God-Idea or Good Idea?
Notes
Transcript
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY
FATHERS = BIG DEAL....TAKE SERIOUSLY…LOVE YOUR FAMILY,, RAISE to SERVE GOD...
**THANKFUL— WE ALL HAVE a PERFECT HEAVENLY FATHER!!!
***Turn to 1 Samuel 8
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Intro:
Intro:
(Q) Did you know that in the last few years in America that companies have spent well over $$200 billion on digital advertising yearly?
The LURE of the WORLD = REAL in LIFE...
BUY OUR THING…IT’S BETTER THAN THE REST...
LIVE THIS WAY… = BETTER.
LOOK (PHYSICALLY) THIS WAY…W/ OUR NEW PILL/PROGRAM
ALL THESE THINGS WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY…WHAT YOU NEED IN LIFE....
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PLUS WE FACE TRICKY MARKETING...
FACEBOOK TESTIMONY: GARMIN FISH-FINDER “SMOKING DEAL” @ DICKS SPORTING GOODS for FATHER’S DAY?? — AMAZON $5 CHEAPER REGULAR PRICE.
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AS BELIEVERS WE FACE A LOT OF THIS & FIGHT A LOT OF IT...
TEMPTATION to GO WORLD’S WAY
WANT WORLD’S STUFF...
ULTIMATELY— NEED CAR INSURANCE & SOME STUFF.…CHOOSING GECKO, GIRL WHO ISN’T ACTUALLY FUNNY, or “ONE on YOUR SIDE”
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LURE of WORLD = REAL TEMPTATION in LIFE...
EVEN for CHURCHES… TEMPTATION to FOLLOW WORLD’S MODEL for ALL THIS.....
IN EVERYTHING— WE MUST FIND our SATISFACTION, SOURCE, & GUIDANCE…FROM GOD, HIS WORD,, HIS HOLY SPIRIT…NOT FALLING FOR DESIRES of WORLD....
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Recap:
Recap:
LAST WEEK:
Ended on GOOD NOTE!
SAMUEL CALLED PEOPLE to REPENTANCE
PUT AWAY FOREIGN GODS
DIRECT HEART to the LORD
SERVE HIM ONLY
GOD HAD ISSUED CONDITIONAL PROMISES in the LAW…SERVE HIM & HE’D TAKE CARE of YOU...
PHILISTINE OPPOSITION to WEST:
PEOPLE TURNED to YAHWEH
SAMUEL INTERCEDES
ISRAEL WINS VICTORY
SAMUEL SETS UP EBENEZER STONE—TESTIFY to GOD’S HELP.
TEXT ENDED W/ SAMUEL JUDGING/LEADING ISRAEL…THINGS GOING WELL!
(T) And some time passes in between last week’s conclusion and this week’s text, we aren’t sure exactly how long, but our TEXT TODAY BEGINS with SAMUEL now as an OLDER MAN... And it says,
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Text:
Text:
Setting (v1-3)
Setting (v1-3)
1 Samuel 8:1–22 (ESV)
1 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.
COMMON PROBLEM for LEADERS…ESP. OT.
NOT FATHER’S DAY MESSAGE TODAY…BUT REMINDER, FATHERS YOUR MINISTRY in the HOME = BIG DEAL.
TAKE PARENTING SERIOUSLY
TAKE RAISING YOUR KIDS SERIOUSLY.
SINGLE BIGGEST INFLUENCE in SONS’ LIVES…BE the MAN YOU WANT YOUR SONS to BE...
SAMUEL = GODLY MAN…DISCONNECT SOMEWHERE.
SONS of SAMUEL LIVING in SIN…TAKING BRIBES, NOT JUDGING RIGHTEOUSLY
ISRAEL NOW in SEARCH FOR NEW LEADER…AGAIN.
(T) Samuel is still present, but because of his age, everyone is anticipating that his departure will be soon, surely he isn’t able to travel and offer judgment quite as well as we saw last week, so a replacement must be coming soon…
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Inciting Incident (v4-5)
Inciting Incident (v4-5)
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
IN LIGHT of SITUATION…ELDERS of ISRAEL DEVISE PLAN.
ELDERS of ISRAEL ALWAYS HAVE BAD PLANS...
SAME GROUP— TAKE ARK into BATTLE (CH. 4)
NOTICE ONCE AGAIN WHAT’S MISSING.....NO SEEKING GOD’S DIRECTION…THEY COME UP W/ OWN PLAN!
