Judges 3.31 - 4.10 - Deborah & Barak, Part 1

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Judges

A Judge by Judge Bible Study -  24 December 2017

Archdale church of Christ – Russ McCullough

Lesson #5 – Judges 3.31 – 4.10

1.     How many unimportant sentences are in God’s Word?

2.     Judges 3.31 mentions a “one verse” judge.  Who is he?  His name means D_________________.

3.     NOTE: We will render a new sermon very soon on this man.

4.     What did the people of Israel don once more?  What triggered this event?

5.     The Hebrew word for “sold” is MAKAR which means to “sell and / or to be given over to D______________.”   God did not sell Israel in order to make a P______________but to P________________ them at any C_________ regardless of the “R_____________ on I _______________.”

A.   Judges 2.14 __________________________________________

B.    Judges 3.8 ___________________________________________

C.    Judges 4.2 ___________________________________________

D.   Judges 4.9 ___________________________________________

E.    Judges 10.7 __________________________________________

F.     Deuteronomy 31.17 ____________________________________

G.   Psalms 106.34 – 46 ____________________________________

6.     Who did God next sell Israel to?

7.     His name means “I_______________” and may have been a continuous royal title like P__________ or C_____________.

8.     Jabin reigned in H_______________ which is about a 1/3 of the way from Haifa to D______________________.

9.     The commander of Jabin’s army was a man named S___________.  What his name actually meant is U__________________.  It may mean M_________________ or S____________ H______________.

10. He lived in H_________________ - h______________ which means “F__________________.”  A recent dig discovered a metallic relief picturing a woman with ear rings in the shape of C___________ W_____________.  It was located WSW of the Sea of G______________ very close to the Mediterranean Sea.

11. Why did Israel cry out to the Lord?

12.  How long did he oppress Israel?

13.  Who was judging Israel at this time?  Her name means B_______.  She was a P___________________.  Her husband’s name was L______________ whose name means T______________.

14. Where did Deborah sit and judge Israel?  Why did the people come up to her?

15. Who did she summon?  B__________ which means L_____________.  Who son was he?  A____________ which means F_____________ of P________________.  Where did he live?  K_____________________ which is located on the SSW coast of the Sea of G___________ and means roughly “H_________ C_____________.”

16. What is the answer to the rhetorical question of verse 6?  How does this reflect on the fact that Deborah was judge and not Barak?

17. Where was Barak to gather his army of _____________?  Mt. T___________ which is located about __________ miles WSW of the Sea of G______________.

18. From what 2 tribes was he to gather his army?

19. God promised to D__________ O_______ the enemy army by what river?  K______________.  The battle was fought in the J____________ Valley between M________________ and Mt. T____________.

20. What condition of going did Barak demand of Deborah?  Her reply?

21. The victory will not be credited to him but to whom? 

ANSWER CODE:

1.     None, Shamgar, Destroyer

2.     We will render a new lesson soon on the life of this man.

3.     Shamgar, Destroyer

4.     Evil, Death of Ehud

5.     Death, Profit, Preserve, Cost, Return, Investment

6.     Same word, “sold” is used 5 times in 5 verses in Judges, Prediction, Explanation

7.     Jabin

8.     Intelligent One, Pharaoh, Caesar

9.     Hazor, Damascus

10. Sisera, Unclear, Mediator, Swift Horse

11. Harosheth-hagoyim, Fortress, Chariot Wheels, Galilee

12. 900 Iron Chariots

13. Twenty years

14. Bee, Prophetess, Lappidoth, Torches

15. Between Ramah and Bethel, to render judgements between disputants

16. Barak, Lightning or Lightning Flash

17. Abinoam, Father of Pleasantness, Kedesh-naphtali, Galilee, Holy City

18. Has not God already asked Barak to go out?  Yes., Poorly

19. 10,000, Tabor, 10, Galilee

20. Zebulon & Naphtali

21. Draw Out, Kishon, Jezreel, Megiddo, Mt. Tabor

22. I won’t go unless you go with me, She did

23. The glory won’t go to him but to a woman

Rendering to God by Rendering to Caesar

“Rendering to God by Rendering to Caesar”

“From Ulster Plantation to the Carolina’s with the Gospel!” *

Russell H. McCullough / Archdale church of Christ, 2525 Archdale Drive, Charlotte, NC 28210

www.archdale.org / gospelcall.blogspot.com - Date:  7 May 2017

Text: Mark 12.13 - 17

Thesis:  When We Honor Caesar, We Honor God.  When We Pay Our Taxes, We Honor Caesar Which in Turn Honors God.  We Cannot Play Word Games With God!

1           Introduction

A.    The greater context begins in 11.27 – “…they came again to Jerusalem; and as He was walking in the Temple there came to Him the Chief Priests, and the Scribes, and the Elders…”

1.      The Levites

2.    The Levitical Lawyers

3.     Representatives from The Sanhedrin – The 70 elders of Israel made up of both Pharisees and Sadducees.

B.   “By what authority?” – “Was the baptism of John from God or from men?” – 11.27 – 11.33

C.    The parable of the vineyard – 12.1 – 12.12

D.   Having humiliated these, they (L, LL, S) sent the most unlikely of allies to “catch Him in His words,” the Pharisees and the Herodian’s!

