SERMON: WHAT CAN I DO?

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Acts 1:12-26

 

Acts 1:12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

 

15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.”

 

18 (With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

 

20 “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms:

 

“‘May his place be deserted;

    let there be no one to dwell in it,’

 

and,

 

“‘May another take his place of leadership.’

 

21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

 

23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.

 

            -- finally, we have arrived at the cusp of our next presidential election in America – I know we say it every time and with every election, but this has been a doozy – the election ads and the rhetoric and the name-calling have reached new levels of depravity this year

-- we have endured a polarizing and agonizing election season – I have had enough ads about Corey Simon and Darryl Parks to last me for a lifetime, along with all the ads about amendments in Florida – not to say anything about the back and forth between Trump and Harris – but here’s the good news -- the end is in sight – for on the day after tomorrow, we can finally vote and hopefully choose the right person to lead us over the next few years and we will hopefully vote in the direction God wants when it comes to the other ballot initiatives

-- I don’t know if you noticed, but after all the fighting and name-calling and political divisions this election cycle, all the candidates came together in the last couple of weeks and agreed on something – they actually united as one and called on their supporters to go out on Tuesday and vote

-- even as divided as the parties are – as hate-filled as this election has been – this is the one thing everyone agrees is important – that Americans should get out on Tuesday and vote for their candidate of choice

            -- and they’re doing this for a reason – the voters are tired – we’ve been hit with message after message and fake news after fake news and threats that the election is being stolen – and a lot of us have reached the point where we just throw up our hands and surrender – I’ve heard quite a few people this week say they’re not going to vote -- why bother? – they don’t like either candidate, so what does it matter? – why vote at all?

            -- some think that because of the electoral college, their vote doesn’t count, so why go? -- others have the same reasoning simply because of the great numbers of voters who will turn out on election day

-- what does one more vote matter? -- what does my little vote really count for in an election? -- does it really matter if I vote or not?

-- let me tell you why it does

 

-- in the presidential election of 1824, there were four candidates for president -- John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, William Crawford, and Henry Clay

-- after the election was over and the electoral votes were counted, they found that General Jackson had received the most electoral votes with 99 -- but he needed 134 to win a majority -- John Quincy Adams came in second, and William Crawford came in third

-- because none of the candidates received enough electoral votes or won a majority of the popular vote, the decision went to the House of Representatives to select from among the top three candidates

-- on the morning of February 9th, 1825, Congress met to elect a president -- each of the 24 states had one vote and the candidate had to receive 13 votes from the state delegation in order to be elected president

-- the congressmen of each state would vote amongst themselves for their candidate for president, and then the winner of the majority would receive that state's vote

-- even though Jackson had won the most electoral votes, he did not have the support of the Congress -- John Quincy Adams had the promised vote of 12 states, but needed one more state to win the presidency – it all came down to the state of New York

-- there were 34 congressmen in New York -- 17 were for Adams and 17 were opposed to him -- in order to be president, Adams needed to get one of the people who were opposed to him in New York to change their vote and support him

-- One of the 17 New Yorkers who was opposed to Adams was a rich old man, Stephen van Rensselaer -- he became the swing vote for the presidential election -- supporters for both sides came to see him -- they told him that his vote was the most important vote in the whole Congress -- in effect, one man -- Stephen van Rensselaer would decide who would be president

-- when the time came for him to vote, he still was not sure who to vote for -- he put his head down on his desk and asked God to help him make the right choice -- after this short prayer, he opened his eyes and saw on the floor at his feet a piece of paper with Adams' name on it -- Van Rensselaer picked it up and put it in the ballot box as his vote -- this gave Adams the vote of the state of New York and made him president of the United States

-- the vote of just one person had changed history forever

 

            -- this morning, as we prepare for this upcoming presidential election, I want us to consider the question, “What does it matter if I vote? -- I am only one person -- What can I do?”

 

II.  Scripture Lesson (Acts 1:12-26)

 

            -- in this passage from the Book of Acts, we read about what the disciples of Jesus did immediately following His ascension on the Mount of Olives -- as we know, Jesus was crucified on Calvary in our place -- He suffered and died for us and the forgiveness of our sins -- and then He rose from the dead on the third day, victorious over sin and death – having won the victory for us for all time

            -- after His resurrection, the Bible tells us that Jesus appeared to the disciples over a period of forty days and taught them about the kingdom of God -- He opened their minds and their hearts to the scriptures, and revealed to them the meaning of the prophecies concerning His ministry and His purpose for coming

            -- at the end of those forty days, Jesus led the disciples out to the Mount of Olives, where He ascended into a cloud before their eyes

            -- as the disciples were standing there looking into heaven, two angels appeared to them and asked why they were standing there looking into the sky -- the angels reminded them of what Jesus had said concerning His second coming and that He would come again in the same way He had gone to heaven

            -- basically, what the angels were saying to the disciples was to quit staring into heaven and start getting about the business and ministry to which Jesus had called them

            -- which brings us to verse 12 and the beginning of our passage this morning

 

            -- verse 12

 

Acts 1:12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

 

            -- so, after the angel told them to quit staring into heaven and get back to work, the disciples headed back to Jerusalem – it was about a day’s walk back, a distance of about 20 miles – so, it would have taken them several hours to get back

            -- when they arrived in Jerusalem, they went to the house where they had been staying – the same house where they had shared the last supper – the same house where Jesus had appeared to them following His resurrection – the same house where the Holy Spirit is going to descend on them on the Day of Pentecost

            -- they went back to the place where they had known Jesus – and they joined together in prayer – the eleven apostles, the women, including Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the rest of the disciples – all in all, this was a large group, numbering about 120 people, as we’ll see in verse 15

            -- but the important thing I want you to see here is that they prayed – the Bible says they were joined together constantly in prayer – after being told by the angel to go back to Jerusalem and begin the work that Jesus called them to, their first action wasn’t to get out and do something physically – it was to pray

            -- to seek guidance – to seek direction – to seek clarity

            -- this should be our model – we should follow their example – we don’t pray enough – we don’t gather in prayer enough – and so, we don’t always hear from God before moving forward in what we think He wants us to do

            -- before this election, we need to pray – we’ve got two days, and those two days should be filled with prayer as we ask God who He wants us to vote for – as we ask Him to show us how to vote on the various ballot initiatives – and as we ask for His blessing and hand to be with us and this nation in the days ahead

 

            -- verse 15

 

Acts 1:15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.”

 

18 (With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19 Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

 

20 “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms:

 

“‘May his place be deserted;

    let there be no one to dwell in it,’

 

and,

 

“‘May another take his place of leadership.’

 

21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

 

            -- during this time of prayer, God spoke to Peter and impressed on him that they needed to pick someone to replace Judas Iscariot as an apostle

 

            -- just to make sure we’re on the same page and we all understand the terms the Bible uses, I think it's important to note that while everyone who is a Christian is a disciple -- a follower of Christ -- some in the body of Christ -- some in the church -- have been set apart and called to specialized ministry

            -- in Ephesians 4:11 we read that Christ himself gifted the church with individuals called to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers -- and while these are positions of leadership, as Steven Cole points out, these positions are not meant to serve as a base for power or prestige -- they are recognized in the New Testament as specialized ministries¹ -- as specialized giftings and callings by some individuals to serve specific functions in the church

            -- in other words these men and women called to this positions were called as ministers -- as servants -- in the church

 

            -- we see that here in this passage -- out of the 120 believers mentioned in verse 15, there was a core group of people called by Jesus Himself to be the leaders and shepherds of all the others -- these are the men that Jesus selected to be His closest followers -- the apostles -- who Jesus chose after a night of prayer alone with the Father

            -- in order to be an apostle, a person had to be called and appointed to their position by the risen Christ Himself -- the person had to have seen Jesus in person after the resurrection and had to have been called by Him at that point into this special ministry

            -- the main purpose of an apostle was to witness to the resurrected Christ and to plant churches -- to spread the gospel message throughout Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the entire world, so that other communities of faith would spring up and grow under their oversight

            -- Jesus appointed 12 men to be His apostles and the leaders of His church, presumably as a counterpart to the 12 patriarchs of Israel -- where the 12 patriarchs served to represent the old covenant of the Law through Israel, Christ appointed 12 men to serve as apostles to represent the new covenant established through His death and resurrection -- at the time that Peter stands up here and addresses the believers, there are only 11 apostles within the church

 

            -- so, at the prompting of the Holy Spirit that came through prayer, Peter suggests that another apostle be selected to replace Judas, who had betrayed Jesus to the hands of the chief priests and the Romans in order to bring the number of apostles back up to 12 again

            -- it was decided the man they selected to be an apostle had to meet certain spiritual qualifications -- first, he had to be a follower of Christ -- he had to have been with the group of disciples from the beginning -- from the time of Jesus' baptism by John in the Jordan River up to the moment when Jesus ascended from heaven on the Mount of Olives -- and, secondly, he had to be known as a witness of the faith -- someone who was gifted at sharing the gospel and sharing his faith with others

 

            -- verse 23

 

Acts 1:23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.

