Pine Tree Church of Christ's Podcast

Matt. 6:19-24

Matt. 5:43-48 is the key text in the series for Core Discipleship.

Matt. 28:5-10 is the additional text for Easter Sunday.

Matt. 6:14-15

Matthew 6:9-13

Matthew 6:1-18

Matthew 5:38-42

Matthew 5:33-37

Matt. 5:27-32 - Lust, Divorce, Marriage & Re-Marriage 

Matt. 5:21-26

Matt. 5:17-20.

This is the 5th lesson on the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:13-16

Matthew 5:3-12

How do we find ourselves in these beatitudes? Are you "poor in spirit"? Do you "hunger and thirst for righteousness"? Are you "merciful"? Are you a "peacemaker"?

Matt. 5:3-12 - Beatitudes

Sermon on the Mountain introduction. Matthew Ch. 5, 6, 7

John 1:10-18

Christmas Eve, 2023

John 1:1-9

Ecclesiastes 12:8-14

Ecclesiastes Ch. 11:9 - Ch. 12:1-7

Ecclesiastes 10:1-20

Ecclesiastes Ch. 8 & 9 - How can we find meaning in a world that sometimes seem meaningless?

Ecclesiastes 7:9 & 15-22

Missions Sunday. Guest Speaker Monte Cox.

Monte Cox has been the Dean of the College of Bible and Ministry at Harding University since 2005. Monte and his wife, Beth, spent ten years planting churches in Kenya. Monte has served as an elder of the Downtown Church of Christ in Searcy since 2002 and was also the preaching minister from 2013-2022).  Monte has an M.A. in Missiology and Church Growth from Harding School of Theology in Memphis and a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago. He has taught Bible and comparative religions courses at Harding since 1992. He is the author ofSignificant Others: Understanding Our Non-Christian Neighbors(Leafwood 2017). He and Beth have three grown children and four grandchildren.

Ecclesiastes 7:1-4

Ecclesiastes 5:10-6:9

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

Going to Church with "The Preacher."

Ecclesiastes 4:3-16

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:6

The Teacher shares with us his pursuit of happiness in this life. This pursuit was not just for himself, it was for all humans. What did he discover? 

Today, we begin a new series on Ecclesiastes. This lesson covers Ecclesiastes 1:1-11. 

Ezekiel 37:1-14

God doesn't just meet us on the mountain, God also meets us in the valley. We often describe our faith journey in terms of "peaks and valleys." The "peaks" are the times when we feel really near to God, the "valleys" are probably best described when we are in a low point and we want to hear from God or feel His presence. 

God takes Ezekiel to a valley filled with death. Through this experience, God is showing the prophet that He is going to restore hope to his people who are symbolically in the valley.

How does this valley experience relate to our own experiences? How does God show up to us when we are in the valley?

Matthew 28:16-20

The last mountain that Jesus meets His disciples on in the Gospels. We aren't told the name of the mountain, but we know that it was a mountain in Galilee. It is at this setting that Jesus commissions his disciples to go make more disciples throughout the world. This mountaintop moment gives us our mission as well. Sometimes we get off task, and this sermon will hopefully remind us of our purpose and give us a renewed sense of Christ's mission in the world.

Mark 14:26-52

This week we come to the Mount of Olives. On this mountain there is a Garden called Gethsemane. It's on this mountain that Jesus experienced an overwhelming amount of fear. Jesus' courage in the midst of fear gives us an example to follow when we are stalled out by fear: step forward!

What causes fear in your life? Beyond just the normal fears and phobias we might experience, what are some of the fears that work in the background of your life? I call these the "less obvious fears." These fears impact our thoughts, behaviors, and decisions more than we realize. If we are honest, what are they? Bring those with you to the Mount of Olives. 

Jesus teaches that if we have enough faith, we can move a mountain. Obviously, we don't think he literally meant that we could rearrange the landscape. There is usually a deeper meaning behind some of the stranger teachings of Jesus. So, what did he mean by this teaching? Where is the emphasis, is it on us having more faith? Is it less about the size of our faith and more about the size of the God we believe in? Is it both?

Matthew 17:19-20; Luke 17:5-6; Mark 11:20-24

Mark 9:1-27. Jesus and three of his disciples have one of their best moments on the mountain, and then some of their worst moments back in the valley.  This lesson covers the Transfiguration followed by doubt back in the valley.

