This is clearly NOT what the text intends to communicate.

What does it mean to "eat and drink unworthily" and what exactly am I looking for when the text instructs me to "examine" myself before coming to the table?

"Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you."

To determine what Jesus means by these words, we must set them in the context of everything that has been happening in the entire sixth chapter of John.

The Ordinariness of the Table: Bread and Wine

The Ordinance of the Lord's Table: "This Do"

The Order of the Lord's Table: Taking, Blessing, Breaking, Giving

In these seven meals, Jesus reveals to us who can eat and drink with him and what they receive from him when they eat and drink with him. From these meals we gain great insight into what Jesus is giving to is when we eat and drink at His table.

The Lord's Table is set in the context of the life and ministry of Jesus and the meals he shared with various people.

The Lord's Table is set in the context of the life of the gathered community of followers of Jesus in four communal acts every time we gather (Acts 2:42):

1. The Apostle's Teaching

2. The Fellowship Offering

3. The Breaking of the Bread

4. Prayers (including singing and intercessory prayers)

Why are we only doing one of these things once per month when clearly all four of these communal acts were part of the weekly gathering of the people of God?

Do we desire to eat with Jesus at His table as much as He desires to eat with us? Maybe if we understood the nature and the meaning of the Table, and the reality that when we partake of the Lord's Supper we are not only in the presence of one another, but in the presence of God himself, all the holy angels, and the redeemed from every age - the saints who have gone before us  - we would desire to meet Jesus at the Table more often.

What does it mean that Jesus has given is a new meal to replace an old meal with an entirely new object to remember?

Before the second coming of Christ, in what sense can it be true that ALL Israel will finally and forever be saved when for most of Jewish history the Jews have rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah?

In light of Israel's rejection of the gospel, Paul asks if God has cast away His people because of their unbelief, to which he responds: "God forbid!" or "May it never be!"

Paul then offers four proofs that God has not finally and forever cast away the nation of Israel, even though "blindness in part" (for a limited period of time) their hearts are hardened.

Why has Israel not obeyed the gospel? He offers three alternative explanations:

1. They have not heard the gospel.

2. They heard the gospel, but they did not understand it.

3. They both heard and understood the gospel, but rejected it.

On what basis does God choose those whom he shows mercy to?

Paul's answer is "they are not all (true) Israel who are of (ethnic) Israel" (Romans 9:6). God never promised to save ALL of ethnic Israel, therefore His word has NOT failed.

But then what determines who among ethnic Israel is the true (or spiritual) Israel? Who among ethnic Israel are "the children of God"? The answer: those who are "the children of the promise."

But "they are not all Israel which are of Israel." Before considering what God the plan of God is for Israel is, we must first define who Israel is.

But what is God's ultimate intent of saving us? It is so that we might be the ultimate display of his glory and grace to our unbelieving family, neighbors, and colleagues.

How then do we as God's 'holy flock" give testimony to God's grace?

"Then shall the heathen know that I am the LORD," these same heathen who had mocked God and his people in verse 20. God has saved you so that HE might be sanctified IN YOU in order to silence the mocking unbelievers.

How are we able to live this Christian life? How are we able to keep the statutes and commandments of God and walk in his ways?

The answer rings loud from our text: "I will put MY spirit within you, and I will CAUSE you to walk in my statutes..."

Man does not need to be improved. He does not need to be reformed. He does not need to be made better.

Man needs to be made new. The whole of his being must be remade. The Bible calls this new birth, regeneration, a new creation.

Is there any hope that we can be made clean? Yes! The very holy God whose name we have profaned has himself made a way for our cleansing. But the cleansing he offers is not merely a sprinkling of water. It is nothing less than the sacrifice of our entire being to Him.

The gospel is nothing less than a radical transformation of the entire being through the sovereign work of regeneration by the Holy Spirit.

And what is the evidence that this regeneration has taken place? The Lord God has sanctified me in such a way that I am a man in Christ - a completely new creation - showing forth the praises of Him who called me out of darkness into his marvelous light.

