2 Samuel Chapter 8


One Thing

Luke 10:41–42 (NET)
10:41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things, 10:42 but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the best part; it will not be taken away from her.”

Read 2 Samuel Chapter 8 - What questions does this passage raise?

How do we handle difficult passages of scripture?

1st step - Jesus is the lens through which we read scripture.


John 5:39–40 (NET)
You study the scriptures thoroughly because you think in them you possess eternal life, and it is these same scriptures that testify about me, but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.

Hebrews 1:1–3 (NET)
 1:1 After God spoke long ago in various portions and in various ways to our ancestors through the prophets, 1:2 in these last days he has spoken to us in a son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world. 1:3 The Son is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word, and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Hebrews 10:1 (NET)
10:1 For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship.

Colossians 2:17 (NET)
2:17 these are only the shadow of the things to come, but the reality is Christ!

John 1:14–18 (NET)
1:14 Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory—the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father. 1:15 John testified about him and shouted out, “This one was the one about whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is greater than I am, because he existed before me.’ ” 1:16 For we have all received from his fullness one gracious gift after another. 1:17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ. 1:18 No one has ever seen God. The only one, himself God, who is in closest fellowship with the Father, has made God known.


Use the lens – What does Jesus show us that pertains to this OT passage?

Matthew 5:38–48 (NET)
5:38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 5:39 But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer. But whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well. 5:40 And if someone wants to sue you and to take your tunic, give him your coat also. 5:41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 5:42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not reject the one who wants to borrow from you. 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘hate your enemy.’ 5:44 But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, 5:45 so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 5:46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors do the same, don’t they? 5:47 And if you only greet your brothers, what more do you do? Even the Gentiles do the same, don’t they? 5:48 So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Luke 23:33–34 (NET)
23:33 So when they came to the place that is called “The Skull,” they crucified him there, along with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 23:34 But Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” Then they threw dice to divide his clothes.

John 18:36 (NET)
18:36 Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”

Luke 19:41–44 (NET)
19:41 Now when Jesus approached and saw the city, he wept over it, 19:42 saying, “If you had only known on this day, even you, the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 19:43 For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and surround you and close in on you from every side. 19:44 They will demolish you—you and your children within your walls—and they will not leave within you one stone on top of another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”

2nd Step – Use Scripture to Interpret Scripture

Hebrews 13:8 (NET)
 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever!


1 John 4:7–9 (NET)
 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been fathered by God and knows God. 4:8 The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 4:9 By this the love of God is revealed in us: that God has sent his one and only Son into the world so that we may live through him.

Ephesians 6:12 (NET)
 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.


1 John 1:5 (NET)
1:5 Now this is the gospel message we have heard from him and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.

James 1:13–15 (NET)
1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. 1:15 Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death.

John 10:10 (NET)
10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.


3rd - Consider Culture

-  Ancient Near East. We know that people are influenced by the culture they live in. Often, these beliefs are so core, that we do not even recognize them. The people in the bible and the biblical authors are not exceptions.
-  ANE people believed deities were regional
-  ANE people did not differentiate between the physical and the spiritual.


Isaiah 2:4–5 (NET)
2:4 He will judge disputes between nations;
he will settle cases for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nations will not take up the sword against other nations,
and they will no longer train for war.
2:5 O descendants of Jacob,
come, let us walk in the Lord’s guiding light.


Tertullian, 160-220AD – “Only without a sword can a Christian wage war: the Lord has abolished the sword.”

Clement of Alexandria, 150-214AD – “Above all Christians are not allowed to correct by violence.”

Justin Martyr, 100-165AD – “We ourselves were well conversant with war, murder, and everything evil, but all of us throughout the whole wide earth have traded in our weapons of war. We have exchanged our swords for plowshares, our spears for farm tools… Now we cultivate the fear of God, justice, kindness, faith, and the expectation of the future given us through the Crucified One.”


Only One Thing - Jesus

John 20:1–18 (NET)
^20:1 Now very early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been moved away from the entrance. ^20:2 So she went running to Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” ^20:3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out to go to the tomb. ^20:4 The two were running together, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and reached the tomb first. ^20:5 He bent down and saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, but he did not go in. ^20:6 Then Simon Peter, who had been following him, arrived and went right into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, ^20:7 and the face cloth, which had been around Jesus’ head, not lying with the strips of linen cloth but rolled up in a place by itself. ^20:8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, came in, and he saw and believed. ^20:9 (For they did not yet understand the scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead.) 
Jesus’ Appearance to Mary Magdalene

^20:10 So the disciples went back to their homes. ^20:11 But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she bent down and looked into the tomb. ^20:12 And she saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus’ body had been lying, one at the head and one at the feet. ^20:13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” Mary replied, “They have taken my Lord away, and I do not know where they have put him!” ^20:14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
 
^20:15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” Because she thought he was the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him.” ^20:16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni” (which means Teacher). ^20:17 Jesus replied, “Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” ^20:18 Mary Magdalene came and informed the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what Jesus had said to her.

John 14:15–31 (NET)
^14:15 “If you love me, you will obey my commandments. ^14:16 Then I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—^14:17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he resides with you and will be in you.

^14:18 “I will not abandon you as orphans, I will come to you. ^14:19 In a little while the world will not see me any longer, but you will see me; because I live, you will live too. ^14:20 You will know at that time that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in you. ^14:21 The person who has my commandments and obeys them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him.”

^14:22 “Lord,” Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “what has happened that you are going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” ^14:23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him. ^14:24 The person who does not love me does not obey my words. And the word you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me.

^14:25 “I have spoken these things while staying with you. ^14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and will cause you to remember everything I said to you.
 
^14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; I do not give it to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage. ^14:28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am. ^14:29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. ^14:30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me, ^14:31 but I am doing just what the Father commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Get up, let us go from here.”

John 19:16–18 & 28–37 (NET)
^19:16 Then Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. 
 So they took Jesus, 19:17 and carrying his own cross he went out to the place called “The Place of the Skull” (called in Aramaic Golgotha). ^19:18 There they crucified him along with two others, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle.

^19:28 After this Jesus, realizing that by this time everything was completed, said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty!” ^19:29 A jar full of sour wine was there, so they put a sponge soaked in sour wine on a branch of hyssop and lifted it to his mouth. ^19:30 When he had received the sour wine, Jesus said, “It is completed!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
 
^19:31 Then, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies should not stay on the crosses on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was an especially important one), the Jewish leaders asked Pilate to have the victims’ legs broken and the bodies taken down. ^19:32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men who had been crucified with Jesus, first the one and then the other. ^19:33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ^19:34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out immediately. ^19:35 And the person who saw it has testified (and his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth), so that you also may believe. ^19:36 For these things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled, “Not a bone of his will be broken.” ^19:37 And again another scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”

Verses referenced in this passage:
Psalm 69:21; Psalm 22:15; Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12; Psalm 34:20; Zechariah 12:10

John 13:1–17 (NET)
 ^13:1 Just before the Passover feast, Jesus knew that his time had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now loved them to the very end. ^13:2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, that he should betray Jesus. ^13:3 Because Jesus knew that the Father had handed all things over to him, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, ^13:4 he got up from the meal, removed his outer clothes, took a towel and tied it around himself. ^13:5 He poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel he had wrapped around himself.

 ^13:6 Then he came to Simon Peter. Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” ^13:7 Jesus replied, “You do not understand what I am doing now, but you will understand after these things.” ^13:8 Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” ^13:9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!” ^13:10 Jesus replied, “The one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not every one of you.” ^13:11 (For Jesus knew the one who was going to betray him. For this reason he said, “Not every one of you is clean.”)
 
