Redefining Success: Can You Trust a God You Don’t Understand?

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]:
...on the altar from all we've lost, following you no matter what it costs.
[00:00:11] Maybe a whisper, maybe a roar, this is the sound of those who love you, Lord.
[00:00:21] This is the sound of those who love, let it rise up.
[00:00:27] This is the

[00:00:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Let's sing together.
[00:00:37] Tears on the altar.
[00:00:39] Tears on the altar from all we lost Following you no matter what it cost Maybe a whisper, maybe a roar This is the sound of those who love you, Lord

[00:01:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]:
The sound of those who love you

[00:01:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
God of Abraham, you're the God of covenant and faithful promises Time and time again, you have proven you do just what you say Though the storms may come and the winds may blow, I'll remain steadfast And let my heart learn when you speak a word, it will come

[00:02:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Great is your faithfulness to me Great is your faithfulness to me From the rising sun to the setting same I will praise your name Great is your faithfulness

[00:03:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
God from age to age though the earth may pass away your word remains the same yeah your history can prove there's nothing you can't do you're faithful and true though the storms may

[00:03:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
And let my heart learn when you speak a word it will come to pass Great is your faithfulness to me Great is your faithfulness from the rising sun
[00:04:08] I will praise your name Great is your faithfulness to me Your faithfulness It never runs out It never runs out

[00:04:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
I put my faith in Jesus my anchor to the

[00:05:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
I put my faith in Jesus My anchor to the ground He's my hope and firm foundation

[00:05:47] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
He's my faith in Jesus My anchor to the ground He's my hope and my foundation He'll never let me down He'll never let me down

[00:06:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
The Lord is your faithfulness to me.

[00:06:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
All right.

[00:06:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Hey, everybody.
[00:06:48] We're going to go ahead and get us started with some announcements as we enter into the building.
[00:06:53] We could turn the
[00:06:55] background music off that'd be great um so a couple of quick notes as you're walking in if you have not been here before the bathrooms are over in this building to my right your left and you can head out the back door over there to get to them also we have a couple of things happening this this time of the year one is we are hosting Operation Christmas Child this year
[00:07:20] and so you should you can find information about it in the bulletin and pretty soon we're I think we already have available shoeboxes
[00:07:32] they're already back there pick them up take them home with you fill them up and then November 23rd we're gonna bring those back and send them off the other thing I want you to be aware of is we have started a youth group for our middle school girls and the next meeting is going to be October 26th right after the service and so we invite our middle school girls to plan on that and be a part of it we hope you'll join us finally we've got our
[00:08:01] Our prayer cards right here and I would love for you to take these out and fill them out and a little bit in the service we're gonna gather these things up but we try to pray for every person who comes to our service every week Tuesday mornings at nine o'clock and so we want to pray for you you can even just write your first name on there if and we will be sure that you are prayed for all right well now as we
[00:08:27] Prepare our hearts for worship at this time.
[00:08:29] I wanna just give us some space to pause.
[00:08:35] And Shannon, if you don't mind just playing a little bit of music here for a moment.
[00:08:43] If you're like me, it's always a mad dash to get over here into this space.
[00:08:49] And so I want us to just take a deep breath
[00:08:57] Become aware of ourselves.
[00:09:01] Whatever it is you're bringing with you into this place today, whatever might be on your heart, I want you to sit with it before the Lord.
[00:09:28] As we enter into this place to worship, I want to invite you to stand.
[00:09:33] Stand with me as we read together this call to worship.
[00:09:39] These are words from Psalm 46 that remind us that our God is a God we can trust regardless of our circumstances.
[00:09:48] God is our refuge and strength.
[00:09:55] Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
[00:10:18] He says, be still and know that I am God.
[00:10:23] I will be exalted among the nations.
[00:10:26] I will be exalted in the earth.
[00:10:29] The Lord Almighty is with us.
[00:10:32] The God of Jacob is our fortress.

[00:10:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Holy Spirit, we welcome you here this morning.
[00:10:48] Come and move and have your way, God.
[00:10:52] Whatever you want to do this morning, you have full freedom, Holy Spirit.
[00:10:56] We just ask God that you would come with your manifest presence and move here among us.

[00:11:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Alleluia
[00:11:16] Alleluia for the Lord God Almighty reigns Alleluia
[00:11:37] Alleluia!
[00:11:43] For the Lord God Almighty reigns!

[00:12:03] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Alleluia!
[00:12:03] Holy!
[00:12:03] Holy!
[00:12:03] Are you Lord God?

[00:12:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Holy, Holy is the Lamb, You are Holy, Holy
[00:12:54] Alleluia, for the Lord Almighty reigns Alleluia, Alleluia, for the Lord Almighty reigns
[00:13:29] Holy, holy are you Lord God Almighty Worthy is the Lamb, Worthy is the Lamb You are holy
[00:14:26] Holy, Holy, are you Lord God Almighty Worthy is the Lamb, Worthy is the Lamb You are Holy, Holy
[00:14:56] Are you Lord God Almighty?

[00:15:22] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Worthy is the Lamb.
[00:15:23] Worthy is the Lamb.
[00:15:23] Worthy is the Lamb.
[00:15:24] Worthy is the Lamb.
[00:15:24] You are Holy.

