A Kingdom Torn in Two
They say “things happen in threes.” Have you heard that? Today in the
church calendar is Trinity Sunday – where we celebrate that we have one God
in three distinct persons – Father, Son & Holy Spirit. As the Athanasian
Creed states – not three gods, but one God! Because of this mystery of the
Trinity, three is considered a significant number in the Bible. This is
perhaps the root of some of the intrigue with the number three. In The
Story we have just finished the period of the united kingdom of Israel. For
this period of approximately 120 years, Israel was united under three
successive kings. But following that third monarch - Solomon, the kingdom
of Israel was torn in two. Even in the midst of this foolish behavior,
however, God remains faithful to His people.WatchNotesDownloadDateTitle
- May 31, 2015A Kingdom Torn in TwoA Kingdom Torn in TwoThey say “things happen in threes.” Have you heard that? Today in the
church calendar is Trinity Sunday – where we celebrate that we have one God
in three distinct persons – Father, Son & Holy Spirit. As the Athanasian
Creed states – not three gods, but one God! Because of this mystery of the
Trinity, three is considered a significant number in the Bible. This is
perhaps the root of some of the intrigue with the number three. In The
Story we have just finished the period of the united kingdom of Israel. For
this period of approximately 120 years, Israel was united under three
successive kings. But following that third monarch - Solomon, the kingdom
of Israel was torn in two. Even in the midst of this foolish behavior,
however, God remains faithful to His people.
- May 24, 2015The Kind Who Had It AllThe Kind Who Had It AllThe King Who Had It All learned that nothing of this world could fulfill
God’s role in his life. Don’t you often wonder what life would be like if
you had more? “More what,” you ask? More ANYTHING! For some it’s more
money … for others more time … for others more prestige or influence. You
name it, and we think it will make us happy –even content. But one man who
had all of those – literally – discovered that they each were their own
dead end. He learned that nothing in this world can satisfy the longings
of the heart. He also learned that nothing in this world is as important as
what we do to bring God glory. To do that, however, requires that we
surrender ourselves to His will.
- May 17, 2015The Trials of a KingThe Trials of a Kinghe pattern of the Chosen People Israel in response to their sin was to
sacrifice. A sacrifice was an atonement for sin a payment for a debt owed.
God desired a repentant heart. Repentance requires humility. Through
repentance we humble ourselves before God. Saul and David are quite a
contrast in their responses to their sins. This morning we will reflect on
our response to our sinful lives, answer God’s call to repentance and trust
in the grace and mercy of God in Christ Jesus.
- May 10, 2015Shepherd to the KingShepherd to the KingWhat is your concept of God? This is important because your concept of God
determines everything. What many of us do is make a box for God, maybe
without even realizing it. We’ve created a box that is manageable, a box
that isn't too big for us to get our arms around, and that's where we’ve
put God. We want a box that we can carry comfortably, a box that fits where
we need it to fit. And we've said, God, here's the space we've made for
You, so you’re going to need to fit in here. But if your God fits in a box,
then your God is too small. This week we are in chapter 11 of The Story,
"From Shepherd to King", and we read about the life of David before he
becomes King David. As we study this together You will see some things that
will likely “blow up” your box!
- May 3, 2015Standing Tall, Falling HardStanding Tall, Falling HardIsrael was under the oppression of the Philistines and the Ammonites, and
there didn't seem to be any end in sight for all the wars and struggles
with other nations. It seemed to everyone like the problem was that there
was no king. So the people tell their priest and leader, Samuel, that's
exactly what they want—a king. God tells Samuel, "It's not you they’ve
rejected; they've rejected me" (1 Sam. 8:7), and God tells him in 1 Samuel
8:22, "Listen to them and give them a king." Israel chose a king over God.
And the choice isn't quite that straight forward even though it seemed to
make sense. But the reason it seemed that there was no better option was
that Israel was too nearsighted to see the big picture of what God was
doing in the world.