Looking For Leadership (1st Samuel 8:1-20)
[Title Slide] Looking For
Leadership
(1st Samuel 8:1-20)
Samuel
was only a boy when he first heard the call of God. In the scripture today,
Samuel is an old man. He had become the leader of Israel as God’s emissary.
Everyone respected Samuel and flourished under his leadership.
Samuel’s
sons were a different story. They were not trustworthy. They were corrupt, took
bribes, and perverted justice.
Transparency
International is an organization that works to end corruption. From their
website:
[Slide] Corruption is the abuse of
entrusted power for private gain.
Corruption
erodes trust, weakens democracy, hampers economic development and further
exacerbates inequality, poverty, social division and the environmental crisis.
Draw
your own conclusions as to how relevant is this information for our current
situation here in the US.
Israel
knew that Samuel was getting old. It weas time for new leadership. They didn’t
want their national and spiritual leadership to pass to Samuel’s corrupt sons. [Slide] Instead that
asked Samuel to appoint a king, so that they could be like all the other
nations around them.
There’s
a problem with this request. God called Israel to be a holy nation. Out of all
the peoples on the earth, Israel was God’s chosen nation for the explicit
purpose of blessing Israel and the rest the world through Israel. God would
dwell with Israel as Israel lived obediently under the law of Moses. God’s
vision is that the nations will acknowledge Israel as a shining example of how
life together should be.
[Slide] The prophet Isaiah communicates
this vision.
“I
will give you as a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of
the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6b)
Isaiah
says that all the nations will one day stream into Jerusalem.
[Slide] Many peoples shall come and say,
“Come,
let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that
he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.” (Isaiah
2:3)
The
creator of the universe chose Israel to be His holy people… and they want to be
like other nations? Do you see the problem here?
Holiness
means to be set apart 100% for God’s purpose. God set Israel apart from all
other nations by calling them to live in covenant with God and one another. By
doing so, Israel would become a blessing to the rest of the world. It is a
particular and peculiar calling.
The
church is also called to be holy, set apart for God alone. [Slide] The apostle Peter
wrote to the church:
…you
are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in
order that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of
darkness into his marvelous light. (1st Peter 2:9)
I
often find myself distracted from our calling as God’s holy people. I spend a
lot of time watching movies and enjoying music. I’m sure you also have some
favorite pastimes you enjoy. Your mission statement says you’re passionate
about making disciples. I think I’m more passionate about Star Wars and rock
music. If I were truly passionate about making disciples, my calendar would
look very different. How might our time and resources be redirected toward
making disciples?
Two
mindsets that hurt the church’s effectiveness in our disciple-making mission
are the consumer mindset and the secular mindset.
The
consumer mindset imagines the church to exist for one’s personal likes and
dislikes. [Slide] It’s
the Burger King Church. “Have it Your Way.” Church activities organize around
keeping members satisfied. If someone complains, the Burger King Church reacts
by trying to accommodate their particular issue. I served a congregation where
a member demanded 5 minutes of silence during worship. They threatened to leave
the church, if they didn’t get her way. The church leadership made the change
and her will was imposed upon the rest of the congregation. That’s life in the
Burger King Church. The consumer mindset is strangling the church’s mission.
The
secular mindset is also damaging. [Slide] According to a website by the National Secular Society
in England…
Secularism
is a political idea concerned with the best way to govern religiously pluralist
societies. Secularism pursues social equality, personal freedom, and safeguards
on religion.
· Equality so that
our religious beliefs or lack of them doesn't put any of us at an advantage or
a disadvantage.
· Freedom to practice
one's religion or belief without harming others, or to change it or not have
one, according to one's own conscience.
· Separation of
religious institutions from state institutions and a public sphere where
religion may participate, but not dominate.
Secularism
believes it has the best answer to humanity’s future. Live and let live. God’s
vision is to bring humanity to everlasting peace through the knowledge of God’s
law, mercy and love. Secularism relativizes religion to individual and,
preferably, private beliefs. You can believe whatever you want as long as you don’t
harm others with what you say or do. The church is called to be about God’s
business. That is a very different from the secular agenda. Those chosen to be
holy as God is holy choose not to participate in behaviors God calls sin. Secularism
calls for tolerance, embracing a diversity of choices. Atheism is embraced as a
valid option in secular society. The church is pressured by society to comply
with what is considered to be a superior moral standing. And when secularism
has its way, the scriptures themselves are in danger of being edited to remove
anything found offensive.
