Sermon Transcript Tone Analysis

Alright, welcome to episode 15 of the plan.

We are for those.

Anybody who hasn't been in the series with us before what we've been doing, is we started in September and throughout the school year.

We are telling the entire story of the Bible in the goal is to link up.

So that Resurrection becoming the Resurrection on Easter, which means that this Christmas season.

We have been in Judges Ruth and 1st Samuel and it's not a typical place for Christmas, but I am wearing my Christmas socks.

Red and green.

And I will it will connect with Christmas.

I promise, but it is an unusual place to be for Christmas as we've been reading through the story of the Bible.

What we've been focusing on is this one plot that unites all the stories in the Bible because it is the story that we are a part of his Christians and as we share our faith with others, it is the story that we invite others into.

And so what we've been finding is the plot of the story, is that God's plan to establish a Place full of people who live out their purpose in his presence.

At the beginning of the story.

God makes a world and he puts people in a telxon to rule on his behalf and he comes down to live with them.

And at the end of the story, the last place where we see Humanity in Revelation, is living on a new Earth.

In the presence of God and they are, raining says, they will reign forever.

And so with the Story begins and ends in the same place, but as you probably know, Humanity mess things up.

Real early, in the story until everything in between is, is God's plan.

God's work to restore his design for how, or what our lives would.

This world is supposed to look like, and the place where at in the story right now in 1st Samuel, what God has been doing is working through.

One particular family, the family of Israel and he's using them as kind of a model.

So that is he gives them a particular place to live and he gives them a set of laws to live by and he comes down and lives with them.

In the land of Israel in the idea is that all the other nations can look at is real and buy see what makes them different.

They will understand who God is and I'll be able to enter into a relationship with God because they understand him.

The problem we've been encountering is that Israel's not very good at holding up their end of the deal.

They did not drive out the Canaanites like I told them to until they've had all of these.

These influences in Israel that have corrupted them.

They have taken the easier path of more magical ways of thinking, and more intimate wish-fulfillment kinds of religious expression and it's LED them into really dark places and in the end of Judges is really dark.

And then last week when we were in Samuel, we found it reach.

This is really bad place where they were willing to gamble with the plan itself.

They took the ark which is the presence of God into battle with them to try and force, God to win a battle for them.

And God called their Bluff.

They lost the ark, and they lost access to God's presence.

And even when the ark was returned to Israel.

It didn't go back to the Tabernacle at this point of the story.

It is in a city of the gibeonites were not Israelites and it's in their care.

And so they've lost access to the presence of God.

Last week, we found it that loss finally pushed the Israelites to truly repent.

And so under the leadership of Samuel.

They've been following God again.

But Time, Marches On and Sandy was getting older.

And so, as we begin our story today, we're getting towards the end of Samuel's career, as people are starting to get anxious about.

What happens next.

As I read this part of the story.

I want you to remember using these coordinates to kind of keep your bearings in the story.

The way, you know, how is story in the Bible fit in the overall stories by watching for the people.

Who is it about the place?

Where is their home, the presents?

How can I meet with God and purpose?

What did God tell them to do?

When Samuel Grunwald the appointed his son's as Israel's leaders, the name of his firstborn was Joel in the name of the second was a by SIA and they served at Beersheba, but his sons did not follow his ways.

They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes, and perverted justice to all the others gathered together and came to Samuel A trauma.

They said to him, you are old and your and your son's do not follow your ways.

Now appoint a king to lead us such as all the other nations have.

Karina pasian the story, we're going to get our bearings.

The first of all, who is the story about?

We're out where it's about Samuel and the Israelites Samuel is the leader.

He is the one that everybody goes to, there's a reason to go to Samuel to ask for a king and they don't disappoint when themselves.

Now, why is Samuel?

The leader Sandy was a leader because he is the one that God chose.

He's the one that God spoke through and so far, every leader of Israel has been chosen this way.

It's actually God, who's leading and they the Israelites follow.

Whoever God is talking to himself as you go through out this the stories that we've been in God will choose a person and speak through with them in the Israelites.

Hopefully, we'll start to follow that person is.

So that's why I said was in charge, because God has been speaking through him.

Where is their home right now?

Their home is the land of Israel, which is experiencing.

The text hasn't shown his face yet, but I'll tell you that, they are being invaded on both sides.

Now.

That's what we talked about the Philistine Invasion that came from the coast.

They were they were Greeks who came down and and made a landing on the coast.

But now they're also being attacked on the Eastern side by the ammonites.

So Sam is getting older and the military situation is getting worse and people are starting to get anxious about the future.

How can I meet with God?

This is a bit of a tricky question, because as far as we can tell, the things are still happening, at the Tabernacle, the way they always have that, people still going there to worship.

They're still putting the bread in the inside, and in the present, and all the inside, the Tabernacle, all that kind of stuff, but the ark is not there and it's the ark that really is the focus of God's presence.

When the Ark in the Tabernacle separate, God goes with the ark.

It so they're still worshipping the Tabernacle but because the ark is in Exile, there's some sense that they're not fully reconciled with God.

That he's not fully their there.

They're still kind of undergoing a trial separation and something needs their Waiting for God to do something to restore that relationship because I wasn't fully been mended.

Finally, what did God tell them to do?

There's two things that I want to highlight here cuz he told him to do 613 things at this point in the story, but we've been emphasizing.

So far, is the fact that their plan, that the way that Israelites have seen him Battle Is by being faithful to God there.

A national survival, depends on being faithful to God if they're faithful to God, then he will protect them again the victories in battle.

And if they're not faithful to God, then they will face their main charges to be faithful to God.

The question is, are they being faithful to God or not?

When they ask for a king?

How does asking for a king fit into the law in the commands that they've been given?

Well, there is actually a command that talks about having a guy, having a king in Deuteronomy 17.

It says, when you enter the land of the Lord, your God is giving you.

And if taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, let us set a king over us.

Like all the nations around us.

Be sure to a point over, you a king, the Lord your God chooses.

Now goes on to give them some rules about him.

He has to be in this room light and hear the things he should do and hear the things he shouldn't do.

But the command about choosing a king is when you ask for a king, make sure you follow the one God picks, which is pretty standard in a contract like this.

If it were with a human ruler that if people ask for a governor that can get to appoint the governor, right?

So you would respect God's Authority, but notice are they allowed to ask for a king?

Yes, aren't even allowed to ask for a king like the other nations have.

Yes, the rule is a point, the king, that God chooses.

That's the rule.