Southside Baptist Church Podcast

Success is dangerous; it not only tests our faith, it exposes any pride and reveals the truest nature of our character. People throughout history, from politicians to clergy have accomplished amazing victories only to fail at the height of their success. One of the most famous characters in the book of Judges is a man named Gideon. His rise from being an obscure, fearful figure to one of the most successful leaders in Israel’s history is a Sunday school favorite. But we seldom look at the rest of Gideon’s story. In part five of Anarchy, Pastor Gary Lee Webber explores the part of Gideon’s story that is often overlooked, where we see the dangers of success and the secret to overcoming those dangers.

When everyone does what is right in HIS own eyes, people always get hurt, and those people are most often women and children. The mistreatment and oppression of women is well documented throughout history in every culture. A reality that, unfortunately, is still true today. Some people are surprised to learn that, not only does the Bible not promote such behavior, but it strongly opposes it. In fact, many sociologists have noted that the condition for women and children almost always improves when Christianity is introduced to a culture. In part three of Anarchy, Pastor Gary Webber shares the story of two extraordinary women from the book of Judges and how this story might shape our understanding of how the Bible portrays the relationship between men and women.

Throughout the Bible God employs unlikely heroes, using unconventional resources, to accomplish unimaginable results. The Book of Judges has many examples of how God delights in using the weak things of this world to overpower the strong, so that He alone might get the credit for the unexpected victories of His people. In this, the second message in this series based on the book of Judges, we will consider three men God used to rescue Israel from their self-imposed slavery and consider what we should do the next time we face the discouraging, hopeless situations of life.

Moral decline is a process. Much like erosion, our ability to maintain our integrity requires constant effort. Because spiritual decline is inevitable, spiritual renewal is critical. Between Joshua and David, Israel experienced significant moral decline. The book of Judges sums up this period with the statement, "In those days, there was no king ... everyone did what they thought was right in their own eyes."

Join us this Sunday for the conclusion of the Gospel of John. For the past three years, we have walked with the Disciple Jesus Loved as he followed Jesus from the Sea of Galilee to the grave and beyond. In this final message, Pastor Gary Webber explains why the world cannot contain the books that could be written about all the things Jesus has done and continues to do.

Great novels sometimes include an epilogue. This is an additional chapter that comes after the climax and resolution of the story. It isn't usually essential to the plot, but it may provide readers additional information and a greater sense of closure. John included an epilogue to his Gospel, but unlike modern epilogues, John’s closing lines contain a significant message from the resurrected Jesus. Join us for the final message in ALIVE! and learn what Jesus says to drifting disciples about how important it is to get back to shore!

It is said that seeing is believing. It certainly was for the Apostle Thomas. His response to the news that Jesus was alive earned him the title Doubting Thomas. But that title is unfair. After all, if it had been you, wouldn’t you have been tempted to respond the same way? Well, maybe not. According to Jesus, those of us who believe today are exercising a faith that Thomas and the other disciples couldn’t. Join us for a message about the true meaning of faith and how it has the power to change us.

Jesus once told His disciples that He would eventually leave them. While this idea upset His followers, Jesus assured them that it was for their own good because it would usher the arrival of the Holy Spirit. It would be the Holy Spirit that would empower Jesus’ followers to change the world.

Letting go is hard. When Mary first realized that Jesus was alive, she wanted to grab hold of Him and never let Him go. Jesus, however, told Mary that she couldn't hold on. She had to let go. Jesus wasn’t going to stay and things could never go back to the way they were before. We often try to cling to the past when God is inviting us into His presence. A presence that will lead us to a future that we can only experience if we are willing to let go of the past and embrace His plans.

The resurrection of Jesus has been the most debated event in all human history. That debate is nothing new. It started on that very first Easter as Mary, John and Peter arrived to find the tomb empty and each had a very different reaction. Join us as we see how our responses to the empty tomb are reflected in those first reactions.

The Christian faith is based entirely on a single event in history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But what if no one had ever known about that event? What if the circumstances of Jesus’ burial had been different and His body hadn’t been laid in a tomb, but rather tossed in the city dump like so many other executed criminals? If there had been no tomb, no one could have known that a tomb was empty. The events surrounding Jesus’burial reveals the faith of two individuals who had been secretly following Jesus. Through their willingness to step out of the shadows, we see the power of a public faith. Join us for the final message in the CROSSROADS series as we look at the events of Jesus burial from John 19.

John was the only one of Jesus’ disciples to accompany Him all the way to the cross. As such, John offers a unique and powerful account of the events of Jesus’ crucifixion. It is important to John that his readers believe that Jesus lived and died, because what John reports next depends on the acceptance of these two facts. Join us for part 6 of Cross Roads, as Pastor Gary Webber teaches that doubt is a necessary crossroad between unbelief and a pursuit of truth.

Many people carry shame from past mistakes. Shame follows us wherever we go and often determines the choices we make at important crossroads of life. What appeared to be the end of the road for the thief crucified with Jesus was, in fact, his most important crossroad. Would he allow shame to define his final moments or would he embrace the life Jesus was offering? Join us as we look at a moment that was intended to bring shame, but resulted in one of the most epic displays of grace in history.

When we say someone is out of control, we normally mean that they have lost some sense of decorum, reason, or ability to manage themselves and others. When we say someone has control issues, we usually mean that a person is crossing some imaginary line of what is appropriate in managing a situation, group or individual. So what does it mean to be perfectly in control? And are we ever really in control of anything, or is control an illusion? Jesus’ encounter with Pilate is a fascinating study in the contrast between control and surrender and how you cannot have one without the other. Join us for part four of our series as we consider the decision Pilate made at the CROSSROADS.

Fear is a primal emotion. Our deepest convictions are often revealed when we come face to face with our greatest fears. The Apostle Peter is famous for his bravado and self-confidence, but when he faced the cross roads of fear and faith, Peter’s choice revealed the true condition of his heart. Join us for part three of Cross Roads as we explore how we can choose fear over faith.

He was just doing his job when one of those religious zealots pulled out a sword and cut off his ear. Maybe, like Malchus, you’ve had a hurtful encounter with one of Jesus’followers. Perhaps you still have wounds that serve as reminders of why you keep your distance from Jesus and His followers. While Malchus’ story begins with a wound inflicted by one of Jesus’ followers, it ends with a miraculous healing by Jesus. The Bible doesn't tell us what direction Malchus took at this cross road, but it does offer hope for all those who would bear the scars of religious wounds.