Have you ever held back because you were worried about what others might think? Pastor Jeremy reminds us that real freedom comes when we stop living for people’s approval and start living for God’s—and that’s where a bold, authentic faith begins.
Notes 📓✏️:
I Dare You To Dance
So David went there and brought the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David with a great celebration. After the men who were carrying the Ark of the Lord had gone six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment. So David and all the people of Israel brough up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns.
2 Samuel 6:12-15
But as the Ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she was filled with contempt for him.
2 Samuel 6:16
Will You Dance Anyways?
Persecution is simply the clash between two irreconcilable value-systems
John Stott
If you are never experiencing opposition because of your Christian faith, you have to ask yourself if anyone knows you are a Christian.
Timothy Keller
Will You Dance Anyways?
When David returned home to bless his family, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said in disgust “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!”
2 Samuel 6:20
David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as a leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord. Yes I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished.” So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire life.
2 Samuel 6:21-23
Pride asks, “How do I look?”
Humility asks, “What does God See?”
You are curating your life to solicit the approval of others.
What does God see in me?
The greatest freedom comes when God’s opinion matters more than everyone else’s
Discussion Questions 📝❓:
- David brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem, symbolically putting God back at the center. What are some ways we can intentionally keep God at the center of our lives?
- David was willing to look foolish in the eyes of the people in order to remain faithful in the eyes of God. What can we learn from David about living boldly for God when others may not understand or approve?
- Pastor Jeremy contrasted pride and humility by saying, “Pride asks, ‘How do I look?’ Humility asks, ‘What does God see?'” How can regularly asking “What does God see in me?” change the way we live?
- What is on area of your life where concern about someone else’s opinion may be causing you to help back, and what would it look like for you to “dance anyway”