http://brenhambiblechurch.org Brenham Bible Church Podcasts en Brenham Bible Church Podcasts Brenham Bible Church no Brenham Bible Church info@brenhambiblechurch.org ℗ & © 2010 Brenham Bible Church 720 An exposition of the Book of Proverbs. http://brenhambiblechurch.org/sermon/proverbs-part-5 http://brenhambiblechurch.org/mediafiles/proverbs-part-5-audio.mp3 Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:18:06 GMT J.B. Hixson, Ph.D. A Study of Proverbs proverbs,wisdom,principles What is real worship? Is it corporate? Personal? Emotional? Intellectual? What about worship styles? Is there a right way or wrong way to worship the Lord? This great interchange between Jesus and the Smaritan woman is one of the consummate passages on worship. The biblical word worship occurs 13 times in John's Gospel, and 10 of them are within five verses of each other right here in John 4! Ultimately, Jesus interaction with the Samaritan woman shows that there is a difference between religion and true worship. This message present Five Principles of Worship. http://brenhambiblechurch.org/sermon/worship-faith-with-wings-part-1 http://brenhambiblechurch.org/mediafiles/worship-faith-with-wings-audio.mp3 Sun, 05 Apr 2009 23:12:25 GMT J.B. Hixson, Ph.D. What Is True Worship? worship,genuineness,god An expositional study of the book of Proverbs. http://brenhambiblechurch.org/sermon/proverbs-part-4 http://brenhambiblechurch.org/mediafiles/proverbs-part-4-audio.mp3 Sat, 04 Apr 2009 00:44:19 GMT J.B. Hixson, Ph.D. A Study of Proverbs proverbs,wisdom,principles Love songs are a dime a dozen today. In fact, I guess if you think about it, love songs have always been enormously popular in almost every genre of music. If you want to make lots of money, just write some clever, catchy, sappy love tune and sell it to a popular singer, and you’ll be rich in no time. People like to hear songs about love. Back in the ‘70s the Bee Gees asked the ever popular question, “How deep is your love?” Long before that song hit the charts—and continuing to this day—musical artists have tried to answer that question in thousands of unique ways. Let’s play a little game this morning…it’s sort of like Name That Tune, only I’m not going to sing. (You’ll be glad for that, trust me.) I’m going to read the lyrics to a famous love song and you see if you can identify the singer and song title. 1. Longer than there’ve been fishes in the ocean. Higher than any bird ever flew. Longer than there’ve been stars up in the heavens, I’ve been in love with you. Stronger than any mountain cathedral. Truer than any tree ever grew…(Dan Fogelberg) EASY LISTENING 2. If I could save time in a bottle, the first thing that I’d like to do, is to save every day ‘til eternity passes away, just to spend them with you…(Jim Croce) EASY LISTENING 3. I said I love you, and that’s forever. And this I promise from the heart. I could not love you any better. I love you just the way you are! (Billy Joel) ROCK 4. Some say love, it is a river that drowns the tender reed. Some say love it is a razor that leaves your soul to bleed. Some say love it is a hunger, an endless aching need. I say love it is a flower and you its only seed. …When the night has been too lonely, and the road has been too long, and you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong. Just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snows lies the seed that with the sun's love in the spring becomes the rose (Bette Midller) POP 5. How sweet it is to be loved by you (James Taylor) POP (and some Motown artist before him) 6. I will always love you. (Whitney Houston) POP (Dolly Parton before her) 7. My love is deeper than the holler; stronger than the river; higher than the pine tree growing tall upon the hill. My love is purer than the snowflakes that fall in late December; and honest as a robin on a springtime windowsill. And longer than the song of a whippoorwill. (Randy Travis) COUNTRY SPEAKING OF COUNTRY….FUNNIEST ALL-TIME COUNTRY LYRICS: • “Is it still over? Are we still through? Since my phone still ain’t ringing, I assume it still ain’t you!” (Randy Travis) • “If the Phone Don’t Ring, You’ll know it’s Me” • “You’re the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly” • “Truth Is, We’re Livin’ a Lie” • “I’m Ashamed to Be Here, but Not Ashamed Enough to Leave” • “I Wouldn’t Take Her to a Dogfight, ‘Cause I’m Afraid She’d Win” • “Mamma Get A Hammer (There's A Fly On Papa's Head)” • “How Can I Miss You If You Won't Go Away?” • “I Keep Forgettin' I Forgot About You” • “I Still Miss You, Baby, But My Aim's Getting' Better” • “I'm So Miserable Without You; It's like Having You Here” These songs with their various refrains all express feelings of undying love. You know, when you were first saved, your heart likely was filled with similar feelings about the Lord. He was your first love, spiritually speaking. You were devoted and dedicated and committed. There was a song in your heart, a bounce in your step, as you began your new life in Christ. But often, like the popularity of these songs, our feelings of love for Christ fade with time. Many of the songs we just mentioned were at the top of their respective charts—some even for a very long time. But eventually they began to drop. At first they might be in the