Sermon Questions - January 24, 2016

The Lord Looks on the Heart

1 Samuel 16:1-23

January 24, 2016

Study Questions

1. Read 1 Samuel 16:1-3. Why was Samuel so grieved over Saul? For whom did the Lord provide a king? What was Samuel’s concern in going? What was the Lord’s counsel to him? Was this deceitful?

2. Read 1 Samuel 16:4-13. Why were the people of Bethlehem frightened of Samuel? How did he put them at ease?

3. Why did Samuel think that Eliab was to be the king? How did the Lord respond to him? How many sons were passed by to get to David? What was David’s place among his brothers?

4. What was David’s appearance? Where did Samuel anoint him? What happened to David when he was anointed?

5. Read 1 Samuel 16:14-23. Why did the Lord remove his Spirit from Saul? Why did he send a tormenting spirit instead? What does this teach us about who the Lord is and how he works?

6. How did Saul come to choose David to serve him? What more do we learn about David in verse 18? How did Saul feel about David and why?

7. Does the Lord still choose leaders based on what he sees in the heart and not on the basis of their outward appearance? What biblical passages support your answer? How then should we think about selecting and appointing our leaders? What should be our disposition toward our leaders?

Comments

To Have My Soul Happy in the Lord, by George Muller

To Have My Soul Happy in the Lord By George Muller “It has pleased the Lord to teach me a truth, the benefit of which I have not lost for more than fourteen years. The point is this: I saw more clearly than ever that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not how much I might serve the Lord, or how I might glorify the Lord, but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished. “I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God—not prayer, but the Word of God. And here again, not the simple reading of the Word of God so that it only passes through my mind just as water runs through a pipe, but considering what I read, pondering over it, and applying it to my heart. To meditate on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed. And that thus,...

God Displays His Beauty While Lifting Heavy Burdens by Pastor Kevin

I know I am a little bit overweight. My doctor tells me so. The mirror that I look into affirms it and the scale (that I mostly avoid) reminds me every time I step on it. All of that makes what I am about to say so much more impressive. I had the privilege of sitting on the beaches of Florida's Atlantic coast for 8 days on our most recent family trip. For me there is something magical about the beach, especially on the Atlantic side with the waves washing up against the shoreline. We have been lucky enough to find a sleepy beach town to vacation at. A nook, if you will, that typically features retired folks or families with kids. Out of the way of those who want to party, the beach is truly a relaxing place for me. Let me tell you something that I gleaned this time around that never quite landed on me. This last week it landed on me, almost literally. My son Ben and I are the more adventurous specimens in the Feder five. We actually get into the salty water where there are jelly f...

Is your Sense of Identity Tied to your Smartphone?

In her book Alone Together Sherry Turkle writes, “To make more time would mean turning off our phones. But this is not a simple proposition since our devices are ever more closely coupled to our sense of our bodies and minds. They provide a social and psychological GPS, a navigation system for our tethered selves” (167). Hmm, that’s a profound point. Our phones are no longer just a tool we use to get things done; they have become part of who we are. They make us feel awake, alive, and connected to the world, and therefore we must have our phones with us at all times. But why is this so? Or to ask a question that gets closer to the heart of my issues with my phone, Why do we feel the compulsion to check and respond to messages multiple times per hour? Perhaps… We want to feel important, bigger than we are. We want to feel needed, even indispensable. We fear the disappointment, disapproval, or anger of others if we do not respond in a certain period of time. We feel i...

Glory of Christ Fellowship

Search This Blog