SHOW UP in RAMAH @ SAMUEL’S, DEMANDING A KING…IN NEED of LEADERSHIP.
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UNDERSTAND the STRUGGLE....
ISRAEL CALLED to WALK by FAITH…LED BY INVISIBLE GOD...
ENTIRE NATION (NOT JUST CHURCH) WALKING BY FAITH...
TODAY, SIMILAR STRUGGLE…CAN’T SEE GOD, MUST TRUST HIS WORD & HIS PAST FAITHFULNESS.
CAN PROBABLY ALL AGREE— WOULD BE EASIER IF IT DIDN’T REQUIRE FAITH!
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ISRAEL = WALKING BY FAITH…TRUSTING GOD WOULD RAISE LEADERS AS NECESSARY.
PHILISTINE ENEMIES to WEST.
LEARN LATER, @ THIS TIME ENEMIES to EAST WERE BOLSTERING FORCES
DESPERATE TIMES can CAUSE US to PANIC.
IMAGINE THEIR SITUATION!!
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PROBLEM ONE— WANT A TANGIBLE SOLUTION…NO LONGER WALKING by FAITH.
PROBLEM TWO— WANTED A KING, like all the other nations.
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PEOPLE of GOD DESIRING to BE LIKE WORLD = HUGE PROBLEM
GOD DESIRES to SHAPE the HEART…NOT SERVING GOD BEGRUDGINGLY...
ISRAEL LOST SIGHT of WHO THEY WERE…WANTED to BE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE...
YET, ISRAEL & CHURCH, GOD’S PEOPLE CALLED to be DIFFERENT, SEPARATE....HOLY…LIKE GOD.
GOD’S PEOPLE AREN’T EVER CALLED to FIT IN!
LAST WEEK: GOD DOESN’T WANT OTHER LOVERS in our LIVES.
DON’T FALL to the DEVICES of THE WORLD...
LURE of WEALTH
MATERIAL THINGS
VARIETY of SINS WORLD SAYS = OK.
WORLD & GOD ARE ENEMIES:
James 4:4–5 (ESV)
4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?
ISRAEL BECAUSE of ENVY & LACK of FAITH, WANTS to be LIKE the WORLD...
As believers we should never lust after what this world has to offer...
ALSO DON’T ASK WORLD HOW to RUN THE CHURCH!
SECULAR BUSINESS = DIFFERENT THAN CHURCH.
YES —MANAGE FINANCES WELL....YES — STEWARD BUILDING WELL…BUT WE DON’T FOLLOW the WORLD’ MANUAL FOR BUSINESS GROWTH & PROSPERITY FOR the CHURCH!
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ISRAEL WANTS KING…PERMISSIBLE in DEUTERONOMY...
ISSUE is WHY & HOW THEY’RE DOING IT...
**WANT to BE LIKE WORLD… WANT TANGIBLE SOLUTION…
ULTIMATELY IDOLATRY (AGAIN)—LOOKING to MAN FOR HELP & CARE,, NOT GOD.
(T) So you can imagine this is a pretty ugly situation, right? The people show up at Samuel’s door effectively and they say we want to be like the world, you’ve let us down, give us a king that will rule us so we’ll be like everyone else. So, WHAT’S SAMUEL DO in RESPONSE?
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Rising Tension (v6-9)
Rising Tension (v6-9)
6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.
8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”
SAMUEL = UPSET...
YET, WATCH THIS....SAMUEL STILL TAKES it TO GOD.
**DIDN’T SAY IT WAS DUMB & TELL THEM to GO HOME...
ELDERS/ISRAEL DIDN’T TAKE REQUEST to GOD…BUT SAMUEL DID!
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WHETHER it DISPLEASED SAMUEL DIDN’T MATTER…QUESTION WAS/IS “IS THIS DISPLEASING TO GOD???”
MODERN BELIEVERS, ESP. CHURCH— TAKE IDEAS to GOD IN PRAYER...
YOUTH RALLY on CAMPUS HERE?? —PRAYED B4 MEETING...
I LIKE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH— PEOPLE GET VOTE...
REMEMBER...ULTIMATELY ONLY 1 VOTE MATTERS...
**PERSONAL CALLING HERE?
(Q) IS THIS GOD’S IDEA, or JUST GOOD IDEA??
Ultimately our GOOD IDEAS MUST BE GOD-IDEAS or else they’re worthless, no matter how nice they look on the surface!
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GOD TELLS SAMUEL— THEY HADN’T REJECTED HIM,, BUT GOD HIMSELF.