All of the essential elements of the gospel are contained in Ezekiel 36:16-38. God is holy, Because God is holy, he hates sin. And because God hates sin, he punishes sin.

What does it look like for God to pour his fury upon sinners?

What is it? The message of the Bible is the revelation of God to man, and the revelation of God's eternal plan to rescue man from his sin and misery. In a word, the message of the Bible is the gospel.

From the beginning of human history, two voices have competed for the minds, hearts, and wills of human beings:

the voice of God in Genesis 1:3 "And God said..."

the voice of the Devil in Genesis 3:1 "Yea, hath God said...?"

The way you view the world depends entirely upon which of these two voices have your attention and allegiance.

In chapters 9 and 10 of Isaiah, God is angry with His people. This anger has come in four waves, with each wave ending with the refrain, "For all this His anger is not turned away."

But in Isaiah 12, the prophet gives the people of God hope for a coming day when God will once again reconcile his people to himself.

Isaiah 12 is a hymn of praise and thanksgiving in three stanzas with the beautiful refrain:

"Though you were angry with me, your anger is turned away, and you comforted me."

How will we recognize this insignificant twig since the world considers him unworthy of their attention? Isaiah says we will recognize him by his righteousness and faithfulness.

But what does that mean?

Balaam sees the One who presently exists (because He has always existed) but is not presently present.

God's royal Scepter belongs to only one individual - Shiloh - who has routed the Serpent and alone has the right to reign.

The story of history and of the Bible is the story of two seeds in conflict.

Since Jesus is God in human flesh, why would it be said of him that he "grew in wisdom and favor with God?"

What are the means which God used in the life of Jesus to cause him to grow in wisdom and favor with God?

For the sake of His Son, Jesus, God is making Joseph "a walking, living, breathing model of what it means to live as a friend of God."

Part One in the 2025 Family Advent Sermon Series.

The Church is One (Unified)

The Church is Holy (Unblemished)

The Church is Catholic (Universal)

The Church is Apostolic (Unerring)

The Creed affirms four vital characteristics that define every true assembly of God’s redeemed people: Unified, Unblemished, Universal, Unerring.

According to Ligonier's 2025 State of Theology Survey, 53% of self-described evangelicals believe the Holy Spirit is "a force." This is not biblical.

The Holy Spirit is not a force, or a power, or a feeling. The Holy Spirit is a person whom the Nicene Creed describes as "Lord, and giver of life."

The Holy Spirit is not a force, or a power, or a feeling. The Holy Spirit is a person whom the Nicene Creed describes as "Lord, and giver of life."

What does it mean that this work is "for us"?

So what does Peter mean when he says to Jesus, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God"? And why is it fair to say that Peter is saying more than even he himself understands he is saying about the person of Jesus Christ?

How are we to understand the eternal Son of God - who always existed - coming into existence in human flesh as a human being, to be the Savior of the world?

Beyond that, what are the implications FOR US that the Son of God was begotten of His Father?

This one God is seated on an invisible throne from which He overrules all other powers which have been ordained by Him, both visible and invisible.

What is to be the response of all created things to this Sovereign Ruler?

Verses 1 - 6 call for the heavens to praise the Lord, from the highest to the lowest created things.

Verses 7 - 14 call for the earth to praise the Lord, from the lowest to the highest created things.

Before we can understand God as "maker of all things visible and invisible," we must understand the nature and person of His Son by whom He made all things.

What we believe about the origins of life is fundamental to everything else we believe, and more importantly, fundamental to how we live either under the Lordship of Jesus Christ or in rebellion to His creation order.

Preeminently, God is understood to be Father in His eternal relationship to the Son without regard to His relationship to those whom He has adopted as Sons.

On the same day David is routing the Amalekites and recovering his family and goods, winning a decisive victory over God's enemies (1 Samuel 30), God is using His enemies (the Philistines) to bring final judgment on Saul and those associated with the reign of Saul (1 Samuel 31). God has literally "rent the kingdom from Saul and given it to a neighbor of Saul's who is better than him" (1 Samuel 15:28).

But God isn't looking for a mighty warrior. He's looking for a humble, principled servant. And as we observe how David responds to a devastating loss, we begin to see in David the kind of leader God is looking for.

And just when you think it can't get any worse, he loses everything.

Saul is distressed to the point of a mental breakdown. The Lord is not responding to his inquiry about a coming battle with the Philistines. He has used every legitimate means in an attempt to get God's attention to no avail, so he turns to a woman who practices divination to conjure the prophet Samuel from the dead.

And yet in our study today we come to a very disturbing story which reveals the depravity of David in murderous deceit. How did David fall to such a low place, and what can we learn about how we are to respond when our heroes fail?

But in between 1 Samuel 24 and 1 Samuel 26 is 1 Samuel 25; and the word of God to David through Abigail in 1 Samuel 25 is critical to understanding why 1 Samuel 26 appears to be a repeat of 1 Samuel 24.

Abigail's expression here is covenant language, grounded in God's everlasting promise to His people to secure them for eternity.

David responds to Abigail's counsel with three blessings and a surprise proposal.

Dale Ralph Davis says that "Abigail is the Lord's stop sign, mercifully placed in David's path." The Lord's providential intervention through Abigail restrains His chosen king from his own impulsive folly and wrong.

But God’s work in Israel did not end when Samuel died. God’s work never is dependent on only one man.

In this sermon we reflect upon the life of the prophet Samuel.

There are lessons to be learned here about the restraining providence of God which kept David from becoming a bigger fool than Nabal.

But now David is presented with an opportunity to seize the throne by force when Saul "happens" into a cave to relieve himself - the same cave where David and his 600 men are sheltered.

He's urged by his men to seize the day! But he doesn't do it.

What can we learn from David's actions in 1 Samuel 24 to reassure us in our own exasperation that God really will keep his promises to us?

But there is an unseen providence at work which is protecting David and preventing Saul from accomplishing his wicked scheme.

But our of the evil of Saul's actions at Nob, God has provided David with the gift of an intercessor in Abiathar.

Christians also know that identifying with Christ is dangerous, but He himself is our mediator and intercessor against the threatenings of an evil world.

Nowhere is that more apparent than in the details of the events leading up to the escape of Abiathar and the safety he found in David.

There are four scenes in 1 Samuel 22 which serve to show us the ways in which God is sovereign over human evil.

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.

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."

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.

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'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.

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.

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.

What happens when we repeatedly spurn God's offer of grace? God eventually withdraws his grace in final judgment.

And yet even when his life is under threat, David remains blissfully content. Why and how?

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?

What accounts for this unique and immediate bond between Jonathan and David?

1. Why would David take the head of Goliath to Jerusalem, which was at least 50 miles away, when Jerusalem was not the capitol of Israel at the time David defeated Goliath?

2. If David took the head of Goliath to Jerusalem in verse 54, why does he still have it when he appears before Saul and Abner in verse 57?

3. Why would David have a tent at the battle site in verse 54 when clearly he is living with his father Jesse in Bethlehem, going back and forth between Bethlehem and the battle site in verse 15?

4. Why does Saul seemingly still not know who David is, asking Abner whose son David is in verses 55-56, when he has had at least two extended interactions with him (16:17-23 and 17:31-39)?

Why?

Every military strategist, ancient or modern, would see this as a colossal blunder on David's part.

So why is there no sword in the hand of David?

He is looking to the faithfulness of the living God.

But it is the words of David that have the attention of everyone gathered in the Valley of Elah.

Who is David? What did he see and hear that Saul and the armies did not see and hear? What steeled David's resolve to confront the giant when all of the men of war in Israel were fleeing from him?

The Giant of Gath loathes God and God's people. He is the personification of our adversary, the devil. If we look on the "outward appearance" we only see the disadvantage, and we are fearful. But if we look to the promises of God, we have the confidence that God will ultimately prevail, even if it costs us everything.

What are we willing to risk to defend the honor of God?

As we begin to consider this familiar story, we must unlearn most of what we think we know about David & Goliath before we can proceed with the details.

In defeating the giant, David wanted the whole world to know that there is a God in Israel, that the battle is not won with human weapons, and that the battle is the Lord's and it is He who gives the victory.

Saul has driven away the Spirit of the Lord by his repeated rejection of God's word. An evil spirit from the Lord is terrorizing him. Saul's condition is known to Saul; it is known to Samuel; and it is known to everyone in Saul's court.

The search for a skilled harpist commences in hopes that the music will bring relief to Saul's mental state. The search ends with "the sweet psalmist of Israel," the shepherd boy David, who is a cunning player on the harp.

What does David play? What should be the theme of the music we listen to when we are feeling overwhelmed and in despair?

Though it originates in the depraved hearts of sinners, and sinners alone are responsible and accountable for it, God is sovereign over human sin.

Samuel announced to Saul that the Lord had rejected him as king and "sought him a man after his own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14). Later, the Lord told Samuel that "the Lord sees not as man sees...the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).

It is GOD's heart - God's will, purpose, and intentions - that is in view in the choosing of David - not the character of David.

Saul says, "I have sinned, yet honor me." Saul wants a repentance that allows him to admit he's done a bad thing, yet believes he can still worship God without a genuine turning from his sin. Sadly, we hold to the same error, believing we can continue our sinning ways through the week while singing God's praise on Sunday with no real conviction or repentance.

This is the downward progression every person takes who has no regard for the word of the Lord. They go their own way, and the way that seems right to a man is the way that ends in death.

This is the problem of God's retribution, and it has been a stumbling block to so many, causing them to see God as capricious and vindictive. But a closer look at the text reveals quite the opposite.

1 Samuel 14 is a study in contrasts between these two leaders in the persons of Saul and his son Jonathan. Jonathan displays a heart of unflinching trust in God while Saul displays all the outward forms of religious ritual, but has a heart that is far from God.

God is looking for a leader, and so are the people of Israel. But what Israel is looking for in a leader and what God is looking for in a leader are in stark contrast.

And no place is that contrast more on display than in the person of young Jonathan in 1 Samuel 14.

Saul's victory over Nahash the Ammonite is an Old Testament portrait of the greater victory of Christ Jesus the Lord over our enemy, that old serpent, the devil

And now the people are confronted with the tyrant from Ammon, Nabash, and they immediately go in search for a man who can save them (1 Samuel 11:3), all the while God is at work in His mercy to Himself once again come to the rescue of His rebellious people (`1 Samuel 11:13).

As we come to know obscure young man from the least of all the tribes of Israel, the most shocking revelation may be in today's text.

In the providence of God, the series we began in 1 Samuel more than six months ago brings us to 1 Samuel 10:24 on this day after the coronation of King Charles where another congregation gathered for the coronation of the first king of Israel. They were the first to shout, "God save the king!"

But there are some troubling differences between the coronation of King Saul and the coronation of King Charles III.

The sermon seems to have Saul under conviction, because when it comes time to introduce him to the people as their first king, he's no where to be found. What is Saul running from?

The theme of 1 Samuel is leadership, and here in chapter 7 God gives the nation of Israel a faithful shepherd in the person of Samuel to remedy the failed spiritual leadership of Eli, Hophni, and Phineas.

When the Bible says Samuel "judged" Israel, that word "judged" doesn't mean what you think it means.

And it all begins with the Gospel according to Samuel.

In the wake of this terrifying sight the people ask, "Who then can stand in the presence of this Holy Lord God?"

If not the Levites - the men charged by God with responsibility for caring for the ark - then WHO?

Both Israel and the Philistines will learn that God cannot be placed in a box in temples of our own making, a lesson we need today.

1 Samuel 4 is a drama in two acts. Act One (4:1-11) recounts what happens when we use God for our own selfish ends rather than submit to Him and obey His covenant. Act Two (4:12-22) is the record of God fulfilling His word to Eli, first spoken to Eli through a mysterious man of God in chapter 2, and then confirmed by the Lord Himself in His word to Samuel in chapter 3, that the Lord intends to eradicate the house of Eli.

That word is confirmed through the word of a messenger who runs 23 miles in one day to bear the news that Israel is defeated, with 30,000 plus dead on the battle field, the sons of Eli are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.

Israel thinks that they can use their religion to control God, to make Him do whatever their sinful wills desire Him to do. They learned the hard way that God will not be put into a box.

How can this boy who has served Eli now convey this word of judgment to Eli? How does Eli respond? What are the lessons for us when we experience the chastising hand of God on our own lives?

2 Timothy 3 defines a culture by what it loves, and those loves lead to an abandonment of God. But the Apostle Paul also offers a strategy for spiritually training our children so that they are protected from being swept into the culture and away from God.

In what specific ways do spiritually mature believers contribute to the stability and maturity of the church?

In Isaiah 6, Isaiah is going to the temple with the congregation to worship, something he would have routinely done. But there is nothing routine about the experience he describes in Isaiah 6. Even so, we can identify five elements of worship in Isaiah 6 that ought to be present in every gathering for worship.

1. A true disciple of Jesus hates father, mother, wife, children, and his own life.

2. A true disciple of Jesus bears his cross and comes after Jesus

3. A true disciple of Jesus renounces everything he has

The answer to those questions are found in stories of men and women in the Bible, some who experienced miraculous conversions and others who experienced mundane and ordinary conversions. Can you see your story in their stories?

How do I fold my family into the family of God?

One remedy to our frustrated praying is to pray the Bible. Using Dr. Donald Whitney's method outlined in his book, "Praying the Bible," Pastor Paul presents this method in this sermon on prayer.

Revelation 21:1-7 gives five specifics of what this promise means for us, as well as revealing how we come to be participants in it's blessings.

Why is there a Hell? What is Hell? How can a good God send anyone to a place of eternal torment?

In this Christmas meditation we consider seven things that will be true of us when we get to heaven.

What gives God the right to judge the world? What is the manner in which he will judge the world? By what standard will he judge the world? What is my only hope for acquittal on that day when I stand before the judgment bar of God?

It is the response to this dilemma which the Apostle takes up in Romans chapters 9, 10, 11.

In tonight's message, we consider why the Jews' rejection of their Messiah is so astonishing given the advantages they were given as God's people.

TECHNICAL NOTE: During this sermon Pastor Paul spoke about a private meeting and off the record conversation he had with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2008. Because Mr. Netanyahu specifically requested the conversation not be recorded, we have removed Pastor Paul's comments about that meeting from this recording.

Romans 14:1-15:7 is the Apostle Paul's word of exhortation to the believers in Rome to let our love for one another guide our attitude toward those who hold a different perspective from our own on matters of conscience.

It is not our personal convictions which guide our response to others, but the reality that we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. "We are the Lord's" and must make it our aim to please Him.

And what is the basis upon which we are to "welcome" or receive one another when we differ on nonessentials?

How are we to respond to others in the church who don't share our personal convictions on issues which the Bible has no clear prohibition?

In view of the second coming of Christ, the believer is to "cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light." What are the works of darkness? What is the armor of light?

And is there a contradiction between what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 8:3-4 about "the righteousness of the law being fulfilled in us" by the Jesus Christ condemning sin in the flesh and what he says in Romans 13:8-10 about love fulfilling the law? Can I become righteous simply by being loving?

The author of Hebrews gives us our defense: "It is a good thing that the heart be established with grace."

What does it mean for the heart to be established, and then how is the heart established with grace?