My sermon notes for Sunday morning, September 28^th. These notes are not a full sermon manuscript but a listening guide for our Tabernacle Church family, a shortened version of my preaching to help you follow along. I encourage you to take your own notes as you listen each week. The services will be available on YouTube by Sunday afternoon. You can find Sermon Notes, Family Devotional Guides, Prayer List, and other resources on our Church Website.

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Introduction to 1 Samuel

• The book begins in the chaos of the Judges and moves toward the rise of Israel’s monarchy.
• Main Characters:
  • Samuel – the prophet who leads Israel to God.
  • Saul – the failed king chosen by the people.
  • David – the man after God’s own heart.
• Major Themes:
  • God’s sovereignty in raising up and removing leaders.
  • The centrality of God’s Word in guiding His people.
  • The nature of true leadership—God looks at the heart, not outward appearance (16:7).
  • The hope of God’s chosen King, ultimately fulfilled in Christ.
• Key Message: 1 Samuel shows that God is faithful to His people, advancing His kingdom through His chosen leader.

1 Samuel 1:1–20

INTRO

• 1 Samuel opens with Hannah, a woman burdened by hardship.
• In her struggle, she turns to God in desperate prayer.
• God answers, showing His faithfulness and purpose.
• From the very start, we see God unfolding His perfect plan…pointing to His chosen King.

Struggling with Life’s Hardships -vv. 1–8

• Hannah’s sorrow: barren and provoked, though deeply loved.
• Even faithful families face hardships outside their control.
• Our desires and God’s will.

Trusting in God through Prayer – vv. 9–18

• Hannah pours out her soul in desperate prayer.
• Calls on the LORD of hosts… the One who can act.
• Her vow shows complete dependence and surrender.

Receiving God’s Provision – vv. 19–20

• “The LORD remembered her.” Covenant faithfulness in action.
• God works on His timetable and for His purposes.
• In due time, Samuel is born. The next step in God’s plan.

The What Now

• Hardships will come… even in faithful living.
• Keep trusting, seeking, and calling on the Lord of hosts.
• God always responds (yes, no, wait)… in His time, for His will.

Prayer: The Leader’s First Move

Intro
Every man faces pressure, decisions, and responsibility. You can’t carry it alone. Prayer isn’t optional, it’s your lifeline to God, the only One strong enough to guide and sustain you.

This post is part of a leadership series inspired by Donald Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Whitney unpacks timeless practices that train believers for godliness. Just as athletes train daily, men must practice these disciplines to grow in Christlikeness and lead with integrity.

📖 Whitney’s Book

Chapter 2 Overview
Whitney stresses that prayer is essential for spiritual health. It’s more than asking God for things—it’s communion with Him, aligning your will with His, and depending on His strength. Neglecting prayer weakens every other spiritual discipline.

Leadership Application
A man who doesn’t pray leads on empty. Prayer fuels clarity, courage, and humility. It reminds you that God is in control and keeps you from living by pride or panic.

Practical Step + Resource
Start small: take 10 minutes each morning to pray through a psalm or a passage of Scripture, then intercede for your family, church, and work.

• Ligonier: Prayer
• Six Principles of Prayer from the Lord’s Prayer
• How to Have a Quiet Time

Call to Action
Don’t just face life’s challenges—face them in prayer. Be a man who leads from his knees before he leads with his words.

Here is our weekly study guide on our passage for the week—insight that goes beyond our Sunday discussion. Let it encourage you, challenge you, and sharpen your walk with Christ.

Let’s Dig In and Press On!

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1 Timothy 1:12–17

Paul’s Testimony of Grace
Theme: God’s mercy transforms the worst of sinners into servants.

In this passage Paul interrupts his instructions to Timothy with a deeply personal testimony. He remembers who he was before Christ—“a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent”—and he remembers the mercy and grace that transformed him into a servant of the gospel. His story is not merely personal; it is a pattern. If Christ could save Paul, the foremost of sinners, He can save anyone.

Paul anchors this truth in one of the clearest gospel summaries in Scripture: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” This trustworthy saying deserves full acceptance. And the only fitting response to such grace is worship: “To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.”

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Key Points

1. Gratitude for Grace (vv. 12–14) – Paul’s past magnified God’s mercy, and his present ministry was evidence of Christ’s strengthening grace.
2. The Gospel in One Line (v. 15) – A trustworthy saying: Christ came to save sinners.
3. An Example of Mercy (v. 16) – Paul’s life displays Christ’s perfect patience as a model for all who would believe.
4. The Overflow of Worship (v. 17) – True doctrine and testimony end in doxology.

