Seven Mile Road

Psalm 84 Have you ever stopped to consider what makes you truly happy? What is it that makes your day or week or life truly blessed? What do you truly long for that doesn't let you down?As we begin our Summer in the Psalms this Sunday, we'll hear who the Psalmist says are the truly blessed ones today, tomorrow, and forever. And we'll find out that they are those who dwell in the house of the Lord, those whose strength is in God, and those who trust in the Lord.

This Sunday, we're looking at the moment when David's sin comes to light—when God, in his kindness, exposes what he tried so hard to keep hidden. We'll see that God's integrity is rock solid: he's always consistent with who he says he is, even when we're not, and that's both sobering and profoundly hopeful for people like us who know our own inconsistencies. Come ready to be honest about your heart and find that trusting in the consistency of Jesus is God's path to real forgiveness, healing, and peace.

This Sunday, we'll see King David foolishly believe sin's lies after a long season of living under God's rule and reign. After sinning greatly in taking what isn't his, David uses all of his power and might, not to run to God, but to attempt to hide what he's done. In doing so, sin's deceit and destruction become apparent... as well as the reality that only God's True King can cover sin.2 Samuel 11

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Have you ever been shamed or humiliated for following Jesus? Have you ever been opposed for following God's King? Have you ever needed courage to fight? This week, as we spend time in 2 Samuel 10, we'll see that you're not alone. Even more, we'll see God's goodness give his people courage and hope ... and we'll consider how the same is true for us in Jesus.2 Samuel 10

2 Samuel 9When we're honest about who we are, where we come from, and what we have to offer to God, our prospects don't look very good. Questions come to mind that make us wonder how God will treat us: What about all the bad I've done? What about how little I have to offer? What about my weakness?But this week, we'll see God's King's kindness to one who should have been an enemy. We'll see God's King extend abundant kindness that never could have been earned, with all of it pointing to our own situation. All of it making clear the greatness of Christ's kindness that welcomes us to Christ's table.

What would happen if God gave you a great victory in life? How would you respond? What would that blessing be for? This Sunday, we'll see what happens in David's life as God keeps his promises and gives him victory after victory in battle. Most importantly, though, we see that victory isn't for victory's sake. In Jesus, we too have victory, and those victories are for the glory of God, the good of others, and your joy.2 Samuel 8

David wants to honor God with a house. Instead, the Lord God blesses David with undeserved promises for the good of David and all humanity. This is how God intends for his people to live, then and now: by trusting in his gracious promises.This is how God teaches David to honor him, not by building a house but by trusting him as the God who makes and keeps his promises.God wants us to honor him in this way: by trusting in his promises through David's greater son, Jesus our King.

Gathering as Gospel Communities on May 25email prevett@sevenmileroad.org to connect with a GC on this daySMR101 Membership ClassMore info and to RSVP here:https://www.sevenmilemelrose.com/101nightsBaptismIf you are interested in being baptised this spring, please fill out the following to start a conversation with Pastor Justinhttps://sevenmileroadcentral.wufoo.com/forms/spfc2341mk6a3q/

As we start back up with our sermon series called God's King in the Book of Samuel, God's people have experienced great blessing and seek to unite God's King with God's presence by bringing the ark of God to Jerusalem. As they seek to bless and be blessed by God, we'll see that our methods, motives, and manner of worship matter to God, for us, and for all those around us.

As God sent a Savior to His people in Jesus, there was reason for people's rejoicing ... and there were also tears as that Savior was nailed to the Cross and put in a grave on Friday. But as Sunday came and the tomb was empty, we'll see that God fulfilled his promises in Jesus' resurrection.

After years of suffering and humiliation and waiting, the time has finally arrived: David becomes king over all Israel! This week, we will see that the Lord God established David as King - just like he said he would all those years ago by Samuel. And when God's king is established, God's people benefit greatly

After years of their own sin and King Saul's sin, God's people need a king who is guiltless. They need a king who follows God and hopes in God to lead them. This week, we'll see that is just the king that David is. He will remain guiltless as the kingdoms come together and God's people will take pleasure in him as he rests in God.

Are we there yet? This is a common question we ask at different times, whether as a child on a road trip or as an adult wanting to be somebody or somewhere already. It's easy for us to feel like we have paid our dues and should have arrived at our destination. With that in mind, it's easy to think the time was right for David to be King of Israel after Saul's death. However, what David finds is different: a divided kingdom and opposition to his kingdom. David wasn't there yet, but through it all, he grew stronger

We come to the tragic end of Saul's reign as king of Israel.  And we see that obedience to the will of God and submission to His sovereign authority causes David to respond to that news in a very unexpected way.

