The Word for Everyday Disciples with Dave DeSelm

We’re about to enter into the portion of this book that speaks of a series of cataclysmic events that will bring history to its dramatic climax.  And one of the words we’ll be seeing with some frequency is “tribulation.”  Jesus makes it clear that tribulation – trouble, stress, pressure – is to be expected in this life because we live in a sin-stained, Satan-controlled world. But there is coming a...

Revelation 5 continues from the previous chapter with the scene of God the Father on the throne.  But now John notices that in His right hand is a scroll sealed with 7 seals. This is how important, confidential documents were kept private. The scroll represents the title deed to Planet Earth. Whoever held the scroll and opened it up had the authority to rule the world and the ability to fulfill Go...

Much of the book of Revelation is about the future – the unfolding of God’s judgment and Satan’s last-ditch effort to thwart that plan.  But before the visions of beasts and dragons, the Antichrist, and the Great Tribulation, God gave John a vision that would put all of that into perspective. He gave John a vision of heaven. Indeed, of the very throne room of God Himself. His point is this:  “Yes,...

Most scholars feel confident that the author of this amazing book is none other than the Apostle John, the brother of James, the “one Jesus loved.” The timing of the writing of this book is approximately A.D. 95. By now, John is nearly 90 years old and the only surviving member of the original 12 disciples who lived with and learned from Jesus. During the reign of Domitian, severe persecution brok...

Are we living in the last days? Technically, we’ve been living in the last days for 2000 years, ever since the Day of Pentecost with the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy that “in the last days” God would pour out His Spirit on all people. (Acts 2:14-18) The real question we want answered is: Are we in the last days of the last days? Truth is…we just don’t know. It’s like a soccer match where you are...

In the beloved telling of the Christmas story in Luke 2, the angel gives this amazing message: “Don’t be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (vs. 10-11) Good news… of great joy… for all people. That sounds wonderful, but all you have to do is look at the news today and it seems tha...

From the very beginning, God desperately wanted to show Himself to mankind. To let us see that even in the chaos of life He was there and that above all, He really did LOVE them. He attempted to do so through the sheer grandeur of creation itself. But many people still couldn’t (or wouldn’t) see Him. So, He decided to showcase one nation that did grasp His reality: Israel.  In displaying what He c...

On the first week of Advent, we light the Candle of Hope. For some of us, it symbolizes hope realized. It’s been a good year. Hope is soaring. Yet for others, maybe you, it’s been disappointment after disappointment.  To your way of thinking, God hasn’t come through as you…well, as you hoped. Hope - or the lack of it - is a powerful thing. Proverbs 13:12 says: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.”...

Stuff is very important to us.  We see Stuff.  We want Stuff.  We buy Stuff.  We compare our Stuff with other people’s Stuff. Stuff has a way of getting hold of us and how we view and use our Stuff affects our walk with God. But David, “the man after God’s own heart,” illustrates the kind of heart that is needed to keep Stuff from controlling us. He displayed a generous heart. After God said no to...

Ready on the tongue of every parent is one simple word. No. When you stop and think about it, it’s probably the word that is used more than any other in rearing children. What makes it hard, of course, is that you can’t always explain to the child why the answer is no. They don’t have the capacity to understand. And though it may anger or disappoint them, love requires us to say “no.” The same is...

If you were to make a list of the qualities that are important for the everyday disciple to display, where would compassion rank? I’m afraid for many, it wouldn’t be very high on the list! Holiness, maybe. Discipline or biblical knowledge, yes. But compassion? Yet for David, compassion was an important part of what made him a man after God’s own heart. We see David’s heart of compassion in 2 Samue...

Author Philip Yancey refers to pain as the gift that no one wants. Yet it’s pain that lets you know something is wrong, not only on the physical level but at the soul level. That was true of David following his affair with Bathsheba and the cold-blooded murder of her husband. For a year David’s guilt caused deep anguish in his heart and mind that spilled over to his body. Pain, sickness, and sleep...

