 Stressed over the challenges of working from home? Concerned about your retirement in light of stock market losses? God cares about the fears we face, and His Word gives us hope. In today's message, we look at two truths in Scripture - God's sovereignty and God's provision. We then see how these truths lead us to submit to Him and trust Him. Listen and experience His peace. Hebrews 12:3-12 Video of Service  Some of us may remember the ketchup commercial many years ago where two small boys are waiting for the ketchup to make its way from the bottle to the hamburger. In the background is the song “Anticipation” which draws upon the value of waiting for a good thing. The commercial was updated several years later with the same song, also using a hamburger, but the two boys were gone. Instead, it begins with the song playing then a hand holding a plastic bottle of ketchup appears. We get the first few bars of the song and then we get the sound of ketchup burping out of a plastic bottle. These two commercials might well represent two kinds of people today: one patiently waiting for God to fulfill His purposes, the other impatiently trying to force matters along. Waiting is not easy, especially when it involves uncertainty, hardship and pain but it is one of God’s most effective tools in bringing about spiritual life. As we resume our study in 1 Samuel 7, we find important truths that help us face the long days of uncertainty in our own time. 1 Samuel 7 Video of Service  Like any landscape picture hanging in our home, the Christian life has both a foreground and a background. The foreground are the objects right in front of us - things we easily see and feel from day to day like Pandemics and earthquakes. The background of life however is the invisible, spiritual realities beyond us. They are not as easy to see and appreciate but just as important because they give context to the foreground. The question I put to you today is this: If COVID-19 is in the foreground, what is in the background? What is happening in the unseen realm of the spirit that gives understanding, strength and hope for a world filled with earthquakes and virus infections? To help us answer that question, we return to the inspired Word of God in 1 Samuel 6 where we receive important reminders about God's justice and the purpose of pain. 1 Samuel 6:13-7:2 Video of Service  For the first time in Mountain View’s nearly 70-year history, 3 consecutive weeks of Sunday services have been canceled. Not since the Spanish Flu swept across our nation in 1918 have churches and other organizations had to cancel their public meetings. These are unprecedented days in our world, and as a result there are heightened fears and anxieties. We see those fears manifested in grocery stores and stock markets. In the midst of these global, national, and local crises, how should God’s people react? Though fear is a formidable threat to our peace of mind, we need not surrender to it and in Philippians 4, Paul gives godly counsel on how to overcome its stranglehold. Philippians 4:4-9 Video of Service  For many years, Tom Landry coached the Dallas Cowboys. For most of those 3 decades, he held to this view of coaching “The job of a football coach is to make men do what they don’t want to do in order to achieve what they’ve always wanted to be.” In a similar way, Christians are exhorted to submit themselves to the power of God’s Spirit and Word in order that they might be what they have always wanted to be but could not naturally do. In today's message from 1 Samuel 6, we continue to examine the power of fleshly instincts and how to overcome them through God's grace. 1 Samuel 6 Video of Message  Have you ever noticed how animals have very little self-control? Our oldest daughter has a toy poodle named Simon who is a perfect example. Simon cannot control his instinct to bolt through an open door or fence gate when given the opportunity. Recently, he saw his chance to escape while the front door was open. No matter how loudly he was called or coaxed back, he was not going to listen. He could not help himself. His instinct to run out the door and away from the house was too strong. Though humans are not without self-control, we too can become slaves to our instincts. We too can become so influenced by “genetically hardwired behaviors” that listening and responding to our Master’s voice is all but impossible. That our basic human instincts need divine rewiring is a truth found in today's message from 1 Samuel 6. Video of Message In his book, Remember Death, Matthew McCullough writes, “Most Americans enjoy a quality of life that would have been unimaginable for even the wealthiest Americans 200 years ago. But after all this time, even with all this progress, happiness hasn’t risen in tandem. Why is it that no matter how much we have, no matter how good we have it, we struggle to feel satisfied?” The reason why more stuff doesn’t satisfy is because we were not created to get our life from stuff but from a Person. The only thing that can truly satisfy the deepest longings of our soul is in fact not a thing, but a Person-His name is Jesus Christ. In today’s service, we celebrate Christ’s soul satisfying life through the testimonies of two fellow believers, followed by observance of the Lord’s Supper where we remember Christ’s broken body and shed blood for our sin. Video of Message  If we are the only Bible some people will ever read, what story are we telling people about God? There are things about God no one will ever know unless we, the church, communicate those things. As glorious as creation is, it cannot compare to the glory of the story of Jesus and only the church can tell that story. That is why the New Testament pays particular attention to those responsible for leading and undergirding the work of displaying Christ’s glory to the nations. In today's message, we break from 1 Samuel to consider the important role deacons play in the life of God's people. 1 Timothy 3; Acts 6 Video of Message  Martin Licis, a Latvian born American, was crowned the world’s strongest man in June of last year. Martin is 6’2”, weighs 331 pounds and can squat 750 pounds. He is one powerful dude! As powerful as Martin is however, he does not have the authority to pull people over for speeding. He does not have the authority to arrest people who commit crimes. He has great power but very little authority. Our God-the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ has both power and authority, as we see illustrated in the temple "takedowns" of Dagon, the Philistine god. We conclude our study of 1 Samuel 5 today by celebrating God's sovereignty over the false gods of our world. 1 Samuel 5 Video of Message  Lon Chaney Jr. was an actor best known for his roles in horror movies including The Wolf Man. In that movie, Chaney portrays Larry Talbot, a very tender, caring and soft-spoken person who is a really nice guy for most of the time. Every so often however his personality changes when the full moon comes out and a monster is unleashed from inside. In a sense, Larry was basically a good person but with one or two character flaws. That story line sounds a lot like how many describe human nature today. A secular worldview says we are inherently good people most of the time but every so often the wolf comes out and we do things we should not do. God’s Word says just the opposite about human nature and declares that we are inherently corrupt individuals with bad hearts who every so often have good moments. It is only by the grace of God that we can see and respond to His truth. This is one of the truths highlighted in today's message from 1 Samuel 5. Video of Message  Today we heard from Jeff Winters, pastor of Sojourn Church, on Psalm 32. Video of Message  Do you remember where you were and what you were doing on September 11, 2001? I was in our church office in Alabama when I got a call from a member asking me if I had seen the news. She told me to get to a television and turn it on. When I turned it on, I watched with millions of other Americans as the Trade Centers burned and collapsed. In the days to come, shock waves of this earth shattering event would rock our nation. When our lives are turned upside down, we begin asking why. And it’s in those seasons that we are most susceptible to both truth and error. We see it either through the lens of God’s eternal sovereignty or the lens of human depravity. We are not the first to wrestle with these temptations. Many years ago, God’s people experienced a similar national tragedy and in 1 Samuel 4, we read about their response. Their story reminds us that we should not put a period where God puts a comma. 1 Samuel 4:10-22 Video of Message  Many years ago, I had the opportunity to visit a house of worship that displayed something I have never seen before. Towards the front of the worship center, near the pulpit, was a massive rock. It was a rock big enough on which a family of 4 could have a picnic! Clearly, the church wanted to send the message that Jesus was the rock of their congregation (Matthew 16:18)). I wondered, if in time, how easy it might be for members of this church to shift their focus from Jesus being their rock to the rock being their rock. How easy it might be for believers to say, “We are the church of the rock. What sets us apart is that we have this massive rock in our worship center.” Seeing that rock in the auditorium reminded me that every congregation, and Christian, struggles with the temptation to get their identity and life from religious symbols. Many years ago, God's people faced the same struggles as they sought to overcome their enemies by trying to manipulate God's power through a religious symbol - the Ark of the Covenant. The story is found for us in 1 Samuel 4. 1 Samuel 4 Video of Message  In his book, The Parent Adventure, Rodney Wilson compares raising children to handing off a baton during a relay race. No matter how fast a relay team might be, if they drop the baton, they will have run in vain. The same applies to raising children in that it does not matter how much money parents make or what kind of car they drive. It doesn’t matter how much education we receive or how much money we have in our 401(k). If we fail to pass the baton of faith to our children, then we too are running in vain. So how do we do pass the baton? It starts by recognizing that God is just as interested in our children while they are children as He is us who are adults. One of the best illustrations of this truth can be found in 1 Samuel 3, where we read of God’s calling upon Samuel while yet a young boy. 1 Samuel 3 Video of Message Church was never meant to be about forms, rituals and traditions. It has always been about unconditional love, eternal life and rock solid truth. All of which are found in a Person; His name is Jesus Christ. Church is all about Jesus, which is why we take time to hear the stories of fellow believers at Mountain View as they talk about their personal encounters with Jesus. In today's worship gathering, 3 of our members give witness to the faithful, unconditional love of Jesus, including a 6 year old girl being baptized by her dad. All 3 individuals remind us that God is just as alive and active on earth today as He was 2000 years ago. We hope their stories will help give shape to your own. Psalm 107; Romans 5:8 Video of Message  One of my favorite school games as a kid was “Simon Says.” It is a simple game played when a leader is chosen from a group who stands in front of others giving commands for everyone to follow. The goal of the game is to do everything the leader says as long as these two words are put in front of the command, Simon Says. The commands could range from, “touch your toes,” to “touch your neighbor’s nose,” but only if… Simon says. To be the champion, one must pay careful attention to the leader, listening for the words, Simon says. Winning is all about focus. There is a much more important Christian version of this game called Jesus Says and it too is all about FOCUS. Tuning out everything but the speaking voice of God can be a challenge all year long; it's especially difficult at Christmas. To help us hear and enjoy the Christ of Christmas, we have turned to the Gospel of Luke, examining brief but important encounters 3 people had with the Incarnation Event. Today, we consider the role Simeon played from Luke 2. Luke 2:21-35 Video of Message  Webster’s Dictionary defines merry as… "full of cheer-joyous in disposition or spirit, festive." Merry Christmas in a sense means, be full of cheer and joy at Christmas-have a festive time at Christmas. Christmas and joy go hand in hand, usually. I say usually because Christmas might not be joyful for you. The troubles of life we experience January to November don’t take a break for the Christmas Holidays. With that in mind, we have begun a Christmas series asking the question, “What’s so MERRY…about Christmas? To help us answer that