 ^13:12 So when Jesus had washed their feet and put his outer clothing back on, he took his place at the table again and said to them, “Do you understand what I have done for you? ^13:13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and do so correctly, for that is what I am. ^13:14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you too ought to wash one another’s feet. ^13:15 For I have given you an example—you should do just as I have done for you. ^13:16 I tell you the solemn truth, the slave is not greater than his master, nor is the one who is sent as a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ^13:17 If you understand these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

John 17:20–26 (NET)
17:20 “I am not praying only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony, 17:21 that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. 17:22 The glory you gave to me I have given to them, that they may be one just as we are one—17:23 I in them and you in me—that they may be completely one, so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me.

 17:24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they can see my glory that you gave me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 17:25 Righteous Father, even if the world does not know you, I know you, and these men know that you sent me. 17:26 I made known your name to them, and I will continue to make it known, so that the love you have loved me with may be in them, and I may be in them.”

John 12:44–50 (NET)
 ^12:44 But Jesus shouted out, “The one who believes in me does not believe in me, but in the one who sent me, ^12:45 and the one who sees me sees the one who sent me.
^12:46 I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in darkness. ^12:47 If anyone hears my words and does not obey them, I do not judge him. For I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world. ^12:48 The one who rejects me and does not accept my words has a judge; the word I have spoken will judge him at the last day. ^12:49 For I have not spoken from my own authority, but the Father himself who sent me has commanded me what I should say and what I should speak. ^12:50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. Thus the things I say, I say just as the Father has told me.”

John 12:12–19 (NET)
12:12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 12:13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him. They began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!” 12:14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 12:15 “Do not be afraid, people of Zion; look, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt!” 12:16 (His disciples did not understand these things when they first happened, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about him and that these things had happened to him.)  12:17 So the crowd who had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead were continuing to testify about it. 12:18 Because they had heard that Jesus had performed this miraculous sign, the crowd went out to meet him. 12:19 Thus the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you can do nothing. Look, the world has run off after him!”

Highlight and draw a line to where these other scriptures connect to this passage.

Psalm 118:25-26
Zechariah 9:9
Leviticus 23:40
John 1:49
John 12:23,
John 2:22;
John 7:39,
John 11:38-44,
John 11:47-48

John 12:20–36 (NET)
 ^12:20 Now some Greeks were among those who had gone up to worship at the feast. ^12:21 So these approached Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” ^12:22 Philip went and told Andrew, and they both went and told Jesus. ^12:23 Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ^12:24 I tell you the solemn truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces much grain. ^12:25 The one who loves his life destroys it, and the one who hates his life in this world guards it for eternal life. ^12:26 If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow me, and where I am, my servant will be too. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

 ^12:27 “Now my soul is greatly distressed. And what should I say? ‘Father, deliver me from this hour’? No, but for this very reason I have come to this hour. ^12:28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” ^12:29 The crowd that stood there and heard the voice said that it had thundered. Others said that an angel had spoken to him. ^12:30 Jesus said, “This voice has not come for my benefit but for yours. ^12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. ^12:32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
^12:33 (Now he said this to indicate clearly what kind of death he was going to die.)
 
 ^12:34 Then the crowd responded, “We have heard from the law that the Christ will remain forever. How can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of  Man?” ^12:35 Jesus replied, “The light is with you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. ^12:36 While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he went away and hid himself from them.

Has there ever been something about God that you didn’t understand at first that later you came to a fuller or different understanding?

From the way the crowd greeted Jesus, what do you think they were expecting from him?

From what you know of Jesus, what do you expect from him?

Holy Week is special.

This week, we have an opportunity, in the midst of our busy lives, to slow down and consider Jesus.  

Of course, we always have this opportunity, but Holy Week draws our attention to Jesus in a special way. The Holy Spirit is calling us to slow down.

We are hopeful that this blog is a helpful tool. It isn’t a devotional so much as a guide.

Throughout, you will find select passages and you will be encouraged to study them, dig into the word, do some cross-referencing with other scripture passages and reflect on the meaning of the words.
 
We hope that you meet with God in a special way this week.
 
