Naylor Community
Christian Church
Naylor, Georgia
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to 1 Samuel 8:1-5
1
Samuel 8:1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. 2
The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and
they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned
aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
4
So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5
They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now
appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”
-- One of the toughest tasks a church will
ever face is choosing a new pastor to lead their congregation – it is a
difficult and an arduous task
-- I heard about this church that was
having to do just that – to replace their pastor who had served there for
decades – as you can imagine, the congregation and the Pastoral Selection
Committee were in turmoil over having to do so
-- after watching one good applicant after
the other be rejected by the committee because of some minor fault – real or
imagined – one member of the committee finally lost his patience – he stood up
and read a letter to the committee that he said he had received from another applicant,
and wanted their thoughts
-- “Gentlemen,”
he read – “Understanding that your pulpit is vacant, I would like to apply for
the position -- I have many qualifications – I have been a preacher with much
success for numerous years – and I have also had some success as a writer --
Some say I’m a good organizer -- and I have been a leader most places I’ve
been.
-- “However, I am over 50 years of
age and have never preached in one place for more than three years -- In some
places where I have served, I have left town after my work and ministry caused
riots and disturbances -- I must admit I have been in jail three or four times,
but not because of any real wrongdoing.
-- “My health is not too good, though I
still manage to accomplish a great deal -- The churches I have preached in have
been small, though located in several large cities.
-- “On another note, I have
generally not gotten along well with religious leaders in the towns where I
have preached -- In fact, some have threatened me, and a few have even attacked
me physically – Finally, I am not too good at keeping records – for instance, I
have been known to forget whom I have baptized.
-- “However, if you can use me and
feel that God has called me to serve your congregation, I promise to do my best
for you.”
-- When he finished reading the letter,
the member turned to the committee and said, “Well, what do you think? Shall we
call him?”
-- the other committee members were
aghast – after having rejected other, more worthy candidates, why would they
even consider a sickly, absent-minded, ex-jailbird trouble-maker? – was the
committee member crazy?
– who was this pastor anyway? – who would
even consider sending such a resume to their church and expect anyone to
consider them capable and worthy of leading their congregation?
-- the committee member who had read the letter
looked at each of the other members of the committee and said, “It’s signed,
‘The Apostle Paul.’”
II. The Institution of Governments
-- while we’re not facing the
situation of having to replace a pastor – at least, I hope not – we are rapidly
coming to the close of this federal election season, where we will be deciding
which of the candidates running for president and the other offices is the one
that we feel is the most worthy of being selected to lead us in the future
-- as contentious and as polarizing as
this election has been, it is still a fact that we are blessed in the United
States because we have the ability to freely choose who will lead us – each of
us, individually, has the opportunity to express our opinion and to cast our
vote on the candidate that we feel is the best for the country – and I don’t
think we should take that for granted
-- if you stop for a moment and just think
about it, you’ll quickly recognize that this right to choose our leader is
something that very few other countries or civilizations throughout the history
of this world have been able to do – even today, free and fair elections of
political leaders is not available to all – so, this opportunity – this freedom
– this blessing that we have – should be recognized as such – it is a very
sacred and precious responsibility that God has granted us
-- so, leading up to the election on
November 5th, my plans are to share a few messages about this responsibility
that God has given us so that we might consider how we should vote and evaluate
prospective leaders with a Kingdom perspective and not from a worldly
perspective
-- as I tried to point out in the
opening illustration, sometimes we evaluate and select leaders based on man’s
principles and ideals rather than on God’s principles and ideals
-- and that’s not a condemnation on
anyone or any party – it’s simply a fact – it’s a tendency that all of us have
because we tend to make decisions and choices in life based on the here-and-now
without considering the eternal and spiritual ramifications – and as we go
through these messages, you’ll see this tendency to make decisions based on
short-term situations repeated time and time again from those who went before
us – and I hope that we can do better
-- to lay the foundation for these
messages, we need to understand the governmental institutions that God has
established for us here on earth, because God’s government is beyond that of
just nations, but encompasses all realms of our lives
-- when looking at the governmental
institutions and authorities that God has established, we can say they fall
into four general realms:
1.
