Rise & Fall

Rise & Fall

Good morning. Welcome. Thanks for coming. Thanks for brazen the snow. It sure seems like we get our winter snow face game faces on As winter progresses our threshold for inclement weather driving seems toe get lower as the year goes on So if the first snow of the year, just everything shuts down. But as the year goes on, we just kinda seem to soldier through, So welcome. Thank you for coming. Thanks for joining us on the livestream. It’s good to be a few this morning. Um, today we are we’re looking at we’re looking at a lot of things we’re looking at. Leadership is one of the main themes that air flowing through these four chapters. We’re we’re playing a little catch up, trying to catch up to what we’re supposed to be so that we can finish Samuel in light of before Easter so you can start a new Siri’s post Easter. And so I am gonna take us on a Samuel plane. We’re all gonna enter the plane. We’re gonna fly over four chapters of your Bible at a pretty decent clip if you’ve looked ahead thes air some long chapters and so we’re gonna we’re gonna book it through some of these. I’m gonna do some summary of what’s going on and pull out some Some, uh, points we can dwell on as a congregation. We’re gonna land the Samuel plane and get out. Look around. Kick the tires, get back into the plane and fly over summarizing some of these passages. These four chapters. So thank you for coming. Our our title today is rises and Falls. We see the rise of Saul King Saul. We see the fall of King Saul throughout this chapter. I know John Maxwell, a famous leadership, uh, teacher has said that everything rises and falls on leadership. That’s very true. And these four chapters as we look at these chapters. So before we dig in and keep going forward, let’s let’s pray and let zlook to the Lord redeem this time to make it worthwhile. So bow your heads with me Let’s pray Got a got a heavenly father Jesus. Thank you for what you’re doing in our life. Thank you for what you’re doing in our life is a church on the on the snowy, super cold Super Bowl. Sunday I ask that you just really redeem Samuel. This these four chapters in our lives make it worthwhile. Make it make the lessons that you want us to learn the lessons you want to teach us. As me as one of the pastors toe all of us, sort of, uh, the brothers and sisters and lords you look at your word together approach is just really pushed. Deepened our souls into the cracks of our souls, Pushing some lessons today that you want to teach us through the your word through your spirit. Thank you for your work. Today I prayed. You just redeem it. Anything that’s just worthless, helping to just roll off our backs and not stick, but anything that is worth While I prayed to just really helping to stick in our minds, we commit this time to you. God in Jesus name. Amen. Okay, so today’s passage pick up in first Samuel, Chapter 12th. It starts off of Ah, farewell address. I worked in corporate America before working here with solar church. I had some men who and women who spent 40 some years of their life 50 years of their life working in corporate America. And you know this sheet cake people are eating a piece of cake and I worked in supply chain. So there’s some brash speak it like it is kind of people on. There’ll be some colorful comments made upper management or management or their peers, and they’re about to leave. You know, no one could do anything. They roast a few people, eat their cake and go retire. And so we pick up in first Samuel, Chapter 12, with, uh, with a little bit of that, Saul is clear. In his mind. Samuel is clearing his mind talking to the elders of Israel. It’s a farewell retirement speech. He talked about what I did wrong. Where did I fail? He asked them that question. It’s kind of like an employer review. There’s this, this tension between AH, lead early in the people and the people of being led by the people. But there’s a healthy transparency and accountability in this. In this conversation, we see this seems healthy. That seems wise, it seems proactive. This is a practice we have been attempting to implement, and we’ve been implanting at greater levels the last few years. As a church, it’s been good and verse verse four of Chapter 12. They give him a clean of health. They say, You’re good, Samuel. You’ve been leading us well, you’ve not corrupted us. You’re not taking advantage of us. They’ve They’ve cleansed his conscience about his life’s work was to lead these people on the love the people of God. We followed Samuel’s life from a little boy a couple weeks ago, getting called, not knowing the voice of God from the voice of man all the way up to his retirement speech. Here in Chapter 12. Samuel then reminds the people it is the Lord that chooses leaders. It’s the Lord that chooses leaders, and he reminds him of Aaron. He reminds about Moses, and then in Verse eight, he talks through about the history of God leading his people, and he gives the highlight of the different judges that have judged and led the people of God as a representative of God. Speaking to the people on God’s behalf, his calling, his occupation, he talks about, he reminds them that God has chosen leaders, and he reminds them of this pattern of God protecting and providing for the people of Israel. The people of Israel, growing distant and having idols in their heart and wanting to be like the other nations around them. Then wandering from God, the enemies of the people have got railing up. The people repent to come back to God. God hammers their enemies and protects and provides for his people on this pattern has been going on for quite some time. He points out that pattern of disobedience and he left a ton out on DWI. Continue on. We’re gonna land the Samuel plane in first Samuel, Chapter 12, verse 12. And so we wanna land on these verses a little bit and look around picking up the verse 12 and then Samuels talking, he says. But when you saw that Nash, King of the Emirates was coming against you, you said to me, No, we must have a king over us, even though the Lord your God is your king and you just proved how much God has faithfully been there King for for centuries. What what prompted them? What prompted them? Asked for a king, and Samuel connects those dots in the continuing passages, he connects the dots about what it was in the hearts of the people of visuals that made them reject God is their king and embrace a human king. There was never a time in the nation of Israel. What God didn’t protect them. There was never a time where God didn’t care for them. There was never a time where God didn’t provide for them. It’s the people. And what did the nation of Israel do? They ran from the Lord. They rejected the wisdom of God leading of God, and they embraced the wisdom of man. I’m gonna make this try to make this personal to our life. Who are some of the