The Book of Judges
Week 1: When Our World Begins to Collapse Around Us: An Introduction to Judges
The Book of Judges is an ancient collection of stories that sound oddly contemporary. It's about a nation that is divided, leaders who are heroically flawed, and an entire generation who walks away from faith. It's also a story about grace, about a God who refuses to give up. Join us as we discover God's message for us in this ancient text.
Week 2: What an Early Iron Age Text Can Teach You About Yourself. Judges ch. 1
If we read Judges the way we read might read any history of early Iron Age tribes, this study will be quite a great waste of time. One or two of you might happen to be enthralled with ancient Near Eastern tribal warfare, but the rest of us will be wondering: Why are we talking about this in church? But.. what would it look like to read it the way the Apostle Paul read these stories as examples & warnings for us?
Week 3: In The World But Not Of The World
Can the People of God survive in a culture that everywhere undermines faith in God & excludes God from the conversation? A major snowstorm forced us to pause the Judges series, so we thought we'd take this opportunity to pull out an old message, circa 2017, that explores this central theme of Judges but from a more positive example: the life of Joseph. While the message may be dated, the struggle has never been more pressing.
Week 4: When You're Caught in a Self-Destructive Cycle. Judges 2
This message is for those of us who’ve been caught in a self-destructive cycle. It's for those of us who feel stuck in sinful patterns. Judges chapter 2 has the potential to be life changing.
Week 5: Mom Guilt, Recovering From "Religious" Parents, & Passing on Our Faith to the Next Generation
In the Book of Judges, we see an entire generation walk away from the faith. In this brief talk, Pastor Paul addresses parents racked with guilt, adult children still recovering from their "religious" parents, and the pressing need for this present generation to pass on their love for God to the next generation.
Week 6: Enslaved to Stupidity. Judges 3
Judges chapter 3 is a bloody, graphic, darkly humorous story about a left-handed man named, Ehud. It's a story about how sin makes you stupid. It's a story that applies as much today as it did in the early Iron Age.
Week 7: Heroic Women, Confused Men, and God. Judges 4-5
In this message, we look at a story that challenges what we might think we know about gender roles. It’s a story of heroic women, of men who don’t seem to know what it means to be a man, and of a God who refused to be limited by our limitations.
Week 8: Haunted by Doubts. Judges 6-7
Gideon is the “Doubting Thomas” of the Old Testament. He’s the patron saint of people who are haunted by doubts, who know what God’s Word says but struggle to believe it. In this message, we dig into the roots of Gideon's doubt and our own.
Week 9: What's Happening Under the Surface? Judges 8-9
This is the second half of Gideon's story. It's a story that invites us to ponder what's really going on in our hearts as we ponder what's really going on in Gideon’s heart.
Week 10: When Everything Seems Broken. Judges 10-12
The story of Jephthah is a cautionary tale. It describes a world in which everything seems broken. Families are broken, leaders are openly immoral, parents are willing to sacrifice their own children to the gods of success, the nation is divided, and the People of God have forgotten who God is. Yet, perhaps, in this broken story we can find the thread of grace that we need to begin healing our own broken lives.
Week 11: Broken and Messy: Can God use me? Judges 13-16
What we've learned about one of Israel's judges may not be entirely accurate. We think of Samson as the super strong man who women adored, but in reality, he was one messed up and broken man. God still used him and God can still use us, even if we're broken and messy.