[00:15:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]:
I hear the Savior's spake Thy strength indeed is small Child of weakness watch and pray Find in me thine own and all Jesus paid it all

[00:16:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
All to Him I owe Sin had left a crimson stain He washed it white as snow You washed us white as snow
[00:16:57] Let's sing that again Lord now indeed I find
[00:17:33] In health is water, the snow, as Jesus gave it all, all to Him I owe.
[00:17:57] Sin hath left a crimson stain, He washed it white.
[00:18:07] All to Him I owe Sin had left a crimson stain He washed it white as snow And when before the throne I stand incomplete
[00:18:43] I stand in Him complete Jesus died my soul to save My lips shall still repeat
[00:19:09] Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe.
[00:19:31] Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white.
[00:19:32] He washed it white.
[00:19:43] All you close to word and strong Hope is the one who paid my debt
[00:20:01] Praise this life up from the dead O praise the one who paid my debt And praise this life up from the dead O praise the one who
[00:20:20] In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

[00:20:45] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Amen.

[00:20:45] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Praise His life, power of the dead.
[00:21:09] Oh, praise the one who gave my day.
[00:21:10] Praise His life, power of the dead.
[00:21:11] Oh, you've washed us white as snow.
[00:21:11] Thank you, Jesus, for your love.

[00:21:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]:
All to Him I owe.
[00:21:38] Sin had left a prance and stay, He washed it white as snow.

[00:21:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
Jesus paid it all.

[00:21:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Sin hath left the prince to stay, He watched him while he slept.

[00:22:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
You can be seated.
[00:22:29] Lord, as we sing these songs, Lord, we may be painfully aware that the crimson stain of sin from this week still marks us.
[00:22:49] Lord, in your law, you told us that we should love the Lord our God with all our heart,
[00:22:58] With all our soul and with all our mind, this is the first and great commandment.
[00:23:06] And the second is like it.
[00:23:07] Love your neighbor as yourself.
[00:23:11] On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.
[00:23:16] Father, as we enter this place, as we experience your holiness, as we see you high and lifted up, we come before you, Lord,
[00:23:28] Needing to confess our sins and receive your mercy.
[00:23:33] And so in this time, let us together, let's take a moment to silently confess our sins before the Lord.
[00:24:07] Join with me as we pray this prayer of confession together.
[00:24:14] Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep.
[00:24:23] We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts.
[00:24:29] We have offended against your holy laws.
[00:24:33] We have left undone those things which we ought to have done.
[00:24:37] And we have done those things which we ought not to have done.
[00:24:42] And there is no health in us.
[00:24:46] O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders.
[00:24:51] Spare all those who confess their faults.
[00:24:55] Restore all those who are penitent.
[00:24:59] According to your promises,
[00:25:01] Declare to all the people in Christ Jesus our Lord, and grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may now live a godly, righteous, and sober life to the glory of your holy name.
[00:25:20] Amen.
[00:25:21] People of God, we don't continue with our heads bowed, but I want to invite you to lift up your eyes and receive these words of assurance that are ours from Scripture.
[00:25:31] Hear this good news.
[00:25:32] This is the gospel.
[00:25:34] It says, There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
[00:25:41] For as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
[00:25:49] He remembers our sins no more.
[00:25:52] That means in Christ, all your sins, past sins, present sins, even your future sins are forgiven.
[00:26:02] The sins that you can't forget, God tells us.
[00:26:05] In Christ, you can't remember.
[00:26:07] Amen?
[00:26:08] Amen.
[00:26:10] Well, as we continue our response before the Lord, we're going to collect an offering.
[00:26:15] And I remind us every week that this is a moment where we profess to the world that God is our provider.
[00:26:23] That he's the one who's given us everything that we have, even our very lives.
[00:26:29] And as we give back the little first fruits, as we give back this tithe, it's a reminder that really we're giving him not just our money but our entire lives as well.
[00:26:40] If you're a visitor here, we're so glad you're here.
[00:26:42] We hope you feel welcome.
[00:26:44] You're welcome to let the offering pass you by if you would like.
[00:26:48] But as we collect the offering right now, I actually want to share with you for a moment something that's just been on my heart a little bit lately.
[00:26:56] Each week we come up here and we have a time in our service where we share our vision statement.
[00:27:01] We say Center Church is making room for everyone to experience joyful, life-transforming connection
[00:27:10] To Jesus and his people.
[00:27:13] And as I've been thinking about that, I've just come to realize, you know, one, that's a wonderful statement, right?
[00:27:20] Because it talks about the unique way that we at Center are being called to fulfill God's great commission.
[00:27:31] But on the other hand, I've been thinking, you know, if we just give it as a statement,
[00:27:37] If we just think about making room as kind of examining what's happening in here, then it kind of becomes navel-gazing.
[00:27:45] It's just the shifting around of different parts of the service, different objects, hoping that somebody might come here and then they might find something that they like and stick around.
[00:27:58] In other words, if we're not really thinking about other people, if we're not really thinking about the people in our lives and out in the world,
[00:28:07] Then we're just going to become too focused on ourselves.
[00:28:10] We're going to be too focused on our own concerns.
[00:28:13] And so in your bulletin today, there's this little card right here.
[00:28:16] I want to challenge you to take this with you this week.
[00:28:23] It is really a challenge.
[00:28:26] I want you to go out into the world with kingdom eyes.
[00:28:30] I want you to start prayerfully asking the Lord who he has put in your life
[00:28:37] that he wants you to start praying for.
[00:28:40] Maybe it's a neighbor, a family member, maybe it's one of your coworkers, maybe it's just the person that you see every week bagging your things at the grocery store.
[00:28:51] But I want you to prayerfully take this card, think who those people might be, and then fill it out.
[00:28:57] And really, the challenge I'm giving you is just to pray, right?
[00:29:00] Nothing too scary.
[00:29:02] but take these people's names write them down and begin to pray for them can we do that you think it's okay well then i want to challenge you to take this with you and i want to offer this little card to the lord in prayer lord father we ask that you would give us eyes to see
[00:29:32] We ask God that even now you would help us to perceive the kingdom realities all around us, to recognize there is no ordinary human being, but only eternal souls created in the image of God.
[00:29:48] Lord, lead the way.
[00:29:51] Holy Spirit, show us how you are working.
[00:29:54] We want to be in step with you.
[00:29:56] And so we pray this in Christ's name.