So get out your Bible, a highlighter and a pen and let’s get started!

Pastor Logan – March 22, 2026

2 Samuel 7:18 (NET)  David Offers a Prayer to God
7:18 King David went in, sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you should have brought me to this point? 

He went IN and SAT. He looked into his heart before he opened his mouth.
"Some men know a thousand other people but do not know their own selves. The greatest stranger to them is their own heart." — Spurgeon

2 Samuel 7:19–21 (NET)
7:19 And you didn’t stop there, O Lord God! You have also spoken about the future of your servant’s family. Is this your usual way of dealing with men, O Lord God? 7:20 What more can David say to you? You have given your servant special recognition, O Lord God! 7:21 For the sake of your promise and according to your purpose you have done this great thing in order to reveal it to your servant.
 
David focused on what God gave Him, not what God didn’t.
But didn’t God give David a special promise?!?

How many promises do you know from God’s word that you apply to your life and hold on to today?

• Examples:
• Be with you (Isaiah 43:1-2, Hebrews 13:5–6)
• Provide for you (Matthew 6:25-33)
• He loves you (Romans 8:38-39)
• Deliver you from your fears (Psalm 34:1-7)
• His peace will guard your heart and mind (Phil 4:4-10)
• Rest for your soul (Matthew 11:28-30)
• Living Hope (1 Peter 1:3-5)
• An escape from temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13)
• Strengthen you (Phil 4:10-13)
• A future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11)

2 Samuel 7:22–24 (NET)
7:22 Therefore you are great, O Lord God, for there is none like you! There is no God besides you! What we have heard is true! 7:23 Who is like your people, Israel, a unique nation on the earth? Their God went to claim a nation for himself and to make a name for himself! You did great and awesome acts for your land, before your people whom you delivered for yourself from the Egyptian empire and its gods. 7:24 You made Israel your very own people for all time. You, O Lord, became their God.
 
2 Samuel 7:25–26 (NET)
7:25 So now, O Lord God, make this promise you have made about your servant and his family a permanent reality. Do as you promised, 7:26 so you may gain lasting fame, as people say, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel!’ The dynasty of your servant David will be established before you, 7:27 for you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have told your servant, ‘I will build you a dynastic house.’ That is why your servant has had the courage to pray this prayer to you. 

"Therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee." — 2 Sam. 7:27 (KJV)

I. How did David come by his prayer?
He found it in his heart — which means he looked for it there.

• Not in a book (liturgy without heart)
• Not in his head (extemporized words without heart)
• Not on his lips (“our lips run much faster than our hearts move”)
• In his heart — because it was renewed, believing, serious, and humble

II. How came this prayer to be in his heart?
The Lord put it there. Every true heart-prayer first came from God.

• By instruction — the Spirit shows us our need, what Christ provides, the blood-besprinkled road
• By inclining us — through sorrow or through joy and gratitude
• By encouragement — the promises of God draws us to Him
• By the sight of the cross — “He who gave Jesus for us will deny us nothing that is for our good”

III. How do we get into such a condition?

• Hearts must first be renewed by grace — “Who can fetch an acceptable prayer out of an unaccepted person?”
• Live near to God — “He that learns how to live near to God will learn how to pray”
• Look into your heart — as David did; think much of your own needs
• Read the Scriptures — “If you let God speak to you, you will be constrained to speak with God”
• Dwell on the promises — a promise is a check; go to heaven’s bank and cash it
• Keep the heart warm — “In a cold, graceless world, keep a warm heart inside”

2 Samuel 7:28–29 (NET)
7:28 Now, O sovereign Lord, you are the true God! May your words prove to be true! You have made this good promise to your servant! 7:29 Now be willing to bless your servant’s dynasty so that it may stand permanently before you, for you, O sovereign Lord, have spoken. By your blessing may your servant’s dynasty be blessed on into the future! 

All for God’s glory.

Spurgeon preached this sermon January 16, 1876. Text: 2 Sam. 7:27.

