linda bass

Saul sends David into battle because he can't stand to have David around. Saul hopes that by placing David in a dangerous situation he will be killed. However,Saul plans to get rid of David backfires on him. Instead of getting killed,David has great success on the battlefield. The narrator attributes David success to the fact that the Lord was with him.

So often we forget that "the battle is the Lord's" because we tend to trust in our own strength. What this phrase actually means is, God will act on our behalf,providing we place our trust in Him and are obedient to His voice. We can avoid the arrogance of pulling God into our battles, rather than engaging in His battles by learning to trust in God's strength rather than our own strength.

What David's explanation to Saul about his combat experience says about David's faith is, just as God helped David to kill the lion and the bear, He will also help David in fighting Goliath. David is very lethal as a warrior. He often would kill a lion or bear with his own hands. He was not afraid to go after and kill any predator that was endangering his father's sheep. King Saul allows David to go out to battle Goliath because Goliath is demoralizing the Israelite troops. King Saul fears that if the taunting continues, the troops will begin to desert. He probably figured that doing something was better than doing nothing at this point. I believe Saul had faith. Saul's faith,at least in this point of his life,is in the living God.

David is so upset about Goliath's taunt because he was defying the armies of the living God. Eliab,David's brother is upset with David because he thought David had just come to watch the battle. What this teaches us about David's faith is, he knew the Lord would help him if he chose to answer Goliath's challenge. What this teaches us about Eliab's character is, by attacking David he is trying to cover up his own lack of courage.

Saul summons David to court because David's music on the harp seems to calm Saul's troubled spirit, at least for a little while. What seems to be the reasons for David's service in Saul's court from God's perspective is, for David to be exposed to the nuts and bolts of governing. God wants David to learn the art of leadership from Israel's current leaders. In a way,this is kind of an apprenticeship for David. The things that tend to prevent us from learning from God in the midst of circumstances in which we find ourselves are, our sin nature as well as having a bad or rebellious attitude. What might make us more teachable is, accepting the fact that God allows circumstances to come into our lives for a reason.

The significance of Samuel anointing David is that it designates David as the king-to-be. The anointing also symbolizes that David is God's choice to be the next King of Israel. The significance of the Holy Spirit coming upon David is to empower and anoint him. How is the Holy Spirit upon us vital for our own success as disciples? Without the Spirit's anointing, then our works for the Lord will be done in the flesh. We come to depend our own power rather than God's power.

This story teaches us that our choices are not always God's choices. By disobeying God's instructions and doing what he wanted to do, Saul ended up losing his kingdom. Our instinctive way of discerning is to spend time in God's Word and in prayer,as well as listening to Godly counsel. God is teaching us to discern through the Bible and from spending time in prayer. We learn to listen to the Spirit by quieting our hearts and by not allowing outside distractions to interfer.

Rebellion is doing what we decide to do,instead of what God wants us to do. Rebellion is doing things our way rather than God's way. Rebellion is as bad as witchcraft or the occult in a way because it is just as bad a sin. What rebellion has to do with arrogance is,both go against God. Often we think we know better than God,so we try to do things our way rather than His way. When one finds one is in rebellion against God in one's heart, then one has to repent of the sin of rebellion and ask God's forgiveness. If we do nothing about the sin of rebellion,then eventually our heart's will become cold and we will be cut off from fellowship with God.

We tend to become weary living out our faith because we don't always believe in the concept of reaping and sowing. We become impatient and give up if we don't see results right away. The promise paul gives us to forestall weariness is, we will reap a harvest at the proper time if we don't give up. If we perservere and don't give up, then we will eventually see the fruitation of all God's promises,plus we will be rewarded for our faithfulness. Our "doing good" should begin with our spiritual family because that is our first responsibility. We need to meet the needs of our Christian brothers and sisters first before helping those outside the family.(non believers)

What it means to "sow to the flesh" is, doing that which pleases our sinful nature. What this looks like is, doing our own thing rather than being obedient to the will of God. The synonym that Paul uses for "sow to the Spirit" in Galatians is "to live by the Spirit." What sowing to the Spirit looks like in a congregation is believers loving one another and getting together in fellowship. The results of a congregation sowing to the flesh is backbiting,faultfinding,divisions within the church.

What Paul means by "caught in a sin" is when a Christian allows a sin to overtake him and he becomes trapped by it. What restoration of such a brother or sister would look like in his or her life is to confess the sin to God,ask forgiveness,then turn away from it. Who could restore this person is anyone who is living and walking in the Spirit,conforming their lives to the Spirit's influence. This should be done in the spirit of gentleness and humility. The result of trying to restore a person without humility is the risk of alienating the one needing to be restored.

