Last week, we returned to 1 Samuel and saw God’s hidden hand of providence bringing Saul to Samuel who told him that he would be the new king that Israel had demanded of God. This week, we go looking for the king. Where is he? Why hasn't this momentous occasion in the life of Israel made any difference? Where is the hero the people longed for, the prince who would save God’s people? Every earthly kingdom—even the one God himself ordained in Israel—is a pale reflection of the eternal King and Kingdom to which you and I belong in Christ. This week, we see how Saul (in his failure and his success) whets our appetite for a King who will finally and forever be victorious over all our enemies.

As we return to the book of First Samuel, we are introduced to one of the most intriguing characters of Scripture: King Saul. But when we meet Saul, he is not yet king. Instead, he is on a journey to find his father’s lost donkeys. Along the way, he meets the prophet Samuel whom God had told the day before that he would meet the man God had chosen to be Israel’s king. The story of Saul is more than just history, it is an example of God’s hidden hand in all of our lives: moving, directing, and even overruling events to achieve his purposes for us and for the world.

As we conclude our summer series through the books of 1st and 2nd Peter, we reach Peter’s final plea. In the last verses of his second letter, Peter asks what kind of people should we be, knowing that the Lord is coming again to remake the heavens and the earth in righteousness? The motivation for Christian living isn’t found in pragmatism (“try Jesus and your marriage will be better!); it is found in the cosmic lordship of Jesus Christ. Join us this Sunday as we conclude this sermon series with Peter pointing us to our only hope as exilic people: the Jesus who directs and guides history itself to its final, glorious, and eternal end.

Our minds are a collection of thoughts, feelings, and impulses that correspond in varying ways to the truth of the gospel. Peter identifies his purpose in this passage as "stirring up the sincere mind" of the believers he is addressing (3:1). This Sunday we will explore four ideas from our passage that stir our sincere minds in Christ. Those ideas include: remembering we are beloved people; responding to the prophets and commands of Christ; understanding the place of scoffers in the world and our relationship to them; and finally heeding the character of God as it relates to his relationship to time.

Peter’s main point in this second letter is to warn the church about false teachers. The remaining verses of chapter two contain one of the most frightening descriptions we may ever read of a person. As Peter paints the picture of the false teacher, however, we also come to see our own complicity in their destructive ministry. What hope is there if we are naturally drawn to our own damnation? Join us this week as we see not just a portrait of our sin but also, ironically, of the Savior who will rescue us.

Once, while traveling at a high speed down one of California’s freeways, my check engine light came on. I’m not what you would call a “car guy” but I knew that such lights were not good news. Within minutes, I had a massive oil leak and my engine seized. I was stranded on the side of the road. What kind of warnings does God give to a church in trouble? In our passage this Sunday, Peter turns his focus to the false teachers who are sure to arise in the church: how will we notice them, what they teach, how should we resist. Even if we’re not “theology experts” we are called to be aware of the dangers to the church. Join us this Sunday as we begin our work.

During the 20th century, objections to Christianity largely centered on the historical reliability of the New Testament and claims of unscientific evidence supportive of the acts of Jesus. Today’s objections are much more powerful, however. 21st century people are less bothered by the supernatural occurrences in the Bible and are more concerned with how the stories of ancient Israel are relevant to their lives today. Modern audiences struggle to see the significance of the Bible and its need.

We can see from modern archeology how the Bible is the most historically reliable ancient document on earth, yet that often does not convince people of its truth. So, what does? How does head knowledge become heart knowledge? How does a crucified messiah get into our lives today?

This week, we will look not only at the “how” of trusting the Bible but also the “why”, and “what happens”, when we do. In this section of Peter’s letter, we find the key to seeing the Bible for all it's worth, historically and experientially, is to see the One it is all about.

We’ve all heard the funny story about the struggling student who sleeps with the textbook under his head, hoping to “learn by osmosis.” Unfortunately, we sometimes approach our Christian faith with the same kind of laxity. Instead of striving to grow in Christ, fight sin, and become more deeply aware of the work and word of God, we coast in and out of church hoping that something will stick. If you’re struggling in your relationship with God, if you’re not growing as a Christian, if you feel like this Christianity thing hasn’t been working for you recently, you will be encouraged by Peter’s call to an intentional faith this Sunday as we begin a new study in Second Peter.

Imagine that you were writing to Christians under persecution in another country. What would you say to encourage them? How would you strengthen their faith under trial? What last words would you want to leave them with? For the Apostle Peter, the final words to his exiled congregation are about the power of humility. Peter’s counsel was absolutely counter cultural in his own day (no Roman had time for humility) and it’s absolutely counter cultural in our own day when even Christians seem eager to outdo their unbelieving counterparts in acquiring and exercising power. So, why does Peter counsel humility—in the church, in our own personal lives, and as a tool to combat the forces of evil?

As we near the end of Peter’s letter to the church in exile, we read Peter’s instructions for how the church should operate. His first set of instructions are to the elders in the churches. At Redeemer, we have both “teaching elders” (our pastors) and “ruling elders” our elders. Together, they comprise the leadership of the church. No one of them is more important than the other; together they exercise the spiritual authority God has given them. What do they do? How should they do it? What dangers lie in wait for those called to this sacred office?