Summit Life with J.D. Greear

Do you ever feel like you’re just biding your time doing mundane tasks that aren’t really leading anywhere? In this message, Pastor J.D. continues to look at David’s ordinary years in the pasture before he became king and explains how the blank spaces—the sections in the Bible where all the activity seems to stop—are where our hearts are shaped by God to be faithful in the big and small things.

In this message from 1 Samuel, Pastor J.D. finally introduces us to the person of David. But David’s first appearance is hardly a commanding one: He is overlooked before being anointed as king, then seemingly forgotten immediately afterwards. What this message will show us, is that those moments when God seems completely absent often turn out to be the places where God does his most transformative work.

Most of us don’t want to be poor in spirit. We’d rather be upper middle class in spirit, so we can do what we want, when we want. Pastor J.D. helps us understand in this message why God blesses those who are poor in spirit and how a posture of humility leads to dependence, surrender, and ultimately peace and life and power.

There’s a fine line between “thy kingdom come” and “my kingdom come.” Friday on Summit Life, Pastor J.D. shows us how Saul was a king who at first displayed humility, yet, as time passed his main concern became making a name for himself. Learn how—just like Saul and the people of Israel—we often search for the wrong things, Friday on Summit Life with Pastor J.D. Greear.

All earthly kings that we demand, whether a literal king or a metaphorical one, like success or money or romance, are going to not only let us down; they are also going to enslave us. Pastor J.D. teaches that we, too, have to learn the hard lessons Israel learned—and those lessons create in us a desire for the only King that offers joy and freedom through surrender.

In this teaching from The Life of David, Pastor J.D. shows us how all of us—religious or irreligious, Christian or not—seem hard-wired to chase after someone (or something) to make us feel okay. Like the people of Israel, we desire a king. We desire identity, security, happiness, freedom. And what 1 Samuel 8 teaches us is as simple as it is profound: Every king promises freedom; but every king but God only delivers slavery.

The stories of the Old Testament often show us what not to do, even through some of its most famous characters—but every story points to Jesus, who faithfully delivered God’s truth to us and refused to forsake us when we rejected his words. In this message, Pastor J.D. shows how every great leader becomes good only as they model their leadership after Jesus, the ultimate Prophet, Priest, and King.

In this teaching, Pastor J.D. highlights the radical difference between God’s faithful shepherds and spiritual abusers. Throughout history—and throughout the Bible—it is tragically common to find spiritual leaders who exploit and wound others. But in Jesus, we find a different kind of Shepherd—faithful, gentle, safe, and true. He came not to wound, but to be wounded for us. And by his wounds, we are healed.

It’s easy to read Hannah’s story in 1 Samuel and think the lesson is that if we ask God for something in faith, he will answer. But Hannah’s song of praise and trust in God’s faithfulness point to an even greater promise. Pastor J.D. continues to teach in this message how trust in God’s greatest gift, Jesus, leads to identity, security, and happiness.

Pastor J.D. kicks off our series following the biography of David, Israel’s greatest king. A king who began his life as an obscure shepherd boy, but became a warrior who brought rival nations to their knees. We see hints of that king long before David arrives—in the story of an overlooked woman named Hannah.