Gateway Community Church Sermons Gateway Community Church

A major problem of sin in our lives is that it leads us toward self-deception, so that we choose what is wrong and then justify those decisions to ourselves and others. The story of Saul's failures as king brings these issues into focus for us, and by looking beyond Saul to the Son of promise we see God's redeeming hand at work.

While Saul presents himself as a person of humility, his actions as a leader reveal a heart that has been ravaged by the effects of sin. What is sin, and how does it flare up within us? What is the prescription for healing the self-deception that entangles us?

"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." (A. W. Tozer) If this is true, how then should we live? Just like the decisions and actions of Saul revealed his flawed views about God, the things we think and believe about God are demonstrated in the way that we live our lives.

Wanting to be like the other nations surrounding them, the people of Israel demanded to have a king. In so doing they rejected the Lord their God. How do our lives compare today? Do we see God as the king of our lives, or do we demand to have something else rule over us?

After a military defeat, Israel chose to bring the Ark of the Covenant with them into battle, believing that God would bring them victory. But the enemy defeated Israel again, slaying 30,000 men. The Lord did not bless their plans. How can His people guard against these patterns? Is there a way to course correct when things have gone wrong?

Though he was not born into the Levitical priesthood, God ordained Samuel to serve in the temple as a priest, and later established him as a prophet so that he could proclaim the word of God. As we zoom in on Samuel's story, and then zoom out on the broader testimony of scripture, we begin to see that all of God's redeemed people are called to live out a similar calling.