“Be willing, O vessel in the house of the Lord, to be hung up on a nail in the wall, be willing to be laid aside in a corner, if so God would be glorified, for thus was it with David.”

1. Creation / Adamic Covenant
Genesis 1–3
Summary:
God creates humanity in His image and gives them stewardship over creation with the command to trust and obey Him.
Key elements:

• Humanity reflects God’s image
• Dominion over the earth
• One prohibition (tree of knowledge)
• Disobedience brings curse and death
• Promise of future redemption (Gen 3:15)

Theme:
God’s design for humanity and the first promise of salvation.

2. Noahic Covenant
Genesis 8–9
Summary:
After the flood, God promises never to destroy the earth by flood again and establishes stability for creation.
Key elements:

• Promise to preserve the earth
• Seasons and life cycles continue
• Human life is sacred
• Rainbow as the covenant sign

Theme:
God’s commitment to preserve creation despite human sin.

3. Abrahamic Covenant
Genesis 12, 15, 17
Summary:
God promises Abraham a people, a land, and a blessing that will reach all nations.
Key elements:

• A great nation
• The land of Canaan
• Blessing to the nations
• Covenant sign: circumcision

Theme:
God begins His redemptive plan through a chosen family.

4. Mosaic Covenant (Sinai Covenant)
Exodus 19–24
Summary:
God forms Israel into a covenant nation and gives them the Law to guide their life with Him.
Key elements:

• Israel becomes God’s covenant people
• The Law (Torah)
• Blessings for obedience
• Consequences for disobedience
• Covenant sign: Sabbath

Theme:
A holy people living under God’s rule.

5. Davidic Covenant
2 Samuel 7
Summary:
God promises David that his royal line will endure and that one of his descendants will rule forever.
Key elements:

• David’s throne established
• A lasting kingdom
• A future king from David’s line
• Fulfilled ultimately in Jesus

Theme:
God establishes a royal line through which the Messiah will come.

5. Davidic Covenant
2 Samuel 7
Summary:
God promises David that his royal line will endure and that one of his descendants will rule forever.
Key elements:

• David’s throne established
• A lasting kingdom
• A future king from David’s line
• Fulfilled ultimately in Jesus

Theme:
God establishes a royal line through which the Messiah will come.

6. New Covenant
Jeremiah 31:31–34
Luke 22:20
Summary:
Through Jesus, God establishes a new covenant where sins are forgiven and His law is written on the hearts of His people.
Key elements:

• Forgiveness of sin
• New heart and Spirit
• Personal knowledge of God
• Fulfilled through Christ’s sacrifice

Theme:
Restoration and transformation through Jesus.

Revelation 21:1–8 (NET)
A New Heaven and a New Earth
21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, and the sea existed no more. 21:2 And I saw the holy city—the new Jerusalem—descending out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband. 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Look! The residence of God is among human beings. He will live among them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them. 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more—or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist.”
21:5 And the one seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new!” Then he said to me, “Write it down, because these words are reliable and true.” 21:6 He also said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one who is thirsty I will give water free of charge from the spring of the water of life. 21:7 The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 21:8 But to the cowards, unbelievers, detestable persons, murderers, the sexually immoral, and those who practice magic spells, idol worshipers, and all those who lie, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. That is the second death.”

David’s prayer begins in a GOOD place.

Nathan’s advice – Go and DO it!

God’s REFRAME.

This is a HOLY RELATIONAL no.

What is NOT going on?

God’s “no’s” are not always CORRECTIONS.

What IS going on?

God is PROTECTING David.

Transactional faith : “If ... then ...”

God is PRESERVING His sovereignty.

God will not be CONTAINED, MANAGED or SECURED.

Nathan said GO and DO.

God said COME and SIT.

David’s posture
            •  From INITIATIVE to RECEPTIVITY
            •  From BUILDING to BEING BUILT
            •  From MOTION to PRESENCE

You also were included….