[00:30:01] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Amen.

[00:30:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
We're going to continue worshiping this morning's song, but before we sing the song, I just wanted to share something with you guys.
[00:30:12] Over the past few weeks, the Lord has been marking me with this scripture from Luke 7.
[00:30:20] Starting in verse 36, I'm sure many of you are familiar with the story of the sinful woman who anoints Jesus' feet with oil.
[00:30:29] And I just wanted to read this to us.
[00:30:30] It's a little bit long, and I was going to cut some parts out of it to make it shorter, but it's the Lord's word, so I'm just going to read the whole thing.
[00:30:38] Starting in verse 36.
[00:30:40] When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table.
[00:30:48] A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house.
[00:30:54] So she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.
[00:30:58] As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears.
[00:31:05] Then she wiped him.
[00:31:07] When the Pharisees who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him, and what kind of woman she is, that she is a sinner.
[00:31:25] Jesus answered him, Simon, I have something to tell you.
[00:31:29] Tell me, teacher, he said.
[00:31:31] Two people owed money to a certain moneylender.
[00:31:34] One owed him 500 denarii and the other 50.
[00:31:37] Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both.
[00:31:42] Now which of them will love him more?
[00:31:45] Simon replied, I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.
[00:31:49] you have judged correctly jesus said then jesus turned toward the woman and said to simon do you see this woman i came into your house you did not give me any water for my feet but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair you did not give me a kiss but this woman from the time i entered has not stopped kissing my feet you did not put oil on my head but she has poured perfume on my feet therefore i tell you
[00:32:18] Her many sins have been forgiven, as her great love has shown.
[00:32:22] But whoever has forgiven little loves little.
[00:32:27] Then Jesus said to her, Your sins are forgiven.
[00:32:32] and every time I talk about the Lord or share I always cry that's not something that's familiar to me I've led worship since I was 12 and I don't normally cry but for whatever reason being here and being a part of this church has broken me towards the Lord it has made me die to who I want to be and live to who Christ has made me to be and I believe my call
[00:33:00] And this is not what I plan to share.
[00:33:02] My call as a worship leader is not to sing good songs, but to point people to look at Him.
[00:33:09] And His face and His presence has changed me.
[00:33:14] It's changed my life.
[00:33:18] I was so sinful.
[00:33:20] I was caught up in so much sin as a teenager, and the Lord healed me and delivered me and came with His presence and changed my life.
[00:33:29] I have been forgiven of much of much my sins were so great and to whoever that feels their sins were not that great they probably are and you just don't know it yet and so as we stand and sing this last song together if we could just all stand with this scripture in mind this image of the woman
[00:33:53] Coming into this house uninvited, sitting at Jesus' feet, crying at his feet, pouring her costly oil over his feet that she'd stored for years.
[00:34:08] Lord, I pray that you would show us how to give you an offering that costs us something.
[00:34:13] Not something easy, not something convenient, but something that costs us.
[00:34:19] That our worship would move your heart.
[00:34:22] That our songs would move your heart, but not just our songs, but the fragrance of the worship of our life, of every day, every moment, worshiping you, bowing at your feet.
[00:34:34] Lord, I pray that you would deliver us from ritual and routine, but you would bind us to your spirit.
[00:34:41] that you would mark us with your face that you would mark us with your presence that when you walk into this house you would not say you didn't give me water for my feet you didn't give me oil for my head but that we would pour our oil over your head jesus when you walk into this house you're here right now god you're here right now jesus walking amongst this room and so i just pray lord that your presence would fall powerfully as we sing this song

[00:35:22] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
.
[00:35:28] .
[00:35:28] .

[00:35:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus
[00:36:13] Jesus risen and exalted risen and exalted one Jesus your name is like honey on my lips
[00:36:38] Your Spirit's like water to my soul Your Word is a leveled one to my feet Jesus, I love You I love You Jesus
[00:37:21] Holy and anointed one, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
[00:37:49] Jesus, your name is like honey on a tree
[00:38:12] Your Spirit's like water to my soul Your Word is a lamp unto my feet Jesus, I love You, I love You Your Name is like honey
[00:38:43] Jesus I love you I love you Jesus I love you
[00:40:19] Jesus, I love you, I love you, I love you Jesus, I love you, I love you, I love you More than anything More than anything More than anything More than anything
[00:40:51] More than anything.
[00:40:55] More than anything.
[00:40:59] More than anything.

[00:41:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
Your name is like honey on water.
[00:41:12] We sing it straight to you, Jesus.
[00:41:14] Your spirit's like water

[00:41:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Jesus, I love you.
[00:41:46] I love you.
[00:41:46] Your name is like honey on my lips.

