When it Looks Hopeless

Do You Feel Hopeless?

1 Samuel 15:3, 9 “Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. . . But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.”

1 Samuel 15:26, 35 “And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. . . And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.”

We find in the Text a time that seems helpless, a time when people have turned from God.

Have you ever found yourself in a place of Hopelessness? Samuel did.

What about our nation?

How can I serve God in a world where it seems so few seem to be sold out

Why Did It Look Hopeless in Samuel’s Day?

It looked hopeless because it was a time of:

Departure

1 Samuel 8:19 “Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;”

1 Samuel 9:1-2 “Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.”

They Nation of Israel didn’t want led by a Prophet anymore.

They wanted a King to be like other Nations

-God’s people were drifting from him

-ANY TIME YOU TRY TO BE LIKE THE WORLD AND LIVE A WORDLY LIFE YOU ARE DEPARTING FROM THE LORD!!!

Defilement

Saul had committed 3 defiant acts against God

In Chapter 13 He defied God’s prophet when he took it upon himself to sacrifice to God

In Chapter 14 He assumed God’s rules didn’t apply to him

In Chapter 15 He disobeyed God, and did not do as God had instructed him to do to the Amalekites

*When Leadership falls into corruption, it makes the followers feel like doing right is hopeless*

Ask daniel if doing right it hopeless

Depression

1 Samuel 15:26, 35 “And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.” “And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.”

The Kingdom was stripped from Saul.

Samule didn’t leave rejoicing, He left mourning.

*It’s not easy nor fun seeing God turn away from our nation. It might even be easy to get discouraged about it. IT MIGHT EVEN LOOK HOPELESS*

*TO YOU IT MAY BE YOUR HOME OR LIFE IN GENERAL*

Why There is Hope in the Hopeless

There is hope in the hopeless because of:

God’s Plan

1 Samuel 16:1 “And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.”

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

God’s Person

While all else looked hopeless God raised up another Person

Saul didn’t know David

Samuel didn’t know David

ONLY GOD KNEW DAVID

*God will raise up His leader and open doors to direct his path so only God can get Glory for what is Done*

*Some of Gods greatest mean came from an obscure background*

God’s Provision

1 Samuel 16:1 The Lord tells Samuel to fill his horn with oil

Oil is a type of the Holy spirit

I know times seem hopeless these days, but God is still working and he’s telling samuel there there is still enough God to handle this situation.

BUT WE ARE RESPONSIBLE TO FILL OUR HORN WITH OIL

BEING FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY

*BEING SPIRIT FILLED AND RELYING UPON GOD IS WHERE WE WILL FIND OUR STRENGTH AND COURAGE TO GET THROUGH HOPELESS DAYS*