheLost #ParableOfTheLostSheep #ParableOfTheLostCoin #Gospel #BibleTeaching #ChristianEncouragement #SermonOnLuke15 #HeartOfGod #HeavenRejoices

  2. 4d ago

    Strong Man, Weak Heart (Judges 13-16)

    Strong Man, Weak Heart (Judges 13-16) Casey Gray Download Strength impresses us. We admire people who seem powerful—the athlete who dominates the field, the leader who commands a room, the person who appears confident, gifted, and spiritually capable. Strength tends to earn our respect because it makes people look secure. When someone appears strong, we assume they are stable. We assume they are safe. But the story of Samson forces us to question that assumption. Samson is remembered as the strongest man in the Bible. His feats sound almost unbelievable. At one point he tears a lion apart with his bare hands. In another moment he defeats an entire army. Later he kills a thousand men with nothing but the jawbone of a donkey. In another scene he lifts the massive gates of a city and carries them up a hill. Yet the story of Samson is not really about strength. It is about weakness. More specifically, it is about the danger of having great power while living with an undisciplined heart. Samson is strong in body but weak in character. He wins every fight with his enemies, but he loses the war inside himself. If we listen carefully, his story becomes more than an ancient tragedy. It becomes a warning. It becomes a mirror. And ultimately, it becomes a sign pointing us to the kind of deliverer we truly need. A Promised Child with a Holy Calling Samson’s story begins with hope. Judges tells us that Israel had once again done what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and because of that the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. The nation is under oppression. Their enemies dominate them. The cycle of Judges continues. But this time, the people don’t cry out to God. God intervenes with a promise. The angel of the Lord appears to a barren woman, the wife of a man named Manoah. She has never been able to have children, yet the messenger announces that she will conceive and bear a son. This child will not be ordinary. He will be set apart to God from the womb. The angel explains that the child will be a Nazirite. That meant his life would carry visible signs of consecration. He was not to drink wine or strong drink, and a razor was never to touch his head. His life would symbolize separation and devotion to the Lord. Then the angel says something very important: “He shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” Before Samson ever performs a miracle of strength, before he ever fights a battle, his identity is defined by one word—consecrated. His strength was never supposed to define him. His devotion to God was. The chapter ends by telling us that the child grew, the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him. Everything about Samson’s beginning is filled with promise. But a good beginning does not guarantee a faithful life. This reminds us of something important: calling does not replace character. A person can be chosen by God and still drift. A person can be gifted and still careless. Samson was set apart by God, but he still had to live faithfully within that calling. A Strong Body with Unchecked Appetite The first adult decision we see Samson make immediately reveals the direction of his life. Samson travels down to the Philistine town of Timnah and sees a woman there. When he returns home, he tells his parents, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.” That phrase should sound familiar. Later in Judges we read that “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Samson, the man who was supposed to deliver Israel, is already beginning to look like the rest of the nation. Instead of asking what is right in God’s eyes, he follows what feels right in his own. From that point forward the story unfolds with a strange mixture of power and compromise. On the way to Timnah, a young lion attacks Samson. The Spirit of the Lord rushes upon him, and he tears the lion apart with his bare hands. Later he returns to the carcass and finds bees and honey inside it. He scoops out the honey, eats it, and even gives some to his parents without telling them where it came from. Even in small details the story reveals Samson’s character. He crosses boundaries and then hides what he has done. He moves through life following appetite and protecting himself with secrecy. His wedding soon becomes another disaster. Samson turns the celebration into a riddle contest. When the Philistines threaten his bride to force her to betray him, she presses him until he reveals the answer. When Samson discovers what has happened, his anger explodes and he kills thirty men to settle the bet. From there the conflict escalates quickly. Fields are burned, families are killed, and armies gather. At one point the Philistines come looking for Samson, and the men of Judah do something shocking. Instead of standing with Samson, they bind him with ropes and hand him over. They say to him, “Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us?” Israel has become comfortable living under oppression. They would rather keep the peace than confront their enemies. But when the Philistines approach, the Spirit of the Lord rushes upon Samson again. The ropes fall from his arms like burned threads. He grabs the jawbone of a donkey and defeats a thousand men. Samson keeps winning battles. Yet every victory hides a deeper problem. He is strong enough to defeat armies, but not strong enough to restrain his desires. This is the danger of power without discipline. Samson wins every external conflict, but he cannot control the appetites inside his own heart. The Night He Didn’t Know By the time we reach Judges 16, Samson’s weakness has become painfully clear. He travels to Gaza and spends the night with a prostitute. Later he falls in love with a woman named Delilah. The rulers of the Philistines approach her with a large sum of money and ask her to discover the secret of Samson’s strength. Three times Delilah asks him about it. Three times Samson lies. Three times she tests his answer while Philistines wait nearby in ambush. Anyone watching the story can see the danger. But Samson continues to play with it. Eventually Delilah presses him so persistently that he finally reveals the truth. A razor has never touched his head because he has been set apart to God from birth. If his hair is shaved, his strength will leave him. That night Delilah cuts his hair while he sleeps. When Samson wakes up, he says to himself, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” Then the text tells us something terrifying: “He did not know that the LORD had left him.” Samson had grown so accustomed to strength that he assumed it would always be there. He believed he could simply wake up and keep living the way he always had. But the presence of God was gone. The Philistines seize him, gouge out his eyes, and force him to grind grain in prison. The man who once tore lions apart is now blind and helpless. His physical blindness mirrors the spiritual blindness that had already taken hold of his heart. This is one of the most sobering warnings in Scripture. Sin rarely announces itself loudly. Instead, it dulls the heart slowly. It convinces us that everything is fine. It allows us to keep functioning, keep working, and even keep appearing successful. Then one day we discover that the presence of God is no longer with us the way it once was. The Final Prayer Eventually the Philistines gather in the temple of their god Dagon to celebrate. They believe their god has defeated Samson and delivered their enemy into their hands. They bring Samson out to entertain the crowd. Imagine the scene. The once-feared warrior is now a spectacle. Blind. Weak. Humiliated. But something quiet has begun to change. The text mentions that Samson’s hair had begun to grow again. As the crowd celebrates, Samson asks the young boy guiding him to place his hands on the pillars that support the temple. Then Samson does something we have rarely seen him do throughout the story. He prays. “O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once.” For the first time i

  3. May 28

    God Fills His House (Luke 14:1-24)

    God Fills His House (Luke 14:1-24) Casey Gray Download Have you ever walked into a room and immediately realized something was wrong? Everyone looks up. The conversation stops. You can tell that you do not really belong there. Or perhaps it is the opposite. Everyone in the room seems comfortable doing something that you know is wrong, and suddenly you feel out of place. In Luke 14, Jesus walks into a room like that. It is a dinner party, but something about the table is deeply corrupt. The Table of Corruption (14:1–6) In Luke 14, Jesus enters the house of a Pharisee on the Sabbath. But we quickly learn that this is not a friendly invitation. Luke 14:1–6 (ESV)One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” And they could not reply to these things. The Pharisees and lawyers did not invite Jesus because they wanted to learn from Him. They invited Him because they wanted to condemn Him. They placed a suffering man directly in front of Him, a man with dropsy, not because they cared about him, but because they wanted to trap Jesus. Think about how cruel this is. The only reason this man is allowed into the room is because of his disease. He is being used as bait. But Jesus is not trapped. Before He heals the man, He asks a question that exposes their hypocrisy: “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” They remain silent. Notice how Jesus approaches the moment. He does not shout or accuse. Instead, He asks a question that reveals the truth. “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” The question is simple. If your child fell into a well, you would not leave him there because it was the Sabbath. If your animal fell in, you would rescue it immediately. If mercy is acceptable for animals and property, why not for a suffering man? They cannot answer Him—not because the question is difficult, but because the answer exposes them. Jesus heals the man and sends him away. You can almost imagine the relief of that man leaving the room. His joy over being healed would have been overshadowed by the cold hostility of everyone else at the table. The healed man leaves the room, but the sickness in the room remains. The table is still filled with pride, ambition, and manipulation, and Jesus begins to expose it. Reversing the Status (14:7–14) Appropriate Actions of Those Invited (7–11) Luke 14:7–11 (ESV)Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Jesus noticed something happening at the dinner table. The guests were scrambling for the seats of honor. In that culture, where you sat at a banquet communicated your importance. The closer you sat to the host, the greater your honor. Everyone wanted the best seat. Jesus tells them a parable. When you are invited to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor. Someone more distinguished may arrive, and the host may ask you to give up your seat. Then you will be forced, in shame, to take the lowest place. But if you take the lowest place first, the host may come and say, “Friend, move up higher.” Then you will be honored in the presence of everyone. Pride always assumes more honor than it deserves. Jesus summarizes the lesson with a principle that runs throughout Scripture: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” This is not merely social advice; it reflects how God governs His kingdom. God brings down the proud and lifts up the humble. Yet how many people today are still trying to elevate themselves? How many push for greater recognition, greater influence, and greater control? Jesus teaches us to do the opposite. Seek the lower place and let God be the one who exalts. Appropriate Actions of Those Hosting (12–14) Jesus then turns to the host. Luke 14:12–14 (ESV)He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” The host had carefully chosen his guest list. He invited the upper echelon—the people who mattered, the people who could benefit him. Jesus tells him he should have invited the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Why? Because they cannot repay you. What the host had done looked like generosity, but it was really strategy. It was not generosity; it was networking. It appeared to be kindness, but it was actually manipulation—inviting people who could increase your status. Jesus teaches that true generosity expects nothing in return. God Himself will repay those who give without expecting repayment. At this point, Jesus has effectively offended everyone at the dinner party. The guests have been exposed for their pride, and the host has been exposed for his manipulation. The room grows quiet. God’s Invitation (14:15–24) In the awkward silence, someone tries to rescue the moment with a safe religious statement. Luke 14:15 (ESV)“Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” The statement is true. It will be a great blessing to eat bread in the kingdom of God. However, the man likely assumed that everyone sitting at that table would be there. Jesus responds with a parable. Luke 14:16–24 (ESV) 16 But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17 And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ 20 And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’ ” The feast is prepared, and everything is ready. The invitation goes out, but the invited guests begin making excuses. One has purchased a field and needs t

  4. May 26

    Manipulating God (Judges 10-11)

    Manipulating God (Judges 10-11) Casey Gray Download God’s relationship with Israel is descending into complete apostasy. Since God has allowed the people of the land to remain within the country, Israel has taken up worshipping any god they can find. Eventually, God sells them into the hand of an evil nation. They feel the weight of disobedience. Then, they cry out for help, and God sends a judge to deliver them. We have been seeing this cycle on repeat for weeks. Now, it’s time for things to change a little. Increased Sin, Increased Suffering (10:1-18) Judges 10:6–7 (ESV) — 6 The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him. 7 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites, We have the same set up, but notice this time that Israel has chosen all the gods. They are opening themselves up to every god in the surrounding nations. This makes God angry enough to sell them into the hands of two nations: The Philistines from the west and the Ammonites from the east. If they were going to increase their rebellion, God would increase their oppression. The next stage in the cycle is also different. They cry out to God. He says, “No.” God never says that. He always raises up a deliverer, fills him with the Spirit and defeats their enemies. But this time He lets them rely on their fake gods to save them. This is the point in the story where we say, “Ha! Serves them right!” But as the Philistines and Ammonites start to oppress Israel, it would become a very sad scene. The people respond to God’s rejection by relying on God more. They put away all the foreign gods. They submit themselves to whatever God wills. They say, “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.” God’s heart was affected by their turn and he grew impatient watching them suffer for their sin. The Man Nobody Wanted (11:1-11) The solution to this oppression was not to give up. They would fight back. The problem is that the Ammonites were coming in and posing some major issues and they needed someone to lead them. Additionally, they seemed to struggle finding someone who would be willing and able to lead the fight. This is where Jephthah the Gileadite comes into the picture. Jephthah was described as a mighty warrior, but also the son of a prostitute who was rejected by his own family. Apparently, Jephthah’s brothers chased him off. He surrounded himself with worthless men and was probably known for raiding. The elders of Gilead decided that Jephthah was their only hope. So, they called for him to be their leader in the fight. But Jephthah doesn’t immediately jump on the opportunity. First, he questions them, “Did you not hate me and drive me out of my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?” He sounds hurt by the rejection. But notice that these words aren’t a refusal, but a negotiation tactic. The result is that they swear an oath to the Lord that he will be their head if he was successful against the Ammonites. They agree. The Negotiator (11:12-28) Jephthah’s approach to handling the Ammonites started with asking a simple question, “What do you have against me, that you have come to me to fight against my land?” Notice the self focus. The king of the Ammonites claimed that Israel had taken the land from Ammon when they came up out of Egypt. This resulted in some discussion where Jephthah proves that he knows Israel’s history and the Ammonites are liars. However, Jephthah also reveals some twisted thinking about how gods work. He claims that Ammon’s god should be able to provide them with their land like Israel’s God. When the king of Ammon doesn’t give up his pursuit, Jephthah declares that he is in the right and they are wrong. Then, he calls for the Lord to decide the fate. The Manipulator (20-31) In verse 29, we read that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah. Up to this point, he was just selected by the people. Now, God has clearly chosen to strengthen him and give him success. When he comes to the Ammonite army, though, something comes over him. He decides to make a vow to the Lord, saying, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the ammonites shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” When we read this vow, the whole story shifts. Why would Jephthah offer what comes out of his house as a burnt offering? Does he let the sheep and goats live in his house? It’s a bizarre vow to have after claiming to believe God would judge the Ammonites through him. He looks at God as though He must be persuaded and blessings must be purchased. As though God needs something from us that we can provide. He thinks that offering a sacrifice will force God’s hand. We do this too. We say, “God, if you will help me, I promise…” We don’t trust His grace. Instead, we try to manage the outcome by gaining spiritual leverage. The Cost of Trying To Control God (32-40) Jephthah wins the battle. When he gets home we could just imagine his only daughter’s excitement. She comes running out of the door first to wrap her arms around her father. But Jephthah is not happy. His mouth was his greatest weapon, but now he has hurt himself with it. Jephthah’s daughter takes it better than she should have. She doesn’t try to negotiate or manipulate. All she asks for is two months to mourn for the fact that she wasn’t able to have children. This is Jephthah’s only child, so this would result in the end of Jephthah’s line. Verses 39 tells us that he did with her according to his vow that he had made. Some try to claim that he didn’t really kill his daughter and offer her up to be a burnt sacrifice. The remaining a virgin could indicate that she was just devoted to the Lord and unable to have children for that reason, but the text says he did according to his vow. What Do We Learn? You know, Jephthah would go on to fight again against Israelites. He ends up killing 42,000 from the tribe of Ephraim because they were mad at him for going up against the Ammonites without them. Jephthah is not a good guy. Offering your child as a burnt sacrifice seemed like a devoted and righteous thing to do in the sight of the people of his day, but it was an abomination to the Lord Deuteronomy 12:31 (ESV) — 31 You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. But God is able to use him to save his people, and God even has him listed among the men of faith in Hebrews 11 along with Gideon and Samson. So, what do we learn from this man’s life? We Don’t Need To Bargain When I read the story of Jephthah it strikes me that the Spirit of the Lord is given to him before he makes the vow. After he makes the vow and all the way through the rest of the story of Jephthah, we read nothing from God. His silence speaks volumes. Think of Abraham. In Abraham’s story, God told him to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham didn’t bargain with God or try to manipulate. He just submitted to whatever God wanted. Then, when he was raising the knife, God spoke and stopped him. This did not happen for Jephthah. He is the opposite of Abraham in this foolish act. He decides to vow this because he wants to control the outcome. When we do the same thing, we are trying to bargain with God. We don’t need to do that. Instead, we need to trust him. When I think I must control things I’m showing God I don’t trust him. He was going to deliver the Ammonites without the vow. God Pays The Price, Not Us There is one other father who chooses to sacrifice his only