[00:41:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
Your spirit's like water in my eyes.

[00:41:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Well as you have received peace from Christ as we've entered in this place now we have the opportunity to

[00:42:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Extend that peace to one another.
[00:42:23] And so I invite you to turn to your neighbor and pass the peace of Christ.
[00:42:28] And kids, as we do that, you are dismissed for children's church.

[00:42:38] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
.
[00:42:52] .
[00:42:52] .
[00:42:53] .
[00:43:22] .
[00:43:22] .

[00:43:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
You will please join with me now as we sing the doxology.

[00:43:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
[00:44:07] Praise Him all creatures here below.
[00:44:10] Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts.
[00:44:14] Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

[00:44:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Amen.

[00:44:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Normally we stay standing for the reading of Scripture, but today we've got three chapters, and so I'm going to have mercy.
[00:44:38] Now, we're just going to read selections from these three chapters.
[00:44:41] I would encourage you, as you go home this week, to take some time to read the rest of it.
[00:44:46] It is all God's Word, and every word of it beneficial.
[00:44:49] But here now, these selections from 1 Samuel 9-11.
[00:44:56] There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish, son of Abiel, son of Zeror, the son of Bekarath, the son of Aphiah, the son of Benjamin.
[00:45:06] Kish had a son named Saul, a handsome young man, as could be found anywhere in Israel.
[00:45:13] And he was a head taller than anyone else.
[00:45:16] Now the donkeys belonging to Saul's father Kish were lost.
[00:45:20] And Kish said to his son,
[00:45:21] Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.
[00:45:26] Now, the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel, About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin.
[00:45:36] Anoint him ruler over my people.
[00:45:38] He will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines.
[00:45:41] I have looked on my people, for their cry has reached me.
[00:45:45] When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, This is the man I spoke to you about.
[00:45:50] He will govern my people.
[00:45:56] Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked,
[00:45:59] Would you please tell me where the seer's house is?
[00:46:03] I'm the seer, Samuel replied.
[00:46:04] Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will send you on your way, and I will tell you all that is in your heart.
[00:46:13] As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them.
[00:46:16] They have been found.
[00:46:19] And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and your whole family lined?
[00:46:25] Saul answered, But am I not a Benjamite?
[00:46:28] This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says.
[00:46:30] I brought Israel up out of Egypt.
[00:46:32] I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.
[00:46:37] But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your disasters and calamities.
[00:46:42] And you have said, Forward by the tribes.
[00:46:45] The tribe of Benjamin was taken by Lot.
[00:46:47] Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matre's clan was taken.
[00:46:52] Finally, Saul, son of Kish, was taken.
[00:46:56] But when they looked for him, he was not to be found.
[00:46:59] So they inquired further of the Lord, Has the man come here yet?
[00:47:04] And the Lord said, Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.
[00:47:10] They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people, he was a head taller than any of the others.
[00:47:15] And Samuel said to the people, Do you see the man the Lord has chosen?
[00:47:19] There is no one like him among all the people.
[00:47:22] And the people shouted, Long live the king!
[00:47:27] Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of kingship.
[00:47:30] He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord.
[00:47:33] And then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.
[00:47:37] Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched.
[00:47:43] But some scoundrels said, How can this fellow save us?
[00:47:48] They despised him, and they brought him no gifts.
[00:47:52] But Saul kept silent.
[00:47:54] Nahash the Ammonite went, and all the men of Jabesh said to him, Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you.
[00:48:01] But Nahash the Ammonite replied, I will make a treaty with you, only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you, and so bring disgrace on all of Israel.
[00:48:13] When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully on him, and he burned with anger.
[00:48:19] The next day Saul separated his men into three divisions.
[00:48:22] During the last watch of the night, they broke into the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them until the heat of the day.
[00:48:28] Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.
[00:48:33] Then the people said to Samuel, Who was it that asked, Shall Saul reign over us?
[00:48:39] Turn these men over to us, that we may put them to death.
[00:48:43] But Saul said, No one will be put to death today, for this day the Lord has rescued Israel.
[00:48:50] Then Samuel said to the people, Come, let us go to Gilgal, and there renew the kingship.
[00:48:57] So all the people went to Gilgal and made Saul king in the presence of the Lord.
[00:49:01] There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites had a great celebration.
[00:49:09] This is the word of the Lord.
[00:49:13] So we are continuing this series on 1 Samuel, and I think
[00:49:19] The first question of faith is probably simply, does God exist?
[00:49:25] But if that's the first question, I think the second question is probably, can God be trusted?
[00:49:33] Now, Scripture, it gives us a clear picture of who God is.
[00:49:36] The Bible shows us that He is a God of love and wisdom and goodness and holiness and justice and truth.
[00:49:44] It shows us that He is infinite and eternal and He is unchanging, that He is faithful to His promises always.
[00:49:53] But Scripture also tells us that God, in His essence, He's not like us.
[00:49:59] Isaiah 55, it says, My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways, declares the Lord.
[00:50:08] As the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
[00:50:16] And because God is not like us, that means one of the greatest challenges we face is learning to trust a God that we can't fully understand or fully comprehend.
[00:50:31] Who doesn't do things the way we assume that they should be done.
[00:50:35] And he doesn't often give us the reason why.
[00:50:39] So today, we actually, as we look at this story about the anointing of Saul to be the first king of Israel, we kind of have a case study in this issue.
[00:50:51] It's a story that shows us how different people answer the question, can I trust God?
[00:50:58] How different groups of people react when they see God doing things that they don't really understand.
