Category: 2021 Sermons

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:51 — 17.8MB)

Sermon Audio: David Spares Saul’s Life
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: I Samuel 24:1-22
Duration: 25:51
Size: 17.7 MB

The Life of David
David Spares Saul’s Life
I Samuel 24:1-22

Though initially fearful of Saul, David’s trust in God grew, and in his sovereign, providential care of him.

God was calling David to turn the other cheek, even though Saul was insanely jealous of David and wanted to kill him.

I. A Test for God’s Servant (I Samuel 24:1-7)
In any event, David’s men saw Saul’s presence in the cave as a wonderful stroke of providence, which is why they urged him to go and take care of Saul.

The meaning of this incident, surely, is that God was testing David. In a sense it was the ultimate test of trust.

II. An Appeal to God’s Justice (I Samuel 24:8-15)
The recognition of that voice and the instant realization of how near he had come to eternity must have pierced Saul’s heart like an arrow.

He quickly realized–fortunately, before it was too late–that he could leave the timing of justice to God.

III. An Assurance of God’s Faithfulness (I Samuel 24:16-22)
Bad men will commonly go no farther than this in their confessions: they will own they are not so good as some others are; there are those that are better than they, and more righteous.

So, David was teaching his men that if they wanted David as their king, they would have to trust God, just as he did, to establish his kingdom in his time and in his way.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()

Sermon Audio: Saul Pursued by David
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: I Samuel 23:15-29
Duration: 20:54
Size: 14.3 MB

The Life of David
Saul Pursued by David
I Samuel 23:15-29

Life is not a straight line leading from one blessing to the next and then finally to heaven.

I. God Provides Encouragement When Needed (I Samuel 23:15-18)
A. The Threat (I Samuel 23:15)
It is likely that David was discouraged because Saul had come out to seek his life.

B. The Friendship (I Samuel 23:16-18)
But Jonathan came to David and strengthened his hand in God.

II. God Provides Protection When Needed (I Samuel 23:19-29)
A. The Threat (I Samuel 23:19-24)
Undoubtedly, word of Saul’s slaughter of the entire town of Nob prompted the Ziphites to take preventive action.

B. The Escape (I Samuel 23:24-29)
If we were watching a movie of this scene, the music would be at a crescendo and we would be on the edge of our seats waiting for Saul and his men to capture David and his men.

God provides protection to you and me when we need it too.

God is exceedingly capable of protecting his people in a myriad of ways.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()

Sermon Audio: David Saves the City
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: I Samuel 23:1-14
Duration: 23:21
Size: 16.0 MB

The Life of David
David Saves the City
I Samuel 23:1-14

One sign of David’s trust in the Lord is seen in how he sought the Lord’s guidance in different circumstances.

You want to follow the Lord, and so you want to know God’s guidance in your life.

When David sought guidance from the Lord, the Lord directed him (through the ephod) to go to Keilah and also to get out of Keilah.

I. God Guided David Regarding an Attack (I Samuel 23:1-5)
A. The Report (I Samuel 23:1)
The people of Israel recognized that David was more likely to act as a king should act by defending the people against enemy aggressors.

B. The Requests (I Samuel 23:2-4)
Here is where we see the shepherd’s heart of David. He knew that his men were afraid; indeed, they had just told him that they were “afraid here in Judah.”

C. The Result (I Samuel 23:5)
He saved the people of Keilah, which was something that Saul should have done.

II. God Guided David Regarding an Escape (I Samuel 23:7-14)
A. The Report (I Samuel 23:7-8)
B. The Requests (I Samuel 23:9-12)
But, they were likely terrified of what Saul might do to them and their town, having heard that Saul had wiped out the entire town of Nob.

C. The Result (I Samuel 23:13-14)
To be sure, David had one narrow escape after another while on the run from Saul. But, God was sovereignly protecting him.

1. The Word of God (objective standard).
2. The Holy Spirit (subjective witness).
3. Circumstances (divine providence).

David showed us that we should seek God’s guidance in all circumstances.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:40 — 17.6MB)

Sermon Audio: David’s Growing Confidence in the Lord
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: I Samuel 22:1-23
Duration: 25:39
Size: 17.6 MB

The Life of David
David’s Growing Confidence in the Lord
I Samuel 22:1-23

Apparently, these two episodes in David’s life enabled him to realize that in spite of his fear, the Lord was still sovereignly watching over him and protecting him. So, from this point on we see David’s growing confidence in the Lord.

