Pine Tree Church of Christ's Podcast

Mark 14:26-52 This week we come to the Mount of Olives. On this mountain there is a Garden called Gethsemane. It's on this mountain that Jesus experienced an overwhelming amount of fear. Jesus' courage in the midst of fear gives us an example to follow when we are stalled out by fear: step forward! What causes fear in your life? Beyond just the normal fears and phobias we might experienc...

Jesus teaches that if we have enough faith, we can move a mountain. Obviously, we don't think he literally meant that we could rearrange the landscape. There is usually a deeper meaning behind some of the stranger teachings of Jesus. So, what did he mean by this teaching? Where is the emphasis, is it on us having more faith? Is it less about the size of our faith and more about the size of th...

Mark 9:1-27. Jesus and three of his disciples have one of their best moments on the mountain, and then some of their worst moments back in the valley.  This lesson covers the Transfiguration followed by doubt back in the valley.

Today, we go to Mount Horeb with Elijah. He goes from having a mountain top moment with God on Mount Carmel, to being in the valley, to depression on Mount Horeb by himself. What do we learn about God when we are in the valley? Why is this story in the Bible? This amazing and peculiar story from 1 Kings 19:1-18 will help answer some of those questions.

Today, we go to the top of Mount Carmel to make a decision about who, or what, we will worship with our lives. 1 Kings 18:17-40 is our main text.  Do Mount Carmel moments still happen today? I don't know, but I know Mount Carmel decisions still happen today. 1 Kings 18:21 is the key verse. "How long will you go on limping between two opinions?" ... choose who you are going to follow...

In Exodus 3, God appeared to Moses at Mount Horeb, the Mountain of God. In Exodus 19, the Israelites (led by Moses) arrived at Mount Sinai, the Mountain of God. In this lesson, we study Exodus Ch. 19 & 20 - their first major encounter with Yahweh at Mount Sinai. Moses ascends and descends the mountain several times. He functions as an intermediary. God's presence comes in a powerful displ...

First of all, this sermon was preached on a Sunday without electricity.  A bad storm came through on the previous Thursday night, so we were without power. The recording is not the greatest audio quality because it was recorded on an iPhone and then we attempted to reduce the background noise (from the giant fan we had going). Anyways, this sermon was a bit shorter due to the heat in the room. The...

Psalm 121. New series = Meeting God on the Mountain. Throughout Scripture, God often met His people on a mountain. This summer, we go to the mountains of Scripture to meet with God.

The fruits of Emotionally Healthy Discipleship? A calmed & quieted soul. Psalm 131 claims that this is attainable. Does this describe me? What leads us to a noisy & restless soul, and how can we aim in the direction of a calmed & quieted soul? 

Emotionally Healthy Discipleship 2 Corinthians  How is strength found through weakness? How did Paul develop his Theology of Weakness? 

Series: Emotionally Healthy Discipleship Sermon: Break the Power of the Past Main Texts: John 8:14; 2 Tim. 1:5; Exodus 20:4-6; John 9:1-3; Ezekiel 18:20

Senior Sunday - 5-7-23  2 Tim. Ch. 2

If we are growing spiritually, we simultaneously mature emotionally. One of the ways we can measure our maturity is by our love. How can we love like Jesus? Jesus gives us the practical examples of slowing down to be present with the people in front of him, to actually see them, and to listen.  Matt. 22:34-40 John 13:34-35

Emotionally Healthy Discipleship Part 3 - Processing Grief & Loss Throughout our lives, we all accumulate losses. Some are devastating or unexpected, and some are natural/expected losses. Regardless the severity, losses need to be grieved. If we do not take the time to grieve before the Lord, this emotional pain will continue to weigh heavy on our souls. In this lesson, we discuss Peter Scazze...

Part 2 of the Emotionally Healthy Discipleship Series... When presented with opportunities and invitations, how do we know what to say yes to and what to say no to? We can't say yes to everything, and when we say no, it gives more meanings to our yes. Without a Theology of Limits, we will have a tough time making wise decisions. God gave Adam and Eve a limit in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:15-1...

New Series - EHD = Emotionally Healthy Discipleship Luke 10:38-42 is that main text... 

Easter 2023. Start with Luke 24 & Acts 1 - why is it so obvious to the Angels that Jesus is not among the dead, but it's not so obvious to the human eye? Why is it so obvious to the Angels that Jesus will come back, but it's not so obvious to the Apostles who are staring into the sky? There is what I will call an "obvious gap". The Angels are seeing the unseen, seeing behin...

Luke 23:26-31  Today's lesson is designed to help us begin drawing near to the cross of Christ this week.  Jesus taught a lot of "stranger things." These words from Christ would fall under that category. Why does Jesus say what he says to these women who are following him and mourning for him? And what do we have to learn from Simon of Cyrene and the Daughters of Jerusalem when it c...

Today's text is Titus 1:5-9 & 1 Timothy 3:1-7. We are looking at the character sketch of an Elder that Paul gives us. Although this presents the type of character we are looking for in an elder, these lists should also encourage anyone who is following Christ to either be described this way, or for this to describe who we are becoming in Christ. 

1 Peter 5:1-4 & Ezekiel 34:1-6 What is an elder of a church? What do we call them? If we can figure out what we call them, that will give us a better idea of what their role is. 

The final Apostle of the original twelve: Judas Iscariot. He is forever known as the "betrayer." Why did Judas follow Jesus to begin with? Was he sincere at the beginning and then inauthentic as time went on? Why did Judas betray Jesus? John 6:66-71 - One of You is a Devil John 12:1-6 - Greed Matt. 26:14-16 - Greed John 13:2; Luke 22:3; John 13:21-30; Matthew 26:22-25 - Judas Opened His...

Mark 3:13-19 - Which Apostle do you connect with the most and why? Also, in this lesson we talk about meeting God on the mountain, the Apostles James the Younger, Simon the Zealot, and Judas (not Iscariot)/Thaddeaus, and the two main objectives Jesus had with the Twelve.