What it means to "crucify the flesh with its passions and desires" is to stop living with the flesh as our primary motivation. When we "crucify the flesh" we renounce and turn away from a lifestyle of sin. A person is not a Christian unless they are willing to "crucify the flesh" and allow the Holy Spirit to work in their life. Just saying a sinner's prayer just doesn't cut it.

The Holy Spirit produces this fruit in our lives by working in our lives gradually to transform us spiritually,making us holy in our character. The theological term used to identify this process is known as "sanctification." A person who has been a "Christian" for years and yet displays few or none of the fruits is 1)someone who isn't really saved and is just going through the motions or 2) they are being led by their carnal nature and are unwilling to allow the Holy Spirit to work in their life.

Joy and peace can't exist apart from love because both are the result of believing that God actually loves us.

Some Christians resist accepting Paul's warnings in Galatians 5:21 and I Cor 6:9-11 because they believe the can live a lifestyle of sin and still go to heaven. They figure as long as they confess and say they're sorry God will overlook their persistant sinning. If these people could re-word scripture it would probably be to "sin like hell because all you need to do is say your sorry and all will be forgiven.

Sins of the flesh [Galatians 5:19-21] Group1] sexual sins-sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery Group2] pagan sins-idolatry,witchcraft Group 3] hate sins-hatred,discord,jealousy,rage,envy Group 4] hedonistic sins-unrestrained partying,drunkeness,orgies,carousing,selfish ambition

Galatians 5:16-18 teaches us that if we live by the Spirit we will not gratify the desires of our sinful nature. These verses teach us that the Holy Spirit frees us from bondage to our corrupt sinful nature. Yielding to the Spirit suppresses the power of the old nature by causing the impulse of our sinful nature to lose power over us. People claim it is impossible not to sin because they have pet sins they aren't willing to give up.

Have you ever seen a Christian act as if they were lawless? Sadly yes! Spirit led Christians fulfill the law by not indulging their sinful natures and by serving one another in love. What backbiting and rudeness in a congregation says about the spiritual climate is, the members are tearing each other apart. The result is out of control selfishness and destruction of the Christian community.

The "offense of the cross" that offended the Jews was twofold. 1] The Jewish leaders had Jesus crucified and He turned out to be the long awaited Messiah prophesied in scripture. 2]Jesus' atonement for sins on the cross means that we are made right with God by Christ's death and not by being obedient and following the law. How the cross offends people in our day is,most people don't want to admit they are sinners. They want to believe they can make it to heaven by doing good works, going to church,and living a morally good life.

The way the Holy Spirit has become the new "mark of the believer" is, He becomes present in the believer's life. The evidence of the Holy Spirit's presense in a believer's life is, faith expressing itself through love.

What Paul means by "fall from grace" is that the Galatian believers have been alienated from Christ. What has occurred to cause this fall is that the Galatian believers were trying to be justified by the law by following the rite of circumcision. Present day Christian legalism can cause a fall of grace by allowing believers to depend on good works and moral behavior rather than trusting only in Christ's sacriface for the remission of sin.

Celebrating different special worship days isn't exactly wrong. Observing special worship days can be helpful to our spiritual lives and bring us closer to intimate fellowship with our Lord. However, observing holy days as a legal obligation is wrong and can lead to legalism. Paul grieved over the Galatians observances of the holy days because they chose to adopt the Jewish calendar which was under the influence of the Judaizers. In Paul's eyes, the traditions of Judaism, accepted as ritually binding, impeded faith and excluded liberty. We can be blessed by observing special days in our era because they can be helpful to our spiritual lives as long as they aren't observed for legalistic reasons. Observances of special days become legalistic for believers when they become part of a ritual.

Both Gentiles and Jews were enslaved in the sense that they were under the law. What "redeem" means in verse 5 is "to buy back." Jesus came to redeem us from the slavery of sin. The implications of adoption regarding a person's legal and spiritual rights are, as believers we have been adopted into God's family and are co-heirs wth Christ.

The reason God may have waited so long to send the Messiah was that He was waiting for the right time to do so. Several areas about the 1st century world probably made it a fertile ground for the revelation of the Messiah and the spreading of the gospel. 1]The time was right religiously-the OT canon had been completed.plus there was anticipation of Messiah's coming. 2]The time was right culturally-a common Greek language was spoken throughout the known world and a common Greek culture was widespread. 3]The time was right commercially-Rome's system of roads connected the empire. This made it easy for the spreading of the gospel. 4]The time was right politically-it was the time of the Pax Romana or Roman peace.

Paul's argument for salvation by faith based on the concept of the "curse of the law" is, all that observe the law are under a curse. No one is justified before God by observing the law and trying to keep the 10 commandments. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by His sacriface on the cross. The basis that Gentiles receive the promise of the Holy Spirit is, that the blessings given to Abraham come to the Gentiles through Christ by faith.