Labels
The Story • Sermon • Submitted
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In the 1920’s a boy was born in New York City to a poor family. The boy’s father was unemployed majority of the boy’s life. The boy grew and in high school, be became aware of the financial burden the family had and started working. He had many jobs and finally became an office assistant in a magazine publishing company. His job consisted of getting lunch for all the writers, erase errors, and proofread the material that was about to be published. He very slowly started rising in the company and became a writer in the company, but was about to quit one day after he was label an “idiot and useless” by his publisher because of one of his ideas.
One day he saw a fly on the wall and thought what a fantastic thing. It would be if a superhero could stick to walls and crawl on them. But he wanted to create something different from the rest of other superheroes. So he gave the superhero personal problems and made him a teenager.
He was so excited to share this great idea with his publisher’s office. But the publisher reaction was totally unexpected. They said, “that is the worst idea, have ever heard”, “first of all people hate spiders and you can’t call a book Spider-Man. Secondly, it can’t be a teenager, because teenagers can be only sidekicks. And third, he can’t have personal problems if he is supposed to be a superhero.” Don’t you know who a superhero is?
Devastated and wanted to quit. But, Company didn’t sell well it was about to shutdown. They were releasing the last issue for the magazine. Nobody was caring about what would be on the last cover. So Stan Lee stands for the company and put spider Man on the cover.
Just because of the cover of the magazine people started buying the last magazine. People love that character because it was totally inspected character. It became so popular that is publisher fell in love with Spider-Man.
Later, Stan Lee was deemed creator of all superheros and has revolutionized the fantasy of superheros to the world.
Isn’t amazing how we live by labels. Some labels warn us, some are given to us, and some are what we give to others. Here’s some interesting labels. On a bar of Dial soap: DIRECTIONS—USE LIKE REGULAR SOAP, On Tesco's Tiramisu dessert (printed on the bottom of the box): DO NOT TURN UPSIDE DOWN, On Marks & Spencer Bread Pudding: PRODUCT WILL BE HOT AFTER HEATING, On a Korean kitchen knife: WARNING KEEP OUT OF CHILDREN, On a string of Chinese-made Christmas lights: FOR INDOOR OR OUTDOOR USE ONLY, On a Japanese food processor: NOT TO BE USED FOR THE OTHER USE, On Sainsbury's peanuts: WARNING—CONTAINS NUTS. Not all labels are funny though. You’ll find labels on some products that stated do not consume because it is poisonous to us. These labels are meant to save our lives, no matter what anyone says to you do not eat tide pods. Theses labels on food ingredients to help us identify what we are eating in case there’s a dietary restriction. Labels are everywhere and they help guide us. But what if some of these labels are meant to hurt us? What if you’re given a label of fat, lazy, broken, ugly, etc etc etc. Does that provide any direction for us? Is that meant to help guide us? Is that supposed to be meant to prevent any fatal mistakes?
This is what the Israelites exactly did in today’s lesson. To expand on this I have to go back a little bit to last week. Looking back when Saul was anointed as king it was written that he was 1 Sam 10:23 “taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward” When all saw him they shouted “Long live the King.” Israel wanted something from the neighboring kingdoms. They saw a king or sovereign leader that commanded over all the kingdom and they drew the conclusion that they needed the same thing. Instead of a God that led them, they wanted a ruler, warrior figure, commander. They put a label on this figure and they all created an idea of what he should look like. So when Saul stood up they all saw that he was bigger than everyone so he MUST be more powerful than all of Israel and with his big figure then he would lead them to victories. They labeled him based on his appearance and his towering figure. What they thought was based on this guy’s size he can lead an army and others will follow. They immediately gave him the title of King. This was before he was tried and tested as a king. The Israelites wanted something that wasn’t made for them in the other kingdom and they labeled Saul as that image.
It happened again later after Saul’s heart turned away from God. When Samuel was told to look in the family of Jesse for the next true king. 1 Samuel 16 Verse 1 “16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”
The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”4 Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?”5 Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.
You see Samuel a true prophet of God fell in the trap of creating a label of someone else. When he saw Eliab he saw his stature. He saw his appearance and thought, this guy is a handsome kid and others will follow him based on his appearance. It’s no fault to Samuel when he judged a guy based on his appearance, we do it today all the time. As soon as we see someone we judge them or create a label for this person. For instance, Has anyone gone to a store and got really horrible service. Or what about when we go somewhere and a homeless person comes up to asking for money? Don’t you immediately judge or label someone based on those split second interactions? But we look on their outward appearances and create our own impressions. However, God doesn’t look on our outward appearances. Continuing with verse 7-
The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” 9 Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” 12 So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.