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Word Study

• “Trustworthy saying” (v. 15). An early Christian creed meant to be memorized, affirming the heart of the gospel.
• “Example, pattern” (v. 16). Paul describes himself as an example of Christ’s patience, showing that if God saved him, He can save anyone.

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Application

• Remember your own testimony—never lose sight of the mercy you’ve received. Your past highlights the greatness of grace.
• Share stories of God’s saving work in your home. Testimonies reinforce the gospel across generations.
• Use your testimony to encourage others who may doubt Christ’s patience. If God saved you, He can save them.
• Let Paul’s story remind you that no one is beyond the reach of the gospel. Pray and witness boldly, trusting Christ’s perfect patience.

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Sources

• 1 Timothy MacArthur New Testament Commentary John MacArthur (Moody).
• ESV Expository Commentary: Ephesians–Philemon: Volume 11 (Crossway).
• The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon. Volume 12 (Zondervan).

INTRO

• Last week, in Colossians 1:28–29, we saw the pattern of the church we it takes the ministry of the Word seriously…: We Serve Christ, Proclaim His Word, Rely on His Spirit.
• Today, in Ephesians 4, Paul shows us the goal of this ministry… church where every believer is equipped, growing in maturity, and building one another up.
• The public ministry of the Word (preaching and teaching) is vital. But it is not meant to stop there. It is meant to flow into the personal ministry of the Word, the “one another” ministry of believers doing church life TOGETHER.
• Paul gives us a picture of what happens when the whole church takes this seriously.

The Church Is Equipped – vv. 11–12

• Christ Himself gave leaders as gifts to the church. For a purpose. Redemptive purpose. Different gifts, but same goal.
• Equip – restoring, mending, preparing, supplying what is lacking. It was used for mending nets (Matt. 4:21) and setting broken bones… making fit for use.
• Ministry is not for spectators… it is for every saint.
• Saved to serve. Saved and Sent.

The purpose of leaders is not to do all the ministry, but to train God’s people to minister.

The Church Is Matured – vv. 13–15

• The goal of equipping is maturity in Christ, not busyness in activity.
• Mature – full-grown, complete, reaching the intended goal.
• Immature believers are like children…unstable, gullible, easily deceived by false teaching and cultural lies.
• Mature believers are steady, grounded in truth, unified in Christ.
• Growth happens together…truthing in love.
• Speaking the truth in love is the means by which we grow into Christ.
• WE ARE TO GROW UP… WE… ALL

The Church Is Built Up – v. 16

• Join and held together. Christ the master builder. Keeps and Sustains.
• The church grows not by a few doing much, but by every part working properly.
• Priscilla and Aquila with Apollos (Acts 18:26): they took him aside, explained the Word more accurately, and helped him grow.
• Everyone. Active verse Non-Active
• Built up – strengthened, edified, made solid like a well-constructed building. STABLE, STEADY. ENDURANCE
• Contrast… not tossed about (v. 14), but builds itself up in love.
• Ask yourself… WHAT AM I DOING TO SEE MY LIFE BE USED OF GOD TO IMPACT OTHERS.

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The What Now

God’s Desire for His Church is clear:

• The Church Is Equipped — every believer prepared for ministry.
• The Church Is Matured — every believer growing in Christlikeness.
• The Church Is Built Up — Stable, Ready. Set for the future

Our Fall Groups

We will offer the same courses again in the Spring of 2026, giving you the opportunity to choose from two options—take one now and the other in the spring.

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D-Life Groups

Each week our men’s and ladies’ D-Life groups gather for four essentials: Reading God’s Word, Praying together, Accountability in our walk with Christ, and Fellowship with one another. Over the next 10 weeks we’ll walk through the book of Matthew, followed by the book of Mark—growing as disciples of Jesus and learning to make disciples who make disciples.

“What you have heard from me… entrust to faithful men.” (2 Tim. 2:2)

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Proverbs Study (Wisdom for Life) – Pastor Kenny Wells

God’s wisdom is for everyday living. In this study, we’ll walk through Proverbs to learn how the fear of the Lord shapes our words, work, family, and relationships. This is a practical, relevant option for anyone who wants biblical wisdom for real-life struggles.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” (Prov. 1:7)

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Hope and Help for Life’s Struggles
Equipping Believers for One Another Ministry with God’s Word– Pastor Jon Beck

This 10-week study is designed to show how ordinary Christians can use God’s Word in everyday life to strengthen, comfort, and challenge one another toward maturity in Christ. The Bible is sufficient for all of life’s struggles, and God has called His people to apply it in love through the “one another” commands of Scripture. Together, we will learn how the personal ministry of the Word works — not just from the pulpit, but in conversations, friendships, and daily life — so that the church becomes a place of hope, help, and Christlike growth.

