Podcasts about i samuel

Comparing the Jonathan narrative in I Samuel and Joseph of Nazaerth's decision in Matthew 1

“The Songs of Christmas” Luke 1-2The Song of Elizabeth“The Beatitude” Luke 1:42-45Praise to the Trinity- Numbers 6:24-26The Song of Mary“The Magnificat” Luke 1:47-55“O magnify the Lord with me” Psalm 34:3Hannah's Song at Samuel's birth- I Samuel 2:1-8The Song of Zacharias“The Benedictus” Luke 1:68-78- God has visited our earth!God is with us- “Emmanuel!"The Song of the Angels“Gloria in Excelsis Deo” Luke 2:13-14- Isaiah 40:5“Glory to God in the Highest"The Song of Simeon“Now let thy servant depart in peace.” Luke 2:29-32- Psalm116:15, II Corinthians 5:6-7Why do we sing so confidently and joyfully at Christmas?The History of Christmas- Luke 2:1-3-“a decree from Caesar Augustus"The Prophesy of Christmas- Luke 2:4-“Bethlehem” - Micah 5:2The Mystery of Christmas-“being great with child.”- The Virgin Birth- Luke 2:5-6- Isaiah 7:14The Humanity of Christmas- Luke 2:7-8- “swaddling clothes…manger…no room for them in the inn…shepherds abiding in the field by night.” Luke is the Gospel of Christ's humanity as well as His Diety.The Glory of ChristmasLuke 2:10-14- The Angel's Song- "The glory of the Lord has been revealed.”John 1:14-“And we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth." The Deity of ChristmasLuke 2:11- “Christ the Lord.” The Baby in the manger is God in the flesh!The Necessity of Christ“Unto you is born this day,.a Savior” Luke 2:11, 15-16We are lost sheep.We need a Savior and a Good Shepherd to save us from our sins and its penalties. The Baby in the manger was born to go the Cross and shed His blood for us and our sins. I Corinthians 15:1-4, Romans 5:8, 6:23, 10:9-13When we become Christians and are saved, like Simeon, we are not only ready to live, but we are prepared to die.What greater gift could God give than His Son? “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives, and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen."

I Samuel 30:7-31

Send us a textIt was one of David's finest moments: the two times he could have killed the paranoid, murderous King Saul, but he showed mercy. David's willingness to show mercy to someone who only hurt him prepared David to one day be King David. Pick up your Bible or phone and turn to I Samuel 24 to hear the story.This episode is based on the God's Word for Life, Winter 2025–2026, Adult Lesson Guide entitled, "King David" (December 14, 2025).Find an Apostolic church that preaches this glorious gospel and our response at UPCI.orgThis episode is produced by the Pentecostal Resources Group and is hosted by LJ Harry. To order resources of the God's Word for Life curriculum, visitPentecostalPublishing.com and PentecostalResourcesGroup.com. Share your God's Word for Life stories with me at pphcurriculum@upci.org.

I Samuel 27 - Rob Osgood - Wednesday Evening, December 10, 2025 by First Baptist Church of Hammond

Join us as Pastor Johnson teaches the midweek refuel on the subject Obeying God. I Samuel 15:1-35, Duet 25:17-19 Join us at the Upper Room Church at 3002 Chelsea Ave Memphis Tn 38108 on Sunday mornings at 11am.

The Rev. Michael McGhee preached on I Samuel 1:8-18 on the Second Sunday in Advent on December 7th. 