1.      Pharisees – Ultra nationalists who continuously fought against Roman occupation and the influence of Greek culture.

2.    Herodian’s – Pro Roman collaborators, the otherwise enemies of the Pharisees.

3.     Only their common hatred of the Christ brought them together for the very first and very last time!

E.    These delegations singular purpose was to “catch Him in His words,” to “entangle Him in His talk,” and to “take hold of His Words” so they might build a case for His murder.

1.      They proposed to put Christ into a “semantic stew” as it were.

F.    They proposed to do this by a classic “catch 22” move, no matter what His response, He would convict Himself, a classic “between a rock and a hard place” rhetorical trick.  We might call this a “loaded question.”

1.      The Pharisee’s wanted to hear “YES” as this would politicize Christ as pro-Roman and destroy His standing with the people.

2.    The Herodian’s wanted to hear “NO” as this would politicize Christ as anti-Roman and make Him an enemy of the state.

3.     Either way, they thought, Jesus would incriminate Himself and they then could arrest Him.

G.   What they did not know was that they were attacking the King of Rhetoric! 

1.      Jesus Christ is the greatest Rhetorical Power the world has ever seen or will see!

a.    Jesus Christ defeats ALL arguments against Him!

b.    If one wishes to master rhetoric, if one wishes to master argumentation, if one wishes to master debate…study Jesus Christ!

H.   What Jesus Christ is about to do here is to pull a “rhetorical reverse” …it will put the delegation in the vice that they themselves created!

I.       This account is found in 3 of the synoptic gospels: Out Markian text today, in Matthew 22.15 – 22 and Luke 20.20 - 26

2          Mark’s and Matthew’s account are vertically identical:

A.   Pharisees and Herodian’s

B.   “Trap / entangle” Him in His talk

C.    He is called Teacher

D.   “We know You are True”

E.    “You don’t care for other’s opinions”

F.    “You are not swayed by appearances”

G.   “You truly teach the Way of God”

H.   They ask the same question; “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?”

I.       Jesus asks the question; “Why test Me?”

J.     Jesus asks for a coin

K.   “Whose likeness and inscription is here?”

L.    Same response; “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesars’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

M.The same result; “And they marveled at Him.”

3          In Luke’s account, (Read Luke 20.20 – 26) we discover a wide variety of additional facts:

A.   Luke calls the delegation “spies.”

B.   He says the delegation “pretended to be sincere.”

C.    Their purpose was to deliver up Christ to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.

D.    They were unable to do so in the presence of the people to catch Him in what He said.

E.    They became silent.

4         Motives, Questions, and Answers:

5          CONCLUSION:

6         The Meaning of the Text in It’s Theological, Historical & Cultural Context:

A.

7          The Challenge of the Text for Christians Today

A.    

8         “The Gospel Call”

·         My fifth great uncle was Hugh Gaston who was rector at the Ballywillan Presbyterian Church (pictured above left) in County Antrim, Ulster Plantation (Northern Ireland) and wrote the most dangerous book of his time; Gaston’s Collections.  It allowed “the ploughman to know more Bible than his clergyman.”  Hugh fled to South Carolina where he died prematurely of the measles.  He is buried just one hour south of Charlotte in Chester County, S.C. in “Burnt Meeting House Cemetery.”   Uncle Hugh continues to inspire my ministry to this very day.  You can read more about Uncle Hugh here: http://www.ballywillanpci.org/rev-hugh-gaston

Ruins photo courtesy of: ballywillanpci.org.

The 2nd Greatest Blessing We Can Receive This Side of Heaven - Worship

“From Ulster Plantation to the Carolina’s with the Gospel!” *

Russell H. McCullough / Archdale church of Christ, 2525 Archdale Drive, Charlotte, NC 28210

www.archdale.org / gospelcall.blogspot.com - Date:  26 February 2017

Text:  I Corinthians 11.17 - 34

Thesis:  “There is no remembrance of Christ outside of the assembly”

1           Introduction

A.   I would like to thank bro. Gene Austin for requesting this sermon to be preached. 

B.   We are not here to “preach to the choir so to speak,” we are here to reinforce the Mind of Christ regarding this subject so we can better defend the faith and encourage one another to always be faithful.

C.    There is a rapid decent in church attendance in America

D.   We could drone on and on about the reasons why.

E.    Vance Havner observed; “The church is so subnormal that if it ever got back to the New Testament, normal it would seem to people abnormal.”

F.    C. S. Lewis said:  “The perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of.  Our attention would have been on God.”

G.   Many people have offered many excuses for neglecting the Lord’s memory:

1.      “Three letters…NFL!

2.     “I’m a good person and I don’t want to hear otherwise!”

3.    “When I want to feel guilty, I’ll just call my mother!”

