Today, the sermon is on forgiveness and our need to learn to forgive—forgive others, forgive ourselves, and even forgive God. Living in unforgiveness is like living in the desert with no water. Forgiveness brings life and causes us to flourish, and those around us to thrive. Scripture Text: Ephesians 1:7-10…

It is important to realize that the Letter to the Ephesians is written to the body of Christ everywhere. It is a message for the Church in every age. The message is loud and clear that Christ reconciles all races and cultures by bringing them to himself and making them one with him and with one another. It is a message of unity, and a message for a…

Have you ever witnessed someone have a changed heart? We have all seen this and when it happens it is stunning. It happened all through Jesus’ ministry as he touched lives. Here, in this passage, it happened at his death. There were those who observed Him die and were changed. We will look at three occasions when people’s hearts were changed becaus…

Palm Sunday Scripture Text: Matthew 21:1-11Bởi People's Church Arnold

People everywhere, even Christians wonder if there is anything else to look forward to in life. Sometimes we feel the best has come and gone. Is there anything left to long for in life? In a world that is depressing due to the amount of terrible news. The need to turn our attention to the heaven God has prepared for us is imperative. The Bible spea…

Scripture Text: 1 Corinthians 15:35-49Bởi People's Church Arnold

A series on Heaven. Part 1 Scripture Text: Isaiah 60:1-24Bởi People's Church Arnold

1 Samuel 31 tells of the tragic death of Saul, the one who had been called the anointed, called to save his people. The death of Saul will point us not only to the coming kingdom of David, but also to the kingdom of the one descended from David a thousand years later. He would be declared king in power by his resurrection from the dead. Scripture T…

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 30:1-31Bởi People's Church Arnold

God’s providence leads us toward God’s plans for our lives and prevents us from making terrible mistakes. David had made a mistake by going over to the Philistines causing him to be part of an army that will fight his own people. God will close the door and send David away from this disaster. Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 29:1-11…

It is interesting how we use the word blessed. We say “God bless you” to someone who sneezes, maybe hoping we don’t get what they have. When something good happens, we say, “We got a huge blessing.” However, Jesus used the word very differently than we might expect. In his Sermon on the Mount, he gave us eight beatitudes or blessed attitudes that r…

Hopelessness is the darkest of all human experiences. It happens when a person can see no future worth living. Hopelessness strips away all motivation for living taking away all enjoyment and fulfillment. In 1 Samuel 28 we see the utter hopelessness of King Saul. He is a man "having no hope and without God in the world." Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 28…

Now we are shown another episode in David’s life that is not impressive. For the next 16 months David would not write any psalms. There are no recorded prayers. During this time David makes his decisions from a humanistic viewpoint. This is one of the darkest periods in David’s life. Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 27:1-12…

David had recently spared Saul’s life. At the time, it was hard for David to understand anything good from these situations. Still, with time, he realized God was teaching him a valuable lesson and showing mercy. Now, in chapter 26, he has a second opportunity but does not take it. Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 26:1-25…

Luke, being the only Gentile author in the Bible and also a physician, sees things differently, often including important details. This is helpful because he gives us the fuller account of Jesus’ birth. He begins by noting the date, informing us that Caesar Augustus was the ruler of “the entire Roman world.” Luke paints a contrast between one who i…

Mary would have grown up in a strong Jewish home. Her life was set like most girls her age. She would have a prearranged marriage and later have numerous children. She would likely never travel very far from home, and later die in obscurity. However, that is not Mary’s story, she is the recipient of a special calling from God the Father and that sh…

The book of Isaiah is the Bible in miniature. It has 66 chapters corresponding to the 66 books of the Bible. The first 39 chapters have a tone of judgment, and the last 27 chapters, like the New Testament, have a different focus. Something extraordinary happens at chapter 40 as the prophet introduces the savior. Scripture Text: Isaiah 40:1-11…

It is a marvelous thing to be able to persuade an angry person from committing hurtful acts out of anger. It takes great tact and patience, but in so doing you both help the one who would be hurt and the angry person. Abigail could see the folly of David’s anger and she was able to persuade him of the harm that would come if he proceeded in carryin…

David could have made his path to the throne quick and easy, but he chose not to take that path. We can learn something fundamental about why God was bringing in his kingdom the way he wanted and why David would be king in God’s time. Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 24:1-22Bởi People's Church Arnold

We best understand the Old Testament through the New Testament and vice-versa. For example, Jesus’ life, ministry, death and resurrection are echoed in this Old Testament story of David’s suffering. Understanding David’s story helps us understand Jesus’ story and the result is we do not lose heart because of our own sufferings. Scripture Text: 1 Sa…

The story of David’s life includes much suffering. We have seen that these chapters provide the background to many of the psalms, which speak vividly of suffering. The suffering is difficult for David to understand because he is God's anointed one, but he still suffers. Although it is far from clear to David how God's purpose for his life will be r…

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 22:6-23Bởi People's Church Arnold

At the end of 1 Samuel 21 we saw how in his desperation David had fled to the Philistine city of Gath, in and attempt to hide from Saul. Any attempt to hide failed and he only escaped from the clutches of the Philistines by the skin of his teeth. David was in danger not only in Saul's kingdom but also in Philistine territory. Where could he go next…

With a kill order on David’s life, he became a fugitive from Saul. It had taken some time for this to sink in for David because Saul was a strange guy. Did he really want to kill his son-in-law and his best commander, who had achieved remarkable success against his enemies? Yes! Saul wanted David dead. David felt Saul’s presence looking for him no …

Things did not work out the way Jonathan or David wanted them to. This is the real test of life—what will we do when things don’t work out how we hope they will. Will we become angry like Saul and start throwing spears and blaming others? Will we become angry at God and lose touch with Him? Will we become cynical and bitter? The truth is that out o…

Fear drives us in our thinking and behavior. We sometimes work because we fear not having enough financial security. We go to the doctor because we fear we might face serious health problems. We fear we won’t achieve success so we experience anxiety. There are both healthy and unhealthy fears. Fear can cause wise and good behavior or paralyze us or…

This message is called, “The Tale of Three Kings” Saul, David and Jesus. It is about our need to surrender to God and permit his grace to transform us. Instead of being shamefully pulled about by our sinful nature, we can take charge of our lives. God wants to give us the power to do that. Rather than being a slave to sin—we learn to master our wea…

The Spirit of the Lord had enabled David to accomplish the remarkable feat of killing the great Philistine Goliath. As a consequence he had come into King Saul's service. At first Saul, was openly disposed toward David, but David's remarkable success against Israel's enemies aroused a terrible jealousy in Saul. This fear eventually became hostile a…

After David killed Goliath in a phenomenal manner, the people held David as a hero. Saul became increasingly jealous as he witnessed the people find a place in their hearts for David. Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 18:17-30Bởi People's Church Arnold

The first relationship to develop with David after killing Goliath was with Jonathan, Saul’s oldest son. This remarkable relationship was to be very important in David's life. The relationship between David and Jonathan is seen as an example of a wonderful and powerful human friendship. The love of Jonathan and the love of the people of Israel for …

Picture the scene in the Valley of Elah. The armies are arranged facing each other with a valley between them. Goliath came out from the Philistine lines twice each day and shouted his terrible challenge. He had done this for some forty days. At last there was a response from the Israelite side—a teenager was walking out toward the Philistine. Davi…

The story of David is part of the background to the Gospel of Jesus. Crucial facets of the Gospel have their roots in these earlier days, when God chose and anointed David as king. There is more to this story than a giant fighting a boy which makes us root for the underdog. Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 17:31-40…

The account of David and Goliath has the ingredients of drama and excitement, and anticipation and the satisfaction of the good guy defeating the bad guy against all odds. The story is so skillfully told that it holds our attention and captures our imagination. Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 17:1-11Bởi People's Church Arnold

In a world that has rejected the idea of universal truth, accepting all points of view as equally valid has become popular. However, one point of view is outright rejected today, and that is the view that Jesus Christ gave himself to us. He told us outright that he was the Son of God, the Savior of all human beings, and the Judge of all people. Thi…

Rationalization is a way of explaining bad behavior in a way that makes it seem proper. King Saul was a master at it. Chapter 15 of 1 Samuel is an insightful study of the deceptive power of sin. It reveals its power and destructive nature as Saul rationalizes his choices that led to his sin of disobedience. Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 15:12-35…