 

            -- so Peter and the group of a hundred and twenty disciples looked at each other and asked themselves the question, "Who fits these qualifications? -- Who best meets the requirements of being an apostle?"

            -- and as they looked at the talents and the gifts of those around them -- as they considered who had always been there with them -- they came up with the names of two men -- Joseph, who was also called Barsabbas or Justus -- and Matthias

            -- and then they prayed – they asked God to show them the one that He had chosen to take over the apostolic ministry of Judas – they asked Him to tell them who to vote for, because only He knew the heart – and, as we saw in the passages of Saul and David’s anointing as kings of Israel – it all comes down to the heart – it all comes down to character and integrity and the person’s relationship with God

            -- so, the disciples prayed and then they cast lots to let God make the decision for them

 

            -- now let’s talk about what the Bible means when it says they cast lots -- casting lots was a common practice in the Old Testament -- and it continued on until the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost -- without the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to lead them and guide them, the disciples didn't have any other way to decide God's will in matters like this

            -- after they had prayed and searched the scriptures for answers, they would ask God to make the decision through lots -- or, as we read in the story of Gideon in the Book of Judges -- by making the fleece wet or dry -- that was just the best they could do

            -- there were a few ways that lots were cast -- either the names of the people being proposed for selection were written on a small tablet or there were pebbles or rocks of different colors used to identify the particular person -- these were put into a bag or a jar to be mixed up

            -- the people would pray for God’s decision to be made clear to them -- and then the jar or bag was shaken until one lot fell out -- the lot that was cast out reflected the person God had chosen -- and this was accepted by the group

 

            -- we don’t know how this was handled here in Acts 1 as the disciples came together to select a new apostle in the church -- we don’t know if all of the 120 believers were given a tablet on which to write their choice -- or whether just the two names -- Barsabbas and Matthias -- were written down on two tablets and put in the jar in the presence of all the people

            -- regardless, the casting of the lots and the decision to appoint Matthias as the twelfth apostle was made following prayer and in the presence of all the believers so there could be no question or doubt as to which person was selected

 

 III.  Application and Closing

            -- okay, so what can we learn from this passage in regards to our question concerning the upcoming presidential election -- “What does it matter if I vote? -- I am only one person -- What can I do?”

 

            -- first, we see that it is God’s plan for us to have authorities over us -- to lead us in accordance with His will -- to guide us -- to protect us -- to shepherd us -- originally, this authority was invested in the prophets and priests as God’s representatives before the people

            -- later, this authority was shared between the prophets and priests and kings, who were selected to be the political leaders of the nation of Israel -- this was not God’s original plan, and the nation of Israel suffered the consequences of their demand for an earthly king as many of the leaders of Israel proved corrupt and incompetent and actually led the people away from the worship of God

            -- here in this passage we saw that God had raised up and called spiritual leaders from within the church to serve as His shepherds to the believers -- God still intends for there to be authorities about us for orderly worship and administration in the church -- as Paul wrote in Romans 13:1, “Everyone must submit to governing authorities -- for all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God”

 

            -- which brings us to our second principle from this passage

            -- before the disciples selected someone to replace Judas, the first thing they did was to pray -- the very first thing they did was to ask God for wisdom and guidance and that He would reveal to them who He selected to be the twelfth apostle

            -- if you do nothing else on election day, you need to pray -- you need to ask God for wisdom and guidance for this nation -- you need to ask God to move this nation to put the person into office that He wants in that position of authority

            -- it is not up to us to choose who takes that position of authority -- it is up to God -- and we should pray that His will be done and that we would choose the right person

 

            -- in regards to that, just one comment on the practice of casting lots -- this is the only place in the entire New Testament where we see the disciples casting lots to make a decision -- and I think it is important to note that this instance occurred prior to Pentecost -- it occurred prior to the sending of the Holy Spirit to indwell believers

            -- now that we have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit with us, we should not be casting lots to make decisions, but instead relying on God's presence and His Spirit to guide us into decisions in the church and in our individual lives

            -- this is just from me, but I think Peter and the other disciples were wrong in their timing in the selection of the twelfth apostle -- they did what they thought was best -- they used the only means at their disposal -- casting lots -- but I don’t think it was time yet for the appointment of a new apostle and I don’t think this was the way God intended for the new apostle to be appointed

