Today we begin a new message series called “Stages of Life.” There are five distinct stages of life that most people pass through. Each life stage has different challenges and rewards. As each stage is unique, the transitions from one stage to another can often be stressful. The good news is that God is there to strengthen and guide us through each stage.

Isaiah 46:3b-4 (ESV)  “Listen to me, [you] have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb;  even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.

God knew you in your mother’s womb and He promises to be with each believer through every stage of your life. The first life stage is from childhood through the teen years, when a person is living with their parents. The second life stage is the young adult stage in a person’s twenties. In this stage, important decisions on career and marriage are often made.

The third life stage is the adult years in a person’s thirties through fifties. In this stage, children are raised and careers are advanced. The fourth life stage is the senior years of the sixties and seventies. In the senior years, many people retire.

The fifth and last life stage is the end of life stage in the eighties plus years. In this last stage, we face our mortality, prepare for eternity and leaving a legacy. God has promised that as we follow Him, He will be with us through each life stage.

Everyone of us is in one of these five stages. Some have a lot of stages ahead of them, others have more stages behind. However, as we talk about each stage, think not only about the stage you’re in. If you’re younger, think about the future stages that you will go through. And think about how you can appreciate and encourage those who are in the older stages. If you’re older, these messages will help you understand and encourage those who are in the younger stages.

Today’s message is entitled “Growing Up.” We’re going to be talking about the first stage, which takes a child through their teen years. The pressures and temptations of this stage has increased dramatically in recent years. But God is there to help teenagers resist those pressures and live for Him. God desires for those of us who are older, to better understand what today’s teenagers are facing. So that, we can encourage them and lead them in the right direction for God. So let’s look at God’s Word for direction for those who are in this first life stage of Growing Up.

In our message series, we are learning to “Follow God’s Heart.” As we’ve looked at the life of David, we’ve seen him have great success and blessing. Yet, we’re going to see that no one is exempt from temptation’s lure.

1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)  Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

I certainly don’t want to be devoured by a lion. But that’s what the devil seeks to do to each one of us. He looks for our weak spots and throws temptations at us, hoping we take the bait. This verse tells us to be watchful, for the devil is always prowling around. How does temptation work?

James 1:14 (ESV)  But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

Temptation is when the devil gets your attention with a temptation and your own desire responds to that temptation. If there’s nothing within you that responds to the temptation, it has no effect. But if your own desire I drawn to that temptation, it is the beginning of trouble. Martin Luther put it this way. You can’t stop a bird from flying over your head, but you can stop it from building a nest in your hair.

James 1:15 (ESV)  Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

When your desire for the temptation overcomes your resistance, then you succumb to the temptation and sin. The result of sin is always negative and of course unforgiven sin leads to eternal death. Now, what would make a person give in to temptation? Every temptation is a lie from Satan. When you believe the lie, you are on your way to giving in.

Satan uses all kinds of lies to entice people with temptation. Here are some examples:

• No one will ever find out.
• It won’t really hurt anyone.
• Everyone else is doing it and it’s not hurting them.
• I deserve this.
• I can just say sorry afterward and God will forgive me.

Today’s message is entitled “Recovering from Failure.” We’re going to see how the greatest king, King David, fell into temptation. He ended up breaking five of the ten commandments. From his example, we’re going to learn ways to resist temptation. And we’re going to learn how to recover from and not be destroyed by failure.

Today is the 4^th of July when we celebrate Independence Day, the founding of America. America was founded on biblical principles and has been blessed down through the centuries as it has followed those principles. Let’s watch a video entitled “God Bless America.” Let’s pray for America together.

My message today is entitled “Find God’s Blessing.” Just as we desire for God to bless America, so we long for God’s blessing on our lives. What is God’s blessing? God’s blessings are the good gifts that He gives us to us. These blessings could be spiritual, physical, relational or even emotional. Forgiveness is a blessing, healing is a blessing, joy is a blessing, family is a blessing and we could go on and on. The word blessing is used about 410 times in the Bible, which indicates how important it is. How do we receive God’s blessing?

Deuteronomy 28:2 (ESV) And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God.

This is a conditional promise. God’s blessing come to those who obey God. This promise was first given to the nation of Israel and remains true today. When you obey God, you don’t have to chase after blessing, it chases after you. What happens if you don’t obey God?

Deuteronomy 28:15 (ESV) “But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.

If someone is disobedient or rebellious to the Lord, then not only will they not be blessed, but rather curses will overtake them. A curse is the opposite of a blessing, Whereas a blessing is a good gift, a curse is something evil or bad that comes upon a person. The word for curse is used some 230 times in the Bible. Since none of us can perfectly keep God’s commands, we were all under the curse of sin.

Galatians 3:13a -14 (ESV) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us … so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come … so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

The good news is that when we believe in Jesus, Jesus forgives us, removes the curse and replaces it with blessing. How can we as believers continue to walk in all the blessing God has for us? Through growing in obedience to God’s Word and God’s Spirit. Today, we’re going to see how David’s obedience to God led to God’s blessing in  his life. We’re going to learn some principles that will increase the blessing in our lives.

Our message series is called “Follow God’s Heart.” We are studying the life of David, whom the Bible calls a man after God’s heart. We want to learn to follow God’s heart also. To follow God’s heart is to follow His plan and purpose for our lives. 

Following God’s heart does not mean that life will be easy.God allows adversity and trials of all kinds to come into our lives. Today, our message is entitled “Patience in Adversity.” How should you respond to adversity? Often, like the children of Israel, we are tempted to grumble and complain. We may get down or discouraged. But those reactions are not how you should respond to adversity.

James 1:2-3 (ESV) Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

The trials that come into our lives are not random events. In fact, the Bible teaches us that God only allows trials to come into our lives that will help us grow spiritually. These verse in James 1 show us that trials are a way that God tests our faith.

What happens when you face a trial that is a test? You can either pass or fail the test. God wants you to pass the test by trusting in God. The end result when you pass the testing of your faith is that you grow in steadfastness or patience. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit that comes as we rely on God’s help in the midst of a trial.

So, now that we better understand the purpose of adversity or trials, how should you respond? James tells us that we should count it all joy. The NLT translation says that you should consider it [the trial] an opportunity for great joy. We rejoice because God is going to use that trial to strengthen us and draw us closer to Him.

Sometimes, trials are not just a one and done deal. Sometimes trials are ongoing circumstances. We may respond with joy at the beginning, but the trial begins to weigh us down.

Galatians 6:9 (ESV) And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

The Bible instructs us to not grow weary in patiently trusting God in the midst of adversity. We mustn’t give up on God bringing us through. For, in God’s timing, we will reap a harvest of blessing. Patience in adversity leads to blessing in your life.

Today, we pick up the story of David from last Sunday. David had been anointed to be the next king by the prophet Samuel. However, King Saul was still on the throne and was drifting farther and farther from God. David was still working in the kings’ court as we begin today. Today, we’re going to learn some principles on responding to adversity from David’s life.