Our everyday walk in the Lord is going to be met with all kinds of challenges. Some will be easy to work through and some will be not. But in his word, the Lord our has given us the assurance of victory.
In today’s Pulpit Points message, DeWayne Cason, Associate and Youth Pastor shared with the attending congregation of the great news that God has in his word.
This week’s lesson is the last installment of our lesson with King Solomon and the finished work of the Ark of God (I Kings 8:44-61)
Blessing is the act of praising or lifting up. The Ark of the Covenant being returned to it’s rightful place was not small thing. It was a means of showing the Lord, their God how important worship is to them. God’s glory is to be appreciated for the God he and the things he is able to do. King Solomon recognized the need to properly worship and praise him.
By setting up the place of worship, all Israel was ready to give God his glory through his appointed leader. Let us follow the account as the Ark is blessed.
David’s Ups and Downs – Through our life as Believers, we will experience times of ups and downs. We will have moments of triumphs and times of defeat. We will have times of failure and seasons of success. In today’s Pulpit Points message, Pastor Ricks shared some of the ups and downs of David as chronicled in Psalms 51. Some of the things David experienced:
Let us be encouraged from the word of God, through David’s Ups and Downs, we too can receive God’s anointing. David was used by the Lord because he was chosen and appointed. We too have been chosen to bear the name of the Lord even though we will experience our own ups and downs.
This weeks Sunday Devotional focuses on the dedication of the Ark of the Lord back to the Lord and Solomon’s prayer. 1 Kings 8:22–30, 52, 53 . This was a grand moment and the King wanted all the people to know and appreciate all that had been done in the name of the Lord.
Worship is valuable both to the one receiving the attention and the one worshiping the Lord. For the worshiper, it is obedience at it’s highest level. God is to be glorified and has given us instructions on how we are to conduct ourselves (John 4:24 states, God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”). When we faithfully follow the Lord’s instructions He is blessed).
Let us follow King Solomon as he lead Israel in prayer and dedication of God’s house.
How do you need gas in your car? Check you display panel. How you know what your blood pressure or glucose level? You would check it. If we want to know where we are in the Lord, we are encouraged by the word of Lord to Check ourselves. In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul tells the saints to “examine themselves”. This type of examination is a comparison of our life to the faith we proclaim to identify the gaps of short-comings we all have. It is not a means or opportunity to judge or condemn someone else (Matthew 7:1) but for us to look at ourselves.
In today’s Pulpit Points message, Dr. Lamont, used the account of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1-15), to remind us how critical it is for us periodically and frequently “Check Ourselves Before You Wreck Ourselves“.
Lesson text: I Kings 8:14-21
Last week’s lesson lead us to when the Ark of the covenant of God was returned and delivered to Zion, the City of David (I Kings 8:1). It was a holy moment for Solomon and all of Israel. So the “other King” of Israel took this moment to bless the Lord his God.
In our life, there will be times in which the Lord reminds us of our deliverance in which we were in bondage in our own Egypt. We cried out and He heard us. When we were living according to ways of this world, in the lusts of our human cravings, he saved us. We were lost and He chose us to deliver us from that life and bring us into an everlasting life with Him (Eph. 2:1-6). How fitting it would be for us to turn back and bless the Lord our God for taking us residence in our house? Solomon had no choice to bless the Lord. When he saw in the history of his mind all the grace, the goodness, the divine mercy and provisions of the Lord, he was compelled to give credit, honor and glory to the Lord God of his father David for the Great things he had done.
Lesson text: I Kings 8:1-13
In this week’s lesson, we’ll experience Solomon, son of David and Bathsheba (2 Sam. 12:24) who becomes the overseer of the Temple. As the Chief Executive of the House of the Lord, he is going to be the one assigned to bring this facility to completion. When David was King, he saw God’s house as a priority and wanted to be the one to build it. But the Lord had other plans for other people.
As it is with the Lord, David was allowed to start the plans but not allowed to build it, we too we’ll learn that even though we start things for the Lord, we may not be the one who completes the task (I Cor. 3:5-7).
The Lord is big on worship. The Lord wants, expects and demands his people worship him (Duet. 26:10) and worship him as he has prescribed. Any other form of worship is unacceptable and will be rejected (I Kings 9:9).
Next Week’s Lesson: The Ark is Completed – II Kings 8:14-21
Seeing things properly is of the utmost importance for every believer. Roughly 35 percent of the adult population do not wear corrective glasses, contact lens or have had vision corrective surgery. Only a few people compared to the majority see things correctly or without visual aides.
In our faith as Christians we too need the help of the Holy Spirit to see things properly. More times than we can admit, we have allowed past circumstances or conditions to shape our perspective. We will then in turn move, behave and live improperly based upon those past experiences. For example, some of us have been abused, disrespected or even bullied and we see those individuals as monsters. It may not be the way we want to see them, but our vision is clouded by the pains they inflicted on us. God can only see everything clearly because he is omniscient, able to know everything about everything. God sees a person. A person in desperate need of deliverance and forgiveness. Improper vision can be the root of bitterness than can last for years and prevent us maturing spiritually.
Ask the Lord to give you spiritual clarity and free you from whatever is causing you to see and discern improperly.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
Watchnight 2019 , as we enter into a new decade we are challenge by the word of God to look at it with the right perspective – God’s perspective. Since God is perfect and sees all things perfectly, it is only right that we as his children to see things as He sees them.
In the new year to come, God wants us to see things from his perspective . We are encouraged no longer be moved or influenced by how other people view us or place move value of how we see ourselves. Dr. Ricks, uses the account of Jeroboam in I Kings 13 to help approach 2020 with a new and improved vision. 20/20 Vision.
The Witness From Decapolis – In our life and in the lives others we may know, let us consider both our Lord’s saving grace and his divine ability to deliver us from the ungodly and satanic influences that surround us. In today’s Pulpit Points message, Pastor DeWayne Cason (Youth Minister of New Berean) shared the biblical account of a man who had been demon-possessed and the impact Jesus made on his life after they met.
In conclusion, let us consider that Jesus’ area of ministry was also close to Decapolis. Jesus did not avoid the people living in darkness. He went to them and pierced the darkness of their sin lifestyle with the light of God’s message of salvation and love.
Jesus wants us to follow his example in confronting the darkness in own world. It would be easy for us to isolate ourselves in a safe well-ruled communities and just let the outside world destroy itself. But even though rules can be good and community is necessary for Christian living, Jesus used neither as an escape. He modeled another way for us as his followers. He left the familiarity of his safe environment and confronted evil in its own backyard.
DeWayne Cason, Youth Minister