The analysis of Saul's failure is noteworthy in that he had many good qualities and gifts, but that did not help him. Saul was brave and could be a good military leader. Most of all he had the best of opportunities, but he squandered them. Saul's failure as Israel's king can be traced to his disobedience to God's words to him. Scripture Text: 1 Sam…

We all make mistakes in life—it is inevitable. However, the most important part of mistakes is learning from them and not repeating them. That is a challenging assignment, and we are thankful for the grace that God gives us and the grace of those in our family to forgive. Things get worse for those who make the same mistakes, and because of their s…

It is absolutely amazing how many times people overlook the potential in those around them. The case was such with Saul and his son, Jonathan. Stepping out in faith can be exhilarating but also extremely frightening. The risks of failure are obvious, and the chances of succeeding are minimal, that is, if you were doing it on your own. However, if y…

Since becoming King it would appear that Saul had been neglectful in carrying out his instructions to deal with the Philistine problem. A good deal of time has passed since Saul was told to take out the Philistine Garrison but he has not. It appears that Saul was a procrastinator. Samuel charges King Saul with acting like a fool. This will be our s…

How important is the truth? The truth is given to us through God’s Word, and the person of Jesus Christ who helps form our lives. As committed believers we make a dedication to live in truth. This makes us stand out in a world that has rejected the truth. Scripture Text: Ephesians 3:14-21Bởi People's Church Arnold

Many years ago, some people in Israel asked whether their leader, Saul, could save them from their enemies. They questioned Saul's capacity to save them. In the same way, people today think little of Christ, and they, do not believe that he can save them. However, Saul's capacity to save the people of Israel was demonstrated as he rescued the terri…

The people of Israel had asked Samuel for a king so they could be "like all the nations". In this demand the people were rejecting God's way of being King over them. Saul had been anointed king but he had done nothing to lead the people. Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 11:1-11Bởi People's Church Arnold

The story of Saul is an account of the remarkable commitment of God to establish his kingdom. That has not changed—God is working to establish his kingdom through people that are surrendered to him. This is one of the ways we can be encouraged because it may look like we are losing on every front, but God is at work. God’s kingdom will survive, gro…

God has a way to taking the ordinary and transforming it into the extraordinary. This what happened to Saul. The people of Israel had previously asked Samuel for a king so they could be "like all the nations". Samuel and the Lord disapproved of the proposal. However, the Lord told Samuel to make them a king. When Saul met Samuel he had no idea that…

We have all lost something that was valuable and went on a search for the lost item. Today’s sermon is about two lost donkeys that belonged to Saul’s father, Kish and the search for the donkeys. Actually, the story is about much more than the donkeys. That is how the story begins but it ends with a word from God. Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 9:1-27…

God has a journey mapped out for every woman, man, and child, and He wants us to trust Him as He shows us what He has in store. Be encouraged with this message as we look at three ways to show our belief in God. 1. Let Go 2. Learn 3. Laugh Scripture Text - VariousBởi People's Church Arnold

The Parable of the Prodigal son shows that no matter how far we have strayed from God, He is always waiting for us to return to Him. In telling this story, Jesus is teaching us about the nature of God and how we should respond to those who have sinned against us. Scripture Text: Luke 15:11-24Bởi People's Church Arnold

People are interested in security, they want to feel safe. We want good laws and enforcement of those laws. We are also, concerned about having enough money in retirement, good health and prosperity. Samuel was a good leader to Israel. With God’s direction he delivered them from the threats of their enemies. However, on the other hand, their greate…

God has been dealing with Israel through compassion and punishment to bring them back to himself. It is evident however, that Israel was stubborn and resisted God’s call to return to him.This means that Israel's main problem was not with their corrupt and inept leaders, nor was it the Philistine threat. Israel had a problem with God himself! Script…

Death inevitably strikes a universal fear in every human heart. It doesn’t matter what century or the geography all people are fearful of death at some time in their life. Those who witnessed Christ’s death that Friday, when Jesus was crucified, felt the biting sting of death. They saw and heard Jesus speak his last words. Then they saw him breathe…