Pastor Esteban Garcia preaches through 1 Samuel 8.
Bloomington Bible Church Sermons
1 Samuel 8
Post the first Samuel, chapter eight. One-off messages are just hard sometimes because, you know, we, there's a lot that's going on in the world. It's going on in our church. We just finished our serious engolations. We are voting on air and after church. So it's like, well, why do I preach on this day? And it's just hard to figure out what it is most helpful. So my hope is that as we look at 1st Samuel 8, that there will be some applications for you. So we look at the bigger picture, and we think about the world, because I do realize that there's a lot on all of our minds. Sometimes it's really hard even just to sit and stand in worship to the Lord when there's just so many things on your mind and things feel so heavy. There's a lot of concerns. And you have to fight to worship the Lord and trust them, even though your mind wants to be in 15 different places. And I know for a lot of us, two things mainly that are in our minds are the fragile state of our country. In many ways, it seems. And the upcoming election season, and at the same time, the second thing is the vote this morning, just big for our church. So I mainly will focus on the first one talking about why things are the way they are and what God's word has to say to us for that. But I do hope that there will be helpful things to say to both of those issues that are on our mind. Now, this morning, the things that I'm going to say aren't going to be new, they're not going to be radical, they're not going to be things that you probably haven't heard. These are pretty foundational things that I hope will help you to live with faith, and remember the things that are most important, especially as we think about the madness of the world that we live in, right? Because it's not hard to see that we live in an upside down world. Our world feels completely backwards from how it should be. You know, the world tells us that there's no such thing as right or wrong, and yet they tell you that you're evil and wrong when you don't fall in line with their standards. They tell you that 2 plus 2 is no longer 4. Blue hair is now the new fashion statement of her day. What is unnatural is now considered by the world to be beautiful and right. Babies are not living beings in the womb, right? And people are allowed to have celebrations when they murder them. A man can walk into a woman's restroom and be celebrated. Kids are encouraged to mutilate their bodies and change their sex as they desire. A loving family who's trying to serve the Lord and provide for their needs is now the enemy in criminals instead are commemorated. It feels like up and down and down is up, and that's not even to say anything about the current event of things, right? We think of danger of civil unrest, the division, fear of economic collapse. I don't know if I was the only one that when things start in this week with the credit cards and the banking to think is this the sign of something more than it's coming. Fear of things could crumble very quickly. That is very scary. Conflict, wars, seemingly looming at every corner. So it's clear that we live in a sin curse world. Sin still has a hold in our world. So what do we do? And that's not another question I want you to think. What do you do when the world is backwards? When it seems like sin is just everywhere, pervasive, affecting our families, affecting our nation, affecting our society, what do you do? I hope today's message will be helpful and give you some practical steps so we can live with faith in the days ahead. And really, today is just a call, simple obedience in submission to God's order. So let's pray and ask God for His blessing. But I thank you for your help. And we need it so desperately. Lord, I need it this morning that these things just feel too big for any one of us, and they are. We can't change the future. We can't change our situation. But yet, Lord, these things are nothing to you. You hold the whole world in your hands. You turn the hearts of kings wherever you have them to go. But this morning, I pray that you would help us not to despair as we look at our day. I pray that you would keep our faith rooted in you, and that you would help us not to neglect the most important things that you've called us to do and exercise faith. Even in a time where faith is difficult to exercise. So be with us this morning as we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen. I can't go too long. Make sure my phone is ready. I do want to give a caveat to just today. We're going to make a big picture when we're looking at this morning is that many of the consequences that we see today in the world that we have is because we have rebelled against God's order. God has created the world to function in a certain way. When we rebel against that order, there's consequences to that. But at the same time, I want to be careful. I want to be really careful because I know that many of you are suffering in many different ways. Your suffering is different than the person next to you, most likely, than the person behind you in front of you. And what I'm trying to do is give you a general framework to think about the way that the world works, the way that God has ordered the world, how we are to submit to it. But I don't necessarily mean to say that if you are in a trial, that if you are