Kingdom Come
2 Samuel
Kingdom Hope
June 16, 2019 • Pastor Ben Cross
As God's people we can have absolute certainty. Our hope in God is not a wish or a maybe; our hope is anchored in nothing less than God’s integrity. In this message we’ll look at a song David wrote that reveals great insights about the incredible hope we have in God.
Kingdom Heroes: David's Mighty Men
June 9, 2019 • Pastor Ben Cross
This Sunday we'll see a sort of highlight reel that reveals the backstory of some of the warriors who had been with David and supported him on his journey. These men were an elite task force who accomplished incredible victories for David and the kingdom. As we learn about these men, we’ll see some interesting parallels and insights about the true heroes of God’s kingdom. We’ll also learn how God, who is all-powerful, chooses to allow us to participate with him in his work and be a part of his kingdom work here on earth.
Kingdom Holiness (Continued)
June 2, 2019 • Pastor Ben Cross
We believe God loves us and has good intentions for us, so why does he allow evil? This Sunday, we’ll unpack this exact question about God as we see a specific example from the life of David. We’ll see the timeless truth of Scripture as we learn from David's story in ways that impact how we live today.
Kingdom Holiness
May 26, 2019 • Pastor Ben Cross
The conclusion of 2 Samuel is just as messy and complex as the rest of David’s journey has been. In fact, these raise some of the most messy and complex questions in the entire Bible. Yet, it's in the trauma of David experience that God revealed some of the most profound insights about what Jesus would do a thousand years later for us all. It's really quite amazing.
It'll Never be the Same
May 19, 2019 • Pastor Ben Cross
As the story continues to unfold, we’ll see that David's life, family, and kingdom will never be the same again. The ideal picture presented in 2 Samuel 8:15 is forever ruined. However, David's example in the aftermath of so much permanent loss, is an encouraging reminder of how sin's consequences need not define the rest of our lives.
Confidence in Consequence (Continued)
May 5, 2019 • Pastor Ben Cross
In this Sunday’s episode of 2 Samuel, David continues his emergency exit from Jerusalem and encounters three enemies trying to harm him. Worst of all, one of these three was a close friend and adviser who turned against him. We’ll see how David handles this ongoing crisis, and how you and I can respond well as Christians in the face of opposition.
Confidence in Consequence
April 28, 2019 • Pastor Ben Cross
This Sunday, we’re back in 2 Samuel, and the story of David’s family continues to unfold. David’s son Absalom undermines his father and attempts a coup, forcing David on the run for his life. As we’ll learn this Sunday, God is gracious and forgiving, but that doesn’t automatically erase the consequences for our sin. David had created and caused many of the problems he now faces, but rather than run from God, he shows us how to remain confident in God, even in the midst of sin's consequences.
Like Father, Like Son, but Worse
April 14, 2019 • Pastor Corey Rose
This Sunday, the chaos in David’s family continues as another son, Absalom undermines David’s authority and launches a coup to take over the throne. Where is God in all of this mess? In this family? Especially in the family of a prominent spiritual leader and figure in the Bible?
Like Father, Like Sons
April 7, 2019 • Pastor Corey Rose
After David’s moral failure with Bathsheba, a wave of chaos and wicked behavior continues in his family. The Bible is open and honest about these devastating failures and records a gut-wrenching account of rape committed within David’s family. So many people are affected by the evils of sexual violence, and as we process this passage on Sunday, we’ll look at how to face some of life’s most difficult challenges that cause us to grieve, act, and learn more how to demonstrate compassion and receive the restoration that only God can bring.
Who Knows?
March 31, 2019 • Pastor Ben Cross
This Sunday, as the story continues, we’ll see how the effects of David’s sin continue to play out. David confesses his sin and receives God’s forgiveness, but there was still permanent damage and chaos from his decisions. Temptation affects each of us, and when we sin, shame and guilt can haunt us, telling us we that are unworthy and that God no longer loves us. In this Sunday's sermon, we'll learn how God can take our greatest failures and turn them into the greatest good, if we return to him and allow him to restore us in our relationship with Him.
Busted!
March 24, 2019 • Pastor Ben Cross
In the last sermon, we saw David’s colossal failure with Bathsheba. He abused his power, broke commandments, and took advantage of her. In this sermon, David is confronted by his sin, and we’ll see how he responds. We’ll study Psalm 51, where David actually records for us his process of coming to terms with what he did and we see his prayer of confession to God. When we sin, so often our response is to avoid God and distance ourselves from him. In this sermon, we’ll learn about how to return and respond to God even after our worst sins and greatest failures. We’ll learn how to confess, repent and draw near to be restored to God again.
Look, Hook, Took
March 17, 2019 • Pastor Ben Cross
As we've seen in 1 & 2 Samuel, David has been on an escalator rise to power, from shepherd boy to national hero to now finally, to king of Israel. Now, at the top of his game, his troops are out to war while David stays behind. Maybe he felt he deserved a break, maybe he was getting lazy, or maybe he was exhausted from years on the run. You can imagine the intensity of what he had been through–perhaps even PTSD from years of combat–and his adrenaline glands were probably shot from so many close calls of life and death moments. As he looks out over his kingdom, David sees an attractive woman bathing and decides to take her. David abuses his authority and begins a series of despicable sinful acts that create chaos for him, his family, and eventually the kingdom. We all face temptations of many kinds–and when we’re worn out, low, depressed, exhausted, or simply unwise and unguarded, we’re capable of things we never imagined possible. The temptation that David faced is alive and well in our own times today, and this Sunday we’ll look at how to respond to temptation and how to win with God’s help.
Kingdom Kindness
March 10, 2019 • Pastor Ben Cross
In the latest episode from 2 Samuel, King David's reign is becoming more established, but all is not well in the kingdom. One of the life principles we learned on Sunday is that major moral failures often follow a series of smaller compromises, and King David is no exception. Even during a time of blessing and security, God's people failed to uphold justice and righteousness, and it led to their eventual demise.
The Golden Years
March 3, 2019 • Pastor Ben Cross
This episode of 2 Samuel is all about how David’s kingdom reflects the kingdom of God. We see David continue to have victory at every turn and see God’s promises come to pass as David’s enemies are defeated with God’s help This chapter reminds us that God’s enemies must be defeated for God’s kingdom promises to be fulfilled and established. Our God is more than able to accomplish what he said and save his people from every enemy that threatens them.
Rest, Worship, Praise
February 24, 2019 • Josh Bidwell
In the busyness of life, it can be so easy to forget God and his goodness. We have so many reasons to trust him and his promises, but how often do we actually stop to remember his goodness? That’s exactly what David did in this week’s passage from 2 Samuel. After coming to power as the king of Israel, David takes time to stop, sit back and reflect on how great God is and how much God had done for him. As a Christian, you have the incredible benefit of experiencing God’s peace and presence, just like David did. This Sunday, we’ll learn about slowing down to intentionally pause so we can experience God’s peace and presence in our everyday lives.