The Gospel is simple: That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved. Romans 10:9 But God is extremely intelligent, and His message sometimes comes across as rather complicated. You will probably think that about this message. Just keep in mind the big picture: The Messiah is coming into the world, and everything, including the Mosiac Law and all the religious traditions, must yield to the new order. Micah 5:1-4 Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops: they have laid siege against us; with a rod they will strike the judge of Israel on the cheek. But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. Therefore, He will give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth. Then the remainder of His kinsmen will return to the sons of Israel. And He will arise and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will remain, because at that time He will be great to the ends of the earth. And we see the fulfillment of this prophecy in Luke Chapter 2: Luke 2:8-11 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock at night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And so the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. The city of David. Sometimes we think of Jerusalem as the city of David, but David was not from Jerusalem. He conquered Jerusalem and drove out the Jebusites in 2 Samuel 5:6-8. If you recall from a previous sermon, thats where David developed the loathing for the blind and lame that figures so prominently in the meeting with Mephibosheth. The original city of David is Bethlehem (house of bread). As we saw recently, in Keiths sermon on Ruth, that story of how Boaz and Ruth unite is set in Bethlehem, and at the end of that book, we see the lineage traced down to David. Further evidence of Davids ties to Bethlehem occurs in I Samuel 20:27-29, where Jonathan tests his father Saul to see what his true intentions toward David are by stating that David was not present because he had to go to Bethlehem for a family gathering. To fulfill Scripture, God influences Caesar Augustus to issue a decree for a world-wide census, and all people must return to their birthplace. Joseph was betrothed to Mary at the time, and she was pregnant with the Messiah. Since he was from Bethlehem, he had to return there from Nazareth in Galilee. When Joseph and Mary arrive in Bethlehem, Marys time to deliver her baby arrives, and Jesus is born in Bethlehem, just as prophesied in Micah. Micah gives us an intriguing detail about this ruler from Bethlehem. His times of coming are from long ago, from the days of eternity. Now, how can a person who comes from Bethlehem come from eternity? Well, the answer is that the person must be eternal, and that has to be God. So, we have an eternal ruler of Israel who will be born in Bethlehem. This prophecy about the Messiah was well known in Jesus day. In Matthew 2:1-6, we see the chief priests and scribes correctly identify the location of the birth of the King of the Jews as Bethlehem, and they quote our passage from Micah 5. The first reference to a ruler from Judah (Bethlehem is in the province of Judah) is in Genesis 49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the rulers staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes. Another similar prophecy occurs in Numbers 24:17, spoken by Balaam: I see him, but not now; I look at him, but not near; a star shall appear from Jacob, a scepter shall rise from Israel, and shall smash the forehead of Moab, and overcome all the sons of Sheth. This prophecy does not mention Judah specifically, but mentions a scepter which will arise from Jacob, and of course Judah is one of Jacob (Israels) sons. All the verses we have looked at so far have focused on political and governmental power. But the Messiah is not just a King; He is also a Priest, but not a Levitical priest. What if, as a God-fearing person under the Mosaic Law, you became hopelessly frustrated with your own sinfulness and inability to obey the Law. Suppose you cried out to God for mercy because you knew that, according to the Mosaic Law, you stood condemned. And suddenly, God opened your eyes to another way to approach Him: Psalm 40:6-8 You have not desired sacrifice and meal offering; You have opened my ears; You have not required burnt offering and sin offering. Then I said, Behold, I have come; it is written of me in the scroll of the book. I delight to do Your will, my God; Your Law is within my heart. According to Numbers 3:9, Levites were the only permissible priests: So you shall assign the Levites to Aaron and to his sons; they are exclusively assigned to him from the sons of Israel. So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons that they may keep their priesthood, but the layman who comes near shall be put to death. But if you are no longer trying to approach God through the Law of Moses, you need another Priest outside the Levitical priesthood, because they only serve the Tabernacle. Fortunately, God provided us a Priest that fits our needs. To see this, we must turn to the Psalms. There are psalms known as Messianic Psalms which prophetically point to the ministry of the Messiah. Some of them are Psalm 2, 8, 16, 22 and 110. It is in Psalm 110 that we see the combined offices of King and Priest: Psalm 110:1-4 The LORD says to my Lord: Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet. The LORD will stretch out Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, Rule in the midst of Your enemies. Your people will volunteer freely on the day of Your power; in holy splendor, from the womb or the dawn, Your youth are to You as the dew. The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. In this passage, we see the scepter of the ruler and the role of the priest, combined in this Person to whom the LORD (Yahweh) speaks, identified as Lord (Adonai). This Lord (Adonai) is both Ruler and Priest, but not a Levitical priest. Instead, He is identified as a priest according to the order of Melchizedek. If you were a Jewish scribe, this passage should have troubled you. How could the Ruler of Israel, the Messiah, be a priest if he came from Judah, rather than Levi? Very mysterious. Melchizedek is only mentioned one other place in the Old Testament. He shows up in Genesis 14. This is after Abram rescues his nephew Lot from Chedorlaomer king of Elam and three other kings with him. Abram had also reclaimed other persons who were captured as well as many of their possessions. He was indirectly helping the king of Sodom, since that is where Lot lived. Abram meets up with the king of Sodom in the Valley of Shaveh. In verses 18-20, we are told, And Melchizedek the king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has handed over your enemies to you. And he gave him a tenth of everything. Melchizedek is the king of Salem (peace), which most Jewish scholars interpret as the location of Jerusalem before Israel occupied Caanan. So, Melchizedek is a king and priest in the location where Abraham will take Isaac to be sacrificed; where Jerusalem will be located; and where the Messiah will be crucified. It is also in the land that will become Judahs territory after Israel occupies Caanan. Melchizedek is described as holding the offices of both king and priest. This is a very unusual combination, and typically was prohibited under Mosaic Law. In fact, Saul was dethroned in part because he presumed to offer sacrifices in Samuels absence, illegally usurping the priestly role as the king of Israel. In Second Chronicles Chapter 26, King Uzziah becomes a leper after he usurps the priests role and burns incense in the temple. But the Messiah, according to Psalm 110, is a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek, and is also the ruler over Israel. So, like Melchizedek, he is both a king and a priest. But, since the Messiah must come from Judah and be born in Bethlehem, he cannot be from the tribe of Levi, and his priesthood is therefore illegal under Mosaic Law. But thats not a problem for you because you have quit trying to obtain righteousness under the Mosaic Law. In fact, lets say you have become aware that you can achieve righteousness in Gods eyes by faith, just as Abraham did in Genesis 15:6: Then he believed in the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness. The covenant of works has a priesthood, so maybe the covenant of faith also has a priesthood. As a matter of fact, it does, and it has a priesthood superior to the Levitical priesthood, as described in Hebrews Chapter 7. In contrasting the Levitical priests with Jesus, Hebrews 7:23 says, The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing; Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore, He is also able to save forever those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. As noted in Hebrews 7:12, When the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. When we quit trying to earn righteousness, we leave the law of works and turn to the law of grace. In so doing, we turn from a religious system that uses frail human priests to a system that has a perfect eternal priest who is always interceding on our behalf. Now, some theologians believe that Melchizedek was a Christophany, an appearance of Christ in the Old Testament. Heres how the Hebrews writer describes Melchizedek in Hebrews 7:3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually. If that description were literally true, then it would have to be referring to Jesus. But the Hebrew writer is attributing the complete lack of genealogy about Melchizedek as suggestive of an eternal nature. We dont see any of the typical language used of Melchizedek that we see in other Christophanies. For instance, no other Christophany identifies anyone by a proper name or being an office bearer in any earthly position. Also, we see no command to, for example, remove Abrams sandals because the ground is holy. But clearly, God intends us to note the complete lack of genealogy, especially in Psalm 110:4, as being instructive that the Messiah will have a priesthood that is eternal. So, when we think of Born in Bethlehem, we think of a precious infant, a manger, Joseph and Mary, and all the pageantry of Christmas. But to receive a forever priest from the Tribe of Judah, we must leave behind our love affair with salvation by our own works and receive the righteousness that comes only through faith. Romans 3:19-26 explains the procedural change: Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law none of mankind will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes knowledge of sin. BUT NOW apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, but it is the righteousness of God THROUGH FAITH in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in Gods merciful restraint He let the sins previously committed go unpunished; for the demonstration, that is, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and THE JUSTIFIER OF THE ONE WHO HAS FAITH IN JESUS. Thats what Christmas is all about. Its the coming of the King and Priest who changes the Law and eternal future for all of us who will transition out of trying to save ourselves, and trust in the blood of Christ as our only righteousness. Amen and hallelujah forever!

