Song 1 – Blessed Be Your Name

Hear God call you to worship:

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. 
– Psalm 9:1–2

Let us worship the Lord!

Song 2 – Look and See

Song 3 – Sovereign Over Us

Song 4 – Good and Gracious King

Our welcome team members will pass an offering basket during this song.

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Praise God, from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him, all creatures here below
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Amen

Confession of Sin

Most holy and merciful Father, 
We confess to you and to one another
that we have sinned against you
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you with our 
whole heart and mind and strength.
We have not fully loved our neighbours as ourselves.
We have not always had in us the mind of Christ.

You alone know 
how often we have grieved you
by wasting your gifts, 
by wandering from your ways.

Forgive us, we pray you, 
most merciful Father;
and free us from our sin.
Renew in us the grace 
and strength of your Holy Spirit,
for the sake of Jesus Christ 
your Son, our Saviour. 
Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness

Our assurance of forgiveness is taken from Romans 8:1 – hear and rejoice in this simple and profound truth: 

There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

A warm welcome to all, and especially to any visitors joining us today – if you’d like to get connected or find out more about UCC, please see our digital visitors card or speak to us after the service!

If you have children, they are welcome to join our Sunday school classes! 

Our Scripture reading today is 2 Samuel 13:1-22 (ESV). Hear the Word of God:

 ^13:1 Now Absalom, David’s son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar. And after a time Amnon, David’s son, loved her. ² And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her. ³ But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man. ⁴ And he said to him, “O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.” ⁵ Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’” ⁶ So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. And when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.”

⁷ Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Go to your brother Amnon’s house and prepare food for him.” ⁸ So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, where he was lying down. And she took dough and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes. ⁹ And she took the pan and emptied it out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, “Send out everyone from me.” So everyone went out from him. ¹⁰ Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. ¹¹ But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” ¹² She answered him, “No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this outrageous thing. ¹³ As for me, where could I carry my shame? And as for you, you would be as one of the outrageous fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” ¹⁴ But he would not listen to her, and being stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her.

¹⁵ Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up! Go!” ¹⁶ But she said to him, “No, my brother, for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me.” But he would not listen to her. ¹⁷ He called the young man who served him and said, “Put this woman out of my presence and bolt the door after her.” ¹⁸ Now she was wearing a long robe with sleeves, for thus were the virgin daughters of the king dressed. So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. ¹⁹ And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long robe that she wore. And she laid her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went.

²⁰ And her brother Absalom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this to heart.” So Tamar lived, a desolate woman, in her brother Absalom’s house. ²¹ When King David heard of all these things, he was very angry. ²² But Absalom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad, for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had violated his sister Tamar.

This is the Word of the Lord.

The Cost of Sin and the Need for Redemption
2 Samuel 13:1–22

I. The Consequences of Sin and Lingering Effects (vv 1–5; 10–11)
II. The Compromise of Infatuation and Faulty Guidance (vv 1–22)
III. The Crisis and Hope of a Broken Lineage

Song 5 – His Glory and My Good

Song 6 – When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

Our Father in heaven, 
hallowed be your name;
your kingdom come;
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven. 
Give us this day our daily bread. 
And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. 
For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen.

“‘The Lord bless you
    and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace.”’

– Numbers 6:24-26

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Introduction

1. When have you received ungodly counsel? How can you tell when someone is giving you godly advice? (Psalm 1:1, Proverbs 12:15)

Into the Text

2. What specifically was ungodly in Jonadab’s counsel to Amnon? And in his advice to David? Why did each man accept Jonadab’s counsel rather than reject it? (2 Samuel 13:3-5, Proverbs 13:20)

3. What reasons did Tamar give Amnon to avoid sin? How do her arguments provide insight into the nature of sin and the ways we can resist it? (2 Samuel 13:12-13, James 1:14-15)

4. Painful events unfold in David’s family as God’s judgment is carried out. How might we understand God allowing or using such tragedies to fulfill His will? What does this teach us about faith and accountability, especially when life feels chaotic? (Romans 8:28, Proverbs 19:21)

Applying the Text

5. Reflect on this chapter, in which three men—Amnon, Jonadab, and David—fell short. Discuss how each of these men exemplified a sin many of us can relate to: Amnon, passion without love; Jonadab, wisdom without principle; and David, anger without justice. In what ways might we also fall into these traps, and how can we seek God’s help in avoiding them? (Psalm 19:12-13)

6. David’s story shows how one sin can lead to long-lasting consequences for himself and his family. What lessons can we draw from his experience about the impact of our choices? How might understanding the consequences of sin help us make more godly decisions today? (Galatians 6:7-8, James 1:15)

7. How does a passage like this point us toward the hope and redemption found in Jesus, our ultimate example and Redeemer? (Romans 5:8, 2 Corinthians 5:21)