            -- I believe that the true twelfth apostle was Paul -- and that his appointment as the twelfth apostle came when he encountered Christ on the road to Damascus -- I think this was God’s original intent, and just like the Israelites erred in asking for a political king, I think Peter and the other disciples erred by rushing to appoint an apostle prior to God’s timing and the sending of the Holy Spirit

            -- obviously, God still used Matthias in a leadership role in the new church -- God brings good from all things -- but I don’t think Matthias was ever a true apostle as we understand the definition

 

            -- third principle -- the disciples determined who to propose to be the twelfth apostle based on specific criteria

            -- as we said before, it was decided the man they selected to be an apostle had to meet certain spiritual qualifications -- first, he had to be a follower of Christ -- he had to have been with the group of disciples from the beginning -- from the time of Jesus' baptism by John in the Jordan River up to the moment when Jesus ascended from heaven on the Mount of Olives -- and, secondly, he had to be known as a witness of the faith -- someone who was gifted at sharing the gospel and sharing his faith with others

            -- when it comes to selecting leaders for our country or leaders to represent us in Government, we need to look at more than their political affiliations and leanings -- we need to look at their spiritual qualifications -- we need to look at their character -- we need to see if they are bound under the authority of Christ and stand for God’s word

            -- in this day and age, you cannot trust in the political platform of any candidate or party -- most of the time, they are not going to do what they say -- we know this -- they say what they think needs to be said to get elected or they are saying what their political party tells them to say -- rarely will a candidate actually do what they say they are going to do once they are elected

            -- but one thing stands firm in the shifting winds of politics, and that’s character -- a person’s character does not change apart from the transforming work of Jesus Christ -- the character of a person is the most important facet in an election -- because this will tell you who they are in their heart -- and a person’s heart leads their actions regardless of what their lips might say

 

            -- our fourth and final principle -- all the people should participate in the decision -- even though there was a core group of spiritual leaders in the new church in Jerusalem, this core group did not make the decision on who should be the next apostle

            -- instead, they carried the decision to the entire group of 120 believers -- they all gathered in one place for the decision -- they all prayed together as one for God’s will to be done -- they all had a part in the names that were proposed for leadership as the new apostle -- and they all watched as the process of casting lots was completed

            -- we have a unique opportunity that has been given to us in America by God to select our governing leaders -- we have a responsibility, as Christians and as Americans, to exercise our God-given right and vote for the candidate we feel God has selected to lead us -- whether that’s for President or for dog-catcher

            -- we are to pray about it -- we are to ask God for wisdom and guidance -- we are to trust the Holy Spirit’s promptings -- and we are to participate by voting

            -- if you are able to vote on Tuesday, I believe you should -- vote your conscience -- vote based on who you believe God wants in office -- but vote

            -- your vote matters -- it affirms your position as a citizen of this country -- it affirms the rights that God has given you -- it is important

            -- and, as I pointed out in the opening illustration, just one vote can make the difference in an election

 

            -- so let us close in prayer for this country and for this election and for God’s will to be done -- and don’t forget to vote on Tuesday

            -- let us pray

SERMON: TO CHOOSE A KING, PART 2

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to 1 Samuel 10:17-24

 

1 Samuel 10:17 Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah 18 and said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’ 19 But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king over us.’ So now present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.”

 

20 When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken. Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. 22 So they inquired further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?”

 

And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.”

 

23 They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. 24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.”

 

Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

 

            -- if you follow professional football, you may be familiar with the name, Kurt Warner – as a quarterback for the Rams and the Cardinals, Warner led his teams to three Super Bowls – winning one of those titles while being selected as the NFL’s Most Valuable Player and the Most Valuable Player in two of his three Super Bowls

            -- but here’s the thing about Warner – despite his remarkable success, he almost didn’t get a chance to play NFL football at all, because nobody wanted him in the beginning

            -- Warner played at a tiny little school in college – the University of Northern Iowa – where he spent most of his career as the third-string quarterback – he finally got the chance to start his senior year, and did really well – but not good enough to catch the attention of the NFL scouts

            -- and when the 1994 NFL draft ended – after seven rounds of selections with over 250 players selected to head to the NFL – Kurt Warner sat at home without hearing his name called – no one wanted him – he was considered too small – too slow – and not experienced enough – having only played one year of college football as a starter at one of the smallest schools in America – when the NFL scouts and managers looked at Kurt Warner during the draft, every one of them said, “No, he’s not what we are looking for”

