Have you ever found yourself in a tough spot without a plan asking God for His will? That's what happens to King Saul in this week's sermon. Saul decides he wants God's will, but ultimately he wants things his own way. We are tempted the same way and must ask: do we want God's will or our way? 1 Samuel 28
David faces a no-win decision as Saul threatens his life repeatedly. He chooses to escape to the Philistines for safety despite being anointed by God as the future king. This raises the challenge of staying loyal to God, Saul, and Israel while under Philistine rule. Similarly, as followers of Jesus, we encounter challenging circumstances that test our loyalty to God and his mission. Will we trust Jesus as he leads us into strange, difficult, or hostile seasons and situations? 1 Samuel 27...
In what turns out to be their final interaction, King Saul is again seeking David, and again, David has an opportunity to harm King Saul that he does not take. David continues in his refusal to harm King Saul because of what God has said. Though it costs him, David’s only hope is that his life will be precious in the sight of the Lord.
We've all seen bad counsel in life, the kind driven by immediate gratification or hurt. Last week, we saw David receive that. But this week, we'll see what it looks like for someone to courageously offer good, holy, gospel counsel in a hard situation ... and for the Lord to accomplish his purposes through it. 1 Samuel 25
This Sunday, we'll return to God's King , our sermon series through the Old Testament Book of Samuel. As David and Saul come face-to-face, it becomes clear who has been more righteous than the other, who has spared who, and who is trusting God. As we read, we'll see that like Saul and like David, we too need one "more righteous than I." We need God's King to spare us
This is the time of year when we think a lot about gifts. What should I give? What would I like to receive? We may even give thought to what it is that makes a gift great. The best gifts we receive often have a certain usefulness or beauty or thoughtfulness that connects with us and sets them apart. This week, in Isaiah 55, we’ll see that the greatest gift we could ever receive came to us in Jesus.
Christmas evokes mixed emotions: hope and despair, joy and sadness. Isaiah foretold a king who would bring hope and eliminate violence and destruction, leading to a true understanding of God. Jesus fulfills this promise, inviting us to abandon sin and selfishness. Through his Spirit of wisdom, we can be a blessing and build up rather than hurt and tear down. He is both the humble king we desire and the powerful king we need.
This Sunday, we continue our Advent series, “Incarnation in Isaiah.” God promises His people that amidst the brokenness of life, a Messiah is coming to the rescue. As they waited, they faced a choice: to trust God’s promises or the fleeting hope of the world. What will we choose as we live in the already-but-not-yet of Christ’s kingdom?
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This Sunday, we'll begin *Incarnation in Isaiah*, our Advent sermon series from the book of Isaiah. As God's people face a seemingly insurmountable challenge, their biggest test will be one of faith: do they trust God? Will God's promise of a sign bring hope to them then? How about us now? Isaiah 7.10-17
We know God promises to save eternally but have you ever wondered what that looks like in the day to day? This week as David continues to flee from Saul, we'll see God work through others, answer prayers, and strengthen his people's faith ... all showing that He is a God who saves in this life and the next.
Who do you align with? As the Book of Samuel continues, David evades danger in one place only to find it in another and alignment proves key. As King Saul threatens and retaliates to secure allegiance, David, anointed and innocent, provides safety and care for those who align with him. Through this we learn that alignment with God and his purposes will be opposed ... but there's safety in Jesus.
If you've ever been in distress, debt, or known discontent, then you'll know exactly the group of people that gathered around David as he was fleeing from King Saul. Somehow as nothing was going right in David's life, others still found safety by being near him and trusting in his God.
When things go wrong, it can be hard for us to know where to turn for safety, provision, and refuge. In fleeing from King Saul, David has the same dilemma. He has no food, no weapons, and the King is after him. It's a bad situation and he’s done nothing wrong. Yet, David not only runs from Saul. He runs to refuge in the Lord's house. Once there, David finds refuge like no other.
Loyalty. In the kingdom of Israel, tensions are escalating as Saul relentlessly pursues David, raising the stakes for Jonathan as he grapples with conflicting loyalties. Will he stand by his father and his own claim to the throne, or will he align himself with David, God’s chosen King? Similarly, we are faced with a similar choice by Jesus - where do our loyalties lie? Will we follow Him unconditionally, even if it means sacrificing something, or will we be swayed by wanting to rule over our own...
God is working for our good by thwarting the evil that opposes his true King. That truth was good news for David, God’s king as Saul tried to kill him. This truth is good news for us, God’s people because our sinful hearts, Satan and the world want us to reject Jesus as King and live instead like we are. Jesus is not just the King we need, but he is also a better friend than we deserve. He is committed to loving us and defeating the evil in us so that we become people who find our deepest deligh...
This Sunday, we’ll return to our sermon series in the Book of Samuel titled God’s King. Picking up just after David slayed Goliath, we’ll see King Saul is more concerned with having his kingdom than being a good King. While King Saul’s fear of losing his kingdom drives him to oppose David and even try to kill him, David’s humility shows, and the Lord continuously blesses his efforts
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This Sunday, the Apostle Paul's closing words to Philemon will show off a gospel-formed love that relies. This love empowers and encourages as we discover the church meets practical needs, supports each other through prayer, and partners together to lead people to the real Jesus.
Our world is full of imitation. Whether on the basketball court or fashion or food, we see others trying to look like, be like, our sound like their heroes. All so they can be good. The problem is that all of those heroes eventually let down.This Sunday, we will see Paul imitating Jesus, who never lets us down, as he helps Philemon learn what it means to be a good brother to Onesimus. Paul will help Philemon understand that the gospel of Jesus forms in us a love that receives.
As Paul's writes to Philemon, there has been great offense committed ... but there's also been a great love enter the world in Christ. This is a love that reconciles, making fierce enemies into family. While obstacles to reconciliation maybe large, Paul will show us that the ramifications of the gospel are way, way larger.
In his letter to Philemon, Paul shows how a relationship with Jesus changes our relationships with one another in deep, profound, and practical ways. As the realities of faith in Christ set in, Christ grows in us a love that: refreshes, reconciles, receives, and relies. As we begin a four-week sermon this Sunday in Philemon 1-7, we'll begin by hearing of a love that refreshes others.
In Psalm 62, David invites us to cultivate a difficult yet freeing inner habit: waiting for God in silence. So often we try to take matters into our own hands, but the Spirit reminds us that true power, security and rescue come from God alone. We live like God is our refuge when we wait for him to act and pour out our hearts to him in prayer.
When our blood boils for justice, when we are so wronged, so hurt, so betrayed, and it seems the injustice of our enemies has free rein, what do we do? We call on the name of God, we expect the God of the universe to right all the wrongs.It’s in Psalm 58 that we see this honest plea to our just God, but we also see a stranger expectation that the wrongdoers will bleed, and that the plight of the wicked would be to the joy of the Saints. David seems to wish harm upon his enemies, interesting. How...
What is our desire or wish for all the people who don’t yet know the God of the Bible? Unbelievers near us and the many nations of people groups abroad need to know Jesus. The psalmist expresses the attitude and purpose of our experiential blessings. This is what our ongoing prayers & songs for blessing should be pointing towards. Bless us, so that all people might have gladness in Christ.Psalm 67
Who doesn't enjoy a good love story? Love stories are woven into the fabric of all our entertainment. They are a consistent undercurrent in our movies, television, music, and books. Not only this, but the desire we all feel for the love portrayed in these stories is woven into our very DNA because we've been created and sought by the One who defines what true love is. Yet so often we walk through life failing to believe that God loves and delights in His people. This Sunday we will see in Psalm ...
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