Sharon RP Church

As David's house grows stronger, Abner defects from Ish-bosheth amid political intrigue, while David's own choices expose human sin. Study and transcript: https://sharonrpc.org/devotions/2-samuel-3-1-21-trust-gods-promises-amid-human-failure

David's and Ish-bosheth's forces clash at Gibeon, where Asael dies and David's men prevail. Study and transcript: https://sharonrpc.org/devotions/2-samuel-2-12-32-trust-gods-promises-in-the-battle

Are you ready for the new life that you have in Christ? That doesn't always mean that life will be great, but you do have a new King that you can serve with joy. Sin does not have dominion over us any longer. We will still battle with it, and it's hard; but it's not our master. And our King knows our frailties and deals graciously with us. If you are in Christ, you have the choice as to whether to serve Jesus or sin. Are you using your body and your gifts to serve the King of kings? We are called to be under the lordship of Christ. As a beloved child of God, we get to present ourselves and all that we have to the service and orders of King Jesus. He didn't redeem us so that we can still be a slave to sin. Who will you serve?

You are going to serve someone or something. The question is: who or what is it? If you are in Christ, you get to decide if you will walk in according to the old man of sin, or if you walk in the ways of Christ. If we try to live in our own strength, we will certainly fail. It's not enough to just hate sin; we must love Jesus instead. We will continually be fighting sin, but He must be our chief joy and desire! Jesus really died, and He really rose from the dead, and He will never die again. That's our proof that we are no longer slaves to sin. Death and sin do not have dominion over Christ; and since we are in Him, they have no dominion over us either. We may now consider ourselves to be dead to sin, and alive as a new creation in Jesus. Who will you love more: the old man of sin, or the Lord Jesus?

Abner makes Saul's son Ish-bosheth king over Israel while David reigns over Judah in Hebron. Study and transcript: https://sharonrpc.org/devotions/2-samuel-2-8-11-trust-god-through-hard-providence

David seeks the Lord, is anointed king over Judah in Hebron, and honors the men who buried Saul. Study and transcript: https://sharonrpc.org/devotions/2-samuel-2-1-7-god-keeps-his-promise-of-a-king

David laments Saul and Jonathan, honoring their lives and mourning the loss of his beloved friend. Study and transcript: https://sharonrpc.org/devotions/2-samuel-1-17-27-grieve-with-resurrection-hope

David mourns Saul's death and judges the Amalekite who claims to have killed the Lord's anointed. Study and transcript: https://sharonrpc.org/devotions/2-samuel-1-1-16-honor-the-lords-anointed

The Lord brings down unfaithful Saul and transfers the kingdom to David. Study and transcript: https://sharonrpc.org/devotions/1-chronicles-10-1-14-look-to-jesus-the-perfect-king

Sometimes we have a problem making the proper connection between "do" and "done." We often have a disconnect between knowing the good news of the Gospel and knowing how it actually changes our life. Our eternal state in the Kingdom of God depends on our being unified with Jesus and being raised up with Him in His resurrection. After Adam and Eve sinned, we became unable to not sin. But if our life is now hidden in Christ, we have a new identity. The tyranny of sin is over! Sin is no longer our master; Jesus is. We will still struggle with sin, but we fight from a position of strength because Jesus is now our King! Are you believing a band-aid Gospel that doesn't fix your real problems, or does God's Word transform you and change your life?