December 4, 2022 - Inside Out
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My favorite music group - Shane & Shane - wrote a song several years ago called - “Over the Sun”
Here are some of the lyrics...
Sitting around the fireplace
With a friend who's been through it all
Solomon, wisest one, tell me what you have found
Under the sun, under the sun
He answered, "Get over
Get over, get over the sun
Where life is hidden"
And then he put on a somber face
Talked about how the rich man will waste
Away in the ground where the poor man is found
Painted up like a clown under the sun, under the sun
He answered, "Get over
Get over, get over the sun"
It’s a theme that has really STUCK OUT to me over the past 10 years...
Since I began preaching every week.
It’s something that I consistently see in the Scriptures - OVER and OVER again...
And it’s something that - at times - still evades me in my study.
The idea of -
The Physical
and the Spiritual sides to life
IN the song - Solomon tells us that what HE’S found - UNDER the sun...
is that we need to - GET OVER the SUN!
In other words - we need to get BEYOND the physical - and get to the Spiritual.
Today - in our text - we’ll see this very thing…once again.
King Saul - had been rejected by God…WHY?
Disobedience
On many occasions, God told Saul to do something - and he ended up DOING HIS own thing!
The results?
God rejects his kingship - and REMOVES the kingdom from him.
At the end of chapter 15 in 1 Samuel - the Bible tells us that Samuel mourned over Saul and his removal...
God then steps in and says this...
1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”
2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’
What we see here is this...
SLIDE: The Eyes of Man: Can’t See Past the Here & Now
The Eyes of Man
The Eyes of Man
Back to v1
1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”
Samuel experienced the disappointment of Saul losing the kingdom...
And it seems that is ALL he could see.
He was grieving over this...
And God comes and says -
How long will you grieve over Saul - COME and GO!!
The eyes of man - are so limited!
In reality - the eyes of man are ALWAYS - PASSIVE...
Always REACTING to what they’ve seen!
For Samuel - it was the UNKNOWN of what would happen to Israel...
And it seems somewhat similar to what happened when Christ was crucified!
How did the disciples respond?
After Jesus resurrected - we read this...
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
The disciples were behind locked doors - fearful…mourning the loss of Jesus!
The UNKNOWN of what was gonna happen had settled in!
But the UNKNOWN - is all that the Eyes of Man can see!
*How many of us - have walked through a situation where we JUST couldn’t see PAST THAT day?
We couldn’t see beyond the HORIZON!
We couldn’t get OVER the sun!
*Infertility
I know sometimes - we can get soooo bogged down in depression and fear - that we become paralyzed.
We CAN’T see past the DAY/MOMENT - and so we - FREEZE.
Moses - Froze - I can’t speak very well
Jeremiah - Froze - I’m just a boy
Samuel - Froze - What’s gonna happen to the Kingdom!??
What was God’s response?
How long is this mourning gonna last?
COME ON - GO!
I have WORK for you to do!!
And IN THIS - we see that...
SLIDE:
God’s plan is always moving.
We all need to get to a place where we can embrace the reality that God DOES NOT need us!
He simply INVITES us to JOIN Him in His mission to the world!
BUT WE - often get into thinking that [WE] are the FUEL to God’s ENGINE...
We often fall into thinking that IF WE WEREN’T ENGAGED in God’s work - then God’s MISSION will FALL APART!
EVEN PROPHETS fell into this thinking...
1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel?
3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.”
4 But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.
Even Elijah’s EYES couldn’t see beyond the HORIZON...
He thought - WELP - we GAVE IT A SHOT God - but I’m the only one left, and I’m about to DIE...
We need to know that God DOES NOT need us!
Listen to how much time God spends talking about Moses after he died…!! MOSES!
8 And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant,
2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.
In sports there is a saying that is used ALL THE TIME - when someone on the team gets hurt and can’t play...
That phrase is = “Next man up”
God’s plan - is ALWAYS saying - Next man up…next woman up!
And if you remember back to last week’s sermon - we saw how Obedience to God works… (convicted about who God is…Expecting God to move…STEPPING into the Perhaps of God)
Let’s go back to our text to see another aspect of this...