Today, we go to Mount Horeb with Elijah. He goes from having a mountain top moment with God on Mount Carmel, to being in the valley, to depression on Mount Horeb by himself. What do we learn about God when we are in the valley? Why is this story in the Bible? This amazing and peculiar story from 1 Kings 19:1-18 will help answer some of those questions.

Today, we go to the top of Mount Carmel to make a decision about who, or what, we will worship with our lives. 1 Kings 18:17-40 is our main text. 

Do Mount Carmel moments still happen today? I don't know, but I know Mount Carmel decisions still happen today.

1 Kings 18:21 is the key verse. "How long will you go on limping between two opinions?" ... choose who you are going to follow.

In Exodus 3, God appeared to Moses at Mount Horeb, the Mountain of God.

In Exodus 19, the Israelites (led by Moses) arrived at Mount Sinai, the Mountain of God.

In this lesson, we study Exodus Ch. 19 & 20 - their first major encounter with Yahweh at Mount Sinai. Moses ascends and descends the mountain several times. He functions as an intermediary. God's presence comes in a powerful display at the mountain. God gives the Ten the Commandments. The people are afraid. How do we read and understand this today?

We, as Christians, view through this mountain experience through a different lens that the Hebrew writer provides us in Heb. 12:18-24.

First of all, this sermon was preached on a Sunday without electricity.  A bad storm came through on the previous Thursday night, so we were without power. The recording is not the greatest audio quality because it was recorded on an iPhone and then we attempted to reduce the background noise (from the giant fan we had going).

Anyways, this sermon was a bit shorter due to the heat in the room. The focus is meeting God on the Mountain, specifically the mountain top experiences that we have with God. We talk about the experience, the perspective of worship and our attitude when we return home. We also discuss the potential for mountaintop experiences at home, or when you least expect it.

Psalm 121.

New series = Meeting God on the Mountain. Throughout Scripture, God often met His people on a mountain. This summer, we go to the mountains of Scripture to meet with God.

The fruits of Emotionally Healthy Discipleship? A calmed & quieted soul. Psalm 131 claims that this is attainable. Does this describe me? What leads us to a noisy & restless soul, and how can we aim in the direction of a calmed & quieted soul? 

Emotionally Healthy Discipleship

2 Corinthians 

How is strength found through weakness? How did Paul develop his Theology of Weakness? 

Series: Emotionally Healthy Discipleship

Sermon: Break the Power of the Past

Main Texts: John 8:14; 2 Tim. 1:5; Exodus 20:4-6; John 9:1-3; Ezekiel 18:20

Senior Sunday - 5-7-23
 2 Tim. Ch. 2

If we are growing spiritually, we simultaneously mature emotionally. One of the ways we can measure our maturity is by our love. How can we love like Jesus? Jesus gives us the practical examples of slowing down to be present with the people in front of him, to actually see them, and to listen. 

Matt. 22:34-40
John 13:34-35

Emotionally Healthy Discipleship Part 3 - Processing Grief & Loss

Throughout our lives, we all accumulate losses. Some are devastating or unexpected, and some are natural/expected losses. Regardless the severity, losses need to be grieved. If we do not take the time to grieve before the Lord, this emotional pain will continue to weigh heavy on our souls. In this lesson, we discuss Peter Scazzero's three phases of processing grief and loss, we go to the cross with Jesus and learn from him on how to deal with pain, and we touch on the need to lament (especially in the Psalms).

Mark 8:34; Mark 15:22-33; James 1:2-4

Part 2 of the Emotionally Healthy Discipleship Series...

When presented with opportunities and invitations, how do we know what to say yes to and what to say no to? We can't say yes to everything, and when we say no, it gives more meanings to our yes.

Without a Theology of Limits, we will have a tough time making wise decisions. God gave Adam and Eve a limit in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:15-17; 3:4-6). Jesus worked within limits in His ministry (Luke 4:42-43 as an example). John the Baptist embraced his limits (John 3:36-30 as an example). And the Twelve acknowledged their limits while staying rooted in their calling (Acts 6:1-4).

What are the limits we need to receive?

What are limits that we need to breakthrough?

