Ninth Avenue Church of Christ

A Politician Looks at America (John DeBerry)

John DeBerry, of Memphis, Tennessee, delivers the first of three sermons on the subject of "Looking at America Through the Eyes of Faith." In this sermon, the Tennesse State Representative looks at our nation through the eyes of a politician.

Overcoming - Part 4 (Vance Hutton)

Vance Hutton, of the Double Springs Church of Christ, concludes his four-part series on "overcoming." In this last lesson, again taken from the Revelation of John, he expounds on the thought that those who overcome will get to come over to Heaven. [NOTE: The first three parts of this series were preached the previous three nights at three other sister congregations.]

3 Big Lessons from 1 Small Verse (Adam Faughn)

Sometimes, great things come in small packages, and that is true with many Bible verses. This lesson is designed to help us all see just how many great themes can be packed into one verse of Scripture. Ecclesiastes 3:11 states, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” In that verse, there are at least 3 great Biblical themes.

Satisfied or Sanctified? (Adam Faughn)

Solomon was the wealthiest person to ever live, yet he wrote that the end of all matters is to “fear God and keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:12). Wealth is not a bad thing in and of itself, but the Bible warns about the dangers of a wrong view toward money (1 Timothy 6:10). It is no wonder Jesus spoke so much about money and possessions, including the Parable of the Rich Fool. The Bible teaches us not just to avoid wrong, but to do right, so it speaks of contentment when it comes to material things (see 1 Timothy 6:8; Proverbs 30:7-9). This parable helps us see the danger of a wrong view toward what we have in this life.

When God's People Despair (Adam Faughn)

We have all been so hurt that we were not sure if we could put one foot in front of the other. However, doing something helps us avoid laziness, avoid bitterness, and helps with our health and healing. In 1 Kings 19, we see one of God’s great servants, Elijah, in a place of despair. This account can help us see what we should do when we are grieving and hurting.

The Subtle Regression of Sin (Adam Faughn)

We live in the “whatever” culture, where we aren’t supposed to really care about anything. But temptation and sin are still big deals, and we must remain vigilant. The account of Achan comes on the heels of a high point in the Old Testament (the defeat of Jericho), but sin was in the camp (Joshua 7:11) and they lost their next battle at Ai. Achan could not hide his sin, and what we see in his response is how temptation and sin slowly but surely regress in our lives if we allow them to.

A Godly Mother's Influence (Adam Faughn)

Mothers have influence, the question is, what type of influence will they express? Hannah influenced her son, Samuel, in ways that expressed themselves throughout his amazing life. Her name is from a form of the Hebrew word for “grace,” and she used that grace to influence her son.

...From the Beginning (Adam Faughn)

There can be no doubt that the overall view of marriage and sexuality are changing in our culture. Almost every major study shows a movement away from “traditional” marriage and Biblical views of these vitally important themes. But Scripture declares, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1). Jesus took us back to the beginning when He spoke on marriage. Matthew 19 is chosen as our Scripture for two reasons: 1) Jesus makes it clear that what He is stating was God’s intention from the beginning of creation; thus, it is timeless; and 2) we often want to only speak about the “exception clause” (giving the right to divorce), but if we would focus on what comes before that in our marriages, divorce would be drastically reduced. This lesson will give four facts about marriage that have been true from the very beginning.

Are You Washed in the Blood of the Lamb? (Adam Faughn)

The Bible is filled with blood, from Genesis 3 through Old Testament sacrifices and, of course, the blood of Jesus on the cross. Exodus 12 points us to one account that contained much blood, the Passover, but also pointed forward to something even more amazing.

God Cares for My Soul (Adam Faughn)

Psalms 138-145 are penned by David, and remind us of his struggles, but also his trust in the Lord. Psalm 142’s superscription notes that it was penned when David “was in the cave.” We do not know for certain which cave this is, but David, when on the run from King Saul, spent a great deal of time in caves. He is hurting and scared, but the poem, in full, reminds us that God cares for us.