Bible, theology, culture, etc.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5vYTnwTFAXQ83ZeZvOoSfC?si=0b49ebd5d055432c Open with me to the book of Proverbs, chapter nine. Picture a bright eyed, young man walking down a road. He comes upon two houses on either side. Out of each walks a woman. One woman is beautiful and dignified. Her name is “Wisdom” (Prov 9:1ff). The other woman is seductive and loud. Her … Continue reading Two Ways to Live (1 Sam 25:32-38)
https://open.spotify.com/episode/07yNcRimNxCY7CFlglEoqw?si=5d8a9b594c624fe8 We have more information than any previous generation that has ever existed on the planet. At any moment, we could find out almost anything we wanted with a few swipes of our fingers. In previous generations, if you were a member of the aristocracy, or were a king or emperor, one of the benefits … Continue reading Beautiful Wisdom (1 Sam 25:23-31)
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4hL5nXxcetwvppnmJGwwvm?si=2c24d8b4622244ad We all are familiar with famous dictum that power corrupts…but how? The 19th century historian Henry Adams was being metaphorical, not medical, when he described power as “a sort of tumor that ends by killing the victim’s sympathies.” In 2017, The Atlantic published an article on how power affects our brains, citing a study from UC Berkeley, they said, … Continue reading A Tale of Two Fools (1 Sam 25)
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3nkjGdzdumS5NJBWrj0mae?si=c3967649d1cd45da Sermon Discussion Questions: What stood out to you most? What surprises you most about this chapter? What's the connection between grace and not taking ourselves too seriously? Would people around you (spouse, friends, coworkers) describe you as someone who "takes themselves too seriously"? Why was David cut to the heart? Can you think of … Continue reading Vengeance Is Mine (1 Sam 24)
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ThmiUTpG9X77FgjDKdMlj?si=8782890ba06e426c Sermon Discussion Questions: When you compare and contrast the characters of David and Saul in these chapters, what do you learn? Are circumstantial comforts and positions a clear indicator of God's blessings? In what ways does Saul serve as a cautionary tale here for the worship of power? Read 1 Sam 21:10-15 and then read Psalm … Continue reading Many Are the Afflictions of the Righteous (1 Sam 21-22)
https://open.spotify.com/episode/48V7Q7tRE1OETilGDoagal?si=972e8b252ff24a81 Sermon Discussion Questions: If so many people throughout history have prioritized friendship, why do you think we tend to sideline it today? Do you think you have an accurate view of friendship? (Consider: what do you think of Jesus describing Himself as your friend? John 15:14-15) How does Saul's suspicion become a self-fulfilling prophecy? What … Continue reading The Blessing of Friendship (1 Sam 19-20)
In reading of the relationship between Jonathan and David, one is struck by their depth of affection and commitment to one another: As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul...Then Jonathan made a covenant with … Continue reading Homosexuality and Friendship: Jonathan and David
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7975sjlFD4XeXdG9k772t6?si=7867087161834a4c Sermon Discussion Questions: What stood out to you the most? Why is Jonathan, second only to David, the hero of 1 Samuel? How can grow to be more like him? How is our ego like an elbow? Saul's story is an extreme example of what happens when you are controlled by the approval of … Continue reading The Providence of God (1 Sam 18)
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3JPzOY1d0e8OJ6Movc084w?si=79bcba86b00b410e Sermon Discussion Questions: Briefly recap the three main points of the sermon. How does seeing rightly lead to feeling rightly and acting rightly? What did David see, feel, and do? What does it mean to "see rightly"? How did Saul and Israel see wrongly? How might you see wrongly? Can you think of appearances … Continue reading David (1 Sam 17)
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7zT5be6VFRDSS3H4YuPrfW?si=5ba7ca7d03ef451e The following is an unedited sermon manuscript; for an explanation of my sermon manuscripts, click here. When is this happening? There are several instances in this chapter that make it somewhat difficult to discern when this event is taking place. At times it feels like we are bring re-introduced to David again, like we weren’t … Continue reading Goliath (1 Samuel 17)
Marc Sims 