Jesus’ First Sign Displaying His Glory

Merry Christmas!

This Sunday we will be taking another break from our series in 2 Samuel.

John 2 is related to the incarnation (as is everything in Scripture) in that John told us in 1:14 that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 2:1-11 records Jesus first sign which displays His glory, the meaning of which points to the purpose of His coming.

The Birth of the True and Worthy Son of David

Last week in 2 Samuel 11 we raised the question of what David’s moral failure with Bathsheba has to do with Christ.

The answer is that David’s failure to keep the covenant points to our need of a greater covenant keeping King – Jesus!

This week we are looking at the story of Jesus’ birth as recorded in Matthew 1.

You may ask, what does this have to do with our studies in 2 Samuel?

Matthew begins “The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David…”

In 1:20 Joseph is addressed by the angel as “son of David”.

Joseph is told that his fiancee’, Mary, will bear a Son who will save his people from their sins.

In other words, he will succeed where David failed.

David’s Deadly Cover-up

This Sunday morning we will continue our study of David’s tragic fall as we consider the fallout from David’s sin with Bathsheeba.

David’s experience reminds us that one sin often leads to many more, and that deceit almost always accompanies serious sin.

How many of the 10 commandments did David break in II Samuel 11?

We also are reminded of how our sins affect many others.

How many people were hurt by David’s sin?

There is also something deeper going on in II Samuel 11. God had promised in the Davidic covenant that a son of David would reign over God’s people in righteousness.

David was the best that we could do, but he still falls woefully short. We need a son of David who does not succumb to temptation and sin.

So, you see that this week’s text does tie in to the holiday theme in that we are reminded of why the incarnation was necessary!

David’s Catastrophic Sin

We have reached the sad turning point of II Samuel.

Up until now David has appeared to be the ideal king for God’s people.

Sadly, however, David acts like other kings by abusing his authority and taking the wife of another man.

Then he engages in more sin as he tries to cover his guilt.

The effects of David’s transgression continue throughout his lifetime and beyond.

This passage has at least a dual application to us.

First, David’s failure serves as a very practical warning against falling into temptation. His fall follows the pattern described in James 1:14-15 – from desire to action to death.

We should learn from David so that we will not become presumptuous or lax.

David’s failure also serves to point us to Christ. In the past David has served as a positive type of Christ. In this text, however, David is shown to be unworthy to be the king of His people.

A better man must come to fulfill the covenant and to reign in righteousness forever.

Consecrated to God

This week I am diverting from our studies in 2 Samuel and will be expounding Romans 12:1-2.

I plan, on certain Sundays over the next few months, to preach through Romans 12 with a special emphasis on our love and devotion for one another in the body of Christ.

Because our love for one another springs from our devotion to the Lord, Paul starts Romans 12 by exhorting us to be living sacrifices who are not to be conformed to the world.

Of course the foundation of our devotion to the Lord is the sovereign mercy which He has shown us in Christ — which was the subject of the first 11 chapters of Romans and forms the basis of Paul’s exhortation in Romans 12:1.

Portrait of a Godless Culture: An Appeal to Repent of Sinful Boasting

We will be doing a fairly rapid overview of the first nine chapters and then drawing some application from near the end of chapter nine, where Jeremiah writes, “Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises loving kindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.” (9:23-24).

Jeremiah’s theme leading to these texts is that of judgment: A judgment precipitated by the sinful lifestyle and arrogant living of the kingdom of Judah. The modern day parallels to our own day are truly amazing: Truly there is “nothing new under the sun.”