WE ARE NOT ALONE IN OUR LOCAL MISSION IN SANTA ANA

This past Sunday, we had the privilege of hearing from guest preacher, Tommy Cota from Hope Alive Church in Santa Ana. He preached from Ephesians 2:11-22, reminding us that we who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ, making us one in Him. The unity we experience together as a local church and with our brothers and sisters in our city only strengthens our mission together. Listen to last Sunday’s message and be encouraged as you take the Gospel to your Santa Ana neighbors.

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GOD’S HOLINESS IS HIS UTTER UNIQUENESS

The Ark of the Covenant. Not a relic from an Indiana Jones film, nor merely an expensive piece of furniture in the Hebrew Tabernacle. It was a symbol of God’s - the King over all - presence on earth among His people and in 1 Samuel 4-6, the manner in which both Israel and Philistia handle the Ark demonstrate just what kind of King God is. He is a King who will not be manipulated nor mocked; He is a king who will not be trifled with … because He is holy. His holiness lays a claim on our lives. His holiness, just as it demanded something from Israel, demands something from us. Listen to last week’s sermon to learn more.

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A BETTER KING DOES YOU NO GOOD IF YOU DON’T KNOW HIS WAYS

You may think of a “prophet” as someone who predicts the future, but in Israel, a prophet was one who received God’s word and revealed them to God’s people. Sometimes this included foretelling the future, but more often than not, it was a ministry of forth-telling the truths of God’s character, will, and ways to his people. Why? Because without God’s word, we can’t see the path that leads to death or find the way that leads to life. God used the prophets to turn on the lights for his people, alert them to the danger of walking in the darkness, and lead them back to the light of God’s grace and truth. Because, what good is it to have a better King if we don’t know the way into his Kingdom? What good is a better King if we don’t know how to walk in his ways? Like Israel, left to ourselves, darkness is common (1 Sam 3:1), we think we know the way, and our eyes and hearts are darkened. In 1 Samuel 3, God raised up Samuel as a torch who would light the way and lead that generation of Israel from ruin to restoration. Yet, the light that Samuel shined in that generation ultimately pointed to another, greater light that would shine in the darkness, give life to all who beheld him, and fully and finally declare the truth that would bring everlasting change. Listen to last Sunday’s sermon to learn more.

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A BETTER KING DOES YOU NO GOOD IF YOU’RE STILL AN ENEMY OF THE KING

“Priest” may not be in your everyday vocabulary or your current list of needs. But in the Old Testament, the job of a priest was to “intercede” for the people of Israel with God by offering sacrifices. Why? Because through their daily individual sins, they violated God’s covenant with them. In other words, sin sets humans up as enemies of the King and we need a priest to stand in the gap. The problem that 1 Samuel 2 identifies is that Israel’s priests at the time were corrupt. Their corruption illustrated a far greater problem that Hebrews 7 and Hebrews 10 explain: not a single human priest is sufficient for the task and no animal sacrifice can completely atone for human sin. The message that we’re left with in 1 Samuel 2: you need a better priest and a better sacrifice if you have any hope of living in the goodness of the better King you need. By God’s grace, He provides both the priest and the sacrifice. Listen to last Sunday’s sermon to learn more.

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GOD GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE

In 1 Samuel 2:1-11, Hannah exults in the grace that God has shown her in the midst of her weakness. Little would Hannah know, but her simple song introduces one of the major themes of the rest of the book and, in fact, the world we live in, over which God is King. This principle is that God gives grace to the humble and opposes the proud. He gives strength in weakness. Riches in poverty. Joy in repentance. This reversal of worldly values is essential to the Christian life and requires a daily clinging to the cross of Christ, where the greatest reversal of all took place. Listen to this Sunday’s sermon and read the below-referenced articles to learn more and to grow in cultivating humility.