It is likely, at some point in your life, you felt excluded. Maybe you were the one kid who didn’t get the invite to the birthday party or maybe you can still recall that one time you didn’t make the team or you felt like the last person to be told the news.
 
But you are included in Christ!

Not only are you included, but you are marked with a seal - the Holy Spirit! This is abundance. God rescues us and includes us in His kingdom, then He goes above and beyond and abundantly blesses us with His very presence - the Holy Spirit!

And there is more! The Holy Spirit is sort of a down payment, a deposit guaranteeing our eternal life and all the blessings that come with living with God in the world to come.

With the Holy Spirit, you have the very presence of God, always-available help, guidance, comfort, teaching and truth! Talk about abundance!

God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. “Every” - not some, not a few, not the bare minimum - every! So, how many spiritual blessings do we have in Christ? All of them! Every single one. Not only that, our blessings aren’t limited by our personal goodness, our abilities, or anything to do with us. We have every spiritual blessing because of Jesus! This is abundance.

What kind of blessings are these? Verse 14 tells us one - that because of Christ’s work and God’s love, we are holy and unblemished in the sight of God. Other places in scripture tell us that we have an inheritance, eternal life, mercy, truth, help, protection, provision, guidance, peace, and God’s outrageous love, to name a few.

Not only do we have an abundance of blessings, we have been chosen. Before he created the world, he chose humanity. He knew that we would not choose him, so he chose us. He chose to stay with us and to not abandon or destroy us. He chose to rescue us, to free us from slavery to sin, to offer us a place in his kingdom and to gift us eternal life. Before He created the world, He chose. He chose humanity. He chose us. He chose you. 

Nearness is a marker of love. Someone who loves you is close enough to pay attention to your life, they are present and available. They are not distant or aloof, but close and near. They show up for the important things, participate in the mundane and remember details. Even those who love us but live far away find a way to stay near through technology, letters, phone calls, visits, and paying attention. Those who love us stay near.

God says that he loves us - and He shows it. He came a great distance - from heaven to earth - and demonstrated His love on the cross. But he didn’t just leave it at that. He came even nearer! After Jesus ascended into heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit and now God Himself dwells WITHIN us. You cannot get any nearer than that!
 
Here in Romans 5:5, it says that the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has been “poured out”. That is abundance!

In the Old Testament, where the pouring out of the Holy Spirit was foretold and promised (check out Joel 2:28-29 and Isaiah 32:15), the picture of the result included abundance! A desert becoming a fertile field and a field growing into a forest, dreams, visions, and prophesy - abundance!

Pouring out can also be thought about as abundance. God’s love isn’t carefully measured. It isn’t contained, collected or closely monitored - it is POURED out - freely, generously, and with plenty to spare.
 
And that is how God loves us - freely, generously, and with plenty to spare. There is an abundance of God’s love! And He is pouring it out into our hearts via the Holy Spirit.

This is such an interesting Psalm because it gives us a picture of God’s sovereignty and His autonomy. Everything in the universe belongs to God and He has no need of anything from us!

When we think about abundance, we have to consider that everything belongs to God. He created everything that exists out of absolutely nothing. With power like that, how could God ever experience a shortage? He does not need anything from us. When we realize the abundance God has, we can also know that He is more than able to provide for us and our needs.

Jesus tells us that God is concerned about our needs and uses natural things to remind us of his care for us in Matthew chapter 6. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” He goes on to say, “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt. 6:25-27 and 31-33)

God is more than able to provide for our needs. He has an unlimited supply of resources! He doesn’t need us to give Him things, rather He desires our humility, our attention and our dependence on Him.

God is not limited in the blessings or good things that He desires to give you and He loves it when people turn to Him and seek Him for protection.

When I was a kid, my mom would bake homemade chocolate chip cookies while us kids were doing our school work. The house would fill up with that delicious scent and we would start looking forward to some  delicious, gooey, goodness! Oftentimes, mom would bring us a fresh cookie while we were still working. Yum!
 
