At various times, we’ve all sized someone up, made assumptions about their character, only to learn that our assumptions were completely wrong.

We have a natural inclination to judge people based on outward appearances, but as our passage reminds us this morning – God does not judge people based upon their outward appearances, but upon their heart.

We’ll see three things this morning: first, man looks at outward appearance (vv. 1-6), second, God looks at the heart (v. 7), and lastly, we’re reminded that God often equips the overlooked (vv. 8-13).

Confession is a powerful thing—but only when it is genuine.

Many people believe that saying “I have sinned” is enough. They assume that if they admit their wrongdoing, everything is made right. But true repentance is more than words—it is a forsaking of sin, a turning of the heart towards Christ, and a sincere pursuit of obedience to Him.

Imagine a person who gives generously to the church, volunteers for every ministry, and sings loudly in worship—but at home, they neglect their family, harbor secret sin, and refuse to submit to God’s Word. From the outside, they seem devoted, but their heart is far from God.

This is exactly what we see in the life of King Saul in 1 Samuel 14:47–15:23. Saul was a man who started with great potential, yet he consistently failed where it mattered most: in obeying God.

Charles Spurgeon once said, “Legalism is the act of putting a human tradition in the place of God’s law and making obedience to that tradition the grounds of salvation.”

Saul bound everyone to his vow as if it came from the lips of God himself, and then he performed several religious acts in an attempt to earn favor with God. As interesting as it may sound, Saul too is a legalist.

Our passage teaches us three things about legalism: first, legalism places heavy burdens on God's people (vv. 24-30), second, legalism will drive you to sin (vv. 31-35), and lastly, legalism leads to division (vv. 36-46).

We’re briefly pausing our study on 1 Samuel to celebrate the Sanctity of Human Life. On January 13, 1984, President Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation designating January 22 as the first National Sanctity of Human Life Day (January 22, 1973, was the day the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion-on-demand in all 50 states).

On the third Sunday in January, churches around the country celebrate God’s gift of life, commemorate the many lives lost to abortion, and commit themselves to protect human life. As many of you know, Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Dobbs decision on June 24, 2022. However, it didn’t outlaw abortion; rather, it made it a state issue.

So in light of that, Rev. Doug Hart preached on the Sanctity of Human life this Sunday morning from Genesis 1:26-31.

The central theme of Jonathan and his armor bearer’s story isn’t about military conquest and personal bravery. It’s a story about God and how he fought for them. After all it was the Lord who threw the Philistines into a confusion and caused them to turn their swords on one another.

And so, from this passage we learn about how the Lord fights: first, we must remember that victory does not come through human strength. Second, we’re reminded that if God is for us, who can be against us? And lastly, in the moments of doubt, remember that the battle belongs to the Lord.

In 1 Samuel 13, Saul finds himself in a pressure cooker situation. The Philistine army has gathered in massive numbers—chariots, horsemen, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore to prepare for war. Saul’s own men are trembling with fear, and many of them are running away. And as his men are fleeing in droves, and the Philistine army is looking more and more ominous, Saul is forced to wait for days on end for Samuel to offer the sacrifices to the Lord.

And of course, we know what happened: as the pressure continued to build Saul decided the best course of action was to defy the word of God and offer the sacrifices himself, and in doing so, he exposed his heart. And we learn several things from this passage: first, we learn that Saul did not wholly trust the Word of God, second, we see that Saul believed it was his own efforts that would protect him, which of course exposed Saul’s weakness as king.

So what Paul teaches us here in Philippians 4:2-9 is not how to deal with false teaching, but rather, how to deal with the petty, insignificant, disagreements that inevitably arise within the church. But he doesn’t stop there. He goes on to give life advice for promoting the peace and purity of the church.

Paul gives us three directives in this passage: The first remedy for handling a petty disagreement in the church is to seek unity in the Lord (vv. 2-3), second, we should pursue joy and gentleness in our interactions with one another (vv. 4-5), and lastly, we should focus on the true, lovely, and excellent (vv. 6-9).

Royal births throughout history have been marked by magnificence and celebration. Bonfires were lit, bells rang, and nations feasted when heirs to the throne were born. Yet, the birth of the greatest King—Jesus—was marked by an entirely different kind of celebration. Shepherds, not dignitaries, heard the first royal announcement, and their fields became the setting for angelic praise. This was not the start of an earthly kingdom; it was the inauguration of God’s eternal and heavenly reign.

You would expect kings’ missions to further their own wealth, power, and accomplishments in order to make their own name great and once they’ve reached the pinnacle of greatness to stop and revel in it.

Which is why Jesus fulfilling the office of a king is so different. His mission wasn’t to build his own wealth or increase his power. His mission wasn’t to take lives, but to lay down his own life in order to save his people from their sins. Jesus’ mission as a king was primarily spiritual in nature.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been looking at different components that Jesus fulfilled and accomplished as a king. Last week we looked at the king’s arrival, this week we’ll be looking at the king’s message, next week, we’ll look at the king’s mission, and we’ll conclude on Christmas Eve with the king’s kingdom.

This is the sort of fanfare you’d expect for a king: You’d expect the streets to be lined, and thousands of people waiting where he will deliver a speech to the people.

And yet, the greatest king to ever set foot on the earth didn’t have a reception quite like that. In fact, very few people knew of his arrival and some of those people were shepherds.

The good news of the promised King’s arrival is the greatest source of joy for all people.

Isaiah 9:6-7 isn’t a prophecy about a random child, it’s a promise of a righteous and eternal King who will bring peace, justice, and stability—qualities that stood in sharp contrast to the fear and instability surrounding Ahaz during his reign.

What Ahaz and most of us for that matter often forget is that the things that consume so much of our time and attention, our immediate circumstances are the least of our problems. Humanity’s primary problem is spiritual - we need salvation from our sin.

And that’s precisely what Isaiah told Ahaz. Don’t put your trust in an army, put your trust in the child of promise, Jesus Christ.

This Sunday we had the privilege of having Rev. John Carroll preach from Matthew 6:5-15.

In our passage, we’re reminded that Christians are called to serve and obey the Lord. In fact, it’s exactly what Samuel told the people of Israel in verse 14, “If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well.”

On Sunday, we were honored to have Dr. Jonathan Master, President of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, preach at Providence.

Verse 13: “...today the Lord has worked salvation in Israel.” You see there’s a clear parallel that you and I must consider: Just as the people of Israel were dependent upon their king to save them, so you and I are dependent upon a king to save us.

We’re totally dependent upon Jesus for our salvation! We must rely on Jesus Christ.

One of the things that the Reformation did was restore a proper understanding of God’s grace. As I’m sure you can imagine, there would have been mass confusion over God’s grace. Is it something that can be bought?

No doubt, God’s grace was misunderstood during the time of the Reformation, but God’s grace continues to be misunderstood today. Fewer people seem to think it’s something that can be bought, but other misunderstandings have taken its place.

Hopefully, Romans 11:1-6 now makes a little more sense. Because it’s precisely what the Apostle Paul is doing in this portion of Romans 11 - he was helping the church in Rome better understand God’s grace.

This morning we find ourselves at a pivotal moment in Israel’s history: the coronation of Saul as the first king in Israel. It was supposed to be an exciting, joyous day in Israel, because they finally got what they so desperately wanted: a king.

The Scriptures make it abundantly clear that every detail of your life and of this world is under the sovereign control of God Almighty.

Which is exactly what we see in our passage. It’s another ordinary day for Saul, but God’s providence is quietly working behind the scenes.

God's providence is evident in the anointing of Saul as Israel's first king, reminding us that His holy will is not restricted in any way by human expectations.