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Assume You Are Wrong by Tim Shorey

God Does Not Need You To Be Strong by Jon Bloom

In Marriage, As In Life, Weak Is Strong by Dave Harvey

Seven Subtle Symptoms of Pride by Fabienne Harford

WE COME TO GOD WITH NOTHING AND HE GIVES US EVERYTHING

In a land and among a people full of chaos and disorder, 1 Samuel begins with the introduction of a woman who is empty and barren. On Sunday, Pastor Kyle introduced us to Hannah, the mother of Samuel - the judge and prophet that the book is named for - who is unable to realize her deepest desire of having a child. She is bitterly distressed and deeply saddened facing a situation that is beyond her ability to resolve. More than this, Hannah’s barrenness reflects the barren spiritual state of Israel, and the barren state of our own hearts as well. We too experience the barrenness of soul that comes from our deepest desires going unfulfilled, struggling with nagging sin that we cannot shake, or suffering afflictions we cannot remedy on our own. How do we deal with our barrenness? Like Hannah, we need to turn to the King in our need and pour ourselves out in prayer. She came to God in her emptiness and he fulfilled her desire for a son. But more than this, in addition to offering our prayers, we need to offer our lives in service to the King. Having come with nothing and received everything, Hannah responded by giving it all back to God. Her life was one of living sacrifice to God because she realized that we’re never more full of joy than when we’ve poured ourselves out for the glory of our good and gracious King.

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A BOOK ABOUT THE KING(S) WE WANT AND THE KING WE NEED

On Sunday, we kicked off our first sermon series in the book of 1 Samuel. Pastor Jeff helped us to see the book in its Old Testament historical context coming right off the heels of the book of Judges, which ends with the following summary of God’s people: “In those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Jud. 21:25). In the absence of a king, God’s people lived as though they each ruled their own personal domains. When that didn't work, the people who had been set apart by God from the nations demanded a king like the nations (1 Sam. 8:6). All the while, the King who had always been, “the King who is”, was being actively rejected. 1 Samuel results in God’s people and its readers concluding, “we need a king to restore us to the King who is; we need a better king”.

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The Psalms don’t shy away from the difficult realities of life. Neither do they shy away from our complex emotional responses to them. Psalm 73 is one such psalm; one in which Asaph, the author, looks out on the world and sees more prosperity among the wicked than among the godly. The inequity, this apparent unfairness, drives him to question God’s goodness. Have you ever found yourself questioning God’s goodness toward you because, compared with others, you’re just not getting out of life what you wanted or expected? Then listen to last Sunday’s sermon and be reoriented by Psalm 73 to walk away saying not “poor me”, but confidently declaring “I am rich”.

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FRIENDS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE AN ORIENTING PRESENCE IN LIFE

Psalm 55 describes the deeply emotional experience of betrayal. David had endured countless trials during his lifetime. He had learned to suffer long under the oppression of his enemy. But when the people he had grown to trust turned their back on him (v. 13), he discovered that it was a pain almost too intense to withstand. Friends are supposed to be an orienting presence in our lives, so when betrayal occurs, the disorientation is magnified. Where do we turn when friends unexpectedly act like enemies? To the always faithful Friend, to the one who gave us grace when we had turned our back on Him, to the One who has shown us that there is hope for restoration even in the most broken friendship. Listen to Sunday’s sermon to learn more.

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WHEN THE SONG IN YOUR HEART FEELS LIKE THE WRONG SONG

Surprisingly, the most common of all psalms in the Bible are psalms of lament. These are songs expressing despair, sadness, grief, sorrow and hopelessness to God. They face the reality of life in a fallen world head on and give honest expression to what we feel in our hearts, especially during the prolonged trial. Psalm 39, though, is even unique among the psalms of lament - it never turns the corner. It’s sad from beginning to end. Why read and love this psalm? Because you don’t always experience a quick and clean resolution in your deepest suffering. Yet, what Psalm 39 very importantly teaches us is that even when you can’t sing a happy song, you can sing a hopeful one. Listen to this week’s sermon to learn more.

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