Top Ten. After a while they slip into the twenties. And before long, Casey Casum ... http://brenhambiblechurch.org/sermon/how-deep-is-your-love http://brenhambiblechurch.org/mediafiles/how-deep-is-your-love-audio.mp3 Sun, 29 Mar 2009 22:59:45 GMT J.B. Hixson, Ph.D. Love songs are a dime a dozen today. In fact, I guess if you think about it, love songs have always been enormously popular in almost every genre of music. If you want to make lots of money, just write some clever, catchy, sappy love tune and sell ... discipleship,commitment,love_for_christ,allegiance An expository study of the Book of Proverbs http://brenhambiblechurch.org/sermon/proverbs-part-3 http://brenhambiblechurch.org/mediafiles/proverbs-part-3-audio.mp3 Sat, 28 Mar 2009 23:06:08 GMT J.B. Hixson, Ph.D. A Study of Proverbs proverbs,wisdom,principles An expository study of the book of Proverbs http://brenhambiblechurch.org/sermon/proverbs-part-2 http://brenhambiblechurch.org/mediafiles/proverbs-part-2-audio.mp3 Sun, 22 Mar 2009 22:49:04 GMT J.B. Hixson, Ph.D. A Study of Proverbs proverbs,wisdom,principles Balance is critical in many situations. I recall nearly killing myself the first time I drove my John Deere tractor. I put it in gear and it lurched and reared up on its back wheels and nearly did a backward summersault!. That's when I realized how important the counter weights were on the front of the tractor. In some cases balance can be a matter of life and death. Consider the trapeze artist or hire wire act at Barnum and Bailey circus. What we all need to realize is that the dangers of imbalance….the dangers of leaning too far one direction or another…can be equally perilous to our spiritual lives as well. I have come to realize that the Christian life is about balance. On the one extreme is a focus on knowledge, right doctrine, sound theology and orthodoxy. On the other extreme is a focus on actions, deeds, application and orthopraxy. LEANING TOO FAR IN ONE DIRECTION OR THE OTHER CAN LEAD TO SPIRITUAL DISASTER! Theologically brilliant hypocrites are no better than well-intentioned heretics! In either case, the balance is off and a disastrous fall lurks just around the corner. Through the years, owing to a significant influence in my life from my folks, mentors in ministry, pastors, and formal education, I have developed a passionate love for theology. I think theologically. I dream theologically. I breathe theologically. I love to synthesize and integrate the teachings of God’s word into systematic doctrinal statements that cover everything from Christology to eschatology. I love to debate it, contend for it, write about it and teach it. But what scares me to death is that no amount of theological knowledge and astuteness can prevent me or anyone from becoming the worst of sinners. I have been humbled to realize that no matter how smart I become, theologically….no matter how many theological dots I can connect….no matter how many books I may write some day….no matter how much knowledge I am able to store up and pass on to others….no matter how many people might benefit from my knowledge and teaching….I am still capable of wonton, blatant rebellion against a holy God in my personal life. That scares me to death. And it should scare you too. Several years ago while I was dean of faculty at a Bible College, we experienced the tragic moral failure of one of our most beloved and respected theology professors. When news of the fall got out, my office saw a steady parade of students and coworkers….my cell phone rang almost non-stop for two weeks…and everyone was asking the same question in some form or fashion: How? How can this happen? How can someone know so much about the Bible and yet live a private life that is marked by prolonged sinful behavior of the worst kind? And my answer to everyone was the same: IT IS NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW, IT’S ABOUT WHAT YOU DO WITH WHAT YOU KNOW. A theologian, or pastor or Bible student who approaches Bible study as an intellectual pursuit…as an end in itself…rather than a means to the end, which is life change….is capable of compartmentalizing his life so that he becomes very knowledgeable in his chosen field but his life never reflects that knowledge. Let’s look at James 1:13-25. Here James speaks directly to the pathology (The scientific study of the nature of disease and its causes) of prideful intellectualism. This letter was written early in the church age when Jewish Christians were still struggling with pharisaical attitudes of arrogance and pride. 