Deborah: A Woman Leads Because of Men’s Neglect

  Scripture Readings: Judges 4:1-24 (text); Hebrews 11:32-33 July 10, 2016 (ZCRC Pasig & BSCC) • Download this sermon (PDF) Dear congregation of Christ: Most Christians are familiar with three of the twelve judges of Israel: Samson, Gideon, and Deborah. And for many evangelicals, Deborah is often used as proof that the Bible supports women pastors, elders and deacons. Our text, of course, tells us that Deborah is both a judge and a prophetess. In a recent General Assembly of a confessional Presbyterian denomination with which our federation has a…

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Proverbs Sermons 

The Beginning of Wisdom

  During the VBS and parsonage construction on June 27-July 1, Pastor Adrian preached a series of five messages on the Book of Proverbs. The first sermon was preached before our congregation together with the two teams. The next four were spoken before the two teams on Monday-Thursday evenings, so they were focused more on the youth. I’ll be posting the messages here. Here’s the first one. Text: Proverbs 1:7; Reading: Proverbs 1:1-7 * Download this sermon (PDF) By Rev. Adrian Dieleman, Trinity United Reformed Church, Visalia, California “You are…

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Judges Sermons 

The LORD Sends Ehud to Bring a Sacrifice

  Scripture Readings: Judges 3:12-31 (text); Hebrews 4:12 July 3, 2016 (ZCRC Pasig and BSCC) • Download this sermon (PDF) Congregation of Christ: Who among you are left-handed? I am, and in my younger years, to be left-handed had its disadvantages. It was actually frowned upon, even considered “abnormal.” Some teachers would even hit your left hand with a ruler if you wrote with your left hand. ” alt=”sMvKID_5″ width=”350″ />So months before the first day of my first grade year, my father trained me to write with my right hand.…

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A Father’s Day Message

Proverbs 13:24; Hebrews 12:5-11 June 19, 2016 (KSYC) * Download this article (PDF) “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” (Heb 12:5b–6). Today is Father’s Day in honor of our fathers. Just a few weeks ago, a popular swimmer of Stanford University in Palo Alto was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman, unconscious and helpless woman. He was sentenced to a paltry 6 months…

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Judges Sermons 

The Lord Saved His People Through Othniel

Scripture Readings:Judges 3:7-11 (text); Romans 13:1-4 June 19, 2016 (BSCC); June 26, 2016 (ZCRC Pasig) • Download this sermon (PDF) Congregation of Christ: In the introduction to the Book of Judges, the author lays out for us the repeating cycle of sin, oppression, crying out in distress, God sending a judge, restoration, and then back to sin again in the life of Israel. Starting with the story of the first judge, Othniel, we see this cycle in a real historical cycle. Othniel’s story is a short five verses. No other…

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Judges Sermons 

“There Arose Another Generation Who Did Not Know the LORD”

Scripture Readings: Judges 2:6-3:6 (text); Ephesians 6:1-4 June 12, 2016 • Download this sermon (PDF) Dear congregation of Christ: This is a quote from a young professing Christian girl who turned into an atheist: If God was absolutely moral, because morality was absolute, and if the nature of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ surpassed space, time, and existence… then why were some things a sin in the Old Testament but not a sin in the New Testament? The young Christian girl is Rachael Slick, who three years ago declared to the world that…

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Judges Sermons 

“I Will Never Break My Covenant With You”

  Scripture Readings: Judges 1:1-2:5 (text); Ephesians 6:10-20 June 5, 2016 •  Download this sermon (pdf) Congregation of Christ: The book of Judges is a hard book to preach on, so that many pastors avoid preaching or teaching from it. It is full of names, geography, conflict, and even uncomfortably graphic sex, violence and gore. So it is a wonder that sex-and-violence crazed Hollywood has not made more movies about the stories in this book, except about Samson, and Delilah of course. The title of the book comes from the title…

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Sermons 

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

  Scripture Readings:Isaiah 63:7, 10-14; 27:2-6; JOHN 14:16-17; 15:26-27; 16:5-15 (texts) May 22, 2016 • Download this sermon (PDF) Beloved congregation of Christ: Today, in the liturgical year of most Christian churches, is Trinity Sunday. The universal church of Christ believe in the Trinity: there is one God in Three Persons. Our Athanasian Creed declares that these three Persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – are of the same substance, all uncreated, infinite, eternal, almighty, and co-equal. But the mystery is that all three Persons are one Godhead. Most…

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Sermons 

“Your Sorrow Will Turn Into Joy”

  Scripture Readings: Daniel 7:13-14; Luke 24:50-53; JOHN 16:7, 20 (text); Acts 1:6-11 May 1, 2016 • Download this sermon (PDF) Dear congregation of Christ: All of us are very familiar with the famous balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet, when the two lovebirds declared their love for one another. Before they parted, Juliet, expressed her sorrow before Romeo left, “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” God made man a creature of relationship. So whenever marriages are broken, sweethearts separate, friendships sour, parents say goodbye to their children who go to college, or a…

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Sermons 

The Vinedresser, the True Vine, and the Branches

  Scripture Readings:Isaiah 5:1-7; 27:2-6; JOHN 15:1-17 (text); Romans 11:17-24 April 24, 2016 • Download this sermon (PDF) Dear congregation of Christ: Our reading in Isaiah Chapter 5 is about a vineyard owner who planted a vineyard, tended and protected it with care, but when harvest came, his vineyard produced not sweet, but only bitter, wild and therefore, useless grapes. What a disappointment! God is the vinedresser. The vineyard is God’s covenant people whom he had chosen, planted and cared for until the vines brought forth fruit. In the Old…

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