Awake Us Now

Lord and God? A great moral teacher? A very good man? What claims did Jesus actually make about His identity?

Faith is essential ... but in what do place our faith? The scriptures make it clear that we are to place our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, the Savior of all the nations, and the Hope of all the earth!

Genesis 1:1 - "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

Let's look at the words "God" and "created." in this verse in Hebrew the word used for God is a plural noun and created is a singular verb.

What day did God create the world? It says God created everything in 6 days and He rested on the 7th day, the Sabbath, and that is Saturday. Which means the first day of creation was on Sunday. What was the day of the week that God began a new creation? That was on the day Jesus arose from the grave. The Bible tells us this was on the first day of the week, on a Sunday.

Jesus' closest friend, John, begins his gospel this way: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God." Psalm 33:6 "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth."

In Genesis 1 we read over and over, "And God said…" God brought everything into being through His Word and the Bible describes Jesus as that Word, the Living Word. John 1:3 tells us "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. Hard to comprehend, but true.

John goes on in verse 14, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." Let's look at these words from that verse, "made his dwelling" in Hebrew it is one word. Tabernacles. Jesus, the Word became flesh and tabernacles among us. Not simply in the spirit, but in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:15-17 "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."

The only way we can be held together in this fallen world is in Jesus Christ, the Savior of us all. The only way to face the future and the difficulties of life in a fallen world is through the power of His Son who has redeemed us and through His Holy Spirit who strengthens, guides and directs us.

Our God is an awesome God!

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From Genesis to Revelation, God's plan remains the same - to reach all nations and bring people back to Him. How close are we to seeing that happen? Why is belief in Jesus growing at such an astounding pace in much of the world, but not in Europe and North America?

The nation of Israel was reborn suddenly in 1948, and the Jewish people have returned to the Promised Land in great numbers after 1900 years of exile. What does show about God's faithfulness and promises? What does it mean to believers in the Messiah?

Wars, violence, persecution - Jesus warned these things would mark the time before His return. These things, He said, were like birth pains - increasing trial and suffering that herald a joyful ending. "When these things begin to take place," He said, "... lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:28)

Scripture repeatedly warns us against the dangers of simply going with what we want to hear - we usually end up listening not to God, but to deceivers who have no proper authority.

Scripture: David's Psalms.

This is the final teaching in the "David…and the Heart of God" series. We will explore David's Psalms today.

In 2 Samuel 23:1 we read that David is described as the sweet psalmist of Israel. David's psalms have influence and spoke to the hearts of people for millennia.

C.S. Lewis said, "The most valuable thing the psalms do for me is to express that small delight in God which made David dance."

And Billy Graham said, "I used to read five psalms every day - that teaches me how to get along with God. Then I read a chapter of Proverbs every day and that teaches me how to get along with my fellow man."

75 of the 150 Psalms were written by David.

Some themes in David's Psalms with a few examples:

Praise - Psalm 95:1-2, Psalm 57:9-11, Psalm 103:1-3. We are encouraged to begin everything with praise, it honors God and brings refreshment to our souls. Praise takes our eyes off ourselves and putts them on God. True meaning for life is found only in God our Savior. David teaches us to praise the Lord from the heart even when we feel like we're at the bottom of the pit, because God heals and His name is to be praised.

Penitence - Psalm 32:1-2 & 5, Psalm 139:23-24, Psalm 51:1-2. David's psalms help us recognize we are spiritually poor and needy and we are to be humble before God because we are all sinners. David shows us words of confession for transgression because we can be confident that through faith in Christ, God forgives. Our sins are paid for through Jesus' sacrificial death. The Lord is merciful, He washes away our sin.

Presence - Psalm 32:7, Psalm 145:18. God is near, He is present, we cannot flee from Him. His presence gives hope and healing. He is near to all who call Him. He is unfailingly present in our lives.

Prayer - Psalm 25:4-5, Psalm 141, 2-4. Psalms are used for prayer, and are a good way to begin our day. They guide us in how to pray honestly before God and we see that through David's prayerful words we can draw near to the Lord. David's Psalms are filled with words asking the Lord for guidance, direction, strength against sin, power for the spiritual battle, and prayers seeking God and His face.

Protection - Psalm:1 & 3, Psalm 18:1-2, Psalm 55:18 7 22. The Lord is our Protector and the One who defends us and we are to call upon Him. He is the Stronghold of our lives. God is our Rock, Shield, our Strength, our place of Refuge, our Fortress, our Deliverer. The Lord sustains us and He cares for us.

Prophecy - Psalm 110:1, Psalm 22:1 & 16018 & 29-31. David spoke much prophecy about the coming Messiah. David shared prophetic words even about the day that Jesus would be on the cross a thousand years before Jesus' death. David understood prophetically the love of Jesus who would say, "It is finished." And through prophetic understanding David saw the finished work of Christ.

Pastor ends by encouraging us to read through David's Psalms this week: 2-9, 11-32, 34-41, 51-65, 68-70, 86, 95, 101, 103, 108-110, 122, 124, 131, 133, 138-145

Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE.

Check out this video series from our website: https://www.awakeusnow.com/david-aynd-gods-heart

Join us Sundays https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service

Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.

Scripture: 1 Kings 2:1-4, 2 Samuel 7:16, Daniel 2:44, Daniel 7:13-14, Daniel 9:26, Acts 2:29-32.

