Our passage is [esvignore]1 Samuel 9:1-10:16[/esvignore]. This week’s message looks at leadership principles, and specifically, Saul’s leadership resume. Saul shows us several character flaws mixed in with some praise-worthy traits. Is Saul the embodiment of a good leader, or is Saul something else? God has chosen Saul because he is precisely the man Israel wants. We’ll see what men value in a…

In this message we consider a high altitude view of [esvignore]1 Samuel 9[/esvignore] where we meet Saul for the first time. In a seemingly pointless narrative, at least up until [esvignore]1 Samuel 9:15[/esvignore], we meander around with Saul and his servant looking for lost donkeys. But [esvignore]1 Samuel 9:15-17[/esvignore] are a special treat. Here we glimpse into the workings of God behind…

Our sermon today covers [esvignore]1 Samuel chapter 8[/esvignore]. If you are listening to this sermon for the first time, please read the chapter, it is not on the audio, it was the day’s public scripture reading which is not recorded. Israel is changing, a generation has become comfortable with peace and ease. They do not see the need for such an old-fashioned…

This Lord’s Day we had the privilege of looking at the same passage from last week, because we only scratched the surface. Our passage closes out the time of the Judges in Israel with a story of faith and dependence. We will again read [esvignore]1 Samuel 7:5-17[/esvignore] and draw forth three topics – 1.) The Philistine’s Response to Israel’s Repentance. 2.) Israel’s…

In this message, from [esvignore]1 Samuel 7:7-17[/esvignore], we receive a message of gospel truth. We focus on substitutionary atonement, a big word but a simple idea. Our passage will also identify the importance of corporate worship, the need for a priest and the need for a sacrifice. We’ll repeat this passage next week as well to cover the remainder of the themes.…

This week, the ark narratives are over and we meet Samuel, much older and with a very timely message. We dig into [esvignore]1 Samuel 7:3-4[/esvignore]. After two decades of lament and the heavy weight of God’s hand, the Israelites are finally ready to hear Samuel’s call to repentance. Our lesson draws out three points: 1. Returning to the Lord; 2. False Repentance;…

This week we come to [esvignore]1 Samuel 6:1-7:2[/esvignore]. The theme is God’s wrath. We’ll examine what God’s wrath is, how it is manifest, to whom, and why. And we’ll see that God is not playing any games when it comes to people interacting with Him and worshiping Him is a way He has not authorized. The end result of so much wrath…

Here we encounter the delicious humbling of Dagon by God, as the Philistines place the captured Ark of God beside Dagon in a place of subjugation. God is not mocked. This would prove to be a very bad idea. We work through the whole of [esvignore]1 Samuel chapter 5[/esvignore] and learn that man loves to set up his toppled idols over and…

This sermon, from [esvignore]1 Samuel 4:12-22[/esvignore], examines several themes that are present in the terrible days of Israel when the Ark was captured by the Philistines. First we observe the story of Eli’s death. We look at this character, Eli, and uncover why the judgment of God came upon his house, and we see how serious it is to serve two masters.…

We arrive in [esvignore]1 Samuel 4:1-11[/esvignore]. Here the story shifts from its focus on individual people and looks at the nation as a whole. In this sermon we meet the Philistines, the Ark and learn how they will become major characters in the story. Our application is pointed, encouraging us to leave behind superstitions, and the kidn of false religion that seeks…