            -- undaunted, Warner tried out for the Green Bay Packers, but didn’t make the team – and when the 1994 NFL season kicked off, Kurt Warner was back at home, stocking shelves in a grocery store in his hometown for $5.50 an hour

            -- Kurt wasn’t happy with his lot in life – he felt like he was called for more, but the NFL didn’t want him – so, he spent a few years playing for the Arena League and then a few more in the European Football League, where he actually enjoyed some success

            -- finally, after catching the eye of the coach, Warner was finally hired as the third-string backup for the St. Louis Rams in 1998 – and after a string of injuries and trades, Warner finally found himself named the starting quarterback for the St. Louis Rams in 1999 – he quickly took advantage of his position and was finally able to demonstrate his capability to his coaches and to the NFL

            -- in 1999, Warner put together one of the top seasons by a quarterback in NFL history, throwing for 4,353 yards with 41 touchdown passes and a completion rate of 65.1% -- leading the Rams to their first Super Bowl victory and being named the Most Valuable Player in the game

            -- after recovering from injuries in 2000, Warner returned to form and led the Rams to the Super Bowl again in 2001, losing in the final seconds when the Patriots kicked a field goal to end the game

            -- Warner struggled with injuries and performance over the next few years, but he eventually found himself in Arizona, where he took over as the Cardinal’s quarterback after an injury to their starter – and, despite his age, Warner once again led his team to the Super Bowl, although they couldn’t pull off the victory

            -- Warner’s story is regarded as the greatest NFL Cinderella story of all time – as the guy that no one wanted – the guy that no one selected – came back from obscurity as a grocery store worker to win a Super Bowl, an NFL MVP award, and two Super Bowl MVP awards

 

            -- this morning, we are finishing up the story of how Israel got their king – as you remember from last Sunday, we looked at 1 Samuel 8 and how the people of Israel rejected God and His leadership of Israel when they went to Samuel and told him that they wanted a king so that they could be just like all the other nations

            -- God had Samuel warn the people of what an earthly king would be like – of how their selfishness and greed and desire for power would end up hurting the people and causing problems in the future – but despite the warnings from Samuel, the people persisted, and at the end of 1 Samuel 8, the people refused to listen to Samuel and to turn back to God – in 1 Samuel 8:19-20 they exclaimed, “No, we want a king over us – 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.”

            -- God heard their cry and spoke to Samuel in verse 22, “Listen to them and give them a king”

            -- which brings us to our message for this morning as we look at the people’s idea of what a good leader should look like versus how God calls leaders to shepherd His people

 

II.  How to Choose a King

            -- the story of how Israel got their wish and received their king begins in 1 Samuel 9:1-2 – let me read those verses for you

 

1 Samuel 9:1 There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bekorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. 2 Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else.

            -- last week, we briefly touched on how we select leaders – on the fact that a lot of the times, we put more emphasis on the physical characteristics of a person than we do their policies or anything else

            -- for instance, do you know what the number one predictor of success is for presidential candidates? – in other words, what is the one factor that seems to be the determining factor as to whether someone is nominated by their party for political office and whether they subsequently are successful in becoming president of the US? – it’s their height

            -- we prefer our presidents to be men of stature – and it has always been that way – if you read about George Washington and his leadership capabilities, you will see his height is mentioned frequently – Washington was extremely tall for his day and age – he was over 6 feet in height, and historians have mentioned that he stood a head’s height above other men in his day

            -- that is one of the things I noticed when we toured the National Museum of American History in Washington one year – they had a suit from George Washington on display – and the height of that suit was striking – George Washington was a very tall man – and most of our presidents have followed suit

            -- of course, there’s Abraham Lincoln at 6’4” tall – but the height of other presidents has been noted as a factor in their election – to include Donald Trump, who is 6’3” tall – Thomas Jefferson and Bill Clinton, both of whom measured 6’2-1/2”

            -- a 2001 study measured the support of candidates in terms of the popular vote, and they found that taller candidates held a distinct advantage over their competitors

            -- this finding was verified in another study conducted in 2013, with the study reporting that significantly taller candidates were more likely to win the popular vote – to this day, the taller candidate always has a better chance of winning election than someone who is shorter, regardless of their policy stances

            -- so, as much as we like to say that we examine the issues and vote on the issues, the truth of the matter is that we are drawn to select leaders who are tall and who look like we think a president should look like

            -- and this has always been the case – right here in 1 Samuel 9, we see Saul, who will be the future first king of Israel, described for us solely based on his physical characteristics – as Samuel wrote, Saul was an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites – a head taller than any other – in other words, Saul looked like a king – or, at least, what the people of Israel thought a king should look like

 

            -- in the rest of 1 Samuel 9, we read this story of how God used lost donkeys to orchestrate a meeting between Saul and Samuel – and how God said that He was going to have Saul anointed as king so that he would defeat the Philistines and meet the desires of the Israelite’s hearts for a king

            -- so, to summarize the story, Samuel ends up meeting with Saul and delivering the news to him that God had chosen him to be the leader of Israel and serve as their first king – Saul was not keen on this idea, but God changed his heart as His Spirit fell upon him and he began prophesying in God’s name

 

            -- this brings us to 1 Samuel 10:17, where we read of Saul’s official selection as the first king of Israel, fulfilling what the people wanted – look back at this passage with me again – verse 17

 

1 Samuel 10:17 Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah 18 and said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’ 19 But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king over us.’ So now present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.”

 

 

            -- once again, Samuel explained that the reason they were there at that point was because the people had rejected God in favor of an earthly king – even though God was the one who had delivered the people out of all their calamities and distresses – including bringing them up out of captivity in Egypt and into the Promised Land

-- even though God had chosen them as His special people and separated them out from all the other nations on earth – they wanted to be just like all the nations around them with an earthly king

-- so, God had Samuel announce their king through the drawing of lots

 

-- verse 20

 

20 When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken. Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. 22 So they inquired further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?”

 

And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.”

 

23 They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. 24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.”

 

Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

 

-- the lot first fell on the tribe of Benjamin – and then the clan of Matri – and then the family of Kish – and then Saul himself was selected

-- once again, Saul had hidden himself to avoid being picked, but he was found hiding in the baggage – Saul was brought out in front of the people, and when they saw him standing there – a head taller than any of the others – a young, strong handsome strapping man – they cried out, “This is our king – long live the king”

-- now, the truth is that God is the one who selected Saul as the leader of the people – but God selected the man that the nation wanted in their hearts – they were not looking for someone with the ability to lead a nation of people – they were looking at physical characteristics only – and Saul fit the bill – he was just what they wanted – and he would be someone they could lift up against the kings of the other nations and be proud of

-- God knew Saul’s faults – He knew Saul’s weaknesses – He knew what Saul was going to do as king – He had already warned the people through Samuel

-- God could have chosen someone better suited to be their first king, but God is making a point here – this is what the people wanted, and they were going to have to deal with the consequences – because they rejected the best King – God -- for man’s version of a king, they were going to suffer – and God was going to allow it

-- this is a reminder to us that sometimes when we get the candidate or the president we want, it is not necessarily because this is God’s best plan for us – sometimes, God allows leaders to be put into positions of power in order to teach us a lesson and lead us back to Him

-- to put it in simple terms: some leaders are put in place by God as an act of judgment on a people who have rejected Him – and that is what is going on with Saul and his selection as the first king of Israel

 

-- with that said, let me point out that the nation of Israel was still God’s chosen people – they were still the apple of His eye – and God was not just abandoning them without His mercy and grace and providence still active in their lives

-- even though the people had rejected God and chosen Saul to be their king, God still worked in Saul’s life to help him be a good king – God anointed Saul with His Holy Spirit, and God’s Spirit came on Saul to empower him and help him lead the people

-- but remember free will? – as Saul’s time as king lengthened, so did his desire for power – and over time, Saul began choosing self above God and above the good of the people – Saul went his own way and did things his own way – ignoring the leading of the Spirit and the will of God – doing exactly what God warned the people he would do – with the people suffering under Saul’s leadership

-- it finally reached a head when Saul totally and completely rejected God and God’s commands by offering an unlawful sacrifice and unlawful worship – Saul made a burnt offering and offered incense on his own, when this should only have been done by a priest from the order of Aaron

-- in 1 Samuel 13:13-15, Samuel confronts Saul and condemns his actions – he tells Saul, “You acted foolishly – you have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you – if you had, He would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time – but now your kingdom will not endure” -- with that, God pronounced the end of Saul’s reign

-- but Samuel wasn’t done – he goes on to tell Saul, “the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command”

-- the people had gotten their way – they had gotten an earthly king – a king that they liked – a king that looked like a king should look – a king that was tall and strong and virile – but he was lacking in character and integrity and spirituality – he was lacking in wisdom, knowledge, and ability -- Saul had been a failure as king and had disobeyed God and was leading the people away from God

-- so, God was going to replace Saul and select the next king for Israel Himself – a king based on God’s criteria, not the people’s criteria – a king who would look first to God and not to men for wisdom and guidance and direction – a king who would lift God up in Israel and not seek unlimited power for himself

 

III.  How God Chooses a King

-- turn with me over to 1 Samuel 16:1

 

1 Samuel 16:1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

 

2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”

 

The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”

 

4 Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?”

