Word Keeper

2 Samuel 24

An epilogue, a summary, of David’s life. David’s life covers many aspects of the struggles we all face.

7 principles to draw from 2 Samuel 24:

1. Powerful spiritual forces are at work to entice you to sin (2 Samuel 24:1). … Compare to 1 Chronicles 21:1 … Did God or Satan persuade David to take a census that was against God’s plans will? James 1:13 says that God does not tempt. Satan tempts. Therefore, it would make more sense to believe that Satan was behind it all. But why are the two accounts different? Perhaps God simply allowed Satan to do so, and then used it to teach David a lesson. … Be alert and have self control. Be aware of the spiritual battle that is going on around you.
2. When you are determined to do what you want, you often ignore wise counsel (2 Samuel 24:2-4). … What makes the census wrong: Motive or method? Perhaps the census was not good in God’s eyes because it not follow the rules in Exodus 30:12. … David received great advice, but it was as if he had blinders on; he refused to see the wisdom of the counsel that was presented to him.
3. If you have a right relationship with God, your conscience will convict you when you sin (2 Samuel 24:8-10). … The blinders came off after the fact. David realised he did something wrong after carrying out the census. Your conscience is not infallible, so you need to make sure it is Biblical conviction. … Some Christians have a deadened conscience; it doesn’t always speak up like it should, probably due to being ignored in the past.
4. When you sin, confess your sin to God (2 Samuel 24:10). … David wasn’t a great man solely because of his accomplishments, but he was a great man because he knew what to do with his sins; he confessed them to God and asked for forgiveness.
5. Your choices have consequences in the lives of other people after you repent (2 Samuel 24:11-15). … There are always consequences. Some choices could affect generations. Some choices affect mass populations.
6. God’s grace is greater than our sin (2 Samuel 24:16). … God would have been just in destroying Jerusalem, but He stopped. God had mercy on them.
7. There must be blood sacrifice to atone for sin (2 Samuel 24:17-18; 24-25). … Temporary atonement in the sacrifice of the burnt offerings. … Full atonement has been established in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins, once and for all (1 Peter 3:18). … Mt. Moria is where God told Abraham sacrifice Isaac (but then provided a ram to take Isaac’s place). The threshing floor in 2 Samuel 24, where David offered a sacrifice to God, is also located on Mt. Moria. This is also where Solomon built the temple (2 Chronicles 3:1.). However, this is not where Jesus died. Why? Hebrews 13:11-14 says Jesus died outside the cities, where the bodies of the blood sacrifices were burned.

Jason religion, Series, Sunday Sermon, Year of the Bible

Scott, our youth minister did the sermon today because our regular pastor is on a much deserved vacation. …. Scott did a great job though. I’ve enjoyed watching him progress as a youth minister and preacher.

We rewound a little in the Year of the Bible to Job.

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Job 1:13-22

The image of the perfect family (Job 1:1-5)

1. Job was a moral man (Job 1:1). … Free of guilt, but not free of sin.
2. Job was a family man (Job 1:2).
3. Job was a wealthy man (Job 1:3).
4. Job was a blessed man (Job 1:4).
5. Job was a spiritual man (Job 1:5).

The sorrow of a devastated family (Job 1:13-19, 20-22; 2:7-10)

Job was attacked in three areas:

1. Personally (Job 1:13-19) … Job must have been thinking, “What else could go wrong? When it rains, it pours.”
2. Physically (Job 2:7-8) … Job’s health went away and he had sores all over.
3. Psychologically (Job 2:9-10) … Even Job’s wife turned against him. That must have made it even harder for Job to face his troubles.

