1 Samuel 24
In scripture, the wilderness plays an important role in the lives of God's people. It is a place of trial, but also which God uses to form and prepare people for their lives ahead. Before he becomes king, David spends time in the wilderness being pursued by Saul. When faced with the opportunity to take Saul's life, David's trust in God's sovereignty is put to the test.
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1 Samuel 18-20
So much of our lives are defined by our relationships with other people. This is as true for David as for anyone else. This week we consider David's friendship with Jonathan and how good friends are God's gracious gifts to us, and how being a good friend can point others to Christ.
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David vs. Goliath - it's one of the most familiar stories in the Bible. Today we bring fresh eyes to examine why this story is embraced by the world and what new things it has to teach us about confidence.
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Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Mark 12:29-31
We welcome Steve Thomas as our guest preacher this Sunday. Steve currently serves as the Director of Member Care for Open Door Libraries (of which the Crossroads Center is a part) and has preached at ICP several times over the years. Looking at these well known passages from the Old and New Testaments, Steve will will be encouraging us to leverage the summer by making intentional plans to “impress” God’s design for living and loving on our families and on our individual lives.
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Saul disobeys the Lord and so God rejects him as King of Israel. This leads to the anointing of David as the next king. It's from this passage that our theme verse is drawn "People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). From these two chapters we begin to see the contrast between Saul and David and what God desires from those who will lead his people.
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We have just begun a new sermon series looking at the life of King David from the books of 1 & 2 Samuel. As we read the stories and meet the characters presented to us in these books we find, as pastor Eugene Peterson says "that we are not being led to see God in our stories but to see our stories in God's."
In this week's passage, the Israelites demand a human king to rule over them, rejecting God's own rule and ignoring Samuel's warnings of how it will turn out for them. As people, we often choose what isn't best for us, thinking we know better than God. Thankfully, God's faithfulness remains sure, in spite of ourselves.
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This Sunday we begin a new sermon series looking at the life of King David from the books of 1 & 2 Samuel. David was the great king of Israel, to whom God gave the promise that the Messiah would come from his line, and he is described in scripture as "a man after God's own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22). But David was far from perfect, and the most valuable lessons for us come from his interactions with God in both his victories and failures. As we read the stories and meet the characters presented to us in these books we find, as pastor Eugene Peterson says "that we are not being led to see God in our stories but to see our stories in God's."
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Join us this week as guest pastor Mario Weyers from the American Protestant Church in Bonn, Germany, shares the good news about the defeat of life's 3 villains: sin, death, and the law.
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Before his crucifixion, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. The Risen Christ responded by asking Peter three times "do you love me?" before giving him the task of caring for his people. Jesus then gives Peter the same invitation he gives to all of us forgiven sinners, "Follow me."
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Thomas was not with the other disciples when Jesus appeared to them on the first Easter, and demands proof before he will believe in the resurrection. Thomas is not so different from many of us who carry doubts and look for proof from God. But the Risen Christ responds graciously to him as he does to us, saying "peace be with you" before calling us to believe in him.
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Over the next few weeks we'll be looking at some of the post-resurrection passages from John's Gospel and considering what the risen Christ had to say to his disciples before he ascended to heaven. In this week's passage Jesus finds his disciples hiding in fear, but he brings them words of encouragement and exhortation, and gives them the Holy Spirit as he sends them out.
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It seems obvious to most people that life ends in death. It is the natural end for all living creatures. But the resurrection of Jesus turns that understanding of the world on it's head, proclaiming that in Christ death ends in life. This is the good news in which we put our faith.
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Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to a welcome for a king, but he disappointed the expectations of many of his followers over the coming week. What were people expecting of him then, and what do we expect of him today, and do those expectations line up with what Jesus actually came to do?
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This Sunday we conclude our time in Paul's letter to the Philippians. In this passage Paul spends time thanking them for their gift to him, and says has found the secret to being content no matter what life brings.
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Philippians 4:2-9
We return to Philippians this week and to two of God's great promises for us in this life - joy and peace. Paul continues to instruct the church in faithful living, and reminds us of the greatest promise we have as God's people, his very presence.
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Matthew 6:33
Our guest preacher this week is Manny Efthymiadis. Manny is a former member of ICP who has recently sensed God calling him to serve his church in Milovice full time. ICP is partnering with him as he responds to this call.
Join us to listen as Manny shares about his ministry and brings us a message from God's word.
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Ecclesiastes 1-12; Genesis 1-3
Work, toil, and labor - are these gifts or a curse? Could they be both?
This week we return to the wisdom of Ecclesiastes to explore the good things God has given us to do under the sun (even though “everything is meaningless”). We will follow a path that starts with Genesis and ends in the New Earth - and in between find the things that are good and that we are instructed to do.
The following verses were referenced in the message (listed in order of reference): Ecc 2:10b; Ecc 3:12-13; Gen 1:27-28; Gen 2:15; Gen 2:2-3; Gen 3:17-19a; Isaiah 65:17-18; Isaiah 65:21-22b; Ecc 10:18; Ecc 11:6a; Ecc 4:5; John 5:16-17; Ecc 9:4-5,§0; Ecc 5:12; Ecc 5:10; Ecc 6:7,9; Ecc 2:24, 3:12, 3:22, 5:18, 5:19, 8:15, 9:7-9
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The guest preacher this week is David Novák, Chairman of the Council of Církev Bratrská (the Czech denomination with which ICP is connected) David joins us this week to officially install Paster Mike as the new pastor of ICP and to speak to us about John the Baptist.
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Paul implores the church to follow his example in the faith. He knows that there are many who would lead them astray, but there are those who set a good example for them as well. Discerning between the two is an important task in our discipleship.
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The Apostle Paul had a lot going for him by the world's standards. He held what we would say is a privileged position in society. And yet, in this week's passage Paul shares just how little those things mean to him and what he considers to be truly important in this life.
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