David encounters refining hardships on the run from Absalom. 

Here is the sermon for Sunday, May 24th. Click here for our sermon discussion questions or see them listed below. We highly encourage you to listen, think, and talk about the sermon with your loved ones. 

Discussion Questions

1. Pastor Dan said that in King David’s life “adversity is the element in which he shines. It is in prosperity that he falls.”  How does this idea influence the way you think about both adversity and prosperity?

2. Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, manipulated the king to improve his own situation. He promoted himself while tearing down Mephibosheth. What do you think Pastor Dan meant when he said, “Zibas are not rare at all. There is a Ziba in each of us”?  How can you prevent yourself from becoming a Ziba?

3. Shimei verbally attacked King David with slanderous lies.  Rather than retaliate, David realized that God was using Shimei to humble him; for even though David was guilty of the blood of Uriah, he knew he was forgiven. How does understanding our own sinfulness, and knowing what Christ has done for us on the cross, help us to be more patient and long-suffering when people think ill of us; even when we are falsely slandered?

4. David understood the character of a gracious God who punishes sin but still loves the sinner and desires to show us mercy.  How does a true understanding of God’s gracious character help us to flee from sin, rather than give us license to continue in it?  How can a person gain a true understanding of God’s gracious character? 

5. Through the lens of King David’s life, we learned how God can use difficult and even evil situations in our lives to reveal not only the heinousness of our own sin, but more importantly, the unbelievable grace and goodness of God.  Pastor Dan said that the gospel reveals a long loving process in which God takes great pains to make us more like Jesus Christ. Explain how the difficult and evil situations we suffer, may also be the blessings we need.