sick, that if you're kid is sick, this is a direct judgment from God for your sin. It's like just the disciples, right? They're as Jesus. You know, is this man blind because of his sin, because of his parents' sin and what does Jesus say? No, it is that God would be glorified. So this morning, what you just hear from me is that you just need to do better and you should have just done better. And God is just punishing you and doing this because he is this pleased by you. And that's all that you hear from me. You miss the point. All right, you miss the point. We want to help you in your trials and your suffering. The truth is that there is sin still a place all of us, right? If we didn't need sanctification, if we were just perfect already, God wouldn't have to bring any of these things to us because God is using them for our good to make him more like himself. So sin still plagues you. That is true. And God disciplines those he loves to refine them. But what's true is that if you are suffering, God has found it to be needful for you, and he has not forgotten you. So the bigger point is that God's order is good. And we should submit to it. The truth is that God is not surprised by any of the events that are happening to our world. God is not surprised by any of the events happening to your family. These things that we're facing are not entirely new. If you know your Bible, you've read your Bible, you know that sin has wreaked havoc everywhere through all time. That's just what sin does. Think back to some of the examples in the Bible, right? Sodom and Gomorrah. What happened to Sodom and Gomorrah? Evil wakened this prevail in that land. Their cries, their tears went up to heaven because of the wickedness of the land, and not even ten righteous ones were found in that city. And so it was destroyed. God's judgment rightly came to it. And then Israel, right, can be tempted to be like, oh, we will never be like that. We will never be like Sodom and Gomorrah. Those waken nations out there who are rebelling against God. And that can be us too, right? We look at the world and we say, well, we will never be like that. That is so backwards and upside down. But what happened to Israel? It didn't take long, right? You have Sodom and Gomorrah, and then you have Israel getting to the time of the judges. And what happens in judges? Everyone does what's right in their own eyes. There was no king in Israel, and everyone was right in their own eyes. And what did that lead to? When they rejected God's order, Israel ended up like Sodom and Gomorrah all over again. At the end of judges, it's just a repeat of Sodom and Gomorrah. The similarities are striking. Men wanting to commit shameful acts and refusing to repent of them. Ultimately, what did it lead to? Let the Civil War among God's people. A whole tribe of Israel almost completely destroyed. So throughout history, we have example after example of kingdoms rising, kingdoms falling. And God's Word has example of how sinfulness in our rejection of his order will lead to chaos and to judgment. So how do we get here? Turn with me. 1 Samuel 8. If your Bible is like mine, you'll have the heading on top. It says Israel demands a king. So again, we're coming from the judges. 1st, 3 verses, 3 verses. When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn was Joel. In this of 2nd, Abhijah, Abhijah. She had a practice at his 80s. They were judges in Barshiva. Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turn aside after him. They took bribes and perverted justice. So this is again, this is right after the time of the judges. There's no king in Israel. Everyone was doing what was right. Samuel was the one who got us ordained as the judge. And what do we have? Verse 4, "Then all the elders of Israel gather together and came to Samuel at Rama and said to him, "Behold, you're old, and your sons do not walk in your ways." Now a point for us, a king, to judges like the other nations. So what do they do? Israel asks for a king. They effectively reject Samuel and his sons. And God knows that there's a real temptation to take this very personally. He says in verse 7, right after that, "The Lord said to Samuel, obey the voice of the people, and know that they say to you, for they have not rejected you." Okay, so the people effectively rejected Samuel and his sons from being judges in the land and say, "A point to us, a king, like the other nations." So at the heart of their rejection of Samuel, ultimately what lies, it's a rejection of God as king. And that's what God reveals in verse 7 again, right? They have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. Israel does not want God to be their king anymore. They want to be like the other nations, have somebody fight their battles. You can say, "Well, did they really say that? Obviously God knows our hearts." And he makes that clear, right? Their hearts from the beginning have been rebelling against them. Verse 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." Okay, "And their hearts has lived rebellion and rejection from the day that God delivered them from Egypt." And it's so interesting, it says, "For saking me and serving of the gods." So they are also doing to you. When man rejects God in his order, ultimately we will reject the things that God has put into place for our good. So they reject, by effect, living, rejecting Samuel. They were rejecting God. They're doing it to you. And so what will happen, verse 9, "And now then obey their ways, only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them." For times sake, we will not go over them, but verses 10 through 18 are all the consequences. Like if you really want a king, if you're set in intent, I'm having an earthly king over you. This is what is going to happen. This is what is going to cost you. So I encourage you to read that. And they said, "Yes, they refuse." Verse 19, "The people refuse to obey the voice of Samuel." And they said, "No, but there shall be a king over us, that we may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." Right? Hasn't God been fighting their battles? This story is a picture of the pattern of how God operates. When you reject God's order, God will turn you over to the desires of your heart. And if you do, then live in them, you will face the consequences. Okay, we see that in our passage, 1 Samuel 8, we see, eventually we see that Saul was God's judgment on Israel. And then we continue to see it, right? Are all the kings in Israel all righteous? No, they rejected the Lord over and over again. There's just time after time when the kings were unrighteous and wicked. So God abandoned them to their desires. We see that in Adam and Eve from the beginning in the garden, right? The origin of all mystery. You see that in Israel throughout, and that is what God is doing today. That's what we see in Romans 1, right? God will turn you over to the desires of your heart. When you mess with God's order, judgment comes. Though we should know better God's righteous rules and do them instead, we create a new order in our hearts. That looks like practically in our day for us as our nation. So for decades now, this is not something that's new. Okay, this has just been brewing for a very, very long time. We're seeing a lot of the consequences now, but for decades, now our society has rejected God's order on many issues. Abortion has been embraced by the public. Homosexual marriage is the rule of the land. But it's not just out there, right? It's in our churches and families. And for Christians for decades, Christians have been scared to stand against these evils. The church is at fault. We have chosen not to discipline sexual immorality. We have chosen to turn an eye at a biblical divorce. We have chosen not to talk about greed, as long as you're giving to the church. The church who's supposed to uphold the law of God has instead changed it and made it more palatable. Why? So that more people will come. What was the cost? They don't realize that they're teaching people to worship a different God. All of these are evidence that we, like Israel, have rejected God in this rule instead of the kings in this place. And this happens in our lives too. When we fear to uphold God's law, when we fear to uphold his order for the sake of convenience, for the sake of lack of conflict. So what do we do? We see this. This is true. We see this everywhere. It's now commonplace. It's now popular. Well, we repent and we ask for mercy, right? We have to continue to ask for mercy from the Lord. You pray over and over again, just like Nineveh. He's no judgment is coming and Nineveh turned and repented and God heard their cries and relented from the evil that he was going to bring upon them. I hope you're praying. I hope you're praying. Praying really matters. So it's true. We pray. We wait on the Lord. I don't want to give you a little bit more. What do you do while you wait? Well, you do. What do you do when it feels like everything is just falling apart? You keep on praying. But what do you do as you keep on waiting on the Lord? How can you, like the farmer who, with patience, waits for the crop to come, forgot to bring the reins? How can you look forward to God's deliverance in the way that is pleasing to God? I'll tell you that everything is going to be okay, right? And in a sense, you know that for Christ's people, for God's people, yes, things will turn out for our good. We will one day be able to look back at all of this and be able to say God was good and we rejoice. That is true. But what about right now? What about this week? What does living by faith look like, practically speaking? You have to fight back against the destruction of a God's order. All I call to you is to uphold God's good order as good. God's order is good. I uphold it as good and live under it. Submit to it with joy. I keep talking about God's order. What does it mean? How has God ordered the world to operate? You submit to God as King. That's first and foremost. You honor the emperor. You love your family. And you serve the church. And these are not just conservative ideals, right? These are God's ideals. This is what he has set forth in his word. He created us to submit to him in the way that he has ordered the world so that we would actually see peace when we follow him and we trust him. And how do we know these are not just conservative ideals? How this is not just political? In large part, conservatives today have completely abandoned God's order too, right? And that is just not hard to see if you pay attention. I could say a lot about that. Instead of standing for what's right, everyone just wants power and whatever it takes to get the votes, right? Softening stains has done things like abortion. What's true is that there is no righteous earthly king before