Samuel 8 - The Great Exchange
June 23, 2024
[Due to “technical difficulties, I did not prepare a sermon outline this week for my in-person small group. I have included everything else below. It was time constraints vs. amount to work to be done. The sermon was presented in different order than that of the accompanying slides, and the additional time to perform the reconciliation was more than I could spare.
This is also somewhat emotional — I was the screens operator again this week, and a trainee was shadowing me. We worked together to locate the next slide as the sermon, which began smoothly, started jumping around back and forth in the slide order. It’s all in a day’s work, but for some reason I’m just not eager to go back into the transcript and go through that searching again.]
What’s this?
It’s a section of this Stack that reflects the content of a weekly small group Bible study that I lead. These posts primarily consist of a sermon outline used as notes during the meeting. A longer description can be found on the About page. If you subscribe to this Substack but don’t wish to receive notifications for this section, select Manage Subscription from the upper-right menu and turn the notification off there.
Audience
These summaries are prepared for and presented within an on-campus small group audience, adding explanations and additional questions during the meeting itself. Members of the group vary in their understanding, but are familiar with the Bible, can find references fairly quickly, and tend to believe what they read there. The beliefs we hold vary individually.
There are no particular expectations with regard to the online audience. Curiosity is enough, and perhaps patience if you understand things differently. The same goes for visitors to the church itself. Questions and comments are encouraged.
Small Group Setting
Meetings are informal and conversational, although there is structure. We begin by taking time to arrive and connect, open in prayer, and then review a portion the message from the previous Sunday. There isn’t time to go through everything, but we go where we are drawn, following the outline or not.
There can be considerably more to each message than what appears in the summary. It is not a transcript, but a condensed outline written for use in group discussion. I suggest watching the video if you have the time and interest. Sermon videos typically run about 30-35 minutes. Take a few notes. Comment below.
Toward the end of our time we look at the “fill-in” sermon points, published with blanks in the bulletin but presented in full within the message and here. We also may glance at the questions for reflection (also from the bulletin) if there is time, and we close with extended prayer.
Sermon Video
Optional but recommended. Transcript available for download below.
Sermon YouTube Livestream Link
Full Service YouTube Livestream Link
Sermon Outline
[Not provided this week. See note at the top. PDF transcript available right above.]
Sermon Points
The human heart is prone toward turning good things into god things!
This happens when we exchange:
1. The truth for a lie.
2. The eternal for the temporal.
3. wisdom for foolishness.
God’s people will flourish when He is King, leaders are conduits of truth and the people follow in humility.
Questions for Reflection
1. Are there “created things” in your life that you have made idols out of by elevating them above the “Creator”?
2. Is Jesus the true King of your heart? If not, what is keeping you from surrendering to Him and experiencing the inheritance of being His son or daughter?
Thank you for sharing this wonderful message!