Amah rights that are threatening your fortress of your soul? Who are some of the evil kings in your life that are trying to lay siege to areas in your life? Are there areas in your life that you’re prone ing to not trusting in the Lord and trusting in the wisdom of man? Some examples you’re going to college. I’m going to college. That’s what everyone else does. I’m going to buy the most expensive car. The bank will loan me that much money. I’m gonna get as much money as they can to buy the biggest car I can cause That’s what everyone else does. I’m going. I’m gonna be a xccikcstar possible to the people of God. That’s what everyone else does. I’m gonna go is far as I can with my girlfriend. That’s what everyone else does. I’m gonna skip is much serving opportunities that come along in my normal life. That’s what everyone else does. I’m gonna read my Bible 2 to 3 times a year. That’s what everyone else does. I mean, we we tell ourselves some pretty nice, crafty lies as people. I’ll ask you again. Who are the Emirates? The kings that are laying siege to your soul where you’re not trusting and obeying God, and you’re lacking faith in your life. And then we see a transitional statement here in verse 13. Now, here is the king. I assume Samuel references all you have chosen the one you’ve requested. Look, this is the king the Lord has placed over you. If you fear the Lord and worship the Lord and worship and obey him And if you don’t rebel against the Lord’s commands, then both you and the king who reign over you will follow the Lord your God. But he transitions here However, if you disobey the Lord and Rebel against his commands, the Lord’s hand will be against you and it will. And it was, as it was also against your ancestors. Not even King Saul can save them if their hearts rebel against the Lord and they don’t worship the Lord, their one true God, not even a king in this new monarchy can save them. We’ve seen versus 17 and 18 Lightning in a thunderstorm comes up as God, showing who he is to the Nation of Israel of and they repent on. There’s a physical harm. There’s also a financial harm of that whole transaction that occurred at those two verses. And then in verse 19, we kind of get a glimmer. If you read verse 19, you’ll get a glimmer that these people’s authenticity did not seem to be genuinely repentant. I mean, we’re really good at smelling out fakeness in our culture. We don’t watch fake music. We don’t We don’t like toe watch fake TV shows. If someone seems fake like that’s not really. I like to watch authentic, genuine people. The people of Israel seem to be lacking authentic, genuine repentance. They seem to really not have a heart that was genuinely broken to God. And then let’s look at Verse 20 Chapter 12, Verse 20 Samuel replied. Don’t be afraid. Even though you have committed all this evil, Don’t turn away from the Lord. Don’t turn away from following the Lord. Instead, worship the Lord with all of your heart. Don’t trust. Don’t turn away toe worthless things that can’t profit or rescue. They are worthless. So if this is not, if good biblical repentance, actually asking for genuine change of life repentance. Forgiveness was not modeled in the last couple of sections we looked at what is genuine posture, repentance look like for us, his people. And so I wrote this out. This is this is very fancy. His copyright pending this is This is very intellectual thinking here, but let’s let’s think through what it looks like. Just a little soapbox moment here This moment. The next three minutes can save your marriage that can save your future relationships. You can maybe get a fiance and a girlfriend if you play your cards right and learn this. Men and women, this is this is very important. And so postures. Repentance is like emotional intelligence. One on one. Just what does that look like? We’re going to circle the wagon here for a second. I’m gonna continue on on our journey, but 0.0. You got to hear it. You gotta hear it when someone comes to you. If a hurt of frustration and a fence, you gotta hear it. So think of your mind, your body, your spirit. So think of your body. If your you know your arms across your face is you know you’re looking like you know that is not the posture of someone about to hear someone. If someone comes to you and says, Hey, I’m offended. You cut me off leaving the parking lot at church and threw a snowball at me as you left. And you go like this. That’s not a good posture of repentance. So think of your mind. If your mind thinks there is no earthly way that that was may there is no way in the world this person is right. This is just a fact. This is lies. This person has no clue what they’re saying. Your mind might write them off before their mouth even opens up. And then think of your spirit. Think of your spirit. It’s intellectually attacking them in your mind, waiting for them to be quiet so you can attack them. Think of your spirit if someone approaches you and share something if you that throwing a snowball at you because you’re driving out of the parking lot was mean. And your spirit, if you’re like, how dare they do they know who I am? Oh, my God. No, no, That’s not good, right? We’re supposed to laugh a little bit at the person next to you, you know, laugh around. All right. So 00.0, you hear it? Game over, right. A lot of you lost that round. All right, so if you escalate level of 2.2, um, in your mind, body spirit, a wise person makes a person that corrects them. Their best friend, They don’t just hear it. They go look for it. They find people that are lovingly instruct them and give them an input. So confess it. So let’s say this together. You came to church. You’re brave. Let’s say this together. You are right. That was wrong. You are right. That was wrong. Some of you I don’t hear you, all right, so if you confess it, think of like it’s hard to get in a fight with someone who’s very humble. I was in a marriage conference a couple years ago in this building with many of you couples, and the pastor said, in a Couples that are fighting the first one to apologize, his more mature. And I was like, Game on, I will never lose that apology. Race to the bottom first. I will apologize so fast and you will just get just gets mad. And he’s like, I wanna fight and talk this out like I’m sorry. That was wrong. So many women. This is important. You need. You need to be able to You need to just build a here it and then you need to confess when there’s mistakes. Last I checked, you ain’t perfect. None of us are perfect. We need to be in the ability to confess that we made mistakes and they need to own it. You need to own when we make mistakes and we have failures and shortcomings, you need to own it. We don’t like people that don’t own mistakes and failures. We if you don’t have a robust relationship with people in your life that air, riel. Not just fake relationships, but