YET BY GOD’S GRACE LIFE IS STILL FRUITFUL

The Bible has one hero. It’s not Abraham, Moses or even David. It’s God. 1 Samuel has been a book where we’ve seen glimpses of the “King who Is” in David, but over and again, we’ve seen his imperfection. These are glimpses of us.

In 1 Samuel 27, David flees from Saul to the Philistines. While exiled in a foreign land, he violently wages war against neighboring nations. What appears to be a sensible flight and heroic action is, in reality, self-reliance, deceptive scheming and violence. Yet through it all, God preserves David and completes the conquest of Canaan. The lesson? God’s ability to bear fruit in our lives is not dependent on our faithfulness. This is called grace. Listen to Sunday’s sermon to learn more.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

IF YOU WANT THINGS SET RIGHT YOU NEED BOTH JUSTICE AND MERCY

In 1 Samuel 26, David spares Saul’s life … again. It’s a picture of the character of the king that we need. But David proves that he himself is not that king. Because the king we need is a king who can be both perfectly just and completely merciful if our lives and the world around us are ever to be set right. He points forward to that king. And on this side of the cross, we know that king. Listen to Sunday’s sermon to learn more.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

PLAYING KING WHEN THE KING OF KINGS HAS INVITED YOU TO FEAST WITH HIM

In 1 Samuel 25, David, the anointed king, asks for help from a man named Nabal. Nabal had the resources David needed to feed his men. In return for his help, Nabal would have feasted with the king and would have his long-term favor when David finally gained his kingdom. But Nabal instead decided to hoard his belongings and act like king over his own little sham kingdom. The result was his own death. The story illustrates the simple warning and promise of Ps. 2:6-12: reject Christ the King and “perish in the way.” Receive his good & perfect reign and enjoy an eternal “refuge in him.” Listen to last Sunday’s sermon to learn more.

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“PARTICIPATION” IN THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST

Communion is one of only two sacraments that God has given His Church until Jesus returns. Not only has He given them, but He’s commanded them for all who believe. But why? Why are they so important? Many Christians who have been baptized willingly participate in communion, but have little understanding of what benefit is experienced while doing so. Listen to the two-part homily from this past Sunday’s communion service to deepen your understanding of the benefit of communion and grow an eagerness for the next time we take it together.

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GOD HAS MADE US GLAD

Last Sunday, pastor Dustin Smetona from Sovereign Grace Church in Orange visited us and served us well with a sermon from Psalm 122, teaching and reminding us that when we gather as a local church, it’s a marvelous thing. Why? Because God is present among us in a unique way. Because God designed our gatherings. And because God has a role and a plan for each of us to play in our life together as a local church. Listen to last Sunday’s sermon and be encouraged to pray for the peace of and continue to invest in the precious thing that is our shared life together in the local church.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

HE WILL STRENGTHEN OUR HAND IN HIM

The wilderness is a place that nearly every major biblical character found themselves in at one time or another. And usually it’s because God explicitly led them there. Literal wisdom experiences map onto the spiritual wilderness experiences of God’s people (Ps. 63:1). This past Sunday, we went with David back into the wilderness - in 1 Samuel 23-24 - to learn and relearn two essential lessons of wilderness wanderings as God’s people, namely that the wilderness is a good place to be and there are no shortcuts through the wilderness. Listen to last Sunday’s sermon to learn more.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

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.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

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.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

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.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

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.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE