Confessing Historic Reformation Christianity: Salvation by Grace Alone, Through Faith Alone, in Christ Alone, Founded on Scripture Alone, for the Glory of God Alone.

Who Can Stand in the Presence of God?

Sermon Text: 1 Samuel 6:19-7:4 Theme: Israel needed to repent of how they had sinned against the Lord before they could stand in His holy presence Structure/points:  The Lord had brought His ark back to Israel, but that didn’t automatically lead to a restored relationship between God and His people.  Repentance was needed first, and in time, that repentance did come.  To…

Turning Away the Wrath of God

Sermon Text: 1 Samuel 6:1-18 Theme: When the Philistines realized they had offended Israel’s God by stealing His ark, they offered a sacrifice to placate His wrath against them Structure/points: After suffering the Lord’s humiliation of Dagon and a plague sent against them, the Philistines concluded that the God of Israel was angry with them because they had taken His ark.  They…

AN ANCIENT LAMENT WITH A VIEW TO A HISTORICAL LIBERATION

Sermon Text: Psalm 22:1-31 Main Theme: This Psalm directs us to Christ with the most vivid of particularities and the closest of historic parallels, but it also presents David, a predecessor of Christ, as having gone through sufferings as well.  Therefore, this ancient song assigns believers of all times both the hope that they will be delivered because of what Christ has…

The Conquerors are Conquered

Sermon Text: 1 Samuel 5:1-12 Theme: The presence of the Lord’s ark among the Philistines brought His severe hand of judgment against them and their gods Structure/points:  Though the Lord had allowed His ark to be captured by the Philistines, He had no been defeated by them.  He would defend His name and honor against their sins in the homeland.  Scripture shows…

Silent No More

Sermon Text: 1 Samuel 3:1-4:1a Theme: Samuel’s prophetic call brought the word of God to Israel, ending the days of infrequent divine revelation Structure/points: 1 Samuel 3 begins in spiritual darkness, and the only one who could fix this was the Lord.  He would need to speak and send prophets to His people.  He did this by choosing young Samuel to be…

Praise the Lord, the Sovereign King!

Sermon Text: 1 Samuel 2:1-10 Theme: Hannah’s prayer glorifies the Lord’s sovereign kingship over all humankind Structure/points:  Hannah’s prayer is a song that exults the Lord and joyfully proclaims His sovereign power over all people, good and evil, and in doing so, prepares us for the events of 1 Samuel.  We see three examples of God’s kingship in our passage: