God's people have always been a chosen people and a covenant people. If we don't understand God's promises to Abraham we'll not understand why Galatians says that the gospel was preached to him, and we'll not grasp the significance of the 75 references to him in the New Testament | Genesis 12-50
What's mine is God's
Only if we have treasure in Heaven will we be able to hold lightly to the things of this world | Exodus 20:15
The Perished Kingdom
Last week we left Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden as God's people, in God's place, under God's rule and enjoying God's blessing. However by the end of Genesis 3, that's all changed. What went wrong? And is there a way back for humanity? | Genesis 3-11
Guarding God's Gospel Signpost
Why does it matter what two consenting adults do in private? Because sex is bigger than us. To demean, twist, distort or redefine marriage is to rob the world of a signpost to the gospel | Exodus 20:14
Life or Death?
If we think the 6th commandment doesn't apply to us, Jesus says that we're making the same mistake as the Pharisees | Exodus 20:13
Facing up to Reality
The first half of 1 Samuel ends with this sobering account reminding us of the reality of God's justice, the priority of obedience and the importance of repentance. Yet Saul's failure here prepares the way for King David - and ultimately King Jesus | 1 Samuel 15
Honour your father and your mother
Since the garden of Eden, human beings have had a problem with authority. The first authority any of us resist is that of our parents - so that's where this commandment starts. Like all the commandments however, it has a wider application than we might think | Exodus 20:12
Like Father, Like Son?
The differences we see in this chapter between Saul and Jonathan are just an outworking of the one great contrast the Bible is all about - between Adam and Jesus Christ.
In the lives of Saul and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 14:24-52 we see:
- The contrast between outward religion and true faith
- The contrast in their view of God
- The contrast in the legacy they leave behind
Call the Sabbath a Delight
In the second of two sermons on the fourth commandment, we see that the Lord's Day is:
- A day for celebrating the freedom that we have in Christ
- A day where unnecessary work is to cease so we can focus on God
- A day for turning from our own pleasures and delighting in God
(Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Isaiah 58:13-14)
Nothing can hinder the LORD
As we think about taking the gospel to a hostile world, 1 Samuel 14:1-23 calls us to:
- Have faith despite the circumstances
- See people as they really are
- Act based on what we know God is like
- Stick close to God's chosen deliverer