Sermon and Worship Resources

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1 Samuel 3:1--4:1

Sermon

King Duncan

... both King Saul and King David to be kings. He had an important role to play in the Old Testament. He played that role thanks to a mother’s promise and his own openness to the voice of God. Of course, we are interested in what the story of Samuel means for our lives. First of all, it reminds us of the importance of listening…listening to God and listening to one another. Most of us will not be hearing mysterious voices in the night. At least, I hope not. I did read recently that, according to recent ...

2. A Dead Man in a Witch’s Cave

1 Samuel 28:1-25

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

... his army was in for a severe battle the next day. He tried to seek some guidance from the Lord. Nothing came. He couldn’t get through to God. Finally, in contradiction to his own laws - for he had expressly forbidden the use of witches or sorcery (1 Samuel 28:3, 9) - he decided to consult a witch. Yes, Saul did the very thing which he had forbidden others to do. He knew witchcraft was wrong; he had issued his edicts against it. Yet, the very policy that he had prohibited, he now practiced. This should not ...

3. A Shepherd Who Became a Sovereign

2 Samuel 12:1-31

Sermon

R. Blaine Detrick

... fleeing from King Saul, he had the king at his mercy. The king was asleep in a cave, with David standing over him. He could have killed the king. His own men encouraged him to do so. But he spared the life of Saul - not only once, but twice (1 Samuel 24; 26). He said, "I cannot kill the man who was anointed to be king over God’s people. I just can’t do it." David’s kindness and generosity to Mephibosheth, the crippled son of Jonathan, is also worthy of note. David searched him out, "for Jonathan’s ...

4. The Lord Chooses a Prophet

1 Sam 3:1--4:1

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... loyalty. One of the ways God does this is by establishing leaders who will honor him. 2. The Lord honors those who honor him. In his pronouncement of judgment upon Eli, the Lord declares: “Those who honor me I will honor” (2:30). The story of Samuel’s rise to the prophetic office fleshes out this statement by showing how the Lord honors Hannah’s allegiance. She looks to the Lord alone for relief and justice and then dedicates her son to him out of gratitude for answered prayer. The Lord honors her ...

5. Lent 4

Jn 9:1-41 · Eph 5:8-14 · Ps 23 · 1 Sam 16:1-13

Sermon Aid

Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe

... of death shifts in v. 6 to the pursuit of goodness and mercy in the temple of God—even while the enemies look on. The confession of the worshiper in v. 6 is anything but a romantic vision, for it goes against our notions of security. David, Samuel, and the psalmist underscore how the baptism of God puts us on a high-risk road that forces us to live our lives under the hospitality of God's protection, which, the psalmist reminds us, is the only place where security lies for any circumstance. NEW TESTAMENT ...

6. Samuel Confronts the People

1 Samuel 12:1-25

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... this. While the Lord intended to place limitations on kingship (10:25; cf. Deut. 17:14–20), in Saul he gives them the impressive-looking king who fits their criteria. Furthermore, despite the Lord’s restraints, kingship will eventually evolve into something much like Samuel’s description in 8:11–18. 12:14 If you fear the Lord and serve. The combination of the verbs “fear” and “serve” echoes the commands of Moses (Deut. 6:13; 10:20) and Joshua (Josh. 24:14). The words are repeated as a ...

7. A Mother's Pride And Joy

Sermon

Ron Lavin

... religious pilgrimage to the place of worship, Hannah prayed. We pick up this prayer at verse one of chapter one of the book of 1 Samuel. She (Hannah) was in deep anguish and was crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. She made this vow: "0 Lord of heaven, if ... my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you, and he'll be yours for his entire lifetime... (1 Samuel 1:10-11, LB)." Hannah promised that if God would give her a son, she would dedicate him to the Lord's ministry. Shortly thereafter ...

8. Samuel Anoints Saul

1 Sam 9:1–10:8

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... these to Saul could indicate that Saul’s appointment is in some way sacral. 10:5–6 Groups of prophets, sometimes associated with particular shrines, who were noted for ecstatic experiences often accompanied by music, were as well known in Israel as they were in Canaan. Samuel appears usually to have worked alone, but in 1 Sam. 19:20 he is associated with a group like this. Gibeah, where this group was to be found, is Saul’s home (10:26), which explains why those who knew Saul were able to observe his ...

9. Someone Is Calling In The Night

1 Samuel 3:1--4:1

Sermon

King Duncan

... this heavy message to consider. He spent the rest of the night awake. Everything happened just as God told him it would. With the news that Eli's sons had been killed, Eli himself died. In the closing verse of chapter 3 we discover that "All Israel... knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord." God speaks to us in many ways. We need to spend more time listening. And we need to be prepared to change. To become, by the grace of God, new people. The next time you hear someone calling you in the ...

10. Missing the Mark

1 Samuel 8:1-22

Sermon

Charles Allo

... LORD replied, "for it is me they are rejecting, not you. They don't want me to be their king any longer. 8 Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually forsaken me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. Examine 1 Samuel 7-9 Notice God's response. "do what they say." They are rejecting me, not you. Don't take it personal. I am their king. And they don't want me as their king any longer. They have had this rebellion in them from the beginning even when I showed ...

11. Saul Forfeits a Dynasty

1 Samuel 13:1-15

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... a sacrifice reveals a faulty theology that elevates ritual above obedience (see 15:22–23) and tends to think that ritual can in some way guarantee divine favor. (3) Saul oversteps his bounds.4He is the king, but he is under the authority of the prophet-priest Samuel, who is the intercessor for the nation (cf. 7:7–11; 12:18–19, 23).5In Deuteronomy 17–18, where the regulations of Israelite kingship are given (17:14–20; cf. 1 Sam. 10:25), the king’s role is clearly distinguished from that of the ...

12. Samuel Anoints David

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... physique (1 Sam. 9:2). The intervention of God (v. 7) is portrayed more as a gentle reminder than as a rebuke. The choice is to be God’s and is not made according to human criteria. The reminder stands as a clear lesson for future readers. Samuel, alert now for the word of the Lord, is presented with seven brothers, but in each case the Lord is silent. The only solution, having been given a clear indication that he was to anoint a son of Jesse, must be that there is another brother. Perhaps marveling ...

13. Samuel Was the Search Committee

1 Samuel 15:34-35, 16:1-13

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

... , "You go to church?" "What's gotten into you?" God chooses the ones we'd least expect to do God's will and bring in God's kingdom. God chooses the ones we'd never expect. We think we have God's plan all figured out but we don't. Samuel was the search committee but God does the choosing. God chooses you and me in unexpected ways. If Jesus saw something in IRS types and fishermen and publicans and sinners and even a little scoundrel like Zacchaeus who'd been treed like a cat, imagine what Jesus sees in you ...

14. Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice

1 Samuel 15:1-35

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... token of gratitude and/or an offering to appease God. This concept of the ban is also attested on the Moabite Stone (Mesha inscription), where Mesha of Moab boasts that he devoted to his god Chemosh seven thousand Israelite captives (COS, 2:137–38). In 1 Samuel 15 it appears that Saul views the Lord’s instructions along these lines, for he intends to offer up the best of the Amalekite plunder as a formal sacrifice to the Lord (herem appears in v. 21). However, Niditch suggests that in this case the ban ...

15. Samuel's Farewell Speech

1 Samuel 12:1-25

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

... his people, and they are his people. The language again closely reflects that of Deuteronomy (e.g., Deut. 6:2, 5; 7:7; 10:12, 21; 11:16; 31:6). The point is that they must remember all that is implied in being God’s people. And Samuel, though opting out of the government of the nation and having made his displeasure with their decision clear, is not about to desert them. His roles of praying and teaching will remain. All the necessary information is there for them. If they or their king fail to follow ...