1 Samuel 30If you have ever shown up just a little too late, a little too tired, and found a huge problem to solve—a problem big enough that you were scared and everyone around you was afraid—then you'll know what David is feeling in this week's text. It was scary, and there wasn't much hope—until David strengthened himself in the Lord, who gave His people strength to walk forward and provided for their needs.

1 Samuel 29Have you ever been rejected for something that isn't your fault? Maybe you had a good track record and were innocent of fault, but people didn't like something about you, so you got uninvited? This is precisely w

We welcome guest preacher, Matt Moran, from Community of Grace Church near Buffalo NY to preach at Seven Mile Road from the first chapter of Philippians. Matt was a pastor at Seven Mile Road for years before moving to the Buffalo area with his family in 2017. 

Have you ever found yourself in a tough spot without a plan asking God for His will? That's what happens to King Saul in this week's sermon. Saul decides he wants God's will, but ultimately he wants things his own way. We are tempted the same way and must ask: do we want God's will or our way?1 Samuel 28

David faces a no-win decision as Saul threatens his life repeatedly. He chooses to escape to the Philistines for safety despite being anointed by God as the future king. This raises the challenge of staying loyal to God, Saul, and Israel while under Philistine rule. Similarly, as followers of Jesus, we encounter challenging circumstances that test our loyalty to God and his mission. Will we trust Jesus as he leads us into strange, difficult, or hostile seasons and situations?1 Samuel 27

In what turns out to be their final interaction, King Saul is again seeking David, and again, David has an opportunity to harm King Saul that he does not take. David continues in his refusal to harm King Saul because of what God has said. Though it costs him, David's only hope is that his life will be precious in the sight of the Lord.

We've all seen bad counsel in life, the kind driven by immediate gratification or hurt. Last week, we saw David receive that. But this week, we'll see what it looks like for someone to courageously offer good, holy, gospel counsel in a hard situation ... and for the Lord to accomplish his purposes through it.1 Samuel 25

This Sunday, we'll return to God's King, our sermon series through the Old Testament Book of Samuel. As David and Saul come face-to-face, it becomes clear who has been more righteous than the other, who has spared who, and who is trusting God. As we read, we'll see that like Saul and like David, we too need one "more righteous than I." We need God's King to spare us

This is the time of year when we think a lot about gifts. What should I give? What would I like to receive? We may even give thought to what it is that makes a gift great. The best gifts we receive often have a certain usefulness or beauty or thoughtfulness that connects with us and sets them apart.  This week, in Isaiah 55, we'll see that the greatest gift we could ever receive came to us in Jesus.

Christmas evokes mixed emotions: hope and despair, joy and sadness. Isaiah foretold a king who would bring hope and eliminate violence and destruction, leading to a true understanding of God. Jesus fulfills this promise, inviting us to abandon sin and selfishness. Through his Spirit of wisdom, we can be a blessing and build up rather than hurt and tear down. He is both the humble king we desire and the powerful king we need.

This Sunday, we continue our Advent series, “Incarnation in Isaiah.” God promises His people that amidst the brokenness of life, a Messiah is coming to the rescue. As they waited, they faced a choice: to trust God's promises or the fleeting hope of the world. What will we choose as we live in the already-but-not-yet of Christ's kingdom?

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This Sunday, we'll begin *Incarnation in Isaiah*, our Advent sermon series from the book of Isaiah. As God's people face a seemingly insurmountable challenge, their biggest test will be one of faith: do they trust God? Will God's promise of a sign bring hope to them then? How about us now?Isaiah 7.10-17

We know God promises to save eternally but have you ever wondered what that looks like in the day to day? This week as David continues to flee from Saul, we'll see God work through others, answer prayers, and strengthen his people's faith ... all showing that He is a God who saves in this life and the next.

Who do you align with? As the Book of Samuel continues, David evades danger in one place only to find it in another and alignment proves key. As King Saul threatens and retaliates to secure allegiance, David, anointed and innocent, provides safety and care for those who align with him. Through this we learn that alignment with God and his purposes will be opposed ... but there's safety in Jesus.

If you've ever been in distress, debt, or known discontent, then you'll know exactly the group of people that gathered around David as he was fleeing from King Saul. Somehow as nothing was going right in David's life, others still found safety by being near him and trusting in his God.

When things go wrong, it can be hard for us to know where to turn for safety, provision, and refuge. In fleeing from King Saul, David has the same dilemma. He has no food, no weapons, and the King is after him. It's a bad situation and he's done nothing wrong. Yet, David not only runs from Saul. He runs to refuge in the Lord's house. Once there, David finds refuge like no other.

Loyalty.In the kingdom of Israel, tensions are escalating as Saul relentlessly pursues David, raising the stakes for Jonathan as he grapples with conflicting loyalties.Will he stand by his father and his own claim to the throne, or will he align himself with David, God's chosen King?Similarly, we are faced with a similar choice by Jesus - where do our loyalties lie?Will we follow Him unconditionally, even if it means sacrificing something, or will we be swayed by wanting to rule over our own lives?Jesus also promises us that by choosing to follow Him, we will discover true life and fulfillment beyond measure.

God is working for our good by thwarting the evil that opposes his true King.That truth was good news for David, God's king as Saul tried to kill him.This truth is good news for us, God's people because our sinful hearts, Satan and the world want us to reject Jesus as King and live instead like we are.Jesus is not just the King we need, but he is also a better friend than we deserve.He is committed to loving us and defeating the evil in us so that we become people who find our deepest delight in him and his kingdom.

This Sunday, we'll return to our sermon series in the Book of Samuel titled God's King. Picking up just after David slayed Goliath, we'll see King Saul is more concerned with having his kingdom than being a good King. While King Saul's fear of losing his kingdom drives him to oppose David and even try to kill him, David's humility shows, and the Lord continuously blesses his efforts

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This Sunday, the Apostle Paul's closing words to Philemon will show off a gospel-formed love that relies. This love empowers and encourages as we discover the church meets practical needs, supports each other through prayer, and partners together to lead people to the real Jesus.

Our world is full of imitation. Whether on the basketball court or fashion or food, we see others trying to look like, be like, our sound like their heroes. All so they can be good. The problem is that all of those heroes eventually let down.This Sunday, we will see Paul imitating Jesus, who never lets us down, as he helps Philemon learn what it means to be a good brother to Onesimus. Paul will help Philemon understand that the gospel of Jesus forms in us a love that receives.

As Paul's writes to Philemon, there has been great offense committed ... but there's also been a great love enter the world in Christ. This is a love that reconciles, making fierce enemies into family. While obstacles to reconciliation maybe large, Paul will show us that the ramifications of the gospel are way, way larger.

In his letter to Philemon, Paul shows how a relationship with Jesus changes our relationships with one another in deep, profound, and practical ways. As the realities of faith in Christ set in, Christ grows in us a love that: refreshes, reconciles, receives, and relies. As we begin a four-week sermon this Sunday in Philemon 1-7, we'll begin by hearing of a love that refreshes others.

In Psalm 62, David invites us to cultivate a difficult yet freeing inner habit: waiting for God in silence.So often we try to take matters into our own hands, but the Spirit reminds us that true power, security and rescue come from God alone.We live like God is our refuge when we wait for him to act and pour out our hearts to him in prayer.

When our blood boils for justice, when we are so wronged, so hurt, so betrayed, and it seems the injustice of our enemies has free rein, what do we do? We call on the name of God, we expect the God of the universe to right all the wrongs.It's in Psalm 58 that we see this honest plea to our just God, but we also see a stranger expectation that the wrongdoers will bleed, and that the plight of the wicked would be to the joy of the Saints. David seems to wish harm upon his enemies, interesting. How does a Christian understand this Psalm, in what way can a Christian maintain a holy expectation of God's vengeance.

What is our desire or wish for all the people who don't yet know the God of the Bible? Unbelievers near us and the many nations of people groups abroad need to know Jesus. The psalmist expresses the attitude and purpose of our experiential blessings. This is what our ongoing prayers & songs for blessing should be pointing towards. Bless us, so that all people might have gladness in Christ.Psalm 67

Who doesn't enjoy a good love story? Love stories are woven into the fabric of all our entertainment.  They are a consistent undercurrent in our movies, television, music, and books. Not only this, but the desire we all feel for the love portrayed in these stories is woven into our very DNA because we've been created and sought by the One who defines what true love is. Yet so often we walk through life failing to believe that God loves and delights in His people. This Sunday we will see in Psalm 45 that we are invited to walk in the greatest love story ever - the one personally orchestrated by God our King. Ps 45

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Psalm 51 is a prayer of repentance. We are shown that forgiveness is available by God's grace because of his steadfast love and abundant mercy. It also serves as a model prayer and illustrates the need to have a repentant heart always.