[00:51:05] And I hope as we walk through this together, we're going to discover that, yeah, trusting God, it is hard sometimes.
[00:51:13] It's difficult for us to do, but it is also the only way to joy and peace in this unpredictable world.
[00:51:24] So here's what we're going to learn from this passage.
[00:51:25] Three things.
[00:51:27] We're going to look at the success of following God, the failure of judging God, and then the response of the king.
[00:51:36] The success of following God, the failure of judging God, and the response of the king.
[00:51:44] Has anybody here ever been fired before?
[00:51:48] It's a terrible experience, right?
[00:51:51] Especially when you get fired from a place where you didn't see it coming.
[00:51:55] When you thought you were doing a good job and you just don't understand why they did it.
[00:52:02] Last week when Brian was preaching through chapter 8, we actually got to watch Samuel go through that kind of experience.
[00:52:10] He was the judge, the priest, the leader over Israel and he was the best one.
[00:52:16] He was the best judge that they had had in hundreds of years.
[00:52:21] He had served that nation faithfully literally since he was a toddler.
[00:52:26] And all of a sudden now, in his old age, they give him the pink slip.
[00:52:33] And not only that, but to add insult to injury, they say, you know what?
[00:52:37] It's not just you that we're unhappy with.
[00:52:40] We want to do away with your position completely.
[00:52:44] We're tired of having judges.
[00:52:46] We want a king.
[00:52:48] We want a king like all the other nations have.
[00:52:49] We want to be just like everybody else.
[00:52:53] That had to hurt, right?
[00:52:56] But you know, in that moment, God told him, he said, it's not you they have rejected.
[00:53:03] But they have rejected me as their king.
[00:53:08] When I left my previous church about five years ago now, I really struggled with a sense of failure.
[00:53:18] When I had set out to plant that church, I had hoped that I was going to leave behind a strong congregation that would outlive me, that would continue for years and years long after my time.
[00:53:33] When the Lord ended up calling us here, the congregation was in a precarious place.
[00:53:39] COVID had just begun.
[00:53:41] The future of the congregation, it was tenuous at best.
[00:53:46] And I remember just feeling heartbroken about it.
[00:53:52] And I was talking to one of my friends who was one of our elders, and I was sharing my sorrow with him as we were preparing to move and as we were getting ready to head across the country.
[00:54:03] And he said something to me that was very comforting.
[00:54:07] He said, you know, just because it didn't end up the way we wanted it to, it doesn't mean we failed.
[00:54:16] And those were really kind words.
[00:54:18] The heart behind them was beautiful, but it still felt like failure.
[00:54:26] It was hard for me to trust God in that moment.
[00:54:31] And I think if I had been here in this moment, if I had been in Samuel's shoes that day when God said, it's not you they're rejecting, it's me, it would have been hard to believe that too.
[00:54:44] Sure does feel like they're rejecting me.
[00:54:49] The author of Samuel, it even tells us, right, Samuel was displeased by the people's decision to appoint a king.
[00:54:57] But amazingly in our passage today in chapters 9 and 10 we actually see Samuel continue to follow God's lead confidently.
[00:55:10] We see him take those words seriously and we see him faithfully follow God without fear, without grumbling, without despair.
[00:55:19] Even though he is unhappy with what God is doing in that moment.
[00:55:26] We see him going forward with that same kind of resolve, obediently following the Lord just like he did all the other days of his life.
[00:55:36] Even when God said, your job now is to go and literally anoint the guy who's going to take your position away from you.
[00:55:46] So how was he able to do that?
[00:55:50] I was talking with somebody recently who told me that the definition of success
[00:55:55] For a Christian is stepping out in faith in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.
[00:56:05] He said that success for a Christian is stepping out in faith in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.
[00:56:16] He told me that because if I'm being honest with you, this is probably one of my biggest struggles right now.
[00:56:24] Learning to gauge my success not by the reactions and the responses of other people, but by whether I am wholeheartedly pursuing the Lord each and every day.
[00:56:41] Now, I bring this up for all of us because the reason this is such a big issue is because if we define success in any other way,
[00:56:49] If we define success by all those things out there that we cannot control, then our view of our own lives will always be beholden to the whims of others, right?
[00:57:01] It'll always be beholden to the circumstances around us.
[00:57:04] Samuel was a great leader.
[00:57:07] He led well, but in the end, he had no control over the hearts of all those people around him.
[00:57:15] And I don't know where this might apply to you in your own life.
[00:57:18] Maybe it is in
[00:57:19] There are so many outcomes we can't control in life.
[00:57:33] And it's often the case that things don't go the way you expect.
[00:57:38] Things don't go the way that you hoped.
[00:57:43] And if you're looking at those unpredictable outcomes to tell you whether or not you are a success then you will never be able to rest.
[00:57:54] But if instead we define our success by the way we know God in the midst of the ups and downs then that actually means we can have success no matter what the outcome may be.
[00:58:12] In Micah, the prophet says, He's shown you, O mortal, what is good.
[00:58:17] And what does the Lord require of you?
[00:58:20] To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
[00:58:28] If a consistent, humble walk with God becomes your definition of success, then that means whether you make millions and your kids cure cancer,
[00:58:41] or whether your business fails and your kids struggle it means whether people applaud you or they reject you they cannot control your worth and we see that right right here with Samuel despite this difficult moment when things are not going the way he had hoped he confidently moves forward doing the same thing he's always done living by faith
[00:59:11] and trusting God with the outcomes.
[00:59:14] So that's the first thing.
[00:59:14] That's the success of following God.
[00:59:18] But next in this passage, we see the failure of judging God.
[00:59:23] Okay, so we're going to look at some other people in this text for a moment.
[00:59:26] Chapter 9 and 10, they have one central idea.
[00:59:32] The idea is that God chose Saul to be the first king of Israel.
[00:59:39] You read chapter 9 and you see all these miraculous ways that God orchestrates these unique circumstances.
[00:59:47] He sends Saul off to go look for his family's donkeys and he ends up exactly where Samuel is.
[00:59:54] God goes and he speaks to Samuel and he tells him beforehand that Saul is coming and that when he arrives he needs to anoint him.
[01:00:03] And then in chapter 10,
