LBC Blog

Pastor Tony continues our series on the life of David with 1 Samuel 18:6-29 to help us see what happens in our lives when we lose sight of God.

• Your perspective on other people
  • Do you expect praise for yourself?
  • Do you envy the praise others receive?
  • Do the successes of others make you angry, jealous, or glad?
• Purpose in your actions
  • Our recurring thoughts determine how we act.
  • Do you think most about what God wants or what you want?
• What brings pleasure to your heart
  • David was pleased anytime God’s kingdom grew.
  • Saul was please anytime his kingdom grew.
  • Is your soul’s happiness being enlarged by thinking of God’s kingdom or shrunk by thinking of yours?

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Pastor Tony continues our series on the life of David with 1 Samuel 18-20 to help us see:

1. A real relationship is driven and fueled by love
2. A covenant of love formalizes the relationship
3. Actions or will – the conduct of love – has the whole person engaged in the relationship

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Deacons, I am returning to the idea of being gospel saturated after a few weeks off. We know that it is important to be gospel saturated men, for being so is transformational for ourselves and the Church. We know that there are specific disciplines of the Christian life that promote gospel saturated lives. I now want to challenge you with three more goals for your life, which you can achieve as a gospel saturated person.

First, take it to its natural conclusion in your life. Anyabwile borrowed this thought from John Piper. We need to work in our Christian life to see that the gospel moves us to embrace God fully, behold God in all His glory, delight in God above all other things, and display God’s supreme beauty and worth. As we become gospel saturated people these things will be the natural result. Finding ourselves loving and serving God with our whole being is what we ought to desire, and the natural conclusion of being gospel saturated people is just that.

Second, let it animate every area of your life. Let it change the way you talk about others. Let it propel you to be an encouraging and correcting influence in the lives of others. Let it direct your career and relationship decisions. Let it govern how you invest your time, money, energy and emotions.

Third, share it with others. I’m sorry to say that it really isn’t enough to live a good clean life in front of others. It isn’t enough to have a smile on your face, joy in your heart and a good work ethic when you are concerned about obeying the command of Christ to make disciples. We must share the gospel and as we become increasingly saturated by it, we will be compelled to do so.

In all of these things you will be promoting a healthy, obedient and spiritually minded Church, where the work of the gospel is a natural thing not something forced by programs or personalities.

May God strengthen us to a consistent and active pursuit of a gospel saturated life.

• Part One
• Part Two

The basis for these writings on being a Healthy Church member are from Anyabwile, Thabiti M.What is a Healthy Church Member?. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2008.

Pastor Tony continues our series on the life of David with 1 Samuel 18-20 to help us see the difference between a sentimental relationship and a covenantal relationship.

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There will be two study times available:

1. Thursday mornings 9:30 – 11:30 AM; childcare by reservation only
2. Thursday evening 7:00 – 9:00; no childcare available

I Samuel 17 – David and Goliath

The key verses in this chapter are, 45-47. The main reason God recorded this story is not so that we would remember David, but so we would remember what God did through David and why he did it.

The key phrases in the story are; “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the mane of the LORD of hosts… This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand… 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…

The Goliath Virus

The Goliath virus can strike any of us. It effects how we see life. It is not however something that infects our eyes. It is a virus that infects our faith. When anything gets between us and God it becomes the size of Goliath.

As we will learn today, this Goliath virus will affect how we see ourselves, how we see life circumstances and how we see God.

Our aim is to learn from David how to see God when Goliath is standing right in front of you.

Clearing Your Vision from the Goliath Virus

• What is keeping you from seeing God clearly at this time in your life?

• Is it possible that your faith is blinded from seeing God’s interest in and power to work in your situation?

• Every one in the Valley of Elah feared Goliath, except David. David feared God.

• Stop and consider these things: a. God loves you! He proved it in His Son’s crucifixion. B. God is all powerful. He proved it in creation. C. Rest in the truth of God’s proven love, power and His promised presence (Hebrews 13:5)

Preparing for Worship

Sunday, February 21
David and Jonathan

Friendships are vital to life. Good friendships can make the most unbearable moments in life quite bearable. Read about David and Jonathan’s relationship in I Samuel 18:1-5. See what else you can find in I Samuel about this friendship. Then consider these things…

• What does it take to have a real friendship?
• What does it demand of me to be a good friend?
• What are some of the benefits of having a true friend?

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Pastor Tony continues our series on the life of David with 1 Samuel 17 to help us see that David honed his faith in his daily life and that allowed him to see Goliath in the proper perspective – God’s perspective!

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The First Step class held on January 31st can be streamed or downloaded below:

Part 1: Listen |   Download
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Part 2: Listen |   Download
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Three essential questions to ask as we study God’s word are;

1. What do I need to learn from this text?
2. What do I need to become because of what I have learned? (attitudes that might need adjusting, perspectives that are unfair…)
3. What do I need to do in relation to what I have learned from God’s word?

Today we heard about young David, the shepherd boy, being chosen by God to be Israel’s king. In the story we met the prophet Samuel who was grieving over King Saul’s failure. We also met Saul, Israel’s first King, who started out great but ended up fearing man and disobeying God.

This part of David’s story was written to teach us that God looks at life differently than we do. God has no limit to his knowledge or his vision. We are greatly limited in both. God wants us to trust him when life does not make sense to us, because God always makes sense out of life for his children. We cannot see what God can see but we know that he expects us to trust him with our lives.

REMEMBER:

• Grief does not go on forever with God
• The plan of God cannot be stopped by man

 Pray this week with your family to learn:

• That God is with us in all our troubles
• That God has a plan, it is good and it will be accomplished
• To see life more as God does and to rest in His control

Preparing for Worship

Getting ourselves ready for next Sunday!

I know that most of us can hardly think about what is happening after lunch today, but what about next Sunday? We are going to come together to be in God’s presence. Don’t you think it is worth preparing for?

Here are a few suggestions:

The sermon will be on I Samuel, chapter 17. This is one of the most familiar stories of the Old Testament, the story of David and Goliath. Can you learn something new from an old story? Why not try!

Read the story a few times this week. It would be good if you could read it aloud to your family.

Make a note of anything that you hear or see in the story for the first time.

Ask your children what they remember most about the story after you read it to them.

Getting Practical

Nothing in life is done well without preparation. This might be why church is so boring sometimes. We just show up and expect it to “happen”. I wonder what effect a little preparation might have. Try some of these ideas . . .

• Lay your clothes and the children’s clothes out on Saturday night
• Get to bed at a decent hour and read part or all of I Samuel 17 before you go to sleep
• Pray that our hearts would be directed to God throughout the worship service
  • Pray for Benjamin, our musicians and singers
  • Pray for Tony as he preaches, that he would be clear in his explanation of God’s word
  • Pray for all of us to be directed to God and not ourselves
• When worship is over, thank God for His word, His people and His blessings

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