Decision-Making is an important part in our Spiritual & Emotional maturity. 

New Series - EHD = Emotionally Healthy Discipleship

Luke 10:38-42 is that main text... 

Easter 2023.

Start with Luke 24 & Acts 1 - why is it so obvious to the Angels that Jesus is not among the dead, but it's not so obvious to the human eye? Why is it so obvious to the Angels that Jesus will come back, but it's not so obvious to the Apostles who are staring into the sky? There is what I will call an "obvious gap". The Angels are seeing the unseen, seeing behind the curtain.

In Revelation Ch. 1, John the Revelator invites us to look behind the curtain and see Jesus the way he saw him. Jesus is described by John in a beautiful and layered way. He sees a vision of Christ, which invites us to view the Easter story from a broader perspective.

The "key" statement for this lesson is Rev. 1:18 - "I was dead, and now I am alive forever and ever. I have the keys of Death and Hades." Jesus has the keys! The one who has the keys has the authority. 

Luke 23:26-31 

Today's lesson is designed to help us begin drawing near to the cross of Christ this week. 

Jesus taught a lot of "stranger things." These words from Christ would fall under that category. Why does Jesus say what he says to these women who are following him and mourning for him? And what do we have to learn from Simon of Cyrene and the Daughters of Jerusalem when it comes to coming to closer to the Crucified Lord?

Today's text is Titus 1:5-9 & 1 Timothy 3:1-7. We are looking at the character sketch of an Elder that Paul gives us. Although this presents the type of character we are looking for in an elder, these lists should also encourage anyone who is following Christ to either be described this way, or for this to describe who we are becoming in Christ. 

1 Peter 5:1-4 & Ezekiel 34:1-6

What is an elder of a church? What do we call them? If we can figure out what we call them, that will give us a better idea of what their role is. 

The final Apostle of the original twelve: Judas Iscariot. He is forever known as the "betrayer." Why did Judas follow Jesus to begin with? Was he sincere at the beginning and then inauthentic as time went on? Why did Judas betray Jesus?

John 6:66-71 - One of You is a Devil
John 12:1-6 - Greed
Matt. 26:14-16 - Greed
John 13:2; Luke 22:3; John 13:21-30; Matthew 26:22-25 - Judas Opened His Heart to Satan, but the other Apostles still did not know at the time
Matt. 26:47-50 - Judas Betrays Jesus with a Kiss. Was he trying to force Jesus to act? Was he doing this because of unfulfilled expectations?
Matt. 27:3-10 - Tragic Ending to Judas's Life. Sin never satisfies the way we hope it will. 

Mark 3:13-19 - Which Apostle do you connect with the most and why? Also, in this lesson we talk about meeting God on the mountain, the Apostles James the Younger, Simon the Zealot, and Judas (not Iscariot)/Thaddeaus, and the two main objectives Jesus had with the Twelve.

The Apostle Thomas is known most popularly as "Doubting Thomas." Some also refer to him as "Thomas the Pessimist." Thomas stands in the tensions faith & doubt, of faith & pessimism. If you've ever struggled with either of those, you might connect with Thomas. John 11:7,8...16; John 14:1-6; John 20:19-29

Who is the most unlikely person who you think might become a disciple of Jesus? That is who Matthew was; an unlikely candidate.  Yet Jesus called him and he said yes. What do we learn about discipleship from Matthew? What do we learn about disciple-making from Jesus calling Matthew?

continuing our series studying the 12 Apostles, today we look at two of them. Philip (from the Gospels, not from Acts) & Bartholomew (most suggest is Nathanael).

John 1:43-51
John 6:5-7
John 12:20-23
John 14:8-11

Continuing our 12 Apostles series, a character study, as we also consider our mission to Make, Mature, and Multiply Faithful Followers of Christ. 

Today we focus mainly on the Apostle John. In the Synoptic Gospels, John desired to become more powerful, was impulsive and wanted to destroy his enemies, and was exclusive towards outsiders. You could say that John's growth area was love!

We learn a lot about John from his writings. No one writes about love as much as John does in the New Testament. As an older man, you could definitely say that John matured deeply in love. 

Today we study the Sons of Thunder, which is the nickname that Jesus gave to James and John. These two were being trained to not only be disciples and disciple-makers, but they were also being trained to be leaders. One key area they they need to be enlightened in was how power works in God's Kingdom and who gets power.