[01:00:05] the whole nation goes through a process like that where prayerfully they come before the Lord and they cast lots and they let God select first Saul's tribe then Saul's clan and then finally Saul himself there could be no doubt by the end of that whole process that he was the one and yet we get to the end of chapter 10
[01:00:35] and we read that some scoundrels said in verse 27 how can this fellow save us and they despised him and they brought him no gifts they said we don't like it now okay spoiler alert right if you haven't read this book before ultimately Saul's reign
[01:01:03] is going to end in tragedy.
[01:01:07] Even in this chapter, there's that weird moment that seems to kind of foreshadow some of these problems ahead where even though Saul knows that he's chosen by God, even though he was already anointed by Samuel, at the moment when they call his name, he's hiding in the supplies.
[01:01:29] There's no question when you compare Saul to Samuel,
[01:01:34] Saul is a very flawed leader.
[01:01:38] But it doesn't change the fact that he was a man chosen by God for this task.
[01:01:45] This is not a contested election we're talking about here.
[01:01:49] There's no hanging chads left in the ballot box.
[01:01:52] God has directly, audibly said, Saul is the one.
[01:01:59] And still,
[01:02:01] That doesn't stop this faction of people from questioning him.
[01:02:07] And remember, these are the same people.
[01:02:09] They were in that same group that just a chapter ago was saying, We don't like having a judge.
[01:02:14] We need a king.
[01:02:15] And now here they are.
[01:02:17] Now God has done that.
[01:02:19] He's given them a king.
[01:02:20] And what do they say?
[01:02:22] Yeah, yeah, we wanted a king, but not this one.
[01:02:26] Not this guy.
[01:02:26] Are you kidding me?
[01:02:29] It reminds me of something Jesus said in Matthew 11.
[01:02:33] He said, to what can I compare this generation?
[01:02:38] They're like children sitting in a marketplace calling out to others, we played the pipe for you and you didn't dance.
[01:02:47] We sang a dirge for you and you didn't mourn.
[01:02:50] For John came neither eating nor drinking and they said he has a demon.
[01:02:56] The Son of Man comes eating and drinking, and they say, Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.
[01:03:06] The people, they complained that John the Baptist was too serious, too rigid, too dour.
[01:03:14] And then when Jesus came along, they said, Oh, he's too lighthearted, he's too lax, he's not serious enough.
[01:03:22] And when Jesus brings this up to his generation of people around him, he's telling them that, in other words, both in Samuel's day and in Jesus' day, their real problem was not with the personalities, but it was with trusting God and his leadership.
[01:03:42] Their real problem wasn't with the people, but it was with God himself.
[01:03:48] And yeah, the world has changed a lot since Jesus' day.
[01:03:51] It's changed a lot since the time of the judges, but I can assure you this attitude is still alive and well.
[01:04:03] It's the spirit that C.S.
[01:04:05] Lewis talks about in one of his essays called God and the Dock, which dock is just the British word for taking the stand in a courtroom.
[01:04:14] It's the spirit where we human beings
[01:04:18] Instead of standing humbly before God as our creator, trusting him as our judge, allowing him to correct us and shape us and lead us, Lewis says, instead, we, in our sin nature, in our rebellious hearts, we are always trying to turn the tables.
[01:04:41] Instead, we take the position as judge.
[01:04:44] Instead, we put God on the stand and we interrogate him
[01:04:49] As if we're the ones who know what's best.
[01:04:53] As if it's up to God to defend himself to us and to answer our objections and to respond to our complaints.
[01:05:04] And sadly, you know, it's not a new problem, but I think it might be getting worse.
[01:05:12] I think our consumeristic culture has really just amplified this problem for Christians today because I think it's kind of the default way of doing things now that we approach God and we approach his church in the same way we approach everything.
[01:05:33] Expecting it to be a place where God should give me exactly what I want.
[01:05:39] And then, if my desires aren't met, then just like that group of people that we read about in the story, well, we say, I know what's best, and this is not the way.
[01:05:51] We end up just like them, withholding our affection, withholding our support, withholding our worship, like it said in the passage, giving no gifts.
[01:06:04] But let's compare the results of that kind of behavior.
[01:06:09] See, first we have Samuel.
[01:06:13] This action of God that he just witnessed, appointing Saul as king, that wasn't what he wanted.
[01:06:20] That wasn't his preference.
[01:06:23] But Samuel wanted God's will more than he wanted his own way.
[01:06:30] Even in this time of upheaval, even in this moment of transition, even in this time of chaos, because that's what he wanted most, he was able to confidently follow God and to experience His joy and to be in His presence.
[01:06:50] But then look at this other faction we're talking about in their efforts to assert their own will.
[01:06:58] To promote their own way, to correct what they saw as, I don't know, God's mistake.
[01:07:05] Or at least his not caring enough about them or their desires or their preferences, what they wanted.
[01:07:13] Well, look where they end up.
[01:07:16] Look where they are standing in this story.
[01:07:20] They're miserable.
[01:07:22] They're joyless.
[01:07:26] And probably worst of all, they are living in direct opposition to what God is doing to bring about the salvation of the world.
[01:07:41] So let me be real with you guys for just a moment because sometimes I feel like God never gives me what I want.
[01:07:57] You know, I've been working my butt off in ministry for decades, and the vast majority of that time, I've been confused about what God's up to.
[01:08:12] Why He does what He does.
[01:08:16] There's been a lot of times when I've been frustrated.
[01:08:18] There's been a lot of times when I've been disappointed.
[01:08:21] There's been plenty of times where I have felt angry and upset and I've had to ask God, what on earth are you doing?
[01:08:29] But there's a difference between asking questions, right?
[01:08:35] The Psalms are filled with the prayers of saints who are asking God questions because they don't understand.
[01:08:42] There's a difference between standing before the judge and faithfully asking and folding your arms and turning your back, saying, no, God, you're wrong, and I'm not going to accept it.
[01:08:59] And that, we've got to understand,
[01:09:02] It's such an important concept for us to grasp because if you're living that way, you're missing out.
[01:09:09] The truth is, in those times of questioning, in those times of frustration, in those confusing times, if you choose to walk humbly with God, even when His will doesn't make perfect sense to you, that tends to be when you encounter Him in new ways.
[01:09:30] That tends to be when you experience his power and understand him in a way you never could have before.
[01:09:38] So another way of saying this is if following God humbly is the definition of success for a disciple, then judging him is the definition of failure.
