People's Church Arnold Podcast

Luke, being the only Gentile author in the Bible and also a physician,  sees things differently, often including important details. This is helpful because he gives us the fuller account of Jesus’ birth. He begins by noting the date, informing us that Caesar Augustus was the ruler of “the entire Roman world.” Luke paints a contrast between one who is the self-proclaimed savior of the world and one...

Mary would have grown up in a strong Jewish home. Her life was set like most girls her age. She would have a prearranged marriage and later have numerous children. She would likely never travel very far from home, and later die in obscurity. However, that is not Mary’s story, she is the recipient of a special calling from God the Father and that she was to be the mother of our savior. Scripture Te...

The book of Isaiah is the Bible in miniature. It has 66 chapters corresponding to the 66 books of the Bible. The first 39 chapters have a tone of judgment, and the last 27 chapters, like the New Testament, have a different focus. Something extraordinary happens at chapter 40 as the prophet introduces the savior. Scripture Text: Isaiah 40:1-11

It is a marvelous thing to be able to persuade an angry person from committing hurtful acts out of anger. It takes great tact and patience, but in so doing you both help the one who would be hurt and the angry person. Abigail could see the folly of David’s anger and she was able to persuade him of the harm that would come if he proceeded in carrying out his plan against Nabal. Scripture Text: 1 Sa...

David could have made his path to the throne quick and easy, but he chose not to take that path. We can learn something fundamental about why God was bringing in his kingdom the way he wanted and why David would be king in God’s time. Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 24:1-22  

We best understand the Old Testament through the New Testament and vice-versa. For example, Jesus’ life, ministry, death and resurrection are echoed in this Old Testament story of David’s suffering. Understanding David’s story helps us understand Jesus’ story and the result is we do not lose heart because of our own sufferings. Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 23:15-29 

The story of David’s life includes much suffering. We have seen that these chapters provide the background to many of the psalms, which speak vividly of suffering. The suffering is difficult for David to understand because he is God's anointed one, but he still suffers. Although it is far from clear to David how God's purpose for his life will be realized, it is obvious that David was th...

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 22:6-23

At the end of 1 Samuel 21 we saw how in his desperation David had fled to the Philistine city of Gath, in and attempt to hide from Saul. Any attempt to hide failed and he only escaped from the clutches of the Philistines by the skin of his teeth. David was in danger not only in Saul's kingdom but also in Philistine territory. Where could he go next? Chapter 22 opens with the answer to that qu...

With a kill order on David’s life, he became a fugitive from Saul. It had taken some time for this to sink in for David because Saul was a strange guy. Did he really want to kill his son-in-law and his best commander, who had achieved remarkable success against his enemies? Yes! Saul wanted David dead. David felt Saul’s presence looking for him no matter where he went, so he decided to leave his c...

Things did not work out the way Jonathan or David wanted them to. This is the real test of life—what will we do when things don’t work out how we hope they will. Will we become angry like Saul and start throwing spears and blaming others? Will we become angry at God and lose touch with Him? Will we become cynical and bitter? The truth is that out of the disappointment and hurt, God can grow someth...

Fear drives us in our thinking and behavior. We sometimes work because we fear not having enough financial security. We go to the doctor because we fear we might face serious health problems. We fear we won’t achieve success so we experience anxiety. There are both healthy and unhealthy fears. Fear can cause wise and good behavior or paralyze us or arouse inappropriate actions. Learning to deal wi...

This message is called, “The Tale of Three Kings” Saul, David and Jesus. It is about our  need to surrender to God and permit his grace to transform us. Instead of being shamefully pulled about by our sinful nature, we can take charge of our lives. God wants to give us the power to do that. Rather than being a slave to sin—we learn to master our weak and sinful nature. We discover who God designed...

The Spirit of the Lord had enabled David to accomplish the remarkable feat of killing the great Philistine Goliath. As a consequence he had come into King Saul's service. At first Saul, was openly disposed toward David, but David's remarkable success against Israel's enemies aroused a terrible jealousy in Saul. This fear eventually became hostile and Saul made several unsuccessful a...

After David killed Goliath in a phenomenal manner, the people held David as a hero. Saul became increasingly jealous as he witnessed the people find a place in their hearts for David. Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 18:17-30 

The first relationship to develop with David after killing Goliath  was with Jonathan, Saul’s oldest son. This remarkable relationship was to be very important in David's life. The relationship between David and Jonathan is seen as an example of a wonderful and powerful human friendship. The love of Jonathan and the love of the people of Israel for David, the Lord's anointed one, helps u...

Picture the scene in the Valley of Elah. The armies are arranged facing each other with a valley between them. Goliath came out from the Philistine lines twice each day and shouted his terrible challenge. He had done this for some forty days. At last there was a response from the Israelite side—a teenager was walking out toward the Philistine. David had a message for Goliath, but it was bigger tha...

The story of David is part of the background to the Gospel of Jesus. Crucial facets of the Gospel have their roots in these earlier days, when God chose and anointed David as king. There is more to this story than a giant fighting a boy which makes us root for the underdog. Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 17:31-40

The account of David and Goliath has the ingredients of drama and excitement, and anticipation and the satisfaction of the good guy defeating the bad guy against all odds. The story is so skillfully told that it holds our attention and captures our imagination. Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 17:1-11

In a world that has rejected the idea of universal truth, accepting all points of view as equally valid has become popular. However, one point of view is outright rejected today, and that is the view that Jesus Christ gave himself to us. He told us outright that he was the Son of God, the Savior of all human beings, and the Judge of all people. This view is disregarded out of hand. One theme we wi...

Rationalization is a way of explaining bad behavior in a way that makes it seem proper. King Saul was a master at it. Chapter 15 of 1 Samuel is an insightful study of the deceptive power of sin. It reveals its power and destructive nature as Saul rationalizes his choices that led to his sin of disobedience. Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 15:12-35 

The analysis of Saul's failure is noteworthy in that he had many good qualities and gifts, but that did not help him. Saul was brave and could be a good military leader. Most of all he had the best of opportunities, but he squandered them. Saul's failure as Israel's king can be traced to his disobedience to God's words to him. Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 15:1-11

We all make mistakes in life—it is inevitable. However, the most important part of mistakes is learning from them and not repeating them. That is a challenging assignment, and we are thankful for the grace that God gives us and the grace of those in our family to forgive. Things get worse for those who make the same mistakes, and because of their stubbornness and arrogance, they refuse to own thei...

It is absolutely amazing how many times people overlook the potential in those around them. The case was such with Saul and his son, Jonathan. Stepping out in faith can be exhilarating but also extremely frightening. The risks of failure are obvious, and the chances of succeeding are minimal, that is, if you were doing it on your own. However, if you have faith that God is telling you to step out...

 Since becoming King it would appear that Saul had been neglectful in carrying out his instructions to deal with the Philistine problem. A good deal of time has passed since Saul was told to take out the Philistine Garrison but he has not. It appears that Saul was a procrastinator. Samuel charges King Saul with acting like a fool. This will be our study today find out why. Scripture Text: 1 Samuel...