AS DARK AS THE STORY LOOKS, IT ENDS WITH A GLIMPSE OF LIGHT

After 9 months of sermons, our series in the OT book of 1 Samuel has come to an end. And it ended in a similar way to how it began. 1 Samuel began without a king in the land and everyone doing what was right in their own eyes (see Judges 21:25). The story ends without a king in the land because he only did what was right in his own eyes. The story of the establishment of the monarchy in Israel ends with the death of the bad king, Saul. Saul was the king like all the nations that the people had wanted (1 Sam 8:5), but at the end of the day he was not the king they needed. His failure to deliver his people in battle represents the failure of every one of our false kings to deliver us from trouble and bring us into blessing.

On this dark day in Israel’s history, all the hopes the people had placed in Saul were dashed and disappointed as their army was defeated, their king was humiliated, and their lands taken by the Philistines in battle. Have your hopes ever come crashing down? Have you placed your trust in false kings that have failed you? There’s good news for you, because as dark as this day was, it ends with a glimpse of light. There’s hope because even though there was no human king on the throne, God, the King who is, never stopped reigning. And just as he removed the bad king, he’d raise up the True King who’d never let his people down. Listen to the message and renew your hope in the King who is.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

GOD WILL BE FAITHFUL TO HIS PROMISES

At times, the future looks bleak. It looks like there’s no way out of misery or into happiness. Yet God has promised good for those whom He loves. As His covenant people, in fact, how can we be sure any of His promises will come to pass for us? In a word, because of Christ. David, living long before Christ, found himself in a place where it seemed nearly impossible for God’s promises to him to come to pass. Yet, the same faithfulness that God will show to us was shown to him. Listen to last Sunday’s sermon from 1 Samuel 29-30 to learn more.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

WHEN LIFE FEELS LIKE DEATH, WALK YOUR SORROWS TO THE EMPTY GRAVE

In 2 Corinthians 1:8-10, Paul tells the church at Corinth that his recent suffering had been so deep that he had begun “to despair of life itself”. In fact, he felt like he was on death’s doorstep anyway. But despite the gravity of what he was facing, he was able to see what God was doing through that and he wanted to encourage his readers to see the same thing in the midst of their suffering. And it has everything to do with Easter and the resurrection of Jesus. Take a listen to our English/Spanish sermon from this Easter Sunday.

LISTEN TO THE BILINGUAL EASTER HOMILY HERE.

WHEN WE SEEK THE RESULTS OF GOD’S FAVOR WITHOUT SEEKING GOD HIMSELF

In 1 Samuel 28, Saul consults a medium - an ancient magician - to communicate the a deceased Samuel and seek guidance for the battle ahead with the Philistines. The result? Through Samuel, God confirms His judgment of Saul. While you and I might not be seeking out necromancy and divination for guidance in our lives, we yet have the tendency to seek out “magical solutions” to our problems by, like Saul, seeking the results of God’s favor apart from seeking God Himself. Listen to last Sunday’s sermon to learn more.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

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.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON HERE

“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.

LISTEN TO THE HOMILY HERE

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