  5. May 21

    The God Who Stops (Luke 10:25-37)

    The God Who Stops (Luke 10:25-37) Casey Gray Download Today, we will begin to look at parables. If you are not familiar with the parables of Jesus, they are stories intended to teach a lesson to the hearers. The purpose of parables is to simultaneously conceal the point from those who refuse to investigate further and reveal truth on a deeper level to those who pay attention. Luke 8:10 (ESV) — “He said, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that “seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.”’” When people hear these teachings, they cannot remain neutral. Parables are not bedtime stories, they are invitations and confrontations. They either draw a person in to seek deeper understanding or push them away in resistance. The parable presses the listener to respond. But we aren’t going to study the parables merely to understand what parables are. I am choosing these specific parables because they give us insight into the mind of God. I believe that a clearer understanding of God will help us become who we are supposed to be. In this series, I want us to understand the purpose of the parable and then take some time to consider how this teaching reflects God’s character. Today, we will look at the parable of the Good Samaritan. The Lawyer Tests Jesus “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” “Behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’” (Luke 10:25) To inherit something is to receive what belongs to the family. So this man is asking, “How do I make sure I belong in God’s family when the age to come arrives?” When the lawyer asked this question, Luke tells us it was a test. The lawyer already has an idea, but he wants to see if Jesus teaches the truth. In response, Jesus turns the tables and says, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” Notice that Jesus’ question is twofold. First, He asks this expert to recount what the Law says, what is written, after dedicating his life to studying it. Then He asks him to give his interpretation, how he reads it. The lawyer responds, “Love the Lord,” and “Love your neighbor.” Jesus agrees with him. So, all one must do to inherit eternal life is love the Lord and love their neighbor. That sounds simple enough. But is it? What does it mean to love God? What does it mean to love your neighbor? The question beneath the question This is what the lawyer starts to wrestle with, because the text tells us his follow-up question was an attempt to justify himself. He asks, “And who is my neighbor?” Have you ever sought the answer to a question, only to realize your original question didn’t go deep enough? The answer didn’t satisfy the curiosity within you. But can we handle the deeper truth? We all struggle with accepting the truth. It’s like a barrier we have to break through. I truly appreciate the weight of the question he asks, even if his motives are wrong. Are we willing to ask deeper questions? May we all have that level of scrutiny. It would be commendable for the lawyer to go deeper, if we didn’t already know his motive. He knows these commands are not simple. So he seeks to justify himself and continues testing Jesus. The most dangerous people in the room are not always the openly rebellious. Often, they are the ones trying to justify themselves. Everything they say becomes an attempt to shift blame and avoid fault. The lawyer isn’t seeking clarity, he’s seeking boundaries. He wants to know how far his obligation goes, and where it can safely stop. The road of exposure In response, Jesus tells him a story, a parable, that paints a picture for everyone listening. There was a Jewish man traveling down a dangerous road, and he was attacked by robbers. He was beaten half to death and left alone on the side of the road. But, as it happened, a Levite was traveling the same way. Surely this Levite would stop to help. No, he passed by on the other side of the road. Then a priest came down the same path. He also passed by on the other side. Both of these men went about their business. They did not take the time to care for the man who had been beaten nearly to death. They saw him. They distanced themselves. They ignored him. Then another man came down the same road. He saw the man who had been beaten half to death, and he came up to help. When he understood how badly the Jewish man was hurt, he treated his wounds and lifted him onto his own animal. He took the injured man to an inn and paid for him to be cared for, even promising more payment when he returned. The twist is that this third man was a Samaritan. When Jesus said, “a Samaritan,” the air in the room would have changed. That would be like telling this story and saying the hero was the person you least expect, the one you’ve been taught not to trust. In the eyes of many Jews, Samaritans were religious outsiders, people with compromised worship and a history of conflict with Israel. They were viewed with suspicion and hostility, not as faithful participants in the promises of God. This Samaritan touched blood. He risked ambush. He paid. He promised more. Now Jesus drives the point home, asking, “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” Instead of simply asking, “Who loved their neighbor?” Jesus asks, “Who proved to be a neighbor?” The emphasis is clear. Pay careful attention to the response. The lawyer doesn’t even say the word “Samaritan.” He says, “The one who showed him mercy.” To admit it was a Samaritan would be to concede the whole point, and he can barely bring himself to do it. Jesus tells him to go and be like that man… the Samaritan. Will you become a neighbor? This parable is so memorable that we’ve turned it into a phrase: “Good Samaritan.” It refers to someone who does an act of kindness for someone in need. But in our society, we even created laws to protect the “Good Samaritan.” In emergency situations, people have tried to help after a wreck, and then the person being helped sued the person who tried to save them. But do we feel comfortable helping someone who appears to be in serious need? I’m not talking about someone who ran out of gas. I’m talking about someone who is badly hurt. In recent years, there have been public incidents where someone was stabbed and people did nothing but stare, act like nothing was happening, and keep their distance. The worst part is that we have video. People will pull out a phone to record, but they won’t step in to help or even call an ambulance. You can watch a crowd pretend they don’t see what’s happening. They don’t rush over. They don’t call for help. They just mind their own business, or record the events so they can benefit from the recording. This parable teaches us what God desires from us. He wants us to reach out and show love for others the way we would want someone to love us. It is not okay to pass by on the other side and act like you don’t see someone in severe need. If someone is half-dead, there is no world where it is acceptable to cross the road and keep walking. Imagine it’s you lying on the side of a road, bleeding. You hear footsteps. You want to lift your head, but you can’t. Someone sees you. And then… keeps walking. How would it feel to be left like that by someone who was supposed to be your fellow countryman? The Greater Samaritan So how would the man who asked Jesus the question hear this, and what should he learn? The fact that the men are described as a Levite, a priest, and a Samaritan matters. The Levite and priest know and claim to follow the Law, just like the lawyer. They are supposed to be righte

