Emmanuel Community Church Sermons Emmanuel Community Church

In this sermon, pastor Matt shows how Saul's responses reveal that insisting on our kingdom our way only invites God's judgment. Yet while the true King is grieved by our sin, he is never surprised. His purposes of grace remain, and all those who submit to God's kingdom God's way will know the blessing of his life-giving rule.

Having seen Saul's disregard for the word of Samuel and his rash vow, we now come to Saul's third and final "fall," where he is rejected by God as king over Israel. In this sermon, pastor Joel encourages us to not trust in religious behaviors but remain faithful and obedient to Jesus.

In this sermon about king Saul's foolish vow, pastor Matt shows us that apart from God’s life-giving word we are left to our own folly. To forget the Lord is to do what seems right in our eyes, to care more about our reputation, and ultimately to remain under the curse of sin. But it remains his gracious will to make kings out of clowns like us

In this sermon, pastor Matt reminds us of the simple gospel truth that God gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the pioneer of our salvation, the leader who has made the way for faithless and fearful sinners like us to be raised to walk in newness of life and fight the good fight of faith as we follow him.

Our passage today marks the beginning of the end of the first king of Israel. In this sermon, pastor Matt shows us that a fearful people need a faithful king whose kingdom endures forever. What we need is a king who will pass the test of obedience which Adam failed on behalf of ruined sinners, a leader to bring us back under the blessing of God, a savior to deliver us from our fears and from ourselves.

At the end of chapter 11, Samuel summoned Israel to Gilgal to “renew the kingdom” (v. 14). Here, at the transition from the last of Israel’s judges to the first of their kings, Samuel will call them all to a renewed allegiance to Israel’s true and everlasting King. In this sermon, pastor Matt shows us that the God of glorious grace is a great God worth serving. For despite all our sin and the many ways we reject the one true King, it remains his intention to make his glory known through the redemption of a people who find life in his name.