Judges

The biblical book of Judges is a gritty chronicle of the early days of the people of God after they entered the promised land. If you attended Sunday School as a child then you are familiar with many of the characters and stories in the book--Gideon, Samson and Delilah, Barak and Deborah. The book of Judges is a fast-paced, sometimes gruesome portrayal of heroes, apostasy, faith and faithlessness, triumph and tragedy. In this video we look at some of the details and ask some tough questions. Most importantly we tackle the meaning and purpose of the book and what the Christian can take away from it. Finally we look for Christ and, of course, we find him here, too. Only about twenty minutes total, I hope you will take the time to watch.

Psalm 4 - A Sermon

While at first glance you might not think so, the Psalms speak to us and our faith in our every day lives. Psalm 4 certainly does, and the faith that it encourages us toward is a necessary element of our lives. In this Psalm David both encourages the people of God and adds a poignant message to the unbelieving world around him.

Below is a link to the audio of a sermon I preached from Psalm 4 this past Sunday. I hope it is a blessing.

Psalm 4 - An Evening Psalm

(I mention John Chrysostum in the sermon.)

Joshua

Genocide, holy war, the sun standing still, whole families being wiped out for the sin of one individual . . . what are we to do with the book of Joshua? John and I take a look at this tough to understand, controversial book in the Old Testament canon, and we look it right in the face. Does God command his people to wage holy war? Is it fair that God punishes whole families for the sins of a patriarchal leader? Do Christians really believe that Joshua commanded the sun to stand still and it did? What are we to make of this book and what does it have to say to us today as Christians in the 21st century? Does it have anything to do with Jesus?

I would like to say that we give thorough and satisfying answers to all these questions, but I'm not sure we do. What we do, however, is look the questions right in the face without flinching and give a defense of the holiness of God and the authority of Scripture. Having reviewed this several times I'm still not satisfied with my answers completely, but I believe the testimony of God can stand up to all scrutiny. Watch and think and learn and trust and adore.

The Historical Books of the Old Testament

There are 39 books in what we call the Old Testament. Each of these books is unique and yet all unite  together to give testimony to the faithfulness of the God of Israel--and all point forward to a Messiah.

We divide these 39 books into four major sections. The first one is the Pentateuch or the five books of Moses, also called Torah or the Law. (We have covered these books previously.) Now we come to the second major section, known as the Historical or narrative books of the Old Testament.

How many books are in this section and what do we find in them? That is the topic of these next videos. John asks and I try to answer some important questions about the Historical books. The conversation is designed to introduce this section of the Bible and give you an idea of what is coming. I recommend you have the table of contents in your Bible open as you listen, just for quick reference, especially if you're relatively unfamiliar with the books. Afterwards, you should be able to begin reading with a better idea of what is in them. Again, the first video is just short of 15 minutes and the second one less than 5.

 
The next videos in the series will cover each of these books individually.

Psalm 6 - A Psalm of Repentance

The Psalms are both deeply theological and intensely emotional. The Psalms are about life and worship. While we often make a distinction between life and worship, the Psalms do not. Psalm 6 is a passionate Psalm dealing with David's repentance and God's forgiveness. What role should repentance play in our life and worship? Take a listen to the audio sermon linked below.

Psalm 6 - A Psalm of Repentance

This sermon was originally delivered to a small Bible study group in an assisted living facility in Quitman, Texas on October 23, 2015.

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy is the re-telling or re-giving of the Law. The last of the books of Moses, this is one of the key books for understanding the whole Bible. The entire book takes place in one scene and is the last recorded words of Moses to God's people before Moses dies. In this video, I ask and John attempts to answer some important questions that will help the modern reader to understand and appreciate this book.

The first video is fifteen minutes and part 2 is only five minutes more. Those last five minutes are important, though, because that is the segment where we tie it all into Christ.

Numbers--In the Wilderness

What is the book of Numbers about? What was its original name? For what and for whom was it written? Is there anything in it that is relevant to the 21st century? Where is Jesus in Numbers?

This is the sixth video in our Old Testament series. These videos were designed to help make the Old Testament understandable for the 21st century reader. The New Testament says that God's word is alive and powerful, and when it says that, it is talking about the Hebrew Bible, or what we Christians call the Old Testament. Is it true that a dusty old Hebrew book like Numbers could have something for us today? Watch the videos and find out. Once again, Pastor John Pflug and I have a discussion. This time John asks the questions and I stumble over the answers. The first video is 15 minutes and the second one only 6 minutes more. Watch and be blessed.

Into the wilderness . . .