 

5 Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

 

-- as this chapter opens, we find Samuel in grief – the Bible tells us he is mourning – why? – he is mourning because everything happened just as God had said it would when the people rejected God as their leader and chose a human king instead

-- while Saul had been effective as a military leader, he had failed in his duty to lead the people spiritually – to be an example for them of what a godly man and leader should look like – his pride and hubris had led to his downfall and to the downfall of the nation – and the people lived in fear of Samuel and his rage – we read in these verses that even Samuel, the prophet of God who had led the people for years before Saul, feared the wrath of Saul because he knew Saul would kill him if he opposed him or his policies – and Samuel wept because of the fate of the nation of Israel

-- but God comes to Samuel here and says, “How long will you mourn for Saul? – Get up – Fill your horn with oil – because I am sending you to anoint a new king – a king of my own choosing – a man after My heart”

-- God tells Samuel to get up and go to Bethlehem – a town called “The House of God” – and find Jesse, for one of his sons has been chosen by God to be the new king of Israel in place of Saul

-- Samuel goes to Bethlehem and meets with the elders, telling them that he is there to make a sacrifice on behalf of the Lord – and he makes sure to let Jesse know, as God had told him to do

-- so, what does a leader who is anointed and selected by God look like? – we’re about to find out

 

-- verse 6

 

1 Samuel 16:6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”

 

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

 

8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” 9 Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.”

 

-- when Jesse arrived, Samuel looked to see the man that God had selected to be the new leader of the Israelites – when he saw Eliab, Jesse’s oldest, coming towards him – tall – handsome – capable – he thought to himself, “This must be the man that the Lord has selected”

-- but note what God tells him – “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him -- the Lord does not look at the things that man looks at – man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”

 – listen to the words of God here as he instructed Samuel in how to know which of Jesse’s sons God had selected to lead the people, because this should guide our selection of a leader, as well

-- God says, do not select someone based on how they look – how tall they are – how good a speaker they are – how charismatic they are – in other words, do not select a leader based on the main criteria that we use to select our leaders today

-- instead, God says, look to the heart – look to what’s inside a person – to know if they are chosen by God or not

-- so, God rejected Eliab, then Abinadab, then Shammah, and all the rest of Jesse’s sons who had come with him to the sacrifice and the feast

-- God told Samuel, “Even though all of these sons of Jesse would be acceptable in the eyes of the world, I have rejected them, for I am seeking another”

 

-- verse 11

 

1 Samuel 16:11 So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”

 

“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”

 

Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”

 

12 So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.

 

Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”

 

13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.

 

-- there was only one son missing from the line-up of Jesse’s son – David, the shepherd boy – too little and too young to even be considered as a leader of the people – Jesse left him with the sheep and didn’t even bring him to the feast

-- but Samuel called for David – and when David appeared before the people, the Lord told Samuel, “Rise and anoint him, for he is the one”

– and we all know what a great king David turned out to be, even though he is certainly not the one that the people would have chosen based on his appearance and his job, for shepherds were regarded as the lowest of the low in that day in Israel

-- this shows the difference between how God selects a leader and how we typically select a leader

 

IV.  Closing

-- so, what do we learn from all this? – what is the take-home message for today?

 

-- when Christians evaluate and select leaders for service – whether that is in the church or to lead us in our civil government – our decisions should not be based on the same criteria that the world uses

-- as we talked about earlier – and as we have seen in both these passages from 1 Samuel – when people select a leader, they are drawn to leaders based primarily on their physical characteristics

– just like the Israelites, we like tall leaders – charismatic leaders – strong leaders – leaders who look like what we think a leader should look like – that’s why the statistics show that most of the winning political candidates are taller and better looking than their competitors

-- we are naturally drawn to people like this – we look up to them – literally and figuratively – and sometimes they turn out to be good leaders – like Washington and Jefferson and Lincoln – but sometimes they do not – as in the case of Saul here in 1 Samuel

 

-- so, the first thing we learn from this passage is that we need to realize that we all have this internal bias that draws us to people who look like we think leaders should look – and we have to be careful that we are not selecting our leaders simply because we like them or we like the way they look – because that is the path to destruction

