February 15, 2026

The Sin Beneath the Sin

Pastor: Tyrell Haag Passage: 1 Samuel 28:1–25

Sermon Title: When God Is Silent: The Sin Beneath the Sin
Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 28

1. Key Scriptures

  • 1 Samuel 28:1–25

  • 1 Samuel 13:8–14

  • 1 Samuel 15:1–35

  • Leviticus 19:31

  • Deuteronomy 18:9–13

  • Exodus 22:18

  • Romans 8:1

  • Romans 8:31

  • Matthew 27:46

  • Psalm 139:23–24

2. Sermon Flow & Takeaways

I. The Crisis Outside and the Crisis Inside (vv. 1-6)

Saul faces real military threat while simultaneously confronting the absence of God’s voice. The silence of heaven exposes years of resisted repentance and hollow obedience.

Takeaways / Applications:

  • Crisis reveals what the heart has rehearsed long before pressure arrives.

  • God’s silence is not absence, but often judgment against hardened resistance.

II. The Forbidden Shortcut (vv. 7-14)

When God will not speak on Saul’s terms, Saul seeks an alternative voice. The king disguises himself and turns to forbidden means in a desperate attempt to regain control.

Takeaways / Applications:

  • When we refuse God’s appointed means, we seek unauthorized substitutes.

  • Idolatry often looks like pragmatism when fear drives the heart.

III. The Word Saul Did Not Want (vv. 15-19)

Saul finally receives a word, but it is not guidance; it is judgment. God repeats what Saul already knew and refused to obey.

Takeaways / Applications:

  • Knowledge without reconciliation deepens despair rather than relieving it.

  • The most severe judgment is often hearing again the truth we once ignored.

IV. Collapse Without Repentance (vv. 20-25)

Saul collapses emotionally and physically but never turns back to God. He is sustained just enough to walk into death, not into restoration.

Takeaways / Applications:

  • Sorrow over consequences is not the same as repentance before God.

  • Courage without submission and endurance without reconciliation are empty virtues.

V. Christological Fulfillment: The Better Word, King, and Silence

The failure of Saul prepares us to see Christ as the true King who obeys fully, bears judgment willingly, and speaks the final saving Word.

Takeaways / Applications:

  • Jesus enters the silence Saul deserved so believers are never finally abandoned.

  • Union with Christ transforms fear by replacing control with belonging.

VI. Application: What Do You Do When God Feels Silent?

Hear the call to repentance, trust, and refuge in Christ alone rather than shortcuts, control, or performance.

Takeaways / Applications:

  • Repent of seeking guidance without surrender.

  • Identify your “Endor”: where you turn for safety apart from God.

3. Primary Sources (Cited and Used to Develop)

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible: Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, David Brown

  • Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary: Robert B. Hughes, J. Carl Laney

  • Apostolic Fathers: Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Methodius

  • Church Fathers: Augustine, Chrysostom, Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, Jerome

4. Additional Resources

  • The Crook in the Lot - Thomas Boston

  • Counterfeit Gods - Timothy Keller

  • Knowing God - J. I. Packer

  • Article: “When God Is Silent” (desert spirituality and biblical lament)

  • Devotional reading: Psalms of lament (Psalms 13, 42-43, 88)