The recovery of a godly family (Job 1:13-19, 20-22; 2:7-10)

Five principles to apply to our family’s life:

1. The principle of preparation (Matthew 7:24-27) … Prepare your family for troubling times. Build your house on the rock that is Christ, which will endure the storms of life.
2. The principle of submission (1 Peter 5:6-7) … Submit to God. Be humble before Him. We make bad decisions when we get away from God and try to do things without Him. … Not everyone cares about your problems, but God does. He’s a great listener. Submit your problems, tell your troubles, to God.
3. The principle of supplication (Philippians 4:6-7) … Take your troubles, your issues, to God. Pray about them. Let God be your personal adviser.
4. The principle of direction (Proverbs 3:5-6) … Trust in God to lead the family. … I’m reminded of a song here; it’s “Lead Me” by Sanctus Real.
5. The principle of restoration (Job 42:10-13) … There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Not every restoration will be to the same degree as Jobs, perhaps it won’t even come while you are on this planet, but it will come.

God can help your family weather the storms of life.

Jason religion, Series, Sunday Sermon, Year of the Bible

2 Samuel 7:5-16

2 Samuel 7 could be the most important chapter in the Old Testament, certainly in the life of David.

Nine of the most important chapters in the Old Testament
Genesis 1
Genesis 3
Genesis 12
Exodus 20
Deuteronomy 6
2 Samuel 7
Psalm 110
Isaiah 53
Jeremiah 31

David wanted to build a house (temple) for God, but God said He would build a house (dynasty) for David (2 Samuel 7:5-11).

God promises the throne of David’s kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:12-16). … God promises that one David’s descendants will be a son to Him. … Psalm 89:28-37 shows that God’s promise to keep a descendant of David on the throne contains a conditional promise inside an unconditional promise. If David’s descendants stray from God, they will be punished. … In Jeremiah 33:15-17, God let’s His people know that He intends on keeping His promise to David.

This prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus (Matthew 1:1; Luke 1:30-33; Revelation 11:15; 22:16). … Jesus, a descendant of David, will sit on the throne forever and ever. … Whether you profess faith in Jesus and recognize Him as King or not, He’s still King! … The Bible can be trusted. This prophecy of Jesus was a bold prediction that has come true. … The only thing that lasts forever. … It’s ALL about Jesus.

Jason religion, Series, Sunday Sermon, Year of the Bible

2 Samuel 6

David wanted to bring the Ark of the Covenant to his new capital, Jerusalem. David threw a big party. They hauled the Ark on an oxcart, guided by Ahio and Uzzah, the sons of Abinidab, in whose house the Ark had been kept throughout the reign of Saul. The oxen stumbled and Uzzah reached out and touched the Ark to steady it. God struck him dead. The parade ended. The Ark did not make it to Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 1-10)

What went wrong? … A key ingredient was missing was missing from David’s efforts. It is the same ingredient that is missing from American Christianity in our generation.

The missing ingredient is careful obedience to God’s Word that comes from a healthy respect for God’s holiness

Sincerity is not enough. … Many people are sincere in what they believe and in their actions, but that doesn’t mean they are right. Just because two people are sincere in their belief in different faiths, does not mean both will make it to Heaven. … Just because someone does something with good, sincere intentions, it does not make it right.

Obedience is required. … The Israelites had lost the Ark to the Philistines, who sent it back on an oxcart. The Philistines did not know the law about how to transport the Ark. However, David and the Israelites had the law that had been revealed through Moses. The law specified exactly how the Ark should be transported from place to place. It wasn’t by oxcart. So God was angry with Israelites for not obeying the law He laid out for them.

When a new king was appointed for Israel, he was to copy the law by himself. The new king had to write every word in the books of the law, the first five books of our Bible. After copying the law, he had to read from it everyday. This was so that the king would know it by heart and be less likely to stray from God’s will. (Deuteronomy 17:18-19)

When Uzzah touched the Ark and died, David left it in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. The Ark stayed there for three months and the house of Obed-edom was blessed. When David heard how the Ark had blessed the House of Obed-edom, he tried bringing it to Jerusalem again. This time he followed every detail that the law laid out about how to transport the Ark. David even made a sacrifice (or a lot of sacrifices, we’re not sure) that wasn’t specified in the law and then “David danced before the Lord with all his might”. (2 Samuel 10-15)

See Exodus 25:12-15; Numbers 4:15 for laws concerning how to treat the Ark

See Leviticus 18:4; 25:18; Deuteronomy 6:3; Joshua 23:6 for commands on following the law that was presented to the Israelites.

