Texts: 1 Samuel 4:1-11
Title: The Object Matters Most [Summary] When it comes to our faith we tend to think about the size, reminding that our Lord from time to time pointed out his disciples' little faith. However, the more important thing is the object. No matter how big or strong our faith is, it is nothing if we put our faith in wrong object. That's what happened in our story. When the Israelites lost their battle with Philistines, they asked this question. 'Why has the Lord defeated us before our enemy?' Then, they concluded to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord. And that's what they did. The Philistines knew the ark came into the Israelites' camp, and they were afraid. So they took courage and fight again. As a result, the Philistines won. Not the Israelites. What? Yes. It was not switched. Philistines won. How can human courage beat the faith of Israelites? What is wrong? Although the Israelites had a strong faith (they did not afraid, they did not doubt, but they were excited when the ark came), they put their faith in the wrong object. They did not ask God and his will, but they decided to bring the ark, believing that the ark (it) can save them (v.3). The Philistines thought that God was with the Israelites because of the ark, which was the symbol of the presence of God. However, the Israelites did not care about the presence of God. They wanted the ark itself, as if God automatically follows wherever the ark goes. In this day, we can make the same mistake. We assume that God is with us as long as we have rituals. We tend to care more about the size of faith, whether it is the blind faith or not. But what matters most is the object of our faith, which is God. We should eager to seek his will and presence. [Announcements] 1. Welcome to our new comer! 2. Next Sunday, we will have church-wide outdoor worship and activity. We will meet at Pearl Hill State Park, Townsend, MA.
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11월 2019
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