Bent Tree Bible Podcast

Guest speaker Dr. Amy Cedrone highlights Colossians as the most Christ-centered epistle, written by Paul from prison. Colossae, a dwindling city, had a diverse church facing syncretism, a blend of Jewish practices, proto-Gnosticism, and mystical polytheism. Paul's prayer for the Colossians focuses on faith, hope, and love, urging them to walk worthy of the Lord. The sermon calls for continuous...

Libin Abraham concludes a five-week series on renaming in the Bible, emphasizing that God rewrites our identity before changing our circumstances. He recounts the stories of Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Jacob to Israel, Ben Oni to Benjamin, and Gideon to Jeroboam, highlighting how each received a new name symbolizing God's promises. Pastor Libin focuses on Joshua's renaming from Hoshe...

Libin Abraham discusses the challenges of fatherhood and the internal struggles of feeling inadequate. He recounts a personal story in Houston where his daughter accidentally broke a valuable item, symbolizing his own fears of failure. Abraham then transitions to the biblical story of Gideon, who faced similar fears and doubts. Gideon, hiding in a wine press, was called by God to lead Israel again...

Pastor Libin recounted the story of a couple in Atlanta whose dream wedding ended tragically when their helicopter crashed, killing the groom and pilot. He reflected on the challenges of pastoral ministry, balancing grief and joy. Libin then discussed the biblical story of Jacob's son Benjamin, who was renamed from "Ben Oni" (son of sorrow) to "Benjamin" (son of my right ha...

Pastor Libin recounts the pressures of conformity and the dangers of living a lie. He highlights the biblical story of Jacob, detailing Jacob's lifelong struggle with identity, marked by deception and striving. Jacob's name, meaning "heel grabber," reflects his manipulative nature. Despite obtaining his father's blessing by deceit, Jacob's life is marked by inner conflict...

Pastor Libin shares the story of his name change from Liju to Libin due to a school name transliteration issue. He emphasizes the significance of names in identity and introduced a five-week sermon series on renaming in the Old Testament, starting with Abram and Sarai becoming Abraham and Sarah. Abraham and Sarah faced 25 years of infertility and doubt but were renamed by God, symbolizing a new id...

Guest speaker Cynthia Yanof dives into second Corinthians four, emphasizing the concept of having treasure (salvation) in jars of clay (us). She highlights the importance of believing in Jesus' power and living out our faith through love, prioritization, and mission. Cynthia Yanof stresses the need to stay empty of worldly concerns, focus on eternal values, and live with hope, using examples l...

Pastor Libin Abraham discusses the concept of worship, emphasizing that it begins with beholding God's creation and culminates in seeing and worshiping Him. He reflects on personal experiences of awe, such as at the Grand Canyon, and encourages finding such moments in everyday life. Libin explains that worship in heaven is a continuous state of the soul being awakened to God's majesty, wit...

Pastor Libin discusses the role of mothers in shaping their children's potential and character. He emphasizes the biblical vision of heaven as a place of reigning with Christ, not just escaping earthly suffering. Libin references Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, highlighting humanity's original design to rule under God, corrupted by sin, but redeemed by Jesus. He explains that faithfu...

Pastor Libin discusses the significance of the judgment seat of Christ, emphasizing that it is a day of rewards for Christians, not a day of condemnation. He highlights that believers will be evaluated on their faithfulness, stewardship, motives, and acts of love and kindness. Libin explains that rewards include the crown of righteousness, the crown of life, and the crown of glory. He encourages C...

Jordan Raynor emphasizes the importance of reimagining heaven and replacing four pervasive half-truths with four whole truths about heaven. He argues that Earth is not just a temporary home but will be our perfect and permanent home, and that our work, including secular tasks, has intrinsic value as it will last eternally. The New Earth will include both divine and human creations, and worship wil...

Libin Abraham discusses the universal belief in an afterlife across civilizations, citing examples from ancient Egypt, Native America, and modern America. He references Revelation 6 to explore the concept of "heaven now," describing it as a temporary, intermediate state before the permanent heaven described in Revelation 21. Libin emphasizes that heaven is a real, tangible place where be...

