King Saul’s failure reminds us that Christian leaders and friends sometimes disappoint us. However, disappointment can lead to stronger faith. How? By letting disappointment invite us into a deeper trust and confidence in Jesus Christ, the King who never fails.

This sermon was preached on August 25, 2024, at Grace Bible Church in Escondido, California.

It can be hard to trust that God is both powerful and good when life is hard. Ryan explores some of the reasons why in this sermon on 1 Samuel 14:1–23.

This sermon was preached on August 11, 2024, at Grace Bible Church in Escondido, California.

Israel had high hopes for its first monarch, King Saul. But Saul turned out to be a failed king. Saul's failure to be the kind of king God's people needed points to the true and better king, Jesus Christ.

This sermon was preached on August 4, 2024, at Grace Bible Church in Escondido, California.

Aren’t you glad God doesn’t give up on his people despite the dumb decisions we make? Israel asked Samuel to give them a king. It wasn’t just a dumb decision; it was a sinful decision. Israel rejected the Lord as their king, yet the Lord continued to show them mercy and grace. And he does the same for his people today.

This sermon was preached on July 28, 2024, at Grace Bible Church in Escondido, California.

The future looked bright for Israel at the end of 1 Samuel 7. But in chapter 8, Israel shows herself to be an unfaithful covenant partner yet again.

In Israel’s faithless request for a king like all the nations, we see ourselves — prone to wander, prone to leave the God we love. Yet, God loves to show mercy to his wayward people. We see this most clearly in Jesus Christ, the true but rejected King who laid down his life for us.

This sermon was preached on June 23, 2024, at Grace Bible Church in Escondido, California.

Find more resources like this at ryanlwentzel.com.

The hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” is a favorite for many. But a line in the second verse — “Here I raise my Ebenezer” — tends to confuse people.

What is an Ebenezer? Ebenezer is a Hebrew word meaning “stone of help.” After the LORD rescues the Israelites from the Philistines at Mizpah, Samuel builds a stone monument and names it “Ebenezer.” He explains why saying, “Till now the LORD has helped us.”

In this sermon, Ryan walks through the story, reflecting on the speed of God’s mercy and the importance of walking backward into the future.

This sermon was given on June 16, 2024, at Grace Bible Church in Escondido, California.

Find more resources like this at ryanlwentzel.com.

The second of two talks exploring the doctrine of sin. Ryan discusses indwelling sin and the practices of self-reflection, confession, and internalizing the gospel.

Additional Resources

This talk was given on June 9, 2024, at Grace Bible Church in Escondido, California.

Find more resources like this at ⁠ryanlwentzel.com⁠.

The first of two talks exploring the doctrine of sin. Ryan gives an overview of the Bible’s teaching about sin in this talk. He touches on the following topics:

Addtional Resources

This talk was given on June 2, 2024, at Grace Bible Church in Escondido, California.

Find more resources like this at ryanlwentzel.com.

1 Samuel 3:1–4:1a is a charming story about the LORD calling the boy Samuel to be his prophet. But that’s not all.

In this sermon, I explore how the story is ultimately about the God who speaks through his prophets, his written Word, and supremely in his Son, Jesus Christ.

This sermon was preached on May 26, 2024, at Grace Bible Church in Escondido, California. Find more resources like this at ryanlwentzel.com.

Over the last several years, we’ve seen scandal after scandal involving well-known Christian leaders: illicit romantic relationships, sexual abuse, covering up abuse, heavy-handed leadership, and the list goes on.

Right alongside these scandals, we’re seeing an exodus from American churches. A recent study found that some 40 million people who used to attend church regularly no longer do.

There’s no single reason for this exodus. But scandals are high up on the list. People are disillusioned. These leaders were supposed to represent Jesus. People listened to them. People trusted them. When those leaders turn out not to look anything like Jesus, cynicism starts to take over.

How do we hold on to faith when the people who are supposed to represent Jesus don’t?

This sermon was preached on May 19, 2024, at Grace Bible Church in Escondido, California. Find more resources like this at ryanlwentzel.com.