We will take a look at David's legacy. 1 Kings 2:1-4, "When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son, "I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said. "So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: 'If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.'"

Prosper - by obedience to God, faithful to God. Promise - He wants to know there will continue to be godly men on the throne.

(Our next questions are: What do we know and what happened? Find out more about the descendants of David in our weekly Bible class "Kings and Prophets from Solomon to Jeremiah" on Tuesdays at 9:30am CT watch here: https://www.awakeusnow.com/tuesday-bible-class )

Back to today's story…. In 2 Samuel 7:16 we read a promise God gave David, "Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever." FOREVER! Two times! So the question is, "Did God break His word?" We know David's line did end… Zedekiah, was the last descendant of David on the throne at Jerusalem. 586 BC.

The answer - "But Daniel…" Pastor shares the story of Daniel's interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Daniel 2:44, ""In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever." There's the "forever" word again. In Daniel 7:13-14 Daniel has a vision, ""In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed."

The book of Daniel, through the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and some recent discoveries, has theologians, linguists and historians reexamining and taking a fresh look at the ancient past - they are discovering that what Daniel shared was actually true. David's prophetic statements challenge world-views.

Daniel 9:26 "The Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the rule who will come sill destroy the city and the sanctuary." (When the 4th kingdom comes the Messiah will be killed, the temple and the city will be destroyed.)

Daniel predicted 100's of years in advance: ⁃ Four great empires will arise (Daniel 2:44) ⁃ Son of Man given all authority (Daniel 7:13) ⁃ All nations will worship him (Daniel 7:14) ⁃ His kingdom will be forever (Daniel 7:14) ⁃ Anointed One will be killed (Daniel 9:26) ⁃ Second Temple will be destroyed (Daniel 9:26)

Daniel predicted 100's of years in advance that the Messiah would come at the time of the Romans (4th empire) an empire that had not yet risen at the time of the prophecy, that the second temple which had not yet been built would be destroyed by the 4th empire (the Romans - who actually did destroy the temple and the city of Jerusalem), that the Messiah would be killed (He was crucified and died on the Roman cross) and the Messiah's death would happen before the second temple was destroyed. The Messiah is Jesus who is also a descendant of David! And Jesus the Messiah will reign FOREVER!

It is a remarkable prophecy - As believers this reinforces our faith and if you are not a believer, our prayer is that this causes you to seek Jesus out because you will find Him!

Pastor closes with Peter's testimony in Acts 2:29-32 where we read that David's greatest legacy is Jesus the Messiah. The scriptures - recorded and preserved things going back hundreds and thousands of years, and continue to show itself to be reliable, trustworthy and true. They call us back to Jesus, they call us to come back to Him and respond to Him, to repentant and receive Jesus as our Savior, Lord and King.

God does keep His word and may He bring the legacy of David - our Lord Jesus Christ - to the very heart and center of all of our lives.

Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE.

Check out this video series from our website: https://www.awakeusnow.com/david-and-gods-heart

Join us Sundays https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service

Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.

Scripture: 2 Samuel 13-19.

Father Wounds - are wounds brought into our lives through family members. Deep wounds with lasting consequences.

Father's wounds - are wounds to parents by their children. It is grieving because their children turned their backs on the things they were taught from the time they were little.

Both are deep and painful wounds.

How to deal with the pain and how to go beyond it.

Our study covers: Amnon rapes Tamar (2 Sam 13) Absalom hates Amnon (2 Sam 13) Absalom murders Amnon (2 Sam 13) Absalom flees to thalami (2 Sam 13) Absalom conspires against David (2 Sam 15) Absalom revolts against David (2 Sam 15-17) Joab executes Absalom (2 Sam 18)

In our study we see that wounds eliminate the spiritual strength of King David. We also see wounds that bring about rebellion and hatred, anger and murder. We see wounds experienced by a father who feels he has failed his son.

A tragic horrible story. Yet God desires to speak to us through it. This story is in the Bible for a reason and purpose. The purpose is not just to inform but to transform. God desires to bring healing, hope and strength and to reverse the painful trajectory of what we have experienced.

Divine Prescriptions

⁃ Sow and Reap - Galatians 6:7-8 Consequences of our behavior can be negative or positive. "Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." Also, as seen in David's story, God forgives, but the consequences of sin are still there. ⁃ Nurture or Anger - Ephesians 6:4 encourages fathers to teach their children to live uprightly and faithfully before God and for fathers to model an upright life to their children. ⁃ Truth and Love - Ephesians 4:15 We are to speak truth to our kids but speak that with love. ⁃ Forgive and Release - Whether we have father wounds or father's wounds we are to forgive and letting go. Colossians 3:13 We are to forgive as the Lord forgives us - even those who have disappointed us, hurt us deeply, and in that forgiveness and releasing there is healing and there is hope. ⁃ Father and Son - 1 John 2:1-2 Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sin and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. God loves us and His love goes beyond the love of any father. Our Heavenly Father offers each of us healing, hope and life-transforming power.

If you have been the victim of a father wound or if you are experiencing a father's wounds, you need to know there is a Father who loves you more than you could imagine. Who understands the wounds because those wounds were placed in the very body of His Son and He offers to us forgiveness, eternal life, and the ability to start all over.

Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE.

Check out this video series from our website: https://www.awakeusnow.com/david-and-gods-heart

Join us Sundays https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service

Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.