Digging Deeper Study Part 2 May 2021

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DIGGING DEEPER STUDY PART 2 MAY 2021 HAVE YOU EVER ASKED YOURSELF “WHAT DOES GOD WANT FROM ME?” If so, you join the company of many others in Scripture who asked similar questions. In the Old Testament, God clearly stated that He was looking for “A MAN AFTER HIS OWN HEART.” The whole of the Bible is a story of God’s desire for heart-connection with His people. Amazingly, we see time and time again how God loves His people and wants a close relationship with every one of us. God says in the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible:

“BUT IF FROM THERE YOU SEEK THE LORD YOUR GOD, YOU WILL FIND HIM IF YOU SEEK HIM WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL.” (DEUTERONOMY 4:29, NIV)

Our new teaching series launches the weekend after Easter, and we are calling it “AFTER GOD’S HEART.” Together we will take a nine-week journey through the life of King David, someone who was passionately pursuing to know God and make Him known. We desire to do what the wisdom books of Scripture teach us, to:

“LET LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS NEVER LEAVE YOU; BIND THEM AROUND YOUR NECK, WRITE THEM ON THE TABLET OF YOUR HEART.” (PROVERBS 3:3, NIV)

Whether you have read David’s stories before or this is your first time, we are excited to see how his life provides many examples of how we live our lives today. As a man who chased after the heart of God, we desire to walk in those same footsteps today. Just as Jesus taught in the gospels:

“BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART, FOR THEY WILL SEE GOD.” (MATTHEW 5:8, NIV)

GOD LOVES HIS PEOPLE, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT IS CONTINUOUSLY WORKING TO MAKE THAT LOVE KNOWN. The Church around the world continues to seek out ways to grow in God’s character and obey His commands. That’s what it means to be a disciple of Jesus! As a community of faith, we are following Christ together, growing more and more into the image of our Creator, and making Christ’s love known to the world. Join us as we seek God’s Word together through the life of King David as we learn how to follow Jesus with all our heart practically.

DURING THIS SERIES, OUR PRAYER FOR YOU AND NORTHLAND IS THIS—

“I PRAY THAT THE EYES OF YOUR HEART MAY BE ENLIGHTENED IN ORDER THAT YOU MAY KNOW THE HOPE TO WHICH CHRIST HAS CALLED YOU.” (EPHESIANS 1:18, NIV)

HOW TO USE THIS STUDY

Pray Write Open my eyes so I can see what you show me of My heart overflows with a good theme; I address your miracle-wonders. Psalm 119:18 (The Message) my verses to the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Psalm 45:1 (NASB) When you open up your Bible, you are not reading alone, even if you are the only person in the room! Use this guide to write down thoughts, concerns, The Holy Spirit is with you and always faithful to teach prayers, and next steps. The Scriptures teach us that we each of us. Before you read the Bible verses, pause, always want to be doers of the Word, not just listeners. and pray! Thank the Holy Spirit for being with you and Look for practical ways to share God’s love with others. illuminating your heart with God’s Word. Let’s be light to the world through our actions.

Listen Love Come, children, listen closely; I’ll give you a lesson “A new command I give you: Love one another. in God worship. Psalm 34:11 (The Message) As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, Often when we read the Bible, we can easily get lost as if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 (NIV) our mind wanders. It’s totally normal for our minds to drift! Instead of getting frustrated, use those thoughts Reach out to someone and encourage them from what to direct you towards listening to the Holy Spirit. Those God teaches you through your time in prayer and the are often the people and circumstances we need to pay Scriptures. Serve in every practical way possible so attention to the most! that others can experience the love of Christ.

To view the sermons this study correlates with, visit NorthlandChurch.net/DiggingDeeper. WHAT DOES IT SAY

God’s Word is powerful and always faithful to transform us as disciples of Christ. Before reading the Scriptures, ask the Holy Spirit to open up your heart to hear the heart of God. Pray for the ability to listen and have your life shaped by the God-themes in these verses.

To understand the depth of friendship that David had with Jonathan, read I Samuel 20:42. What promise did David make to Jonathan?

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MAY 8-9 ______DAVID & After Jonathan died in battle, David heard the news and was devastated (II Samuel MEPHIBOSHETH 1:11-12). Fast forward to II Samuel 4:4. In your own words, describe what happened to Jonathan’s son. There is a Hebrew word for love that is deep, meaningful, ______and difficult to translate into ______English. The word chesed is a word that describes (תםﬢ) ______steadfast love, loyalty, and loving-kindness. It is rooted in great strength and embodies According to II Samuel 8:15, what did David do as king over Israel? a great devotion between God ______and His people or between two humans. There is promise ______in this type of love and a covenant that is unbreakable. Read II Samuel 9. How did David keep his promise to Jonathan? Chesed is displayed beautifully ______in this week’s story between David and Mephibosheth. As ______you read the Scriptures, pay attention to David’s great love for his lost friend, Jonathan, David tells Mephibosheth not to be afraid. For what reasons might Mephibosheth have fear standing before David? and Jonathan’s crippled son. Even more so, consider the ______greatest example of chesed displayed in the deep love that ______Jesus has for you.