  6. May 19

    Not A King (Judges 9)

    Not A King (Judges 9) Casey Gray Download In the book of Judges, we repeatedly see God show compassion to deeply stubborn people. Israel turns to idols again and again—not because they lack evidence, but because they lack trust. They follow the nations around them. They chase what they can see. They prefer superstition to submission. God rescues them anyway. Last time we studied Gideon. God reduced his army to 300 men so Israel would know who won the battle. One hundred and thirty-five thousand Midianites fell—not because of Gideon’s brilliance, but because of God’s power. But when the dust settled, it was Gideon who received the praise. The people asked him to be king. Gideon said the right thing: “The LORD will rule over you.” But his actions told a different story. Gideon’s Quiet Drift Gideon punished fellow Israelites who refused to help him. He executed captured kings and tried to have his son perform the execution, something royal heirs did in that culture. He fashioned a golden ephod that became a shrine. He took many wives. He had seventy sons. Those are not the actions of a reluctant servant. Those are the signs of royalty without the title. Judges tells us the ephod became a snare to Gideon and his family. Chapter 9 shows us exactly how. Abimelech’s Rise (Judges 9:1–6) Names matter in this story. Gideon’s father’s name, Joash, means “The LORD gives.” Gideon’s name likely means “one who cuts down.” God gives. Gideon cuts down. That was the pattern. Then comes Abimelech. His name means “My father is king.” Let that settle. Gideon refused the crown, but named his son like royalty. Abimelech grew up watching his father live like a king. He wanted the status. But he was the son of a concubine. He would never inherit leadership naturally. So he created it. He went to Shechem, his mother’s hometown, and asked: “Is it better that seventy rule over you, or one?” It’s a clever manipulation. The seventy sons weren’t ruling. But fear is persuasive. The leaders went into the temple of Baal-berith, “Baal of the covenant,” and funded him with silver. Idolatry financed murder. Abimelech hired mercenaries and slaughtered his brothers on one stone. Only one escaped: Jotham. His name means “The LORD is upright.” We can be sure that contrast is intentional. Jotham’s Parable (Judges 9:7–21) From Mount Gerizim, Jotham calls out to Shechem. He tells a story of trees trying to establish a ruler over them. The olive tree refused kingship because it was fruitful.The fig tree refused because it was sweet.The vine refused because it produced wine. Finally, they asked the bramble. The bramble produces nothing. It offers no shade. It has no fruit. Yet it accepts the throne. And it promises protection or fire. To make this more odd, the trees are the cedars of Lebanon. Why would towering cedars of Lebanon seek a thornbush to rule them? This is ridiculous and that is the point. Jotham condemns them. He declares that fire will come from Abimelech and from Shechem, and they will consume each other. Then he leaves, and God begins to act. The Downfall of Abimelech (9:22-55) Abimelech ruled for three years. Unlike the judges before him, God did not clothe him with His Spirit. God did not raise him up as a deliverer. Instead, the text says that God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. God allowed their alliance to fracture. He let suspicion and betrayal take root. Shechem turned against Abimelech. Abimelech retaliated. He destroyed the city. He sowed it with salt. He burned a thousand people alive in a tower. The bramble produced fire exactly as Jotham warned. Then Abimelech went to Thebez. The text does not tell us why, but the pattern is clear. Tyrants never feel secure. Violence becomes their only method of control. He attacked another city and drove the people into a tower again, intending to burn it as