Old Testament – History of Israel
I. Icebreaker — Stories of Reconciliation Before we turn to Nehemiah, let me connect us to where we’ve been the past couple of weeks. Two weeks ago, Tommy used home renovation shows—things like Property Brothers—to help us think about rebuilding. That fit Nehemiah well, because Nehemiah quite literally asks the king for permission to rebuild … Continue reading Confession, Reconciliation, Celebration
I. Introduction Israel had long been warned that disobedience would lead to captivity. Jerusalem fell, many were exiled, and empires changed hands. Daniel not only foretold the rise of Persia—he also lived through the transfer of power as God’s people remained in exile. Esther takes place in the Persian Empire after Babylon fell, when many … Continue reading Esther: Queen of the Darkest Night
I. Introduction And now for something completely different. We have been in 1st and 2nd Kings, and now we’re not. We’re in the book of Amos today, one of twelve minor prophets in Israel. What always strikes me when we read history of the Israel people is all the stupid things they did. Despite the … Continue reading The Lion Roars
God always heals. But how? Why? And when? Trust in the Lord's perfect timing.
A life of consistent faith is pleasing to the Lord. #biblestudy #Israel #Judah
I. Introduction We’re going to get into 2 Samuel 7 today and discuss God’s covenant with David and the building of His temple, but we’re going to lay some groundwork first and describe what a covenant is and how many they are in the bible. First, while the properties of a covenant sound like a … Continue reading The Davidic Covenant
Introduction Moses is dead. I hope this didn’t come as a shock to you. It’s been in the news for almost 3500 years. Moses was preceded in death by his forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who were given the following promise in Genesis 13:14-17 – The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had … Continue reading Step Out in Faith
I. Introduction We are nearly finished with the Old Testament studies for this year. The Chronological Bible has brought us from the Garden of Eden to our study of Esther today. Through it all, God’s people have continually rebelled against the Lord, but the Lord remains faithful to His people. But the Lord has continually … Continue reading King of the Darkest Night
Introduction Fifty years ago seems like a very long time ago. Probably because fifty years ago is a long time ago. Fifty years ago, I was 8 years old and had hobbies like eating green apples from our tree in the back yard in Wheaton Illinois, and collecting frogs from the nearby pond to keep … Continue reading A King Experiences Revival
I. Introduction We’ve been studying the bible chronologically this year, and we’ve covered a lot of ground. God desires a relationship with man, but Adam sinned against the Lord and was cast out of the Garden of Eden, demonstrating man’s fallen nature. God continually reaches out toward man, but man continues rebel. Cain slew Abel. Men … Continue reading The King Israel Wants
I. Introduction We’re almost complete with our study of 2nd Samuel; Chris has the final lesson next week before we move into 3rd Samuel. Today’s lesson is a little different from the messy soap opera we’ve been studying. Today we pause while David sings a song of praise to the Lord. II. Similarities to Psalm … Continue reading Thankful
I. Introduction We’re continuing our study of the life of David in 2 Samuel, and today we’re in 2 Samuel 20. This lesson was challenging to me at first. I reached out to Chris and a pastor here at Second for help, but what God would say to us wasn’t entirely clear to me. II. … Continue reading Averted
I. Introduction We’re studying the life of David as told through the book of 2 Samuel, and when we get to today’s chapter 15, things are a mess in the kingdom. Of course, God knows everything, and he told the people of Israel the kingdom would be a mess. Way back in 1 Samuel 8, … Continue reading Deposed
I. Introduction We are continuing our study of 2 Samuel, and we’re up to chapter 9. Let’s recap some history to remember where we are. God, through the prophet Samuel, had selected David to be the future king of Israel. The previous king Saul was a mixed bag of nuts, sometimes trying to love … Continue reading Valued
I. Introduction Sometimes I read the bible and the message is so easy. Just one God, honor your Ma and Pa, don’t take things that ain’t yours, that sort of thing. Other times, the message is obscure and difficult to plow through. Ever sat down to read the bible and read it cover to cover? … Continue reading Messy People
I. Introduction – A Love Story Last week, Chris introduced us to the book of Ruth. Now, he stopped at the end of Ruth chapter 2 as Ruth and Naomi were headed back to Bethlehem. We’re going to pick up in Ruth chapter 3, and will read about the love story about how Ruth … Continue reading Redeemed & Secure
I. Introduction Let’s open our bibles to the book of Gideon. Or if you don’t have a book of Gideon, let’s open our Gideon bibles. We’re going to look today at a warrior named Gideon in the book of Judges chapter 6, so let’s turn there. Your bible should have a book of Judges. … Continue reading The Timid Warrior
