GOD WILL NOT LOSE HIS PEOPLE

1 Samuel 22 presents a startlingly tragic event: Saul, the one charged with leading and protecting God’s people, slaughters God’s people. What he failed to do to Israel’s enemies, the Amalekites, he does to the people of Israel. By all appearances, it looks like God has left—like He’s not in this anymore. Until we discover that a man named Abiathar has escaped. What we learn from this passage is that God has historically preserved a remnant among His people throughout history and that He’s done so unfailingly. Furthermore, He’s preserved His guidance among His people. And the sure guarantee of both is His Son, Jesus Christ. Do you feel like you’re “losing” a sense of God’s guidance or presence? Listen to this week’s sermon to learn more.

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THE INTENSITY OF OUR TRIALS IS NEVER AN EXCUSE FOR SIN

David, unlike Saul, gives us a taste of the King Who is. But though he is a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14), he is not the King. He’s not God’s coming King. Why? Because he’s still an imperfect, sinful human being in need of the coming Savior King. 1 Samuel 21 bears this out. After David finds solace in covenant love in 1 Samuel 20, he quickly turns and resorts to worldly solutions and deceptive tactics to solve his problems. But in this and similar situations, you and many of us might say, “well, when your back is up against the wall, sometimes, you have to blur the lines of morality a bit”. But as David teaches us, this conclusion is borne out of a functional belief that God’s grace has reached its limit in your situation and further, it leads to disastrous consequences. Listen to last Sunday’s sermon to hear more.

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WHERE CAN YOU FIND SECURITY IN CHAOS? IN A COVENANT FRIEND

In 1 Samuel 20, David finds himself on the run for his life and in confused desperation as to why his enemy wants him dead. Where he turns is instructive for us. He turns to the son of his enemy, Jonathan. Why does he do such a thing? Because he and Jonathan had struck a covenant of loyalty and steadfast love toward one another. The Christian has a covenant friend greater than Jonathan, who has pledged His steadfast love toward us through His cross. His name? Jesus. Listen to this week’s sermon to learn more.

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GOD WON’T ALWAYS PROTECT YOU FROM, BUT WILL ALWAYS PRESERVE YOU THROUGH YOUR TRIALS

In 1 Samuel 18, David just kept on winning. Saul was trying to kill him, but David was blissfully unaware. As his life progresses, though, Saul’s intentions, driven by jealousy, become painfully clear to David. Cross of Grace Intern, Jason Roenicke showed us from this passage that God was no less present with David in chapter 19 than chapter 18. The difference, however, is that God’s grace was present to preserve him - not necessarily to shield him entirely - from his trial. This preservation is a particular grace that God uses to teach and form His disciples. Listen to last Sunday’s sermon to learn more.

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BUT GOD’S GRACE IS GREATER THAN YOU COULD FATHOM

After he slew Goliath, David experienced a meteoric rise of influence and popularity in Israel. What he didn’t know, though, was that Saul was threatened by and jealous of his success, leading Saul to make multiple purposeful attempts at his life. But those attempts strangely resulted in even greater success for David. Why? Because God’s favor rested with David. Through 1 Samuel 18, we learned that this kind of protection and favor is the heritage of everyone who has placed their faith in David’s descendent - Jesus Christ. Listen to last Sunday’s sermon to learn more.

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IN THE STORY OF DAVID AND GOLIATH, WE ARE MORE LIKE THE COWERING ISRAELITES THAN DAVID

The story of David and Goliath - one of the most well-known stories in the Bible. The commonly understood moral of the story is “Be a David. Courageously go up against ‘your Goliaths’ because the heroically courageous come out on top”. But if we listen to the text itself and not our preconceived notions, we find that Davidic God-centeredness and Davidic courage is not common at all - either among the Israelites or among us. Someone else is reflected in David and His name is Jesus. We, like the Israelites, need a Savior who is fully committed to God’s glory and who will courageously take up God’s cause to save us from our own fear and unbelief. The story of David and Goliath teaches us about the Gospel and makes us wonder at our Savior who faced down sin and defeated it. Listen to last Sunday’s sermon to learn more.

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DAVID GIVES US A TASTE OF THE GOODNESS OF THE KING WE NEED

In 1 Samuel 16, we’re introduced to David. After 16 chapters following the life and ascension of Saul, we discovered that Saul makes us long for a better king by contrast. He’s like a gulp of saltwater to our thirsty souls, heightening our longing for a better king by furthering our dissatisfaction. Now as David arrives, we discover he makes us long for God’s coming king by similarity. Though still a sinner, an imperfect king as we’ll see in the remainder of 1 Samuel, he bears the characteristics of the king we need. David is like a sip of cool, fresh water, heightening our longing for the true king by giving us a taste of the real thing. Listen to last Sunday’s sermon to meet this shepherd/servant king in 1 Samuel 16.

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HE IS PREEMINENT. MAKE HIM SO IN YOUR LIFE

In Colossians 1:15-20, the Apostle Paul pens a hymn that gives us what some scholars say is “the highest Christology” in the entire Bible. Having seen the whole Christ, the humiliated and exalted Christ, Paul declares that Jesus is preeminent. He is first - in every way that matters.

As we enter into a new year as a church, the pastoral team wants to encourage you to give Jesus first place in your life, but in four areas in particular:

1. In your affections and desires

2. In your relationships

3. In your sexuality

4. In your parenting

If you haven’t yet listened to this sermon, we’d highly encourage you to. As a church, may Christ be preeminent in our lives!

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

JESUS SHARES WITH US THE ROLES THAT HE FULFILLED

The Gospel message tells us that Jesus came to earth, took on flesh and fulfilled the roles of prophet, priest and king in ways that no human in history ever had before Him, namely in a perfect way. We are the beneficiaries. Yet, our benefits don’t end there. In our union with Him, we actually inherit and share in those roles as we represent Jesus to the world. The Church has become a royal people, a priesthood and a people who speak as His ambassadors. Listen to the last sermon of 2021 and be encouraged as your bear the name of Christ to your neighbors.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

THE BIRTH OF JESUS IS A ROYAL SUMMONS

You may not sense a driving need in your life for a king, but you and everyone around you wants a certain kind of kingdom. You want the world you live in to look a particular way. You think others ought to act a particular way. You want a kingdom. But there is no kingdom without a king. Jesus was born to rule as king over the only kingdom that will last forever. His birth, then, is a summons. Will you receive His summons by repentance and faith or will you reject His summons and live outside His kingdom? Learn more in last week’s 4th Advent message.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE