Faith In The Valley

The unrelenting prayers of a barren woman changed a nation and the world. With this lesson, we begin a new study on the Life of King David. I have included below a sample of the sermon handout.  The Situation Israel needed godly leadership. Judges 21:25 God used a nobody from a family of nobodies to be an answer to this problem. 1 Samuel 1:1-2 The Impact 1 Samuel 1:4-8 Elkanah gave her a double portion or he gave her only one portion. Regardless, Peninnah tormented Hannah. This happened every year. 1 Samuel 1:7 It affected her marriage, her physical and mental health, her marriage, and possibly her relationship with God. The Emotions 1 Samuel 1:9-18 The bitterness of soul is desperation. It is the feeling of abandonment. Bitterness results in hostility toward others. Peninnah? Elkanah? God? When you feel like God has abandoned you, the only way you can turn is toward God. Matthew 27:45-46; Luke 23:46 Jesus taught about persistent prayer. Matthew 7:7 and Luke 18:1-7 Yes, He Cares 1 Samuel 1:19 Samuel means “Go

Welcome to Faith in the Valley. For these show notes, I have attached a sample of my Sunday morning sermon handout. Where the words are underlined I typically leave a blank and then coordinate the handout with the slides. The podcast episode does not match the Sunday sermon exactly, but they are close. Let's see if this tool works. Your Takeaway You will never be right if you get Jesus wrong. Handout Confusion John 3:9-17 Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a religious leader. Being born again or born of the Spirit confused Nicodemus. John 3:4, 9, 10 Jesus used earthly things to illustrate heavenly things. John 3:6-8, 12 So Jesus used an Old Testament story to help Nicodemus understand. Snakes Numbers 21:4-9 The Jews complained about God and Moses. God punished the Jews with venomous snakes. They begged that God remove the snakes but God did not. Rather God provided a cure Verse 8 All who looked at the bronze serpent were cured because God was willing and able to cure them. Verse 8 Why Jesus? John 3:14-16 “Lifted Up”

Stephen Colbert defines a fool as "someone who doesn't act according to logic...who doesn't act according to social norms or social expectations of what a human reaction would be." Today we will study what it means to be a fool for Jesus Christ. You see, being a fool is one thing, but being a fool for Christ is something altogether different. Your Takeaway If you are a fool for Jesus Christ then you have all the wisdom and all the power you will ever need. The Lesson The Cross Causes Division - 1:05 1 Corinthians 1:18-19 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” Wisdom and Signs - 2:50 1 Corinthians 1:20-23 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it plea

How can a church achieve unity if everyone is different? Great question. But it is possible. Unity doesn't mean we dress alike, look alike, or vote alike. Unity is found in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and the cross. Takeaway The cross is the solution for church division. The Lesson Definition of Fellowship - 2:25 Philippians 2:1-2 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Jesus is the Example - 4:40 Philippians 2:3-8 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form o

The Church is broken. Not just our local church, but most churches which surround us. Even those that we deem to be successful. Why? Well, the short answer is that people are broken. And people populate churches. Open your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 1. Takeaway Before we dive into the lesson, here is your takeaway. The church is not about you. The church is not about your pet program – missions, choir, Sunday School, Small Groups or children’s ministry. The church is not right to life, the poor, or social justice. The church is about Jesus Christ and fellowship with Him. Read 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always on your

In every church, there are only two worshippers. Whether it is a large church or a small, you will find only two worshippers in attendance. What am I talking about? Turn to Genesis 4 and I will explain. There are only two worshippers in any church. There is either an Abel or a Cain. As we study this idea you need to ask yourself and God which am I? Today, as we continue with our series, Getting to Know God we need to learn just one thing. Your Takeaway Today’s Takeaway is this: Worship only out of faith not out of obligation. Genesis 4:1-8 Let’s read Genesis 4:1-8 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.” 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offe

Even after many years of being a Christian I still struggle with temptation. I know what the Bible says. I try to do my best. But still, I am tempted to do wrong. Maybe that is you as well. You know what is right but you are tempted do wrong. Takeaway Today we will study the subject of temptation. And I want to give you a simple takeaway. If you put Jesus first you will overcome temptation. James 1:13-15 Open your Bible to James 1:13. From James, I want you to understand some basics about temptation. James 1:13-15 "Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." The first two things I want you to know about temptation can be found in verse 13. God is untemptable. That’s probably not a real word, Untemptable. But you get the idea. Why is God

I want to be brief with this lesson. I want to do it quickly. Why the rush? Because today we will study Lucifer and I have no desire to give Lucifer any significant time. Here is today’s takeaway. Lucifer wants to fill you full of lies and he wants to steal God’s glory. Ezekiel 28:12-15 Open your Bible to Ezekiel 28 and find your way to verse 11. Here we find a lament for the king of Tyre. But it is understood by most Bible scholars that this lament is for Lucifer, the fallen Cherub. “You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. 14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15 You were perfect in your wa

Several people have said, “If you aim at nothing you will hit nothing.” And you know what? I believe that. A life lived without purpose is a life without focus, a life without a destination, a life without a goal. In the Bible, God tells us the purpose He has for our lives. He tells us in general or overall terms. He then sets out some specific purposes again for all of us. And He guides us to understand our Personal Purpose, the purpose He has just for you. In today’s lesson, we will look closely at the Overall and Specific Purposes. In our church life groups, we covered the Personal Purpose. I will give the listeners a link to that handout and you can use it to determine your personal purpose. Our Takeaway for today is Our Purpose is God’s Purpose for Us. Overall Purpose  Let’s start at Genesis 1:26 It reads, "Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness..." Now I want you to see the shift in language that has occurred. In Genesis 1:3, God said, “Let there be light” and in Genesis

This past week I was at the church Saturday morning for a meeting. Around 11 AM, when the meeting was breaking up, Russ, one of our elders entered the church carrying large box. In the box was a mixer, some bowls, and ingredients for a project. There were eggs, milk, coconut flakes, and saltine crackers. I knew quickly what Russ was up to. He was going to use the church kitchen to make Cracker Pudding. That’s right, you heard correctly, Cracker Pudding. Cracker Pudding is a Carroll County favorite. Locals to this area love it. Since I did not grow up here, I have had to warm to the idea of pudding made with crackers and coconut. But I can report that it is good. Unique but good. But Russ was doing something else as he created his pudding. Russ was living out the image of God. Everyone is created in the image of God. And so all of us live out or bear His image. We model certain characteristics of God as we live life. One thing we know about God is that He is the creator. And from that, we can conclude that God

In Colossians 1, starting at verse 9, Paul begins to pray. He is praying for the church in Colossae and he is praying for us. What does he pray? Paul has some specific requests. Among them is his desire for us to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. And later, Paul prays that we would increase in the knowledge of God. This request of knowing God should come as no surprise. God created all humans to have a relationship with Him. Any relationship is based on knowing something about the other. God knows all about us. He wants us to know about Him We begin a series today titled Getting to Know God. This study will start at the beginning and pursue a knowledge of God from creation to Christ. We will follow what preachers of old called the Scarlet thread or road through the Bible. But before we step on that scarlet road, we need to learn a thing or two about God. Today we will learn that God is holy and He makes His children holy too. Turn to Isaiah 45:22 “Turn to me and be saved,     all the ends of the ear

Here is the truth of the matter. Sin brings death. Adam brought death on mankind with his sin in the garden. But Jesus brings life. His person, sacrifice, and resurrection bring life. This life defeats death. Today we will look at the seventh and final sign performed by Jesus and recorded in John’s Gospel. This sign is the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Before we do, I would like to take one minute and review the other six signs. We started in episode 26 with Jesus changing the water into wine. In episode 27 Jesus healed the nobleman’s son. In episodes 28 and 29 Jesus heals the paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda In episode 30 Jesus feeds the 5000 and in episode 31 He walks on water. And in episode 32 Jesus healed the man born blind. Each sign declares and aspect of Jesus. Each reveals a portion of His glory. Today we will see clearly that Jesus gives life. Or another way to say it is Jesus defeats death. John 11:1-4 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha

The world is a dark place. Just today, as I was preparing this lesson, a man drove a van up Las Ramblas in Barcelona and killed 13 people and injured another 100. On any given day, terrible things done to others. Child abuse, rapes, murders. The world is a dark place. But it is also dark in your local community, where good citizens go about their business doing no harm to others. It is dark because they are blind, spiritually blind, and they move through life lost and hopeless. Today we will look at the healing of the man born blind. His blindness is both physical and spiritual. Turn to John 9 and let us look at the sixth sign performed by Jesus. So what do we need to learn today? Our takeaway is this. Jesus is the only light that can drive away the darkness that surrounds us.  Let’s read John 9:1-7 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor h

Sometimes life is overwhelming. Moments, situations, goals, whatever. You have no idea how this thing will work out. How will you overcome this situation? How will you accomplish this goal? How will you endure this moment? Maybe your family member has cancer. Maybe your spouse has left you. Maybe you’ve started a new job or created a new business. Whatever that thing. You wonder, how will this work out? And this is what you need to know - Jesus is God of the How. And that is our takeaway for today’s lesson. Jesus takes care of the How, we just need to be faithful. We are still pursuing the glory of God in Jesus Christ. To learn of God’s glory, we are looking at the seven signs performed by Jesus which are recorded in the Gospel of John. Today we continue in John 6. Let’s read John 6:16-21 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was

Let’s start with a question. What is your greatest need? What is your deepest longing? I know mine. And I am certain you know yours. This question is related to today’s takeaway. Today we must come to understand that Jesus is able. And He is able to fulfill your greatest need and your deepest longing. We are in a lesson series, pursuing the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We want to see the glory of Jesus. Initially, we are looking at the seven signs performed by Jesus and recorded in the gospel of John. So far we examined 3 signs. The turning of water into wine The healing of the nobleman’s son The healing of the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda Today we will watch as Jesus feeds the 5,000. And like the others, Jesus will reveal something about Himself. Turn to John 6 and let’s get right to it. John 6:1-15 "After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. Then a great multitude followed After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea o

This is the fourth lesson on the subject of Christ’s glory. I want to remind you of our theme verse, 2 Corinthians 4:6. Here it is from the long forgotten Good News Translation. “The God who said, ‘Out of darkness the light shall shine!’ is the same God who made his light shine in our hearts, to bring us the knowledge of God's glory shining in the face of Christ.” And that is what we are attempting in this study. We want to open up the Scripture and search for Jesus Christ. It is like a treasure hunt. When we find Jesus in the Bible we find God’s glory. Why? Jesus, God the Son, reflects the glory of God the Father. In the first three lessons, we looked at the first three signs of Jesus recorded in John’s gospel. These signs show Jesus revealing the glory of God. Sometimes when He reveals His glory people are happy. And sometimes, when He reveals, people get mad. They get so mad the want to kill Him. Last week we studied John 5:1-18. Here Jesus healed the man at the pool of Bethesda. Today we return to John 5

We are on a journey of discovery. Our goal is to understand the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. In the first leg of our journey, we are visiting the seven signs performed by Christ that are recorded in the Gospel of John. These signs reveal the Glory of Jesus. Our first was when Jesus turned the water into wine. This sign revealed Jesus’ love and mercy toward people. It demonstrated a truth about God – that God blesses both the righteous and the unrighteous. And it also revealed His power over the physical universe. The second sign we studied was the healing of the nobleman’s son. Again Jesus demonstrated His love and mercy for mankind. It also revealed that God the Son is not hindered by distance, nor is he hindered by a lack of faith. Purpose Today, in this episode, we go the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus heals a paralyzed man. Open your Bible to John chapter 5. In a minute we will read verses 1-6. But before we do that I want you to look at verses 16-23. In verses 16-23 we discover the primary rea

We live in a self-centered world; a selfie-world.  Sadly the church has become a place of self-worship. When this happens, the worship of Jesus is replaced with the worship of self. Takeaway Don't focus on your glory. Focus on the glory of Jesus Christ. Wrong Reason The people of Galilee were drawn to the words and works of Jesus. They were not drawn to Him. John 4:45 People followed Jesus for what He could do for them. People attend church for the same reason. Last Resort This nobleman “implored” Jesus. He begged Jesus repeatedly. v 47 Why did Jesus initially ignore the man? Because to this man, Jesus was only a miracle worker. v 48 This man’s lack of faith does not hinder Jesus. Why does God do what God does? Isaiah 48:11 – God does is for His name’s sake. That His glory will be supreme. Ephesians 1:3-5, 6, 12, 14 – He saves and secures us for the praise of His glory. But sadly in the church, we have pushed the glory of God to the side and demanded that our needs take first place. Believer Later the man b

We walk through this world with our eyes toward the ground - looking down, down at our feet. Maybe there is a practical reason for this. Maybe it is so we will not trip. Or we want to focus on where we are walking.  But occasionally something happens. Something just out of our field of view occurs that causes us to look up. A sunset. A clap of thunder. Or better yet, something we cannot explain. Something supernatural, something miraculous. Today, we begin a journey, a quest. This quest is to understand the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Our theme verse for this journey is 2 Corinthians 4:6. "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." So how does this quest begin? It begins by looking up. Taking our eyes off of the now, off of the everyday, the mundane, and looking at the amazing glory of Christ. Takeaway Your takeaway is: When Jesus reveals His glory, people are saved. John 2:1-5

If you are a parent, God has given you a unique gift - children. Children are a gift from God. They are a gift that both learns and teaches. This is our final lesson in Biblical Marriage and Family series. This series started with episode 19. If this is your first episode, I encourage you to go back and listen to all of them. Your Takeaway Kids are gifts that both learn and teach. The Gift Psalm 127 Anything you do is empty when the Lord is not in it. Children are a heritage, a gift, they are never a burden. Children are to be sharpened and to be pointed in the right direction. We Teach Children Psalm 128 To Fear God “In the Bible, the word translated “fear” can mean several things. It can refer to the terror one feels in a frightening situation (Deuteronomy 2:25). It can mean “respect” in the way a servant fears his master and serves him faithfully (Joshua 24:14). Fear can also denote the reverence or awe a person feels in the presence of greatness (Isaiah 6:5). The fear of the Lord is a combination of all