Redeemer Church Of Waterford

1 Samuel 22:1-5 is an Old Testament illustration of the New Testament truth expressed by the Apostle in 1 Corinthians 1 that "God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty."David continues his run from Saul, only now he is no longer alone. Everyone in Israel who was discontented, in debt, and distressed have joined David in a cave outside of Adullam where he has become their leader.

Of the three evidences of genuine regeneration given by the author (love, faith, and hope), he doubles down on hope.What is this hope? What does it mean that "God swore by himself"? What are the "two immutable (unchangeable) things" God swore by?

In our desperation we often find ourselves making foolish decisions that put us in precarious situations.David's fear has caused him to flee from Saul to the last place on earth he thinks Saul will think to look for him: in the enemy territory of the Philistines. But soon after arriving in Gath, he is recognized by the soldiers of the king of Gath and finds himself apprehended by them and not just afraid, but "sore afraid."

There are 5 experiences listed in Hebrews 6:4-5 which are often mistaken for evidences of regeneration when in reality they are the experiences of many who come into the church and under gospel influence but do not necessarily come to saving faith in Christ.But in Hebrews 6:9-12 there are three EVIDENCES of genuine regeneration which manifest themselves in the lives of every person who truly comes to faith in Christ.

To this point in our study of 1 Samuel, all of our encounters with David have been positive. We have seen him display valor, courage, and loyalty. He is seemingly an infallible hero.But when David comes to the priest at Nob our impression of his character is one of disappointment. David, it turns out, is as frail a human sinner as the rest of us.And yet, in spite of his depraved lying, David is the recipient of undeserved favor from God.

Only the resurrection of Jesus Christ gives meaning to our suffering.

Chapter 20 closes with the bitter scene of the parting of Jonathan and David. David will remain a fugitive from Saul, yet Jonathan's final words to him are "Go in peace."How can Jonathan wish David peace when he knows full well his father's intentions to kill David if he ever finds him?How can we have peace in circumstances that cause us anxiety and fear?

David is hiding in the field while Jonathan is taking the measure of Saul's attitude toward David. Over the course of a three-day festival, the covenant between Jonathan and David (made in 18:1-4 and reaffirmed in 20:8) will be tested, its cost will be levied, and where loyalties lie will be exposed.

Hebrews 6:4-6 is the most often cited text by those who seek to make a case that believers can fall away from the faith and lose their salvation. But a careful reading of the text makes it clear that the author of Hebrews does not have genuine believers in view at all.An important and essential to key to the interpretation of Hebrews 6:4-9 is to understand it in its "Jewishness." How do we interpret "fall away," "impossible," and "renew them again unto repentance" in the way the first century Hellenistic Jewish readers of the Letter to the Hebrews would have understood those phrases, as well as in the way the context defines those phrases?

What are you afraid of?David's fears are in the context of his immediate present circumstances. Jonathan's fears are in his concern for the future welfare of his family.Regardless of the source of our fears and anxiety, they are a condition of life in a fallen world. This issue isn't THAT we are afraid, but HOW our fears find their resolution in the blessing of the future coming King.

Is it possible for a believer to fall away and be finally lost?Many have used Hebrews 4:4-6 to make the case that it is. But who is being addressed in these verses? What does the context of these verses reveal about what it means to "fall away" and the impossibility of being "renewed again unto repentance"?

For generations, believers who have read Hebrews 6:4-6 have debated whether or not it teaches we can lose our salvation. In this message from Hebrews we confront one of the hardest passages in all of Scripture.

Where do you turn when there is no where to turn? This is David's predicament. He is a fugitive now, fleeing and hiding from the plots of Saul to take his life.David finds the resolution of his anxiety in the covenant of the Lord, grounded in the steadfast love of the Lord in spite of his perilous circumstances.

In 1 Samuel 18 and 19, Saul has set himself against David (the Lord's Anointed - see Psalm 2), first secretly in chapter 18 and now publicly in chapter 19, enlisting the help of his military servants.But even as Saul is plotting against David, the overtures of God's grace are extended to Saul, culminating in the Spirit of God coming upon Saul. As a result, Saul enters into the praise and thanksgiving characteristic of "prophesying,' only to quench the Spirit's overtures one final time.

In 1 Samuel 19, the grace of God is on display in his protection of David. But of we read carefully, we will also see the grace of God in his overtures to Saul in opportunity after opportunity to repent.What happens when we repeatedly spurn God's offer of grace? God eventually withdraws his grace in final judgment.

Saul's jealousy of David has now led to his scheming against David to have him killed - first covertly (chapter 18) and then openly (chapter 19).And yet even when his life is under threat, David remains blissfully content. Why and how?

"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" has historically been a proof text for those looking for a command in Scripture to not associate with sinners.In this message, Pastor Paul takes us deep into the context of the Book of Ephesians to make the case that Ephesians 5:11 isn't a command to not associate with sinners, but rather not to enter into union with the unfruitful works of darkness produced by the depravity of our own hearts.Ephesians 5:11 is a call to sanctification, not separation.

From 1 Corinthians 1:9 we learn that God has "called us into the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord."In this message from Ephesians 1, we begin to consider how God calls us and what the nature of the fellowship of His Son consists of.

In the aftermath of David's victory over the giant of Gath there were two markedly different responses. In 1 Samuel 18:1-4, Jonathan responds with love. In 1 Samuel 18:5-16, Saul responds with jealousy and envy.What is the source of Saul's envy, but more importantly, what is the effect of Saul's envy? What can we learn from Saul about killing envy in our own hearts?

In the immediate aftermath of David's victory over Goliath (1 Samuel 17), the narrator gives us an intimate insight into the relationship between Jonathan and David with the words, "The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved David as his own soul" (1 Samuel 18:1).What accounts for this unique and immediate bond between Jonathan and David?