Give Me What I Want ME WE

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Give Me What I Want ME Today I want to talk to you about an ongoing struggle that I have. There are times when I’m victorious and times when I just flat out fail. There are times when I put up a fight to do right, and times when I drop my guard. I struggle with telling God what I want and expecting for Him to fulfill my will. I am guilty of going to God and telling Him to give me what I want, instead of asking him what his will is for me and then bending to it. One of my most memorable blunders in this area, happened a few years back when I was attempting to buy a new used car. My current car had become less and less reliable. So I did what any man would do, I told my wife we’re going car shopping. We went down to the used car dealer and began looking for vehicles, when I found the one I wanted I told the salesman to draw up the paper work. About a month or so later while I am leaving work, I hit a pot hole and tore the oil pan off the engine. Two or so months later while I was backing into our drive way, I back into the side of the house and tore my door off. During a snow storm while attempting to climb Brady street hill, I lost tractions and began to slide down backwards. While I owned the car my days were filled with grief and misery, it seemed like one thing after another kept happening to me. I think I owned it for a less than a year before I traded it. Here’s what I want you to know about my decision to buy that care: 1. I never once went to God in prayer to find out what I should do. I made my decision void of God. 2. I didn’t even ask my wife what she thought about buying a new care, I simply made the purchase without evolving her. When we make decisions void of God it never turns out well But here’s the funny thing I’m not alone in this, some you can totally relate to my experience.

WE All of us are guilty of making decisions void of God. Did you know that every decision you make no matter its size, needs to first be run by God?  It’s a dangerous thing when we tell ourselves it’s only a new car I can handle this decision  its only new friendship I can handle this decision  It’s only a new job I can handle this decision  It’s only a girl friend or boyfriend I can handle this decision 1

 I’m only getting married I can handle this decision  It’s ok if I’m single and he’s married we can be friends - I can handle this decision  It’s ok if I fudge the number on my taxes a little bit I can handle this As followers of God we don’t get to do as we please. When we drew a line in the sand and said for God I live and for God I’ll die, we willing gave our entire selves over to God. That means He’s the director of our lives. That means no longer is it my will be done, but rather it’s the Lord’s will be done. When we live as if our will supersedes the Lord’s will life becomes miserable, initially it may seem like everything is a ok and life is great. But overtime life will become increasingly more difficult for you. The joy that you used to have will dissipate. The peace that you once enjoyed will be disrupted. And the connection that you shared with God will become fragmented. I want us to further explore this issue by looking at some people that decided they knew what was best regarding their future. In essences these individuals made a decision that ultimately became their undoing. They had the best intentions in mind, but their decision did not line up with God’s desire for them. As we read this account I want you to think about your current relationship with the Lord. Maybe you can see yourself in the text, I certainly did.

GOD Turn with me to 1 Samuel 8. Let me pray for our time together… 8 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.

When we catch up with Samuel he is nearing the end of his ministry. He has spent the bulk of his life in service to the Lord as a prophet and judge. Judges were people used by God to up hold His law by vindicating the righteous and punishing evil-doers. Essentially Samuel served as a preacher, judge, jury and executioner. What you need to know about Samuel is that he carried a lot of authority and influence. Samuel was the man; he spoke on behalf of God. None-the-less Samuel is now looking towards the future leadership of Israel, he’s concerned with making sure that Israel has someone to judge them after he is dead. In line with Jewish tradition Samuel chose his sons to succeed him. Unfortunately Samuel’s sons were no good; (v.3) tells us that they did not follow after God like their 2

father Samuel. Instead of serving the Lord by putting the needs of the people in front of their own and being a living example of a God follower, they opted to pervert their positions and take advantage of people. Much like a corrupt politician who uses their position and prestige for self-gain in our culture. 4

Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” At first glance when you read v.4-5 you’re like, what a logical decision. Samuel needs to retire, his sons are not able to fill the role as judge, it makes sense to appoint a king in the place of Samuel. But as you keep reading, you find out in v. 6 that this idea of having a king displeased Samuel. This word displeased is a clarifying term, it means bad or harmful. The elders wanted something that would ultimately hurt them, in this case they wanted a king. Let me clarify, it wasn’t that the idea of having a king was a bad one, in fact God desired for them to one day have a king. Examples can be found in Geneses 17:6 where God says “kings shall come from you” and again he repeats the same statement in v. 16 & 35:11. God’s plan was for Israel to have a God fearing king to lead them. So the issue wasn’t that Israel wanted a king. The issue was the kind of king. The elders wanted a king like the surrounding nations had, look at (v.5). The elders said: “Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations”. Essentially what they’re saying is that they want a king like everybody else has, they want a king like the other nations have. That may sound like an admirable thing, but you need you realize that the other nations served false gods. The surrounding nations were pagan, The Philistines were to the west of them, the Syrians were to their north, the Moabites were to their south, and the Ammonites were to their East. Those other nations wanted nothing to do with the God of Israel. These men, these elders wanted an ungodly, self-glorifying king just like their neighbors. 

This brings me to our first observation. We don’t know what’s best for ourselves only God does.