How did David show love toward Mephibosheth? In what ways did this show extravagant generosity and care to Jonathan’s son?

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______As image-bearers of God, we can also love in a way that WHAT DOES IT MEAN shows loyalty, steadfastness, and devotion. What is one specific way you can reach out to someone and surprise Think for a moment about Mephibosheth’s family history. them with generosity and kindness this week? After he lost his grandfather Saul, lost his father Jonathan, and became crippled, how might Mephibosheth have felt toward God? ______

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Imagine what Mephibosheth must have felt and thought Read John 13:34-35. How does Jesus say others will about on his way to see King David. What do you think he know we are His disciples? How does Christ’s love provide may have expected from David? us the ultimate example for loving sacrificially today?

______What attributes of God do you see through David’s example? In what ways did David reflect the character of ______God through his actions? ______PRAYER

______Lord, there is no one more generous than You. No one shows greater love and kindness than the Way. You keep ______Your covenant, Your chesed, to Your people. Father, I confess to You that I too often hold things against others rather than following Your lead and example in forgiving. I WHAT DOES IT MEAN AS A push others away rather than show kindness. Jesus, You DISCIPLE TODAY paid the ultimate price to forgive me of those sins. You removed every barrier so that I might know Your great From a worldly point of view, David had every reason love. Holy Spirit, help me today to do the unexpected— to to treat anyone from Saul’s family with disdain. Who in love and forgive and show kindness when the world tells your life today might God be asking you to love instead of me to do the opposite. I pray for courage to take those holding a grudge? How does David’s example cause you steps. I pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen. to rethink a better way to show kindness?

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Once again, pause before reading today’s Scriptures and ask the Holy Spirit to help you listen well. Pray that you pay close attention to what you need to hear in today’s story. As you read the story of David and Bathsheba, think of how one bad decision led to another. Consider carefully ways that you are allowing sin to enter your life and how you are allowing it to continue unchecked.

Read II Samuel 11 and 12:1-23. At this time of the year, what would King David normally do?

MAY 15-16 ______

DAVID & ______

BATHSHEBA ______

While David’s defeat of After sleeping with Bathsheba, how did David attempt a cover-up? Goliath is among his greatest triumphs, his abuse of power ______is undoubtedly near the top ______of his greatest tragedies. In addition to committing ______adultery with Bathsheba, David also plotted the murder of her husband. David’s pride Who confronted David, and how did that confrontation impact him? and abuse of power resulted ______in enormous pain for many.

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List how David’s sin with Bathsheba resulted in grief, loss, and pain for each person in the story.

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Skip over to the New Testament and read James 1:14-16. How do these verses shed light on what David should have done?

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______Look back at David’s reaction upon hearing of Uriah’s Ask the Holy Spirit to focus your heart toward Jesus and death. What do you think caused David to become so His grace rather than the entrapment of that sin. flippant about the death of Uriah? ______God places different people in our lives to call us out Consider the challenge that Nathan faced in confronting when we go astray, hurt other people, or hurt ourselves. David. Why do you think Nathan used the poor man’s story Who has God placed in your life for that purpose? and his lamb to deal with David’s actions? ______WHAT DOES IT MEAN AS A Spend some time thanking God for the gift of that person and their courage to speak truth into your life. Reach out DISCIPLE TODAY to and thank them for loving you in such a powerful way.

No matter what the sin, the enemy uses many ways to draw us deeper and deeper into temptation, deception, and justifying our wrong attitudes and actions. What is a specific sin you need to confess today? Write it down and PRAYER repent of that sin. Father, I am in awe once again over Your faithfulness ______to us, Your people, and the way You love us despite our sin. I confess to You that I so easily let my attitude, my thoughts, and my actions become selfish, self-absorbed, ______and in turn, often hurt the people I love. Thank You for your tremendous love that washes away my sin. Thank ______You for Your great patience in loving me as your child. Jesus, I want my life to love others well, to honor them and build them up the way You do that for me and all of ______us. Holy Spirit, thank You for shining truth and light into the dark spaces of my life. Would you fill those areas with ______grace and, in turn, help me to love others with the same grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen. WHAT DOES IT SAY

Take time to ask the Holy Spirit to open up God’s Word and do the powerful work of transforming your life today. Ask that you would be courageous in hearing what God is asking of you as a disciple of Jesus in the relationships around you. Pay close attention to the places in your life where the enemy is seeking to divide and destroy your family ties and relationships.

