GOD GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE

In 1 Samuel 2:1-11, Hannah exults in the grace that God has shown her in the midst of her weakness. Little would Hannah know, but her simple song introduces one of the major themes of the rest of the book and, in fact, the world we live in, over which God is King. This principle is that God gives grace to the humble and opposes the proud. He gives strength in weakness. Riches in poverty. Joy in repentance. This reversal of worldly values is essential to the Christian life and requires a daily clinging to the cross of Christ, where the greatest reversal of all took place. Listen to this Sunday’s sermon and read the below-referenced articles to learn more and to grow in cultivating humility.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

Assume You Are Wrong by Tim Shorey

God Does Not Need You To Be Strong by Jon Bloom

In Marriage, As In Life, Weak Is Strong by Dave Harvey

Seven Subtle Symptoms of Pride by Fabienne Harford

WE COME TO GOD WITH NOTHING AND HE GIVES US EVERYTHING

In a land and among a people full of chaos and disorder, 1 Samuel begins with the introduction of a woman who is empty and barren. On Sunday, Pastor Kyle introduced us to Hannah, the mother of Samuel - the judge and prophet that the book is named for - who is unable to realize her deepest desire of having a child. She is bitterly distressed and deeply saddened facing a situation that is beyond her ability to resolve. More than this, Hannah’s barrenness reflects the barren spiritual state of Israel, and the barren state of our own hearts as well. We too experience the barrenness of soul that comes from our deepest desires going unfulfilled, struggling with nagging sin that we cannot shake, or suffering afflictions we cannot remedy on our own. How do we deal with our barrenness? Like Hannah, we need to turn to the King in our need and pour ourselves out in prayer. She came to God in her emptiness and he fulfilled her desire for a son. But more than this, in addition to offering our prayers, we need to offer our lives in service to the King. Having come with nothing and received everything, Hannah responded by giving it all back to God. Her life was one of living sacrifice to God because she realized that we’re never more full of joy than when we’ve poured ourselves out for the glory of our good and gracious King.

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A BOOK ABOUT THE KING(S) WE WANT AND THE KING WE NEED

On Sunday, we kicked off our first sermon series in the book of 1 Samuel. Pastor Jeff helped us to see the book in its Old Testament historical context coming right off the heels of the book of Judges, which ends with the following summary of God’s people: “In those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Jud. 21:25). In the absence of a king, God’s people lived as though they each ruled their own personal domains. When that didn't work, the people who had been set apart by God from the nations demanded a king like the nations (1 Sam. 8:6). All the while, the King who had always been, “the King who is”, was being actively rejected. 1 Samuel results in God’s people and its readers concluding, “we need a king to restore us to the King who is; we need a better king”.

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The Psalms don’t shy away from the difficult realities of life. Neither do they shy away from our complex emotional responses to them. Psalm 73 is one such psalm; one in which Asaph, the author, looks out on the world and sees more prosperity among the wicked than among the godly. The inequity, this apparent unfairness, drives him to question God’s goodness. Have you ever found yourself questioning God’s goodness toward you because, compared with others, you’re just not getting out of life what you wanted or expected? Then listen to last Sunday’s sermon and be reoriented by Psalm 73 to walk away saying not “poor me”, but confidently declaring “I am rich”.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

FRIENDS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE AN ORIENTING PRESENCE IN LIFE

Psalm 55 describes the deeply emotional experience of betrayal. David had endured countless trials during his lifetime. He had learned to suffer long under the oppression of his enemy. But when the people he had grown to trust turned their back on him (v. 13), he discovered that it was a pain almost too intense to withstand. Friends are supposed to be an orienting presence in our lives, so when betrayal occurs, the disorientation is magnified. Where do we turn when friends unexpectedly act like enemies? To the always faithful Friend, to the one who gave us grace when we had turned our back on Him, to the One who has shown us that there is hope for restoration even in the most broken friendship. Listen to Sunday’s sermon to learn more.

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WHEN THE SONG IN YOUR HEART FEELS LIKE THE WRONG SONG

Surprisingly, the most common of all psalms in the Bible are psalms of lament. These are songs expressing despair, sadness, grief, sorrow and hopelessness to God. They face the reality of life in a fallen world head on and give honest expression to what we feel in our hearts, especially during the prolonged trial. Psalm 39, though, is even unique among the psalms of lament - it never turns the corner. It’s sad from beginning to end. Why read and love this psalm? Because you don’t always experience a quick and clean resolution in your deepest suffering. Yet, what Psalm 39 very importantly teaches us is that even when you can’t sing a happy song, you can sing a hopeful one. Listen to this week’s sermon to learn more.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

GOD IS MORE PRESENT TO YOU THAN YOUR TROUBLE

There is nothing that disorients our souls quite like trouble. If you’ve lived long enough, you have experienced seasons of life in which it feels like your world is falling apart. Times when everything seems to be giving way. When you are facing your worst case scenario. If you haven’t experienced trouble yet, you will. Jesus told his disciples that, “in the world you will have tribulation” (Jn 16:33) and that, in fact, everyday has “its own trouble” (Mt 6:33). What is God’s reorienting-remedy to our soul-disorienting trouble?

Listen to this last Sunday’s sermon on Psalm 46. How can we have peace in the midst of trouble? Because, “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Ps 46:7, 11). Psalm 46 grabs us by the shoulders and urges us to stop trying to outmaneuver our circumstances and to quit seeking peace apart from God. He is God, we are not, and in our trouble we must rest in him.

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WE NEED REVELATION TO BE REORIENTED

God has revealed Himself in all of creation; so much so that “day to day pours out speech”. In other words, the beauty and grandeur and wonder of what He created speaks undeniably of Him. Yet, we suppress that voice in our hearts through sin. When we suppress that voice, we wander aimlessly and lost in the world God created. What, then, can reorient us?

Listen to this last Sunday’s sermon on Psalm 19. If Psalm 1 was the psalm of orientation par excellence, then Psalm 19 is the psalm of reorientation par excellence. It tells us of the efficacy and necessity of God’s Word - His special revelation - alone to reorient our souls back toward God.

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YOUR ORIENTATION TOWARD GOD WRITES THE SONGS YOUR SOUL SINGS

This past Sunday, we began a six-week journey through the Psalms - a book that is too often undervalued in the lives of Christians. Why? Because, as John Calvin said, “the Psalms are an anatomy of all the parts of the soul”. They help us to rightly understand our motional responses and how to rightly express our emotions in response to the various seasons God ordains for our lives. In other words, they’re the playlist for our souls. They resonate to the tune of our hearts. The Psalms give voice to every song of our soul.

As we began our series in Psalm 1, we learned the why behind our emotions; what determines the type of emotions that rise up within us. And it has everything to do with our orientation toward - or away - from God.

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THE MOST IMPORTANT INSTRUMENT IN OUR CORPORATE WORSHIP

This Sunday, we had the joy of being led in our corporate worship by a rebuilt and revamped worship team, prompting us to ask an important question: what’s the most important instrument in our corporate worship? Psalm 100 answers that question: it’s us, the collective voices of the congregation. Psalm 100 also gives us the distinctions of how to worship God in a way that’s glorifying to Him. This is an important message and one that we hope the Lord will use to create a permanent culture of grateful, joyful and loud singing in our little church.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE