"Blessing and prosperity flow through a whole heart."

According to Dr. Michael Breece, this is the theme of both I and II Chronicles, and in this next sermon in "History Lessons," he explains what a whole heart is through the book of I Chronicles. This history book is full of examples -- from David himself to the tribes that came to make him king.

Continuing "History Lessons," Pastor Steve preaches on II Kings. It shows Israel and Judah’s spiritual decline ending in destruction because their kings and people turned from God, worshiped idols, and became like the surrounding nations. Their exile was not proof that God failed, but that God kept his covenant warnings. Their example forces us to examine own own lives: are we worshiping God rightly, resisting being conformed to the world, and becoming more like Jesus? Only he is the perfect King, who (unlike Israel and Judah's kings) leads his people into righteousness and life!

Continuing the mini-series, "History Lessons, Pastor Steve preaches on 1 Kings. He offers us some warnings about spiritual decline. Israel began strong under Solomon, but his divided heart led him away from God, and the kingdom eventually split and spiraled into idolatry.

In Solomon (the wisest king ever!), we see that no one is immune to spiritual decline; even he, with such great wisdom and blessing, turned from the Lord. We see how leaders carry extra responsibility for those God entrusts into their care; Rehoboam and Jeroboam led the people deeper into sin. And we see what a slippery slope sin is. Israel’s kings rapidly went from bad to worse, especially under Ahab.

Yet even Ahab’s story shows that God responds to repentance with mercy, leaving us looking forward to the only perfect King, Jesus, whose kingdom will never fall!

Next in our "History Lessons mini-series, Pastor Tim covers the book of II Samuel. The book begins with the death of Saul and David finally taking the place of King over Israel. Nevertheless, the instability of God's nation continues, as it becomes apparent that a human king will never be the perfect king. Even so, the failures of Israel's kings lay the framework for the coming eternal king: King Jesus. He alone can usher in peace and stability.

Caleb Poirier recounts his story of how he saw God use every encounter in his life to create a need that only He could answer. He recounts how God used all kinds of people -- Christian parents, fellow missionaries, and two high-school teachers who took time to invest -- to demonstrate what a godly life looks like.

But to make this faith and these values his own, it took investing a community, spending two years alone on the road working on turbines, a 2 am custodial shift, and a broken engagement. In all this, God was faithful, and He "can be trusted to work all things out for His glory."

Continuing our "History Lessons" mini-series, Pastor Tim preaches on the book of I Samuel. It tells the story of Israel’s transition from the period of the judges to the beginning of the monarchy. The nation is spiritually and politically unstable, its leadership is weak, and the people eventually demand a king so they can be “like all the nations.” Although God had always intended for Israel to have a king, their request revealed a deeper problem: they were rejecting God’s rule and placing their hope for security, stability, and success in a human leader.

Through the stories of Samuel, Saul, and David, 1 Samuel reminds us that human leaders will always fall short and that our deepest need is not for greater power, security, success, or control, but for God Himself. The book exposes our tendency to look elsewhere for what only God can provide and ultimately points us forward to Jesus, the true and perfect King.

Continuing in our sermon series, "History Lessons," Pastor Steve covers the book of Ruth. It shows God working faithfully through ordinary events, even when He seems silent. The story takes place during the dark days of the judges, and it begins with Naomi losing her husband and sons and returning to Bethlehem bitter and empty.

Nevertheless, God is quietly at work. Ruth, Naomi's daughter-in-law, stays loyal to Naomi and commits herself to Naomi's God. God uses Ruth's ordinary faithfulness to turn Naomi's emptiness to fullness, and all of it works to become a part of God's eternal plan.

The book of Judges presents us with a repeated cycle: Israel sins, God disciplines them, they cry out, and God shows mercy by raising up a judge to deliver them. Joshua's generation didn't fully obey God's command to remove pagan influences from the land. As a result, they turned to idols, suffered under their enemies, and repeatedly needed rescue.

Hope isn't lost, however. In this sermon, Pastor Steve demonstrates that while the judges were flawed deliverers whom God used to show mercy, their weakness points forward to the need for a perfect Deliverer--Jesus--who saves not just from earthly enemies, but from sin and death forever!