Of course we would ask for another… and another! There isn’t much that beats a warm chocolate chip cookie and a glass of milk in my book. Unfortunately, there was always a limit on how many cookies we were allowed to eat (you know, health and all…).

Mom had good reason to limit us, but God doesn’t limit the good things that He has for us! He has abundant blessings for us! God has plenty and He gives generously!

The abundant good things that God has in store for us, aren’t given to us based on our merit or worthiness. God gives them to those who “take refuge” in Him and those who fear Him. Taking refuge is a figure of speech that means that we turn to God and seek His protection. Inherent in that is an acknowledgement that we need Him and that we want to be near Him.
 
God loves it when we turn to Him, whatever the reason! God has never asked us to achieve a certain level of goodness before He blesses us. Rather He blesses those who realize they need Him and turn to Him for shelter. (See also Matthew 5:1-12)

There is a sweetness in the gentle rains of spring. The scent is fresh as the earth responds with new life. There is warmth, renewal and life in those rains. That is what the abundance of the Lord is like. God brings refreshing, renewal, sustenance and life.

This verse is a reminder that God is a God of abundance and He is what people need. He is what sustains the tired. His presence sustains the oppressed. Because He lives among us!

Are you in need of God’s abundant showers? Abundant = not limited, freely given, and more than enough! God is near and God is what we need. It is He who brings life, He who refreshes and He who sustains.

What do you need in order to “abound in every good work”? Whatever it is, God is willing and able to supply it!

Have you ever heard the phrase “you are blessed to be a blessing”? The idea is that we aren’t blessed in order just to keep it to ourselves, but rather we are blessed in order to share! God loves a cheerful giver. Why? Because God is generous Himself! He loves to give and bless abundantly!
 
Proverbs 11:25 says, A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. And here in our passage for today, Paul reminds us that God is able to bless us SO THAT we will have what we need to abound in every good work.

Blessings aren’t given to us just to make us happy, comfortable or whatever. We are blessed in order to do good! And remember, this isn’t only (or even primarily) talking about material things. God’s abundance has far more to do with His love for us, His offer to give us life, free us from sin, extend us mercy and forgiveness, give us gifts to build up His church, transform our hearts, and give us a place in his Kingdom. But even those gifts are meant to be shared!

When we share, we will see that instead of running short for ourselves, we have “all that we need”.

Abundance in Scripture is never disconnected from God’s work within us. In Ephesians 3, Paul does not pray for changed circumstances, increased resources, or visible success. He prays for something deeper — that God would strengthen His people from the inside out.

Paul kneels before the Father, acknowledging that true abundance begins with dependence, not achievement. What He asks for flows “according to the wealth of God’s glory,” not human capacity.

The source of abundance is not what we can manage, but what God supplies through His Spirit.

At the center of this prayer is a startling request: that Christ would dwell in our hearts. Not visit. Not pass through. Dwell. To take up residence. Abundance is not found in adding more to our lives, but in making room for Christ to fully inhabit them.

As Christ dwells within us, we become rooted and grounded in love. This is our steadfast foundation. No matter what the world may throw at us, we have hope because we are rooted in His love. Paul prays that we might begin to understand the vastness of Christ’s love — its breadth, length, height, and depth — a love so great it surpasses what can be known.

And the prayer culminates here: that we would be filled to all the fullness of God. This is the language of abundance. Not excess for ourselves, but fullness shaped by His presence, His power, and His love.

Paul and Timothy are writing a letter to the churches in Colossae and Laodicea, two ancient cities where they had established churches. They are sharing what is on their heart for those people and for others who would read this letter, so that includes us!

In the second verse, Paul expresses his goal for people and begins by saying that he wants people to be “knit together in love”, that is - connected to each other, bound together by love for God and for one another and he wants them to be encouraged. In addition, he wants people to be rich - excellent! :) But before we jump to conclusions about becoming rich, let’s see what kind of riches Paul wants us to have. The verse continues - “That they may have all the riches that assurance brings…” So, assurance brings riches... We will come back to that idea. For now, let’s consider how Paul expects us to have assurance. He goes on saying, “in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ.” What is the “mystery”?

