JESUS SYMPATHIZES WITH US IN OUR WEAKNESS TO INVITE US TO HIM IN OUR WEAKNESS

This past Sunday we took a break from our series in 1 Samuel to sit under the preached word from Senior Pastor, Ron Boomsma, from our sister church, Sovereign Grace Pasadena. It was an expression of our partnership with Sovereign Grace Churches, in addition to a privileged opportunity to hear God’s Word preached from a faithful servant of Christ who has humbly and courageously shepherded God’s people for over 25 years.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

WE WANT EASIER SOLUTIONS TO OUR PROBLEMS

1 Samuel 8 is one of the most significant chapters in the Old Testament. It marks the beginning of a long and difficult monarchy in Israel. It also reveals what was in the hearts of God’s covenant people: a dissatisfaction with God and a desire to replace Him as king over them. We are no less guilty of the same desire. Like Israel, we want quick fixes to our problems and become fed up with being set apart for His purposes. However, seeking Him in prayer and repentance (1 Samuel 7) is the way God has called us to live before Him as king. But despite our bullheadedness, God is gracious and powerful enough to redeem our desire to replace Him, just as He did for Israel by turning their desire for a king into the bloodline from which would come the King of Kings.

LISTEN TO LAST SUNDAY’S SERMON HERE

THE KING WHO IS, IS A KING WORTH TURNING TO

It took 20 years (1 Samuel 7:2). 20 years after falling under the oppressive hand of the Philistines and 20 years after trying to manipulate God into being their tool for victory and 20 years after remaining committed to their idols … that Israel was finally able to turn back to God. The Biblical term for this act of turning is “repentance”. 1 Samuel 7 demonstrates through Samuel’s leadership that repentance isn’t just saying “sorry” or even merely confessing your sin, but a turn from sin and to God with both heart and action. Moreover, 1 Samuel 7 points forward to the cross and shows us that though God is the one offended by our sin, because of the now-completed work of Christ, He is very much worth turning to.

LISTEN TO LAST SUNDAY’S SERMON HERE

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.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

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.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

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.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

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.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

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.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

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.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

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”.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE