Seven Mile Road
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Do you want God as King? It’s such a simple question on the surface yet we struggle to answer “Yes!” with a fully aligned head, heart, and hands. But this struggle is nothing new. This week, we’ll see God’s people realize they will soon need a new earthly leader as Samuel ages and his sons are unfit and we’ll see them ultimately reject God as their King even though He is a King like no other.
How do you turn it around? You know you’ve been headed in the wrong direction and haven’t been very focused on God in your life. Maybe your circumstances are causing you to question the way you’ve gone? Or it could be behavior or desires that you see within yourself that surprise you. What do you do to see God present in your life once again and how to get out of the rut of your sin?These are questions we all face at times in our lives. We find answers in the story of Israel in 1 Samuel. We get to hear Samuel call us all back to God to see victory and peace once more in our lives as we learn from the story of early Israel. 1 Samuel 7
1 Samuel 6-7:2The Philistines have Israel’s God captured, or so they think. The Ark of the Covenant, the holy symbol of God’s presence, which was so easy to take and move around and place inside their temple, is now causing all sorts of national problems. The Philistines can’t handle God’s presence, the ark must go. Maybe when the ark is returned to Israel all will be better again? Not so much. Israel can’t handle God’s presence either. Who then can stand before this holy God?
"Is God the Lord?” After Israel loses a big battle, the Philistines think very little of God. After their capture of the ark of God, the Philistines set it up in the house of their god, Dagon. Israel’s God seems weak and defeated, but is that true? How will he respond?
“Why were we defeated?” After defeat in an important battle, the people of God look to God for deliverance but don’t address the real issue: their sin. They try again but don’t turn from sin, leading to another lost battle, more ruined lives, their enemies capturing the Ark of God, and one of the most terrible lines in the whole bible, “The glory has departed from Israel.”
As we continue in 1 Samuel we see Israel is livingIsrael is living in the dark because God’s speaking to his people was rare. Then, into that darkness God calls Samuel to be his prophet, bringing the light of his word to Eli and Israel. Just like our bodies need food when we are hungry, we need the prophetic Word of God in order to live. We will be asking ourselves this question: Are we living our lives guided by God’s prophetic word?
After Eli, the priest, has confronted his sons regarding their sin, God sends an unnamed prophet to confront Eli. Eli’s house has been honored by God for generations and received great blessings, but has, in return, dishonored God. God rejects Eli and his line, but his redemptive plan won’t end. Instead, He will raise up another line of priests who will be faithful forever.
As we find out the priests are stealing from God in his Temple, the darkness increases in the Book of Samuel. After all, sin is to be confessed, not committed, in God’s presence. And even when confronted about their sin, these priests won’t stop. Yet, God was also growing a light in the darkness. We’ll find that, amidst all of the corruption and contempt, the boy Samuel is growing in favor with God and man.
This is the end of Hannah’s story. She made a big ask, she promised a huge response, God answered her prayer, and she moves forward in faith. Hannah turns Samuel over for lifelong service to the Lord. The gift she received from God becomes a gift from Hannah to the world. Hannah is a link in the glorious chain of God’s promise of redemption tracked through history.Hannah’s God is holy and sovereign, and he is in control of the fates of mankind, so what else could she possibly do but sing?
The Book of Samuel begins with the story of Hannah, a barren woman who has felt forgotten by God and frustrated by her family. Completely heartbroken, Hannah’s pain grows year after year. But Hannah does not give up her faith. Instead she pursues God in worship and prayer until … when things are seemingly at their worst … God gives her peace, remembers her, and makes Hannah “no longer sad.”
Justin and Sara sit down to talk about plans for the Gottliebs upcoming sabbatical.
Advent is the season of reflecting on the arrival of Jesus, the son of God, as a human. God the Father sent Jesus his Son to free us from sin. In itself, this is an incredible and undeserved blessing he has given us. What’s even more amazing is that God sent Jesus to elevate us to be full members of God’s family. Through our union with Jesus, we have full access to God as our Father. This is an even greater blessing than forgiveness of our sins. When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son… so that we might receive adoption as sons.
Peace. We all want it. We want peace with one another, and we want peace with God. Our world is full of advice on how to get peace: better organization, better planning, better relationships and use the Breathe app on your watch. But all of that is just advice on how to manage.What we really need for peace is news, especially the news that "God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law.
“When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son.” As we begin our advent series *The Fullness of Time* this Sunday with these words, we’ll hear and see that the certain hope of Christ’s coming into a fallen world 2000 years ago also gives us certain hope today.
Psalm 145 Depending on life situation, praising God can seem easy or impossible. So, how do you praise God when nothing in life seems to be going right? In Psalm 145, David grounds his praise of God in his character rather than our circumstance and shows how we can praise God with everything without ending.
* > Have you ever wondered, “Will I ever be holy and blameless?” > The gap between who we are and who God calls us to be is large, and we can feel hopeless to get there. As Paul closes his letter to the Thessalonians, he assures this baby church that disciples of Jesus will one day be holy and blameless … and it won’t be because they are great or smart or hardworking. > They will be made holy and blameless because the faithful God who called them is also the God who will make them holy.
How does a family function and get a long in peace together? It’s one of the aims in our homes, but also in the church. Paul tells us how to conduct ourselves in 4 important areas in order to keep the peace in the church. It’s these “house rules” that help us to think about how we relate and work together as God intended.1 Thess 5:12-22
The return of Jesus often raises so many questions in our minds. It did for the Thessalonian church plant also. “What happens to the dead when Jesus returns?” “When will Jesus return?” “How should we live as we wait?” Paul reminds the Thessalonians that our Gospel identity prepares us for Christ’s return. This Sunday, we will look at how the return of Jesus both gives us courage and calls us to live each day prepared.
Who knows the will of God? How in the world could we possibly know what the God of the universe wants us to do? Well, as it turns out, God has told us exactly what His will is. God’s will is not a mystery, it is not hidden, it is not buried, it sits right on the surface for everyone to know.This is the will of God, your sanctification.This is Paul in his most direct, his most helpful, his most loving. This is what God wants, that you be holy.
Being a family is demonstrated in so many different ways. Time spent, intentional presence, true concern, and rooting for one another are all visible displays of family. A family has commitment to these things.If a church is the people of God being a gospel-formed family in a specific place, then we will see similar commitments to what Paul displayed towards the Thessalonian church.1 Thess 2:17-3:13
In 1 Thessalonians 2:1-16, Paul reminds the Thessalonians of how they received the Gospel and calls them to live a life worthy of God. God calls us to live the same way.But how do we live lives worthy of God? By continually reminding ourselves of the Gospel and God’s gracious calling that makes us part of His faithful family.
"Hey Thessalonians, God loves you and youre doing great. Keep on! - Paul" As we begin a new sermon series called Gods Faithful Family this week, well hear how the gospel reached this young church, how they responded, and how they are now encouraging others to receive Jesus ... even though things are tough for them.
At the end of the Seven Mile Road story, the disciples finally see. It takes a ton of help from Jesus, but they truly see. As they see, Jesus helps them see God’s redemptive plan across history and geography. Even more than seeing the plan, Jesus sends them (and us!) to join His mission.
