2 Kings 17:13-15
The Northern Kingdom, Israel, fell to the Assyrians in 722 B.C.
#1. He gave her a Lord.
#2. He gave her a law.
#3. He gave her a land.
#1. She denied the Lord. (v. 15)
#2. She defied the law. (v. 16)
#3. She defiled the land. (v. 17)
The Southern Kingdom, Judah, was ruled by both good & evil kings.
God will keep His promise to bring the Messiah through Judah.
Seven hundred years before Jesus, Isaiah provides a character sketch of the Messiah.
(Isaiah 53)
The recipe for revival in v.13
#1. Revival Involves a Repentance from Wickedness.
#2. Revival Involves a Renewal of Holiness.
“No King but King Jesus!”
1 King 12:1-11
The Truth is: The stakes go up when you’re a leader, because your decisions affect more people.
~ The Northern Kingdom. 10 tribes called Israel.
~ The Southern Kingdom. 2 tribes called Judah.
Pay Attention to the Ripple Effect.
1 King 3:5-15
Solomon pleases God by asking for wisdom to reign as king. (Ch. 3)
2. Solomon knew what he wanted and he asked for wisdomto rule as king and administer justice.
Fact: The Hebrew word for “Wisdom” is “hokma” meaning: A “ hearing heart.”
who each claim the same baby as their own. (3:16-28)
Solomon writes wisdom so everyone in his kingdom may be wise.
~ Proverbs at the beginning of his kingship.
~ Ecclesiastes at the end of his kingship.
~ Song of Songs at the beginning of his first love.
Solomon builds a temple for God and grows in popularity. (Ch. 6-10)
Solomon, who started strong, ends poorly. (1 Kings 11)
If you were given only one request by God,
what would you ask for?
2 Samuel 11:1-5
David commits sins and tries to cover them up. (2 Samuel 11:6-9)
wife, and she gets pregnant.
2. David tries to get Uriah to sleep with Bathsheba so everyone will think the baby is Uriah’s, and Uriah, a man of integrity, refuses.
Fact: David thinks everything is back to normal. His sins are covered. But God loves David too much to let things appear normal.
David’s sins are exposed by God through Nathan the prophet. (2 Samuel 12)
The consequences of David’s sins in his personal life and kingdom.
~ The baby conceived from David and Bethsheba relationship, dies. (12:15-23)
~ David’s daughter is raped by her brother. (Chapter 13)
~ Absalom rebels against David. (Chapter 15)
~ David flees in exile when Absalom rebels and
takes the throne. (Chapter 15)
~ Absalom dies and David’s other son provokes
the next major rebellion. (Chapter 18)
Within all this turmoil, David bears the consequences with dignity and David’s relationship with the God of grace is restored.
(1 Chronicles 29:10 -13)
Luke 24:13-32
Luke’s description of the two travelers’ encounter with Jesus on the Emmaus Road is an intimate glimpse of how He wants to journey with each of us.
The Emmaus Road, a Faith-Building Experience. (Luke 24:13-16)
1. Jesus is always near when we are in Despair.
The Emmaus Road, a Life-Building Experience. (vs. 17-29)
Hope (v. 21).
Guidance (vs. 22-26).
The Emmaus Road, a Joy-Building Experience. (vs. 30-36)
The Formula for a Burning Heart
- Faith: I Believe.
- Love: I Give.
- Hope: I Plan.
- Conviction: I Know.
- Trust: I Have Joy.
“The darkest road with Christ is better
than the brightest road without Him.”
(Anonymous)
1 Samuel 16:1-13
David is chosen as king. (1 Samuel 16:13)
(Psalm 78:70-72)
The Fact is:
God sees our potentials not our failures or short comings. David, most importantly, was a man after God’s own heart. (v. 7)
Question:
So what did God see in David that He might also see in us?
Answer:
I believe He saw there was a heart that was open
to the heart of God with which he could make connection
and with whom he could do significant things.
David goes into “boot camp” to be trained as a king.
David in godly, kingly character.
for guidance and help. (1 Samuel 21)
David as king points to “the One” who will come as the Messiah (Jesus).
with the Spirit.
David was God-focused
instead of giant-focused.
1 Samuel 1:1-20
The Backdrop of the Three Major Distortions. (1 Samuel 1)
Hannah and Peninnah.
2. At Shiloh where the Tabernacle rested Hannah
prayed to God for a child, promising to dedicate
the child to God.
The Three Major Distortions of God’s Purpose:
# 1. The Distortion of Phoniness. (1 Samuel 2)
~ Hophni and Phineas, who abused the sacrificial system and committed sexually immoral acts. (v. 22)
~ Eli refused to reprimand his sons. (v. 25)
Application:
You can’t just have an outward appearance of religion. You must be genuine on the inside. You must be authentic. Don’t be a phony or fake, live the way He wants you to live, today.
#2. The Distortion of Conformity. (1 Samuel 8)
~ The people ask Samuel to anoint a king over them. (v. 6)
~ God tells Samuel that the people are not rejecting him; the people are rejecting God. (v. 20)
Application:
We don’t aim to be like everyone else. We’re God’s people and we are to be Distinct. We are not called to be like other people. We are God’s unique People.
#3. The Distortion of Misrepresentation.
(1 Samuel 9-13)
~ God allows the people to have a king (permissive will) though it was not God’s perfect will.
~ Samuel anoints Saul as king. (11:1-11)
~ Saul disobeys God by not obeying God’s
command to destroy the Amalekites. (1 Samuel 15)
~ God rejects Saul as king for misrepresenting
God.
Application:
We, too, are representatives of God to the world. When we disobey God we distort God to the world. Let us be like Samuel who obeyed God and not like Saul who disobeyed God.
(Ruth 1:1-21)
Three Opening Observations about the Story of Ruth. (Ruth 1:1-2)
#1. Ruth’s story takes place during the time of the Judges.
#2. The story takes place primarily in Bethlehem of Judah.
Ruth, from Moab, Returns to Bethlehem with Naomi. (Ruth 1)
~ Elimelech name means “God is King“
~ Naomi name means “my pleasant one“
~ Mahlon – “weakness” Chilion – “pining“
~ Orpah meaning “ stiff-necked “
~ Ruth “ rose or companion “
Fact: This place of crossing at the Jordan River was none other than “Kadesh-Barnea” meaning is “The place of Decision”.
Ruth Meets Boaz and Boaz Favors Ruth. (Ruth 2-4)
kinsman-redeemer, marries Ruth to carry on the family name of Elimelech. (Deut. 25)
(The Call vs. The Culture—An Eternal Problem)
Judges 2:10-16
Fact: The Abrahamic covenant had called them to be a blessing to all nations.
Fact: In much the same way that God called Israel to be a holy people, He calls the Church to a righteous standard.
Fact: As the culture goes, so goes the church.
Fact: Learning to think Biblically and theologically DOES matter.
(God helped a leader in doubt.)
(God defeated a leader in his strength.)
Question: Why would God do that? Why wouldn’t God use a gift that He Himself had given Samson to rescue Israel.
– No strength you have is ever enough to make up for your weaknesses.
– People sure of themselves have no need of God’s power.
– If your strength is not consecrated to God, it becomes your weakness.
Surrender your gift to God.
Joshua 1:1-9
God tells Joshua and the people three things they need to be successful.
#1. Be people of the Book— the word of God. (Joshua 1:8)
Fact: God tells Joshua four ways you must be related to the Word of God if you are going to have victory in your life:
Question: Why is this so important?
Answer: God told His people how they can be successful, just obey what He tell you.
#2. Be people of prayer. (Joshua 5:13)
Covenant led the people.
#3. Be people who identify with God. (Josh 5:2)
Fact: At Gilgal all the males of Israel were circumcised as a sign of their identity with God.
The battles begin and the land is taken. (Josh. 4-7)
The two reasons God commands Israel to take the Promised Land.
Numbers 14:26-35
Israel’s Three Complaints to Moses. (Numbers 11-12)
#1. Israel complains about general hardships of the trip. (11:1-3)
#2. Israel complains about the food (manna). (11:4-9)
#3. Miriam and Aaron complain about Moses being the driver (leader). (12:1-16)
Israel Takes a Dangerous Wrong Turn at
Kadesh- Barnea. (13-14)
Fact: The word “Spy” means: “Explore”.
~ “Kadesh” means “Spring of Decision”.
~ “Barnea” means “wilderness wandering”.
Fact: Together means: “Because of your decision, you will wander”.
b. Moses reports God’s heavy-duty judgment on
the people’s lack of faith: (Numbers 14:28-34)
Moses’ Grand Farewell Speech at Kadesh-Barnea. (Deut. 32-33)
Moses tells the people that they are not alone –
“God is with them.”
Exodus 20:1-17
God gives guidelines for how we treat God and each other.
1. The Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20:1-17)
b. Commandments 5-10 guide us in how we treat other people.
God desires a place to dwell among us.
Fact: The Home God wants for His Presence, was a Tabernacle.
Fact: God would guide His people with a moving cloud during the day and by a column of fire at night.
God requires that sin be atoned for (covered) by shedding of blood. (The Book of Leviticus)
Fact: Each one of us has a sin nature.
Fact: So God provided Moses with instructions about the practice of sacrificing, offering a covering for the people’s indiscretions before a Holy God.
For those who know Him, God took care
of our sin through the sacrifice of Jesus.
Exodus 1:8-14
A. God’s new nation is in danger of extinction in Egypt. (Exodus 1)
Fact: God uses the Oppressive sinfulness of the Egyptians as an opportunity to reveal Himself to the Israelites.
B. God reveals Himself in three ways in the deliverance of His people.
10 plagues were:
#1. Water changed to blood. (7:14-25) #2. Frogs. (8:1-15)
#3. Lice. (8:16-19) #4. Flies. (8:20-32)
#5. The murrain upon the beasts. (9:1-7) #6. Boils. (9:8-12)
#7. Hail. (9:13-25) #8. Locusts. (10:1-20)
#9. Darkness. (12:14-29) #10. Death of the First-born. (12:29)
Fact: The deliverance from sin is free, but you must
_ask_ for it.
What is that fear that everyone deals with?
Where do I go from here?
Matthew 6:9-11
Fact:
As you live out 2023 the only way you are going to enjoy the full blessings of God, the only way you will have the peace and joy that He wants you to have, you must live out the year, one day at a time.
Fact:
The Lord reminds us throughout the Scriptures to not worry about tomorrow.
Fact:
One of the hardest things that Christians deal with is their past.
Fact:
They are not paralyzed by their past, but they are
terrorized by their future.
Fact:
That means you have to spend time in it, you’ve got to
read it, memorize it, meditate on it and hide it in your heart.
Fact:
When we became Christians, we became apart of a community of believers.
“Give us today our daily bread”
Joseph:
Genesis 50:15-21
A. Joseph is sold into slavery by his jealous
brothers. (Genesis 37)
B. Joseph is put into prison while in Egypt. (Genesis 39-41)
C. Joseph is promoted to Deputy Pharaoh in Egypt. (Genesis 41)
D. Joseph is reunited with and forgives his
brothers. (Genesis 42-50)
by bringing the new nation to Egypt.
God is at work in the midst of the details of our
(Romans 8:28)
Genesis 12:1-4 & Hebrews 11:8
“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”
A. The People God Chooses to Build a New Nation. (Genesis 11:1-9)
1. The Place where the people were found, was in
the land of Ur .
(Gen. 12:1-4)
B. The Four-fold Plan God Reveals for a New
Nation. (Genesis 12:1-3)
Fact: When God made a covenant with Abram, it was
a personal one.
Fact: The two key words that form the basis of this
covenant is “ I will ”.
Question: What will God do?
Answer: #1. God will make the new nation great .
#2. God will make Abram’s name great.
#3. God will Bless all who bless Abram
and Curse the one who curses Abram.
#4. God will bless all the Nations of the
world through Abram and the new nation.
C. The Stormy Beginnings of a New Nation.
(Genesis 16, 18, 22)
nation. (Gen. 16)
to offer Isaac as a sacrifice.
God chooses unlikely people who are not the smartest,
the most beautiful or with the best resumes.
God chooses ordinary people like you and me.
Genesis 1:1-2
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
A. The Bible or The Story opens with the “big
bang” of creation. (v. 1)
B. The Bible Story continues with the “big bang” of the Fall. (Genesis 3)
~ Tree of ___Life ____.
~ Tree of the ___Knowledge__ of good and evil.
C. The Bible Story reports the “big bang” of sin’s damage to the human race.
D. The Bible Story offers a salvation clue even in the midst of the opening “big bang.”
(The Heart of Christmas)
Galatians 4:4-5
Fact:
Many of us live our lives every day missing the fact that God loves us.
GIVEN.
Fact:
The reason love must be at the heart of Christmas is because, if we miss this being the central message of the season, in the midst of the lights and presents, we may never receive it for ourselves.
Fact:
If we have not experienced the grace of God, it is
difficult to offer the grace of God.
The Heart of Christmas Brings Joy
The Heart Of Christmas
(John 1:14)
Fact: Joy is at the heart of Christmas because knowing
that we could never make it to him, God came to
us. (Romans 5:8)
Fact: When Jesus came to us, he came full of grace.
This grace that John writes about is the Greek
word charis, which means favor, kindness, or a
gift of blessing.
Fact: Jesus also came full of truth. The word John uses
here is the word aletheia, which means divine
reality revealed to man or a straightforwardness.
Circumstances, situation, and hardship is not going
The Heart of Christmas
Luke 2:8-14
Fact:
The message they brought was good news because a
Baby had been born who was the long-awaited
Messiah—the one who was promised long ago to rescue God’s people.
Fact:
Some may believe that being made right with God means they will never face any problems.
Fact:
Hope is at The Heart of Christmas
November 27, 2022
(The Heart of Christmas Series)
Isaiah 9:2-7
Fact:
Christmas is a reminder that whatever it is we hope for in our lives—healing, restoration, forgiveness, or a fresh start—it is available to us through Immanuel, who is God with us.
Fact:
Hope is not a result of the absence of conflict, difficulty, struggle, or trial. Hope is a result of the presence of God.
Question: