Naas Presbyterian Church

12 noon. From 1 Samuel 15 we learned the following about obedience and disobedience: (1) Saul thought he had obeyed God, but Samuel taught him that God requires perfect obedience from us; (2) Saul tried to blame others for his own disobedience, but Samuel taught him that we are responsible for our own sins; and (3) Saul tried to excuse his disobedience by appealing to the sacrifices he had offered, but Samuel teaches Saul that the Lord wants our obedience. The good news is that the Lord Jesus lived a life of perfect obedience in our place and, through faith in him, our disobedience is covered over by his perfect obedience. Furthermore, by his death on the cross, the Lord Jesus has paid for our sins completely so that God no longer holds them against us.

12 noon. From 1 Samuel 14:24–52 we saw that Saul’s errors are clearly depicted, but the chapter ends by highlighting some of the positive aspects of his reign. Throughout 1 Samuel he has been depicted as a mixture of good and bad, right and wrong. The Lord Jesus, however, who is the true King of God’s people, is completely good. All that he does is perfect and praiseworthy. Whereas the soldiers in 1 Samuel 14 may have doubted Saul’s ability to save them, we know that the Lord Jesus is able to save from sin and death all who trust in him.

12 noon. From 1 Samuel 14:1–23 we saw (1) that Jonathan and his armour-bearer by themselves launched an attack on their enemies and won a great victory that day; (2) that Jonathan trusted God to help him to save God’s people; and (3) Jonathan risked his life to save God’s people. From this passage we learned: (1) that our struggle today is not against flesh and blood but against sin and temptation; (2) that not even the small size of our congregation can hinder the Lord from saving people today from sin and death; and (3) Jonathan risked his life to save God’s people, but the Lord Jesus not only risked his life, but gave it up by dying on the cross to save us from sin and death.

12 noon. From 1 Samuel 13 we saw (1) that the Israelites were in a desperate plight because of the Philistines; (2) instead of obeying God which would have ensured God’s blessing (see 1 Samuel 12), Saul disobeyed; and (3) God had sought out another person (David) to lead his people. From this we learned: (1) that by nature we are in a desperate plight because of sin and there is nothing we can do to free ourselves from it; and (2) whereas Saul disobeyed God, the Lord Jesus obeyed his Father completely, even to death on the cross. Because of the Lord’s perfect obedience, we are saved from our sin and receive eternal life.

12 noon. From 1 Samuel 12 we saw (1) that Samuel was blameless and had not done anything wrong; (2) he showed the people how they had sinned against the Lord repeatedly; (3) he showed the people how God was committed to them and was always willing to save them; and (4) Samuel was prepared to pray for the people. Samuel the prophet and teacher points us forward to our even greater prophet and teacher, the Lord Jesus: (1) the Lord was sinless so when he died he was paying for our sins and not his own in order to reconcile us to God forever; (2) the Lord Jesus came to make known that we are all sinners; (3) he came to make known that God is willing to pardon all who repent and believe in him; and (4) he lives forever to intercede for us at his Father’s right hand in heaven.