Sermon Text: 2 Samuel 19b-40 Theme: The king appointed by God to rule His people offers grace and mercy to all who will submit themselves to his reign. Structure/points: After the death of Absalom, David was faced with the problem of retaking the throne of Israel. How would David return to power? How would he deal with those who’d betrayed or opposed…
Sermon Text: 2 Samuel 18:19-19:8a Theme: David’s inappropriate grief for Absalom’s death shamed both God and man by his rejection of the salvation that had been accomplished for him. Structure/points: The news of Absalom’s defeat was good news, for it meant that David had been rescued by the Lord from his enemies. But given David’s explicit orders to deal gently with Absalom, how…
Sermon Text: 2 Samuel 18:1-18 Theme: The Lord secured the reign of the king whom He had covenanted with through the humiliating defeat and death of the traitor. Structure/points: In 2 Samuel 7, God had promised that He would build a house for King David. Despite David’s lack of merit, God covenanted to raise a son of David’s body and establish the…
Sermon Text: 2 Samuel 17:5-29 Theme: The Lord has decreed the defeat of every wicked, rebellious king, ensuring that His people will be ruled in His name by a righteous ruler whose kingdom is established forever. Structure/points: Since Absalom stole the throne of Israel from David, he made it plain that he sought the death of his father. At his right hand…
Sermon Text: 2 Samuel 16:15-17:4 Theme: By accepting despicable counsel to antagonize his father, Absalom declared his irreversible and open opposition to the Lord who had chosen David as king of Israel. Structure/points: When Absalom was busy stealing the hearts of Israel, he created a public image of majesty mixed with familiarity and civic-mindedness. But after the launch of his coup, Absalom’s…
Sermon Text: 2 Samuel 16:1-14 Theme: Even though the greatest human king will make flawed judgments, the people of God humbly trust the pronouncement of the Judge of all the earth to be right and perfect at all times. Structure/points: The Bible doesn’t suggest that David was a perfect king in exile. If anything, 2 Samuel 16:1-14 shows that David was capable…
Sermon Text: Matthew 4:12-22 Theme: Because the Lord has sent Jesus as light to rescue those in spiritual darkness, all must answer Christ’s call to repent of sin and find salvation in His kingdom. Structure/points: Over advent 2025, we’ve been learning about the very beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. Now we read of how the Beloved Son of God began to call…
Sermon Text: Matthew 4:8-11 Theme: Jesus proved that the true Son of Heaven would inherit the Kingdom of God by obeying the command to worship the Lord His God alone. Structure/points: Our advent series has focused on Jesus’ formal inauguration as the Christ. He was acknowledged as the beloved Son of God, and then exposed to the temptations of the devil for…
Sermon Text: Matthew 4:5-7 Theme: Jesus proved that the true Son of God does not demand that His Father submit to unholy testing; instead, He rests in confident submission to the faithful promises of a trustworthy God. Structure/points: Temptation is rarely a matter of saying “No” once. As often than not, sin must be resisted continually because the pressure to give in…
Sermon Text: Matthew 4:1-4 Theme: Jesus proved that the true Son of God trusts His Father in Heaven to provide for Him by refusing to use His messianic powers to avoid the suffering appointed to Him. Structure/points: At the Jordan River, Jesus was baptized and identified as the beloved Son of God. But what did that mean? How did He understand Himself…