Mark 1:18-20; 3:16-19; Matt. 20:20-28; Luke 9:51-58; Acts 12:1-2; John 13:3

Today we study the Apostle Andrew. He is mainly known for being "Simon Peter's brother."  He was in Peter's shadow and worked in the background. We no very little about Andrew. In the Gospel of John, we see him three times: John 1:35-42; John 6:5-11; John 12:20-22. Each time we see him, there is a pattern we see in Andrew. What can we learn from Andrew about being a disciple and being a disciple-maker? 

A study of the Twelve Apostles as we consider our own Mission and Vision.

This is the Apostle Peter Part 2. The main text is John 21. 

What do we know about Peter?

What do we know about his character?

What do we know about his name: Simon or Peter?

It seems that a lot of us can relate to Peter, he fluctuated between his old self and new self quite often. 

Our mission is to Make, Mature, & Multiply Faithful Followers of Christ. In short, I am calling this the "3 M's." How did Jesus go about making, maturing, multiplying followers? His main strategy was to pick 12 ordinary men, train them for a few years, and then hand it over to them. He saw potential in them, he gave them an opportunity, and was patient with them.

How are we going to Make, Mature, and Multiply faithful followers of Christ? Following the lead of Jesus, we have 7 commitments as a church that serves as our vision:

1. We will cultivate a deeper love for God
2. We will be a loving intergenerational family
3. We will pursue unity focused on Jesus
4. We will nurture marriage and young families
5. We will make disciples who make disciples
6. We will have an outward focus on our local community
7. We will be mission minded for the lost of the world

What did we do in the year 2022? Where is God leading us in 2023?

A new year brings a fresh start. How will you respond to these two words from Jesus this year, "follow me"?

Matt. 2:1-12

Luke 2:1-20

Today we begin a short Advent series leading up to Christmas.

Series = Key Players. We are looking at some of the key players that God chose to work through in the incarnation. Who did God use, why did He use them, and what do we have to learn from them?

Old Faithful = Luke 1:5-7; 2:22-38 

Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon, Anna - what is the common connection with these four key players?

Post-Thanksgiving - everyone's attitude is great during Thanksgiving, but how long will it last? Do you throw out the attitude when you throw out the left-over turkey a few days later? Phil. 2:1-15 is the main text. 

James 5:13-20

This is the final lesson in the series going through the Book of James. James ends his letter with a plea to pray.  Pray when you are suffering.  Ask the elders to pray over you when you are sick. Confess your sins and pray for each other. Pray for those who have wandered from the faith... 

James 3:1-12 

Two Truths About Our Words:

1. Our words have incredible potential (for both the negative and the positive. To encourage, bless, and lift someone up. The potential also to crush someone.)

2. Our words come from something within us (Jesus tells us "the heart speaks what the mouth is full of." Our words are a diagnostic tool that reveals what is going on in our hearts).

Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing... 

No one can tame the tongue...

James 2:14-26. 

We live in a world where you can photoshop pictures, get spray on tans, get tattoos that make it look like you have a 6-pack, etc. How can we know what is real and what is a facade? James is looking for real, authentic faith. Real faith, according to James, requires action. Don't we have a saying, "actions speak louder than words"? How do we hear what James is saying to us? How does this line up with Paul's teaching on grace? 

James 1:19-26

We usually do the opposite of V. 19. We are often slow to listen but quick to speak and quick to get angry. How can we become better listeners? How can we be more deliberate and calm with our words? How can we be less reactionary with our anger?

In our main text today, James introduces our two final themes: words & actions. We blend the introductions into those themes today.

How do we know if we are putting the word into practice? 

One indicator would  be less about our outward deeds and more about being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry!

James 4:13-17

In today's text, James seems to go from practical Christianity to more of a larger life perspective/reflection.

James 2:1-13 - Do Not Show favoritism?

James 1:9-11 & James 5:1-6.

We now move into a new theme in this James series: warnings to the rich. James begins this topic in Ch. 1, and then returns to it a few times throughout the letter.  In Ch. 5:1-6 is the harshest rhetoric of the whole letter.  