After David learned that King Saul really did intend to have him killed, David fled from him.

I. David’s Preparation (I Samuel 22:1-5)
A. The Place of David’s Preparation (I Samuel 22:1)
We don’t know how long David spent in the cave of Adullam, but it was during this period that David’s confidence in the Lord grew again.

B. The People During David’s Preparation (I Samuel 22:1-4)
David and the four hundred men, along with wives and children, stayed in the stronghold, which is the cave of Adullam.

C. The Prophet During David’s Preparation (I Samuel 22:5)
In the arrival of Gad the prophet to his refuge at Adullam, David must have seen a return of God’s favor for him.

II. David’s Predicament (I Samuel 22:6-23)
A. The Slaughter by Saul (I Samuel 22:6-19)
Then Saul summoned Ahimelech and all the priests at Nob to come and see him, which they did.

Moral failure has consequences, sometimes disastrous consequences.

B. The Sorrow of David (I Samuel 22:20-23)
David’s sin accomplished God’s promise that he would punish the descendants of Eli with their destruction, save for one only.

David was hated by Saul who wanted him and his followers destroyed. Similarly, Jesus is hated by Satan who wants him and his followers destroyed.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()

Sermon Audio: David as a Fugitive
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: I Samuel 21:1-15
Duration: 24:37
Size: 16.9 MB

The Life of David
David as a Fugitive
I Samuel 21:1-15

Saul’s son Jonathan warned David that his father indeed wanted to kill David. And so, David became a fugitive from Saul for many years.

King-elect David had been a good soldier for a number of years too.

1. David Visited Ahimelech at Nob (I Samuel 21:1-9)
It is not exactly clear why David went to visit Ahimelech the priest at Nob.

A. David Told a Falsehood (I Samuel 21:1-2)
David claimed to be on a secret mission from King Saul, with his men hidden away nearby. That was a blatant falsehood.

B. David Asked a Favor (I Samuel 21:3-6, I Samuel 21:8-9)
That is, the bread on hand was the bread of the Presence, which was set out each Sabbath and replaced the following week with fresh bread.

Jesus warns us against excessive rules that make the Lord’s Day a burden.

C. David Missed a Foe (I Samuel 21:7)
But rather than correct our error, we do nothing because we have become paralyzed.

2. David Fled to Achish at Gath (I Samuel 21:10-15)
A. David Became Afraid (I Samuel 21:11-12)
Sometimes we make really big mistakes, even sinning in the process.

B. David Feigned Insanity (I Samuel 21:13-15)
Here is the lesson: Any believer can fall, and can fall far and fast.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:02 — 15.1MB)

Sermon Audio: Jonathan’s Warning
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: I Samuel 20:1-42
Duration: 22:02
Size: 15.1 MB

The Life of David
Jonathan’s Warning
I Samuel 20:1-42

Jonathan devised a plan to find out whether this was true and, if true, to warn David about it.

The article concludes with the following advice: “No matter what social network you’re on, you can buy your way to popularity.”

I. The Cause of David’s Fears (I Samuel 20:1-23)
A. The Problem (I Samuel 20:1–11)
The problem was that David was convinced that Saul was trying kill him.

B. The Promise (I Samuel 20:12-17)
But now, Jonathan knew that David would replace his father Saul as king over Israel.

C. The Plan (I Samuel 20:18-23)
If he told the boy that the arrows were beyond him, then David would know that Saul was still determined to kill him, and that he should flee.

II. The Confirmation of David’s Fears (I Samuel 20:24-42)
A. David’s Absence (I Samuel 20:24-29)
Jonathan told his father that David was in Bethlehem. This was not true, and it really was unnecessary to lie. But he did.

B. Saul’s Anger (I Samuel 20:30-34)
C. Jonathan’s Arrows (I Samuel 20:35-42)
In fact, Jonathan and David only met one more time years later before Jonathan’s untimely death.

Jonathan chose covenant loyalty to David, the God-anointed future king of Israel, over loyalty to his father, Saul.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:38 — 15.5MB)

Sermon Audio: David and God’s Protection
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: I Samuel 19:1-24
Duration: 22:38
Size: 15.5 MB

The Life of David
David and God’s Protection
I Samuel 19:1-24

God, in his marvelous providence, protected David from Saul’s numerous attempts to kill him.

