Psalm 51 is a prayer of repentance. We are shown that forgiveness is available by God’s grace because of his steadfast love and abundant mercy. It also serves as a model prayer and illustrates the need to have a repentant heart always.
Psalm 42 is a lament of longing that reminds us that even in our darkest moments, God remains faithful, offering us our ultimate satisfaction and our lasting hope.
We begin our summer in the Psalms this week looking at Book 2 of the psalter. This week we focus on our human need for safety and strength. When we face trouble, where do we turn? The psalmist considers different sources of our fear and troubles and he shows how God is the fortress we need for each of these challenges. The message of the psalm is not complex, but in feeling the emotional importance of this psalm we will see how it is relevant in our modern and predictable lives just as much!Psal...
What's happening in and around Seven Mile Melrose in July!
With our last sermon in 1 Samuel before spending our summer in book 2 of the Psalms, we focus on the most known story of this book: David & Goliath.This chapter drives home a lesson that the Lord saves. He delivers His people. The methods, manner, and motivation might not be what we expect. He delivers & saves nonetheless -in keeping with His nature.It is the profound implications of this well-known-story’s simple, message that will grip us this Sunday. 1 Samuel 17
1 SAMUEL 16:14-23 We find King Saul is in a bad position, a harmful one, and worse of all maybe, it's spiritual. It's from God. We see that the judgment of God has fallen on Saul and with it, Saul's torment is realized. And yet in the same passage we see David, like a cool breeze, with the strum of the harp like angels, anointed and blessed by God, and with the coming of David comes the favor of God. Where Saul is tormented, he meets David's touch, and we see something of Jesus for us in both co...
We’ve reached a sliding doors moment in the book of Samuel. The LORD rejected King Saul, and the kingdom was given over to someone better than Saul. But who is this next king? What makes him better than Saul? Samuel evaluates potential kings based on what the last king looked like on the outside. The LORD, however, chooses the next king by what noone can see: the inner workings and ambitions of his heart. God chooses what’s best. All the time, every time. His choice is the youngest son of Jesse,...
Do you fear God?Do you give yourself exceptions to his good commands?This week, we will examine the kingdom-shattering moment when King Saul disobeyed God.Saul feared the people and obeyed them rather than fearing God and his word.Although it grieves God, Saul has the kingship torn away as a consequence.This passage reminds us of the gravity of our disobedience and how much we need the good news of God’s true king, Jesus.
We can be engulfed in fear when circumstances are stacking up against us. We can feel pressed on all sides, and our default response will be either trying to make a quick change ourselves to our circumstances or trusting God through this. It is the time when fear and faith are in conflict that the wrong move can lead to far reaching damaging results. Will we double down on fear or faith? In our study in 1 Samuel this week, we get a tragic tale to drive home the truth that God’s faithful provisio...
With God's people outmatched numerically and technologically against a tough opponent, Jonathan's radical but simple faith in God proves pivotal in God saving his people. We'll see the faith of one leading to many people following the Lord.
Have you ever been in a bad situation with no tools and little hope? This is how God’s people felt after King Saul disobeyed God, the Philistines invaded their land, and they don’t have anyone to sharpen their plows or make them swords. This particular situation is new to them, but the story is not. God’s people are often weak, but they always have a great God who makes a way for them. 1 Samuel 13.15-23
Saul is tall, Saul is strong, Saul is handsome, Saul is King. But here we see Saul is small, Saul is weak, Saul needs the strength of Someone better. As the war rages and the walls close in around him, we see in Saul an example of someone who wanted the blessing of God, but without the obedience to God. Where Saul should have trusted in the Word of the Lord, he wavered, and he misses the blessing. But for those who wait in faithful obedience to God, it’s kingdom blessing. 1 Samuel 13...
Sometimes when we mess up, there's a tendency in us to want to give up. This can be true whether at home, work, or the gym, and also when we are following Jesus. This isn't just true of us in our day.This Sunday, we're returning to our sermon series in the Book of Samuel. As Saul becomes king, God's people realize they have messed up big. They have disobeyed him. With fear set in, Samuel instructs the people, "Do not turn aside." Then, he gives them great news that will help them walk in faith: ...
This Sunday, Pete Rennie from Living Hope Church in Inverness, Scotland, will preach on Jesus’ Great Commission, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” Living Hope is one of our church planting partners, so it’s very exciting to host Pete and hear the story of God’s grace to our brothers and sisters across the pond.
Yahweh has chosen a king for Israel - Saul, son of Kish. He provides him with both personal and public signs confirming his calling. Yet, Saul hides from what the LORD is calling him to be for his mission. Rather than step forward in faith, in weakness he hides.Often in our own lives we are full of weakness and sin and hide from God’s calling on our lives. What Israel needed, and what we need, is God’s true king who never hid from doing God’s will - even when that led to his own death for the si...
There are times in our lives we find ourselves lost. Searching and unsure of our place. Though we start lost and sometimes can’t seem to find our way or what we are looking for, God is at work.Followers of Jesus do not remain lost, because they are forever found by the Lord. Through the circumstances and details of the good & the bad in this life, we are never lost from the watchful care of our good and loving God.1 Samuel 9-10:8
Acts 10.34-43 This Sunday, we’ll celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the good news that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.
Do you want God as King? It’s such a simple question on the surface yet we struggle to answer “Yes!” with a fully aligned head, heart, and hands. But this struggle is nothing new. This week, we’ll see God’s people realize they will soon need a new earthly leader as Samuel ages and his sons are unfit and we’ll see them ultimately reject God as their King even though He is a King like no other.
How do you turn it around? You know you’ve been headed in the wrong direction and haven’t been very focused on God in your life. Maybe your circumstances are causing you to question the way you’ve gone? Or it could be behavior or desires that you see within yourself that surprise you. What do you do to see God present in your life once again and how to get out of the rut of your sin?These are questions we all face at times in our lives. We find answers in the story of Israel in 1 Samuel. We get ...
1 Samuel 6-7:2The Philistines have Israel’s God captured, or so they think. The Ark of the Covenant, the holy symbol of God’s presence, which was so easy to take and move around and place inside their temple, is now causing all sorts of national problems. The Philistines can’t handle God’s presence, the ark must go. Maybe when the ark is returned to Israel all will be better again? Not so much. Israel can’t handle God’s presence either. Who then can stand before this holy God?
"Is God the Lord?” After Israel loses a big battle, the Philistines think very little of God. After their capture of the ark of God, the Philistines set it up in the house of their god, Dagon. Israel’s God seems weak and defeated, but is that true? How will he respond?
“Why were we defeated?” After defeat in an important battle, the people of God look to God for deliverance but don’t address the real issue: their sin. They try again but don’t turn from sin, leading to another lost battle, more ruined lives, their enemies capturing the Ark of God, and one of the most terrible lines in the whole bible, “The glory has departed from Israel.”
As we continue in 1 Samuel we see Israel is livingIsrael is living in the dark because God’s speaking to his people was rare. Then, into that darkness God calls Samuel to be his prophet, bringing the light of his word to Eli and Israel. Just like our bodies need food when we are hungry, we need the prophetic Word of God in order to live. We will be asking ourselves this question: Are we living our lives guided by God’s prophetic word?
After Eli, the priest, has confronted his sons regarding their sin, God sends an unnamed prophet to confront Eli. Eli’s house has been honored by God for generations and received great blessings, but has, in return, dishonored God. God rejects Eli and his line, but his redemptive plan won’t end. Instead, He will raise up another line of priests who will be faithful forever.
As we find out the priests are stealing from God in his Temple, the darkness increases in the Book of Samuel. After all, sin is to be confessed, not committed, in God’s presence. And even when confronted about their sin, these priests won’t stop. Yet, God was also growing a light in the darkness. We’ll find that, amidst all of the corruption and contempt, the boy Samuel is growing in favor with God and man.
This is the end of Hannah’s story. She made a big ask, she promised a huge response, God answered her prayer, and she moves forward in faith. Hannah turns Samuel over for lifelong service to the Lord. The gift she received from God becomes a gift from Hannah to the world. Hannah is a link in the glorious chain of God’s promise of redemption tracked through history.Hannah’s God is holy and sovereign, and he is in control of the fates of mankind, so what else could she possibly do but sing?
