Greater Life Church

There was a more direct route that God could have taken the children of Israel out of Egypt than he chose, but He took them into what seems to be a dead end. There are times that God sends us down a path that is seemingly a trap in order to teach us to rely upon Him totally. The lesson in our text is that God means for us to be where we are. God leads us to places where there seems to be no escape...

We live in a wicked world. Our times are not the first time in history that the world could be described as wicked. Sodom and Gomorrah are but one example. Then as now, God was displeased with the sin, but He still had a people that he loved. Things are moving so quickly in our world, that we sometimes accept the change that comes our way without really knowing if it is the right thing to do. Some...

Our scripture text occurs during a trying time in the life of David. Rebellion had destroyed his family and his son had led a large portion of the people away from David and sought to kill him. David could have stayed and fought and would have likely won, but instead he elected to leave and save the pain and heartache that fighting would have caused. Shimei is led by a sprit of revenge and calls D...

John received his revelation while exiled on the isle of Patmos. We all have a Patmos like experience and Bro. Hughes explains that we can learn lessons from John in how to deal with life on Patmos. John was cut off from everyone. All of us find ourselves isolated and alone sometimes when we are surrounded by people. John had to carry burdens that he did not ask for. He was made to endure more tha...

If we had a choice, most of us would not choose many of the things that we must face in life. In our text, Paul helps us understand some things about life and how to live in uncertain times and how to finish our course with joy. Paul does not wish that he could change things about his life. He was not worried about changing his life, he was worried about finishing his life in a manner that was ple...

Bro. Kilgore returns to the same text he used when he spoke to us back in July. In our text, David saw that the people were prepared to stone him, but he remembered the past where God had saved him. He remembered Goliath, he remembered the lion, and he remembered the bear. If God saved him then, He would do it again. David had a promise. God had told him that he would wear the crown in Israel, and...

In our text, Jesus had returned to His hometown. As was his custom, He went to the House of God to worship. That custom: That God is in the house of God is still a custom today. Jesus stood before them that day in His hometown and proclaimed that the was the Jubilee, and no one believed him. He marveled at their unbelief. They could not and would not believe that He was who he said he was. They ma...

Experience is the best teacher. Most of us wish that was not true, because experience is often not the most enjoyable way to learn something. Like the child that cannot resist touching the hot stove, many of us cannot learn without getting burned. Though many of us would have it otherwise, we must go through in pleasant experiences in life. Most often learning experiences are bitter experiences. W...

It would be nice if one could build without having to battle; If we could build relationships with out conflict. All of us face some kind of opposition in whatever we do. If we are to make progress, we cannot sit around and wait for a better day, because a better day is not coming. Many times we must make progress in the midst of adversity and resistance. Any one who is trying to establish somethi...

Our text chronicles an amazing conversation between Jesus and a woman from Samaria. Culturally at the time, Jews had no regard for Samaritans. Jews regarded Samaritans as a lower class and insignificant people. The bible describes this woman as someone whose life was a mess. She had been married five times, and was living with a sixth man. Bro. Hughes surmises that due to her social situation, her...

Of all the blessings that we enjoy, sight is certainly one of the most important. Many wear contacts, glasses or have surgery to improve their eyesight. However, it is possible to have 20/20 vision but still not see life clearly. Life can take us down paths that bring us to the point that we cannot see the way out, or to be able to understand the purpose of what is going on. We can become overwhel...

Life can become heavy at times. So heavy, that many times we feel as if we cannot bear up under it. Life often overwhelms us beyond what we think is our ability to endure. At one time or another, all of us have said of our troubles: “This is killing me.” Bro. Hughes asks, “What do you do when life is killing you?” It is not hard to imagine that Paul was talking about life in our modern world. Godl...

In chapter 17 of Luke, Jesus is discussing the future with the disciples. He ends with the sobering statement: “Remember Lot’s Wife.” We do not know much about her. She is introduced to us in the bible just before she disappears forever. It is significant that He calls us to remember a nameless woman. She is only known as Lot’s wife. Bro. Hughes asks what is so important about her that we should r...

In our text, Nehemiah addresses Israel after years of Babylonian captivity. Israel is building walls around Jerusalem for protection. On a daily basis they were harassed for building walls by an enemy that wanted to destroy them. Nehemiah gives his brother the responsibility of opening the gates of the city, but stipulates that they not be opened until the sun burns hot each day. This means that o...

Bro. Hughes observes that many of the messages he preaches have to do with dealing with trouble. The reason is that all of us will encounter trying situations no matter who we are. We do not have to be a bad person for trouble come into our life. When we look at our world and the state of our society we quickly come to the conclusion that we are all in trouble. Trouble is everywhere and it is over...

God wants us to succeed in life. Many people were brought up thinking that God was just waiting for them to step out of line so that He could strike them down. This is unfortunate, because it is not true. The bible is full of examples of how God wants us to have life and live it more abundantly. Our text is one of those examples. In it Paul writing to Timothy advises that if we keep the doctrine a...

Contrary winds come from many sources and can have a great affect on lives. Our text is set on the Sea of Galilee, which is about 600 feet below the Mediterranean Sea. This severe elevation change caused violent and unpredictable storms and winds to sweep over the water. The men in the boat were all skilled fishermen and knew how to handle themselves on the water. Even these experienced strong men...

Our text is one of the most amazing stories chronicled in scripture. Saul had fallen in battle and David was coming into power. He remembered his predecessor. Saul had not always been kind to him, but even so, David respected and honored Saul and ask if there were any left of his court that could be honored. A servant was found to explained that there was one who remained. This young man was cripp...

We live in a dark time. We are in a great spiritual conflict. More than just personal problems, we are in an eternal struggle. Bro. Hughes observes from reading the bible, that the settings and cultures may have changed, the base underlying conflict has not changed: light against darkness, truth against lies, good against evil. There is as war going on that affects all of our lives. There is no mi...

Our text tonight speaks a critical truth. It has been said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Light comes in through this window. The condition of these windows determines the type and quality of light that gets in. If they are clean and clear, we see things correctly. We make good judgments and decisions. If however, these windows are dirty and smudged, we will make poor judgments and not...

The love of God is an amazing thing. It has to overcome a great deal to reach us. In spite of all that it has to overcome, it continues to overcome until the end. One of the great promises in the word of God is contained in our text: He loved them until the end. The disciples were an eclectic bunch that all had their faults. Some would look at that group of men and ask why would he call them. Bro....

All of us to some degree are concerned about the direction of our world and our country. Where does the deterioration of anything begin? Where does the confusion and unhappiness begin? Where does the lowering of standards in a nation, a church, or a person begin? Our text explains simply that it begins when we compare ourselves to ourselves. The bible talks at length about wisdom. What it is, how...

None of us can say that we are without sin. No matter how good we may be, we all fall short of the glory of God. The bible says that if we confess our sin, Jesus is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us of unrighteousness. Bor. Hilton points out that this is a one-day at a time endeavor. None of us have enough character to live the rest of our life without His grace and mercy. Fortunat...

Every one of us at some time or another has had our backs to the wall. In our text, David finds himself in that place. He had been on a journey and conquered the enemy. As they returned they found their city in flames and their wives and daughters taken captive. The men picked up stones to kill David. There was only one direction David could turn and it is the same direction we have; he encouraged...

Many people discount the “name it and claim it” preachers. Bro. Hilton points out that this is biblical. God says things and it began to happen. “Let there be light and there was light.” The bible says “ye have not because ye ask not.” It also says “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.” The heart believes, but the heart confesses. We open our mouth for everything else, why not fo...