he had done before. But this time, a woman dropped an upper millstone from the tower, and it crushed his skull. The man who killed his brothers on one stone was brought down by another. In his final moments, he called to his armor-bearer and begged to be killed so that no one would say a woman struck him down. Even in death, he was concerned with image. And yet Scripture records the detail forever. The chapter ends with clarity: “God returned the evil of Abimelech.” There was no deliverer raised up. There was no heroic judge. God simply allowed evil to consume itself. That is the theological anchor of the story. From Self-Exaltation To Devastation When we place Gideon and Abimelech together, we see the devastation of self-exaltation. The snare begins when we lift men into the place that belongs to God. Israel could not live with invisible kingship. They wanted someone they could see. They preferred efficiency over faith. They empowered a bramble. And this is not just ancient Israel. We still look for visible rulers to solve our problems. We exalt personalities. We rally around strength and charisma. We think it would be easier if someone else would just take control and make the decisions. It feels safer to let someone rule so we do not have to wrestle with trust and responsibility. But bramble leadership always burns. When men are lifted beyond their place, pride grows. When pride grows, destruction follows. Judges 9 creates longing. Abimelech seized power through bloodshed. Jesus refused to seize power and shed His own blood instead. Abimelech killed his brothers. Jesus calls us brothers. Abimelech burned towers. Jesus builds His church. Abimelech ruled through fear and image management. Jesus rules through humility and sacrifice. Israel struggled to see God as their King, so God gave us a King we could see — one who does not consume His people, but redeems them. Israel struggled to see God as their King, so God gave us a King we could see — one who does not consume His people, but redeems them. Cedars of Lebanon And this is where Jotham’s parable turns from warning into identity. Why would cedars of Lebanon seek a bramble to rule them? Cedars are not weak plants scrambling for shade. Cedars tower. Cedars endure storms. Cedars provide shelter. Throughout Scripture, the cedar of Lebanon represents strength, stability, dignity, and beauty planted by God Himself. God’s people were never meant to live like frightened shrubs looking for someone to hide under. They were meant to stand tall because God Himself was their King. Through Christ, that is exactly who you are. You have been planted by God. You have been rooted in grace. You have been forgiven, adopted, and brought into His kingdom. You are not scrambling for security. You are secure. You are not searching for identity. You have one. Cedars provide shade. When you walk in Christ, your life becomes a place of refuge for others. Your steadiness becomes someone else’s comfort. Your faithfulness becomes someone else’s courage. Your fruitfulness becomes nourishment for someone still growing. You do not need a bramble to give you shade, because you have been strengthened to give shade. And we rule — not by seizing control, but by reigning with Christ. Scripture teaches that those who belong to Him share in His reign. Not through domination. Not through fear. Not through burning towers. We rule by serving. We reign by loving. We exercise authority by laying down our lives. The only crown we wear is the one placed on us by grace. That is completely different from Abimelech. Abimelech grasped and destroyed. Christ surrendered and saved. Conclusion You do not need a bramble to rule you. You are not weak shrubs looking to rule. You are cedars planted by God. He is your King. Jesus is your King. Elders shepherd under Him. Preachers serve under Him. We do not replace Him. We point to Him. There is