In one sense, James just continues Jesus' reversal theme from the Gospel of Luke. We are invited to look at the world through a Kingdom lens that is upside-down and inside-out. On the other hand, we might ask some questions about why such a strong warning: Is it wrong to be rich? Who is considered rich? Why is it dangerous  for our faith to be rich? What is an appropriate response? 

James 3:13 - 4:10

Part 2 of the "Wisdom" sub-theme in James. He introduced the topic in Ch.1, and officially picks it back up here in Ch. 3 (although you could argue that the whole book is about wisdom). Remember that James did not include chapter divisions originally. Ch. 4:1-10 is a continuation of the end of Ch. 3.

What are the two types of wisdom and how do we live it out?

James 1:5-8 is our main text for today.

We are taking a theme by theme approach to James rather than chapter by chapter. Today, we move to a new topic in James: "Wisdom." What is wisdom? How would you define it? What does James mean by wisdom? 

James is considered by some as the Proverbs of the New Testament. James also includes several allusions to the Sermon on the Mount.

James 5:7-11

Why do we suffer? Why do we go through trials? How does James address this? How are we supposed to go through trials?

James 1:13-18 is the main text in this lesson. We are taking a theme by theme approach to the book of James. We are currently studying the theme of "trials" according to James. 

When? It's not if we will go through trials, it's when...

Where? It's not where temptation comes from during a trial, it's within... 

What do you consider "pure joy"? We probably don't answer that question with all the hardships and trials we've been through. Yet, this is what James says we should consider "pure joy." James 1:2-4; 12 is our main text today. Several people say that they wish this wasn't in the Bible because it is such a difficult teaching. What does James mean by this paradoxical teaching, and how do we apply it today?

Today we begin a series on the Book of James. Rather than taking a chapter by chapter approach, we are going theme by theme. Most of the main themes in James are introduced in chapter one, then James continues to elaborate on these themes throughout the rest of the letter.

The overarching theme is to grow into a Mature Faith. This lesson focuses on James 1:1-4, who is the author and who is he writing to? Also, if you read the book as a whole, James gives us a snapshot of immature faith and a snapshot of mature faith.

Mark 10:46-52. This sermon falls on the beginning of a new school year. A new school year is a fresh start for everyone involved. What do we learn from Bartimaeus at the end of Mark 10? Jesus is going to give him a fresh start in life, but it comes with some life-altering challenges. Bartimaeus becomes a model disciple for us.

Mark 8:22-26 - Mark is the only Gospel writer that includes this specific episode of a blind man healing. It is an interesting one. Why does the healing not work all the way at first? Why is his vision not fully restored, he's a little blurry?  Metaphorically, sometimes our spiritual vision may feel like that, not real clear... How can we stay close to Jesus when we're not exactly sure what God is up to?

1 Kings 19:8-18 

Part 2 on Elijah's disquieted soul.

1 Kings 19:1-18 Part 1. We continue discussing the "disquieted soul" aka anxiety. This sermon focuses on Elijah at his lowest moment and how God slowly and gently restores him. The invitation to rest in the Lord & then re-engage in ministry is still for us today. 

Continuing the thought on anxiety/the disquieted soul. Getting to the root of our anxiety includes understanding who we are and why we are the way we are. John. Ch. 6, 7 , 8 are what I call the "Identity Interrogation" section. John 8:14 is the key text for most of this lesson. "I know where I came from and I know where I'm going." It would be very important if we knew the same things.

Do you ever think about what you think about? We've been in a series on anxiety the last month, and you can't talk about anxiety without talking about our thought life.

What are you afraid of? If you don't know, ask yourself, "what am I running from?" Or,  "what am I avoiding?" The answers to those to questions might just show you what you fear.

Numbers 13

We continue our study on the various aspects of Anxiety, however we spend our third and final week in Psalm 42. What does this Psalm teach us about how to deal with the Disquieted Soul? 

We often go through life unaware of what is going on inside of us. The Psalmist is... Self-Aware - he realizes that something is not right in his soul and he names it. If you can name the anxiety and where it is coming from, it will de-escalate the power it has over you. The Psalmist is...Other-Aware - he realizes that other people's hurtful words have caused him anxiety. We are all interconnected, and anxiety is contagious. The Psalmist is... God-Aware - he realizes that, although he is disquieted, that God is still working on Him.