I. Introduction Let’s start our lesson today in the book of Joshua, book 10. We actually have to start at Joshua 1 to find our place in history, so let’s have a little background. Moses has led the Israelites out of the land of bondage with the Egyptians. For several reasons, Moses was not … Continue reading I Believe in Miracles
I. Introduction Once upon a time, a very long time ago, there lived a husband and a wife named Nabal and Abigail. This is a story of their lives in the land of their king, King David. II. Nabal Now Nabal was a very wealthy man. He had a thousand goats and three thousand … Continue reading A Harsh Word, A Gentle Word
I. Introduction Have you ever heard the story of David and Goliath? That’s exactly what I thought – everybody has heard this story. Christians have heard this story since they were children. Even non-Christians have heard this story. It’s inspiring, about an average David standing up to a giant. We all know this story. … Continue reading Facing Our Giants
I. Introduction We’ve been studying the book of 1 Samuel, and if you remember back in 1 Samuel 8, the people Israel demanded a king. Samuel said, “Are you sure about that?” And the Lord said, “my people have rejected me, so I will give them what they want.” So today, we’re going to … Continue reading Almost Obedient
I. Introduction Our lesson today studies the Ark of the Covenant, so I would like to back up a long, long way in scripture. I’m never sure how far I should go back to provide the right historical context, and it seems like every time I study this I want to go all the way … Continue reading Ark of the Covenant
I. Introduction The wall is built around Jerusalem. Chris taught us last week that we are all on the winning Superbowl team, even though not all of us are recognized. We have a great quarterback, great coaches, and one awesome owner. So… we’re done, right? The wall is built. What’s left to do? How … Continue reading Sword of the Spirit
I. Introduction We covered Esther in two weeks and Ezra in two weeks, like we were in a hurry. But we’re going to slow down and spend the next several weeks in Nehemiah. Let’s dive right in with an introduction to Nehemiah, who he is and what he’s doing. II. Background History The … Continue reading Rebuilding the Walls
I. Introduction Chris wrapped up the book of Hebrews last week admirably with his statement that the husband always makes the coffee. That’s why it is called, “He brews.” No, seriously, he wrapped up with, “How shall we live.” Hebrews taught us that Jesus is sufficient for everything we need, and that He equips … Continue reading Esther 1-3, Deliverance is Needed
I. Introduction Living by faith is difficult. It's very easy to have either an over-dependence or under-dependence on God. Does living by faith mean living by a certain moral or ethical code, or adhering to a certain set of religious beliefs? Well... on one hand, living by faith means putting your trust in Jesus, following … Continue reading Faith in Action
Today we’re going to study a familiar story of David and Bathsheba. One of the questions I’ve had is “Why is David considered a man after God’s own heart,” especially after reading this story of David’s adultery. Why is David held in so much esteem, yet Saul is not? I think we’ll get a better … Continue reading Blind to Sin
Image via WikipediaLet's recap the history in 1 Samuel so far and then continue reading in 1 Samuel 13-15. Today we're going to focus on Saul, appointed by God and a man who gives every appearance to fear and obey the Lord, yet the Lord is displeased with him. Saul gives only the appearance of … Continue reading The Many Ways We Disobey
I hear a story about a coach teaching his first soccer team made of seventh graders. The coach described the role of the goalie, how to setup offensive a defensive plays, and how to pass the soccer ball. When Saturday came for their first game, the kids all bunched up around the ball in a … Continue reading Hearing God
On a Christian forum website I regularly read, one of the Christians had posted some sad news. He had participated regularly with a Christian Missionary organization called Honduras Outreach. This week in a remote mountain village in Honduras, their vehicle was in an accident in rugged terrain. There were 28 adults from four church groups … Continue reading Bloom Where You Are Planted
Read. Study. Mourn. Celebrate. Repent. Promise. The bible is full of interesting, life-changing information. For instance, we know that Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. Adam gave Eve a rib; Eve gave Adam an apple, then made a wonderful marinated BBQ ribs out of apple sauce. This is found in the book … Continue reading Rededicating Lives
I have some good news for me this week; I’m done traveling for a while, I hope. There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home. I had some difficulty on this trip; there were last minute changes to the agenda by the client who scheduled me for 8:00am meetings that he couldn’t make, … Continue reading Hand of God
I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that we completed our study of the book of Hebrews and we’ll be moving on to new scripture to study. The bad news is that we completed our study of the book of Hebrews. There was a lot of good information in … Continue reading Seizing New Opportunities
Chasing the Wind 
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