  7. May 14

    Before The Cross

    Before The Cross Casey Gray Download To finish our study on prayer, I want us to look at one of the most powerful prayers in all of scriptures. Before the arrest.Before the trial.Before the cross.There was a prayer. Jesus is the most important Biblical figure for us to learn prayer from. His prayer habits should instruct us and mold our prayers. What does He do? How does He think when He prays? These are the questions we will seek to answer in our study this morning. This may be the most instructive moment. He is about to drink the cup. In Scripture, the cup is not just suffering. It is judgment. It is wrath. Jeremiah says the nations must drink the cup of God’s fury (Jer 25). Isaiah speaks of the cup of staggering (Isa 51). He can see what is about to take place. He knows what’s coming, and he chooses to pray in front of his closest disciples. He wants them to see what He does when the weight is unbearable. He wants them to understand what obedience is costing Him personally so they can share it with us. His prayer is unconventional. What I mean by that is, He doesn’t pray like we typically pray. In this prayer, we see three patterns that shaped Jesus’ life:He prays from relationship.He prays for alignment.He prays with dependence. Praying From Relationship In the three accounts of the prayer, Jesus always starts with “Father.” But notice the words in Matthew and Mark. Matthew 26:39 (ESV) — 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Mark 14:36 (ESV) — 36 And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” In Matthew, Jesus says, “My Father.” In Mark, he says “Abba, Father.” These words indicate warmth, familiarity, and intimacy. They are deeply personal and this is a loving way to refer to your Father. Jesus is addressing God in a close relational sense. He does not approach God as a soldier reporting for duty. He approaches Him as a Son speaking to His Father. Jesus knows that his Father wants Him to do something impossibly difficult to do. He asks God to remove it from him, but He still loves Him and calls out to God with an intimate relationship. Sometimes our prayers become mechanical. We repeat phrases without thinking. We perform instead of commune. But Jesus is not performing a ritual in Gethsemane. He is speaking to His Father. Throughout Jesus’ life, He has always spoken about God as His Father and He makes it clear that His purpose is to do the Father’s will like a good, obedient Son. In the Garden, he turns to God. Not out of obligation. Not just to get what He wanted from God. He turns to God because He belongs to Him. At this moment, no one understands the weight He is carrying — but His Father does. So, the first pattern we see is Jesus praying in relationship with God. I know that some of us learned to pray with “Thee,” “Thou,” etc. We feel a need to be formal or reverent towards the sovereign, creator of the universe. I don’t want to bash those who do that. That’s who God is, but I want to open us up to a different way. A way that Jesus prayed. A way that Jesus taught us to pray. As children of God, we can rely on that relationship we have with God and speak out of it. The King might expect His subjects to revere Him, but His children call Him Abba. Praying In Alignment I’ve mentioned this multiple times in this sermon series, but it bears repeating. Jesus put God’s will ahead of His own. These words need to be heard on repeat, “Not my will, but yours be done.” He cares about God’s will. Jesus is not looking to escape obedience. His words indicate a willingness to do whatever God has in mind. Also, notice that Jesus doesn’t hold back His feelings on the matter. He is not denying His desires, suppressing them, or pretending that they don’t exist. He is human. He has feelings on this matter and would rather not go through the painful scenario. But He trusts in God enough to do something that goes against every fiber of His being. The cup represents wrath (Jer 25, Isa 51). This is not just pain. This is judgment that resembles the judgement God gives to his enemies. He names the desire honestly — “Let this cup pass.” Then He surrenders it completely — “Not my will.” Where have we drawn lines and said, “God, you can have this… but not that”? That is not surrender. That is negotiation. When we do that, we are showing a lack of trust in His wisdom. He can take away everything. He can allow the absolute worst thing to happen to us, and use it for the good of all who love Him. That’s what Jesus shows us in His prayer. Trust God enough to share your feelings completely. Then, trust Him enough to obey and do the exact opposite of what you want to do. Believe, like Abraham, that God will provide. Align your will to His will. Dependence The third part of Jesus’ prayer I want to focus on is related to the first two. Jesus depended on God to do this. I find it interesting to trace Peter’s events beside Jesus’. Jesus tells the disciples, in Matt 16:21, that He must suffer, be crucified, and raised from the dead. Peter boldly proclaims in 26:35, “If I must die with you, I will not forsake you.” Then, Jesus goes to God in prayer over these events and tells Peter to pray with Him so that he won’t fail when tempted. He tells him, “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”What happens next? Jesus goes to the cross and Peter denies knowing Jesus. The message is clear. Jesus went to God in prayer. Peter didn’t. Jesus could do what He said He would do. Peter could not. Prayer is about dependence. Jesus was human, like us. But in His humanity, He chose to rely on the Father every step of the way. Sometimes, I feel like we have a superhero mentality. We want all the glory and fame. We want to do it ourselves. That’s not the way Jesus lived. He relied on God and His prayer life showed that dependence. Notice in Matthew and Mark’s accounts that Jesus goes to God in prayer three times. He asks the same thing three times. But notice what Luke records. Luke 22:42–44 (ESV) — 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. In this case, Jesus pours himself out to God, asking for God to remove this cup. In response, God sends an angel to strengthen Him. What do you think that means to Jesus? The cup might not be removed, but God can provide him with the streng

  8. May 12

    When God Wins (Judges 6-8)

