Gateway Franklin Church

Joshua 7, Acts 9, Luke 6

August 31st, 2025

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Never short sell an immeasurably more God.

Never underestimate the power of a simple prayer offered on behalf of a complex situation.

Never dismiss the impact of obedience (or disobedience).

A core problem of disobedience is its near-sightedness. Disobedience sees the tree but misses the forest. Obedience is 20/20 faith in an immeasurable more God.  

Joshua 6:15-19 (NIV) 15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! 17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. 18 But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. 19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”

A fundamental element of obedience is God goes first. When God gets our first, God gives us His best. 

Joshua 7:1 (NIV) But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So, the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.

Joshua 7:10-12 (NIV) 10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devo

Words to Live By

Never short-sell an immeasurable more God. 

Never underestimate the power of a simple prayer offered on behalf of a complex situation. 

3 Elements of a Child’s Prayer

Simple. 

Often. 

Faith-filled. 

A Good barometer of spiritual maturity/understanding is the progression of our prayers from childish to childlike.

A Broader Understanding of Prayer

The Who of Prayer is God. 

The What of Prayer is His will. 

The Where of Prayer is wherever. 

The When of Prayer is without ceasing. 

The Why of Prayer is relationship. 

The How of Prayer is simple, often and faith-filled.

An Approach to Prayer to Increase Your Praying

Shoot for Simple. Aim at Often. Forward in Faith.

The Double Ring of “Simple” 

Simple Ring 1.

Talking always feels less potent than acting with this one exception… when the person with whom you are talking holds power over the circumstance! 

Simple Ring 2. If we believe the power of prayer rests in us – then our prayers have to be articulate, informed and robust in order to move God. If we believe the power of prayer rests in God, then our prayers can be raw and emotional without much polish.

To pray simply doesn’t mean flippant or “in passing”. It means to place more emphasis on the action of prayer than the manner of prayer. If I wait to pray until I have a handle on the issue I have waited too long to pray.

Words to Live By: Never Short Sell an Immeasurably More God

Ephesians 3:16-21

August 17th, 2025

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We can always trust God’s Word because…

God’s Word always produces. 

Isaiah 55:10,11 (NIV) As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

We can always trust God’s Word because…

God’s Word never fails. 

Luke 1:37 (NIV) 37 For no word from God will ever fail.” Spoken to Mary on her inquiry, “how can a virgin give birth to a savior?”

We can always trust God’s Word because…

God’s Word always sustains. 

Matthew 4:4 (NIV) 4 ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4 (message) “It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.” Jesus’ response to Satan’s first temptation in the desert.

We can always trust God’s Word because…

God’s Word always frees. 

John 8:31b-32 (NIV)31b “If you hold to my teaching [words], you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jesus’ admonition to His disciples.

We can always trust God’s Word because…

God’s Word is always fresh. 

Hebrews 4:12a (NIV) 12 For the word of God is alive and active. 

Home is Not a Place

HomeIS NOT A PLACE

Home isn’t a WHERE.Home is a WHO.

2 QUESTIONS

1. Why does community matter?

2. How do I move from wanting community to actually living it?

WHY DOES COMMUNITY MATTER?

1. We were designed to belong.
"It is not good that man should be alone."– Genesis 2:18, NKJV

“The promise of social media is to be fully seen and fully liked. But the promise of real friendship is to be fully known and fully loved.”– Justin Whitmel Early

"To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial.To be known and not loved is our greatest fear.But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God.It is what we need more than anything.It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness,and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us."– Timothy Keller

God made us to belong to him and one another.Pride separated us from him and one another.Jesus is bringing us back to him and one another.

2. Spiritual Growth Happens Together.
"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,but do not have love, I gain nothing."– 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

3. Belonging Anchors Identity

"You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession…" – 1 Peter 2:9"You are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of His household." – Ephesians 2:9

HOW DO I MOVE FROM WANTING COMMUNITY TO ACTUALLY LIVING IT?

7 SECRETS TO LIVE OUT COMMUNITY

1. Show Up Over Time.
We cannot live like church is optional and expect our kids to treat it as essential.

2. Be OK with Awkward.
"Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin." – Zechariah 4:10

3. Lead with Vulnerability.
"We impress people with our strengths, but we connect with people through our weaknesses."

"If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another…" – 1

Ecclesiastes 3 & 4, Philippians 4, 2 Corinthians 12, Joshua 1

August 3rd, 2025

Ecclesiastes 3:1-10 (NIV) There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: 2  a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3  a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4  a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5  a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, 6  a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. 9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 

Ecclesiastes 3:11-14 (AMP) 11 He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. 

Ecclesiastes 3:11-14 (AMP) 11 He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God] 

Ecclesiastes 3:11-14 (AMP) 11 He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God] yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end. 

Ecclesiastes 3:11-14 (AMP) 11 He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God] yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good as long as they live; 13 and also that every man should eat and drink and see and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.

In the final message of the Three Kings series, Pastor Torry Sheppard closes with the story of Solomon, the king whose reign began with unmatched wisdom and blessing but ended in compromise and sorrow. The sermon, titled “What You Don’t Steward, Sours,” explores the danger of mishandled blessings and the call to use God-given resources, influence, and opportunities for kingdom purposes.

When Winning Isn’t Enough

Pastor Torry begins by naming a universal experience: achieving something you deeply wanted—only to discover it doesn’t fulfill you. Whether it’s a promotion, a major purchase, or even success itself, many of us know the strange letdown of getting what we wanted and still feeling empty. He illustrates this through golfer Scottie Scheffler’s candid admission before the British Open that, despite being the world’s number one, golf ultimately doesn’t satisfy the deepest parts of his heart.