question, we began looking at the lives of several people associated with the birth of Christ. Last week, we considered the story of Zachariah and how his unbelief robbed him of speech for nine months until his son was born. Today we consider Mary's response to Gabriel when he announced that she would give birth to the Christ child. Luke 1:26-38 Video of Message  Webster's Dictionary defines merry as… "full of cheer-joyous in disposition or spirit, festive." When Merry is placed before Christmas, it usually means "Have a cheerful Christmas!" or "Enjoy Christmas and have a festive time!" Since the stresses and trials of life that weigh upon our souls every other month of the year don't take a break for December, we should ask, “What is it that inspires cheerfulness at Christmas?" or "What’s so merry about Christmas?" Today we begin a new Christmas series focusing on the lives of several characters who played a role in Christ's birth. Their part in God's plan helps us better understand where our joy comes from in December...as well as every other month of the year. Luke 1 Video of Message  Several years ago, I read about a Christian who invited an unchurched friend to his church's morning worship service. That Sunday the pastor just so happened to be preaching from an OT text that focused on a very graphic expression of God’s judgment upon one of Israel’s enemies. Death and destruction saturated the story line. After reading the verses describing God’s judgment, the pastor then made this comment: “Every Christian here should be able to show why these verses are in the Bible.” How would you answer that question? Why is the Bible filled with so many references to God's judgement? In today's message from 1 Samuel 3, we consider some of the lessons learned from God's judgement of Eli's family. 1 Samuel 3 Video of Message  More often than not, when we open our Bibles to study a passage, we are zoning in on characters we seek to emulate. Every so often however, Scripture gives us examples of individuals whose lives we should not emulate. Their lives are marked by selfishness, immorality and disregard for the things of God. They stand as a stark contrast to those whose lives show us a better way to live. By considering the lives of these individuals, we can better appreciate the warning signs of a heart growing cold toward God. In today's message, we consider the ungodly character of two men whose behavior was threatening to undermine the very foundation of Israelite worship. Their names are Hophni and Phineas and they are the sons of Eli. 1 Samuel 2:11-36 Video of Message  Do you have enemies? Who or what comes to mind when you think about your enemies? More importantly, how are you overcoming the obstacles they present to you? As we resume our study of 1 Samuel today, we read of Hannah rejoicing in the victory God has given her over her enemies. Samuel’s birth was more than an expression of God’s mercy, it was also an expression of His power. The story of Hannah reminds us that we can overcome our enemies through persistent prayer and supernatural sacrifice. 1 Samuel 2:1-10 Video of Message  Revelation is a complicated book of Scripture, to put it simply. Seals and trumpets and bowls and horns and eyes and beasts and a whole bunch of unusual and distinct numbers, large and small. But as D.L. Moody, 19th century evangelist and preacher once said, “If God did not want us to understand the book of Revelation, He would not have given it to us at all.” It doesn’t take decades of study to discover one of the clearest themes of this book, one we can explore more in depth in Revelation chapter 5. Jesus Christ, the slain Lamb, is worthy: worthy of our praise and worship, yes, but also worthy of our very lives. His promises are the reason we do evangelism and missions, from right here in Layton all the way to Kobe, Japan. In today’s message, we draw our attention to Jesus, the only One who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll. Video of Message On "Lord's Supper" Sundays, we invite members of our congregation to share their personal encounters with Jesus. Their testimonies may revolve around their conversion to Christ or a recent event when Jesus made Himself real to them. We do this for two reasons, first because the center of church life must always be our personal relationship with Christ. Without Christ, we are just another religious organization groping in the dark. Secondly, God's Word exhorts us to be a "telling" people. Psalm 22:22, among others, says it this way- I will tell of Your name to my brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise you. In today's service, two guys share how God brought them to saving faith in Christ and then changed their lives from the inside out. Video of Message  If you had to define character, how would you put it? Pulitzer Prize winner Carl Sandburg confessed the struggles associated with character when he said, “There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud.” Political activist and journalist, Thomas Paine once said “Reputation is what men and women think of us. Character is what God and the angels know of us.” Folk humorist, Will Rogers, helped shed a humorous light on character when he said, “Live so that you wouldn’t be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.” A well-worn definition many of us may be familiar with is simply, Character is who you are when nobody's looking. As we return to the book of 1 Samuel today, we consider the character of a woman whose relationship with God helped trigger events that brought great reform to the nation of Israel. 1 Samuel 1:21-2:11 Video of Message In today's service, we recognize the beginnings of a new church in West Haven, Utah. In order to fully appreciate this ministry, several questions need to be asked- Why are we giving up a gifted pastor and many of our best ministry leaders to West Haven? Why are we devoting a significant portion of our financial resources to support a ministry beyond our own church family? For one simple reason- because lost people matter to God. And if lost people matter to God then they must matter to us. One of the best places in the NT to understand God’s heart for the lost is Luke 15. It’s the story of a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. In today's message, Pastors Darrell and Jeff unpack several truths related to the work of evangelism and church planting. Video of Message |
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