genuinely, really authentic relationships. You need to build a have this thing called reconciliation where you just kind of deep scrub the relationship. Is there anything else? Yeah, that was wrong. I shouldn’t have done that. Is there anything else? Because the thing of who we are, most of us, the vast majority of people you talk Thio conflict is like an iceberg. You see a little bit on the top and there’s a whole lot underneath the water. Does that make sense? So ah, wise person, a wise young man or woman who wants to grow up of emotionally healthy relationships is gonna ask the question. Ah, didn’t mean to do that. That was not smart. Wow. Before you say you forgive May you got to say, Is there anything else? Because they’re probably something else. It’s wise to ask that and then seek forgiveness. Will you forgive me? We teach little kids this. Can you imagine someone who goes to their life without apologizing? Think about think about relationships you had that came to an end. It’s because someone didn’t do this whole process? Well, they deny that there’s blame. They did not seek forgiveness. They did not seek to reconcile. They did not want to hear it. This is like a relationship ending conversation. If it’s done poorly, will you seek forgiveness? Think of how horrible that I think of people in your life that will not say I’m sorry. Will you forgive me? Let’s say it together. Will you forgive me? 123 If you can say that you can’t have long term friendships, people, this is this is part of human. Were learned were designed of being relationship ships of people and learn together and the context of a healthy Christian community. We gotta get this church and then seek restitution. Make it right. Words are cheap. Actions speak louder than words. You gotta change your calendar. You gotta change your plans. You gotta change your you gotta change If you’re just in this little crazy cycle of always fake apologizing and ever changing. That’s not Riel. Think of like I loaned my car out So many college kids over the years. It’s about to die old. My old car is about to die. I’ve had it for 12 years, I think, and it zits struggling. My mechanic said, You should make some plans, so I’m gonna. And so when your mechanic tells you that, let’s get nasty. So the main damage that’s done to my car on the outside is when I’ve loaned it out to college kids. And there’s a variety of college kids who borrowed my car. And this one time they borrowed it went to a conference in Iowa and like this, this beat along the top of the car got ripped off. Somehow, I don’t know what happened. I wasn’t in my car this other time to borrow the same car. They parked it in downtown Des Moines during some big conference, and it was like New Year’s Night in some Driver hit it and drove off, so it wasn’t really their fault. They apologized that they’re wrong. But if you look at my car today, you know no reconciliation has occurred. My insurance company reconciled with me, the college student that borrowed it, the multiple kids. Over multiple years, I borrowed it. No one ever offered a penny, you know. So the apologies were great. I took the insurance company money. And I said, That’s no big deal And I took my wife to Hawaii on our 10 year anniversary years ago. It was great, but But anyways, there’s this process of true repentance. I really went on a rabbit trail. We’re coming back to the text. Verse 22. The Lord will not abandon his people, Solomon continues, that teaches people reminding them of their history how God will not abandon you. The Lord will not abandon his people. I’m gonna say a third time. The Lord will not abandon his people. So let’s all say that together. We’re having fun today. The Lord will not abandon his people. Do you believe that, Christian? Do you genuinely believe that If you didn’t say it, you might not believe it. If you said it, you might not believe it. Do you genuinely believe the Lord will not abandon you? That is a really tell. Tell why you need to do some more reading and have some more conversation of some people. If you don’t believe that this is the theme throughout the entire Old Testament to the New Testament, Goddess faithfully protected and provided and pastored his people. He’s faithfully cared for. His people were picking up in verse 23 Chapter 12, Verse 23. As for me, Samuel, talking to the people, I vow that I will not sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you. I have a reach. I will reach you the good and right way above all, Fear the Lord and worship him faithfully with all your heart. Consider the great things he has done for you. However, if you continue to do what is evil, both you and your king will be swept away. I love Samuel has the same job description that I have in the 21st century. Samuels Job description as a judge, as a religious leader of the people of God is the same as mine. He’s supposed to instruct and he supposed to intercession, pray for the people and intercession on behalf of the people. My job from the New Testament is to preach the word and to pray for the people. I i p. P. It’s nice that God got it right in the Old Testament, The same job for us in the New Testament as spiritual leaders. Our job is to be prayerfully leading our people, which I assume is not live streamed on the Internet, which is something you privately dio, and your job is to instruct your people in the word of God. It’s encouraging to see that it’s encouraging that we have a member role now at Sewer Church, of people that are members of the church that we should be praying for that we are praying for. It just makes you feel like I’m doing my job right now. It’s subjective. I pray for the things that come to mind, which happens, but it’s nice to build to say, You know, I pray for you every Tuesday morning. If you remember this church every Tuesday morning, it’s encouraging to my soul to see that in this passage, spiritual leadership is immersed in God’s word. It’s immersed in prayer. Have you ever wondered, though, So, like most sermons, you’re going to hear from me and most pastors, it’s like here’s three snippy, memorable rhymed up points and they hit him and you remember them to your car. The next time you see me and I see you, I forgot them, too, So that’s fine. That’s the way we preach to the Bible. Usually that’s not perfect. It’s just the way. And so I have one thought. I’m going to try to hammer as many times as I can throughout the rest of this chapter’s. Why do we dio what we dio when we do what we’re supposed to dio? Great. When we don’t do what we’re supposed to dio, What the heck’s up with that? Why we fear we fear people. We feel this culture. We do things because we don’t fear God. We do things we know we shouldn’t dio. Why do we do what we dio Men and women? Christian and Believer? Why do we do what we dio Until then? If you keep reading, you’re going