1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”
2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’
Samuel’s EYES could only see the danger ahead of him...
If I go to Jesse - Saul will KILL ME…!
God could have EASILY said - - No he won’t.
But He didn’t say that.
Instead - God provided an opportunity for - - OBEDIENCE (take a heifer…) - - that IF LIVED OUT....would SHOW Samuel that Saul would NOT kill him!
Think of how THAT MIGHT work at times for US!
Whatever you’re AFRAID of....
Whatever is KEEPING you from OBEDIENCE...
Could it be that God is WAITING for you to WALK TOWARD your fear - to SHOW you that it can’t STOP YOU??
Because HERE’s what we need to KNOW and TRUST...
Where the Eyes of Man CAN ONLY see the Here & Now...
SLIDE: The Eyes of God: Sees the End From the Beginning
The Eyes of God
The Eyes of God
AS Moses WARRED against God’s command to free His people...
God COULD ALREADY SEE the parting of the SEA...
AS Jonah WARRED against the thought of going to Nineveh...
God HAD ALREADY SEEN the city REPENT...
AS David was FAITHFUL over the years to shepherd his flocks...
God HAD ALREADY seen the POWER inside of this small - giant killer.
God sees the END - from the beginning!
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
God sees - ALL things...
He is not constrained by TIME...
Think about this...
45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”
48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
We’ve HEARD this story no doubt...
And what we hear is that Nathanael comes to see Jesus...
When Jesus sees him He says- “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, i saw you”...
And it was THIS phrase that ROCKED the mind of Nathanael.
Many speculate as to what Nathanael had been doing under that fig tree...
BUT - it seems wise to say...
WHATEVER he was doing, it was a very SPECIAL / HEAVY / Monumental moment for Nathanael...
Some believe he would have been praying under the tree...
MAYBE...
But maybe it was a time of DISTRESS for Nathanael...
Where he CRIED out to God!
Either way....it seems that UNDER that TREE - Nathanael was wrestling with or dealing with an UNKNOWN...
*How many of you remember what you had for dinner 38 days ago?
OK - how many of you remember that very EMOTIONAL conversation you had with your loved one about...
losing that family member
losing that job
missing out on getting the part
being let down by a friend
It’s THOSE moments that are forever ETCHED in our minds...
And I imagine that Nathanael was wrestling that day under the fig tree...
Maybe even wrestling with God about a situation / AN UNKNOWN in his life...
And when Jesus comes and says - I SAW YOU UNDER the Fig tree...
I can tell you - a couple weeks ago - I mentioned how my baseball life ended 18 years ago in Chicago...
I remember my last at bat -
My FIRST at bat in college - against Winthrop Univ… strike out.
My last at bat in college - against the Univ. of Wisconsin Milwaukee - line drive single to left.
Made it to 2nd base - 2 outs..
Brian Beaumiea - lined out to left...
I rounded 3rd and was running home and before I touched home plate - I knew - it was over.
I walked into the dugout - walked to the back SIDE of the dugout - BEHIND it...
knelt down - and wept.
I couldn’t help it.
In that moment - the WEIGHT of realizing 18 years of EFFORT was done...
The UNKNOWN of what was next...
My life - as I KNEW IT - was over…!
AND I KNOW - if Jesus would have walked up to me years later - EVEN TODAY - and said...
“I saw you behind that dugout”
What would my response had been?
“You ARE - the Son of God!”
TRUTH is - Jesus DID see me behind that dugout.
and IN that moment - He SAW this day coming!
I DIDN’T SEE THIS COMING...
But HE DID!
Nathanael - IT SEEMS - may have been CONSUMED with an UNKNOWN under that FIG TREE...
AND YET - LISTEN - - God USED THAT MOMENT - to bring FAITH to him!
Think about that!
SLIDE:
Most times, our limited eyesight can’t see the blessing that lies further down the road of suffering; a road that God places us on for His glory and our ultimate joy.
He sees the END from the Beginning!! - And what a BLESSING that is!!
But what else do we see in our text...
Samuel ends up going to see Jesse, and begins looking for the next King among his sons.
6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.”
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
From this we see...
SLIDE: The Eyes of Man: Looks on the Outward
The Eyes of Man
The Eyes of Man
Back to the text...
6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.”
I HOPE you SEE this as I see this - and how ridiculous it seems!
What is Samuel doing here?
He’s GOING RIGHT back to TRUSTING in the OUTWARD appearance!!
How did that WORK OUT with Saul?
Listen - the Human heart will DO WHAT IT DOES!
It CAN’T HELP but - get HUNG UP = on the physical!!
Earlier in 1 Samuel - we see Samuel DOING the exact same thing...
23 Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.
24 And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
Samuel just walked out of TRUSTING in outward appearance…with Saul...
And yet - here he goes AGAIN - in our text today...
6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.”
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
This is what WE DO - as humans...
We THINK we’re WISE - and so we LOOK on the OUTWARD…and we make decisions based on that!
NO DOUBT - you have examples of this in your own life…!
Either looking at someone as the OBVIOUS choice - because they look a certain way....and you end up being wrong...
OR
2. You ended up being surprised at the BEST OPTION because it was NO ONE you would have ever even considered - based on their appearance!
ALWAYS - hung up on the physical...
ALL we can see - is the OUTWARD!
AND this is NOTHING new…it’s ALL over scripture!
How did the Jews MISS their Messiah?
They were expecting PHYSICAL freedom
They were expecting a PHYSICAL kingdom to be set up
They were hung up on - THE PHYSICAL
They didn’t UNDERSTAND that IN Christ DYING - He brought Spiritual FREEDOM!
When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well...
He said to her - Will you give me a drink?
And she says - you’re a Jew and I’m a Samaritan...
Jesus says - If you knew who I was, you would have asked Me for a drink, and I would have given you LIVING WATER.
Her reply?
Well sir, you don’t have a bucket to draw up the water with, and this well is very deep...
…Where is this living water?
Did she get it?
No - Jesus spoke using PHYSICAL language, yet was speaking - Spiritually
When Jesus spoke with Nicodemus, the most Religious man of the time...
Jesus said to him - You must be born again if you want to see the Kingdom of God.
What did Nicodemus reply?
“Uhhhhh, How can a man be born when he is old?
how am I supposed to RE-ENTER my mothers womb?”
Did he get it?
No - Jesus spoke using PHYSICAL language, yet was speaking - Spiritually
When Jesus was washing the apostles feet...
Jesus is about to wash Peter’s feet...
And Peter says - “Jesus, you will NEVER wash my feet”
Jesus says to him - “If i don’t WASH YOU, then you have no share with Me”...
Did Peter get it?
NO - he was hung up on the physical - and what Jesus did had a Spiritual meaning!
- ALL we can see is the outward!
When Jesus told the apostles of His coming Death....
Peter took Jesus over in the corner and said - “Nope - this will NEVER happen to you!”
Jesus replied - “Get behind me satan”
What was Peter’s problem…? Jesus tells us....
“Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Peter didn’t get it...
NO - he was hung up on the physical - and couldn’t GRASP the Spiritual side of it...
At the sermon on the mount...
Jesus said - You’ve heard it said before, you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery...
The Jews understood it - PHYSICALLY...
But what did Jesus do?
He defined what Murder meant...
Defined what Adultery meant...
Jesus revealed it WASN’T merely PHYSICAL...
It was a HEART issue...
When Jesus said…Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life...
How did the people respond?
“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
Did they get it?
No - Jesus spoke using PHYSICAL language, yet was speaking - Spiritually
When Jesus said - Whoever comes to Me shall never hunger, whoever believes in Me shall never thirst...
Did the people get it?
No - Jesus spoke using PHYSICAL language, yet was speaking - Spiritually
ALL we can see - is the OUTWARD!
I could go ON and ON and ON - examples of Christ using PHYSICAL language...
YET - speaking to the Spiritual side of Reality!
We - mankind have CONSISTENTLY misunderstood Jesus Christ!
