Northside Church of Christ

Northside Church of Christ Sun Bible Study @ 10 AM Sun Morning Worship @ 11 AM & 5 pm
Wed Night Bible Study @ 7 PM

08/18/2026

WHEN LIFE OVERWHELMS US
Scripture reading: Heb 13:5-6

Introduction - All of us have from time to time moved from one crisis to possibly another. Within the boundaries of our life’s journey, we all experience these events. They can be personal and individual, involve others, involve weather, sickness and even world events. Let’s compare our crisis times to what we will call wilderness experiences.
I. God's most useful servants had wilderness experiences.
A. Joseph had a wilderness experience (Genesis 37-40).
1. He had a horrible experience that began when his brothers captured him and sold him into slavery.
2. But the experience matured him, fixed his focus on God, and created the faith of dependence, Gen 50:14-21.
B. Moses had a wilderness experience (Exodus 2-4).
1. He learned who he really was, slew an Egyptian and became an outcast from among his people and the Egyptians.
2. So, Moses fled to the wilderness to live as a shepherd for forty years with no intention of ever helping his people again.
3. But God took Moses from the wilderness and used him to lead Israel to freedom.
C. The Israelite David had a wilderness experience (1 Samuel 20-31).
1. His experience was produced by the injustices of a jealous man who left God.
2. His wilderness experience included many near death experiences, a harsh existence, and a miserable life often lived in enemy nations.
3. In this period David wrote many of his greatest psalms, psalms that we still read for inspiration, strength, and hope today.
D. The prophet Elijah had a wilderness experience (1 Kings 19).
1. Elijah lived as God's spokesman in northern Israel among people who never worshipped God, but worshipped and served the god Baal.
2. After years of being God's spokesman, Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest.
3. He proved God was real and powerful, and that Baal had no power.
4. He thought that his great victory would turn the country around.
5. When the queen promised him that he would be dead within 24 hours, Elijah fled to the wilderness and begged God to let him die.
6. God refocused Elijah and sent him back to get on with God's work.
II. Even Jesus, God's own Son, had a wilderness experience (Matthew 4:1-11).
A. Jesus went to the wilderness to focus on his ministry.
1. He totally devoted himself to focusing by fasting forty days and nights.
2. When the fasting ended, Satan immediately tried to destroy Jesus' focus and divert him from his mission.
B. Satan made three attempts to distract Jesus, to lead Jesus away from God.
III. Making a trip to the wilderness is never pleasant, but being in the wilderness, as we have seen, can serve a powerful, godly purpose.
A. Regardless of how godly we are or how deeply we trust God, each of us will visit the wilderness, and sadly maybe more than once.
B. When we visit the wilderness, one of two things will inevitably happen.
1. We will grow closer to God.
a. We will trust God as we have never trusted Him before.
b. Our focus on God's will and purposes in our lives will become clearer.
2. Or we will turn away from God and decide to live life on our own.
a. We will blame God for everything that happens.
b. We will decide that God is weak and useless.

II Cor 10:3-7, God prepares us in case we do visit the wilderness. Satan wants our relationship with God to fail; God wants to use us for greater things. If our wilderness experience causes us to be angry, bitter, and focused on ourselves, Satan wins, but if our trust in God deepens, God wins.
And God will use us and our lives in ways that seem to exceed our imaginations.
Remember, He will never leave us or forsake us.

08/18/2026

WHERE IS THE AWE?
SCRIPTURE READING: EX 19:14-18

I. Today we live in a society that sets very little aside to hold in respect, to honor or consider sacred, especially concerning God and spiritual matters.
a. It is okay to lie, be deliberately biased or prejudiced and to deceive others.
b. Nothing is above ridicule or mockery, little if anything is trustworthy.
c. Everything done seems to be for some self-serving reason.
II. For all their faults, flaws, and failures, Old Testament Israel at times did hold God in awe. A sense of that awe can be found in their journey to Jerusalem three times a year by their words in the singing of psalms.
A. Deuteronomy 16:16-17:
a. All of the adult men of Old Testament Israel were commanded to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for national sacrificial worship threes times each year.
a. At the time of the feasts of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles.
b. Families could accompany them.
B. In the book of Psalms there is a collection of psalms (Psalm 120 to Psalm 134) that are known as the songs of ascents.
a. These are probably the words they sang on their pilgrimage.
b. Here are some of those Psalms. Listen to these verses in their songs as they gathered to praise and honor God. Listen to the awe.
Psalm 122
Psalm 125
Psalm 128
Psalm 131
Psalm 134
III. People often talk about God. But in what ways do we consider God as awesome?
A. Mine is that in many places today men and women are worshipping God through Christ as they sit on wooden benches or even dirt floors. But God has zero problems understanding them, knowing them, or making it possible for all of them to be His sons and daughters.
B. Because of Jesus Christ all persons can be children of God. No one is too small for God to hear, understand, and help. He is awesome.

Conclusion – Psalm 4:1-4, let us stand in awe of God.

10/12/2025

A Lovely Song
Scripture reading: Rom 2:11-13

Introduction – we gladly listen to musicians and artists who play instruments and sing masterfully.

We like taking a few moments to listen to sounds that make us feel good.

Birds singing, children playing and laughing, surf coming ashore or a babbling brook.

However more often than not when the moment is over the effect is then lost until the next time.

We find an interesting comparison of people listening to a lovely song but not letting it change their hearts in Ezek 33:30-33.

God identified for Ezekiel a very sad condition of the hearts of the people. They were all encouraging one another to come hear Ezekiel declare the word of God. One would think that this would be great. Just what a preacher and prophet of God would want. However God identifies a grave problem with the hearts of many people.

They came to hear the word of God proclaimed and for them the effect of the preaching is the same effect one might have to hearing a lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument.

They came to be entertained; they enjoyed coming and feeling religious. They did not take it to heart. They did not take it personally and did not allow it to affect their conscience. The word of God that was spoken was received as a lovely song of joy, good feelings and comfort. Yet the words spoken were to convict them of sin and bring them to deep remorse and hopefully repentance.

The act of hearing for them was good enough there was not need to do anything. Jesus many years later quoted from Isaiah about the people even during his day as being the same, Matt 13:13-16.

A similar idea is also taught by James but with a new illustration, James 1:23-25. It is one who looks in the mirror and sees the problem but walks away doing nothing about it.

When the song is over life goes on and the song is not lived each day by the listener. We would rather remain entertained rather than energized to action, Heb 5:11-14.

Conclusion – Likewise the word of God does not continue within the life of one who is a hearer only and not a doer. Our very spiritual beginning depends upon hearing, Rom 10:17.

10/11/2025

WHERE IS THE AWE?
Scripture reading: Ex 19:14-18

Today we live in a society that sets very little aside to hold in respect, to honor or consider sacred, especially concerning God and spiritual matters.
a. It is okay to lie, be deliberately biased or prejudiced and to deceive others.
b. Nothing is above ridicule or mockery, little if anything is trustworthy.
c. Everything done seems to be for some self-serving reason.

For all their faults, flaws, and failures, Old Testament Israel at times did hold God in awe. A sense of that awe can be found in their journey to Jerusalem three times a year by their words in the singing of psalms.
D. Deuteronomy 16:16-17:
a. All of the adult men of Old Testament Israel were commanded to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for national sacrificial worship threes times each year.
b. At the time of the feasts of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles.
c. Families could accompany them.

In the book of Psalms there is a collection of psalms (Psalm 120 to Psalm 134) that are known as the songs of ascents.
a. These are probably the words they sang on their pilgrimage.
b. Here are some of those Psalms. Listen to these verses in their songs as they gathered to praise and honor God. Listen to the awe.
Psalm 122
Psalm 125
Psalm 128
Psalm 131
Psalm 134
People often talk about God. But in what ways do we consider God as awesome?
a. Mine is that in many places today men and women are worshipping God through Christ as they sit on wooden benches or even dirt floors. But God has zero problems understanding them, knowing them, or making it possible for all of them to be His sons and daughters.
b. Because of Jesus Christ all persons can be children of God. No one is too small for God to hear, understand, and help. He is awesome/
Conclusion – Psalm 4:1-4, let us stand in awe of God.

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