October 30, 2022
JUST DO IT
October 30, 2022
Teaching Pastor Charles Billingsley
Building a long-term relationship (like a marriage) takes hard work! What are some of the “non-negotiables” of a bond that will cause it to grow stronger with time?
Today we wrap up our series on the life of Israel’s best-known king, David, as we come to the end of his life. Having lived seventy years, David has offered us the opportunity to learn great lessons, both from the victorious leader on how to chase after the heart of God, as well as from the imperfect human who sinned so greatly “the sword would never depart from his house.” He also sinned by having the people of Israel counted, apparently spending some time considering what a great army of fighting men he led. Even in sin, David was a man of immediate repentance when his heart refocused on God. Join with us as we study his important “deathbed instructions” from a wise father to his son.
Focal Passage: Acts 13:36, Psalm 27:13-14, 1 Chronicles 26:1-8, 9-10, 1 Kings 2:1-4.
Know God
· Read 1 Chronicles 23:1. David is now on his deathbed, probably frail at seventy years of life. What are some of the descriptions you can use when you think of his whole life? What had been his primary focus throughout his lifetime?
· What was the major concern that he was made aware of now, and that he must take care of quickly before he dies? Why was it so important?
· Read 1 Chron. 28:9a. David admonishes Solomon to set his course for life. What is the first thing he tells him to do?
· How did David learn everything he knew about God? Read Psalm 8:3-6. Why is it astounding that he had such a deep knowledge of God?
· How do you know God? What is the greatest way in which you can know God intimately? How important is it that you spend some quality time with Him daily?
· Are you able to have a small amount of time in worshiping God daily? What can you do? Why do we feel worship is only done in the church? How much time do you spend reading and meditating on His word daily? How vital is this to you?
Knowing God should be the ultimate purpose of your life!
Serve God
· Read 1 Chron. 28:9 again. What is the second thing David exhorts Solomon to do? What are the two ways in which David tells him to serve God?
· What does he mean “with his whole heart”? Read Mark 12:32-34. Did this Scribe have a good grasp of the totality of loving God with one’s whole being? (What did he lack?)
· What was the second way David told Solomon to serve God? Read 2 Cor. 8:12. What is Paul saying in this verse? In your life, do you have a zeal for God, but lack confidence that you can complete a job to God’s satisfaction? Do you realize that God will accept the job you do, if done in sincerity and love for Him? Why would He do this?
· Read Romans 12:1-2. Why is it so important to be renewed in your mind? During any given day, what are some of the “arrows” that are shot into your mind by the world?
· Read Malachi 3:16-18 and Psalm 100:1-5. How seriously does God take our service to Him? Does He desire us to do it joyfully? Is it to be a burden?
Seek God
· In speaking to Solomon, what was the third thing that David told him to do? How do you seek God? Read Lamentations 3:25-26. How does God view your seeking Him?
· Read Psalm 14:2-3. Does it seem as though there are not many who actually seek God, who desire with their whole being to know Him better?
· Read Psa. 69:30-32. Are you seeking after God?
Close:
Hopefully, the more we are encouraged by sermons that spur us to value our time with God, the more we will know how vital it is to our life, our family’s life, and our children’s future that we take these simple instructions that David had for Solomon and incorporate them into our own schedules. These words of David were spoken before the leaders of the house of Israel and were last words of being obedient to the ways of God. Even today, last words spoken by someone near to us are revered, and, if possible, carried out. We often hear the lament of someone who hasn’t been able to perform “last words,” and it causes much heartache.
Those three steps for Solomon are just as important to us today as they were to him: KNOW God, SERVE Him, and SEEK Him. Charles challenged us to learn to spend time alone with God in this manner:
1) Detach yourself daily, getting alone with God in silence, for at least 15 minutes or more. No cell phone, no music, tv, or interruptions. Listen for His voice.
2) Withdraw weekly for at least 2 hours, seeking nothing except to hear from God. He will not disappoint. Don’t give up on the silence. Listen for Him. Draw near to Him.
3) Abandon annually. Each year, get away for 2-3 days to be along with God. No electronics. The family won’t collapse if they know where you are and what you’re doing, and the result will be a home-life that transcends the ordinary!
Susannah Wesley, mother of John and Charles Wesley, once wrote: “We must know God experientially, for… the heart [must] perceive and know Him to be [its] supreme good, [and its] only happiness, [and]… the soul [must] feel and acknowledge that [it] can
have no repose, no peace, no joy but in loving and being loved by Him.” (Grammar of Susannah Wesley corrected for today’s style).