The Chapel Sermon Podcast

Psalm 1 | Present in the Presence | Part 2 | Scott Chapman

Blessed is a term frequently overused in our society, leading us to potentially overlook its true meaning and significance in scripture. To be blessed is to receive God's provision, favor, and deliverance – something we would all love to have! We desire to be like the tree planted by streams of water, prospering in all we do. Often, we fill our days with work and activities, hoping they will add meaning and prosperity to our lives. However, this passage teaches that true flourishing comes from allowing God's word to change our lives, not from our own efforts or achievements. When we set out to do God’s will, God’s way, we experience his kingdom here on earth – and that is the blessed life!

You Are What You Eat | Present in the Presence | Part 1 | Ellie Dole

In Galatians 5:15-26 the apostle Paul lays out a clear blueprint of what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus and what it looks like to live in the presence of God. Paul reveals to the readers that what we eat matters, the saying we’ve heard time and time again… “we become what we eat” is a very real reality for a follower of Jesus.

As Paul is speaking to the Galatians he introduces a tension between the flesh and the fruit that we also see in Genesis 3 when the serpent tempted Eve. The enemy was crafty as he deceived Eve, as she was once content with obeying Gods instructions about what she should and should not consume. When she ate the forbidden fruit, her life changed but not in the way God intended for it to change. The forbidden fruit that Eve ate wasn’t anywhere close to fruit God had in store for her.

The good news that Paul delivers to us in Galatians is that through Jesus we get the choice to consume the fruit God intended for us. What God offers us is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self in control instead of the temporary fleshy fruit of lust, greed, irritability, hatred and any other freshly temptation. His desire is to fill us up with all that He is.

When Jesus died, rose from the grave and ascended into heaven He left us an advocate, His Holy Spirit and through the Spirit, Jesus is alive inside of us giving us access to all that He is. Gods desire is for us to live in the presence of God and receive the fruit of the Spirit, but it doesn’t stop there. He has called us to grow to others what He has grown in us. God wants for us and everyone around us to experience His love and the fruit of His love.

Repentance | David: King of Israel | Part 10 | Brad Gustafson

In 2 Samuel 12, the prophet Nathan confronts King David about his sins. David models what to do when we are convicted of our sins. Godly conviction is something that can easily be mistaken for shame. Shame is a tool of the enemy, aiming to trap us and remind us of our mistakes, keeping us stuck in our sins like mud at the bottom of a hole. On the contrary, Godly conviction acts as a guiding rope, pulling us out of the pit and drawing us closer to Jesus. God doesn't seek to shame us; instead, he leads us toward something new and better. When we genuinely repent, we have the chance to partner with God and witness his kingdom breakthrough in our lives.

David and Bathsheba | David: King of Israel | Part 9 | Jamie Wamsley

This week we saw a very different side of David. We looked at the story of David and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11, where David walked away from God’s call on his life, acted lustfully, committed adultery, manipulated people and situations, abused his power, and orchestrated murder. All of which raises profound questions about David's integrity and challenges our understanding of his character. Was David inherently good or bad? Worthy of praise or ridicule? The world uses these types of questions to define and categorize individuals. However, the Bible teaches us that humanity can't be defined by one or the other. Rather, we are all created in the image of God, possessing the potential to reflect his goodness while simultaneously also being corrupted by sin and capable of acting in very dark ways. So rather than asking what kind of man David was, a better question to ask is how did David posture himself before God and what difference did it make? David’s life is not unlike our own. We must decide daily who will be at the center of our lives: God or ourselves.

It’s All Coming Together | David: King of Israel | Part 8 | Denvil Lee

For 20 years, the Israelites were living apart from God. They had abandoned the Ark of the Covenant, where God’s presence resided. In 2 Samuel 6, David leads the Israelites as they retrieve the Ark of the Covenant, bring it to Jerusalem, and return to God as a community. As they march towards Jerusalem, David dances before the Lord with all his might. This is the moment in David’s life where it all comes together – from being a shepherd boy to a musician to a giant slayer to a humble leader. David’s life experiences, disciplines, and setbacks come together in this pivotal moment in scripture, which foreshadows when Jesus would come to Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit would come at Pentecost, and when God’s kingdom will come in its fullness one day. When we look forward to Pentecost, the Holy Spirit comes and indwells God's people, and Jerusalem is no longer a geographical location. Rather, whenever the people of God, who carry the presence of God, lift their praises to God, wherever they are becomes the place of God – the new Jerusalem.

