A Sure Hope

In early Israelite history, God’s people viewed the Ark of the Covenant as a good luck charm. But, as Pastor Dave explains today, it was the very presence of God with the people. And King David recognized its importance and desired the Ark to be among his people again, valued by the people, knowing God was with them.

King David was a great king and a faithful follower of God. He was successful and powerful. Pastor Dave teaches today that it was because David followed hard after God and trusted that God was always with him that he found success. He became great because the Lord was with him. Remember, the Lord is with you too!

King Saul was chosen by God to be His nation’s king. He started strong in the Lord. But, throughout his life, he became fearful and full of pride. This, Pastor Dave teaches today was Saul’s downfall. Both fear and pride will pull you away from God and ruin your life and future. Stay humble and rely completely on God!

There are some jobs in ministry that aren’t very glamorous. But these jobs are so essential in God’s church. Today, Pastor Dave will encourage you to simply serve God. However, He’s calling you with an open and willing heart. He sees your heart and devotion and treasures that! Don’t serve for recognition, but serve God to please Him.

The tribes that didn’t fully enter the Promised Land didn’t receive God's full, abundant blessing for His people. They were distant and quickly enticed by the world around them. Today, Pastor Dave will encourage you to remain close in fellowship with God’s people. You’ll be encouraged and greatly strengthened!

According to the world, powerful, strong, wise, and mighty people are the best. Yet, as Pastor Dave teaches today, God views men and women differently. He sees the heart and knows the devotion. He sees and loves everyone, regardless of status or popularity. If your heart is devoted to God, He knows. That’s what He desires.

In today’s message, Pastor Dave will explain that there’s a reason God promised and provided for His Word to remain intact over the centuries. It contains life for mankind. It foretold the coming of Jesus in the abstract and in direct terms and to this day it leads the lost and broken towards redemption in Him.

The Word of God is alive and displays His love for us and His plan of redemption in such a beautiful, profound way. As Pastor Dave will point out in today’s message, from the very beginning, God has been orchestrating His plan to rescue us from our destructive ways through His Son Jesus Christ.

Israel was formed by God through a miracle, and as a nation, they were called to be a blessing to all nations. As Pastor Dave will clarify in today’s message, God didn’t intend to only have a relationship with them – He wanted them to be an example for others of what it looks like when a nation lives in submission to Him.

It’s heartbreaking to watch someone you care for choose to pursue destruction over and over. The fact is, you can’t make the choice for them. All you can do is share the truth of Christ and pray persistently. As Pastor Dave will point out in today’s message, it’s up to them to choose salvation or destruction.

All of us fall into sin sometimes. Sometimes it may be mainly by accident – we may not even realize it till afterward. Other times, we walk right into it, knowing fully what we’re doing. But as Pastor Dave will point out, it’s especially damaging when we know we’re hurting our Father’s heart and keep going back time after time.

Our country has been in a downward spiral for a long time, and while divisiveness has always played a role, it’s gotten much worse over the last decade or two. The enemy has used it to tear us apart from the inside, and as Pastor Dave points out in the example of Israel, that weakness invites evil entities to attack from the outside.

As Christians, we need to be very careful about how we get involved in politics. We should vote and ask God to guide us in that practice. We should be involved in civil service as well. But, as pastor Dave will remind us today, we should never compromise for the sake of gaining power or any other reason.

The consequences of sin are even worse than you would imagine. Not just the terrifying horrors of an eternity apart from God, but the earthly destruction it brings. As Pastor Dave will warn in today’s message, Scripture tells us that it’d be better to cut off body parts than to allow sin to reign in our lives.

The kingdoms of men aren’t built to last. Even a nation founded on largely Christian values is destined for ruin if its primary focus isn’t serving God. As Pastor Dave looks at the “last gasp” of the nation of Israel under the leadership of Josiah, we’ll be reminded of how serious the consequences of national sin can be.

Sadly, as Pastor Dave will point out in today’s message, our own nation has been on a destructive course that has ramped up significantly over the last few decades. Is the answer to seize political power and shield ourselves from wickedness? Or is it to allow our hearts to be transformed by God’s love and to overflow onto others?

Revival starts with you. Has your passion for Christ and His Gospel slowed down to just a burning ember, with no real passion? As Pastor Dave will explain in today’s message, if we want to see revival in this country, political movements won’t bring it – it starts in the heart and spreads like wildfire among the people.

If you’re not right with God, why not? Sadly, many resist and put it off because they misunderstand who He is and what He wants for them. As Pastor Dave will warn in today’s message, not only are you risking the severe consequence of eternal judgment, you’re missing out on the abundant spiritual riches God has for you in this life.

Who are you? This is a question that many people struggle with. We look for identity in so many things, but at our core – from birth – we’re sinners, intent on serving ourselves. Pastor Dave will explain in today’s message that until you’re transformed in Christ, you’ll remain on that fallen, destructive path.

The story of Hezekiah requires significant faith to believe. God healed him from a terminal illness, adding 15 years to his life, well before the age of modern medicine. Even more, God caused the earth itself to rotate backward. In today’s message, Pastor Dave will challenge us to ask ourselves what we believe God is capable of.

God is the provider of all healing. You may say, “wait a minute, what about modern medicine?” Doesn’t it take care of most of our ailments through clever procedures or pharmaceuticals? As Pastor Dave will point out in today’s message, who gave us our intellectual abilities, or the physical elements needed for medicine?

God doesn’t bend to our will. He heard Hezekiah pray for protection for Jerusalem and He saw that his heart was in line with His own heart. As Pastor Dave will explain in today’s message, prayer isn’t meant to change God’s mind, but to align our hearts with what He wants to do in our world.

When we pray, God listens. You don’t ever need to doubt that. As Pastor Dave continues our study in the book of the 2nd Kings, we’ll be reminded of that in the faithful prayer of Hezekiah. No matter how the odds may be stacked against you, God is faithful to listen, and His will triumph in the end.

Idol worship seems far removed from our modern culture. You don’t see anyone bowing down to little shiny statues anymore. But, as Pastor Dave will remind us in today’s message, worship happens in many forms. Where are you spending your money, time, and energy? That could be the subject of your worship.

Over the last few years, tragedy has come close to all of us. Whether it was the fear and disorder brought about by COVID, political unrest, mass shootings, or financial stress, things haven’t been easy. As Pastor Dave will encourage us in today’s message, this is an opportunity to draw closer to God – not push Him away.