The Gospel is simple: That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved. Romans 10:9 But God is extremely intelligent, and His message sometimes comes across as rather complicated. You will probably think that about this message. Just keep in mind the big picture: The Messiah is coming into the world, and everything, including the Mosiac Law and all the religious traditions, must yield to the new order. Micah 5:1-4 Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops: they have laid siege against us; with a rod they will strike the judge of Israel on the cheek. But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. Therefore, He will give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth. Then the remainder of His kinsmen will return to the sons of Israel. And He will arise and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will remain, because at that time He will be great to the ends of the earth. And we see the fulfillment of this prophecy in Luke Chapter 2: Luke 2:8-11 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock at night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And so the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. The city of David. Sometimes we think of Jerusalem as the city of David, but David was not from Jerusalem. He conquered Jerusalem and drove out the Jebusites in 2 Samuel 5:6-8. If you recall from a previous sermon, thats where David developed the loathing for the blind and lame that figures so prominently in the meeting with Mephibosheth. The original city of David is Bethlehem (house of bread). As we saw recently, in Keiths sermon on Ruth, that story of how Boaz and Ruth unite is set in Bethlehem, and at the end of that book, we see the lineage traced down to David. Further evidence of Davids ties to Bethlehem occurs in I Samuel 20:27-29, where Jonathan tests his father Saul to see what his true intentions toward David are by stating that David was not present because he had to go to Bethlehem for a family gathering. To fulfill Scripture, God influences Caesar Augustus to issue a decree for a world-wide census, and all people must return to their birthplace. Joseph was betrothed to Mary at the time, and she was pregnant with the Messiah. Since he was from Bethlehem, he had to return there from Nazareth in Galilee. When Joseph and Mary arrive in Bethlehem, Marys time to deliver her baby arrives, and Jesus is born in Bethlehem, just as prophesied in Micah. Micah gives us an intriguing detail about this ruler from Bethlehem. His times of coming are from long ago, from the days of eternity. Now, how can a person who comes from Bethlehem come from eternity? Well, the answer is that the person must be eternal, and that has to be God. So, we have an eternal ruler of Israel who will be born in Bethlehem. This prophecy about the Messiah was well known in Jesus day. In Matthew 2:1-6, we see the chief priests and scribes correctly identify the location of the birth of the King of the Jews as Bethlehem, and they quote our passage from Micah 5. The first reference to a ruler from Judah (Bethlehem is in the province of Judah) is in Genesis 49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the rulers staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes. Another similar prophecy occurs in Numbers 24:17, spoken by Balaam: I see him, but not now; I look at him, but not near; a star shall appear from Jacob, a scepter shall rise from Israel, and shall smash the forehead of Moab, and overcome all the sons of Sheth. This prophecy does not mention Judah specifically, but mentions a scepter which will arise from Jacob, and of course Judah is one of Jacob (Israels) sons. All the verses we have looked at so far have focused on political and governmental power. But the Messiah is not just a King; He is also a Priest, but not a Levitical priest. What if, as a God-fearing person under the Mosaic Law, you became hopelessly frustrated with your own sinfulness and inability to obey the Law. Suppose you cried out to God for mercy because you knew that, according to the Mosaic Law, you stood condemned. And suddenly, God opened your eyes to another way to approach Him: Psalm 40:6-8 You have not desired sacrifice and meal offering; You have opened my ears; You have not required burnt offering and sin offering. Then I said, Behold, I have come; it is written of me in the scroll of the book. I delight to do Your will, my God; Your Law is within my heart. According to Numbers 3:9, Levites were the only permissible priests: So you shall assign the Levites to Aaron and to his sons; they are exclusively assigned to him from the sons of Israel. So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons that they may keep their priesthood, but the layman who comes near shall be put to death. But if you are no longer trying to approach God through the Law of Moses, you need another Priest outside the Levitical priesthood, because they only serve the Tabernacle. Fortunately, God provided us a Priest that fits our needs. To see this, we must turn to the Psalms. There are psalms known as Messianic Psalms which prophetically point to the ministry of the Messiah. Some of them are Psalm 2, 8, 16, 22 and 110. It is in Psalm 110 that we see the combined offices of King and Priest: Psalm 110:1-4 The LORD says to my Lord: Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet. The LORD will stretch out Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, Rule in the midst of Your enemies. Your people will volunteer freely on the day of Your power; in holy splendor, from the womb or the dawn, Your youth are to You as the dew. The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. In this passage, we see the scepter of the ruler and the role of the priest, combined in this Person to whom the LORD (Yahweh) speaks, identified as Lord (Adonai). This Lord (Adonai) is both Ruler and Priest, but not a Levitical priest. Instead, He is identified as a priest according to the order of Melchizedek. If you were a Jewish scribe, this passage should have troubled you. How could the Ruler of Israel, the Messiah, be a priest if he came from Judah, rather than Levi? Very mysterious. Melchizedek is only mentioned one other place in the Old Testament. He shows up in Genesis 14. This is after Abram rescues his nephew Lot from Chedorlaomer king of Elam and three other kings with him. Abram had also reclaimed other persons who were captured as well as many of their possessions. He was indirectly helping the king of Sodom, since that is where Lot lived. Abram meets up with the king of Sodom in the Valley of Shaveh. In verses 18-20, we are told, And Melchizedek the king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has handed over your enemies to you. And he gave him a tenth of everything. Melchizedek is the king of Salem (peace), which most Jewish scholars interpret as the location of Jerusalem before Israel occupied Caanan. So, Melchizedek is a king and priest in the location where Abraham will take Isaac to be sacrificed; where Jerusalem will be located; and where the Messiah will be crucified. It is also in the land that will become Judahs territory after Israel occupies Caanan. Melchizedek is described as holding the offices of both king and priest. This is a very unusual combination, and typically was prohibited under Mosaic Law. In fact, Saul was dethroned in part because he presumed to offer sacrifices in Samuels absence, illegally usurping the priestly role as the king of Israel. In Second Chronicles Chapter 26, King Uzziah becomes a leper after he usurps the priests role and burns incense in the temple. But the Messiah, according to Psalm 110, is a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek, and is also the ruler over Israel. So, like Melchizedek, he is both a king and a priest. But, since the Messiah must come from Judah and be born in Bethlehem, he cannot be from the tribe of Levi, and his priesthood is therefore illegal under Mosaic Law. But thats not a problem for you because you have quit trying to obtain righteousness under the Mosaic Law. In fact, lets say you have become aware that you can achieve righteousness in Gods eyes by faith, just as Abraham did in Genesis 15:6: Then he believed in the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness. The covenant of works has a priesthood, so maybe the covenant of faith also has a priesthood. As a matter of fact, it does, and it has a priesthood superior to the Levitical priesthood, as described in Hebrews Chapter 7. In contrasting the Levitical priests with Jesus, Hebrews 7:23 says, The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing; Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore, He is also able to save forever those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. As noted in Hebrews 7:12, When the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. When we quit trying to earn righteousness, we leave the law of works and turn to the law of grace. In so doing, we turn from a religious system that uses frail human priests to a system that has a perfect eternal priest who is always interceding on our behalf. Now, some theologians believe that Melchizedek was a Christophany, an appearance of Christ in the Old Testament. Heres how the Hebrews writer describes Melchizedek in Hebrews 7:3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually. If that description were literally true, then it would have to be referring to Jesus. But the Hebrew writer is attributing the complete lack of genealogy about Melchizedek as suggestive of an eternal nature. We dont see any of the typical language used of Melchizedek that we see in other Christophanies. For instance, no other Christophany identifies anyone by a proper name or being an office bearer in any earthly position. Also, we see no command to, for example, remove Abrams sandals because the ground is holy. But clearly, God intends us to note the complete lack of genealogy, especially in Psalm 110:4, as being instructive that the Messiah will have a priesthood that is eternal. So, when we think of Born in Bethlehem, we think of a precious infant, a manger, Joseph and Mary, and all the pageantry of Christmas. But to receive a forever priest from the Tribe of Judah, we must leave behind our love affair with salvation by our own works and receive the righteousness that comes only through faith. Romans 3:19-26 explains the procedural change: Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law none of mankind will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes knowledge of sin. BUT NOW apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, but it is the righteousness of God THROUGH FAITH in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in Gods merciful restraint He let the sins previously committed go unpunished; for the demonstration, that is, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and THE JUSTIFIER OF THE ONE WHO HAS FAITH IN JESUS. Thats what Christmas is all about. Its the coming of the King and Priest who changes the Law and eternal future for all of us who will transition out of trying to save ourselves, and trust in the blood of Christ as our only righteousness. Amen and hallelujah forever!

I Samuel 29:1-30:6

"Portanto, diz o Senhor Deus de Israel: Na verdade tinha falado Eu que a tua casa e a casa de teu pai andariam diante de Mim perpetuamente; porém agora diz o Senhor: Longe de Mim tal coisa, porque aos que Me honram honrarei, porém os que Me desprezam serão desprezados."I Samuel 2:3"Portanto, Eu vos julgarei, cada um conforme os seus caminhos, ó casa de Israel, diz o Senhor Deus. Tornai-vos, e convertei-vos de todas as vossas transgressões, e a iniquidade não vos servirá de tropeço.Lançai de vós todas as vossas transgressões com que transgredistes, e fazei-vos um coração novo e um espírito novo; pois, por que razão morreríeis, ó casa de Israel?Porque não tenho prazer na morte do que morre, diz o Senhor Deus; convertei-vos, pois, e vivei." Ezequiel 18:30-32

Send us a textIt has become a proverb in our day: a David and Goliath battle. Well, let's see the first David and Goliath battle between . . . David and Goliath. Pick up your Bible or phone and turn to I Samuel 16 to hear the story.This episode is based on the God's Word for Life, Winter 2025–2026, Adult Lesson Guide entitled, "David and Goliath" (December 7, 2025).Find an Apostolic church that preaches this glorious gospel and our response at UPCI.orgThis episode is produced by the Pentecostal Resources Group and is hosted by LJ Harry. To order resources of the God's Word for Life curriculum, visitPentecostalPublishing.com and PentecostalResourcesGroup.com. Share your God's Word for Life stories with me at pphcurriculum@upci.org.

I Samuel 28:3-25

Send us a textIsrael had all they needed: God was their King. But He was not what they wanted, so they asked the seer Samuel to help them find a king. That's where we meet Saul. Pick up your Bible or phone and turn to I Samuel 8 to hear the story.This episode is based on the God's Word for Life, Fall 2025 Adult Lesson Guide entitled, "Samuel and Saul" (November 30, 2025).Find an Apostolic church that preaches this glorious gospel and our response at UPCI.orgThis episode is produced by the Pentecostal Resources Group and is hosted by LJ Harry. To order resources of the God's Word for Life curriculum, visitPentecostalPublishing.com and PentecostalResourcesGroup.com. Share your God's Word for Life stories with me at pphcurriculum@upci.org.

EM SINTONIA COM A FÉ - A PALAVRA DE DEUS NO DIA A DIA -20.11.2025Neste episódio: I Samuel 2, 1-10

I Samuel 12:24

Series: N/AService: Wednesday ServiceType: Short TalkSpeaker: Jeremy Bowling I Samuel 1515:1 Samuel also said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”4 So Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men…

I Samuel 8:4-22, Galatians 1:6-9 Sermon by Dr. George C. Anderson from Sunday, October 26, 2025. Read the manuscripts of our latest sermons at: https://www.spres.org/worship/sermons/ 

Genesis 22:13-18 Genesis 28:12-13 Genesis 49:10 Revelation 5:5-7 II Samuel 7:4-17 I Chronicles 17:10- I Samuel 13:8- II Chronicles 26:11-21 Psalm 89:19 Psalm 2:1 Revelation 12:5 Revelation 19:15 Daniel 2:44-47 Daniel 7: Isaiah 9:6 Luke 1: Acts 1:5-8 Ezekiel 37:21-25 Jeremiah 23:17 Revelation 3:21 Luke 21:25-32

I Samuel 27:1-12

Welcome Home!Today we talk about when and how God fulfills his plans, as illustrated in the story of Saul from the book of I Samuel. This is week 4 of our series Game of the Throne, an eight week series. So far we've discussed how Saul started off so well, but starting next week we talk about how it was all downhill from there.Make it a great week!

David según la Biblia hebrea fue un rey israelita, sucesor de Saúl y segundo monarca legítimo del reino de Israel (aunque Isboset, hijo de Saúl, fue proclamado por el ejército y gobernó dos años en el norte hasta su asesinato). Logró unificar el territorio israelita y lo expandió,​ hasta controlar las ciudades de Jerusalén, Samaria, Petra, Zabah y Damasco.​ La historia de David se presenta en la Biblia, principalmente en I Samuel y II Samuel, en tanto que el periodo que abarca su ancianidad y su muerte se narra al comienzo de I Reyes.

Nesta mensagem, o Pr. Glauter Ataide, com o texto em I Samuel, capítulo 30, versículos 1 ao 6, nos traz uma reflexão sobre Davi e como ele se fortalecia e se reanimava no Senhor mesmo diante das lutas.Há momentos na caminhada da fé em que enfrentamos gigantes visíveis — Golias com sua espada, ameaças, vozes e afrontas. Mas há também os gigantes invisíveis, aqueles que se levantam dentro de nós: o desânimo, a dor, a perda, o medo e a culpa. Em Ziclague, Davi não enfrentou um inimigo externo apenas — ele enfrentou o último gigante que tentou derrubar o seu coração.Ziclague foi o cenário do colapso total. Quando Davi e seus homens retornam da batalha, encontram a cidade queimada, suas famílias levadas cativas e seus bens destruídos. A Bíblia diz que “choraram até não terem mais forças para chorar” (v.4). O guerreiro invencível agora estava de joelhos, cercado por homens revoltados que queriam apedrejá-lo. Davi havia perdido tudo — exceto sua fé.E é aí que se revela o verdadeiro tamanho de um homem de Deus: não quando ele vence o inimigo com a espada, mas quando ele vence o desespero com a adoração.O texto declara:“Porém Davi se fortaleceu no Senhor, seu Deus.” (v.6)Esse “porém” muda tudo. Ziclague foi o ponto mais baixo da vida de Davi, mas também o ponto de virada. Quando tudo ao redor ruía, Davi olhou para cima. Ele decidiu não ser guiado pelas circunstâncias, mas pela presença de Deus. Enquanto outros choravam e culpavam, Davi orava e buscava direção.Aquele que venceu Golias com uma pedra agora vence Ziclague com uma atitude de fé.Antes de recuperar suas posses, ele recuperou a comunhão com Deus. E quando Davi se levantou fortalecido, Deus lhe devolveu tudo — nada se perdeu (v.19).Lições de Ziclague:Há batalhas que Deus permite para te devolver a Ele.Quando tudo o que você tem é tirado, você descobre que Deus é tudo o que você precisa.Fortalecer-se no Senhor é uma escolha.Davi poderia se entregar ao desespero, mas escolheu se reerguer na fé.Ziclague não é o fim — é o recomeço.Foi de Ziclague que Davi saiu para o trono. Às vezes, a tua maior dor é o prelúdio da tua maior promoção.Reflexão final:O último gigante de Davi não tinha nome nem espada — era o desânimo.E quando ele o venceu, o caminho para o reinado se abriu.Talvez você esteja em Ziclague hoje, cercado por perdas e lágrimas. Mas lembre-se: o mesmo Deus que restaurou Davi também te levantará.Fortaleça-se no Senhor, porque há vitória após Ziclague.Se esta mensagem edificou a sua vida, curta e compartilhe.Deus te abençoe!

David según la Biblia hebrea fue un rey israelita, sucesor de Saúl y segundo monarca legítimo del reino de Israel (aunque Isboset, hijo de Saúl, fue proclamado por el ejército y gobernó dos años en el norte hasta su asesinato). Logró unificar el territorio israelita y lo expandió,​ hasta controlar las ciudades de Jerusalén, Samaria, Petra, Zabah y Damasco.​ La historia de David se presenta en la Biblia, principalmente en I Samuel y II Samuel, en tanto que el periodo que abarca su ancianidad y su muerte se narra al comienzo de I Reyes.

I Samuel 17:32-50

 What roles do God and Satan play in Job's suffering and suffering throughout Scriptures?Satan appears in Job 1:6-12 and 2:1-6, 7. His hand in suffering is particularly emphasized in Job 1:12 and 2:6, 7. Satan's hand in suffering is stressed in several New Testament passages as well. In Luke 13:16 the woman Jesus heals in the synagogues is one “whom Satan has bound for eighteen years.” In Acts 10:38 Jesus went about doing good and “healing all who were oppressed of the devil.” II Cor. 12:7 describes Paul's thorn in the flesh as a “messenger of Satan.” In Jesus' letter to the church of Smyrna he says that “the devil is about to cast some of you into prison” (Rev. 2:10). Each of these passages speak of Satan, the devil playing a significant role in human suffering. There are certainly other passages that tie Satan to temptation, sin, and spiritual suffering, but now we are focusing on physical suffering. These truths from the book of Job about God's hand in human suffering are consistent with the rest of Scripture. Deuteronomy 32:39 “See now that I, I am He, and there is no god besides Me; It is who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.”I Samuel 2:6-7 “The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up. The LORD makes poor and rich; He brings low, He also exalts.”Isaiah 30:26 “The LORD binds up the fracture of His people and heals the bruise He has inflicted.”Isaiah 45:7 “The One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.”Jer. 32:42 “Just as I brought all this great disaster on this people, so I am going to bring on them all the good that I am promising them.”Lam. 3:37-38 “Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, unless the LORD has commanded it? Is in not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and ill go forth?”Amos 3:6 “If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? If a calamity occurs in a city has not the LORD done it?”Heb. 12:1-11 The hostility followers of Jesus experienced from sinners in 12:1-4 seems to be the same as the discipline of the LORD in 12:5-11. There are several events in which both God and Satan are said to be active. Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil (Matt. 4:1; Luke 4:1).  The devil is trying to get Jesus to sin and undo God's entire plan of salvation. God using to the same event to qualify Jesus as the perfect high priest (Heb. 2:17-18; 4:14-16). While Paul's thorn in the flesh was a messenger of Satan, it was given to keep Paul from exalting himself (II Cor. 12:7-10). Obviously, keeping Paul from becoming proud was not Satan's purpose but it was God's purpose. While Satan entered Judas to entice him to betray Jesus (Luke 22:3; John 13:2, 27), all the things that happened around the crucifixion were to fulfill the will of God (Acts 2:23; 3:13-15; 4:27-28; 13:27). While Satan and God were both involved in these events, in none of these cases are God and Satan acting together. Satan is seeking to cause man to curse God. But God is working in the same events to seek to teach man things he would not have learned otherwise (Ps. 119:67, 71, 75). God is seeking to help man see Him more clearly than previously (Job 42:5-6).  God is working to save man from sin. The message of the Bible is that nothing happens to us that is not ultimately controlled by the knowledge, love, wisdom, and power of our God of all comfort (II Cor. 1:3). The test of Job was ultimately a step in the utter defeat of Satan and not Job.

This week we read about the anointing of young David in I Samuel 16:1-13, and a few verses from Psalm 51, set much later in his career, at a time when he clearly was not living up to God's expectations , and he knew it and grieved it.  We wondered what kind of heart God was looking for when he chose young David to be king? A pure one? A steady one? And what does it mean for us to read the story of David's anointment as an innocent boy, when he is all potential -  alongside a psalm about his lowest of lows? How does the one inform the other?

Presented by Julie Busteed What happens when you are not patient and run ahead of God and take things into your own hands? That's exactly what happened to King Saul. You can read the entire account in I Samuel 13:1-15 but let me summarize. Saul is the newly appointed first King over Israel. They've had some success at defeating their enemies. I guess King Saul is feeling pretty good about this. Then the Philistines—the enemy—assemble to fight and they have many chariots and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. When the Israelites see this, they are quaking with fear. Saul waits seven days for Samuel (the prophet and priest) to arrive to offer the burnt offering. He was following Samuel's instructions (1 Samuel 10:8). But something happens—we're not told what—but Samuel doesn't show up in seven days. He's late. And Saul seeing that his soldiers are frightened, seeing the strength and number of his enemies, takes things into his own hands and he offers the sacrifice to God (which by the way was against the law—only priests were to do this). And then guess who shows up at this exact moment—Samuel! And he asks Saul what's going on, and Saul explains: “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord's favor.' So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering” (1 Samuel 13:11-12). Oh wow. Did you hear that? Saul's saying things weren't going as he thought they should. He was looking at his circumstances around him and becoming fearful and not looking at God. And so, he took things into his own hands—he felt “compelled” to ask for the Lord's help in this way. And Samuel then tells him that he's done a foolish thing. That he's not kept the command that the Lord God gave him and as a result the Kingdom of Israel will be taken away from him, it will not endure. I do feel for Saul sometimes. It sounds like he convinced himself he was doing the right thing in rushing ahead of God and offering these sacrifices and seeking the Lord's favor instead of waiting for Samuel. But it was not the right thing. How many times have you been anxious, got tired of waiting for God and took things into your own hands which then resulted in more trouble? Maybe you are so desperate to get out of a job or a project that you'll do anything. I know. It's hard to wait. But it can be even more dangerous to not wait. To make poor decisions and suffer those consequences. You might not have your kingdom taken away from you like Saul, but it could still end in difficulty. As the Psalmist says, wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord (Psalm 27:14 ESV)!

"INVOCA-ME NO DIA DA ANGÚSTIA; EU TE LIVRAREI, E TU ME GLORIFICARÁS." Salmo 50:15"Ana, pois, com amargura de alma, orou ao Senhor, e chorou abundantemente.E fez um voto, dizendo: Senhor dos Exércitos! Se benignamente atentares para a aflição da Tua serva, e de mim Te lembrares, e da Tua serva não Te esqueceres, mas à Tua serva deres um filho homem, ao Senhor o darei todos os dias da sua vida, e sobre a sua cabeça não passará navalha." I Samuel 1:10-11

"E sucedeu que no dia em que Elcana sacrificava, dava ele porções a Penina, sua mulher, e a todos os seus filhos, e a todas as suas filhas.Porém a Ana dava uma parte excelente; porque amava a Ana, embora o Senhor lhe tivesse cerrado a madre.E a sua rival excessivamente a provocava, para a irritar; porque o Senhor lhe tinha cerrado a madre.E assim fazia ele de ano em ano. Sempre que Ana subia à casa do Senhor, a outra a irritava; por isso chorava, e não comia." I Samuel 1:4-7

"Porque bem vedes, irmãos, a vossa vocação, que não são muitos os sábios segundo a carne, nem muitos os poderosos, nem muitos os nobres que são chamados.Mas Deus escolheu as coisas loucas deste mundo para confundir as sábias; e Deus escolheu as coisas fracas deste mundo para confundir as fortes; E Deus escolheu as coisas vis deste mundo, e as desprezíveis, e as que não são, para aniquilar as que são; Para que nenhuma carne se glorie perante Ele." I Coríntios 1:26-29"Porém a Ana dava uma parte excelente; porque amava a Ana, embora o Senhor lhe tivesse cerrado a madre. E a sua rival excessivamente a provocava, para a irritar; porque o Senhor lhe tinha cerrado a madre.E assim fazia ele de ano em ano. Sempre que Ana subia à Casa do Senhor, a outra a irritava; por isso chorava, e não comia." I Samuel 1:5-7

Warren Youth Director, Zack Seals, shares a message from I Samuel 15 on the importance of complete obedience to God. Our hearts must be totally devoted to the Lord and leave behind our fleshly desires. Please note, the audio does cut out a bit due to some technical issues, but it's never more than a couple words at a time.

Built Different Pt. 2 | September 21, 2025II Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV) For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.√  WE FIGHT THE WRONG ENEMY. Ephesians 6:12 (NIV) For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.John 10:10 (NIV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…√  WE FIGHT WITH THE WRONG WEAPONS.I Samuel 17:45 (NIV) You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty.√  WE FIGHT FOR THE WRONG VICTORY.Matthew 16:24-26 (NLT) Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?BUILT FOR THE BATTLEI. PICK UP OUR SPIRITUAL WEAPONS.Ephesians 6:10-11 (NIV) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.Truth (Belt) - We hold our life together with the truth of God's Word.Righteousness (Breastplate) - Right living guards our heart.Peace (Shoes) - We walk steady with the peace of Christ.Faith (Shield) - Combat the enemy's lies through our trust in God.Salvation (Helmet) - Protect your mind with your identity in Christ.Word of God (Sword) - Fight back with Scripture.Prayer - Stay connected to God's power in the battle.II. RENEW OUR MINDS DAILY.II Corinthians 10:5 (NIV) ...we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.Colossians 3:2 (NIV) Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.III. RELY ON THE HOLY SPIRIT'S POWER.Galatians 5:22-25 (NLT) But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives.Group Discussion Questions + PracticeOpening QuestionShare about a time when you felt like you were in a battle - maybe at work, in your family, or even in your mind. How did you try to fight that battle?Part 1– The Battles We FaceWe fight the wrong enemy (Ephesians 6:12)Why do we often view people as the enemy instead of recognizing the real spiritual battle behind the scenes?How might seeing the “true enemy” change the way you respond to conflict in your life right now?We fight with the wrong weapons (1 Samuel 17:45)What “worldly weapons” are easy for you to pick up when life gets hard (anger, control, avoidance, etc.)?We fight for the wrong victory (Matthew 16:24–26)Jesus warned that it's possible to “gain the whole world but lose your soul.” What might a “shallow victory” look like in your life?How can we shift our focus from temporary wins to eternal victories?

Singing has always been important to God's people. Exodus 15:1-7 – The song of Moses. I Samuel 18:6-7 The book of Psalms is a collection of…

I Samuel 13:6 Psalm 23:1- Ephesians 5:18 Acts 1:8 I Samuel 17:1-48 Zechariah 4:6 Psalm 115:1-3

He was the last of the Judges of Israel, and was appointed by God to anoint the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David. Read the Old Testament book 1 Samuel for his story. Many believe that he is the author of the books of Judges, Ruth and the first 24 chapters of I Samuel.

He was the last of the Judges of Israel, and was appointed by God to anoint the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David. Read the Old Testament book 1 Samuel for his story. Many believe that he is the author of the books of Judges, Ruth and the first 24 chapters of I Samuel.

In a generation obsessed with mechanics of leadership, people seldom consider the Bible as a source of leadership instruction. In fact, the Bible is especially useful in this because it identifies something critical—how the presence of God impacts the success of a leader. I Samuel details great leaders; but God remains the primary actor in the human story.

I Samuel ch 12 vs 12, 13 , 20-24 - Preacher Levi Hunter - Sunday, August 10, 2025

I Samuel ch 12 vs 12, 13 , 20-24 - Preacher Levi Hunter - Sunday, August 10, 2025

Continuing with our series called "The Servant King," (A Study of the Gospel of Mark).... I Samuel ch1 v 1-18 , God's Faithfulness If you are interested in attending our LIVE teachings (Wednesdays @ 7:00 pm & Sundays @ 10:00 am), you are invited to visit us at 4218 Boston Ave. Lubbock, Texas. To connect with us, you can call us at (806) 799-2227, email us at calvarylubbock@hotmail.com, or checkout our website at CalvaryChapelLubbock.church. You can also watch us on Facebook and contact us through Facebook Messenger. Please feel free to let us know about your walk with Jesus, as we would love to hear it and pray with you. If you'd like to partner with us to help us take the Gospel to the world, just click on the DONATE button on our website, let us know through Facebook Messenger, or in person. We pray that the rest of your week be blessed and that you share the love of Jesus with everyone that you encounter.

I Samuel 30

This week we wanted to give everyone an opportunity to listen to the discussion, Joe, Ant, and Andrew had on Kingdom on the Road, July 4th. While working through I Samuel, the guys discussed some important lessons for us today about Sovereignty, Parenting, God's Will, Humility, Doubt, Prayer, Prophecy, and Grace. Send us a textSupport the showFollow us on: TWITCH: twitch.tv/ministrymisfits INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/ministrymisfit FACEBOOK: facebook.com/ministrymisfit YOUTUBE: YouTube.com/@ministrymisfits

This week we wanted to give everyone an opportunity to listen to the discussion, Joe, Ant, and Andrew had on Kingdom on the Road, July 4th. While working through I Samuel, the guys discussed some important lessons for us today about Sovereignty, Parenting, God's Will, Humility, Doubt, Prayer, Prophecy, and Grace. Send us a textSupport the showFollow us on: TWITCH: twitch.tv/ministrymisfits INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/ministrymisfit FACEBOOK: facebook.com/ministrymisfit YOUTUBE: YouTube.com/@ministrymisfits

We look at I Samuel 30 again, and see what the perfect picture of a man after God's own heart is like. We see David put his full confidence in the Lord, and had spiritual perception of what was going on.

"The Glory Has Departed" from I Samuel 3:1-6, 4:11-22 was preached by Pastor Mike Ray at Hopewell Baptist Church on Sunday Evening, 6/29/2025. You can watch the video archive of this sermon on our church website. You can also watch archived services on Vimeo, YouTube, Medium, or audio podcast. Stay up to date by following us on Facebook and Instagram. Hopewell Baptist Church is an Independent Baptist Church in Napa, California pastored by Mike Ray. It is Bible-based with a warm, friendly atmosphere. Hopewell is dedicated to bringing the water of life to the Napa Valley and beyond.

Daily Dose of Hope June 24, 2025   Scripture - Matthew 16:13-28   Prayer:  Holy God, Thank you for this day and thank you for the ways you provide and care for us.  We rejoice in your powerful and mighty name.  As we read through the Scripture today and reflect on what it means for us, help us hear a new word from you.  Help us set aside the distractions of the day and really listen for your voice.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are covering the second portion of Matthew 16.   Jesus has taken his disciples on a retreat of sorts, and they have traveled away from Judea, further north into Gentile territory.  Maybe it's to get away from the crowds, maybe it's so they can speak more freely.  Caesarea Philippi is pretty far north in Israel.  It was a quiet place at the headwaters of the Jordan River but also a place filled with idol worship and signs of Roman occupation everywhere.  And it's here that Jesus decides he is going to settle his identity with these men.  So he asks each of them, “Who do people say I am?”    Over the two years that the disciples had been with Jesus, people had all kinds of thoughts about who Jesus was.  Some thought he was the precursor to the Messiah, others (like King Herod) thought he was John the Baptist reincarnated, others thought he might be one of the prophets returned.  But Jesus presses them, “who do you say I am?”  Now, it doesn't matter what the others say – who is it you say I am?  That's really the question for all of us, isn't it.  It doesn't matter who others say Jesus is.  If I were to do a man on the street interview right now, I'm sure I'd get all kinds of answers to who is Jesus?  A teacher, a healer, a crazy person, Son of God, the Savior.  But it doesn't matter what others say, what matters is what you believe and what YOU say about Jesus.  And that's what Jesus is asking his disciples.  What do you say about me?  What are you willing to confess about me?  This was really a rubber meets the road question for them, as it is for us.  What are you willing to confess about me, to others, publicly?   Jesus asked all of them but it was Peter who spoke up.  And he says, “You are the Messiah, Son of the Living God.”  The word Messiah means anointed one or God's anointed.  And the term “Messiah” was the Hebrew word for God's anointed, the term “Christ” was the Greek word for it.  Messiah and Christ mean the same thing, different languages.  I know this might come as a surprise to some of us but Christ is not Jesus' last name.  It is a title.  And Peter is giving Jesus this title, you are the Messiah, the anointed one.   What's the big deal with being anointed?  In ancient Israel, when someone was given a position of authority, oil was poured on his head to signify his being set apart for God's service. I Samuel 10:1 is an example, Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul's head and kissed him, saying, "Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance?  Kings, priests, and prophets were anointed in this way. Anointing was a symbolic act to indicate God's choosing.  Although the literal meaning of anointed refers to the application of oil, it can also refer to being chosen or set apart by God, even if oil is not literally used.  So, Peter is saying you are the anointed one, chosen, set apart by God, the Messiah.   But there is more to this.  Throughout the OT, there are many, many verses that point to the Messiah delivering the Hebrew people from captivity, from pagan kings.  The Jews expected the Messiah to deliver them from Roman occupation via military might.  That was the expectation.  The Christ, the Messiah is the one who God sent to deliver his people, to make things right for them – the one they had been waiting for hundreds of years.  So when Peter says this, you are the Messiah, he probably doesn't quite understand how Jesus is going to deliver them.  No one really got it that the Messiah would be the one to deliver people, not from the Roman occupiers, but from their own sin.    Peter says that Jesus is Messiah but then he says that Jesus is the Son of the living God.  Just to clarify something, in the OT, there are a number of men, particularly prophets, who are called a son of God.  That was not an uncommon title for a Godly man.  But that is not what Peter is saying, Peter says that Jesus is THE son of the living God.    Let's clarify something here because I think we can get confused - Jesus is not God's Son in the sense of a human father and a son. God did not get married and have a son. God did not mate with Mary and, together with her, produce a son. Jesus is God's Son in the sense that He is GOD in human form – John 1:1, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  Keep in mind, the term “Word” is referring to Jesus.  Jesus was there in the beginning.  Jesus was there with God in the beginning.  Jesus was there with God and Jesus is God.  Brain cramping yet?  Let's read v. 14, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.  So, the “Word”, Jesus, became human and lived among us.  Of course, that is the Christmas story, Jesus became a human being, was born to a woman named Mary, who became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.  When the angel comes to Mary in Luke and explains the situation, he tells her that this holy one you will give birth to will be called the Son of God.   This clearly separates Jesus from the prophets. He is not a son of God but the Son of the living God.  Jesus walks with a very distinct, specific authority.  I mean, look at his miracles.  He heals people with a word or touch.  He rebukes a storm and it listens to him.  He could read people's minds.  He raises Lazurus from the dead.  He doesn't argue with demons.  Think about it – when Jesus encounters a demon, they tremble.  Colossians 1, The son is the image of the invisible God…  He walks in a distinct, divine authority.  Because he is the Son of the living God – the second person of the Godhead.    So, Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, and he is Lord.  I didn't count this myself, but I read that Jesus is referred to as Lord almost 300 times in the New Testament.  Lord was the most common title for Jesus in the early church.  Why is that significant?  When the Hebrew Bible, what we call the OT, was translated from Hebrew to Greek, the term Yahweh (which was the Hebrew word for God) was translated to Lord in the NT.  That means, to say that Jesus is Lord is to say that Jesus is God.  It is saying that Jesus is divine – he is God – and Caesar is NOT, a claim that was quite dangerous at the time.    To say that Jesus is Lord means that Jesus has claim over all things; he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  He is LORD over all things – over the cosmos, over the whole earth, over all nations and their leaders, he is Lord over Vladimir Putin, he is Lord over Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, he is Lord over all the celebrities in Hollywood, he is Lord over Florida and Brandon, he is Lord over each of us.    Now, here is where I'm going to get kind of personal.  At least I'm giving a warning.  What I've found working in ministry is that people like the idea of Jesus as Savior.  Yes, I've said yes to Jesus as my Savior so I'm going to heaven.  That feels good and it should.  But man, do people struggle with this concept that Jesus is Lord.  Because saying Jesus is Lord is one step further.  It's saying that he is Lord over everything and he is Lord over my family and me.  That means, I defer to him in every area of my life.  I trust him with everything.  That means, before I make a decision, I ask Jesus for his will.  It means I have given my job over to him, my children and grandchildren over to him; it means I have given the words I speak, my actions, my thoughts over to Jesus.  My finances belong to him.  That means that tithing isn't an issue because, well, it all belongs to Jesus anyway.  I have no claim on my life.  I belong to Jesus.    I struggled with this for years.  In a culture that tells us that its all about us, how hard WE work, the fruits of our labor, its OUR money, OUR children, OUR lives.  Maybe it sounds weird, but turning over my money to Lord Jesus wasn't that difficult.  I made a decision.  We are supposed to tithe so we are going to do it and I had been around people who tithed for a long time.  What was hard for me was giving my marriage to Jesus, giving my kids to Jesus.  I might have had a bit of a control issue.  And if you have a control issue – teenagers will humble you.  And it was in the midst of some real struggles that I just turned it all over to him.  They are your kids first, Lord.  They were never mine to begin with.  If I make it sounds easy, it isn't but it's life changing.  It's a shift in perspective that really brings a tremendous amount of peace.  Alright, that was pretty important, but so is the next portion of text.  Jesus is beginning to reveal to the disciples that he will die; he will be leaving them.  They aren't quite getting it.  And when they do get a hint of where he is going, Peter isn't happy.  And the Scripture says that Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked him.  Here is where we miss something significant in English.  In the Greek, this word rebuke is much stronger.  Peter is really laying into Jesus here, saying “This is not the way it's going to be.  You are supposed to be the messiah who saves us from the Romans. This is not what we signed up for.”  And Jesus' response to him is interesting.  Jesus rebukes Peter right back, same word in the Greek, and says, “Get behind me, Satan!”  He tells him that he is setting his mind on human things, not on the things of God.  This is one of those moments in Scripture that highlights the vast distance between us and God. Though Jesus is God with us (he was God in human form), we cannot tame him or make him over into our image. We would like a savior who is a winner, and one who makes us winners, but Jesus insists on identifying with the lowliest of losers. He will allow himself to be judged and condemned as a blasphemer by Jewish religious leaders. He will allow himself to be mocked, tortured, and executed as a criminal by the Romans. And that's not all. Jesus actually expects his disciples to follow him on this path of suffering and death.  After telling them that they don't understand the mind of God, he says this very hard thing, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life[f] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.  We tend to think of taking up our cross as dealing with really annoying circumstances.  In Jesus' day, no one thought of beating one's cross as a persistent annoyance or burden. So bearing our cross does not mean we need to have patience with difficult neighbors or coworkers.  Furthermore, Jesus is not talking about the suffering that is part of living in a broken world, things like serious illnesses, broken relationships, and even natural disasters. That isn't what he is talking about.  Nor is he telling us to seek out suffering or martyrdom. We don't have to become monks and live in the desert.  Jesus did not go seeking suffering, although he ended up having to endure it for his mission.  To a person in the first century, the cross meant one thing and one thing only: death by crucifixion. And the Romans made the people who were about to be killed carry their own cross to the execution location.  It was humiliating and horribly painful and the condemned person had no choice but to submit. Bearing one's cross was and is a show of complete and utter submission. A call to bear one's cross as part of following Jesus, then, is a call to be as submitted to Christ as the condemned criminal was to his death.  When Jesus says this, he's claiming authority. Following Christ means disowning the self and giving allegiance to him instead. And it means giving him allegiance down to the very depths of our being.   Are you willing to surrender all to follow Jesus?  What needs to change in your life and thinking to be more consistent with the ways of Jesus Christ? Blessings, Pastor Vicki      

This evening, we take a look at I Samuel 30, when the Amalekites had destroyed Ziklag, and David and his men were looking for them so he could get everyone he held dear back to him, and his men found an Egyptian in a field to help them find the Amalekites.

We look at one of David's most discouraging points in his life in I Samuel 30. He has lost everything, and yet, there is still One Who can help him.

I Samuel 4: 1 - 11