Big Questions - Stop Doubting and... Believe!
Awake Us Now
Faith is essential ... but in what do place our faith? The scriptures make it clear that we are to place our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, the Savior of all the nations, and the Hope of all the earth!
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Big Questions - Receive... the Holy Spirit!
Awake Us Now
When Jesus says to His disciples, "Receive the Holy Spirit," it is not a "one-and-done" activity. He desires us all to live continually in the Spirit!
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Dig Deeper - Week 1: In the Beginning
Awake Us Now
Genesis 1:1 - “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Let’s look at the words “God” and “created.” in this verse in Hebrew the word used for God is a plural noun and created is a singular verb. What day did God create the world? It says God created everything in 6 days and He rested on the 7th day, the Sabbath, and that is Saturday. Which means the first day of creation was on Sunday. What was the day of the week that God began a new creation? That was on the day Jesus arose from the grave. The Bible tells us this was on the first day of the week, on a...
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Big Questions - All Nations: How Close Are We?
Awake Us Now
From Genesis to Revelation, God's plan remains the same - to reach all nations and bring people back to Him. How close are we to seeing that happen? Why is belief in Jesus growing at such an astounding pace in much of the world, but not in Europe and North America?
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Big Questions - Israel Reborn: How Significant is it?
Awake Us Now
The nation of Israel was reborn suddenly in 1948, and the Jewish people have returned to the Promised Land in great numbers after 1900 years of exile. What does show about God's faithfulness and promises? What does it mean to believers in the Messiah?
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Questions - Week 12: Does God Exist?
Awake Us Now
Does God exist? The Bible has described this as a reality for thousands of years. Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” ⁃ There was a beginning ⁃ There is a God ⁃ God created everything This is looked at as a religious belief, but it is increasingly a scientific fact as the scientific world sees that the creation had a beginning. ⁃ Natural knowledge of God ⁃ Nature - Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of...
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Kings & Prophets: From Solomon to Jeremiah - Week 3
Awake Us Now
Solomon: Builder ⁃ Temple construction - 1 Kings 6 (took 7 years to build) ⁃ Temple dedication - 1 Kings 8 ⁃ God appears to Solomon - 1 Kings 9 ⁃ Solomon’s palace - 1 Kings 7 (took 13 years to build) Pastor shares archeological discoveries around Solomon in recent years including a massive stone wall and gate and more. Solomon: Reputation ⁃ Fleet at Ezion Geber - 1 Kings (for the first time Israel had its own navy - 1 Kings 9:26-28 - we read that...
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Big Questions - Birth Pains?
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Wars, violence, persecution - Jesus warned these things would mark the time before His return. These things, He said, were like birth pains - increasing trial and suffering that herald a joyful ending. "When these things begin to take place," He said, "... lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:28)
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Big Questions - Who?... How?... What?...
Awake Us Now
Scripture repeatedly warns us against the dangers of simply going with what we want to hear - we usually end up listening not to God, but to deceivers who have no proper authority.
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David and the Heart of God - Week 13: Psalms
Awake Us Now
Scripture: David’s Psalms. This is the final teaching in the “David…and the Heart of God” series. We will explore David’s Psalms today. In 2 Samuel 23:1 we read that David is described as the sweet psalmist of Israel. David’s psalms have influence and spoke to the hearts of people for millennia. C.S. Lewis said, “The most valuable thing the psalms do for me is to express that small delight in God which made David dance.” And Billy Graham said, “I used to read five psalms every day - that teaches me how to get along with God. Then I read a chapter of...
info_outlineScripture: 1 Samuel 16.
There are many Biblical characters of faith in the Bible, but none with as many Old Testament chapters devoted to them as David.
Abraham - 14 Chapters
Joseph - 14 chapters
Jacob - 11 chapters
Elijah - 10 chapters
David - 66 chapters (and this does NOT include the Psalms written by him!)
Our story takes place around the year 1025 BC. We read in 1 Samuel 13:14 that God is going to replace the Israelite’s first king, King Saul. In 1 Samuel 13:14 we read about Elijah telling Saul the following, “But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”
In 1 Samuel 16:1 “The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
So Samuel sets out for Jesse’s home with oil to anoint the next king of Israel. Samuel arrives at Jesse’s home and sees Eliab, Jesse’s oldest son, and this is the one he thinks is to be anointed but God has other plans. We read in this verse, one of the most important verses about God’s heart, 1 Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
The world looks at a person’s job, wealth, good looks, accomplishments, status, possessions, BUT God looks at the heart of a person. Seven of Jesse’s sons come to Samuel but he tells each that they have not been chosen. Then Samuel asks Jesse if there are any other sons - Jesse says there’s one left in the fields with the sheep. The smallest, least likely of choices, but Samuel has him sent for. David is found, tending sheep and is then brought before Samuel ho acknowledges him as the Lord’s choice, and Samuel anoints David to be the next king of Israel. Today’s verses tell us that from that time on, the Spirit of the Lord was upon David.
What is it about David’s heart that stands out? How did David reflect God’s heart?
David’s Heart
⁃ Faith-filled heart - had a heart filled with faith in God. David wrote Psalm 23 - this psalm opens with :The Lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need.” David knew he could depend on God, that God cared for him and so David trusted God. David walked by faith.
⁃ Humble heart - David wrote Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” David realized he needed God, relied on the grace of God, wanted God to mold and shape him, wanted God to draw him ever closer to Himself. David not only lived by faith, he walked in humility.
⁃ Honest heart - In Psalm 78:72 we read the following, “And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.” Not that he was sinless, he was not, but he was honest and had integrity and lead his people that way.
We too are called
To walk by faith
To be humble before God
To be honest and to have integrity
Like David we are to have a heart after God’s own heart.
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