Chapel Hill Bible Church - Sermons

We turn to 1st Samuel 10:17–11:15, where Israel moves from fear and uncertainty to rejoicing and worship as God raises up Saul to deliver His people from the Ammonites. We see that a faithful king must be a man of God’s Word and empowered by God’s Spirit—and that true renewal comes not through human strength or clever solutions, but through the saving work of God. Ultimately, Saul’s victory points us to Jesus, the greater King who crushes the serpent, delivers His people, and brings us into joyful fellowship with God. Join us this Sunday as we learn to abandon our frantic efforts at self-salvation, return to God’s Word, depend on His Spirit, and respond to His saving grace with worship and gratitude.

In 1st Samuel 9:1–10:16, Israel gets the king it wants, but God remains the King who is sovereign over all things. As Saul’s unexpected journey from searching for lost donkeys to being anointed ruler unfolds, we see how God works through flawed people and even misguided desires to accomplish His good purposes. In a season when political anxiety and discontent can easily take hold of our hearts, this passage calls us to trust God’s sovereign plan, distinguish outward gifting from godly character, and find our deepest contentment not in earthly leaders but in Jesus, the true and eternal King.

"Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love." The people of Israel persist to revert back to their folly. They want a king who will make them like the other nations, a king of their own making. God's plan of salvation will not be thwarted by His people's folly. In all of this, He calls His people to consider, "Who is your king?"

In 1st Samuel 7:3–17, Samuel calls Israel to return to the Lord with all their hearts—to put away their idols, serve the Lord alone, and trust Him for their deliverance. As Israel discovers, the real battle is not ultimately against the Philistines but against the idols that have captured their hearts. We face the same battle today. The good things we love can quietly become ultimate things, promising us comfort, control, approval, or security that only God can provide. Yet this passage points us toward a God who not only calls us to repent but graciously meets us in our weakness, fights for us, and restores what sin has broken. The question is not simply whether we understand idolatry, but whether we will entrust our whole hearts to the Lord.

In 1st Samuel 6:1–7:2, the return of the ark reveals a sobering truth: God's holiness is not to be taken lightly. Both the Philistines and the Israelites discover that the living God cannot be treated casually or manipulated to serve their purposes. Their question becomes our question: "Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God?" Yet this is ultimately a story not merely of holiness and judgment, but of breathtaking love. At the cross, God struck His Son in our place so that we, sinners who could never stand before Him on our own, might be welcomed into His presence. His holiness is a burning and awful thing—and the very foundation of His saving grace.