Tomball Bible Church

March 2, 2025Colossians chapter 3 calls the church to set our lives on Christ. Verses 1-11 call us to throw off sinful practices and verses 12-17 instruct us to “put on” the new self in Christ. Both actions, putting away sin and putting on Christ, take personal responsibility, reliance on the Holy Spirit, and encouragement from one another. If we do this, we will be sure to have lives set on Christ, resulting in us becoming more like Jesus and God glorified.Colossians 3:1-11

February 23, 2025Christ has filled us with himself. His identity is now ours, we are kept in Christ, and are to mature more into the image of Christ. Yet so often in our world we face the pressure of “performance Christianity" and can get caught up in things that have no value in helping us to become more like Christ but rather place value in how we appear to others. The easy thing is to care more about how we appear rather than caring about our hearts and yet what Christ knows about us is that from our hearts comes the external appearance. Paul is warning the church in Colossae and he is warning us to not give way to this thinking or allow someone else to have an influence on you to pull you away from what Christ has already said about you. Paul calls us to live our lives fully in Christ and trust more of what he says about us, that we are righteous, forgiven, and loved.Clossians 2:16-23

February 16, 2025In Colossians 2:6-15, we have Paul's first two of 27 commands in this letter. We are called to walk in Christ and not succumb to empty philosophy and deceitful ideologies. This passage also contains one of the clearest teachings on what Jesus did to secure our salvation and fill us completely. In Him, we lack nothing!Colossians 2:6-15

February 9, 2025The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most famous passages in the entire Bible. Sections of it are often quoted or used in motivational speeches or critiques from the world to Christians, yet so many people don’t actually know the one who delivered this sermon or why he gave it at all. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus ushers in a new kingdom, one that is upside down from what this world and culture is like. He says things like, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth,” or “if you look at a woman with lustful intent you have committed adultery in your heart,” and “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where they will last forever.” These words and others in his sermon are so countercultural to our everyday life that at face value it seems strange and impossible. But Jesus doesn’t intend for his audience to live this sermon out on their own, rather the entire sermon isn’t about living in your own strength but living in the one who is giving the sermon, Jesus. In ushering in

February 2, 2025A united church is a beautiful sight. Like a singular rose, a united church has beauty, value, and a sweet aroma. How much more so is the sight and fragrant smell when the Church walks in unity!? This is the vision cast by Paul for his readers which includes not only the Colossians but believers from the whole region! Come and hear what God holds in store for churches of unbroken ranks in Colossians 2:1-5.

January 26, 2025Jesus Christ has reconciled all who believe in Him with God the Father. We have peace through the gospel, the hope of glory, which is the message of reconciliation that Christ died, was buried and rose from the dead. Those who are reconciled are also ministers who proclaim this greatest of news to everyone. Our focus this week is on how we are to proclaim Him.Colossians 1:21-29

January 19, 2025What's the most significant document you have? For many, it's their birth certificate, as it officially establishes their identity, parentage, and place in the world. This week, we'll explore a passage in the Book of Colossians that serves as a spiritual birth certificate of sorts. It is an incredible declaration that reveals the true identity and nature of Jesus Christ, making it one of the most crucial passages in the entire New Testament.Colossians 1:1-15

January 12, 2025Having heard from Epaphras the legacy the Colossians had built bytheir faith in Jesus and love for others, Paul prayed earnestly for themthat they would:  be filled with knowledge of God's will, walk in a mannerworthy of Jesus, bear fruit in good work, be strengthened in character, andgive thanks to God.Colossians 1:9-14

January 5, 2025We begin our study of the book of Colossians with Paul and Timothy’s thanksgiving prayer for the Colossian church. While imprisoned in Rome, Paul received a good report about how the Colossians were growing in faith and bearing fruit for the name of Christ. He highlights two enduring legacies of their hope, rooted in the gospel. These legacies of the Colossians remain relevant today, providing a powerful example of the kind of legacy we should strive to leave—one that God can use to strengthen and build up future generations.Colossians 1:1-8

December 29, 2024Jesus, the Son of the Most High God—truly God and truly human—came to live a perfect life, die on the cross for our sins, and rise three days later, conquering sin and death. This is the gospel, the good news. But there’s more: after making purification for sin, Christ ascended to Heaven and now sits at the right hand of God the Father. One day, He will return to judge the living and the dead and make all things new. Yet, we often lose sight of this. Distracted by life’s demands, our faith can fade, and the good news can feel like old news. Even the incredible promise of Christ’s return in glory can seem distant or ephemeral—fading away like our New Year’s resolutions in March. But Jesus knows this about us. In Mark 13:32-37, He warns us not to grow complacent but to stay awake, holding fast as we await His return.