[01:09:53] That posture that constantly doubts and stubbornly demands its own way, it only leads to a life that is increasingly joyless, powerless, discontent, and distant from God.
[01:10:14] But as you learn to do the opposite, as you learn to give up your ways,
[01:10:20] As we learn to surrender to his will, as we receive what he is giving us by faith, even when it seems like the opposite of what we actually asked for, well, Jesus, the scripture tells us that's when we start to become like Jesus.
[01:10:39] In Philippians, Paul, he said, I want to know Christ.
[01:10:44] Yes, to know the power of his resurrection and
[01:10:49] Participate in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.
[01:10:55] There's a principle in there, right?
[01:10:57] It's this idea that only as we learn to die to ourselves by faith will we experience his resurrection power in our lives.
[01:11:14] So we've seen the success of following God.
[01:11:16] We've seen the failure.
[01:11:19] of Judging God.
[01:11:21] But lastly, let's look at the response of the king.
[01:11:26] And again, I'm preaching to myself here, everybody.
[01:11:29] I'm always preaching to myself, but I think this week I'm really preaching to myself.
[01:11:35] This has been a rough six months.
[01:11:38] At the beginning of the year,
[01:11:40] Doesn't seem like all that long ago, you know, we're casting vision for starting a school.
[01:11:44] We just added 35 new members in the year before.
[01:11:48] It kind of seemed like, you know, everything was heading in the right direction.
[01:11:54] But the past few months have been a slog.
[01:12:00] You know, my father, he died tragically about six months ago.
[01:12:06] Our building flooded and ruined all of our plans.
[01:12:10] And there's been tough emotional days here at times.
[01:12:16] There have been unexpected setbacks.
[01:12:20] But as I've sat in this passage and meditated on it, here is what I think God is saying to me.
[01:12:29] The success I really need is not in my particular plans coming to fruition.
[01:12:37] It's not in
[01:12:39] The church growing large, it's not in having you all love me and tell me I'm great.
[01:12:46] The success I need is learning how to walk humbly with Jesus in the midst of all of it.
[01:12:59] And it's the same for you.
[01:13:01] Whatever it is that you're dealing with.
[01:13:04] Whatever it is in your life that doesn't seem to be going your way, I want to tell you, if you'll draw near to Him in faith, you will find life.
[01:13:18] And so, finally here in this last portion of our text, chapter 11, Saul gets his breakout moment, right?
[01:13:28] There's a crisis.
[01:13:30] This Ammonite king, he shows up and he makes this big threat.
[01:13:34] And Saul, it says the Spirit of God comes over Saul and he leads the Israelites into this stunning victory.
[01:13:43] His actions, you know, they proved all the haters wrong.
[01:13:48] All those people who were doubting and complaining, their mouths are silenced.
[01:13:52] They're all put to shame.
[01:13:53] And then you read in verse 12, it says, The people then said to Samuel,
[01:13:59] Who were those guys that asked, shall Saul reign over us?
[01:14:02] Turn them over so that we may put them to death.
[01:14:07] They said, round up those doubters.
[01:14:10] Let's take care of them once and for all.
[01:14:15] But then it says, Saul said, no one will be put to death today.
[01:14:22] For this day the Lord has rescued Israel.
[01:14:25] And then Samuel said to the people, Come, let us go to Gilgal, and there renew the kingship.
[01:14:32] And so all the people went to Gilgal, and they made Saul king in the presence of the Lord.
[01:14:36] And there they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord.
[01:14:41] And Saul and the Israelites had a great celebration.
[01:14:45] And so finally here, at the end of our text, we find our hope.
[01:14:51] I wish I could say that I'm always like Samuel.
[01:14:56] Faithfully following God through all the ups and downs.
[01:14:58] But the truth is, I'm often standing in that crowd.
[01:15:04] Doubting and complaining and demanding my own way and pouting when I don't get it.
[01:15:12] And you know what?
[01:15:13] There shouldn't be any doubt here.
[01:15:14] The crowd in verse 12, they actually had the right idea.
[01:15:21] All these traitors, all our traitorous hearts that are living in stubborn rebellion against God, actually, we deserve death.
[01:15:32] That's what Scripture says.
[01:15:34] That's what we've earned.
[01:15:39] But just as Saul, the king, spares the lives of the rebels, and then Samuel sacrifices to the Lord on the people's behalf,
[01:15:51] In Christ, we come here to worship because we have been offered a mercy.
[01:15:57] We have been offered mercy through a sacrifice that we do not deserve.
[01:16:05] On the cross, Jesus, the King of kings, died in the place of us traitors so that we could live.
[01:16:15] And now,
[01:16:17] We proclaim this gospel every week that he stands resurrected before us as the true and greater Saul proclaiming these same words over us that no one will be put to death today.
[01:16:35] In me, no one will be put to death today or ever for all eternity.
[01:16:44] It's hard to trust the Lord sometimes.
[01:16:48] His ways aren't our ways.
[01:16:52] But this gospel is the proof that you can.
[01:16:57] This gospel that shows us through the cross that your salvation is not dependent upon your ability to be like Samuel and not like those grumbling people in Israel.
[01:17:10] Your salvation is an edict from the eternal King that can never be changed.
[01:17:20] And you know what else?
[01:17:21] This story, it shows us that if God can take an imperfect king like Saul, and even the actions of these sinful, grumbling, demanding people, and weave all of that into this story of redemption that would lead to Christ and the Savior of the whole world, then why wouldn't you trust them with whatever it is you're dealing with?
[01:17:49] So I'm done.
[01:17:52] But as we wrap up here in this moment, I just want to give us a chance to respond.
[01:18:05] Whatever it is that the Holy Spirit might be speaking to you right now in your pews, I want to just invite you to close your eyes.
[01:18:16] and consider a few things before the Lord.
[01:18:34] Shannon's gonna play for us as we reflect.
[01:18:37] I want you to ask yourself, where do I see myself in this story?
[01:19:10] I want us to consider before the Lord, God, how are you calling me to respond to you in faith?
[01:19:24] Where am I refusing to trust?
[01:19:34] Where are you inviting me to walk humbly with you?
[01:19:43] Just talk to him about it for a moment.
[01:19:46] Let him speak to you.
[01:20:30] Thomas Cranmer was one of the reformers who led the process of restoring the gospel to the church in England.
[01:20:42] And he wrote a book of prayers intended to help us preach the gospel to our own hearts.
[01:20:53] Not long after the book was published, he was put to death.
[01:21:01] I want to invite you to pray with me this prayer.
[01:21:09] Almighty God, whose most dear Son entered not into glory before he was crucified, mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross,
[01:21:31] May find it none other than the way of life and peace.
[01:21:36] Through Jesus Jesus.
[01:21:39] Amen.
[01:21:41] Let's stand and sing together.

