Sermons on 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 2:12-26– We spent several weeks considering the sins Paul includes in three lists that detail the behaviors of those God excludes from His kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:5). Those lists, like most lists, possess an abstract quality; they point out items without detailing the ‘look’ of what they identity. Consequently, we should read Paul’s sin lists within the Bible’s larger story that narrates the successes and struggles of individuals dealing with the five areas we…

All four gospels include repeated references to Jesus’ teaching that people should lose their lives for his sake (cf. Matthew 10:38-39; 16:24-25; Mark 8:34-35; Luke 9:23-27; 14:25-27; 17:33; John 12:25). Jesus did not possess a limited set of teachings that he refined by repeating to various audiences. Instead, knowing “what was in man” (John 2:23-25) and having “all the treasures of knowledge and wisdom” (Colossians 2:3), Jesus offered the teachings his audiences needed to hear. His repeating emphasis on selfless…