2000 years later, we still have a lot in common with these prideful early Christians. I want us to answer two questions this morning. (1) What does prideful intellectualism look like? And (2) what is the cure? http://brenhambiblechurch.org/sermon/the-pathology-of-prideful-intellect-ualism http://brenhambiblechurch.org/mediafiles/the-pathology-of-prideful-intellectualism.mp3 Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:54:37 GMT J.B. Hixson, Ph.D. Balance is critical in many situations. I recall nearly killing myself the first time I drove my John Deere tractor. I put it in gear and it lurched and reared up on its back wheels and nearly did a backward summersault!. That's when I realized ... pride,arrogance,knowledge,practice,behavior,christ-likeness,dead_orthodoxy An expositional overview of the Book of Proverbs. http://brenhambiblechurch.org/sermon/proverbs-part-1 http://brenhambiblechurch.org/mediafiles/proverbs-part-1-audio.mp3 Sun, 15 Mar 2009 17:01:39 GMT J.B. Hixson, Ph.D. A Study of Proverbs wisdom,life,principles,maxims,proverbs Have you ever been in a desperate situation? Have you ever been so depressed or despondent that you felt there was no way out? Depression is the leading cause of suicide, which in turn is the eleventh leading cause of death in the United States. Have you ever been depressed? Chances are….you have. Clinically diagnosed depression affects about 18.8 million American adults or about 9.5% of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year. Far more than that are depressed but never seek treatment and thus are never clinically diagnosed. Depression is a crippling mental disease. It is a very real problem. It is not enough to just say, “Buck up. Get over it.” It is a very real problem and we need to have a very real solution. That’s where God’s Word comes in. In Psalm 13 we read the very emotional and powerful words of a man who was depressed. His name is David. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, King David gives us a transparent look at how to get up when you’re down. In Psalm 13 David refers to an “enemy” that had overcome him. He does not specify what that enemy was which makes it easier for us to relate because we can substitute our own enemies. What is your enemy of peace and contentment today? Certainly David had many life experiences and circumstances which left him feeling desperate. Let’s see how he responded in this particular case. http://brenhambiblechurch.org/sermon/how-to-get-up-when-you-are-down-overcoming-the-tyranny-of-depression http://brenhambiblechurch.org/mediafiles/how-to-get-up-when-you-are-down-audio-sermon.mp3 Sun, 15 Mar 2009 16:55:40 GMT J.B. Hixson, Ph.D. Have you ever been in a desperate situation? Have you ever been so depressed or despondent that you felt there was no way out? Depression is the leading cause of suicide, which in turn is the eleventh leading cause of death in the United States. ... I want us to look at an ancient concept this morning. It is very old fashioned indeed. In fact, you hardly ever hear of this concept any more. It’s called hard work. Think about it, the culture of the day is all about getting as much as you can, as fast as you can, with as little effort as you can. This mindset pervades every facet of life today. Cooking? Have you browsed the grocery store aisles lately? It’s instant this, quick that, 1 minute this, effortless that…they even sell loaves of bread with the crust cut off for kids! Computers? It hardly needs mentioning that everything in the technical world is about speeding up productivity while diminishing the amount of energy that is expended. TV? With TIVO and other DVR systems, you don’t even have to set your VCR anymore. Just tell your digital recorder a little bit about yourself and it will automatically record all the shows it thinks you like. Cell phones? Who needs to expend all that energy actually dialing a number? Just say, “Call __________.” …and the phone automatically dials the number for you. The truth is we live in a culture where efficiency and speed are valued more highly than good old-fashioned hard work. And it seems corporate America has resolved itself to just accept this new “work” ethic…or better said, “non-work” ethic. Well…sadly, this lost art of hard work has infiltrated Christianity to the extent that many believers are now seeking to serve Christ the “easy way.” It’s “Christianity light.” “I want to be included in the Christian club, but I don’t really want to expend a lot of energy or effort.” We have user-friendly churches, non-threatening services, quick and easy programs and ministries. We even have “virtual churches” starting to pop up. Have you heard of this latest phenomenon? That’s right…virtual churches. The building, the pews, the services…all “virtual.” Only the members are real. Just point and click your way to church each week. The truth is, it is not supposed to be easy to serve Christ. Whatever happened to good old-fashioned Christianity. The kind where believers count the cost and take up their cross and put their hand to the plow and work hard to serve Christ? Let me be clear….eternal salvation is a free gift and one that can never be secured by working. But once a person is born again by faith, the call to follow Christ involves consistent, faithful, and tireless hard work. When is the last time you had to expend energy in serving Christ? The Christian life is not supposed to be easy. It is hard to serve Christ, if you’re doing it the right way. http://brenhambiblechurch.org/sermon/christianity-the-old-fashioned-way http://brenhambiblechurch.org/mediafiles/christianity-the-old-fashioned-way-audio-sermon.mp3 Sun, 08 Mar 2009 16:56:12 GMT J.B. Hixson, Ph.D. I want us to look at an ancient concept this morning. It is very old fashioned indeed. In fact, you hardly ever hear of this concept any more. It’s called hard work. Think about it, the culture of the day is all about getting as much as you ... sacrifice,hard_work,abraham,christian_living,serving_christ