[01:22:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]:
I've seen Your goodness on the mountain I've felt Your love within the valley And Your grace still surrounds me You've been good to me God, You've been good to me

[01:22:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
My soul sings My soul sings with all my heart I love You
[01:23:03] You're my first love, Jesus You're my reward And through the years You've been good to me
[01:23:37] All good to me I have breath inside my body I have life inside my bones
[01:24:07] And I cannot help but praise you God you've been good to me Oh you've been good to me My soul sings And my soul sings

[01:24:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
of the Holy Spirit.

[01:25:34] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
And dancing on the rising sun To the hopeful future And the dreams to come And the seasons change No, I won't give up Cause you've never failed me

[01:26:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
I'm alone at once And I'm dancing on The rising sun To the hopeful future And the dreams to come And when seasons change And when seasons change No I won't give up Cause you've never failed me
[01:26:31] We know not what's in my heart
[01:27:08] You're my first love You're my reward And through the years
[01:27:34] Giving good to me, so good to me, so good to me.

[01:28:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
It's my first Sunday worshiping with Shannon back and a few.
[01:28:08] I'm very thankful.
[01:28:10] Can we give a round of applause for our music team?
[01:28:12] They've done a great job today.

[01:28:16] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
All right, it's good.
[01:28:19] As we go out from this place, I'm just reminded how much we need to hear that message, that there is a God and He can be trusted.
[01:28:27] I'm reminded how many people in our lives
[01:28:34] I need to hear it.
[01:28:37] And so I encourage you, take this with you.
[01:28:40] Ask the Lord to show you how He's moving.
[01:28:44] And go forward with this blessing.
[01:28:48] May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
[01:29:02] Amen.
[01:29:03] Go in peace.

[01:29:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
I remember when I was blind And then your love Opened up my eyes And all the light
[01:29:36] In the violent wind there's the blowing
[01:30:07] Thank you.