by Paul Apple | Mar 28, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE FRUITS OF A CANAANIZED CULTURE ARE MESSY SITUATIONS AND MESSY SOLUTIONS — YET GOD BY HIS GRACE PRESERVES HIS PEOPLEINTRODUCTION:Look again at how the theme verses for the book of Judges form the bookends for these appendix chapters of 17-21 as we...
by Paul Apple | Mar 28, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE PERVASIVENESS OF PERVERSITY REAPS TRAGIC JUDGMENT ON GOD’S PEOPLEINTRODUCTION:You remember where we left the sad story back in Judges 19 – the Levite’s concubine had been raped and left for dead by the wicked men in the town of Gibeah in the tribe of...
by Paul Apple | Mar 28, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO SHOCK GOD’S PEOPLE INTO OUTRAGE OVER DEPRAVED WICKEDNESS?INTRODUCTION:Today’s text reads like an X rated Hollywood script. Unfortunately we have been exposed to so much depravity in our culture that it is difficult to shock us anymore....
by Paul Apple | Mar 28, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: DON’T CONFUSE MATERIAL PROSPERITY WITH THE BLESSING OF THE LORDINTRODUCTION:I Timothy 6:3-10 If anyone advocates a different doctrine, and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, 4 he is...
by Paul Apple | Mar 28, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: COUNTERFEIT, MAN-MADE SPIRITUALITY REINFORCES ITS OWN CYCLE OF SELF DECEPTION(AND OFFENDS GOD BY REPLACING OBJECTIVE DIVINE STANDARDS WITH ANARCHY AND MORAL RELATIVISM)INTRODUCTION:With Chapter 17 we arrive at the third and final section of the Book of...
by Paul Apple | Mar 28, 2020 | Bible-OT
If you are like our family, you have spent some time this past week watching the performances of a wide variety of Olympic champions over in London. They have prepared for years for their one glorious moment of competition. They have sacrificed and disciplined...
by Paul Apple | Mar 28, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE LORD ANOINTS ISRAEL’S DELIVERER WITH SUPERNATURAL STRENGTH TO EMERGE VICTORIOUS IN THE CYCLE OF RETALIATION WITH THE CONNIVING UNCIRCUMCISED PHILISTINESINTRODUCTION:We have already had glimpses of Samson’s supernatural strength. He killed the lion with...
by Paul Apple | Mar 28, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE FATAL FLAW OF SELF INDULGENT LUST BECOMES THE STIMULANT GOD USES TO ACCOMPLISH HIS PROVIDENTIAL PLANS FOR HIS PEOPLEINTRODUCTION:We tend to think way too highly of ourselves. We think that our plans and accomplishments are so important. While we forget...
by Paul Apple | Mar 28, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE AWESOMENESS OF OUR GOD CALLS FOR A LIFE OF SEPARATION FROM SIN UNTO HIS SERVICEAwesome = both wonderful in His person and in His worksINTRODUCTION:In our lessons regarding the life of Samson we are going to discover that promising beginnings do not...
by Paul Apple | Mar 28, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: INFLATED EGOS AND A HARSH SPIRIT ERUPT IN TRAGIC CONFLICT FOR THE PEOPLE OF GODINTRODUCTION:Last week we saw the tragic consequences of the rash vow made by Jephthah. After he enjoyed a great victory over the Ammonites, he paid the unnecessary price of...
by Paul Apple | Mar 28, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: COMMITMENTS MADE TO THE LORD MUST BE KEPT REGARDLESS OF THE COSTINTERPRETATION ISSUE:Before even beginning the exposition and application of the message, we need to determine at the outset the fundamental question of what actually happened in this historical...
by Paul Apple | Mar 28, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE LOVE OF GOD IN REMAINING FAITHFUL TO HIS PEOPLE DESPITE THEIR REPEATED APOSTASIES . . .AND DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE GRACE OF GOD IN TRANSFORMING HUMAN OUTCASTS INTO CONQUERING HEROESINTRODUCTION:Remember what was prophecied of the Lord...
by Paul Apple | Mar 28, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD INCLUDES THE FULFILLMENT OF HIS CURSESINTRODUCTION:Have any of you ever seen those little boxes of Bible promises where you can pick one card out each week and take comfort in the blessing promised in that verse? When we think of the...
by Paul Apple | Mar 28, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: ONE MAN RULE THAT LORDS IT OVER THE SHEEP USURPS GOD’S PREEMINENT ROLE AND RESULTS IN A REIGN OF FUTILITY THAT CULMINATES IN DESTRUCTIONINTRODUCTION:If most Christians were asked to identify the first king of Israel, I am sure that the answer would be Saul....
by Paul Apple | Mar 28, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: GOD’S PLAN FOR GOVERNANCE SHOULD NOT BE EMBRACED IN THEORY ONLYINTRODUCTION:Gideon had been anointed by the Spirit of God to deliver Israel from the Midianites. He is flush with success, having just seen the Lord use his tiny band of 300 soldiers defeat the...
by Paul Apple | Mar 28, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: NOT TAKING SIDES IS NOT AN OPTION WHEN THE LORD CALLS ON YOU TO SUPPORT THE RIGHTEOUSINTRODUCTION:Some of the biggest disappointments in the experience of those who have been blessed by God with discernment and vision and charged with carrying out a divine...
by Paul Apple | Mar 28, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: FOLLOWING THE DIVINE BLUEPRINT FOR WARFARE YIELDS AMAZING VICTORY OVER FORMIDABLE FOES – AS WE UNDERSTAND THE CHARACTER OF OUR COMMANDER IN CHIEFINTRODUCTION:Do you view yourself as a divinely appointed fighter? That is the mission to which we have been...
by Paul Apple | Mar 28, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: ONLY DESPERATE ODDS ENSURE THAT THE LORD GETS THE GLORY FOR GIVING THE VICTORYINTRODUCTION:This is one of my favorite OT stories because it is the best illustration of a key biblical principle: God demonstrates His strength in our weakness. We always want to...
by Paul Apple | Mar 28, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE PATIENCE OF GOD TRANSFORMS THE HESITANCY OF OUR WEAK FAITH INTO BOLD ACTION EMPOWERED BY HIS SPIRITINTRODUCTION:Contrary to how this text is commonly preached, it has nothing to do with how God’s people should discern God’s will; it is not intended to...
by Paul Apple | Mar 28, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: CONSECRATION IS THE PREREQUISITE TO EFFECTIVE SPIRITUAL SERVICE –INTRODUCTION:We have some strange new ideas that have taken root in the soil of American government. These are principles that are fundamentally opposed to those that our founding fathers would...
