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Gospel Baptist Tabernacle781 Salem Road, Rossville, GA 30741

Where the Love of God abounds, everyone is

welcome.

Children’s Church taught by Paul and Marsha

Davis during preaching.

www.rossvillechurch.com

August 25, 2013

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Fifth SundaySeptember 29, 2013

Constitution Hall

After Sunday morning service, dinner and

fellowship

No evening service“To be or not to be”

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Joab killed him.

Joab killed him.The

revolution is over.

Absalom

David

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2 Samuel 19 1 And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weepeth and mourneth for Absalom. 2 And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all the people: for the people heard say that day how the king was grieved for his son. 3 And the people gat them by stealth that day into the city, as people being ashamed steal away when they flee in battle.

David turned what should have been a day of celebration into a day of mourning.

David’s supporters began to feel guilty, when they had done nothing wrong.

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David was God’s chosen to be king.

Absalom would have been a terrible king.

David should have been praising God for the victory

that God had given.Instead he’s moping and moaning.

The sacrifices God wants from His people are praise and obedience.

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4 But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son! 5 And Joab came into the house to the king, and said, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy servants, which this day have saved thy life, and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines;

We saved you, your sons and daughters, your wives and concubines,

And you are making us feel ashamed, as if we have done something wrong.

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6 In that thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that thou regardest neither princes nor servants: for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well.

Wake up call!Many people today need to learn who their friends

are and who is not their true friends.

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Proverbs 27 17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

Our lives can be made better when we listen to straight talk and heed its warning.

True friends help each other improve.

They don’t flatter; they talk straight.

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Proverbs 13:20 (TLB) Be with wise men and become wise. Be with evil men and become evil.

Proverbs 22:24-25 (TLB) Keep away from angry, short-tempered men, lest you learn to be like them and endanger your soul.

The one who encourages you in your sin is not your friend.

The one who participates with you in your sin is truly your enemy.

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Proverbs 27 5 Open rebuke is better than secret love. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Absalom hated his daddy and always worked against him, even trying to take his throne.

Joab, Abishai, Ittai and their troops had defended David, his family, and

his throne.Joab was being a true friend, in trying to make David see who his friends were.

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7 Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably unto thy servants: for I swear by the LORD, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry one with thee this night: and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that befell thee from thy youth until now.

Get up and be a king.

Thank those who fought for you.

Otherwise you will lose their support and your throne.

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(TLB) 8So the king went out and sat at the city gates, and as the news spread throughout the city that he was there, everyone went to him.

David hearkened unto Joab and the people rallied around him.

Will you heed good counsel, or if it doesn’t fit with the way you feel – do you ignore it.

Listen with understanding; take good advice.

Don’t follow your feelings; obey God.

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TLB 9-10 Meanwhile, there was much discussion and argument going on all across the nation: "Why aren’t we talking about bringing the king back?" was the great topic everywhere. "For he saved us from our enemies, the Philistines; and Absalom, whom we made our king instead, chased him out of the country, but now Absalom is dead. Let’s ask David to return and be our king again."

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11 And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak unto the elders of Judah, saying, Why are ye the last to bring the king back to his house? seeing the speech of all Israel is come to the king, even to his house.

The people were ready to restore David as king;

Now it was time for the elders to take action.

David was still east of Jordan in the fortified city of Mahanaim; he needed to return to Jerusalem.

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12 Ye are my brethren, ye are my bones and my flesh: wherefore then are ye the last to bring back the king? (TLB) 13 And he told them to tell Amasa, "Since you are my nephew, may God strike me dead if I do not appoint you as commander-in-chief of my army in place of Joab."

David is aggravated with Joab’s rebukes, but this was primarily a political move;

David needed Amasa to persuade others.

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14 And he (Amasa) bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as the heart of one man; so that they sent this word unto the king, Return thou, and all thy servants.

David needed Amasa on his side.

He was persuasive.

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God had chosen David to be king of God’s people.

David had to choose to be king.

We must choose to be what God

has called and gifted us to be and do.

Whole

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Matthew 5 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

First and foremost, BE a son or daughter of God with your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Purify your divided mind; don’t hypocrite;live like a child of God -- all the time.

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Romans 12 (NIV) 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. What is your

calling?BE what God has called you to be.