DESIRED TANGIBLE LEADER—NOT INVISIBLE GOD.
BEEN a WHILE SINCE WALKING BY “EBENEZER” STONE!!
GOD--“SAMUEL YOU FEEL REJECTED?? I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL.”
PEOPLE CONSISTENTLY REJECTED GOD & HIS PLAN & HIS LEADERS...
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WILD!!---GOD SAYS GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT!
God help us if we always get what we want!
SOMETIMES GOD’S DENIALS = GREAT ACTS of MERCY...
ONLY GOD KNOWS WHOLE PICTURE!!
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GOD GIVES PEOPLE THEIR DESIRE…JUST TELLS SAMUEL — GIVE THEM A HEADS UP ABOUT KINGS....
(T) So SAMUEL OBEYS the LORD, look at verse 10.
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More Tension (v10-18)
More Tension (v10-18)
10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots.
12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.
14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
SAMUEL SAYS, “KINGS WILL TAX YOU!”
CAN’T HAVE CAKE & EAT it TOO....
KING TO LEAD?? KING WILL TAKE:
HE WILL TAKE (SONS)
HE WILL TAKE (DAUGHTERS)
HE WILL TAKE (FIELDS)
HE WILL TAKE (GRAIN & VINEYARDS)
HE WILL TAKE (SERVANTS)
HE WILL TAKE (LIVESTOCK)
KING ISN’T GIVER. HE’LL TAKE.
ANCESTORS FREE from YEARS,, EGYPTIAN SLAVERY…BUT A KING = CAPTIVITY.
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MESSAGE CONCLUDES: “DON’T COME CRYING!”
**HARD PART: PROBLEM COMES to CHILDREN’S CHILDREN.
SOLOMON TAKING to BUILD TEMPLE & PALACE
REHOBOAM (SON) = WORSE…NATION SPLITS!!
TODAY....CHILDREN’S CHILDREN GETTING “STIMULATED” BY GOVERNMENT PAYMENTS TO THEIR ANCESTORS...
THINK: AS CHURCH,, HOW ARE WE LEAVING CHURCH to FUTURE GENERATIONS??
HOW DO DECISIONS AFFECT FUTURE GENERATIONS to COME??
GC SOON to CELEBRATE 75TH ANNIVERSARY....LORD TARRIES? ANOTHER HUNDREDS YEAR of MINISTRY???
SO THANKFUL—WE’RE DEBT FREE, BUILDINGS MOSTLY REPAIRED...
(Q) WHAT LEGACY DO OUR DECISIONS HAVE FOR OUR CHILDREN HERE??
(T) And so now that Samuel has painted such a pretty picture of life under an earthly king instead of a heavenly one, did he TALK the PEOPLE OFF the LEDGE??
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Climax (v19-20)
Climax (v19-20)
19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
PEOPLE REJECT SAMUEL’S ADVICE & GOD’S WISHES...
DESIRE to be LIKE WORLD! (2X in PASSAGE TODAY)
DESIRE,, KING to FIGHT BATTLES....INSULTING to GOD!!
LAST WK: MIRACULOUS DELIVERANCE for PEOPLE…NEVER ENOUGH!!
GOD FOUGHT FOR HIS PEOPLE…STOPPED SUN for JOSHUA… YET WE WANT A KING! OOF....
VISIBLE HUMAN KING OVER INVISIBLE SOVEREIGN GOD....
(T) And now our text is going to close in verses 21 and 22.
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Resolution & Conclusion (v21)
Resolution & Conclusion (v21)
21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”
PEOPLE SEAL FATE…&& SAMUEL SENDS THEM HOME...
KING is COMING...
Homiletical Idea:
Homiletical Idea:
When God’s people desire to be like the world, they are rejecting God as their Lord and ruler.
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Gospel:
Gospel:
REJECTION of GOD & HIS LEADERS = COMMON THEME AMONGST GOD’S PEOPLE...
REJECTING MOSES (“WHY DIE IN DESERT??”
REJECTING SAMUEL (“YOU’RE OLD”)
REJECTED MOST PROPHETS (JEREMIAH & OTHERS)
CLIMAXED W/ REJECTION of MESSIAH…SON of GOD…
11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
NOT the SAVIOR THEY WANTED....
EXPECTING MILITARY DELIVERER LIKE ALEXANDER the GREAT…CONQUER ROME!!
WANTING A CONQUERING/TAKING KING.
JESUS CAME DOWN HUMBLY…BABY....CAME to GIVE/SERVE.
NO ONE ANTICIPATED a DYING MESSIAH!…YET NO ONE CONSULTED GOD’S PLANS…WANTED THEIR OWN WAY.
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ISRAEL’S REJECTION of SAMUEL = REJECTION of GOD....
1ST CENTURY & NOW,, REJECTION of JESUS CHRIST = REJECTION of GOD....
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JESUS = ONLY NAME BY WHICH MAN BE SAVED....
THE WAY THE TRUTH THE LIFE…NO COMING to FATHER W.O. HIM!!
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SOME SAY “I BELIEVE in GOD…JUST DON’T BELIEVE in JESUS”
TO REJECT the SON = REJECTING FATHER.
N.T. = INCREDIBLY PLAIN. HAVE BOTH or NEITHER!
REJECTING CHRIST = REJECTING GOD’S APPOINTED MEANS.... = NO SALVATION.
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JESUS CAME to DEFEAT ENEMIES: SIN, HELL, GRAVE…NOT ROME.
DID THIS @ CALVARY...
PROVED HE WAS the KING WHO GIVES…NOT KING WHO TAKES...
JOHN 3:16
OFFERS SALVATION FREELY to ALL BECAUSE of HIS LIFE HE GAVE!!
BY FAITH & RECEIPT of GIFT… WE CAN BE SAVED…WE GET to TAKE, BECAUSE CHRIST GIVES...
**IF YOU HAVEN’T RECEIVED CHRIST…DON’T REJECT GOD’S PLAN of SALVATION.
PLACE FAITH in SON..PROFESS HIM as LORD…YOU CAN BE SAVED TODAY...
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SAMUEL SAID—DAY COMING, DON’T COME CRYING...
DON’T WAIT UNTIL IT’S TOO LATE & DEATH is KNOCKING on your DOOR…YOU CAN HAVE REDEMPTION & GRACE TODAY...
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Takeaways:
Takeaways:
Learn about God?
Learn about God?
GOD’S DELIGHT to RULE OVER HIS PEOPLE… KINGDOM of GOD = GOD IS KING… & HE’S A GOOD KING....JESUS = GIVER, NOT A TAKER!
HE’S WORTHY & HE DOESN’T WANT to SHARE W/ OTHERS…COMPETE W/ WORLD.
Learn about us?
Learn about us?
GOD’S PEOPLE CALLED to BE DIFFERENT…SEPARATE…HOLY.
NOT LIKE WORLD!!
NOT DIFFERENT for DIFFERENT’S SAKE…BUT UNIQUE,, CONSECRATED to GOD...
LIGHTS in DARK WORLD...
WE’RE CALLED to RADICAL FAITH...
OUR KING = INVISIBLE…NOT TANGIBLE…WALK BY FAITH… & NOT BY SIGHT...
TRUSTING & BELIEVING HIS WORD/PROMISES & PAST FAITHFULNESS...
GOD DOESN’T ALWAYS WORK THROUGH TANGIBLE…WHY WE NEED FAITH....
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App:
App:
INDIVIDUAL & CONGREGATIONAL LEVEL....
(Q) Do you/Do we want to be like the world?
AIM in LIFE…TO FIT IN?? OR DO WILL of GOD??
YOUNG PEOPLE ESPECIALLY....
CAN’T BE FRIENDS W/ GOD & THE WORLD...
**TRYING to DO BOTH WILL PULL YOU APART.
YOU CAN BE A LIGHT & SERVE GOD TODAY.
(Q) AS CHURCH....ARE WE WILLING to TRUST GOD’S MEANS of CHURCH GROWTH?
I LIKE UPDATING SPACES...
I LIKE HOSTING EVENTS...
THESE THINGS ARE FINE...
ULTIMATELY,, GOSPEL is POWER of GOD FOR SALVATION.
W.O. GOSPEL THERE’S NO SAVING...
(Q) ARE WE WILLING to TRUST GOD’S METHODS…OR DO WE WANT to FOLLOW WORLDLY STRATEGIES?
DALE DAVIS... “How easy for even energetic evangelicals to look for a new gimmick rather than cry out for a new heart” (p. 86).
IF CHURCH WILL PROSPER—IT’S A WORK of GOD’S SPIRIT...
WE DO OUR PART, BUT ULTIMATELY IT’S GOD’S WORK...
CLOSING:
As we close this morning, I just want us to consider do we find appeal in what the world has to offer, or are we joyfully living out a separated holy life unto God?
We can only have one king in our life, and I pray that for each of us it’s the true and living God alone.
CLOSE in PRAYER.