16. David In Saul's Service

1 Samuel 16:14-23

Understanding Series

Mary J. Evans

17. The Road to the Passover

John 2:13-22

Sermon

Timothy W. Ayers

... a balcony. He looked up. One was dressed in the robes of a priest but not just a simple priest. His adornments and rich fabric clothing made him one of the highest in the priestly line. The other wore the clothing of a Roman leader. The man walking next to Samuel noticed the boy staring at the two men. He nudged him and spoke. “Boy, that is the high priest Caiaphas. The other is the Roman pig sent to rule over us. He is Pontius Pilate. They both are making money off us poor Jews. The two are thick as ...

18. Dynamic Preaching January 2024 Sermons

Sermon

King Duncan

19. Repentance and Victory

1 Samuel 7:2-17

Teach the Text

Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

... the people’s sincerity and obedience. Apparently this is a firm decision on the part of Israel, for we do not read of the people as worshiping the Baals again until the time of Ahab (1 Kings 16:31), who ruled in 874–853 BC.6If we date Samuel’s victory to roughly 1070 BC, then it appears that Israel did not worship Baal for close to two hundred years. 7:5 I will intercede . . . for you. Prior to this, the expression “intercede for” is used only of Abraham (Gen. 20:7 AT; “pray for,” NIV) and ...

20. Growing In The Lord

1 Samuel 2:12-26

Sermon

Robert A. Hausman

... has granted me the petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the Lord" (1:27-28). When Hannah brought her son Samuel to the Lord, she also brought "a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine" (1:24). This was a very ... and in my mind. I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed one forever" (2:35). Samuel's ministry seems to be a partial fulfillment of that promise. Still, he is not established forever, for he and his sons are pushed aside ...

21. I'll Be Somewhere Listening

1 Samuel 3:1--4:1

Sermon

Curtis Lewis

... and snow. He hurried out to meet Jackson exclaiming, "Man, I told you it was not a matter of great importance!" Jackson replied, "When my general wishes to see me, my general's wish is my command." We must make ourselves, like Samuel of old, available to God. Our response must be the response of Samuel: "Speak for your servant is listening." As we make ourselves available to God, we move from passivity to action. In so doing, we honor God, for God is not passive. It is good for us to pause at times and ask ...

22. 1 Samuel 16:1-13

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... specific circumstances for a specific task (see Judges 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 14:6,19; 15:14). This task usually involved speaking God's word as well as carrying out God's directives. Saul himself had received this spirit on two separate occasions (1 Samuel 10:6; 11:6). To have received this spirit twice implies that this spirit came and went at unpredictable moments. The spirit of the Lord was not in constant attendance in the lives of Israel's judges or in the rule of Israel's first king. All this ...

23. God Never Gives Up on Us

1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20, (11:14-15)

Sermon

William J. Carl, III

... him as a leader and their attack on his family. What does God do? God pats him on the hand to calm him down and says, "Relax, Samuel. This is not about you, it's about me. I've dealt with this before. It's me they're attacking. You need to learn how ... changed that much. But, the good news is that God is always there to help us pick up the pieces no matter what we do. From Samuel on, humanity kept making a mess of things even as we do today, so God does something radical — God gives us a new king, a king ...

24. 1 Samuel 3:1-10

1 Samuel 3:1-10

Sweet

Leonard Sweet

... me," but when Puritanism collapsed at the turn of the nineteenth century, the "me" spirit took off at an exponential rate - a rate that continued throughout the "Me Decades" of the seventies and eighties. As God sought out and persistently called Samuel, Jesus actively chose his disciples by issuing a call that was sometimes hospitable (such as this week's text), sometimes haunting (Jesus' call to Mary Magdalene), sometimes harrowing (recall the challenge issued to the "rich young man"). Even though in this ...

25. Proper 4

2 Corinthians 4:1-18, 1 Samuel 3:1--4:1, Mark 2:23-3:6

Sermon Aid

John R. Brokhoff

... have an experience with God. 2. The lamp of God (v. 3). The reference is to the golden lampstand which was opposite the table of the bread of the presence in the holy place. The lamp burned during the night and by morning it was burned out. When God called Samuel, it was close to dawn when all was quiet. It may also refer to Eli who was old and soon to die, for he was so old that he was about to lose his eyesight. In a metaphorical sense the lamp represented Eli's soul. 3. Temple (v. 3). The ...

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