Read I Samuel 13. If you have time, you can see the full scope of division in David’s family by also reading chapters 14-18.

Describe what took place in verses 1-22. MAY 22-23 ______DAVID & FAMILY ______While David was known as What various forms of deception, lies, and sin took place in this story? a man after God’s heart, several very bad decisions ______resulted in significant negative consequences. His leadership ______was deeply impacted, which in turn led to Israel turning on ______itself and nearly imploding. As a result of David’s sin with Describe the impact that this had both on Tamar and then also Absalom? Uriah and Bathsheba (II Samuel ______12:10-12), his own family turned against each other and even ______against him. The Scriptures for this week are not easy to read. ______The stories we read involve very dark levels of selfishness, According to verses 23-39, how much time took place before Absalom schemed a plan for revenge? hatred, and pride, leading to rape, murder, and destruction. ______

Jesus Himself taught in Luke ______11:17 that “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, ______and a house divided against itself will fall.” As you read What did Absalom do, and who else did he include in his plan? these complicated accounts of ______David’s life, consider ways that may divide your own family and ______close friends. Are there ways that the enemy is seeking to ______destroy trust and unity within your community? What can we ______learn from David’s life through these tragic examples? WHAT DOES IT MEAN ______

In addition to rape, how did sending Tamar away impact ______her character? What shameful implication did this have for her in the coming years? ______

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______Are you consciously or subconsciously negatively How do you think David’s past marital decisions might influencing a family member? How can you reverse that have influenced his sons? influence and build them up instead?

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Our culture today is full of division that is hurting families, ______friendships, the Church, and our country. What are some ways you think we, as disciples of Jesus, must step up in In what ways did David’s past mistake with Uriah and our attitudes and actions to live as the family of God? Bathsheba (II Samuel 11) possibly impact the way he dealt with Amnon? ______

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God, Your great love is evident all around us, especially in WHAT DOES IT MEAN AS A the way You care for us as Your family. From Genesis to DISCIPLE TODAY Revelation, You have taught us how to love one another from the beginning of time to today. Jesus, You paid the Amnon’s cousin, Jonadab, was a strong influencer in ultimate price through Your sacrifice to make us one with what Amnon decided to do. Often family relationships are the Father. Thank You for Your prayer for us. You prayed the ones that can help us grow spiritually, or in the case specifically for me, for my family, for my church: “My of Jonadab and Amnon, give advice that can hurt both prayer is not for them alone. I also pray for those who us and others. Can you think of a family member who will believe in me through their message, that all of them sometimes offers you advice contrary to God’s principles may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” and commands? Why do you find it difficult to push back (John 17:20-21). Holy Spirit, help me when I am tempted on their negative influence? How does this week’s story to lead others astray to instead speak and act as a uniter, cause you to think through how you receive that person’s not a divider. Help me quickly see the temptations that the input in your life? enemy would rather me follow instead of following You with all my heart. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen. WHAT DOES IT SAY

Take your Bible or digital reading device and turn to Psalm 8, 13, and then 34. Before you read these chapters, ask the Holy Spirit to help connect your heart to the heart of these Scriptures. When you are ready, find a place where you can speak these verses out loud. Offer up those words to God in the same way countless generations have done so throughout history and all around the world. After you have prayed the words of Psalm 8, 13, and 34, write down words or phrases that jumped out at you from each of those chapters.

Psalm 8 (Praise)

MAY 29-30 ______DAVID & ______PRAYER Psalm 13 (Lament)

Do you know how many ______Psalms David wrote? Nearly ______half! Of the 150 psalms, 73 were penned by King David! Psalm 34 (Thanksgiving) We discover in the Psalms an incredible collection of very ______human words spoken to a very loving, gracious, and patient ______God. Whenever you find Psalms of Praise express our appreciation, admiration, and sense of awe for yourself struggling for words to who God is and what God has done. How did King David convey those themes say to God, the Psalms provide in Psalm 8? prayers that were uttered to God under every type of ______circumstance imaginable. ______

While there are various types Psalms of Lament connect with our places of grief, suffering, pain, or mourning. of Psalms, we will look at three What phrase does David repeat in the first two verses of Psalm 13? What does examples, Praise, Lament, and that convey about David’s emotional state? Thanksgiving, for this week’s ______study.

______As you reflect on Psalm 8, 13, and 34, remember the journey ______that we are on as Christ- followers. In the same way that Psalms of Thanksgiving remind us of the many blessings we have each day. David was after God’s heart, we In Psalm 34, what are some of the specific ways that David expresses thanks to God? are also pursuing a life devoted to our Creator. As pastor and ______author Eugene Peterson once stated: “The life of faith isn’t ______meant for tourists. It’s meant for pilgrims.” ______As you think about a particular struggle you face right WHAT DOES IT MEAN now, what words would you use to describe a situation where you feel lament? After you write those down, Why do you think the Holy Spirit found it imperative to put express those honest thoughts and feelings to God. such a wide range of Psalms in the Scriptures?

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What Psalm is a favorite of yours? What type of Psalm is ______it, and why does it connect with you so deeply? What is one significant event, conversation, or experience you had in the last thirty days that created a response ______of thanksgiving? As followers of Jesus, what does Colossians 4:2 instruct us to do? ______How does reading the raw emotion of David’s words help you know how to better communicate with God? ______PRAYER ______Lord, I am in awe of how You created us with so much ability to express ourselves to You. Made in your ______amazing image, I am so grateful for the ways that You allow us to connect our hearts with Yours. Thank You that You are never put off by the days when I feel WHAT DOES IT MEAN AS A inadequate to share how I am doing. You constantly DISCIPLE TODAY invite me to be present with You, breathe in Your word, and offer my life to You humbly. Jesus, I want to live Using Psalm 8 as a reference point, express your praise to my life fully as You did. No matter what the situation God over His work in your life already in 2021. Use words or circumstances that I might face, help me to be fully from Psalm 8, or try using your own words or phrases to present in every situation and with every person. Holy express your admiration for our Creator. Spirit, let me not feel intimidated by my insecurities and instead fill me with Your power so that I may live as light ______to the world around me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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______WHAT DOES IT SAY

As we have discovered, David was an accomplished musician. He played his harp skillfully for King Saul, and he wrote 73 compositions found in Psalms. Prayer, worship, and a focus on God’s Word were central to David’s life.

Read I Chronicles 25:1 and 6-8. What did King David establish as a legacy for proclaiming who God is and what God had done?

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______JUNE 5-6 DAVID & ______WORSHIP ______Toward the end of David’s life, he expressed beautiful words of adoration “The single most characteristic toward God. Read II Samuel 22:1-4 and Psalm 18:1-3. What five descriptives thing about David is God. David does David use to describe God’s strength? believed in God, thought about God, imagined God, addressed ______God, prayed to God. The largest ______part of David’s existence wasn’t David but God. The ______evidence for David’s pervasive, saturated awareness of God is ______in his profusion of metaphor: bedrock, castle, knight, crag, Lastly, read Psalm 19. In this piece, David highlights both the way God’s creation and His Word display His greatness. What assurances are given to us boulders, hideout. David was in these verses? immersed in God.” ______Eugene Peterson’s words from Leap Over a Wall describe ______how David worshiped God in everything he did. As we ______wrap up our series, After God’s Heart, we focus on what ______each of us were created to do: Worship our everlasting King. WHAT DOES IT MEAN

At Northland, we believe that worshiping God is central to who we are as a people. Everything begins and ends with worshiping our Creator. What can we learn from David about why the focus must always start with God?

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______Why do you think David felt it necessary to capture and Look back at the five descriptive words David uses in pen such beautiful words of adoration and admiration? Psalm 18:1-3. How do those powerful expressions give What does that say about our human need to stop, reflect, hope for your life today? Is there anyone you know who and acknowledge our thoughts about God? could greatly benefit from hearing those words today?

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______Is there a place in your life right now where you worship something on earth greater than worshiping your Creator David used creation, God’s Word, life circumstances, and in Heaven? How is that holding you back as a follower of many everyday situations to draw attention to God. How Jesus and distracting you in fully obeying God? does his example teach us how worship is something more than just spiritual? ______PRAYER ______Lord, I want to lift these words to You today from Psalm 95:3-7:

WHAT DOES IT MEAN AS A “Lord You are the great God, DISCIPLE TODAY the great King above all gods. In Your hand are the depths of the earth, As a follower of Jesus, what does Romans 12:1 teach us about worship? How might you live in that way this week and the mountain peaks belong to You. as a way of expressing your love for God and others? The sea is Yours, for You made it, and Your hands formed the dry land. ______Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before You our Lord, our Maker; ______for You are our God, and we are the people of Your pasture, ______the flock under Your care.”

______Jesus, help me to remember those words no matter ______the circumstances that I face. Holy Spirit, may I always declare the greatness and wonder of who You are. In Jesus’ name, Amen. ______

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______CONTRIBUTORS:

Writer...... Pastor Sean Cooper Executive Dir for Community Life ��Rebecca Lang Communications Manager ��Bradley Nolff Editors...... Katie Crawford Bethany Durys Graphic Designer...... Addie Cooper 530 Dog Track Road Longwood, FL 32750 407-949-4000 NorthlandChurch.net