Just Sitting Here Thinking

The Northern and Southern Kingdoms of Israel

Wednesday night presentation on the history of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of Israel. Find the full playlist on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3z0WS1OtS8v3O1aMlN2QP375IUXxodzY] Visit the Website [https://jvanceeastridge.podbean.com/]

09-25-88 Living In An Unfenced World

Find the full playlist on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3z0WS1OtS8v3O1aMlN2QP375IUXxodzY] Visit the Website [https://jvanceeastridge.podbean.com/]

6-17-07 Swords Into Ploughshares (Isaiah)

Lesson on Isaiah, the beautiful language of prophecy, and the hope of the world to study war no more.  How the in-fighting between the Northern and Southern kingdom weakened the people while Assyria was growing stronger.  Challenging the people of Judah with the ways in which they were not following God's commandments.  Worshiping God means we treat each other better. When the people are suffering in great need and poverty, God wants justice to roll like a mighty stream, righteousness like a mighty river. The prosperity of the church grows while hunger and poverty grows faster. "I despise your feasts." Until we meet the needs of our fellow people, we are not honoring God at all.  The role of a prophet, not to predict the future, but to point out to the people the coming consequences of our current actions. Calling out hypocrisy and the ways in which we are warned that we shall reap what we sow. God's covenant with the people through Moses promises to protect the people in exchange for following the commandments. From the teachings of Amos and Hosea to the days of Isaiah, "the sermon remains the same." Why the greatest commandment is still to "Love one another." Find the full playlist on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3z0WS1OtS8v3O1aMlN2QP375IUXxodzY] Visit the Website [https://jvanceeastridge.podbean.com/]

6-10-07 The Harvest Depends On Us (Amos & Hosea)

The challenges of the prophets Amos and Hosea, and their messages to the people from God. What did God mean then, and what the message mean today? Condemning the people's raising of personal riches while neglecting the poor in their community. Resisting hypocrisy and practicing a life of love toward each other. Caring for others is essential for serving God. The purpose of worship and the true message of what it means to be Christian, not just what feels good. God wants us to feel better by becoming better people, not to shame us into submission. The image of a God of wrath not grace comes from the Old Testament relationship with God. God's will vs. our freedom to act, blaming God vs. taking personal responsibility. The importance of free will and the choices we make make us responsible for the world we make out of God's creation.  We are the sowers in the field, and the harvest and depends on what we sow in the name of God.   "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." (Amos 5:24) Find the full playlist on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3z0WS1OtS8v3O1aMlN2QP375IUXxodzY] Visit the Website [https://jvanceeastridge.podbean.com/]

INDEPENDENCE DAY - One Nation Under God: The Foundations of Religious Liberty (7-01-07)

Urgent lesson for Independence Day on the religious groups crossing the Atlantic Ocean to worship freely, the faith of the individual founders such as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, George Washington. How the separation of church and state preserves religious liberty, and how the danger of ignoring the history of religion in America leads one group to suppress the freedom of others to worship and causes denominations to fight each other for sovereignty. Find the full playlist on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3z0WS1OtS8v3O1aMlN2QP375IUXxodzY] Visit the Website [https://jvanceeastridge.podbean.com/]