When Samuel judged the first son, it was God that reminded him that He looks at us differently. He doesn’t care what our outward appearances look like as long as our heart is longing for him. He doesn’t care about this human body because it is just a temporary shell for this world. He knows what our new body is going to be like and he sees us as pure as he made us. Who’s a parent in here? When you look at your children, do you remember and beautiful and sweet they were when they were born. I know a lot of our soldiers are having babies right now and when I look at their pictures my heart melts for those little goobers. Of course, I have to also smile because I think of all of those sleepless nights that those monsters will keep their parents awake. God looks down on us as parents look at their newborn babies. He has a deeper love when he looks at us, because he doesn’t look at our mistakes or faults. He doesn’t care what you look like, because we are all beautiful to him. It’s the worldly flesh that has the outward impression that we are use to. Israel didn’t know Saul’s heart and labeled him a King. Samuel didn’t know Jesse didn’t know David’s heart and dismissed him. He didn’t even call him to come to Samuel because he thought his other son’s would be more impressionable. Actually they didn’t think of him of a warrior, but a tender loving boy. Later, he was seen as a harp playing boy that eased Saul in distressed. In 1 Samuel 17- he was chastised to leaving the family sheep and coming to the battle. In fact his older brothers scolded him for even speaking about warfare.
25 Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel.”26 David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”27 They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”28 When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”
His own family dismissed him, even AFTER Samuel anointed him. Because he was the youngest and the most tender hearted they label him useless in battle. They labeled him a sheep tendering boy that couldn’t help Israel. This is the same David that led Israel in to some extremely victorious battles. See how we can label someone the wrong way? Jesus’ family was no different. Jesus’ brothers tried to kill him in fact. John 7 verse 1 After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want[a] to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. 2 But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, 3 Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. Jesus’ brothers would rather have him killed than to listen to this messages. They despised him and his ministry. Instead of seeing the good and growth his following did, or the miracles did, or the people he healed….They would rather see him get killed. They labeled him a hieratic and a lair. They didn’t care about his ministry because they couldn’t see past the label.
But God knew David better than his own family did just like he knew Jesus. God filled him with the Holy Spirit, because David was willing to stand up for God. We later know that David killed Goliath using a slingshot. Not by a sword, not by a spear, but by a smooth edged rock. Everyone dismissed who David was. His brothers thought he was useless in battle, Saul thought he should be a warrior and outfitted him with armor. He saw this young boy and figured he would be slaughtered so he up-armored him. Even Saul doubted David and he did not see how God was going to use him until David dropped everything but his sling.
See labels that people use try to define us and try to make us who they think we are. These pressures are so severe that many times we subbcum to the pressures and start believing these labels. Not enough, substandard, cheater, liar, etc. We start wearing these labels to others and start showing others that we are what the label says we are. Unfortunately, we don’t listen to God and believe him on the label he has given us. We are more worried about other fallen people and what this world says we are. This is repeated throughout time that people have labeled others based on outward appearances.
The Egyptians did it to the Jews in Exodus, the Nazis did it to the Jews in WWII, the Hutu did it to the Tutsi in Rwanda, and Americans did it to other religions like the Islamic faith after the 9/11 attacks. It’s a repeating trend throughout history. So why does this happen? Why are we given labels or certain images that we didn’t ask for. The best explanation I think comes from Jesus.
John 15- 18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’[b] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.
If they labeled Jesus as a hieratic, blasphemer, liar, etc. If they did this to Him, why are we surprised that the world labels us. But Jesus knew these were just worldly labels. He knew who he was in God. He knew that he was the Son of Man. He knew he was the redeemer. He knew that he was the Lamb! He remembered……Now it’s our turn to remember. We need to remember that we are a Child of God. We have been make anew. We have been given the best gift from God of salvation and we are under God’s wind. Jesus was our Kingsman Redeemer and we are under the shield of God. If we are under his shield, and he calls us son or daughter then who cares what others say. If my God anointed me and gave me grace, then why am I worried that I have been labeled worthless. If God forgave my sins, then why am I worried about being labeled as a liar or cheater? If God sees that my heart is pure and wanting to please him, then why are we worried about others labeling us as selfish or self-seeking?
You see God looks at you differently. “The Lord does not see as a man sees; For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Sam 16:7
God sees you and still loves you. God saw all of your sins and still waits patiently with his arms open. He saw what you did behind closed doors. He knows your deepest darkest secrets and he still calls you Child. He saw you stumbling and he still says you’re worth it. You’re worth more than anything on this world, so I sent my Son for you. I don’t care what the world says because I see the true you and I want you part of my Heaven.