If we have been a Christian for any length of time, we know that being a Christian does not mean a trouble-free life.

I. David Was Saved from Saul by Jonathan (I Samuel 19:1-7)
By going to Saul and speaking to him on David’s behalf, Jonathan was doing something very risky.

II. David Was Saved from Saul by Elusion (I Samuel 19:8-10)
Since the Lord is not the author of evil, he simply permitted the harmful spirit to afflict Saul.

III. David Was Saved from Saul by Michal (I Samuel 19:11-17)
Maybe she knew what the watching messengers meant because she had grown up in Saul’s house.

IV. David Was Saved from Saul by the Spirit of God (I Samuel 19:18-24)
David went to Samuel because he knew that Samuel was a man of God.

Normally, in the Old Testament, the Spirit of God came upon various individuals to equip them with power to perform or speak God’s will.

The point of biblical stories like Joseph and Job and Esther and Ruth is to help us feel in our bones (not just know in our heads) that God is for us in all these strange turns.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()

Sermon Audio: David and Saul’s Jealousy
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: I Samuel 18:6-30
Duration: 22:54
Size: 15.7 MB

The Life of David
David and Saul’s Jealousy
I Samuel 18:6-30

But, it wasn’t long before Saul became extremely jealous of David.

The Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines jealousy as being “envious of someone else’s possessions, achievements, or advantages.”

I. Saul’s Jealousy (I Samuel 18:6-11)
Saul was envious of David’s achievements as expressed by the women who came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, and lauding David’s achievements over Saul’s.

II. David’s Ascendancy (I Samuel 18:12-16)
There are six references in this chapter to love, with David as the object of that love.

III. Saul’s Schemes (I Samuel 18:17-27)
Saul thought that if the Philistines killed David, his hands would be clean of David’s blood.

But Saul did not reckon that the Lord was with David.

IV. David’s Success (I Samuel 18:28-30)
We should see that David was successful because the Lord was with him.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:43 — 14.9MB)

Sermon Audio: David and Jonathan’s Friendship
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: I Samuel 18:1-5
Duration: 21:43
Size: 14.9 MB

The Life of David
David and Jonathan’s Friendship
I Samuel 18:1-5

In other words, how many of your online friends would help if you were in trouble?

I. Love Is Expressed in Attitudes
A. Love Is Strong
Some time prior to the battle between Goliath and David, Jonathan and his armor-bearer went to a Philistine garrison and killed twenty Philistine
soldiers.

It seems to me that Jonathan’s love for David was strong because Jonathan saw in David what he himself had: a love for God and for the people of God.

B. Love Is Selfless
And because he trusted fully in the Lord, he was freed from the trappings of self and selfishness.

II. Love Is Expressed in Actions
A. Love Is Covenantal
A covenantal love between friends is committed, dedicated, and loyal.

B. Love Is Giving
The robe that Jonathan gave to David was not just any robe. It was his royal robe.

Jonathan quickly understood, as no-one else at the time did, that God had anointed David to be the next king over Israel.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()

Sermon Audio: David and Goliath (Part 3)
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: I Samuel 17:41-58
Duration: 21:52
Size: 15.0 MB

The Life of David
David and Goliath (Part 3)
I Samuel 17:41-58

So, with the Philistine armies on one hill and the Israelite armies on the other hill, David went with staff in hand to the brook and chose five smooth stones.

Everyone who looked at the upcoming battle between Goliath and David would have said that it was a terrible mismatch.

I. The Boasting of Goliath (17:41-44)
This really was the true confrontation: the gods of the Philistines versus the God of Israel, the false gods versus the true and living God, Jehovah.

II. The Response of David (17:45-47)
But David rebuked Goliath for blaspheming the true and living God.

III. The Victory of David (17:48-54)
Sometimes worldly weapons seem stronger and more powerful than God’s weapons, but that is not the case.

IV. The Inquiry of Saul (17:55-58)
But actually, Saul was not wanting to know who David was; he wanted to know who David’s family was.

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
In other words, “Blessed is God’s savior who comes in the name of the Lord to defeat our enemy.”