-- instead, we should focus on the heart, as God does – now, as we’ve pointed out many times before, we can’t really know another person’s heart – but we can get a pretty good idea of their heart – of who they are on the inside – by looking at the fruit in their life – by looking at their character

-- outside of the transforming power of the Spirit, a person’s character does not change – politicians are quick to change policies and say they believe in this policy or that policy at election time – they are quick to say they believe and support whatever policy is popular at the moment – that they have had a change of heart – but the fact of the matter is that heart change doesn’t come through human will or human decision – heart change only comes through God

-- and that means that who a person has been their whole life is probably who they are going to be in the future

 

– if someone is a stand-up person – with a godly character – with integrity – standing up for what is good and right and wholesome – and they’ve been like that their whole life, then that is likely to continue in the future – especially if they have had a spiritual transformation in their life and received Jesus as their Lord and Savior

-- and if someone is known for their immorality – for lying – for stealing – for stretching the truth – for bending the law – for doing things that are not morally right – then it’s a pretty good guess that they will be like that in the future

-- when running for political office, they might put on sheep’s clothing and pretend to be holy and righteous and good, but the heart doesn’t change – and, once elected, they will continue to be the person they were all along

-- so, remember this when it comes to selecting any leader – character always matters more than any other attribute – look at who a person was before they began to seek a leadership role, because that is who they really are

-- so, the first factor we should be looking at in our evaluation of leaders is the heart – as evidenced by their character and integrity

 

-- now, we know that is not the only factor – their capabilities and their ability to lead are also important factors – we just saw this with Saul in our lesson this morning – and we saw this in Jimmy Carter – who was probably one of the most Godly men to serve as President, but who was, without a doubt, not a very good leader as demonstrated by the results of his administration – he just wasn’t a very capable president

-- so, the first criteria should be the heart – character and integrity – but the next criteria should be whether that person is capable and able to lead – have they been gifted by God with the ability to lead others – to get things done?

 

-- David was certainly capable of leading and getting things done – he had shown himself capable and able through his job as shepherd – he had protected his sheep – he had led them well – he had fought off the lion and the bear – he had led them to good pastures and kept them safe – all things we look for in leaders

-- once again, look at their past to see how they will do in the future – if they have been sluggards and not gotten anything accomplished in their lives so far, even if they are the most Godly person you know, they’re probably not going to be effective as a leader

-- history tells the story of how a person will do – who they were in the past is who they are going to be in the future -- that’s why we ask for resumes and transcripts when we’re hiring people to come work for us – because they will probably work for us and do for us just what they did for their previous employers

 

-- so, look at the heart – their character and integrity – then look at their ability – and, finally, look at whether they are promoting Kingdom principles or worldly principles

-- we’ll talk more about this next week, but remember that we are just strangers here in this place – we live here and we work here temporarily – but this is not our home – our home is with God in the Kingdom of God – and our allegiance is to the Kingdom of God above any earthly kingdom – we need to remember that

 

-- when evaluating people for leadership or policies that we are voting on, we need to determine if those people and those policies support kingdom principles or worldly principles – do they align with the word of God – or do they align with the culture?

-- we know what God wants us to do – we know what is important to Him -- we read in the Bible that God opposes the proud – the unjust – the immoral – He protects the widows and the orphans and the foreigners in our land – He takes care of the down-trodden and the poor – He lifts up the humble – He commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves – and to love our enemies, as we love each other -- He points people to Christ and to eternity with Himself – we should be looking at policies and people who support what God supports – who live as God calls us to live

 

-- you will find that there are some areas that God has moved you to be concerned with more than any other – for instance, I was burdened with the issue of abortion for years – and I voted only for people who were prolife – I would not support a candidate or a policy that would harm the unborn – that was an area that God wanted me to focus on as I voted for leaders or policies

-- for you, it may be something else – and that’s a good thing – while we are supposed to be united as one under Christ, we can be diverse in our efforts and in the things we support – we can work together for Kingdom goals while supporting and promoting different facets of God’s will and God’s plan for this world

-- all of us will not vote the same – but we should vote based on the broad principles that we see in Scripture:  the heart of a person, the ability of a person, and whether that person supports Kingdom principles and obedience to God or worldly principles and obedience to culture

-- the important thing – and the thing I want you to take away with you today – is the awareness that our selection of leaders and our votes for laws and policies should be based on Godly principles and precepts and not based on a person’s looks or charisma or political party or what we think they can do for us personally

-- as members of the Kingdom of God, we need to be looking to support the Kingdom and God in all that we do – including in how we vote

-- and, with that, let’s close in prayer

-- let us pray