“Him we proclaim… that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” (Col. 1:28–29)

Men, here’s your weekly study guide.

This is a running commentary on our passage for the week—insight that goes beyond our Sunday discussion. Let it encourage you, challenge you, and sharpen your walk with Christ.

Let’s dig in. Let’s press on.

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1 Timothy 1:8–11

Theme / Big Idea: The law is good when used to reveal sin and point us to Christ.

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Scripture Reading (ESV)

8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully,
9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers,
10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,
11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

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Expository Outline

1. The Goodness of the Law — It is good if used rightly (v. 8)
2. The Purpose of the Law — To reveal and restrain sin (vv. 9–10a)
3. The Connection to the Gospel — Law and gospel united in God’s glory (vv. 10b–11)

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Expanded Commentary Synthesis

The Goodness of the Law (v. 8)
Paul affirms that the law is inherently good, reflecting God’s character. The problem is not with the law but with its misuse. False teachers treated the law as a tool for pride or endless speculation. MacArthur stresses that the law is good when it functions to reveal sin and direct people to Christ. The ESV Study Bible highlights that lawful use of the law convicts rather than justifies. The ESVEC adds that pastors must recover the law’s true use—leading sinners to see their need for grace.

The Purpose of the Law (vv. 9–10a)
The law is not for the righteous but for the lawless, and Paul lists sins that mirror the Ten Commandments: dishonoring parents, murder, sexual immorality, homosexual practice, slavery, lying, perjury. MacArthur notes that the list reveals the universality of sin and how the law confronts rebellion. The ESVSB explains that Paul isn’t offering an exhaustive catalogue, but a representative one. The ESVEC points out that this list exposes human sin in concrete terms, showing the continuing moral authority of God’s Word.

The Connection to the Gospel (vv. 10b–11)
Paul concludes that all sin is “contrary to sound doctrine,” which aligns with “the gospel of the glory of the blessed God.” True doctrine matches the gospel’s aim: God’s glory in saving sinners through Christ. MacArthur says that the law, rightly applied, never contradicts the gospel—it prepares the heart for it. The ESVSB notes that Paul’s role in guarding this gospel is part of his stewardship, a trust now passed to Timothy. The ESVEC stresses that healthy doctrine is gospel-shaped doctrine; if it does not exalt Christ, it is diseased.

Key Word Study (with Verse References)

• Nomos (νόμος, NOH-mos) — “Law”; God’s standard of righteousness (v. 8).
• Hugianō (ὑγιαίνω, hoo-gee-AH-no) — “Sound, healthy”; used for doctrine that aligns with gospel truth (v. 10).

Discussion Questions for Men

1. How can the law be misused in Christian teaching today?
2. What does Paul’s sin list teach us about God’s moral standards?
3. Why must sound doctrine always be tied to the gospel?
4. How can you personally use the law in a way that points others to Christ?

Application

• Personal: Let the law humble you and drive you to Christ.
• Family: Teach your family God’s standards while pointing them to grace.
• Church: Value preaching that unites law and gospel for God’s glory.

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Sources:

• ESV Study Bible notes on 1 Timothy
• John MacArthur Study Bible notes on 1 Timothy
• Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 12 (Longman & Garland)
• New American Commentary: 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus (Lea)
• ChatGPT, an AI tool I’ve personally named “EZRA”—my modern-day thesaurus and scribe

August through September Reading. One Chapter a week.

The Gospel and Personal Evangelism by Mark Dever: (Amazon link)

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Summary

In Chapter 4, Mark Dever turns to the practical question: How should we evangelize? His answer is that we must evangelize faithfully, clearly, and lovingly. Evangelism is not about clever techniques or manipulation; it is about speaking the truth of the gospel plainly and trusting God to work.

Dever stresses the importance of relying on God’s Word rather than gimmicks, ensuring that we present the whole message (sin, judgment, Christ’s substitution, repentance, and faith), and doing so with humility, patience, and genuine love for people.

The What Now

• Don’t cut corners—give people the whole truth of Christ crucified and risen.
• Evangelism is not about selling a product but proclaiming a Savior.
• Real love speaks truth even when it’s uncomfortable.
• You are called to be faithful, not flashy. God alone saves.

Closing Challenge

This week, focus on clarity and faithfulness. Share the gospel with someone without trimming it down or dressing it up. Trust God to do the work only He can do.