Libin Abraham discusses the historic Artemis 2 mission, highlighting the astronauts' extensive preparation and lifelong obsession with space. He draws parallels to our preparation for eternity, emphasizing the importance of thinking about and planning for it. Libin introduces a six-week series titled "Reimagine Heaven," focusing on aspects like facing eternity, the temporary and perm...

Pastor Libin discusses the historical evidence supporting the resurrection of Jesus Christ, emphasizing four key points: the certainty of Jesus' death, the empty tomb, the costly appearances of Jesus to his followers, and the transformative impact on their lives. He cites ancient sources like Tacitus and Josephus, and modern scholarly works, affirming that Jesus was crucified and died, and that hi...

Haley Terry and Steve Frissell discuss the biblical narrative of humanity's fall and God's redemption. They describe Adam and Eve's disobedience, leading to sin, shame, and the need for covering. The concept of sin's cost and the necessity of a sacrifice is emphasized, with the first Passover illustrating the need for an unblemished lamb. Libin Abraham highlights Jesus as the ultim...

Pastor Libin discusses the significance of Palm Sunday, highlighting the crowd's adoration of Jesus and the religious leaders' plot to kill him. He recounts Jesus' actions in the temple, overturning tables, and tells the parable of the vineyard in Matthew 21, which reveals the religious leaders' rejection of God's messengers. Libin emphasizes that Jesus is the cornerstone of the kingdom, rejected...

Hunter Emmert discusses the importance of forgiveness in the kingdom of God. He explains that Jesus' parables, including the one about the unmerciful servant, teach us about the New Kingdom ethics of compassion, mercy, and forgiveness. He emphasizes that forgiveness is not limited and should be extended without counting the number of times.

Libin discusses the concept of fairness and grace, using a parable from Matthew 20 to illustrate his points. He describes how his children negotiate rewards for sports achievements, highlighting the human desire for fairness. Abraham contrasts this with God's Kingdom, which operates on grace rather than fairness. He explains that grace disrupts merit systems and emphasizes that God's gener...

Libin discusses the nature of the Kingdom of God, emphasizing that it is not about political power, prosperity, or moral performance but about Jesus reigning through the church. He outlines a five-part story of God and His people, starting with creation, the fall, redemption, renewal, and eventual consummation.

Haley Terry's sermon explores the Kingdom of God through the lens of Jesus' teachings and interactions with the Pharisees. She emphasizes that the Kingdom of God is unlike any earthly kingdom, characterized by grace, humility, and inclusivity.

Steve Frissell introduces a new sermon, focusing on Jesus' teachings about the Kingdom of God. He emphasizes that Jesus' central message was the Kingdom of God, not just moral living. Steve defines the Kingdom as the King's reign through his people over his place. He highlights Jesus' unique kingship, contrasting it with earthly kings. Steve discusses the historical context of Isra...

This sermon casts a vision of the church as God’s “masterpiece” formed for this moment in history, in a world full of both opportunity and darkness.

Libin discusses the story of Elisha and the Shunammite woman, emphasizing breakthrough faith. Despite her initial skepticism, the woman's faith persisted even after her son died. Elisha's attempts to resurrect the child failed, highlighting that faith cannot be outsourced. Eventually, the boy was resurrected, symbolizing God's power. Abraham draws parallels to Jesus' resurrection, stressing that f...

Libin highlights breakthrough faith. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining hope and faith amidst personal and national crises, using the story of the Shunammite woman from 2 Kings 4 to illustrate breakthrough faith. The woman's journey from disappointment to hope, despite her son's death, exemplified resilience and trust in God's promises.

Pastor Steve Frissell discusses the concept of revival, emphasizing the holy burden and the season of consecration. Frissell shares personal stories to illustrate the challenges of faith, particularly the "loop of despair" experienced when prayers seem unanswered. He teaches on Jesus' prayer model from Matthew 6, highlighting the shift from scripted prayers to a personal, heartfelt c...