From the Blog
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Overwhelmed by Doubt
Doubt is something we wrestle with often. We have doubts about all kinds of things, we doubt other people and whether they will do as they say. We say things like, “I doubt that” or “I’ll believe it when I see it” all the time. We suffer from self-doubt, second guessing everything we do, and failing to trust any future action. When circumstances and suffering come, our doubts come in greater number.
We have doubts about God’s character, but we don’t have to remain there. God desires to not only grant us His wisdom but also the faith that overcomes doubt. In James chapter 1, the apostle James wrote to the scattered Jewish Christians that they could face their trials with a tested faith in God, a faith that overcomes doubt. We can overcome doubt by this tested faith in God. -
Overwhelmed by Fear
The feeling of being unable to handle life’s obstacles results in many emotions that are certainly all connected. One that many of us are feeling today is a state of fear. Fear is defined as an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. We often feel fear but perhaps increasingly so in this season in our world.
But our God has not left us in our fear, but has given us His Holy Spirit to overcome fear. In the book of 2 Timothy, the apostle Paul reminded his disciple Timothy that God had given him His Spirit and not a spirit of fear. God has given us His Holy Spirit which overcomes fear in us. -
Hosanna! God Save Us!
Now, when Jesus made his entrance, it was the first day of Passover Week and great numbers of Jews had traveled from all over the Roman Empire to celebrate this annual Jewish festival. A great crowd greeted Jesus as he entered Jerusalem with shouts of “Hosanna, God save us” and the waving of palm branches. The crowds are no different today. At this incredibly difficult time in our country, people are shouting save us from sickness, save us from unemployment, save us from loneliness, please save us from our children who are now stuck at home with us. We still look to “kings” to governments to save us, but so few are shouting, “Save us, O God, from ourselves!”
In Matthew’s Gospel, the crowds shouted “Hosanna,” God save us, as Jesus entered into Jerusalem on the first day of Passion week. We too can call upon Jesus as the only One who can truly save us. -
Search for the Heart’s Desire
God is our Creator and He has made us for Himself. The throne in our hearts was built for Him. No other will satisfy our heart’s desire. So we keep on searching. That’s what’s going on in our Scripture text today. We will see a son searching for his father’s donkeys, a prophet looking for a prophesied prince and a people searching for a king like the other nations.
In 1 Samuel 9-11, the LORD answered Israel’s desire for a king, anointing a Benjamite named Saul to rule over them and save them from their surrounding enemies. We can understand that the LORD answers our heart’s desire for its true King today. -
Worshiping the True King
Sometimes we try to put ourselves in the throne that belongs to God, but often we put someone or something else there.
Samuel is old and it’s election year. But they want a new kind of government. They want one like the other nations. They want a human king instead of God. In 1 Samuel 7-8, even though the LORD had established Samuel as His prophet and judge over Israel, they still continued to fail at worshiping God as their true King. In the same way, we often fail to worship God as our true King. -
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Since the beginning, humanity has continually struggled against God in a kind of game of thrones. Yet, when we reject the Lord as King and put ourselves on the throne, we experience much sorrow and defeat in life. But this sorrow can be God’s grace to lead us to follow Him and to give Him the glory that is due Him. That’s what happens to Israel in our sermon today. Both the priests and the people don’t give God the glory due Him, so that they are defeated by Philistine raiders, and the Ark, which represents the throne of God, is lost!
In the book of 1 Samuel 4:1-7:2, the LORD deposed the house of Eli and disciplined Israel so that they might learn to give God the glory that was due Him. We can learn to give God the glory that is due Him. -
Hearing in a Deaf World
Did you know that God wants to reveal Himself to you? He wants you to know Him. God isn’t hiding. That’s what we tend to do. Since the time of Adam and Eve, who hid from God when they sinned, humanity has had a tendency to hide. Are you hiding from God? He wants to reveal Himself to you, but you must come out of hiding to hear and know Him.
In our reading today, the name LORD or Yahweh appears 34 times. As we’ve said before, the Bible is primarily a book about God. God desires to reveal Himself to us through His Word.
In the book of 1 Samuel, the LORD called young Samuel to be His prophet, revealing Himself by His Word. We can recognize the LORD’s desire to reveal Himself to us by His Word. -
Birth in a Barren Land
When we try to take the throne of our own lives, trying to be in control, it always ends with a feeling of barrenness. We feel empty, fruitless, depleted, or broken. Perhaps, you feel this today. The things you do at work feel fruitless or unimportant. You feel depleted at home like you are losing the battle for your marriage or the battle for your children. Maybe you feel stuck, like you have no purpose. Maybe you feel abandoned or like you are fighting through life alone. And as you look to others for help and leadership, whether it’s politicians, priests, or preachers, you have often been disappointed. When we feel this pain it is hard to imagine that turning our lives over to God could make a difference.
In the book of 1 Samuel, the LORD turned the sorrow and barrenness of a woman named Hannah to fullness and exaltation, preparing the way for the future coming of Israel’s true King and Redeemer. We can understand how the LORD has prepared the way to turn our sorrow and barrenness to fullness and exaltation. -
The Blessing of Being Generous with Our Treasure
In the apostle Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, he taught them that the Lord abundantly blesses those who are generous with their treasure. We can believe that the Lord abundantly blesses us when we are generous with our treasure.
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The Blessing of Being Generous with Our Talent
Some might say, “I don’t have any talent.” Yet, God has given all of us different kinds and amounts of talent. Every one of you here this morning has a God-given talent or ability. Are you using it for His glory?
In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus told his disciples a parable in order to teach them about the blessing of being generous with the talents that the Lord had entrusted to them. We can experience the blessing of being generous with the talents that the Lord had entrusted to us.