Confession:
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we acknowledge and confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. Deepen within us our sorrow for the wrong we have done, and the good we have left undone. Lord, you are full of compassion, and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in mercy; there is always forgiveness with you! Restore to us the joy of your salvation; bind up that which is broken, give light to our minds, strength to our wills, and rest to our souls. Speak to each of us, and let your word abide with us until it has worked in us your holy will. rough Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Assurance of Pardon:
“He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” Prov. 28:13

"Politics are like alcohol. Drink toward health, in moderation. But some of us are so addicted that we shouldn’t enter the bar at all." - Scott Sauls

"Sin is not just the doing of bad things but the making of good things into ultimate things. It is seeking to establish a sense of self by making something else more central to your significance, purpose & happiness than your relationship to God." - Tim Keller

1. How Politics exposes us
a. Through socially acceptable sins (v. 1-5)
b. Politics exposes us By showing how self interest can erode away conviction and integrity. (v. 6-13)
c. Dirty politics creates innocent victims (v. 14-15)
d. Politics exposes our impulses of jealousy and revenge (v. 22-27)
2. How God Saves us (v. 28-39)

Confession: Holy and righteous God, we confess that like Isaiah, we are a people of unclean lips. But it is not only unclean lips we possess. We are people with unclean hands and unclean hearts. We have broken your law times without number, and are guilty of pride, unbelief, self-centeredness and idolatry. We have sought satisfaction in this world’s pleasures rather than in You. We have loved to praise our own glory more than yours. Affect our hearts with the severity of our sin and the glory of your righteousness, as we trust in your loving forgiveness, through Jesus Christ your Son.

Isaiah 54:1-8

"The Lord very frequently addresses us in the character of a husband; the union by which he connects us with himself, when he receives us into the bosom of the Church, having some resemblance to that of holy wedlock, because founded on mutual faith. As he performs all the offices of a true and faithful husband, so he stipulates for love and conjugal chastity from us; that is, that we do not prostitute our souls to Satan, to be defiled with foul carnal lusts. Hence, when he rebukes the Jews for their apostasy, he complains that they have cast off chastity, and polluted themselves with adultery. Therefore, as the purer and chaster the husband is, the more grievously is he offended when he sees his wife inclining to a rival." - John Calvin

Confession: Holy and gracious Father, we are gathered before you, the maker of heaven and earth, whose chosen dwelling place is with the broken and contrite, to confess that we have sinned in thought and word and deed. We have not loved you with all our hearts and souls, we have not loved you with all our minds and strength; we have not even loved our neighbors as ourselves. In your mercy, deepen our sorrow for the wrong we have done and for the good we have left undone, so that we may hate our sin with a holy hatred. But, please Father, do not leave us in sorrow. With you, O Lord, there is forgiveness. In your mercy, restore the joy of our salvation, so that we may love you with a holy love. Amen.

We grow as disciples by learning about (grasping) all that is ours in Christ.
Paul prays for those who have come to know and experience the truth of the gospel.

1. What does he pray? verses 17-18
That the Father of glory would press deep the gospel by giving believers …
The Spirit of wisdom
The Spirit of revelation
The knowledge of Jesus Christ
Enlightened ‘heart eyes’

2. Why does he pray it?
He wants to see them grow.
He knows they deal with cluttered hearts.
Spiritual hunger can lead to truth or error.
Harshness of life’s trials. 2 Cor 11:24-28

3. What does it produce? verses 18-21
HOPE to which you are called
Riches of God’s INHERITANCE
Greatness of God’s POWER

APPLICATION:
Make Paul’s curriculum your own.
Make Paul’s prayer your own; first for yourself, then for others.
Take Paul’s Redeemer as your own.

Confession: Righteous God, you have crowned Jesus Christ as Lord of all. We confess that we have not bowed before him and are slow to acknowledge his rule. We give allegiance to the powers and values of this world and fail to be governed by justice and love. We have failed to love others as you have loved us.
In your mercy, forgive us. Give us the grace to crown Jesus as King of every part of our hearts, that we may be loyal ambassadors, obeying His commands and reflecting His love to a watching world.

1. The Kingdom of God starts small: "Do not despise the day of small beginnings,
for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. Zach. 4:10
2. The Kingdom of God grows gently but inevitably
3. The Kingdom of God uses and overcomes the forces of this world

Radical Generosity

Prayer of consecration
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me plant love. Where there is injury, healing. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. O Great King, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. And it is in dying to self that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen.

1 Samuel 30:1-6 (and 7-25)
1 David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, 2 and had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.
3 When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. 5 David’s two wives had been captured.... 6 David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters.

Godly Leadership:
1. Seeks God (v. 6-8)
2. Serves Even when Suffering (11-15)
3. Selfless in its Generosity (v. 16-25)

GRACE CREATED GRATITUDE AND DEFEATED GREED IN DAVID’S HEART

1. Our giving shows us what we are really trusting in. Matt. 6:19-21
2. Greed can never bring satisfaction... “he who loves money never has money enough” Ecc. 5:10
3. Grace frees from Greed and fuels Giving: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may about in every good work” 2 Cor. 9:8
4. You can’t lose what you’ve already given away: “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose” - Jim Elliot

Sermon Series: David
Making God-Centered Decisions

Confession: Loving King, our thoughts and motives cannot be hidden from your sight. Our self-pity and pride, our idolatry and sloth, our anger and envy, are laid bare before your eyes and ours. Forgive us for remaining silent and for shrinking back in fear when we should be speaking up for righteousness and truth. We regret the times we have denied our Eternal Savior because we were afraid of men. We regret the times we have gone along with the crowd because we were afraid of what standing for Christ would cost us. We humble ourselves before you and ask that you cover us in the blood of Christ and grant us courage to proudly identify ourselves as followers of Jesus. Renew us in the grace and strength of your Holy Spirit, for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son, our Savior. Amen.

1 Samuel 24:1-22

Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27:14

Humble yourself under God’s mighty hand that He may lift you up at the right time.
1 Peter 5:6

Sermon: David - Life in the Wilderness (1 Sam. 22:1-2)

Confession: Almighty God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as those who have been
delivered from the wrath to come through the blood of Jesus Christ, we come now to confess our sins, and to seek the grace and mercy that can only be found in you. You have called us to be people of faith, hope and love, but we are guilty of unbelief, hopelessness and hatred. When we should have delighted in Jesus Christ, we have sought refuge in created things. When we should have endured trials with patience and hope, we have grumbled against you. When we should have loved you with all of our heart, and our neighbor as ourselves, we have been self-absorbed. Have mercy on us, O God, and bear fruit in us by your Word. Turn our hearts upward to heaven, so that we will live as those who await the glorious appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord, in whose name we pray. Amen.

The Assurance of Pardoning Grace:
Micah 7:18-19 "Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.'

Life in the Wilderness
1 Samuel 22:1-2 "David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. 2 All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him."

Hosea 2:14
"Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
and bring her into the wilderness,
and there I will speak tenderly to her.
And there I will give her her vineyards
and make the Valley of trouble a door of hope."

Loneliness, Fear, Anger, Rejection

David lost:
His status/ reputation
His job
His wife
His safety
His mentor
His friend

Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

1 Samuel 17:1-51 | David and Goliath

Facing and Dealing with Fear:
1. No Courage (Saul)
2. Self-Courage (Goliath) "visualizing success", "dig deep in yourself"
3. True Courage (David) having something bigger than your fear

- Don't just be "inspired"
- Stop trying to be the Hero
- Be Heroic IN CHRIST

1 Samuel 17:45-47 | Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with la javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”