In this sermon, pastor Matt reminds that, just like the beginning of 1 Samuel (with barren Hannah), even when all hope seems lost, death does not get the final word. The good news is that our God is in the resurrection business, and in his time and his way, his exalted king will deliver his […]

In this sermon on the death of King Saul and his sons, pastor Joel reminds us that we need a faithful king who will honor the Lord in life and death. And unlike the “good news” of Saul’s death, proclaimed by the Philistines, the good news of Jesus Christ that we proclaim is that the […]

In this sermon, pastor Matt reminds of our blessed assurance: that God’s king has won the battle that we might get the blessing. David shows us the kind of king that we need, one who is merciful and mighty, who takes the lead in faithfulness and generosity, who works salvation and reigns in grace.

Here at the end of 1 Samuel, the Philistines were once again gathering for war against Israel. In chapter 28 we learned that Yahweh would give Israel into their hands and that king Saul would die. Now, we knew this day was coming for Saul sooner or later. But there was another problem: David had […]

In this sermon, as we consider Saul’s climactic fall with the medium at En-dor, pastor Mitch reminds us that the most miserable and hopeless life is the one spent apart from God’s all-sufficient word. As Christians, we must heed the warnings of this passage, see the dangers and consequences of Saul’s misguided desperation, and fix […]

1 Samuel 27 sets up the final section of the book, where the reign of king Saul comes to an abysmal end. But the story here about David and the Philistines seems rather odd. It can be a difficult chapter to interpret, understand, and apply. But one thing is abundantly clear here (and in the […]

Psalm 54 was written by David when he was betrayed by the Ziphites. Twice these kinsmen from Judah betrayed him to Saul (1 Sam. 23:19; 26:1), but this was David’s response. In this sermon, pastor Matt helps us see the reassuring truth that God is gracious and faithful to help his troubled people. We can […]

So far, David had refused to kill Saul in the cave at En-Gedi. He even refused to avenge himself against Nabal for his foolish defiance. In each test, David refused to take matters into his own hands. He chose to wait for his promised kingdom to come in God’s way and in God’s time. In […]

In this sermon, Pastor Keith traces Nabal’s foolish response to David, David’s rash response to Nabal, Abigail’s wise response to David, and David’s faithful response to Abigail to show us that God grants us restraining grace for our faithful response. By the way of contrast with David, Pastor Keith points to great David’s greater Son […]