to see they Solomon addresses that he talks about. He talks about this concept of fearing God. When you think Fear God, I shouldn’t be afraid of God. I’m supposed to love God. I’m supposed to be afraid of God. I’m supposed to fear God, and it just it depends on, like your view of fear, your context. You’ve seen that growing up, modeled by your parents, modeled by authorities modeled by you know, your boss model model by your culture. It’s respect, awe, reverence for God. So then saw Samuel talks about this, you know, carrot and the wit kind of concept throughout the rest of this for the next few verses he talks about. If you obey God, this will happen. It’s kind of like a parent talking to a child, saying, if you don’t stop hitting your sister driving home, you’re not gonna get tablet time when you get home. You’re like I might have heard that before. If you don’t do this, you’re gonna have a time out. If you don’t do this, I’m not. The lovingly discipline you. If you don’t do this, things are gonna happen to you. There’s an opportunity cost that happens for a decision because the kids in the room were looking at each other and smiling. That conversation you remember as a kid or you just heard last week from your parent. If you’re in the room, that is a reality, and so you respect you see the light opportunity cost of what I want versus what I know will happen. You’ve chosen what you want or what you know will happen. That is just That’s the paradigm. Most Children grow out of growing up This same principle, uh, carries into the whole concept of fearing the Lord. There’s a healthy respect for the Lord. Ah, healthy fear of the Lord. A healthy off Got a healthy acknowledging the authority that God has in your life. God will do what he says he will do you all better. Believe it. God will not be proven a liar. Every word of his Bible will come true. We will reap what we sow. God is a God who loves us and tell it like it ISS and we get a pick Our own adventure book. Ever seen those books before? Choose your own adventure book because interact here. Let’s see any hands. Hey, look atyou, readers. Yes, those books are fun. You want to climb the cliff? You wanna repel off on a rope? You know you’re gonna pick your choose your own adventure. Christianity lays out for you The whole concept of God loves you. He knows what’s going on. Choose your own adventure God’s way or the other way, The highway or God’s way. There’s so many. There’s just we get way Get it all laid out for us as we choose how to live this life. And we better believe God will do what he says he will dio just be wise. I’ve been praying this morning that you will be rises. You realize there’s things in this world that will hurt you and are bad for you. There’s things in this world that will hurt you and are bad for you. Moses. Address this whole concept about fearing God in Exodus 2020. So it’s like 2020 vision Exodus 2020. Moses speaking to the Nation of Israel right after he gave them the 10 Commandments. Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery. No other gods remember the 10 Commandments? No, no coveting neighbors cupboards. Rumor. Don’t swear. Take God’s name in vain. That’s five of the 10 some of you looking like because you can call them. I don’t know way should. I was not scripted. There’s 10 Commandments and then Moses shares those 10 commands with the people of Israel. He says them don’t be afraid, for God has for God has come to test you so that you will fear him and will not sin your fear of God. You respect your all your reverence, your worship of God that you have of God keeps you from sinning. Your lack of fear of God respect, reverence you have for God allows you to sin the fact that we don’t have this healthy paradigm of fear. Ah, healthy respect of God is why many of us in we fear our social media more than we fear God. We fear our boss more than we respect God. We fear our culture. We fear money. We fear relationships more than we let give authority to God in those areas. We, as people as a posture, are prone to not worshiping and fearing God. Fear of God will keep you from sinning, Christian. It’s like driving home in the snow. You’re driving. You’re driving fast. You’re feeling good. Your song came on the radio, Your cars warm For some reason you’re tapping your foot. You’re feeling good Like all these other people. I got four wheel drive and you start driving faster and faster and faster. And then you look to the right and then some restaurants sitting in the parking lots of cop car. He’s looking at you. You look at him. What do you dio your heart drops into your boots you’re wearing this morning. You’re like, uh, you start breaking a little bit, pump the brakes, pump the brakes, Remember, pump the brakes, you start slowing down. You start like you start looking in your rear view mirror. You have a respect. Ah, fear for police because you’ve send in the past and gotten stopped classes. Or you’ve had very rough run ins with the police. And they’ve terrified you. Or, you know, you were doing wrong being a menace to the society of people trying to get home. When you see an authority figure, who is the authority and you come face to face of each other and you’re not in the right, your soul, your conscience, makes you slow down, makes you slow down your fear of God or lack of fear of God is what keeps you from sin. Because you fear of authority. You respect authority, you you give honor to authority. That authority is God. First Exodus 2020. Don’t be afraid for God has come to test you so that you will not fear that you will fear him and will not send. And we’re gonna We’re gonna verse. We’re gonna Chapter 13 moving on in the Chapter 13, jumping into verse to Saul has an organized standing army for the first time in the nation of Israel’s history. It’s about 3000 soldiers. This is the first for the nation visual. They’re growing up as a nation. They have a standing army, Um, but right now the Philistines occupy their nation, and they’re way more advanced is what you’ll see in those falling verses There were, They have, like a tons of chariots, which is like, which is like F 16 fighter pilots or drone planes or something. Nowadays, they’re very advanced weaponry. A chariot. It’s pretty fancy if you got a couple of us standing around a few weapons and chariot comes rolling down on you. Those air those air like fancy military. They have all these horse riders, and they have a large, robust army, and they occupy Israel. If these garrisons of soldiers the exact amount is, you know, I don’t know, 22 50 something is in a range of a garrison. They’re scattered all over the nation of Israel. But all those soldiers in garrison need something or they want something. They go on to get it from the homes and the villages of the Israeli people. So they’re unoccupied, oppressed people group. And then Jonathan goes