http://bible.com/events/18795900

We are introduced to David with this description: “a man after God’s own heart…”(1 Samuel 16:14) 

Perhaps the reason he was described this way is because David was a worshipper.

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2 Samuel 6:12-22NIV

12 Now King David was told, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing.  13 When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf.  14 Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might,  15 while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets. 16 As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.  17 They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord.  18 After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord Almighty.  19 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.  20 When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”  21 David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord.  22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.” 

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-The Ark of the Covenant represented the physical manifestation of God here on earth

-David is leading a military contingent returning the Ark of the Covenant back to its home in Jerusalem after it had been captured in war

-David worships “with all his might” 

-This story is not just how David worshipped but also Michal’s reaction to that worship

-This is about worship, showing the heart for God juxtaposed against a heart focused on self

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Worship (David)

-Passionate (“with all his might”)

-Expressive (singing and dancing)

-God-centered (“I will celebrate before the Lord”)

-Concerned with the heart (“It was before the Lord”)

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“Non-Worship” (Michal)

-Passive (“watched from a window”)

-Held back (observing)

-Human-focused (“How the king of Israel has distinguished himself”)

-Concerned with appearances (“as any vulgar fellow would”)

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The bottom line:

The heart of God moves me from observation to participation. 

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John 4:23-24NIV

23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” 

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Psalms 149:3NIV

3 Let them praise his name with dancingand make music to him with timbrel and harp. 

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Psalms 30:1-12NIV

1 I will exalt you, Lord,for you lifted me out of the depthsand did not let my enemies gloat over me.  2 Lord my God, I called to you for help,and you healed me.  3 You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;you spared me from going down to the pit.  4 Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;praise his holy name.  5 For his anger lasts only a moment,but his favor lasts a lifetime;weeping may stay for the night,but rejoicing comes in the morning.  6 When I felt secure, I said,“I will never be shaken.”  7 Lord, when you favored me,you made my royal mountain stand firm;but when you hid your face,I was dismayed.  8 To you, Lord, I called;to the Lord I cried for mercy:  9 “What is gained if I am silenced,if I go down to the pit?Will the dust praise you?Will it proclaim your faithfulness?  10 Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord, be my help.”  11 You turned my wailing into dancing;you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,  12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever. 

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Psalms 150:1-6NIV

1 Praise the Lord.Praise God in his sanctuary;praise him in his mighty heavens.  2 Praise him for his acts of power;praise him for his surpassing greatness.  3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,praise him with the harp and lyre,  4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,praise him with the strings and pipe,  5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,praise him with resounding cymbals.  6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.Praise the Lord. 

http://bible.com/events/16764194

Esther 4:1-14NIV

1 When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly.  2 But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it.  3 In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.  4 When Esther’s eunuchs and female attendants came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them.  5 Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.  6 So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate.  7 Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews.  8 He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.  9 Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said.  10 Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai,  11 “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”  12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai,  13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape.  14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” 

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YOU SEE

The story of Esther is not about the plans and purposes of God hinging on the decision of one girl. It is about the future of that girl hinging on her decision to choose to be a part of the plans and purposes of God.

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“FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS”

There is no assertion why Esther has been appointed queen, but it seems Mordecai is implying that it could be because God is in the details.

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Romans 8:28NIV

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 

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Ephesians 2:10NIV

10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 

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YOU HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE

Will you say yes to the the call or will you try to avoid it and seek temporary comfort instead?

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Esther 4:15-17NIV

15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:  16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”  17 So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions. 

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Esther’s call to assemble and fast accompanies a similar cry for divine relief.

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Joel 2:12-16NIV

12 “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”  13 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.  14 Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing—grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God.  15 Blow the trumpet in Zion,declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.  16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. 

Add your private notes…

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THE CALL OF GOD:

To trade transient comfort for a transformative cross.

Add your private notes…

• • •

To choose to take up our cross and say YES to God’s call changes us:

-It gives us a purpose

-It gives us hope

-It transforms us

Add your private notes…

• • •

In the end, Esther was obedient. Because she was, the Jews were saved!

What or who is on the other side of your choice today?

http://bible.com/events/15837262

Our most powerful stance is not wanting power. 

Mark 10:35-45

35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” 36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

39 “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” 41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

3 Observations About This Text 

1. We all want power
   1. Give James and John credit. They had the guts to say what some of us only think: “Lord, we want power! Do whatever we say.”
   2. Instead of power, we can insert the words “control” or “independence”
2. There is never enough power 
   1. Just like most everything else in our lives…we want more 
   2. Beneath it all, we are desperate for significance, influence, authority
3. For Jesus, power is inverted  
   1. Our view of power is centered on control, but the kingdom of God is centered around service (Mark 10:43-45)
   2. Greatness (power) was not reducing others to your service, but reducing yourself to their service 
   3. For Jesus, power is found in dependence, humility, and weakness 

Mark 8:34-35

“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.”

As we come to the end of this series…the question is the same 

-Is He enough for you? 

-Is His power enough for you?

-His way? 

-Can you trust Him enough to believe that you don’t have to scrape and claw for more?

Our most powerful stance is not wanting power. 

Other texts for further study:

2 Peter 1:3-4

3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

Matthew 23:1-11

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. 8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

http://bible.com/events/15567688

Enough is Enough, Part 3 – Enough Grace

After hearing the message, you will grow in your understanding that,  even when God doesn’t feel like enough, He is. Even when our life circumstances seem to indicate that He is absent or uncaring, He makes the plain and clear declaration: “My grace is sufficient for you.” And you will accept, declare and hold that truth in your heart.

***

Think of a time in your life when God said no.

You asked in His Name, your request was reasonable and desperately needed and he said no.

When you said to Him…”Lord, I won’t make it unless You…”
How did you make it?

The two key questions:

> Is God enough for you?

> Will you trust Him?

2 Corinthians 12:6-10

6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, 7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The “thorn” is not an annoyance, but really, relentless pain, physically or emotionally.

What does God do about Paul’s thorn?

When you said, “I won’t make it…” and you did. That was the beauty of GRACE

Joy, power, our defender.

Grace is the restoring power of God in the face of weakness.
The overwhelming beauty of God in the ugliness of life

***

SUPPLEMENTAL TEXTS

2 Peter 1:34

3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

James 4:6

6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

1 Peter 5:10

10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

http://bible.com/events/13303839

We began this series “Enough is Enough” with a question: Is God enough?

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Matthew 6:24-34 NIV

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.  25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?  28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. 

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-For the person who believes God only provides for our spiritual needs, these words are especially critical 

-Multiple times Jesus commanded not to worry, specifically about material needs 

-When Jesus said “pagans run after these things,” the original Greek speaks of craving or demanding

-Jesus is saying that your Father knows what you need for eternal life and what you need for this life 

-When we seek God‘s kingdom first, and seek His righteousness first, we not only will receive the things of God, but also the things we need 

-How can you be sure you will have what you need? Biblically it’s a one-step process

Step 1: Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. There are no more steps.

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Genesis 22:1-14NIV

1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.  2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”  3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.  4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.  5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”  6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together,  7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”  8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.  9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.  10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”“Here I am,” he replied. 12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” 13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” 

• • •

-God tests Abraham to see if he was willing to place his son, his most precious blessing, on the altar 

-Abraham discovers that God is Provider (Jehovah Jireh – verse 14)

-To know God’s name is to know Him as Provider…it is who He is 

-Often we may be asking God to meet a need, when God Himself is what we need 

• • •

Bottom Line:

“Our needs aren’t met because God DOES, but because He IS”

• • •

2 Peter 1:3-4NIV

3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.