Sunday Sermons

We dive back into 1st Samuel with the story of God’s deliverance of his people through Saul. It is a rare story where Saul is the protagonist and faithfully serves God in his position as king. But the focus is on God’s power to save his people. A truth that we stake everything on as followers of Jesus Christ.

This week our guest speaker is Julio Chiang, Pastor of City Church: Lima, Peru.

This week we come to the story of how Israel got her very first human king. On the one hand, Saul is God’s chosen man, God gives him His Spirit, and the people shout, “Long live the king!” On the other hand, while Saul disobeys Samuel’s instructions, and when it comes time to be king, he is hiding among the luggage. Despite the story being a mixed bag, there is one constant we can be confident in: a good God.

This week we come to a point in Israel’s history where everything is about to change. The people demand a king to rule over them. Samuel has become an old man and his children have taken over his duties as a judge. They, like Hophni and Phinehas earlier in the narrative, abuse their position and the people want to see a complete restructuring of how they are governed. The problem is that this request may come with more than what they bargained for.

In 1 Samuel 4-6 we see Israel suffer a major defeat at the hands of the Philistines and the ark of the covenant is captured, only to single-handedly defeat the Philistines and return back to Israel. This week, Israel, through the leadership of Samuel, finally repents and turns back to the LORD. The Philistines attack once again but this time the LORD rescues them and God’s people experience spiritual renewal. This whole story is meant to gives us a picture of real repentance.

This week continues the saga of the ark of God. In chapter 4, the Israelites had lost it after taking it out of the tabernacle to use it like a good luck charm in their battle against Philistines. This week, we see the trouble that comes upon the Philistines as they trifle with God’s presence themselves. The passage ends with the ark returning to Israel, but not before God’s people suffer one more devastating blow.

Over the next three chapters of 1 Samuel (4-6) we’re going to follow the story of the ark of the covenant. Here in chapter 4 we see God’s people attempt to use the ark like a rabbit’s foot and force God to do their will. The results will be disastrous as they not only suffer defeat, but God’s glory departs from his people. In this story is a vivid reminder for us to live under God’s will and for his glory, not our own.

Chapter three of 1st Samuel is a turning point in the book and, actually, a turning point in the history of Israel all together. The calling of Samuel is a gracious act of God on behalf of his people that brings them closer to God’s establishment of his chosen king. This is a passage that shows us that the presence of God’s word is essential for the thriving of his people.

This Sunday we looked at a heavier piece of scripture in 1 Sam. 2:11-36. This tells us the unfortunate story of Eli and the blasphemous worship practices of his sons. It is a sobering reminder of the consequences that come from a just God to those who have contempt for him. But even though God’s justice is very apparent in this story, we also see the grace that will come through it in the young boy Samuel.

This week we begin our new series in the book of 1st Samuel. This Old Testament historical book is one of transition. In it, we get to see God’s graciousness to his people as they move out of the dark time of the judges and into the the era of the kings. It is a book that is rich in story and serves to foreshadow the coming of a perfect kingdom under the rule of Christ.