Author: Brett Baggett

NO CORRUPTION; PLEASURES FOREVERMORE: Psalm 16

All who take refuge in Jesus…
I. Will be preserved by the LORD (v.1)
II. Have all the good they need—they have found the One whom their soul loves (v.2,5-6)
III. Delight in His saints and detest the way of idolators (v.3-4)
IV. Praise the LORD as they listen to His counsel (v.7-8)
V. Are glad and rejoice (v.9)
VI. Will never be abandoned nor see corruption (v.10)
VII. Will be joyfully satisfied in His presence forever (v.11)

SAMSON (pt.4): Judges 16:1-22

  1. Read verses 1-3. What did Samson do when he went to Gaza? What has characterized Samson thus far in the book of Judges? What else stands out to you in these verses and why?
  2. Read verses 4-9. How is this scene reminiscent of Judges 14:15-18? In what ways are they alike? In what ways are they different? What does Samson tell Delilah when she asks for his secret?
  3. Read verses 10-17. What seems to be Samson’s Achilles heel? What else stands out to you in this passage and why?
  4. Read verses 18-22. What does the writer say happened when Samson had his hair cut off? Does there seem to be some kind of irony here? What did the Philistines do to Samson after his strength left? What does verse 22 imply? What else stands out to you in these verses and why?

1 TIMOTHY

“After being released from his first Roman imprisonment (cf. Acts 28:30), Paul revisited several of the cities in which he had ministered, including Ephesus. Leaving Timothy behind there to deal with problems that had arisen in the Ephesian church, such as false doctrine (1:3–7; 4:1–3; 6:3–5), disorder in worship (2:1–15), the need for qualified leaders (3:1–14), and materialism (6:6–19), Paul went on to Macedonia, from where he wrote Timothy this letter to help him carry out his task in the church (cf. 3:14,15).”
– John MacArthur

SAMSON (pt.3): Judges 15

  1. Read verses 1-8. What does Samson do when he learns that his wife has been given to his companion? What does he do to the Philistines who “burned [his wife] and her father with fire”? How does the narrative move forward, with forgiveness and reconciliation or retaliation and retaliation? How should this make us long for Jesus?
  2. Read verses 9-13. What did the Philistines do when they learned of Samson—that the LORD had raised him up as a judge for Israel? What did “the men of Judah” do when the Philistines told them their plans for Samson? What should they have done for the judge the LORD had raised up to save them? What can we learn from these verses?
  3. Read verses 14-17. What did Samson do to the thousand men that came to kill him? Where did Samson’s strength clearly come from? What else stands out to you in these verses and why?
  4. Read verses 18-20. This is the first prayer of Samson that is recorded. What can we learn about Samson as we examine his prayer? What can we learn about the LORD as we examine how he answered? What else stands out to you in these verses and why?

SAMSON (pt.2): Judges 14

  1. Read verses 1-9. What do we learn in these verses concerning the cleverness of Samson? Where did Samson’s strength come from and how is it apparent in these verses? What else stands out to you in these verses and why?
  2. Read verses 10-18. What light does the ESV Study Bible note on verse 10 shed on the word “feast”? Why is this significant to understand? How do these verses show us the weakness of Samson when it comes to women? What else stands out to you in these verses and why?
  3. Read verses 19-20. What is the result of Samson disclosing the riddle’s answer to his wife, and she then betraying him to the 30 men? What do we learn about Samson here? How should these verses make us long for Jesus?

SAMSON (pt.1): Judges 13

  1. Read verses 1-7. What did the people of Israel again do? What did the LORD do, according to verse 1? What else did the LORD do, according to verses 2-7? Why are verses 2-3 significant? What is a Nazarite vow? How does Numbers chapter 6 help clarify? What else stands out to you in these verses and why?
  2. Read verses 8-14. What did Manoah ask the LORD for? How does the LORD respond to Manoah’s request? What can we learn from these verses?
  3. Read verses 15-20. Why do you think “the angel of the LORD” did not reveal his name to Manoah? Who do many commentators believe “the angel of the LORD” to be? How did Manoah respond to the commands of the angel of the LORD? What do we learn about the LORD from verse 19? What happens when Manoah and his wife offer the sacrifice to the LORD? What can we learn from this scene?
  4. Read verses 21-25. How does Manoah respond when he realizes he has been talking to “the angel of the LORD”? How does Manoah’s wife respond to her husbands words? What else stands out to you in these verses and why? What can we learn from these verses?

JEPHTHA: Judges 10-12

  1. Read verses 6-18. What words does the writer use to reveal Israel’s actions and thoughts? What words does the writer use to reveal what was done to the LORD’S people by their enemies? What words does the writer use to reveal what the LORD did to, and thought about, the people of Israel at this time? What can we learn from these verses?
  2. Read chapter 11 verses 1-28. In what ways is Jephthah an unlikely savior for Israel, considering verses 1-3? According to verses 4-11, who establishes Jephthah as “head and leader” over Israel? How do Judges 3:9, 4:6, and 6:14 help clarify what happening here with Jephthah? What do we learn about the people of Israel in what Jephthah said to the king of the Ammonites in verses 12-28?
  3. Read verses 29-40. What exactly did Jephthah promise the LORD? Why did Jephthah promise this? Why did he then keep his vow? What can we learn from this horrific scene?
  4. Read chapter 12 verses 1-7. Why do you think the men of Ephraim were angry that Jephthah did not call them to fight? What reason does Jephthah give them? How is this conflict like and yet different from the conflict depicted in Judges 8:1-3? It is important to note that after this defeat the Ephraimites never again played any important role in Israel’s history. What stands out to you in these verses and why?
  5. Read verses 8-13. What stands out to you in these verses and why? What can we learn from these verses?

THE SON OF MAN WILL BE GLORIFIED BY DYING: John 12:20-26

OUTLINE
I. Jesus is the true treasure of the nations. 
II. Jesus is the Son of Man who will be glorified as He saves the nations. 
III. Jesus, the glorious Son of Man, will save the nations by dying.
IV. Jesus, the glorious Son of Man, will save the nations through their dying.

This sermon was preached by Brett Baggett at the worship gathering of Ekklesia Eufaula on Sunday, March 8th.

ABIMELECH: Judges 9

What would it look like if the LORD handed you over to idolatry? What would it look like if LORD let you reap what you sow?

Here is the answer: if God hands us over to the idols that our sinful flesh desires and if He let’s us reap everything we sow, we will have no peace with God and no peace with man. We could say it another way: we will have war with God and war with man.

  1. Read chapter 9 verses 1-21. Though Gideon has plenty of apparent sins, how is contrasted with his son Abimelech? What can we learn from Jotham’s words to the leaders of Schechem?
  2. Read verses 22-57. What do we learn here about Abimelech’s pride? What do we learn here about the LORD’S justice? What else stands out to you in these verses and why?

HOW WE MUST AND MUST NOT PREACH THE GOSPEL: 2 Corinthians 4:1-6

Ekklesia Muskogee is a reformed baptist church that gathers for worship in Muskogee, Oklahoma. We confess the 1689 second London baptist confession of faith. We affirm the five solas of the Reformation as well as the doctrines of grace (otherwise known as the five points of Calvinism), and each of our pastors would not be ashamed to be called a Calvinist. We are a church led by elders, of which there is a plurality (also called pastors and overseers in the Scriptures). Our mission is to make disciples, love cities, and plant churches.