This echoes Solomon’s haunting words in Ecclesiastes 2:10–11:

“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired… Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done… everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

If Solomon—the wisest, wealthiest king in history—could admit the futility of pleasure and success, we must wrestle with the same question he and Scheffler asked: “What’s the point?”

Solomon’s Splendor: Humble Beginnings

To understand how Solomon ended up disillusioned, Pastor Torry takes us back to where it began—in humility. In 1 Kings 3, newly crowned Solomon travels to Gibeon, the most sacred worship site in Israel, to seek God’s help. In a dream, God invites Solomon to ask for anything he wants. Rather than riches or power, Solomon requests wisdom to lead God’s people well.

This reveals a profound truth: Solomon saw himself as a steward. He recognized that the kingdom wasn’t his—it was God’s. And because Solomon sought God’s kingdom first, God granted him not only wisdom but also wealth, honor, and peace.

For a time, Solomon’s priorities were clear: everything he built—especially the temple—pointed to the greatness of Yahweh. Under his leadership, Israel flourished, and even the Queen of Sheba was left breathless at the wisdom, wealth, and glory on display.

But as Pastor Torry notes, Solomon’s story doesn’t end at Gibeon. Over time, his focus drifted. His success became self-serving. The humility that brought him to worship slowly gave way to pride.

The Blessing Paradox: A Pattern Through Scripture

This shift reflects what Pastor Torry calls “The Cycle of Blessing.” It begins with humble dependence on God, which leads to divine empowerment, then to great impact, and eventually to tangible blessing—resources, influence, and success. But often, those very blessings become dangerous when they lead to pride, self-reliance, and ultimately, spiritual drift.

This isn’t unique

Two Overarching 3 Kings Take-Aways 

God partners with ordinary people (messy) to accomplish His extraordinary purposes. 

Ordinary people are capable of mighty acts when we align our mind, heart and hands with God’s. 

Solomon is Different King

Physically

Background 

Skillset

Wisdom

The Hebrew word for wisdom (hokma) means information + insight. 

The OT concept of wisdom carries a moral, ethical and an applied skill component. 

The NT word for wisdom (sophia) points to a practical and spiritual understanding of God's will and applying that knowledge to life. 

 “Knowing the greatest goal in any situation and the best way to achieve it.” Pastor John Piper

Remarkable Moment. Ordinary Day.

1 Kings 3:16-28 (NIV) 16 Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. 18 The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us. 19 “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. 21 The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.” 22 The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.” But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king. 23 The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’” 24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So, they brought a sword for the king. 25 He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.” 26 The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!” But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”

Three good questions to ask in regard to the God of the Bible.

“Why does God choose messy people? 

“Why does God show us so much of that mess?” 

“Why doesn’t people’s mess undermine God’s reputation and derail His purposes?”

Three good answers in regard to the God of the Bible.

God doesn’t choose messy people, He chooses ordinary people. It just turns out that ordinary people are messy and He already knows that.

God doesn’t hide people’s mess because the Bible it isn’t a story about people, it’s a story about Him. 

God chooses to write His story in conjunction with ordinary people to highlight His power and grace. Our mess doesn’t derail God’s purposes because He isn’t dependent on us, we are dependent on Him.

2 Samuel 11:1 (NIV) In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 11:2-5 (NIV) 2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home. 5 The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”

Messy Lesson #1 

Be where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there. 

Messy Lesson #2 

The more power and authority you carry the more trouble you can cause.

Messy Lesson #3 

Cover ups are costly.

2 Samuel 11:14-17 (NIV) 14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 

1 Samuel 17:2-51 (NIV)

2 Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. 3 The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them. 4 A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span [over 9 ft tall]. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; [126 lbs.] 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. 7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. [15 lbs.] His shield bearer went ahead of him.

8 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” 10 Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! [I defy your God] Give me a man and let us fight each other.” 11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. 

12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul’s time he was very old. 13 Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah. 14 David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, 15 but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 16 For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand. 17 Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. 18 Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them. 19 They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.” 20 Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. 22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and

“The devil fears a soul in union with God as he fears God Himself” Saint John of the Cross

Three good questions to ask in regard to the God of the Bible.

“Why does God choose messy people? 

“Why does God show us so much of that mess?” 

“Why doesn’t people’s mess undermine God’s reputation and derail His purposes?”

Three good answers in regard to the God of the Bible.

God doesn’t choose messy people, He chooses ordinary people. It just turns out that ordinary people are messy. 

God doesn’t hide people’s mess because the Bible it isn’t a story about people, it’s a story about Him. 

God chooses to write His story in conjunction with ordinary people to highlight His power and grace. Our mess doesn’t derail God’s purposes because He isn’t dependent on us, we are dependent on Him.

Why does an “Immeasurably More God” consistently leave His people overmatched and under resourced? 

1. God is the Hero of the story, not us. We can’t save anybody, He can save everybody. 

2. Success is dependent on God dependence not self-reliance.

God neither abandons us to walk alone nor does He empower us to walk alone. He redeems us to be aligned and walk with Him!

The Core of Saul’s Mess 

Impatience

Pride

Two Mess Lessons 

1. To move without God reveals a misaligned self-dependence. 

2. Impatience with God reveals a lack of trust in God.

In our wait, God isn’t still.

1 Samuel 13:10-12 (NIV) 10 Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him. 11 “What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that t