David and Mephibosheth | David: King of Israel | Part 7 | Freddy Villarreal

After the passing of Saul and Jonathan, David ascended the throne as the king of Israel. David learned that Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth was lame in both feet and living in the desolate city of Lo Debar. David sent for him, restored his wealth, welcomed him into his family, seated him at the royal table, and granted him an incredible inheritance. Mephibosheth’s story is not unlike our own stories. When God stepped into Mephibosheth’s story, everything changed, and the same is true for us. Jesus gathers those of us who find ourselves in our own "Lo Debars," restores us to himself,  invites us to sit at his table, calls us his own, and bestows on us an eternal inheritance.

Navigating From Now to Next | David: The Shepherd | Part 6 | Denvil Lee

There were approximately 15 years between when God revealed his plan for David to become the next king of Israel and David's actual ascension to the throne. Can you imagine what it was like for David? He knew God had anointed him the next king, yet Saul continued to sit on the throne year after year. While many of us would have doubted God or tried to take matters into our own hands, David models an incredible trust and reliance on God. While David had opportunities to take down Saul and speed up the process of becoming king, he knew that doing so would undermine God's plan for his life. Instead, he chose to stay on the path God had for him. In our own lives, what does it look like to move with God?

Jonathan and David | David: The Shepherd | Part 5 | Jamie Wamsley

This week, as we continued our series on David, we looked at the friendship between David and Jonathan. Jonathan was Saul's son and next in line for the throne. He was a fearless warrior and hero to the people of Israel. After witnessing David's victorious defeat of Goliath, Jonathan realized God had selected David as the next king. Despite being the crown prince, Jonathan affirmed David as the future king and committed to brotherly friendships with David. As we study the life of Jonathan, we see that he repeatedly defended David against his father, Saul. What's remarkable, though, is that Jonathan never turned against Saul. To love David did not mean having to reject or cancel his dad; he was loyal to Saul while also being loyal to David. Jonathan's love for Saul and David demonstrates a biblical love rooted in a surrendered life to God and seeing others as God sees them. In a world filled with cancel culture, Jonathan's life shows us a different way to love which looks beyond personal preferences to align with God's perspective. Jonathan's life is a portrait of biblical love, which points us to Jesus – the ultimate embodiment of love!

David Spares Saul’s Life | David: The Shepherd | Part 4 | Scott Chapman

Temptation can act as a trap set for us; and the question becomes, will we take the bait? In 1 Samuel 24, David and Saul are at the height of conflict with one another. Saul's jealousy and paranoia have led him to believe David will lead a rebellion against him. David flees with his men into the wilderness and is pursued by Saul and his 3000 men. Going off by himself, Saul unknowingly enters the same cave where David is hiding. David's men urge him to seize the opportunity and kill Saul. The temptation to take an easy path to kingship is set before David. David avoids the trap, and instead of killing Saul, he cuts off a piece of his robe as a symbolic act. David’s men assumed that because Saul was in the cave, God’s will was that they should kill him. David saw through this deceptive trap. He understood that God did not desire him to become a murderer. While God certainly works through our circumstances, we should not look to our circumstances to reveal God’s plan or will for our lives. David trusted that God’s plan for his life would include upholding his character and integrity. He knew that when we sacrifice who we are to get what we want, we lose both.

Saul’s Tormenting Spirit | David: The Shepherd | Part 3 | Freddy Villarreal

The mention of an evil spirit sent by the Lord to torment Saul can be confusing, as it doesn't seem to align with our understanding of God's goodness. It may even lead us to question whether God initiates pain and suffering in our own lives. To make sense of this verse, it is crucial to consider the broader context of Saul's story and the overall narrative of scripture. While God still allows evil, he is not the initiator of evil in the world. We don't have to question if God caused the pain and suffering in our lives. Rather, we can be confident that Jesus came to give us life to the full and that anything that seeks to steal, kill, or destroy is from Satan.