Are you holding on to something God is calling you to let go of?In this powerful sermon, Pastor Adam unpacks the story of King David and his rebellious son Absalom as a vivid picture of the war between spirit and flesh. Drawing parallels to the character Sméagol from The Lord of the Rings, this message exposes the emotional attachments and compromises that keep believers from stepping into their calling.Absalom represents the flesh—attractive, persuasive, but ultimately destructive. Through the story, we see the danger of treating our sin gently and the mercy of God’s Spirit who, like Joab, is ready to deal decisively with what’s killing us.If you’ve ever struggled to surrender your pride, lust, ego, or comfort—this message is for you. It’s time to stop mourning what God wants to crucify.

It’s time to say goodbye to Absalom.Chapters00:00 - Introduction: Inspired by the Word01:45 - The Tragedy of Sméagol and the Ring04:30 - David’s Love for a Rebellious Son06:30 - Absalom as a Picture of the Flesh09:00 - The War Between Spirit and Flesh13:00 - The Danger of Emotional Attachments15:00 - What Jesus Said About Dealing with Sin17:30 - Aaron’s Sons and the Call Not to Mourn20:00 - Joab’s Radical Obedience23:00 - Saying Goodbye to Old Friendships26:00 - Conviction is Confrontation29:00 - Loving Our Enemies, Mourning the Wrong Things30:45 - The Bigger Picture of Sanctification33:20 - Stop Faltering Between Two Opinions35:00 - Invitation to the Altar: Crucify the FleshShow Notes• Did you benefit from this message? Support our ministry with a generous donation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://give.vbph.church⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://give.vbph.church/) • Keep up with all the latest events happening at VBPH: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://vbph.org/events⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Subscribe to text updates by sending the keyword "ALERTS" to 757-785-9881• Follow our YouTube channel for all the latest video content: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/PottersHouseVB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Subscribe to our VBPH Sermon Podcast to never miss a message: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podfollow.com/vbph-sermon-podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Want to read through the Bible with us this year? Join our YouVersion Bible Reading Plan here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/VBPH-BiblePlan-2025⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Let us know if this message has influenced you by connecting with us using one of these options: • Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://vbph.church⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Let us know you're coming: https://form.church/vgSQszyXdkGlOgqDFnG6⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • Looking for more fellowship sermons? Check out TAKING THE LAND - CFM Sermon Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://takingthelandpodcast.com