These men were convinced that they knew what was best for themselves. All of us can point to times in our lives when we were convinced that our idea was the best idea. A part from God we can’t make right decisions. That’s why we need to depend on the Lord for his leadership. 3

That’s what Samuel did he went straight to God to find out what to do. (v.6b) Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” Samuel goes to the Lord to find out what he should do and God blows his mind. God tells Samuel to obey the elder’s request. He tells him to give them a king. The tone that God takes sounds a lot like a parent that has been dealing with a rebellious child. Some of you can totally relate, some of you have dealt with a rebellious child. Some of you we’re rebellious children, others of you are dealing with a rebellious child right now. God’s like here we go again, my children have been rejecting and returning, rejecting and returning, rejecting and returning to me since I brought them out of Egypt. This whole idea of turning away and returning to God is not a new thing, the Israelites had a history of disobedience.

The Israelites took it upon themselves to tell Samuel what they wanted, they had decided in their minds they knew what was best. They thought that having a king that’s similar to the surrounding nations was a good thing. They had no idea what they were asking for, they had no idea of the burden they would be put under. This is why God orders Samuel to tell the Israelites what their king would be like.

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So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will TAKE your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. (the king will TAKE your sons and turn them into personal escorts. IOW Your sons will becomes the king chauffeurs and personal attendants.

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And he will appoint for HIMSELF commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. (The King will turn your sons into soldiers and command them to fight his battles and make his weapons 13

He will TAKE your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will TAKE the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will TAKE the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. (He’ll take what’s rightfully yours and give it to another) 16

He will TAKE your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will TAKE the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. (He will enslave you 18

And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.” (one day you’ll come to your senses and realize you’ve made a terrible mistake, but it will be too late) Sadly the king the Israelites wanted was180 degrees opposite of the type of king God desired for them. From (Deuteronomy 17:14-20) we learn that the king of Israel should: 1. God fearing 2. Selfless 3. Humble 4. Able to teach God’s Law After Samuel warns them listen to how they respond 19

But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the LORD. 22 And the LORD said

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to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.” Verses 19&20 are the two saddest verses in this entire story. Samuel pours his heart out in an effort to sway the Israelites desire for a king, but they refuse to listen. Instead they say so what, never mind your warning we know what best for ourselves we want a king. Give ME What I Want! What’s mind boggling to me is that despite hearing all that Samuel warned them about they still say “king me”. They still want a king like the other nations. Just in case you didn’t know, things end badly for the Israelites. There first 3 kings Saul, David, and Solomon are the most faithful to God. Under the leadership of David and Solomon the twelve tribes of Israel united and became the dominant world power. Unfortunately their success was short lived, after them came an succession of kings that perverted God’s law and took advantage of the people. The once dominant world power splits into to two halves, about 200 years later the Northern portion of the kingdom called Israel is taken over by a pagan nation called Assyria. About 1oo or so years later the Southern portion is taken captive by another pagan nation called Babylon. The Israelites never return to their position of prominence. What I want you to know is that the very thing they demanded (a king) ended up being their undoing. As you look at the history of the Israelites, there is a reoccurring theme. When they honor God they prosper, when they turn way from God they suffer. I think it’s easy to hear a story like this and say that’s them I’ll never make a mistake like that. But the reality is that all of us are guilty of making bad decisions. Some of our decisions seemed like the right thing to do at the time but as time passed you realized it wasn’t so great. I want us to spend the remainder of our time talking about how we can make God honoring decisions

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YOU I want to share with you a simple but highly effective way to make right decisions. 1. Get quite | distance yourself from any and all distractions (turn off the TV, Social media, internet, cell phone) so that you can hear from God(Psalm 62:5) For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. 2. Get on your knees | trust God enough to go to him in prayer, believing he will answer your prayer (Jeremiah 33:3) “Call to me and I will answer you, and tell you great and hidden things you have not known” 3. Get into His Word | God’s will is found in God’s Word. What he desires for you can be found between Genesis and revelation (Psalm 119:105) “you word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”. 4. Get clarity | Ask other God fearing people that you know and trust (SG-Leader, friend, co-worker, your spouse) about what your dilemma. Everyone needs to have 2 or 3 truth tellers in their life (Proverbs 11:14) “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety”. 5. Get going | if all you do you do is get quite, get on your knees, get into His Word, and Get clarity, but fail to act on the counsel you’ve received all you’re doing is wasting time. The 5th and the hardest step is to get going, God is interested with our actions. (James 1:22) “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves”. The answers we receive need to be followed up by action: If God says don’t – then you don’t… if God says do – then you do if God says return the Michael Kors bag you just purchased – then you return it, if God says to says to dump him or her then you dump them if God says not to buy that 24k ultra high definition TV for your man cave and spend time with your family – then you forget the TV and spend time with your family If God says you need to work on your marriage then you work on your marriage If God says that job promotion is not for you then it’s not for you God rewards obedience 7

WE Take a moment a think about what your life would be like if all of your decisions were first run through these steps before you made them. How much more joy filled would you be. There would be no such thing as buyer’s remorse, or ex-husband and ex-wives, you wouldn’t have to buy I’m sorry flowers. Parents would have to punish their children. Loved ones we don’t know what’s best for ourselves only God does. And because only God knows what’s best we need seek him first before we make any decisions. Once he speaks we need to follow his instructions. Pray

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