Do the ends justify the means? If something good as achieved, does it matter how it is accomplished? In this passage, we see once again a nuanced and complex picture of Saul: he may have been what the people asked for, and he may have even given the people victory — but was it really a victory?
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Have you ever wanted something so badly, then got it, and found out that you didn’t want it after all? We need to be careful with what we want — because sometimes it will turn out that it will be bad for us in the end. In this passage we see God giving the Israelites what they want — but perhaps it won’t be a good thing…
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One of the constant temptations we face is to do things according to the world’s ways, human power and wisdom. In this passage we see why it is so important to do the Lord’s work in the Lord’s way: ultimately, authority comes from the Lord and real change will only happen when we know and serve him. Godly leaders are totally different to worldly leaders.
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Do you have trouble ‘fitting in’ as a Christian? In this passage we see what it means to be different from the world around us. What does it mean for God to be our king, and how should we as Christians live?
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One of the most popular Christian songs of recent years has a line about God ‘roaring with power’ and ‘fighting our battles’. But does God really fight our battles? If God fought for Israel, why did they lose to the Philistines in 1 Samuel 4? In this passage we see what changed for the Israelites, and what that has to teach us about how God does (and does not) fight our battles.
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Ancient churches and cathedrals give a sense of the awesome majesty and splendour and holiness of God. By contrast, modern church buildings are often much more functional and lack that sense of awe. Perhaps this is simply a reflection of the modern church. In this sermon we look at the holiness of God, and see what it means for how we should relate to him.
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Many people have noticed that things in the world seem to be getting worse: it seems to me even that the darkness looks like it’s winning at the moment. How should we as Christians respond? This passage teaches us that the Lord is a warrior, and that he is able to fight with weapons beyond the reach of human beings. If we want to see victory, we need to seek his will and direction.
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Have you ever heard people saying, “Christianity isn’t a religion — it’s a relationship with Jesus?” It might be a cliché, but it does have an element of truth about it: Christianity isn’t a religion, it’s about walking with God and trusting him. In this passage we see how even those who are most ‘religious’ can get things wrong.
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Communication is one of the most important things in the world: being able to listen to a message and relay it accurately is vitally important in almost every sphere of life. This is especially the case when it comes to God: God wants people who are prepared to listen to him. What does that mean for us?
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People sometimes say “family is everything”. But what does the Bible say about how we should see families? In this passage we see both the importance of families, but also how families shouldn’t come before God. We are warned not to take our salvation for granted but make sure that we are seeking to live by faith every day.
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