We’re constantly TURNING that which is spiritual - into something - tangible...
Remember the Golden Calf? - Moses goes up on the Mountain to converse with God...
well - he was gone too long!
He comes back down and sees what?
A Golden Calf - something tangible to worship!
ALL we can see is the OUTWARD!
This is WHO WE ARE!!!
Think thru this...
We often EQUATE COMPETENCE - with - SKILL or Good looks...
YET - we’re OFTEN DRAWN to - the story of the UNDERDOG! are we not??
WHY DO WE LOVE the underdog so much?
Why do we love movies like = Hoosiers - or - RUDY?
RUDY - the ultimate underdog...
Dreamed of playing football for Notre Dame...
Didn’t have the grades to get INTO Notre Dame
And CLEARLY didn’t have the body or SKILL to play football there...
YET - thru hard work and perseverance...
He gets into the school..
TRIES OUT for the team - MAKES IT...
And ends up getting into a game (at least that’s what the MOVIE said)
WE often CHOOSE based on OUTWARD appearance.... YET...
We LOVE the UNDERDOG story - because we LOVE to see - the IMPROBABLE happen!
Well guess what - We serve - the God of IMPOSSIBLE!
While WE are LIMITED in our EYESIGHT… ONLY able to see the outward!...
SLIDE: The Eyes of God: Looks on the Inside
The Eyes of God
The Eyes of God
God looks to the HEART…and KNOWS the heart of man!
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
So SAMUEL - having just ASSUMED that the new King would be one of David’s - OLDER - TALLER brothers...
Needs to LEARN something from God...
And God gives it to him...
The God of the IMPOSSIBLE is about to shock the nation...
10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.”
11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.”
12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.”
13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
David was RUDDY…it says- It means - YOUNG…youthful
He WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN Samuel’s choice!
But he was - God’s choice!
God chose the IMPROBABLE route…and that’s OFTEN how God works!
God told a childless - 75 year old man that he would father a nation!
God used a stutterer to go before Pharaoh and FREE His people
God used a BOY to conquer a giant.
God used a persecutor of the church, to mightily DEFEND the church
God used blind man display the MERCY of God
God used a dead man to display the POWER of God
God most often takes the IMPROBABLE route…the IMPOSSIBLE route...
AND SO - that should cause us to LOOK differently...
at this world
at those around us
at ourselves
He sees the HEART of man...
Where we can ONLY guestimate potential...
GOD KNOWS the ability.
Where we see a DEAD-END...
God makes a way!
Where WE see -
no ability
no skill
no competence
no CHANCE
God sees...
HIS power…and therefore - CERTAINTY!
Is there someone in your life - where YOU’VE decided that God just isn’t interested in saving them - so you’ve stopped trying to speak Christ to them?
Is there someone in your life whom you’ve judged as - NOT the person for the job… NOT the person who could DO IT...
NOT the person who can GET IT DONE…!?
I’m telling you - GOD decides who will GET IT DONE!
HE equips people to accomplish His will!
I pray that we can TRUST God with the FREEDOM He has - to DO AS He pleases…and to USE people AS HE pleases!
SUMMARY:
The Eyes of Man
Can’t See Past the Here & Now
Look On the Outward
The Eyes of Man: Can’t See Past the Here & Now (v1-2)
“How long will you grieve?”
The unknown of tomorrow
The Eyes of Man
Looks On the Outward (v6-7)
Samuel trusted in that which just failed in Saul (v6-7)
The Eyes of God
See the End from the Beginning
Look on the Heart of Man
The Eyes of God
Sees the End from the Beginning (v1-3)
He KNOWS that this PAIN out in front of you is MOMENTARY...
He KNOWS better
And He Gives us opportunities for Obedience - that when we WALK in that obedience - we’ll see that God DOES know better!
The Eyes of God
Looks on the Heart of Man
We need to TRUST God with the Freedom He has...
We can’t DECIDE that God ONLY WORKS THIS way or THAT way...
We need to know that God works through humble obedience...
And if we can STAY humble… He will use us (or any other sinner) for His glory!
Let’s Pray...