See 1 Chronicles 15-16 for more on how the story of David bringing the Ark to Jerusalem.

Jason religion, Series, Sunday Sermon, Year of the Bible

2 Samuel 2-3

We’re starting a new period of history in our Year of the Bible campaign: the United Kingdom (no, not the UK with England and all the other nations, but the period of time in which all of Israel was united under one king.)
Books include:

• 2nd Samuel
• 1st & 2nd Kings
• 1st & 2nd Chronicles

1st Chronicles covers 2nd Samuel but from a later viewpoint, as a reflection.
2nd Chronicles covers 1st & 2nd Kings in the same way.

We will also read more books of wisdom/poetry – mostly written by David and Solomon

• Psalms
• Proverbs
• Ecclesiastes
• Song of Solomon

1. God accomplishes His purposes over a period of time (2 Samuel 2:11). … David was anointed to be king as a young men, but Saul didn’t give up the throne. Then when Saul died about 15 years later , Abner made someone else, Ish-Bosheth, king of Israel. David did become king of Judah though after Saul’s death. … Then 7 more years went by before he became king over all of Israel. … David waited about 22 years to become king of Israel as he was anointed when he was young. … God lives in eternity. He’s in no hurry. … God knows when you are ready. Spiritual growth takes time. It takes time for us to become spiritually mature. God takes His time to prepare us with experiences.
2. God accomplishes His purposes in spite of–and even through–difficult people (2 Samuel 2:18-3:39). … The 3 nephews of David: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel were generals in David’s army and great warriors. Abner, Ish-Bosheth’s general, killed Asahel. When Abner tried to make peace with David, Joab killed Abner. David got upset because his nephews were a thorn in his side. … We all have people like this in our lives, people who are hard to get along with and always causing trouble. God can use these people to help you grow. God can use you even though there are difficult people who you thing may be standing in your way.

All of God’s plans go through Jesus. God desires for everyone to intimately know Jesus as your savior and as your friend.

Jason religion, Series, Sunday Sermon, Year of the Bible

Begins with the death of Joshua. This is a transitional time for Israel. Unforutanately, theis new generation did not God or what God had done for their people (2:10). Then they forsook God and worshiped the gods of the people who lived in the land (2:12-13).

1. Israel broke the covenant by worshiping idols. God allowed some of their enemies to remain in the land to test them (Judges 1-2). .. Three commands for the Israelites when conquering the Promised Land are in Deuteronomy 7:1-5 – 1) Destroy them totally, 2) Do not intermarry, 3) Destroy all their idols and don’t worship their Gods … Let’s see how they did. Judges 3:5-6 shows that they broke all three commands. …
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2. God raised up judges to deliver Israel (Judges 3-16) The cycle is repeated 12 times in 300 years. The cycle is like a merry-go-round that you don’t want to ride! … Where is America in the cycle? … Where are you, personally, in the cycle? Have you distanced yourself from Lord? Are you going through some hard times? Cry out to the Lord! Only He can reaise up a deliverer and bring you back to Him. … The best thing is not get on the merry-go-round to begin with, but if you’re already there, then once you get back around to God, get off and walk with Him!
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3. Thes cylces led to a time of spiritual confusion and moral decay (Judges 17-21). … There’s no leadership or moral compass.

Jason religion, Series, Sunday Sermon, Year of the Bible

There are three key concepts in the book of Joshua:

1. God gives His people the land (1:1-3). … The people of Israel didn’t deserve or earn this land; it was a gift from God.
2. The people must take possession of what God offers (1:11). … God wants to give the land to the Israelites. but the Israelites had to take possession of it. Their was effort required. The people of Israel had to be faithful and believe that God would give them the land.
3. God wants His people to enjoy rest (1:13). … The Israelites finally have a place they can call their own. They can finally be at peace in their own towns.

