During this advent season we will be considering the impact of the incarnation upon our lives through a thematic study of John's first epistle. Last week we considered the impact of the incarnation upon the revelation of God. In that study, we saw that the validity of our testimony is contingent upon the veracity of God's testimony! Truly all of our "faith" (doctrine) and "practice" (works) are intricately tied to the revelation of God in His word! Probably the most important of those truths in our relationship with God is: The Redemption of Man. Interestingly, it this thought John brings up first and intertwines into the three aspects of our reflection of Christ.

During this advent season we will be considering the impact of the incarnation upon our lives through a thematic study of John's first epistle. Last week we considered the impact of the incarnation upon the revelation of God. In that study, we saw that the validity of our testimony is contingent upon the veracity of God's testimony! Truly all of our "faith" (doctrine) and "practice" (works) are intricately tied to the revelation of God in His word! Probably the most important of those truths in our relationship with God is: The Redemption of Man. Interestingly, it this thought John brings up first and intertwines into the three aspects of our reflection of Christ.

During this advent season we will be considering the impact of the incarnation upon our lives through a thematic study of John's first epistle. Today, we begin with his testimony ... which, in turn becomes part of our testimony. This study is crucial. For as we shall see: The validity of our testimony is contingent upon the veracity of God's testimony!

Today, we will consider David's final charge to Solomon - the final act recorded of David's eventful reign.

Today, we continue to look at the final acts of David as the king over Israel. In 1 Chronicles 22-29 we see part of David's planning for Israel's future and, specifically, for the building of the "House of God" ... the temple. It had been David's desire to build the temple but YHWH had specifically told him that he was not to be the one to build it. Rather, David's son - Solomon - would be the one to build it (cf. 2 Sam 7:8-16; 1 Chron 17:4-15; 22:7-11).

Today, as we consider the Coronation of Solomon, we see that the consequences of David's sinful decisions follow him all the way to the end of his life.

Today, we see that through the rebellion and restoration period, David still had not gotten to the end of "self" in his reign.

This morning we consider: A TALE OF TWO PSALMS

... two psalms that have been placed adjacent in God's Word but are reflective of two separate eras of David's life

... The First: A Psalm from the Early David ... The Second: A Psalm from the Later David

... The First: A Psalm of Rejoicing ... The Second: A Psalm of Remorsing

... The First: A Psalm of Praise ... The Second: A Psalm of Prophecy

... The First: A Reflection of God's Faithfulness ... The Second: A Reflection of God's Faithfulness!

The choices that we make will ultimately effect others around us. Forcing others to make choices. Today, we are presented with two more incidents during the reign of David. Both of these incidents deal with how we respond when faced with crisis.

We have seen that after God made an everlasting covenant with David, David fell into sin. David's family and, by extension, the nation felt the repercussions of David's sin. His sons struggled with a lack of self-control and a great portion of self-focus. David was forced to flee by the usurpation of Absalom. Now, Absalom was dead. Today, we consider David's return to Jerusalem - an event that is marked, and marred, by politics.