Bent Oak Church

It's not an easy chapter to read. The story of David's fateful night with Bathsheba will have repercussions for many chapters to come.  But for those who have paid careful attention, we aren't entirely surprised. Slowly David's character has been developing into two selves: a public image and a private reality. Deeper than his adultery, David's life has become disengaged from God. It's there we find the greatest risk.

Join us in celebrating Easter, the resurrection of our Lord.

Join us for our annual Good Friday communion service.

Barry Kinzer begins our passion week observations with a message on Palm Sunday.

We have been surprised by David's kindness. In chapter ten, his kindness stretches even to his enemies, the Ammonites.  But that kindness is rejected—thrown back at him as a humiliating insult. The limits of David's love is put to the test. The Bible holds no naive or sentimental ideas about love. Love always leaves us vulnerable and often makes our lives far more complicated. But in the midst of the complexities we are given a word of courage—faith.

God was giving David victory wherever he went. It got David thinking about a promise he had made years ago. David had promised never to forget his friend Jonathan. So David went looking for someone from Jonathan’s house to whom he could show kindness. David’s kindness is an important word in the Hebrew bible—hesed. David is in a unique position to help us better understand this word, both by his kindness and by the kindness he has received from God.

David has come a long way from hiding in caves in the wilderness of En Gedi. Now he sets in a palace of cedar. But that got him thinking.  David lives in a palace, but the ark is in a tent. David has an idea. He will build a house for God, a temple as impressive as his palace. There is one problem with his plan; God won't allow what David is doing to obscure what God is doing. 

The ark's return to public worship was a monumental event in Israel's history. For too long it had been in hiding. David was determined to give it a place of honor in his new city of Jerusalem. The parade that day must have been awe-inspiring. 30,000 of David's finest troops worshiping and singing as the ark rolled along guided by Uzzah and Ahio.  Everything was going so well until the ox stumbled and Uzzah reached up to steady the ark. Immediately he was struck dead.

David was finally crowned king. His first move was to secure a new capital city, Jerusalem. The chapter moves from success to success—captured cities and military conquest, children and royal palaces.  But subtly another story is developing beneath the surface. David's life and motives are more complicated than we initially realize.

As Israel's civil war drags on across years, David faces a test, patience. Everywhere he is surrounded by desperate and determined men. Betrayal, deception, manipulation, assassination, politics, bartering over the lives of women and concubines, trials and judgments, death sentences and executions. It is into this complicated moment David is called to follow and to wait on the Lord.

Israel is without a king. It doesn't take long for conflict to break out. Abner and Joab find themselves jockeying for power. Their angling and scheming suggest something profound about competition. Our tendency to compare ourselves to others often leads to competition that too frequently turns violent.

Saul is dead. David receives the news. We would expect him to quickly seize the throne. Now was finally his moment. His advisors must have urged him to act quickly. But David does something unexpected. David writes a poem; he writes a poem in honor of Saul and Jonathan. David teaches Israel to lament.

Linda Bates shares her story of how God revealed himself through faithfulness and healing.

Ron Replogle shares his story of how God revealed himself through faithfulness.

Trent Selsor shares his story of how God revealed himself through the testing of faith. 

It is done. With those words, God declares are things are made new. What follows is the incredible and unexpected reworking of all things: bodies, creation, work...  All things are made new. Revelation 21-22 is a remarkable conclusion to not only the book but the entire storyline of the Bible.

You wouldn't have predicted the Millennium or Satan's release. Having finally beaten the forces of evil at Armageddon, we expect the story to draw to a close, but it doesn't. In the full knowledge and experience of Christ's rule, humanity still believes the lie and turns away from God.  The final moments of earth are not a vindictive God determined to crush those who oppose him, but instead, he is a patient God. He reveals more than we had expected. He waits longer than we could predict. We are left without excuse. We are given what we most desire.

The book of Revelation takes its time getting to chapter 19. The images of judgment and wrath have been long and difficult to work through. But what waits in chapter 19 is astonishing—salvation. A chorus of Hallelujahs breaks out culminating in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and the return of Christ on his white horse. For those who believe and endure, it is the final realized expectation of God’s promise to redeem and rescue his people.

John is a great pastor. He takes his time as he builds to the final moments of Revelation. He is in no rush. He wants to make sure we are well prepared for what is to come. His question is one of hope. What are we really hoping for? Where are we placing our trust? What kind of salvation are we looking for?

It is the end—the final moments of judgment. By the end of chapter 17 we read God's words, "It is done." The world experiences the final full trajectory of their sins, and still, they refuse to repent. In this sermon, we also look at common explanations for reconciling the book of Revelation with other end-times scriptures.