Fellowship Presbyterian Church

We have a new life in Christ. We have been raised with Him who is seated at the right hand of God. Paul tell us of sins that offend God-and cause his wrath to come to mankind.-We are to put off the old self and its practices. We have been given a new life, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Christ is all and in all.

This passage highlights Saul's second major blunder in chapters 13-15. Once again, the need for a king who walks by faith, rather than sight is made clear. Saul's lack of faith brings him into conflict with his own son and the Israelite army. Faith brings victory, while faithlessness brings defeat.

we were dead in our trespasses, God has made us alive together with Him, having forgiven all of our trespasses by nailing it to the cross.-He has disarmed all the rulers and authorities and put them to shame.--We are not to be mislead or have judgement passed on us for questions about food, drink,festivals,new moons, or a Sabbath.-All of our growth comes from God. We are no longer subject to elemental spirits, because we have died with Christ. We no longer are under regulations.

Chapter 13 marks the first of Saul's three major failures which resulted in him losing the crown to David. This passage shows that Saul was focused on his own ability and external appearances, rather than faith and an obedient heart. Saul tried to fix a problem according to his own ability and only made things worse. The punishment for his faithlessness was the declaration that the kingdom would never pass to his son.

circumcision of Christ-been buried with him in baptism-With him in chapter 2-this baptism is by a powerful working of God.

In this passage, Samuel uses his retirement from being Judge to indict the nation of Israel of their sin of rejecting God as their king. They had sinned grievously, but as they repented of their sin, grace and assurance were offered to them. And yet, the passage ends with a warning that Israel and its king must continue to follow God with their whole heart, or be swept away.

as you received Christ, so walk in Him.--see that no one takes you captive, not according to Christ.

faith must have works. Works must accompany faith, but do not give salvation. Faith is shown by works.-Do not say have peace and wish them to be well fed, if you do not offer it.-So faith without works is dead -james 2-17

The mystery hidden for ages but now revealed

Saul tried to run from kingship, but he could not outrun God's calling for him. When Israel was threatened by the Ammonites, God's Spirit endowed Saul with all that was necessary for him to rescue Israel. This is Saul's high point, where he foreshadows Christ in rescuing God's people. While a very imperfect king, we should not ignore that God brought about a type of salvation through him, pointing us to Christ, who brought us all a full salvation.

Jesus Christ came to this earth in order to save his people and display the glory of God. In the Old Testament the glory of Jesus was predicted and foreshadowed. The New Testament shows the realization of the Old Testament promises in Jesus. If we put both together, we see the miracle of the incarnation and what it means for us as believers.

The Preeminence of Christ-Making peace by the blood of the cross.

This section introduces us to the first anointed king of Israel. The question of the text is what the character of Saul is. He is described only physically. That means we can only judge this new king-elect by his actions. And what we see is an unflattering and hesitant picture of Saul. What type of King does Israel really need-- We will have to see.

Jesus has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of Jesus who give us redemption and forgives us our sin. Jesus is the image of God and is firstborn of all of creation

Israel, ever stubborn and hard hearted, rejected God as king and asked for a human king to lead them. They wanted security and peace by seeking to be in control themselves. While God told Samuel to make them a king, he did not abdicate his throne. The Lord is king, and there is no other. Therefore, we must submit to the rule of Jesus Christ.

Asking from God.-Giving thanks to God

Hope, Thanksgiving and Love

The Ark may have returned to Israel in the opening of I Samuel 7, but faith had not. For twenty years a spiritual question mark stood over Israel. But then, the Spirit of God moved and awakened Israel through the preaching of his Word by Samuel. That awakening of faith led to repentance, victory, and peace in Israel. Here we see a physical picture of the spiritual realities taking place then, and in the hearts of believers today. Such is the timelessness of God's Word.

This passage begins with the Ark in the hands of the Philistines. But what they thought was their victory in taking the Ark turned out to be their destruction. Yahweh must be honored and glorified because he is holy. His presence is death to the wicked, but life to those who are in Christ.

This text describes the fall of the Elide priesthood and the rise of Samuel at the temple in Shiloh.