All three key words are found in Joshua 1:15. … God wants to give you victory. You have to take possession through fath and obedience. The reward is rest; you can have peace in good times and in bad times.

There are two main sections in the book of Joshua:

1. Conquering the land (Joshua 1-12). … God changed how each battle was won. God rarely uses the same method twice because He wants the faith to be in Him, not methods … Joshua 11:12, 14, 20 – One of the reasons God had the Israelites totally destroy evryone is so that thete would be no chance of compromising their beliefs by worshiping the gods of the people they conquered.
2. Occupy the land (Joshua 13-22). … Now that the land has been conquered, the land must be divided among the tribes of Israel properly. The twelve tribes have to eliminate anyone left from the people who were conquered. … It’s a process, much like fighting a forest fire. The big fire has to be put out, but there still may be smaller fires that need to be extinguished. Being a Christian is the same way. When you become a Christian, it’s like the first twelve chapters of Joshua. But now that you’ve won some great victories over sin, the second stage of the Christian life is not as exciting.

The three key concepts are repeated near the end of the book (21:43-44). These concepts apply to your life (Hebrews 4:8-11; Matthew 11:28-29). … Rest could be referring to Heaven, but it is also referring to present tense. You can have rest, peace, tranquility now. You just have to take possession of the gift that God has offered to all of us.

Jason religion, Series, Sunday Sermon, Year of the Bible

Deuteronomy is a second time through the law, a review of the law

The Old Testament books most quoted in the New Testament are Genesis, Isaiah, Psalms, and Deuteronomy.
Jesus quoted Deuteronomy three times to the devil in the wilderness

Deuteronomy contains the three farewell semo of Moses:

1. Remember Your History (Deuteronomy 1-4) … 4:9-10 – Do not forget what God has done for you. Make sure your children know what God has done for you.
2. Review Your Covenant Responsibilities (Deuteronomy 5-28) … 5:1-3 – Make the covenant your own. You cannot rely on the Faith of your parents to keep you on the right track and get you into Heaven. You must decide to take on the responsibilities of the covenant for yourself … 6:4-7 – Your covenant responsibility is to love God. By loving God, all aspects of your life will show it.
3. Renew Your Covenant Relationship (Deuteronomy 29-30) … 29:12-13; 30:11-16, 19-20 – You have to make the dicision. Nobody is out of reach of the Salvation that God offers. We have a choie between life and death, a choice between blessings and curses. Choose life!
   Commit to do these three things (Deuteronomy 30:20):
1. Love the Lord your God
2. Listen to his voice
3. Hold fast to him

The book of Deuteronomy is about renewing and recommitting to your relationship with Christ. … I our service we had a time where people could stand and say something and recommitt to God. One of them mentioned recommitting to Christ daily. Another said she would recommitt and stop just trying to follow rules but to build a stronger relationship with Christ.

Conclusion: The Transfer of Leadership from Moses to Joshua (Deuteronomy 31-34)

Jason religion, Series, Sunday Sermon, Year of the Bible

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Audio

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Genesis 12:1-3

Genesis 12-50 is the story of four men called the Patriarchs:

1. Abraham (12-23).

2. Isaac (24-26).

3. Jacob (27-36).

4. Joseph (37-50).

Three key words in Genesis 12:1-3 help us understand the rest of the Bible:

1. God will reveal Himself in the land of Canaan (v. 1, vv. 4-7). … Land is important in salvatio history. Places in the Bible are important. That’s why so many Bibles have maps in them. Canaan would later become Israel.

2. God will reveal Himself through one nation, the descendants of Abram (v. 2; Psalm 147:19-20). … Abram (Abraham) was promised that his descendents would be a great nation. He and his wife were past child-bearing age and had no children, but God proomised them a child. … God revealed Himself through only one nation, Israel, and no other nation.

3.God will bless the world through this one nation in this one place (v. 3; Matthew 1:1-2).

How does thus apply to your life?

God has a plan for your life. He has been working thousands of years to bless you through Jesus.

Jason religion, Series, Sunday Sermon, Year of the Bible