Bent Oak Church

As is our tradition, we'll spend the Advent season hearing from members of our congregation. Each share how God has been with them through challenges and seasons of life. This week, Elizabeth Lombardi described the challenges she's faced and how through it all, there is reason to worship. 

As we finish up our series on the Bible, we take a closer look at how the word of God always moves us to worship. We have not fully experienced God's word if it has not done its work on both the head and heart. The Bible is fundamentally the story of what God has done for us, and our rightful response is gratitude and worship. 

As we continue our look at the place of scripture in the life of the believer, we unpack James's advice to be not only hearers but doers of the Word. James described the scripture as the perfect law of liberty. We take a closer look at how the Bible leads us to freedom. 

As we continue to look at the Bible, Pastor Barry Kinzer tracks the history of how this collection of 66 books came together. Looking at the history and providence of the scriptures, Barry helps us recognize how God's hand has been guiding the Bible's creation. The Bible truly is a miracle. 

As we continue our look at the role of scripture in the life of the believer, we acknowledge that sometimes reading the Bible can be hard. Learning to study God's word is a skill that takes both time and commitment. But for those willing to wrestle with questions and meditate on them, the Bible offers innumerable riches. 

As we continue our look at the Bible, we ask the question, is it true? Many people raise questions about the bible's accuracy and history. Can it be trusted? We explore the evidence and ask what it means for the Bible to be active and alive.

We begin a new series looking at the Bible and its place in the life of the believer. In this first message, we take a closer look at Paul's advice to Timothy to continue in what he had learned through the scriptures. We look at how the Bible is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and instructing toward righteousness. 

Special message delivered by former pastor Kevin Weaver.

Special message delivered by former pastor Brad Lombardi.

As we wrap up the book of 2 Kings, the story doesn't seem to end well. The final events of this long story of Israel are destruction and exile. Jerusalem falls, and the people of Israel fragment and divide. But there is hope. It is small and perhaps unnoticed by some, but the final word of the book is that this still is unfished. 

As we come to the end of 2 Kings, it's surprising how uneventful the fall of Jerusalem is. In the end, the king simply surrenders to Babylon. Far from a dramatic last stand, the life and identity of Judah just fizzles out. Their sin has stripped them of faith. They can no longer see the story of what God wanted to do through them. So, all is lost. 

Josiah had led remarkable reforms throughout Judah and Israel, but upon his death, his son reverted back to idolatry in just three months. As God had spoken, Josiah would be spared, but judgment was coming for Judah. We take a closer look at God's wrath and his patience. 

Having found the book of the Law, Josiah set out to lead spiritual reforms throughout his kingdom. The list of idols and temples he removed is overwhelming. It was a massive project and a remarkable achievement. But for all his success, scripture summarizes his work with a much similar commendation. Josiah loved the Lord with all his heart, soul, and strength. 

After Hezekiah, Manasseh ruled for fifty-five years. He was one of the most wicked kings of Judah and unleashed decades of idolatry, violence, and human sacrifice. It would be nice if the good kings ruled long and the wicked kings were judged quickly, but 2 Kings reminds us that God is patient and the sun often shines on both the righteous and the unrighteous. God is faithful and patient even when we are not. 

Hezekiah's rule marks one of the high points in Judah's kingdom. Hezekiah repeatedly shows himself to be a man of prayer, but when a prophecy for the future warns of destruction, Hezekiah struggles to engage what will not be his to bear. It is a clear warning that even the most devout and faithful life can slip into self-centeredness. We find the better him of Hezekiah in Christ himself, who interceeds for those not only in the future but those who oppose and persecute him. 

With Israel surrounded and the Assyrians mocking their faith in God, Hezekiah prayed. The lord answered. He told Hezekiah not to fear. God can not be mocked, and God would respond to the boasts of the Assyrian king. The city of Jerusalem prayed, waited, and watched for what God would do. They witnessed an incredible miracle. 

With Israel defeated, Assyria turned its attention to Judah and Jerusalem. But before they launched their assault, they offered the people a path to peace. They reasoned with them to side with Assyria. Given Assyria's power and skilled propaganda, it was a very real temptation. 2 Kings 18 helps us better understand the true nature of all temptations and why temptations can be so difficult to recognize. 

In chapter 17, we read of the fall of Samaria and the exile of the Israelites to Assyria. But the dramatic event is narrated with a single sentence. Instead, 2 Kings puts its emphasis on why God would allow it to happen. God explained that Israel would not remember, did evil in secret, and ignored his warnings. We take a look at how our own lives are also at risk. 

Chapter 15 records a quick succession of kings and with it a strike absence of the prophetic witness. You could conclude that God must have been silent during these years, but you would be wrong. This period was one of the prophets' most prolific. So why are they absent from 2 Kings 15?The chapter forces us to ask the question of our own time. What keeps us from hearing God? What keeps us from recognizing how God is at work. 

As we take a closer look at the succession of kings in Israel and Judah we are warned about drawing conclusions too quickly. God knows what each king and nation needs. For some, it is rescue, for others, it is a humbling of pride. How easily pride controls us, both in success and in despair. Chapter 14 gives us an image of how pride can keep us from recognizing the work of God.