The Driven Church

The Christmas Story

Saul and David part ways             

 Offenses            In 1 Samuel 25, Scripture reveals how David, worn down by grief and pressure, is pulled into a dangerous response to Nabal’s insult. Though David’s men had protected Nabal’s shepherds, Nabal repays their kindness with contempt, and David moves impulsively toward bloodshed. God intervenes through Abigail, whose discernment and courage stop David from acting out of offense and b...

Saul Deceives David This sermon walks slowly through 1 Samuel 24, tracing David’s encounter with Saul in the cave at En Gedi and inviting listeners to pay close attention to how God forms His people through tension, danger, and restraint. The message highlights God’s ongoing protection over David even when threats are near, the danger of acting on human logic instead of God’s word, and the discipl...

Saul pursues David  This message walks through 1 Samuel 23 and traces how God sustains David in a long season of pursuit and pressure, showing that opposition may persist “day after day,” yet God’s rescue meets David with the same consistency. The passage highlights how God strengthens His people through His presence and through others, as seen when Jonathan arrives to fortify David’s faith and re...

Any room on your plate?          This sermon study from 1 Samuel 23 explores David’s obedience and faith during a season of danger and self-preservation. When David learns that the Philistines are attacking Keilah, he seeks God’s direction rather than reacting from fear or self-interest. God instructs him to fight for His people, showing that obedience, even when risky, brings freedom—not imprison...

Can you say "Be safe with me?"          In 1 Samuel 22, David retreats to the cave of Adullam after one of the lowest points in his life. Isolated and desperate, he cries out to God in Psalm 142 for mercy and deliverance, acknowledging that only the Lord can be his refuge. In response, God surrounds him with his family and 400 distressed, indebted, and discontented men—people society had written o...

Don't let fear block your sight of God    In 1 Samuel 20, the sermon traces the deep covenant friendship between David and Jonathan amid Saul’s growing jealousy and David’s flight for survival. The teaching reveals how God’s protection often works through human relationships—Jonathan, Michal, Samuel, and even the Spirit Himself—while reminding believers that such agencies always point back to the...

The running begins       This sermon on 1 Samuel 20 traces David’s final days in Saul’s court and his covenantal friendship with Jonathan as a study in God’s protection, human loyalty, and dependence on divine strength. The message highlights how God uses various “agencies” of protection—people, prophets, and the Spirit Himself—to sustain His anointed servant. As David faces betrayal, fear, and se...

The King is always there   This sermon on 1 Samuel 19 examines how God’s providence protects David amid Saul’s jealousy and rage, revealing divine purpose even in chaos. Through Jonathan’s loyalty, Michal’s warning, Samuel’s counsel, and the direct intervention of God’s Spirit, we see layer after layer of God’s protection shaping David’s journey. The message calls believers to recognize similar gr...

Don't be the hero           This sermon on 1 Samuel 19 explores how God’s sovereignty prevails even when human motives and relationships break down. The message traces Saul’s growing jealousy and fear of David, revealing how insecurity and rebellion against God lead to self-destruction. In contrast, Jonathan’s loyalty to David reflects alignment with God’s will, showing that true faith may require...

Saul's fear of David                This sermon from 1 Samuel 18 explores the contrast between David’s faithfulness and Saul’s envy, showing how jealousy can corrupt the heart and distort perception. Saul’s insecurity led him to see David, his greatest ally, as a threat, while David continued to walk in worship and obedience to God. The message highlights how sin and selfish ambition bring fear, d...

Born for adversity       This sermon on 1 Samuel 18 highlights how God raises up both allies and challenges in our journey of faith. While Saul’s jealousy and envy toward David reveal the dangers of comparison and misplaced focus, Jonathan’s covenant friendship with David demonstrates loyalty, sacrifice, and a Spirit-formed bond rooted in God’s purposes. Jonathan willingly surrendered his own clai...

David defeats Goliath   This sermon on 1 Samuel 17 calls believers to see the battle between David and Goliath as a living picture of spiritual warfare. David’s refusal to wear Saul’s armor shows the need to lay aside what does not fit and instead trust God with what He has already placed in our hands. The message highlights how the enemy uses weapons such as deception, division, isolation, and ac...

Remember the successes This sermon on 1 Samuel 17 reminds listeners that the story of David and Goliath is ultimately about God’s faithfulness and strength, not human power. Goliath’s daily taunts instilled fear in Israel, showing how the enemy uses repetition to sow doubt and intimidation. David, arriving humbly with food for his brothers, demonstrates a heart fixed on God rather than fear of the...

Problems and solutions This sermon on 1 Samuel 16 highlights the contrast between Saul and David, showing how both received the same Spirit and calling, yet Saul’s disobedience led to the Spirit’s departure and God’s discipline. The troubling spirit that afflicted Saul was ultimately used by God to bring David into the king’s court, setting the stage for God’s greater purposes. The message undersc...

The Lord wants you where you are            This sermon unpacks 1 Samuel 16, where God directs Samuel to anoint David as Israel’s next king. The message highlights God’s sovereignty in closing one season and opening another, reminding us that mourning must eventually give way to obedience and trust in His purposes. Samuel learns that God’s choice is not based on outward appearance but on the heart...

Put to death what the Lord says to   This sermon on 1 Samuel 15 explores Saul’s disobedience to God’s command to completely destroy the Amalekites and how his compromise revealed pride, fear of man, and a shallow form of worship. The passage highlights the danger of valuing human approval over obedience to God, the grief we cause when we resist His word, and the generational consequences of leavin...

Correction can be painful     This sermon on 1 Samuel 14 explores the contrast between Saul’s prideful leadership and Jonathan’s God-centered courage. Saul’s rash vow left Israel’s army weakened, confused God’s provision for temptation, and led to sin in desperation. Jonathan, however, discerned rightly, honored God, and was vindicated by the people when Saul’s arrogance nearly cost him his life....

A Pure Heart This study from 1 Samuel 14 explores how faithful obedience to God leads to victory, while pride and man-made restrictions bring about unnecessary struggle. Trent walks through Jonathan’s courageous trust in God, which sparks divine intervention against the Philistines, contrasted with Saul’s pride-driven oath that forces his army into a fast God never commanded. That legalistic burde...

Don't miss the opportunity This sermon explores 1 Samuel 14 with a focus on faithful obedience to God's leading, contrasting Jonathan's bold, God-centered action with Saul's hesitant and sight-driven leadership. As Jonathan and his young armor bearer step forward in faith—despite overwhelming odds and without waiting for ideal circumstances—God delivers a powerful victory, sending panic through en...

Be Courageous      This sermon from 1 Samuel 13:23–14:14 invites listeners into a deeper understanding of how God works through unlikely people in overwhelming circumstances. The focus centers on Jonathan’s courageous initiative to confront a superior Philistine force, armed with only one sword and accompanied by a young, unnamed armor bearer. Through Jonathan’s quiet obedience and bold faith, we’...

 Full Armor of God This sermon from 1 Samuel 13:15–22 invites listeners into a deep reflection on spiritual warfare, obedience, and the critical importance of being equipped with the Word of God. Though at first glance the passage appears to be a transitional narrative, it reveals profound truths about how God's people are often unprepared for spiritual battles when they neglect God’s instruction...

Trust in His timing This sermon on 1 Samuel 13 walks through Saul’s unraveling as king, revealing how pride, fear, and impatience erode obedience to God. Listeners are led verse by verse through the text to understand how Saul's insecurity leads him to claim credit for his son’s victory, offer unauthorized sacrifices, and shift blame rather than take responsibility. The teaching emphasizes the con...

Don't cease praying   In this sermon on 1 Samuel 12, listeners are guided through Samuel’s farewell address, where he recounts Israel’s history of deliverance and their repeated cycles of disobedience, urging the people to remember God’s faithfulness and warning them against trusting in human strength over God’s sovereignty. Samuel calls Israel to revere the Lord and obey His commands, emphasizing...