4.    “Not going to church because of hypocrites is like not going to the gym because of all “those out of shape people!”

5.    “I was on my way to church this morning when I glanced down at my smart phone.  It said; “No Service.”  So I turned around and went back home.”

6.    And my personal favorite…”The preacher doesn’t respond to my remote control!”

7.     Often folks just go to “Bedside Baptist” where they will listen to Dr. Sheets attended to by brother Snooze Button and brother Tenmore Minutes.

8.    But SERIOUSLY…

H.   Thomas Paine the atheist sums it up best: “My own mind is my own church.”

I.       John Wesley observed; “The Bible knows nothing of solitary religion.” 

J.     I have visited the woods many times over my life span and have yet to find someone holding a worship service!

K.   On the other hand I have most certainly heard the Lord’s Name being called out loudly on every golf course I ever played!

L.     Today We Will Go To God’s Word and Discover God’s Greatest Blessing This Side of Heaven

M.Worship Is For God, Worship is For Others and Worship is For Me.

2          Worship is for God

A.   John 4.19 – 24

1.      The Hour is now here for TRUE worshippers

a.    Those who neglect God become FALSE worshippers

2.     True worshippers worship Him in Spirit and in Truth

a.    Those who don’t worship Him in Spirit worship falsely

b.    Those who don’t worship Him in Truth worship falsely

3.    God is seeking such to worship Him

a.    Am I going to purposely avoid the God of the Universe who is seeking me out to worship Him?

B.   I Corinthians 11.17 – 34

1.      Vs. 18 – They are commanded to come together as a church, not as individuals

2.     Vs. 20 – They are commanded to come together to eat the Lord’s Supper

3.    Vs. 24 – Jesus commands us to remember Him when we eat the bread

4.    Vs . 25 – Jesus commands us to remember Him when we drink the fruit of the vine

5.    Vs. 26  - We are commanded to “proclaim the Lord’s Death” until He comes as an assembly

6.    Vs. 27 – An unworthy taking proclaims the opposite

7.     Vs. 28 – We are commanded to examine ourselves during the Lord’s Supper, something impossible for the absent as the examination is to be in the Assembly

8.    Vs. 29 – We are to discern the Lord’s Body during the Lord’s Supper, something impossible for the absent as this discernment is to be in the Assembly

9.    Vs. 30 – The neglect of the Lord’s Supper will cause a spiritual illness that is always fatal if not treated

C.    THERE IS NO REMEMBRANCE OF CHRIST OUTSIDE OF THE ASSEMBLY

3          Worship is For Others

A.   Hebrews 10.19 – 25

1.      Vs. 22 – We can’t draw near if we aren’t there!

2.     Vs. 23 – A confession to myself is not a confession

3.    Vs. 24 – I can’t stir you up to love and good works if I’m not there at the assembly

4.    Vs. 24 – You can’t stir me up to love and good works if you are not there in the assembly

5.    Vs. 25 – Neglect of the assembly is bad habit especially since we are all closer to judgement today than ever before in all of history!

B.   THERE IS NO REMEMBRANCE OF CHRIST OUTSIDE OF THE ASSEMBLY

4         Worship is For Me

A.   Matthew 16.18 – Jesus built His one and only church for me

1.      Worship allows me the opportunity to thank Him

B.   Acts 2.47 – God added me to His one and only church the day I was baptized

1.      Worship allows me to thank Him

C.    Ephesians 2.22 – Christ made me a part of God’s Dwelling Place

1.      Worship allows me to thank Him

D.   Hebrews 3.6 – We are His House if we hold fast

1.      Worship allows me to thank Him

E.    Romans 12.5 – We are individually members one of another

1.      Worship allows each of us to thank each other for what we mean to one another in Christ

F.    THERE IS NO REMEMBRANCE OF CHRIST OUTSIDE OF THE ASSEMBLY

5          Conclusion:

A.   Do you want to be like Christ?  (I know you do)

1.      Luke 4.16 – It was Christ’s CUSTOM to worship weekly

2.     Matthew 26.26 – 29 – The ONLY way He commands us to remember Him takes place ONLY in worship

3.    Matthew 18.20 – Worship is where Jesus IS each and every time.  He’s here right now

4.    He longs to see you again tonight should time continue

6         The Challenge of the Text for Christians Today

A.   Are you sure time will continue until this evening for you?

7          “The Gospel Call”

·         My fifth great uncle was Hugh Gaston who was rector at the Ballywillan Presbyterian Church (pictured above left) in County Antrim, Ulster Plantation (Northern Ireland) and wrote the most dangerous book of his time; Gaston’s Collections.  It allowed “the ploughman to know more Bible than his clergyman.”  Hugh fled to South Carolina where he died prematurely of the measles.  He is buried just one hour south of Charlotte in Chester County, S.C. in “Burnt Meeting House Cemetery.”   Uncle Hugh continues to inspire my ministry to this very day.  You can read more about Uncle Hugh here: http://www.ballywillanpci.org/rev-hugh-gaston

Ruins photo courtesy of: ballywillanpci.org.