Viewing entries in
Series: Stand Alone

That All the Earth May Know God

Text: I Samuel 17                                                                                               

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I fear that we make this story say what we want it to say. What is this story teaching? What is the author intending to say? If we find the author’s intent then we find God’s intent.  We enjoy saying memorable phrases like “Some say Goliath is too big to kill. David said he is too big to miss”—spoken by a preacher who loves clichés. Is one memorable statement all we can gather from this story, even if it is a creative one like “Do not bring a sword to a rock fight”? Is that what the text is really teaching? Is it all about us?

Listening to Preaching

Text: Nehemiah 8:1–8                                   

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In chapters 1–7 Nehemiah, despite much opposition, led the city in the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls. In destroying Jerusalem and the temple, Babylon had not simply destroyed a city and a building. Rather, they had destroyed the heart of Israel’s identity as a people, causing Israel to question if God’s plan for the ages had failed. The Babylonians destroyed the walls and nearly destroyed Israel’s faith. Text: Nehemiah 8:1–8                                   

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Knowing Jesus through Psalm 22

Text: Psalm 22

David wrote this psalm 1,000 years before Christ came to this earth. He writes as a historian and as a prophet (Acts 2:29-39). This psalm speaks of David’s current events and Christ’s future events. David’s words in this psalm are transcending his own events and pointing to the events of Christ. For instance, does Psalm 22:18 refer to David or to Jesus?