To
desire to be like other nations is not a holy identity. Our calling is to
become like Christ Jesus. A holy way of life is achieved only through the
Spirit of Jesus changing our hearts and lives. But a secular mindset has
invaded the church, calling for the church to align with secular ideals. While
the church is torn apart over secular agendas, the mission of the church to
make disciples suffers.
I
realize I am swimming in shark infested waters here, so let me just say I’m not
interested in oppressing anyone for their choices in life. Christ calls us to
love others, not judge or condemn others. I am for Jesus Christ and for this
lost world God so loves. I trust when we are true to Christ’s love, the light
of Christ in us will attract others.
When
Israel told Samuel they wanted a king to be like the other nations, he was
disappointed. How did he respond? He didn’t yell at them in anger. He didn’t
scold them. [Slide]
He prayed to the Lord. The Lord told Samuel, “Don’t take it personal. They’re
not rejecting you.
[Slide] “they have rejected me from being
king over them.” (1Sa 8:7b)
[Slide] They are forsaking me and serving
other gods. (1Sa 8:8)
In
the same way, secular society has forsaken the path that leads to eternal life,
for a false god. Secularism has made individual freedom the god we serve. In
short, we have made ourselves god. Have it your way.
Churches
that commit themselves to God’s vision of blessing the world through the
knowledge of God will save the world. We are called to be holy as God is holy.
That means to be singularly minded toward one goal, building the kingdom of God
on earth. That means to be fully devoted that that end. That means we live by
this peculiar calling. It will put us at odds with the world. It will cause
division with those who do not choose the way of Christ.
It
means organizing the life of the church around making disciples. We shift from
being centered upon programs like worship and Sunday school, to being centered
around the work of recruiting and shaping disciples for Jesus. [Slide] Churches that
transform the world will be disciple-making enterprises. The Church transformed
America in the 19th century through ministries of justice and
compassion. We established hospitals, opened colleges, and improved the lives
of impoverished and forgotten people. We can do it again.
I
have a simple challenge for you. As you go about your weekly activities, be on the
lookout for needs in this community. What is wrong that could be made right?
What is lacking that needs resources? Who needs compassionate care? How would a
needy situation change if God’s love were in charge? How has God gifted this
congregation to meet the need? And when God speaks to you, share that with your
leadership council.
Samuel
prayed to God. God told Samuel to go ahead and anoint a king for Israel, but
warn them! Be careful what you wish for!
[Slide] The king will draft young men into
the army to fight his wars. The king will take young women from their families
to serve his palace or to beautify his court. In Solomon’s case, he took women
as concubines to fill his harem, just like other nations. The king will seize
property for his own purposes. We call it force majeure. And the people will
suffer the burden of taxes. God warned a 10% tax. I want a government that will
only tax my income 10%!
But
the people refused to listen to God’s warning. They told Samuel, “No, we are
determined to have a king.” Well, they got Saul, but he turned out to be more
interested in the allegiance of his soldiers and the accolades of the people,
than in keeping the law of Moses. Samuel anointed David, but he was a warrior
king. He advanced the borders of Israel in blood. His son Solomon was a
builder. The people suffered under heavy taxes and required labor for his
projects. It split the kingdom. Divided, Israel and Judah fell to Assyria and
Babylon. Be careful what you wish for!
In
this presidential election year, America is looking for leadership. [Slide] I suggest to you
that the leader we need is the king of kings and lord of lords, Jesus Christ. In
truth, Christ is already governing at the right hand of God. Place Christ upon
the throne of every human heart and this world will be done with sin, done with
greed, done with hate, prejudice, apathy and ignorance. So let us join our
voices in the ancient hymn. [Slide]
From Philippians 2…
Let
the same mind be in me that was in Christ Jesus,
who,
though he existed in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be grasped,
but
emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
assuming human likeness.
[Slide] And being found in appearance as a
human,
he
humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.
Therefore
God exalted him even more highly
and gave him the name
that is above every other name,
[Slide] so that at the name given to Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and
every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
[Slide] Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!
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