December 22, 2024God sent His only Son to redeem anyone and everyone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross for our sins and rose from the grave. This claim takes faith to receive and believe. And to those who turn from their sin and trust in Jesus, God gives eternal life and the right to become a part of His kingdom, His family. Our greatest desire is to lift high Jesus, the Son of God, that He might draw whoever He has called to Himself. May we be faithful, and may He do it!1 John 5:6-13

December 15, 2024Oftentimes when we think of the word joyful we think of someone who is happy, always smiling, and an “easy hang”. We don’t usually equate it to someone as being content or satisfied, particularly in Jesus and his grace. I think at Christmas we often don’t practice this kind of joy. We more often are running around going from spot to spot, making sure everyone is happy with the stuff we get for them, and end up dreading the season more than being thankful and worshipful during this season. We even will give ourselves over to more “respectable sins,” as Jerry Bridges would put it, and chalk up our actions to the “stress” of the season. Christmas though isn’t about stress, gifts, or family gatherings. Its about God becoming like his creation. In the person of the Son of Man, Jesus, we have someone whose joy was satisfied in doing what the Father had asked of him. Why? Because a man, like us in every way, lived a perfect sinless life and gives us his righteousness and takes on our unrighteousness

December 8, 2024God had promised to send a King, a descendant of King David, to reign on the throne of David forever.  Jesus, a descendant of David, fulfilled that promise by coming to earth in human form.  Following his ascension, he now reigns as King at the right hand of God the Father; his ministry as King is now focused on salvation (filling the Kingdom with Believers) and sanctification (bringing them to holiness).  In the future, King Jesus will return to earth to reign as warrior King, to conquer all enemies, judge the world, and then hand over the Kingship to God the Father. At that time, all God’s people will live forever, in a new heaven and earth, in the presence of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Today, King Jesus rules from heaven, fully God and fully man, glorious and exalted, the sovereign King of the universe, with supreme authority and power over all people, and full control over all events.  As grateful subjects of His Kingdom, we should submit to Him, worship Him, and love Him, and i

December 1, 2024Advent 2024 has arrived! As we journey toward Christmas and reflect on the first coming of our Lord and Savior, we will explore specific titles and roles that only Christ can fulfill. He is the Son of Abraham, the Son of David, the Son of Man, and the Son of God. We begin by examining what Scripture reveals about Him as the fulfillment of the covenant God first made to Abraham.Galatians 3:15-29

November 24, 2024disobedience, a few remained faithful and devoted to Him. Where such love and faith existed, God’s blessing followed. Amidst one of the darkest times in Israel’s history, God provided the story of a man whose loyal, sacrificial love to a widow set the stage for His promise to be fulfilled—establishing a royal lineage that would eventually lead to the King of kings.Ruth 1-4

November 17, 2024Judges 17-21 contains stories that show Israel’s absolute collapse and abandonment of God. Chapters 17-18 focus on their spiritual failures while chapters 19-21 show their complete moral collapse. Central to each of these stories is the failure of the spiritual leaders, the Levites. The very ones who were supposed to embody and uphold everything good and right in God’s sight were complicit in Israel’s complete collapse. The entire message of Judges points to the truth that God, and only God, could save His people out of their condition.

November 10, 2024If there was ever a person who served as a reflection of his generation it was Samson. He was a man who was set apart from birth for God’s special purposes. Set apart for holiness. Set apart for faithfulness. Set apart to deliver his people from evil. Yet, he chose his lustful and vengeful passions over his godly calling. The people of Israel did the same. Yet, even in the midst of rampant failure, God proved faithful and remained true as Israel’s Help and Hope. The Samson cycle will challenge each of us to constrain our passions as we seek to live out the special calling in Christ we share as God’s people.Judges 13:1-16:31

November 3, 2024Virtually every religion on earth is a cause/effect situation. If I do “x”, my god will do “y”. In this kind of relationship, the condition-setter is in control. All false religions and forms of idolatry are an attempt by people to manipulate the terms of their spiritual life. The account of Jephthah in Judges 10:6-12:15 teaches us that, try as we might, God cannot be manipulated. We never take control even though we intentionally (or unintentionally!) try.Judges 10:6-12:15

October 27, 2024“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” is a familiar phrase to most American Christians. This phrase rings true for Gideon’s flawed legacy. Gideon displayed faith but was ultimately corrupted by his thirst for personal glory. After his death, the people of Israel turn away from the Lord again, and the narrator of Judges now turns to the surprising account of Gideon’s illegitimate son, Abimelech, who rules as a regional king and oppresses God’s people. Here, we see Israel’s oppression coming from one of their own rather than a pagan king. Instead of conquering the remaining wicked nations, Israel suffers from one of their own and spirals into civil war.Judges 8:33-10:5

October 20, 2024Gideon is one of the more popular judges because of the symbols and stories that are attached to his time as a judge. We remember the fleece, the shrinking of his army, and how he goes from scared stiff guy to a conquering warrior. Gideon’s name means “great warrior,” and when we come to chapter 11 of Hebrews, we see his name mentoined as one who had great faith. The story of Gideon is actually less about his faith and more about the One who gave him his faith. God is the giver of faith, Ephesians 2:9-10 reminds us of that. In Gideon’s story, God takes a man who is beat down, weak, scared, and ultimately a coward and uses him to accomplish His purposes by instilling in him a faith that is rooted in God. At the end of the story, we see Gideon desiring a part of the glory for what was accomplished for himself. The reality is, you can’t look at Gideon’s story and say how great he was, but instead, you see, through Gideon’s story, how great the LORD is. The same is true in our own lives. We too ar