 Paul clarifies that it is Jesus! In other places in scripture, the “mystery” is the gospel. So we can understand the mystery to be Jesus and the work He did on earth to bring salvation to humankind. Paul goes on to say that in Jesus is all wisdom and knowledge and he names these things as “treasures”!
 
To summarize Paul here:
Riches = assurance. And we have assurance by understanding Jesus and what He did for us.
Treasure = wisdom and knowledge. And we find wisdom and knowledge in Jesus because He has it all!

So Paul wants us to be rich and have treasure! And that means that we would have assurance because we know Jesus and understand the gospel - what Jesus accomplished through his death and resurrection. And he wants us to have treasure - wisdom and knowledge through Jesus!

That brings us to the question - is assurance really riches? Let’s think about that.

If I was sure of what God thinks of me, I would be ….
If I was sure of my place in the kingdom of God, I would be…..
If I was sure about God’s love for me, I would be…..
If I knew Jesus better, I would be…
If I found my wisdom and knowledge in Jesus, I would be….

So what do you think? Are you rich if you have assurance in Jesus?

Abundance is not driven by our imagination, but by God’s power at work within us. Ephesians 3:20 reminds us that God is able to do far beyond what we ask or even think — not because we dream big enough, but because His power is already at work.

Notice where Paul locates that power. It is not distant or future. It is within us. Abundance is not something God sprinkles on from afar; it is something He works through His Spirit in the lives of His people. What God intends to do around us begins with what He is doing within us.

This verse also reorders our expectations. God’s abundance is not limited by the size of our prayers or the reach of our imagination. He is able to exceed both. Yet the focus of the passage is not the outcome — it is the Giver. Paul moves quickly from possibility to praise.

The result of God’s abundant work is glory — in the church and in Christ Jesus. Abundance is never meant to terminate on us. It is meant to point beyond us. When God works powerfully in His people, the church becomes a visible testimony of His glory across generations.

As we look toward the future, we do not anchor our hope in what we can ask or envision. We anchor it in the God who is already at work — trusting that His power will produce far more than we could ever plan, and that His glory will be the final result.

God is abundant. He is far beyond what we can comprehend.

When you stand at the edge of the Grand Canyon, you cannot fully grasp how big it is. I remember the first time I saw it, I was astounded. We had been through the National Parks in Utah and had stood at the edge and overlooked many awesome canyons. I figured the Grand Canyon would be similar. I was wrong. Standing there, overlooking a canyon that is over a mile deep and up to 18 miles wide and goes on for 277 miles long, you begin to think that perhaps you haven’t ever actually seen something “big” before. Looking at the Grand Canyon, I realized that I can’t really even comprehend how big it is. It is too vast, too deep, too grand.

People have tried to express how awesome God is, how amazing, how holy, how powerful and wise he is and yet, even those who have spent a lifetime seeking him and loving him find that there is still more!

In this passage, Paul tries to express God’s greatness and he quotes multiple other scripture passages in his attempt. God is so amazingly great that He is beyond our ability to describe Him and He is beyond our scope of understanding. It is not that God is unknowable, it is that our knowledge and understanding of Him will never compare to His greatness.

God himself holds all that is together. Nothing exists apart from Him and all exists for Him and because of Him. He has power and greatness and wisdom and riches beyond our imagination! He is abundant! There is nothing lacking in Him. He has no weakness. No blind spot. No need. He never makes a mistake. He never judges incorrectly. He has all the power to accomplish His goals and nothing is beyond Him. He is the source of all! He is the source of abundance.

Considering God is sort of like standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon and trying to grasp how big it is. It is there before you, but even while looking at it, it is difficult to comprehend. God is vast! He is limitless. He is amazing. And He loves you. He wants you to know Him, to be with Him and to accept His love for you.