Sermon and Worship Resources

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2 Samuel 18:19--19:8

Sermon

Roger Prescott

Introduction When King David learned that yet another of his sons had died, even though he had been a rebellious and unloyal one, it broke his heart. He could not be comforted with the thought that he had regained his kingdom. All he could do was to cry in his broken anguish "O my son Absalom, my Son, my Son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!" - 2 Samuel 18:33 ...

2. A Prayer of Wonder

2 Samuel 7:18-29

Sermon

Roger Prescott

Introduction David went into the tent which housed the Ark and sat before the Lord. This attitude of devotion seems not to be mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament, but it is a characteristic posture of prayer in the ancient East. It may be seen in Mohammedan worship to this day. Both David and his nation were "on a roll." The enemies of the past were crushed (especially the Philistines); the I...

3. A Royal Lament

2 Samuel 1:1-16

Sermon

Roger Prescott

Introduction A bearer of news can be treated especially well, or, as in the case of the Amalekite who brought David the news of the death of Saul and Jonathan, quite badly. One of David’s greatest accomplishments was breaking the Philistines’ control over Canaan once and for all and shutting them up in the coastal plain (2 Samuel 5:17-25; 21:15-22). But at the time described in today’s text they...

4. All Together

Acts 2:1-13

Sermon

Roger Prescott

This is a sermon about community. "When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place" (Acts 2:1). There’s a whole lot to this narrative of the Day of Pentecost, but none of it, it seems, would have happened without the disciples being all together - in community. There are at least three things about "community" (read that "church") which it is helpful to remember: 1. Commu...

5. An Unusual Legacy

2 Samuel 23:1-7

Sermon

Roger Prescott

Introduction There are all kinds of documents that tell about a person’s life. Resumes, autobiographies and biographies, obituaries. Generally, they are quite flattering and they skim the cream from a person’s experiences. Failures, broken promises, crushed dreams, and major faults are not stirred to the surface for the public to see. Our real lives, on the other hand, are a blend of good and evi...

6. Back in the Swing

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Sermon

Roger Prescott

Introduction Because the David story ascends the height of human aspiration and plumbs the depths of human anguish, it has outlived the political circumstances from which it came. The prophet Nathan’s final prediction was to come true. David and Bathsheba’s son, conceived out of wedlock, died in infancy. It is clear that the child was very precious to David. It became sick, and ... David therefo...

7. Celebration As Worship

2 Samuel 6:1-23

Sermon

Roger Prescott

Introduction After King David had taken Jerusalem, he wished to add to its prestige by making it a religious, as well as a political and military, center. So it was appropriate for him to bring there the ark, the sacred object of the northern tribes, and now the symbol of the national God. He knew that this would help people to acknowledge that Jerusalem was the "dwelling-place" of God. The sacr...

8. Feet Of Clay

2 Samuel 11:1-27

Sermon

Roger Prescott

Introduction King David was riding a crest. He had broken the Philistines’ control over Canaan once and for all. He had captured the old fortress of Jerusalem, despite the boast of its occupants that it was impregnable. He had rescued the Ark of the Covenant from the place of oblivion in which it had rested since the fall of the confederate sanctuary of Shiloh, and had brought it to Jerusalem. He ...

9. God Dwells With People

2 Samuel 7:1-17

Sermon

Roger Prescott

Introduction God had brought the people of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt. Now the Kingdom was being consolidated, even though this God was still dwelling in a tent. The covenant at Sinai (Exodus 19:3-6) molded Israel God’s people and their welfare was promised. Long before David there was this promise. Second Samuel 7 relates a new divine promise, one which would make Israel even stronger. Th...

10. God’s Choice

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sermon

Roger Prescott

Introduction Samuel knew that Saul’s leadership was over. It probably troubled him a great deal to have to anoint a successor. It’s never comfortable telling someone they’re going to be replaced. But Samuel listened to God speaking to him and followed his strange guidance in selecting a replacement for Saul. Samuel knew that Saul would not agree to giving up his power. In fact, Saul could probably...

11. How To Be Used By God

1 Samuel 16:14-23

Sermon

Roger Prescott

Introduction David was one of the greatest military commanders and statesmen in history. He established a dynasty that was destined to last for more than 400 years. The story of David’s early career is interwoven with the events of Saul’s reign (1 Samuel 13:31). His fascinating rise to leadership from the obscurity of a shepherd’s life makes for astounding reading. He appeared as a harp player in ...

12. Human Nature Revisited

2 Samuel 18:1-18

Sermon

Roger Prescott

Introduction In this moving narrative we have several very effective character studies: King David, torn between losing a battle and losing his son; Absalom, the ambitious young man, caught by the "chances" of life; and "a certain man," a soldier of Joab’s, caught between loyalty to his King and loyalty to his commander. As parents, as leaders, as citizens of our country, we can all identify with ...

13. Standing in Awe

Isaiah 6:1-13

Sermon

Roger Prescott

The really meaningful times in our lives come when we realize how very small - yet cared for and important - we are. As our narrative unfolds today and as his vision emerges for him, Isaiah, the aristrocrat - the prophet - cries out, "Woe is me!" He is stirred to the depths by the experience of the awesome, insurmountable distance between eternal God, the Creator, and the human being, a weak and v...

14. The Establishment of An Empire

2 Samuel 5:1-5

Sermon

Roger Prescott

Introduction Judged by any standards, the greatest king Israel ever had was David. He seemed destined for leadership even when he was a young boy watching his father’s sheep on the rocky Judean hills around Bethlehem. His ascent to Saul’s court, his military victories, his capture of Jerusalem - these and other events caused the people from the tribes of Israel to ensconce David as their King. In...

15. The Promise Of Life ("U" Turns Permitted)

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Sermon

Roger Prescott

Introduction King David had risen to power and put together many good things. But power went to his head and he succumbed to adultery and murder. After Bathsheba had dutifully gone through mourning ceremonies for Uriah, her slain husband, David brought her to his house. She became his wife and bore him a son. Business as usual. Would no one dare raise a voice in protest against the king for taking...

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