    When God Wins (Judges 6-8) Casey Gray Download Have you been afraid of something you know you shouldn’t be afraid of? Are you currently afraid of something you know you shouldn’t be afraid of? Maybe you are scared of the dark, scared of financial ruin, scared of negative opinions about you, or scared of something bad happening. Where do these fearful thoughts come from and how can we overcome them? This is a continual problem in Israel. Their oppressors instill fear in them when they really have nothing to be afraid of. If God is on their side, they cannot lose. But really the problem is that God is often not on their side. They repeatedly break covenant with God and chase after other gods. Their fear shouldn’t be directed toward their oppressors. It should be directed toward God who brought the oppressor. The Plague of Midian (6:1-10) The people of the land experienced rest after God’s victory with Deborah, Barak, and Jael. Rest for forty years. Forty years is a long time. But it did not last. The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years. The Midianites, along with the Amalekites, were like a plague of locusts on the people of Israel. They would come from the east and the west as uninvited guests and eat up all of the produce of the land along with their livestock. They just moved right in and would fight with any Israelites who tried to stop them. So, the people saw their failure and called out to the Lord for help. In response, God sent a prophet. Judges 6:8–10 (ESV) — 8 the Lord sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery. 9 And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 And I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice.” God reveals to his people that they have failed by fearing the gods of the Amorites and failing to obey God’s voice. These men of Israel believe that the false gods of the land are powerful and they have been worshipping and offering sacrifices to those gods. The Unlikely Judge (6:11-8:27) Like with Deborah, God sent a prophet who told the people their error, but he did not abandon them. This time, he will raise up a man to defeat the Midianites, and it’s not a man who has an army already. He chooses Gideon, a man who is secretly beating out the wheat in his father’s winepress cowering in fear of the Midianites. The angel of the Lord calls out to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”This is a joke, right? The man who is hiding in the wine press to keep Midianites from knowing about his wheat is a mighty man of valor? Gideon picks up on the phrase, “The Lord is with you” and wonders if it’s true. He respectfully asks, “If the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?” He thinks that God has forsaken them because he brought the Midianites in to oppress Israel. The text tells us, “The Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do I not send you?’” But Gideon replies incredulously, “Please, Lord, How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” God doesn’t care about that. God has chosen to be with Gideon and that is all that matters. Hearing that, Gideon goes and makes an offering. The Lord extends his staff and consumes it with fire. At the sight, Gideon knows who He is, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” Tearing Down Baal (6:25-32) God wants Gideon to start at home. He commands Gideon to cut down the idolatrous altars that his own father has and build an altar at the site. He did it that night and when the men of the town saw it, they were upset. They knew it was Gideon and wanted him to die. But Joash, his father said, “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself.” They then renamed Gideon from “Cuts down” to “Let Baal contend against him.” God Shrinks the Army (7:1-8) After this event, the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon and he gathered the men of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali to prepare for battle. But Gideon was still unsure. He asked God for two signs. The first was that He make the fleece wet and all the ground dry early in the morning. The second was that He make the fleece dry and the ground wet early in the morning. He wanted to test to see whether God would truly do the impossible and save Israel through him. God meets his request, and then he strips down his army two times. The first time Gideon commands everyone who is scared to leave. The second time he commands everyone who doesn’t lick up water like a dog to leave. This results in the army going from 22,000 men to 300. For God wanted it to be known that this victory was God’s and not Israel’s. Baal cannot contend for himself, but the Lord God can. God Wins The Battle (7:9-25) The 300 men gathered near the swarm of Midianites and Amalekites, 135,000 of them. Once again Gideon was terrified. God told him to go down into the camp and defeat them because God had given it into his hand. Can you imagine that? 300 men defeating 135,000? God just tells him to do it like it is no big deal. But God said, “If you are afraid, go down to the camp with your servant and see what they are saying.” He does and he finds that they have had a dream about him coming and destroying them. So, Gideon divided the men up, giving them empty jars with torches inside and trumpets. At his command they would blow the trumpets, smash the jars, and shout, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon.” When they did this, their enemies started to flee, but many were killing each other. The 300 men pursued them and killed many. Then, other men from the surrounding tribes also came down and helped with the slaughter. Cracks Appear (8:1-27) On the way, Gideon and his men were hungry and they tried to receive assistance from men of Succoth and Penuel, but they would not help. So, after they defeated the Midianites and Amalakites, they came back and killed the men and elders of those towns. Then, the men of Israel wanted to make Gideon a king, but he refused. He wisely said, “The Lord will rule over you.” But then, he foolishly asked them to give him their earrings and purple garments so he could use them to make a golden ephod and put it in his city. All Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family. Desperation & Success Foolish idolatry brought suffering to Israel because idols can’t do anything. But God brought peace and prosperity. We could see the contrast in God who defeats his enemies with .002% of the men and idols who cannot save themselves.. God can defeat through floods, through hailstones, through fire from heaven, or he could even defeat them through blowing trumpets, breaking jars, and shouting. There is nothing God cannot do. If all 135,000 of the men would have risen up against Gideon and his 300, God would still have defeated them. But the lesson I want us to focus on tonight is the contrast from the beginning of this story to the end. In the beginning we see Gideon as the least of the weakest clan. He’s a nobody who is hiding in the windpress so the Midianites don’t steal his wheat. In this time of desperation, Gideon was willing to trust in the Lord and rely on him for success. God proved himself to Gideon and he worshipped God on multiple occasions. Then, he defeated the enemies and became hungry for glory. His vindictive actions and the golden ephod show that something is wrong. Fear can lead to panic and cowardice or faith and prayer. In times of desperation, are we clinging to false security that c

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