off and stirs the bucket up here, stirs the pot and goes and fights a garrison is we’re going to read about Chapter 13, which I’d like to spend most of the time about Verse four. You see, Sol does not like the limelight. Doesn’t like sharing the spotlight with others, even his own son, Jonathan. There seems to be two minds what everyone else thinks happened. What saw things happened and Saul’s words about what happened is like he recreated history in his mind in real time because he’s got an ego. He’s got some things he’s working on. We’ll see as he continues to play out his life. Verse five. The Philistines flex on the nation of Israel so much that they tell them you can’t even own a sword. And if you have livestock equipment that needs to get sharpen because you’re agricultural people, you gotta bring that to us on. We will sharpen your winnowing stuff and you’re prodding and your tools for you. You don’t get a have blacksmiths, which, which is, ah, way to really keep people from wanting to attack you. When you think of these battle scenes in the early parts of Saul, Sam Samuel’s life, Saul’s grain, you think of like King Leonidas and swords and shields and rippling bodies fighting each other. You know, I’ve seen movies like you Come on, but really we’ll see that the king and his son had a sword. Everyone else, they don’t have a sort. And so I’m supposed to be a history teacher, and I remember in World War One just trying to find a 21st century example. There’s some bleak battles in World War One history where Russia was attacking some cities and they didn’t have enough weapons and they have enough bullets. And so they sent soldiers into battle, saying, You have a gun and when he gets shot, pick up the gun and keep taking that point. That is not fun. And if you retreated, they would shoot you. That’s brutal. So think of think of like not fully funded military going against an advanced military of its day. We see in verse eight. Saul gets impatient with Samuel and ultimately is impatient of God that this practice, where they come together, they consult the Lord, cast the, um and the thumb. And they would see God’s direction for his nation if they would attack the Philistine army or not. And so I became impatient. His people were scattering. He was indecisive. He was fearful. Samuel showed up just when he was supposed thio. God is just in time, right on time delivery all the time and Saul gets called out by Samuel. We see in the following verses, but we see Saul defending himself in versus 10 to 12. When Samuel shows up, Saul gets corrected and we c zero sorrow zero acceptance, zero repentance and no humility. In King Saul’s heart, we see him spinning and blaming and explaining everything away. It’s everyone else’s fault but him. Saul is a fool, not Samuel. Samuel calls him out and Verse 13, verse 14. We hear that, like the Lord is done with you is what Samuel says and you will be replaced of a new king. But Saul stays in power for 20 more years, which I’m sure will impact in the future weeks. So I just wanna pass here. Saul made mistakes. I just blew over them not giving the text of Justice David, if you never read ahead. David has made some horrific mistakes. Saul’s killed his thousands. David has killed his 10 Thousands is a is a Is a song a saying that the people would sing later, after David’s main fight Saul had sent, David had sent an even greater ways. What is the difference between these two men? Between Saul and David? King David is described as a man after God’s own heart. Saul described is a tall, good looking man. King David cares about his Walk of God and wrote All these psalms we’ve seen as hymns. On Sunday morning, he wrote a bunch of the Book of Psalms. King David has a heart. When he’s approached by people for things, he’s done that sinful. He repents. He gets low, he yields. He does not fight against God or the people that approaching him. Saul has a completely different paradigm of spending and blaming and all sorts of things. We just have looked at real briefly. The one man had a heart after God. The other man had a heart for promoting and prompting up someone’s his own self. One man lost his kingdom. The other one kept his kingdom, and both men sent an amazingly heroic ways. The Bible is brutal. Explaining how much these men failed. Both men were lacking kings. One of the repentant, humble king. The other was an unrepentant, proud king. How does that apply to us? We should never minimize sin in our life. Christian Big center. Small sin. We should be on a warpath against sin. We should care deeply about sin in our lives. You think God’s grace is so big? It’s like an ocean and my sins like a rock I throw into the ocean. Okay, yes, but you, God still hate sin. And we should hate sin Like God. I heard analogy on Friday from a group of pastors talking about God’s heart. For us is people is like God. The father has the heart for his people. He loves his people. But he hates the sin. He heard that before. God loves me. He hates the sin, right? God loves people. He hates the center. You’ve heard that right? It’s like if you had a child who had health, who had cancer. You desperately love your son or daughter. Desperately love your son or daughter and you hate the cancer. You desperately hate that cancer, and you’re gonna do everything to eradicate that cancer that will kill and steal and destroy your son or daughter’s future. Because you hate the cancer. You don’t ignore the cancer and embrace your child. You you get specialist, you get health, you help you get treatment and, God, God willing heels your son and daughter from the cancer. But you don’t trivialize the cancer. You don’t play games with cancer. You don’t minimize the case. It’s OK. Rub some Ben Gay on it. You’ll be okay, son. It’s a big deal, and it’s going to wreck the future of your son or daughter. That’s the same kind of heart God has for the sin of cancer in her life. Men and women never been in my sin. When we see sin, we should not tolerate it. We should not allow it. We need toe lovingly talk to each other about it. We need to know there’s a gravity await to your sin. There is nothing nothing in our life that justifies disobedience. One act of disobedience leads to the unraveling of Saul’s entire life and It’s wild because, Samuel says, if you would have obeyed, God would have established you and your kingdom in your lineage. But because of this pattern of disobedience we’ve seen throughout his whole life, up till this point is just continuing this pattern. Disobedience, the god just letting him choose is on the venture Saul had. His life is defined by half truths, half obedience, half obeying God, half faiths instead of a full blooded repentance of full blooded obedience of full blooded faith. Sin leads the death. Sin leads decline. Sin leads the separation. The rise and fall of our lives is determined upon it. How we handle sin in our lives if we wink at it, if we embrace it, if we trivialize it, that’s what everyone else is doing. Every other Christians doing this. Every other person in my small group, I think, is doing this. All the other couples do this. All the other single people I know do this. If that’s how you view sin, you’re on track to be like Saul versus 15 through 18. The Army fizzles out. They have no vision. They scatter, the no battle occurs. Jonathan and Saul have this larger army. It consolidates down to 600 people. And scholars say that right now, the ratio of good guys too bad guys Israel lights to Phyllis Teens is a 50 to 1 ratio. That’s not good. I don’t mean on top of it. They don’t have armor. So that’s that’s just bad. Verse 19 talks about the armor I got ahead of myself. We pick up in, uh, Chapter 14 verse, one the easier to ask for permission verse the easier to ask for forgiveness than permission verse that we have caught before. First Samuel, 14, Verse one. We learned that Jonathan has a different heart. He’s cut from a different cloth. He has a different integrity, has a different decision making process. He doesn’t fear people. He fears God. He has a desire to step out on faith because he has a real relationship of God. Jonathan is different than his father. Jonathan doesn’t do whatever else is doing. Jonathan is filled with faith. His faith is bold and he steps out in a bold, active faith. Jonathan takes an initiative. Jonathan is decisive, and we see in verse six. He’s too Rocky Cliffs, Chapter 14, Verse six Jonathan said to his attendant, who carried his weapons. Come on, let’s cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps perhaps the Lord will help us. Nothing can keep the Lord from saving. Whether by many or few. Perhaps the Lord will help us. Let’s try. Let’s go for it. Let’s perhaps perhaps what a entrepreneurial kind of spirit. Let’s try. Let’s see what guys gonna dio we when we when we reject this narrative, if I’m gonna do whatever else is doing, we need to embrace a different mental narrative. In my mind, I’m not gonna do whatever else is doing. Okay, then what are you going to do with your life? What are you going to do if your sexuality what you gonna do if your your finances, What you gonna do if your calendar what you gonna do if your career what you gonna do? If you’re parroting, What you gonna do your home life? If you’re not gonna do what everyone else is doing? If you’re going to be different, what is going on in your head? Well, I say we need a faith like Okay, what I do with that we have faith like Jonathan. Okay, I’m not gonna attack people, Mike. All right, so let’s keep talking here. What we dio Ideally, we have, Ah, faith. That is an act of faith and active faith. What I’m not gonna do whatever else is doing, okay, What you gonna do? I’m gonna have an active faith and active faith in your life is one unlocks the promises of God. An active, robust riel. Time live streaming. I’m gonna do this because I love God. I’m gonna do this because I respect God because I worship God because God is worthwhile and I wanna honor God. I’m gonna do this because I wanna please, God, I’m gonna do this with good motives is what we’ve been talking about the last couple weeks. I’m gonna do this because I love God. I’m tryingto work for God. Serve God. Please, God, because I respect God. I fear God in a good way. Have a healthy fear about something to do this. So what is it that you’re doing? What? What do you have faith for in your life right now? What promises has God given you? Personal promises for errors, your life? What are you trusting in God for in your life right now. What do you trust in God for in your life right now? Well, let’s answer the question that’s going through most of your minds. What if it doesn’t work? What if it doesn’t work? Well, you’re not gonna go attack 20 people with one sword and a guy who doesn’t have a sword who are fully aren’t That’s not what you’re thinking you’re thinking of. Should I grab a one? Your bible on my way out of here? Should I grab a beginning? Christ bobble study out here and take my friend through it? Should I call up someone on the way home and see how they’re doing and checking out that friend who I’m worried about? Should I should I grab coffee? Should I go to small group for the first time? Should I served for the first time? Should I park up the street and walk for the first time? You know, there’s these steps we’re taking that God wants us to take in faith. What do you do if it doesn’t work? What if you think I’m gonna talk to the new person over there? What happens if I talk to them and it falls out of my face. It doesn’t work out well, we’ll move on. You’ll be okay. What if you go to small group? It wasn’t amazing the first time. We’ll move on. Do it anyways. Try it again the second time. Try another small group. We got a lot of them. You can float around. Final group. What if it doesn’t work? That’s not a faith question. What if it doesn’t work? You’ll get over it. If it doesn’t work, you’ll get over it. I remember two stories about it not working in my life. Well, no one’s about me once about my kids once funny. What about me is I graduate from college? I worked with College Ministry a lot and I didn’t pray about it. I think it council I just jumped into working at Creighton University is a hall director running their largest freshman hall at Creighton University. I thought Army of one just like the U. S. Military at the time. I’m gonna go in there, and I’m gonna help stir the pot up and start a second college group all by my lonesome, and I’m starting to date my fiance and got engaged. And I was worthless at a lot of stuff. I wasn’t really focused. And and I floundered, and I was failing. Does that make sense to God? Failed? No. Was that God’s will for my life? No. Jack. Knowledge rather this isn’t really working out. Let’s get out of here. Yes. And did I jump ship? Yes. And I creating Still good in Gaza. Plan for create university? Yes. And my in that plan? No. So what? I stepped on faith. I tried. I could have done things better. I’m not gonna make that mistake again. I’m never gonna go alone somewhere again. I’m never gonna not gonna council again. I’m never gonna not read my Bible and just make a decision again. E learned some good lessons that were worth learning and that season in my life. All right. So my sons, Aaron, basketball, which is funny. I know because I’m not a basketball player. And so my sons, Aaron, basketball and at this age knocks his poor kid. He’s playing with the 10 9 and 10 year olds we’ve We’ve pushed him up in age ah year. But at this age, that skill level of nine and 10 year olds. They ain’t Duncan No. One shooting a three throw, three point shot. Three throws are at the edge of their strength to build a shoot a three throw right now. So it’s just kind of like it’s fun. It’s different. But the goal right now is that your kid gets the ball that they turn and they just throw it up there before their friends. I’ll tackle them. The goal is that they just throw it at the board. They’re just taking a little step of faith. And e think MBA players on a great night make about half their shots. It’s like Steph Curry, LeBron James level. But I mean, these kids are not making half their shots, but the fact that they’re taking a shot is exciting. We need to have that. Jonathan, Let’s see what happens. Let’s try it. This is not a good plan. Just so you know, all the strategies people in the room was like, That ain’t smart. It ain’t smart. You’re right. This is not good. Let’s climb down. They can see us. Let’s climb up there. Probably stay on the edge of the cliff. That could be urinating or spitting. They see us coming, were crawling up our hands and feet up this cliff. You can go to Israel today and see this entire area. I’m camping way too long right now on the spot. They step out on faith, and they have a bold faith. There’s this creeping into Christianity that we’re gonna do what everyone else is doing. Some of us won’t jump unless you see everything laid out for you. Some of you won’t step out on faith until there’s no faith that’s required of you. Some of you. You could be kind of negative and pessimistic to the point where it poisons your faith. If you’re starting a new faith venture and your thoughts go towards, it’s too big to fail is to strategic to stink. That’s not the way God faith thinks. That’s the way, man. People think it’s not a faith venture. It’s a faith hustle. You’re hustling and calling it faith. There’s a man senator way to think of the future. And then there’s a faithful God centered off who knows what God will dio. Maybe God will do something. Let’s try it. Let’s step out on faith. We gotta watch ourself talk on our head. If we’re thinking like a way people can think without God, looking at the problems of God and the people of God, that is not a faith filled view of ourself. Head talk because we think about what’s going on. Are you trusting? In fact, are you trusting in and are you trusting in faith? Do you have faith in the thing or faith in a plan? Or is your faith in the person your faith in the character in the promises of a faithful faith? God be willing to be wrong? That’s okay. Be willing to try things. That’s excellent. Try things. That is excellent. This Bruce Arians, Super Bowl 55 quote. We gotta we gotta have a football. Not here, Bruce Arian says. No. Risk it. No biscuit. Live by the sword. Die by the sword. I mean, there’s joking, Coach speak that we have out there. But you got to be willing to try things. Create courageous Christianity is what we’re supposed to be. Ah, cowardly Christian is an oxymoron. A Christian lives in the face of the culture against the world, the devil in the flesh. He’s got a lot going against him, and we’ll call to step out in faith and obey God. Who knows? Perhaps God will join us. Think of your New Testament, Peter and the boat and the disciples in the boat and the storm and the Wind and the waves and Jesus and Peter having a conversation, he says. Join me. One guy jumped out of the boat and walked on water, and then he looked around the wind waves and he sank. Remember that. Remember that. Do you want to be a guy in the boat who’s criticizing the Peter? You, Peter, Go out there and sink. It’ll be great. Jesus. Gotcha. He’s faithfully provided for you. God will lead us if we never try something that only God has to bail us out off. I don’t know how much faith we have as individuals I’m doing. I’m going to do what everyone else is doing. Those people don’t get their names in the Bible unless it’s for bad things. We need to be men and women of courage and faith in God and have a backbone not be the squishy Christianity. Cowardly Christians is not really your job description were socially humble men and women. We need to be courageous, faithful men, women because we love God. We love the loss. We love the mission. We’re stepping out in faith. I mean, make life hard for the pastors because you have a heart like Jonathan. You want to try things. You want to step on Faith. You wanna make God’s name great. Bring glory to God’s name. You want to see the law? Say you wanna build them up in their faith. Make life hard because you’re trying things in faith that is, I think there’s a tension there. Make my life difficult because you all want to go be missionaries to plant churches. Make life difficult because you want to multiply your small group and grow and reach more people because the reach more people we have to get smaller. Make life difficult because you want to serve and start ministry to the lost in this city and raise up disciples that are actually healthy. Mature disciples of Christ make our life difficult as pastors because you’re trying to do so much for God. That is a wonderful problem to have be the first to serve first of sacrifice, first toe yield to the word of God. The leaders of God trust that God will lead you at the right time. We desperately need Jonathan’s in our church, and we desperately need armor bears in our church. Armor Bearer doesn’t get his name in the Bible for his act of faith. He he demonstrated faith, too. The Army. Barrett was not doing what everyone else was doing. He followed. He followed Jonathan off a cliff down a cliff and up a cliff into a acre of land of 20 soldiers. Two of them fought everyone and killed everyone fighting back to back. That is not normal. That armor bearer could have came upto Jonathan spine his spirituals spine and just rip the spine right out of him, metaphorically speaking. And he could have been like, You want to do what? That’s stupid. CIA and bounce. I mean, you realize being the tip of the spear on the hand that holds that spear. Neither superior, they’re all stepping out. Faith, The armor bearer has heroic faith in verse seven. He says this his armor bearer responded. Do what is in your heart. You decide I’m right here with you. Whatever you decide that is the uncanny man. We need uncanny men and women like that in our church that have heroic hearts. It’s like he poured gas on the flame of Jonathan’s Faith. Report gas on a flame before I did. Once the fumes let my jacket on fire. My family’s watching me do something stupid. I threw my jacket on the ground and melted like in like, four seconds. It was a ridiculous my plastic code. I guess I was wearing did not handle the heat at all. This whole stop drop and roll mantra. I’ve only been in fire one time in my life. It was terrible. You think that would happen? More of how much we told kids that growing up. But we need both Jonathan’s and we need both armor bearer’s to do what God is calling us to Dio to not be like this culture. Not to be like cultural, marginal Christianity, we need heroic Jonathan’s and heroic armor bears. One is not more important than the other. An honor of Super Bowl Sunday we need We need Tom Brady’s and Patrick Mahomes that are gonna drop back and throw passes, but you know what they really need to be playing an amazing game this weekend. The Super Bowl, the guy on the left side of the line that protects them from, uh, Tampa Bay’s front floor. That’s what Patrick Mahomes things this week and their backups. Lord, help everyone be healthy. I’m just saying those linemen that get the back, those armored bears who you don’t even know their names who protect the blind side of this quarterbacks. And they felt that keep the two quarterbacks. We know their names. Maybe some of us know their names standing upright. If they get tackled, someone to do their job, it’s the left guard. Can Cities. Left guard Eric Fisher is out. He’s a first round draft pick from eight years ago. He’s out. He’s hurt. There’s two backups in on the left side, and they got a hold off some scary people. And so Donovan Smith, you don’t know his name? Donovan Smith. If he messes up, Tom Brady got hit lit up. Okay, we need armored Bears and Jonathan’s in this world. That’s my Super Bowl nod. We’re finishing up here soon, so next step, be an armor bearer or be a Jonathan and grab a one year Bible from our churches resource library and invite someone to be a wingman or wing woman and invite someone to go grab a cup of coffee. If you build a relationship, build trust and go through a beginning Christ Bible study, grab a one year Bible on the way out the door and heroically start sharing your verses with a photo to a friend in your small group. I’m start to hold each other accountable as you read the Bible for the first time, have a little faith venture a next step that you do, and you include someone with you as you do it. Church. We’re better together as a church. See what God does. Perhaps the Lord will safe and lead us. People get saved and grow in their faith. Ben and I got an email this morning from a guy who was in this church years ago who years ago went through a little beginning Christ Bible study with someone and it didn’t go well in his mind. And then, like I wrote him an email 20 years later that God did these amazing things in his life. The word of God is powerful. Let it out in your life, people. So Verse 14 14, 2 men killed 20 men in half an acre. I gotta move 1st 44. Saul made a rash oath previously, and you made a rash off that no one could eat until the Lord executes vengeance on the enemies of God. So the Philistine Army is running in a panic. They get scared. The panic, The Lord comes on them. They’re just fleeing the Israelites to pursuing them. Verse 45 I saw Jonathan dips his spear into the little bit of honey and his eyes light up, and it continues to pursue the enemy verse 44 46 to 52. Sol goes on a power trip and is telling us soldiers that, you know, they cast the, um, in the film about who sinned and who ate food. And it wasn’t the Army. It was Saul or his family. And then it wasn’t Sol or his sons. It was him and his Jonathan and Jonathan’s like, you’re gonna kill me, too. And so I was like, I am going to kill you like a crazy person. And the soldiers like No, this is the hero of the day. Not the guy we’re gonna kill. They protect just he started to lose his mind is what it seems like is what scholars point at the lucidity of solace interest called into play. They’re gonna chapter 15, which I’m going to summarize in three points we see in chapter 15 The Holiness of God comes in direct conflict with the UN Holiness of the World. And we also see in chapter 15 that Saul never really grasped what a covenant kingship looked like. His kingship was defined by not true obedience and true devotion is defined by half obedience, half truths and half devotions solves motives are all man centered, fear centered, self image of SAS motives. As we conclude as we close, what are you going to dio? Are you gonna do what everyone else is doing? Christian, I’m doing what everyone else is doing is a good way to get an STD Christian. Doing what everyone else is doing is a good way to get broke. Christian. Doing what everyone else is doing is a great way to be addicted to your phone, doing what everyone else is doing. Parent is a great way to have your smartphone to be the real parent of your kid. Reading your Bible 2 to 3 times a year is what everyone else is doing. In mainstream Christianity, God is looking for faith filled, loving men and women who will step out and radical steps of obedience in reading their Bible daily and pursuing holiness on saving yourself for marriage on church attendance. Prioritizing the people of God prioritizing the people of God in community group on living a life filled of generosity, community in the gospel God is calling us as men and women to be radical in our obedience and stepping on faith. When we do what we are supposed to dio, things work out usually Well, when we don’t do we’re supposed to do, we will fail. And the reality is, if you’re thinking about your last week, your last morning, you are a lot like Saul. I am a lot like Saul. We’re not like Jonathan. We’re not like David. We’re not like King Jesus on the other extreme of doing it all right, we felt all the time. The bottom line is air you trusting in your own works your own effort, your own resume of your good deeds to make you right in the eyes of God or you trusting in the complete perfect work of God who did everything right. Who fixed every problem you didn’t fix? Who spoke up when you didn’t speak up, who acted when you didn’t act? Who didn’t act when you acted? Jesus lived the perfect life for you. That is the king that we were reading about. The first King is the worst king. No, there’s worst kings. The first King is a very poor king. It’s a poor reflection of the future. Coming King Jesus, King Jesus desperately loves you and wants to help you. Everything rises and falls on the leadership of Jesus. Throw yourself into the loving arms of Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face And the things of Earth will grow strangely dim, strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. It’s a great old him. I’m sure we’ll sing sometime. Amen. Let’s pray. God, thank you for today. Thank you for tonight. That’s happening. Preachers give us wisdom as we get home safely. Give us wisdom as we try to digest this time together. Lord, I prayed you just really sharpen us with mhm. Whatever is valuable burn it into our souls, helping to change our lives. Lord e pray we would respond to your spirit of God and your word of God and be the people of God You call us to thank you for Jesus and how we have all we need in him. I prayed we would act because we love Lord, we love you and commit side to you in Jesus name. Amen.

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