As we continue to read about David’s life and reign as king over Israel, we start to see sin and failure, even from the man who is “after God’s own heart.” God warned Israel about how an earthly king would be far worse than Himself as their king. This was obvious when it came to King Saul, and now King David falls into some of the same sinful pitfalls. When you are successful and powerful, it is easy to hear people say “You are the man!” and agree, and think you are entitled to whatever you want. But sooner or later, God will reveal that “You are the man!”--a sinful, guilty man. When we, like David, realize we need someone else to really be “The Man” for us, then we behold The Man–our Lord Jesus. In this sermon, Pastor Smith directs us to The Man Jesus, who comes to save us from our sin.
Who you relate to in a story affects how you see the story, as well as yourself. Join Pastor Josh as he talks about one of the most well-known Bible stories there is, the “story of the underdog,” David and Goliath, and see how he puts us into the story.
No one likes being told “no.” We want to get the things we ask for, and it’s not fun to be told no. But as a parent tells their child no to things that will cause harm, God does that to his children. Join Pastor Josh as he discusses 1 Samuel 8 and how, when God tells us no, it’s often for our own benefit.
The book of Joshua shows the process by which the Lord gives the Promised Land to Israel. God’s people are entirely passive in this process. It is only by following God’s commands, fully believing and trusting in Him, that they receive the land. Whenever they try to act according to their own power or wisdom, the result is total failure. At this point in our “Growing Through the Bible” journey, we have enough information to see that God’s people are called to believe and do things that are completely different from the rest of the world. God strongly warns Israel against allowing themselves to be influenced by the nations. He knows they will start following their ways and they will fall away from His righteous way. Interestingly, there are many parallels between the situation in which God’s people found themselves in the book of Joshua, and the situation in which God’s people find themselves today. This sermon explores which way to choose–God’s way or the world’s way. We will discuss how baffling the actions of believers may seem to the world, but how these “baffling ways” are the ones that lead to life.
The first commandment, “You shall have no other gods,” seems like a pretty easy commandment to keep, right? After all, you probably don’t have idols in a shrine that you bow down to every night. But Pastor Josh takes us through the story of the Israelites with the golden calf to see how: a god is not just a physical object, it’s where we find our identity. And where we find our identity is a daily struggle for us to wrestle with.
Faithful saints have gone before us and serve as examples of faith. While marred by sin just like us, through the Gospel, they were redeemed and accomplished great things in Christ. Better, Christ in the saints has done great things! Pastor Pastor Buegler takes us on a study of Acts 6:1-6 and John 10:27-30 as we see the faithfulness of those who have gone before us in Christ.