Have you ever had a season where day after day you find yourself asking: Why am I so blue? Why do I feel so empty? Why am I so angry all the time?  King David understood that feeling all too well. In Psalm 38 he describes that season for him. His body and soul literally ached. Why? Because of his “sinful folly.” (v. 5) There can be various triggers for our internal struggles. Physiological and psy...

What is the one thing the self-existent Creator and Sustainer of the universe wants that He cannot give Himself? Worship. He wants people who will freely and passionately love Him. And God found that in David. The one constant thread in the tapestry of his life was David’s hunger to worship God. Once David ascended to the throne as King of Israel, he wanted the worship of God to be central to the...

David’s story starts so good. Rising from lowly shepherd boy to court musician to successful army officer, his career path was a thing of beauty. Then a funny thing happened on his parade to the throne: the wheels began to fall off.  In short order, David lost his job, his wife, his mentor, and his best friend. He had to run for his life and ended up living in a cave.  I want to talk to you about...

One of the saddest things in the world is to see something that was once strong and vigorous in a state of decay. But I believe the saddest decay to witness is the decay of the human heart.  The O.T. character David had a front-row seat to watch that process take place in a man named Saul. Saul started out so well. Anointed the first King of Israel, he was refreshingly humble and demonstrated a no...

Friend. It’s one of the most powerful words in the world. A good friend will mark you at the heart level as nothing else. That was certainly true of David.  In the aftermath of the giant-killing, the story of David was heavily shaped by two relationships.  One of them was with King Saul.  No one was happier that Goliath was out of the way than Saul.  But all too quickly, his appreciation of David...

Every one of us would love to exhibit the kind of giant-killing courage David had as we deal with our own Goliaths.  So, how does that happen?  How do you develop a bold heart?     1.     You develop a bold heart by consistently facing up to everyday challenges. It takes time to grow a bold heart. David had already slain the bear and he’d already faced down the lion.  He was ready for the giant. I...

David had a bold heart. And the place we see that most wondrously played out is in arguably the most famous story in all the Old Testament – the story of David and Goliath. In 1 Samuel 17, we find the two armies – the Israelites and the Philistines – camped out on the hills on either side of a valley. Stalemated. No one wanted to give up the high ground.  The custom in such circumstances was that...

In many ways, David was the central character of the Old Testament. A truly remarkable man with the soul of a poet, the competitive drive of an elite athlete, the leadership of a statesman, the military prowess of a general, the artistry of a musician, and the looks of a movie star. But what set him apart from all others was not his external accomplishments. It was his heart. Indeed, it all starts...

What if material prosperity does not always lead to spiritual prosperity?   What if material affluence can result in spiritual indifference?    I’d like you to keep those questions in mind as we look at Jesus’ message to the Church in Laodicea. He begins with this graphic condemnation: I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you ar...

The city of Philadelphia (Turkey, not Pennsylvania) was considered the gateway to the whole central plateau of Asia Minor. Jesus used this strategic point of geography to give the church there this spiritual challenge: “I have placed before you an open door.”   Doors not only symbolized protection from something but opportunity for something. Jesus wanted these believers to recognize the huge pote...

Thyatira was the smallest of the 7 cities named in Revelation 2-3, but its church received the longest letter. Perhaps because they faced far more serious challenges. Jesus begins by commending them for 4 qualities:  Love Faith Service Perseverance Then the Lord moves to some grim accusations. He condemns them for tolerating a false teacher in their midst. The text calls her “Jezebel” because, lik...

Jesus begins His message to the Church at Pergamum by saying this: “I know where you live, where Satan has his throne.” Indeed, Pergamum was home to temples to nearly every major Roman deity there was. There were temples to: Zeus – the greatest of the gods Dionysus – the god of wine and revelry Caesar – the political god Demeter – the goddess of the harvest Athena – the goddess of wisdom Asclepius...

Jesus introduces Himself to the Church at Smyrna as “the First and Last, the one who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty.” In identifying Himself this way, He was telling these believers…   “I know your pain.”   Jesus knew what it was like to be mocked, beaten, imprisoned, and even killed. And He knew that these believers were being crushed by persecution. Their l...