BIBLE PASSAGE
Psalm 23 “The Lord Is My Shepherd” (Chapter 39) GOSPEL CONNECTION King David knew God’s goodness and mercy all the days of his life, and someday he will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. But while David was living on earth, he never met the greatest shepherd, who came from his family tree. He never met Jesus. When Jesus came to earth, he taught that he was a shepherd and that those who heard his voice would follow him like sheep (John 10:3, 4). He also said, “I am the good shepherd . . .[who] lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Jesus is not only the good shepherd. He is a sheep too. Do you remember the Passover lamb? When Jesus arrived, his cousin John said, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). Jesus is our Passover Lamb, which means he’s the Lamb who takes away our sins. Jesus leads us and protects us and feeds us. But most importantly, through his death, he takes away our sins so we can be forgiven. And because we are forgiven, we can dwell in the presence of God forever. Jesus is the perfect sheep to save us from our sins and the perfect shepherd to bring us safely home.
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BIBLE PASSAGE 1 Kings 12:1–5, 12–16, and Matthew 2:6
STORY “The Kingdom Cracks” GOSPEL CONNECTION God told Jeroboam that he would divide God’s people in two. He also promised him that if he led wisely and walked in God’s ways, then God would bless his kingdom. But did Jeroboam do this? No. He worshiped false gods. How about Rehoboam? No. He listened to the bad advice of his young friends. And now God’s people were divided. Would Israel and Judah ever come back together again? Would God’s people ever find a good and wise king to lead them? They would. Jesus is the wise and good King for all God’s people. Unlike Rehoboam, he would not take evil advice. When Satan told him that he would give him power over all the world if he just worshiped him, Jesus refused to give in to that temptation. When Peter told him to forget the cross and just rule as king without dying, Jesus refused. “Not my will,” he prayed to his heavenly Father, “but your will be done.” He listened to God’s voice. He walked where the Holy Spirit led him, even to death on a cross. But through his death, he showed God’s mercy to God’s people and brought God’s divided people back into one body, his church. A good king is hard to find. In Jesus, we have the best King ever! BIBLE PASSAGE 1 Samuel 17:47
STORY “David Stands Tall” GOSPEL CONNECTION The story of David’s defeat of Goliath is a story that shows us what God values and how he works in the world. King Saul was tall, handsome, strong, and popular. But God doesn’t look on the outside; he looks on the inside. What’s in our hearts is what matters most. Saul’s heart did not follow after God’s heart. So he was not the king God wanted, which meant he wasn’t the king God used to defeat Israel’s big enemy. But David’s heart beat after God’s heart. Even though he was just a humble shepherd boy, he completely trusted that God could defeat Israel’s biggest enemy through him. David’s humility points forward to Jesus’s humility. David’s trust in God was great—it led him through a scary battle. But Jesus’s trust in God was greater—it led him through death itself! And so Jesus accomplished the greatest victory because he had the greatest humility. BIBLE PASSAGE 1 Samuel 1:11, 20; 3:9 and Hebrews 1:1–2
STORY “The Lord’s Word and Samuel” GOSPEL CONNECTION The book of Hebrews begins this way, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Heb. 1:1–2). Over a thousand years before Jesus, God revealed himself to Samuel and other judges, priests, and prophets like him through visions and dreams—or with actual words like our story today. But now, God reveals himself to us through Jesus. We know what God is like, what he has done for us, and how we are to respond to him by looking at Jesus—the way he lived, taught, healed, suffered, died, and rose again. And the surest way we know about Jesus is by the word of God in the Bible. We read the Bible. We learn about Jesus. And we share the good news about Jesus with our friends and family. It is so important to listen to whatever the word of God tells us to be and to do—and then to share it with others. BIBLE PASSAGE Ruth 4:14 and Matthew 1:5
STORY “The Girl Who Wouldn’t Go Away” GOSPEL CONNECTION Do you want to know something cool? Boaz’s mother was Rahab. The same Rahab that was saved from the walls of Jericho and brought into God’s family. So when Ruth married Boaz, she and her motherin-law Rahab were both women who had once been outside God’s family. And both women had been brought into God’s family because they had put their trust in him. They must have loved to share their stories with each other! And now Ruth and Boaz’s son would lead to the greatest blessing of all—Jesus. Their son’s name was Obed. Obed had a son (Jesse) who had a son (David). Do you know who David was? He was the king Israel was waiting for—a king after God’s own heart. Not the perfect king. Only Jesus is the perfect King. But a king that helped God’s people do what is right in God’s eyes. And from King David comes King Jesus, our Redeemer! The one who saves us from our sins and brings us new life. The Gospel of Matthew starts with a list of names, Jesus’s family tree. And do you know whose names are on that list? Rahab and Ruth! God’s plans are so much better than we can ever imagine. |
What we Learned on Sunday? Insights, ideas and InspirationWritten by Pastor Chris Hudson Archives
May 2024
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