Summit Church

The value of spending time reading the Bible is immeasurable. Nick encourages us to be in the Word and equips us with some resources to get going.

In Matthew, Jesus talks about there being more need than there is help. The question Keith asks, based on these verses, is not, "Are you wounded?" but "Can you fight?". Everybody has been wounded, but pain doesn't disqualify you from being useful, pain and suffering brings credibility and sensitivity. While you're being healed, love somebody along the way.

The David Series Closer! Why does God judge? Brad explains that God judges because the only antidote to violence is belief that God will judge violence.

The essence of what we're learning throughout the David series is not just about the stories that happened to him, but who he was, primarily, a man who sought God in everything.

David's freedom wasn't based on his circumstances, it was based on knowing God and his forgiveness. Freedom is found in forgiveness. The problem can be that we know we need to forgive, but we don't know how to forgive. The reason we can't forgive is we are defined by the relationship- by not being heard out or apologized to, but our forgiveness is not based on the other person's understanding of us, God defines our value and worth, therefore we can forgive even when the situation is unfair or unresolved.

Through the David Series, we've been learning about who God is through stories of David. In Psalm 51, we see that David knows who God is as he prays to Him. David doesn't pray for the consequences of his sin to be removed- he pleads for his heart to be changed.

Nathan Rebukes David is the title of the passage; the way David responds to Nathan confronting him about his sin is exemplary. God shows us our sin to free us from it.

Brad tells the story of Davis and Bathsheba. David- a man after God's own heart- commits adultery and murder. Every human being has seeds of destructible behavior in us; the issue of them taking root or not has to do with if we acknowledge or deny their existence.

The story of the cross is about God doing something for us, not about us earning anything.

The malfunction of our faith is we are content to eat at the King's table for our existence, without capturing the heart of the King. We are content with the restoration and bringing things back together but we don't capture what God's heart was to begin with. This malfunction reveals an element of being a disciple that so many of us don't understand.

God says no sometimes, and it's frustrating. We don't always get what we want or what we thought was a good thing for us. It's something we acknowledge and then acknowledge he knows what's best.

In religions, failure keeps people from God. In Christ, it's our failure to admit our failure that keeps us from God. Your sin is serious; grace changes everything. How are you responding to your sin and God's grace?

Through this message, we are reminded not to bypass the process by focusing on the product, and in turn miss out on true greatness.

This story of David confronts us with the question, "When we're in the middle of a mess, will we run or will we find strength in the Lord?".

Anger isn't the issue; the question is, "Why are you angry?". What's the source of your anger- is it justified and helpful to a cause?

When opportunities line up with our prayers and passions, it's difficult to exercise restraint. We have to be connected to Jesus to know the right doors to walk through, as David exemplified while being pursued by Saul.

In this story of David, we see how he responds to chaos by still choosing to do the right thing and asking God what he wants him to do.

God is not something to be figured out. God is someone you are intended to know; that's what Jesus is all about.

Our NW District Supervisor, Dave Veach, gives a great message from the story of David and Jonathan, about the value of genuine connections and friendships.

When we live for God, for Him alone, it brings the highs and the lows into perspective and it brings life to everything we're engaged in.