Self-government: By this I mean
that God has given us independence and free will to make decisions about our
lives and what we will do.
-- several years ago, I had a
coworker who was being pressed into making a decision at work – he was being
told what he had to do – the direction that our leadership wanted him to go –
and he didn’t feel this was the best course of action
-- I talked with him at length about
this and I said, “I don’t see where you have another choice – you’re going to
have to do what they’re telling you to do – there’s no other way out” – to
which he replied, “There’s always a choice – sometimes, that choice means
walking away to keep your integrity”
-- he made a good point – we always
have a choice – God has given us self-government in the form of free will – and
we have the ability to make whatever choices we want, for good or bad
-- when God made Adam and put him in
the Garden of Eden, God told Adam that he was free to eat from all the trees in
the garden except for one – he was not to eat the fruit of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil – and Adam had a choice – he could obey God or he
could disobey God – the decision was totally up to him because God had gifted
man with free will and self-government
-- we have choices and decisions
that we have to make every single day of our lives -- God shows us in His word what
He wants us to do – He shows us the better way – the Holy Spirit guides us in
our lives and leads us to the place where we can make the right decision and
the right choice – at the same time, our flesh and this world and Satan offer
alternative choices
– but ultimately, it is up to us – we have
free will – we have self-government – ultimately, it is our decision -- we make
the choice – but we have to live with the consequences of that choice, whatever
it is
-- so, self-government is the first
governmental institution established
2.
Family Government – after granting us self-government, God next
established the family as a primary governmental institution in our lives, with
Adam and Eve forming the first family government in history
-- God’s plan was for the family to
function as a single unit with an established governmental hierarchy that was
to be replicated throughout earth – God was to be the head of the family, with
the husband taking the role of God’s representative and leader to ensure the
family was protected, preserved, and functioned in accordance with God’s word
and God’s commands
-- in that role, the husband was to
be the leader of the family, with the wife under him, and the children under
both of them – functioning as a unit, the family was to represent God’s
presence in the world, as they related to one another similar to how the
Trinity relates to itself
3.
The third type of governmental institution created by God was Church
Government – The establishment of order within the religious community, with
individuals and families coming together under the authority of spiritual
leaders anointed by God
-- with Jesus as the head of the church, these
spiritual leaders govern matters that apply to the church and church members –
and the church is supposed to act as the body of Christ, spreading the message
and the love of Christ with all
-- when a church functions as God
intended, God’s Spirit permeates the church and society, affecting culture through
their morality and spirituality – seasoning society and the surrounding culture
as salt in the world
4. The
last type of governmental institution created by God is Civil Government – what
we typically think of when we hear the word “government” – civil government is
the government of nations and states – the governing authorities from
presidents and kings down to governors and mayors
-- we’ll look more at this in a week or
so, but according to Romans 13, the Apostle Paul taught that civil government
is the governmental institution that God created and put into place to create
and maintain righteous and just environments in which freedom can flourish
without interference with the other institutions of self, family and church
-- Paul makes it clear that a properly
functioning civil government – established and operating under God -- “is [designed]
to promote the conditions for the well-being of the citizenry for good, while
protecting the citizenry against the proliferation of evil” (Evans).
-- As Tony Evans points out, this means
that politics and civil government should be fundamentally ethical enterprises operated
based on what is right and what is wrong – as such, Christian voting should be
considered, first and foremost, a spiritual issue.
-- In other words, when we are given the
opportunity to select our leaders – to have a say in who is appointed to serve
over us – then we should make our choices and base our votes on spiritual
principles and precepts, with the person we select and nominate for political
office being someone who will conform to God’s ideal, not man’s ideal.
-- however, like I alluded to earlier, the
problem is that we rarely select candidates it may on these Godly principles – our decisions –
our choices in who to vote for -- are influenced by other factors, including economic,
cultural, and social factors – and, to be honest, we tend to select candidates based on what they
look like, what political party they belong to more, and whether we think they
will benefit us personally more than any other factor
-- because of this, we do not look at all
the candidates equally and evaluate them based on their policies, their
character, their integrity and their moral stances – but we allow our
preconceived notions and biases affect our choice, which has led us to vote for
candidates that would not be acceptable to God
-- as one writer put it, “selecting
government leaders has very serious ramifications. When selecting government
leaders to oversee the largest business in the US and the most powerful nation
in the world, please keep in mind the following:
It is not a popularity contest!
It is not a beauty contest!
It is not like choosing a favorite movie
star!
It is not like choosing a favorite ball
team!
It is not about picking a celebrity!
It is not about a candidate’s eloquence in
speech!
It is not about who will give you the most
benefits!
It is not about your personal preferences!
It is not about your ancestral family
loyalties!”1
--
but, regardless of the warnings, making decisions and choosing leaders based on
factors such as these is our natural tendency -- We all do it – because of who
we are – a fallen people living in a fallen world -- it is how we naturally
respond – and it has always been like that, from the very beginning of time, as
Adam and Eve’s choice to disobey God has clearly shown
-- rather than choosing God and
God’s ways, we usually tend to choose our own way – and that’s true whether we
are talking about politics or anything else in our lives
-- we see that in these verses here
in 1 Samuel 8:1-5 – like I pointed out last week, up until this point in time,
the people of Israel were governed by judges – men and women that God called
and anointed to lead the people for a particular time and for a particular
reason
-- while all the judges accomplished
God’s will for them and the nation of Israel at that moment, some judges
continued to follow God and God’s commands throughout their period of rule
while others began to make selfish decisions and did not continue to follow God,
to their detriment
-- the prophet Samuel was the last
judge that God called to lead the people, and Samuel did a very good job
fulfilling God’s call and leading the people to follow God – however, as Samuel
grew older and realized he could no longer lead the people as he had earlier,
he appointed his own sons as judges, apparently without first consulting with
God
-- look at verse 1
1
Samuel 8:1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. 2
The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and
they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned
aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
-- Samuel’s sons did not follow
after their father – they were not godly men, but used their new positions as
judges for personal gain – they were dishonest and accepted bribes and
perverted justice – doing the very things that were detestable in the eyes of
God
-- remember the old adage, “Power
corrupts” – and we see that here with the two sons of Samuel, who did not
follow God but the ways of the world
-- verse 4
1
Samuel 8:4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at
Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways;
now appoint a king to lead[b] us, such as all the other nations have.”
-- so, the elders of Israel
complained to Samuel about his sons – about their immoral and corrupt behavior
– and demanded a change in government
-- but rather than appealing to God
to raise up a new judge for them, the elders of Israel clamored for an earthly
king – God had called the people of Israel and set them apart as different from
the rest of the people of the world – they were to be His chosen people – under
His leadership – following His law – but they looked around them and saw that
all the other nations had kings – and, rejecting God and His leadership, they
petitioned Samuel to appoint a king to govern them
-- just like I was saying, when it
comes to choosing leaders, a lot of the time we allow the examples we see
around us and the messages we hear from the world lead us to make ungodly
choices – and this is what happened in Israel at the end of Samuel’s service as
judge
-- verse 6
1
Samuel 8:6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased
Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that
the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have
rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up
out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are
doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know
what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”
-- this time, Samuel to God and
asked God what to do – if he had only done that before choosing to appoint his
two sons as judges, things might have been different for the nation of Israel –
but Samuel failed in this aspect, and now this request for a king had been
brought up to him
-- God responded by letting Samuel
know that the choice the people had made was not a rejection of Samuel, but a
rejection of God Himself – they were refusing to follow God as their King, just
as they had done throughout their history as a nation – and so, God was going
to take His hand off the nation and allow them to choose their own way,
suffering the consequences of their actions
-- but, God said, before I do so,
warn the people again of the dangers of an earthly king and what he will do to
them as he reigns over them
-- verse 10
1
Samuel 8:10 Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking
him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will
claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his
chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he
will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others
to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of
war and equipment for his chariots. 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 groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a
tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and
attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and
donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks,
and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry
out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you
in that day.”
-- God knew what would happen once
the people looked to man for leadership over Him – He knew that power would
corrupt and that some of the kings would be selfish and evil and harm the
people, even though some would be good and godly and seek to follow Him
-- it’s that way with all who seek
to lead and govern others, especially those who seek leadership positions not
because of a desire to serve, but out of a desire for power and personal gain –
that is why the term “politician” is so derogatory in our culture today
-- I read the story about a minister and
his wife who were worried about the future of their 18-year-old son since he
showed no interest in anything – because of that, they decided to test him to
see what he might do in the future
-- They put a Bible, a $20 bill and a
quart of whiskey on the table for him to see – they reasoned that if the boy
chose the Bible, he might be a minister like his father -- If he chose the
money, he might be a banker or a businessman -- If he took the whiskey, he
might end up as a drunkard.
-- The parents called him into the room
and asked him to make a choice -- He looked over the temptation carefully --
Finally, he stuck the $20 bill into his pocket, put the Bible under one arm,
the bottle under the other and left the room -- The minister cried, “Good
heavens! It’s worse than we thought -- he’s going to be a politician!”
-- God knew that – as we read in
Psalm 139, God searches our hearts and He knows us – He knows our weaknesses –
He knows our strengths – He knows what we are going to do – and God knew what
would happen when the people of Israel chose a human to be their king
-- so, God puts the issue before the
people once again, allowing them to make the choice on their own – to repent of
their call for an earthly leader and to follow God as their King once again –
or to press on and have an earthly king appointed for them
-- verse 19
1
Samuel 8:19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We
want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king
to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”
21
When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 22
The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”
Then
Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”
-- “No,” the people said. “We want a king like all the other nations.”
– and with that word, the die was cast – the choice was made – and God gave the
people over to the desires of their hearts, along with the consequences that
would come with that choice
-- and we’ll talk more about that in
the future, including the difference in how the people selected a leader versus
how God selected a leader for the nation of Israel
III. CLOSING
-- let me close this by sharing with
you a story about a politician who died and was met by St. Peter -- Peter said,
“I was told to offer you something you are very familiar with. You will be
allowed to choose where you will spend eternity; heaven or hell. You will spend
a day in each place and then cast your vote.”
-- The politician took the elevator down
and arrived in hell. As the doors opened, Satan met him with a warm handshake.
Many politicians who had gone before him were there and greeted him. It was a
place of incredible beauty and happiness. No one worked yet everyone had an
abundance. Everyone enjoyed whatever relationship they chose. Everyone lived by
their own rules and were outrageously happy. It was everything he had worked
toward all of his political life. At the end of the day, he hated to leave!
-- but he took the elevator up and met St.
Peter again. He said to Peter, “I would guess that in heaven I will have to
live by God’s rules--His “thou shalts” and “thou shalt nots.” -- Therefore,
I’ve seen enough! I’ve made up my mind. I vote for hell – that’s where I want
to spend eternity”
-- He entered the elevator again and
pushed the down button. As the doors opened in hell, his eyes took in absolute
devastation and ruin. People were starving and there was fighting everywhere. People
were being tortured and crying out in torment at their pain and suffering
-- Satan approached him with a broad smile
and said, “Welcome to Hell.”
-- The politician asked, “What happened?
Why are things so different here now?”
-- Satan responded, “Yesterday we were
campaigning -- today we have your vote.”
-- and with that reminder of what
happens when we put our faith and support solely in earthly politicians and
politics, let us close with prayer and ask for God’s wisdom and guidance in the
choices and decisions that face us this year
-- let us pray
1
[https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/government-leadership-selection-dr-lewis-w-gregory-sermon-on-government-250966]
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