April 19, 2026

THE PATH OF LIFE: THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY OUT

April 19, 2026

Senior Pastor Jonathan Falwell

As we began our worship of Jesus through music today, there was an incredible feeling of glory and praise being lifted up. The choir and soloist sang, “I can see Jesus, high and exalted… clothed in glory, He is high and lifted up,” with all voices swelling. The song is based on Isaiah 6:1-3, where Isaiah said, “I saw the Lord, high and lifted up… seraphim cried, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord!’ Today, all heaven joined in. Many decades ago, Steve Green recorded, ‘God and God Alone,’ exalting Jesus as ‘fit to take the universe’s throne; let everything that lives reserve its truest praise for God and God alone.’ How does this relate to today’s sermon? Singing praise to God is a marvelous way to worship Jesus anytime, wherever it may be. But when we sing praise to Him when we’re alone, it is drawing near to Him as we ignore our foolish pride and sing for His ears alone. Singing engages more of the brain than language does, creating joy in our spirit. Our sermon this morning quotes David’s worship of God as he wrote Psalm 18, singing to the Lord how He had rescued, protected, cared for, and loved David all his life. May we also sing our praise to God.

Focal Passages: Psalm 18

Knowing your path in life requires you to know your strength:

  • Read Psalm 18:1-6. Last week, most of our questions were for new followers of Christ; today, we want to continue growing as we follow Him. Why is it so necessary that we grow in our faith? How does nature teach us that healthy plants grow?
  • When you were a child, was there one person in your life that you knew you could depend on? As a believer, how does Jesus want to fill that role in your life? Do you let Him?
  • When David used the terms for what Jesus meant to him in these verses, did anyone jot down the meanings of the words? Discuss the depth of God being David’s Strength, his Rock, Fortress, Deliverer, Shield, and God (and more). What did they all provide? What one word did he use with each one? In verse 6, how did David say how he was feeling? What did God do? What can you learn from this? Is He all of those to you?
  • When you are in trouble, who do you turn to—your spouse, your own capability, a friend? Do you have as much faith in God as David did? Why or why not? Read Neh. 2:1-6. In verse 4, how long could Nehemiah’s prayer have been? How long does it take you to turn to God when circumstances call for it? Do you have faith that He will respond to you as He did to David? Do you think of Him as a genie, or as your loving Father?
  • Is there any situation or circumstance in your life that you believe takes precedence over what Jesus asks of you? Can you ask this of yourself each morning, committing the day to Jesus, not seeking your own will or ideas?

Knowing your path in life requires you to see the way out: 

  • Read Psa. 18:16-19. What are some of the things that can happen to you daily, causing stress or pain? What type of pain was David going through? Could he control what people thought of him? Is there always an easy way out of your painful situations? What do you do?
  • Is God still with you in those painful situations? Are you aware that sometimes God gives you an escape from troubles? Read Psa. 71:2 and 141:10. We were not speaking of temptations in that last question, but He promises a way out of those. Read 1 Cor. 10:13. Why would He do that?
  • There is another way out, in a different sense. Read John 8:32. What is God speaking of in this verse? Read Romans 6:18. Is this another way out—that is, you don’t have to be slaves to sin? To go a step further, does anyone have to go to hell? Why not?

Knowing your path in life requires you to seek the Way-maker:

  • Read Psa. 18:20-29. Does anyone know what had just occurred when David wrote this Psalm? Had David been the subject of Saul’s anger for many years? Did he deserve it?
  • As you read this psalm, how do you think his task as a shepherd boy taught him about God? How had it taught him to look to God for deliverance? Did he often pray for a way out?
  • David reminds you that God will be your protector and strength; what does it require from you? You must make certain that you are not obeying God’s commands because you want to try to be ‘worthy’ of His love and grace, but you obey because you love Him with your whole heart. What is the difference?

Knowing your path in life requires you to accept there’s only One who can give your life meaning:

  • Read verses 30-32. Why are God’s promises so important to your daily living? How often do you realize His promises are the foundation you stand on daily? Do you have faith that He will take care of you through the pain and stress of life? Will He always take the trials away? Why not? Can you get the peace that Jesus gives in any other place in life than from Him? Why not?
  • What is the most important fact you know about God? Do you live your life on that fact? Does it undergird everything you do? Is this that fact for you: that He loves you as His child, no matter what you do, and He will never love you less than He does this minute?

Close:  Wouldn’t you love to have known David as a young person? He was the youngest of eight boys; if you were the youngest in the family, you can imagine how much he was picked on. It is obvious from reading his life in the Bible that he was always making someone mad: he used the phrase, “What have I done now?” just as any boy would today! Yet, through years of criticism, he learned God in a way most of us never do. He wrote heartfelt poems and songs that revealed his soul’s anguish: he had many enemies as he grew, yet he understood God’s holiness, His power, His protection. He rejoiced in God in a way we normally are not able to articulate. His enduring epitaph from God was that ‘David was a man after God’s own heart.’ Would you love to have God say that about you? He sinned later in his life, but repented with a broken heart. His thoughts were often on God; he looked to God continually to be his rescuer, and his love for God was awesome. How much time in the average day are your thoughts on God, His blessings, or just abiding in His presence?

By Sandy Day

April 19, 2026

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