Abiding in the Lord - Intro to 1 Samuel 8/15/21
Scripture Reading: Colossians 2:1-15
"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." - Colossians 2:6-7
-THIS SUNDAY'S SERMON-
Abiding in the LORD – Intro to 1 Samuel
The LORD has lead us to the Book of 1 Samuel as we are seeking to grow in our abiding in the LORD. I would like to give you a quick historical context to the book of 1 Samuel.
Joshua brought the people of Israel into the promised land – conquering and claiming the land. At the end of the book - Joshua, it reads – Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who served Joshua, and had known all the deeds of the Lord which He had done in Israel. Next, Judges tells us that after this, there rose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that He had done for Israel. And the anger of the Lord burned against Israel and the scripture says the Lord:
- Gave them into the hands of plunderers…
- Sold them into the hands of their enemies around them…
- Wherever they went, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had spoken and as the Lord had sworn to them, so that they were severely distressed.
Read Judges 2:16-23
Here the Lord provided for His people judges. The word for judges means deliverers, saviors, judges. Some of the judges with who we are most familiar are Gideon, Samson, and Samuel. The days of the judges were very rocky. At the end of Judges it reads, In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Now with the selfish, blind eyes of man, this was tragic, leading to much evil and chaos.
PONDER – think about today (even with some type of leadership and authority) how chaotic it seems in America. Every day I can read multiple stories of evil, hatred, and violence that is heartbreaking. Today much evil is taking place in broad daylight. The days mentioned at the end of Judges may have been much worse.
In the midst of chaos, evil, and despair, God in His sovereignty continues to work out His plans for His glory. 1 Samuel is written about a time of great difficulty, yet it is a narrative through which (if we look closely) we are encouraged to abide in the Lord as a few did during the difficulties of every day life. Personally, I am so excited about our time in 1 Samuel. May the Lord encourage our hearts and grow us in our faith in Him.
Read 1 Samuel 1
Sunday School Classes
Pray for the elders as they seek the Lord in regard to SS Classes meeting at this time. Check your emails. We will keep you updated through the emails.
We have postponed our last Welcome to The River Class until further notice.