us. There is not. And that doesn't mean you don't vote. That doesn't mean you don't vote with good conscience with your nation in mind trying to do what's best. There's a lot of good that can come from a king who has some things, right? The thing is you cannot put your hope in. That is going to be the thing that fixes it all. There is no righteous earthly king that will bring that and usher that in. God will do it. And so what do you do as you wait for God to bring his kingdom, usher in his kingdom? What do you do as you wait with faith? You uphold God as the king and then you follow the things that he has instituted as authorities for your life to live under. And as king, his reign is supreme, he has all power. What are the three spheres of authority that he has instituted? There's the church, there's the home, and there's the government, right? The church, the home, and the state. These are foundational things. This is an extension of what is God's good order. How has he ordered the world to operate? And the devil wants to destroy all of this order. He wants to turn it upside down. And that's what we're seeing in this world. There is no order. There is just chaos everywhere. But that is not how God has ordered this world to work. His kingdom is true now, and so our cause to uphold them is good and follow them. So I'm just going to give you a few thoughts, maybe more than a few. I always want to minimize them, but I have a lot of things to say sometimes. I want to give you some thoughts about each of those spheres of authority, all right? How about that? So the state, how do we think about the state as Christians with faith? First, I want to say it's important to remember, these three are separate, and they all play a role in ushering God's kingdom to us, to his people. They're all agents of God's kingdom. But if you forget them, okay, so in our secular world, there is no such thing as God, they want to say that there is no God. They want to say that the family doesn't really play a role anymore. Again, the church is obsolete. So if you neglect those spheres of authority, what do you have left with the state, and the state becomes everything? The state becomes the Savior. It becomes the fix to all societal evils. And do you see how this just messes with all of the order that God has created? God is the one who's king. Let's not reject him as king with his order. But more likely for you, for each of us, our temptation isn't just so much for that. Our temptation is more to think that the government is just always evil. All of it is evil. That that should not be one of the spheres of authority that God has instituted, right? Because man is wicked. But, church with having faith in God means that you should not be anti-government, all right? You can submit to God, you can submit to the king as far as you can with faith. Because God is in control. God will not let his people be forsaken. The state is not unbiblical. Even when you see here a passage here, you say, well, Israel demanded a king, and that did not go well for them. The truth is, even before this happened, when God was giving his law and the Pentateuch, over and over, God has promised that there would be kings coming. That when the kings come, this is how they should behave, how they should act. God has knew that he was going to institute kings. Don't just think that you should be really able to do whatever you want and no one can tell you what to do. That's not good for you. And the state is a help to you in bringing God's judgment to make sure that we don't live just like what's right in our own eyes. Okay, God, the scripture has alluded to kings from the beginning. And a king is a help to bring good order, most of the time. But even evil kings, even evil kings are worthy of submission to and following. Because God is the one who's put them in position of power. And so show your faith, church, show your faith by following as much as you can. Right? Obviously, you honor God as the supreme king. That comes first and foremost, earthly kings cannot tell you not to worship the Lord as king. But then, as far as you can, be willing to go and follow and submit, because you're showing faith in the fact that God will provide for you. So even when it's inconvenient to you, even when there's just red tape everywhere and it's very inefficient and you're not getting what you want, even when your taxes go up, it's like how on earth am I going to provide for my family and still honor the king's requests? Show that you trust God by honoring those authorities that God has put into place, even if they're for judgment. Number two, the home. What does our world today say to tell us the men and women are equal in every way that marriage is optional? The kids are definitely optional, okay? If you want to choose that burden, if you want to carry that burden, okay, you do you. For today, ridicule is the idea of male headship, completely hates that idea. And children, they're encouraged to listen to their own hearts and follow their ways instead of hearing their parents' teaching. We ought not to be like that. We should follow the order said by God for the family where the husband is the head of the family. Again, not a perfect head, but the head that God has given to your family. And he is to exercise rule in your family with love, with gentleness, with understanding, but exercise rule. Wives, God has ordered you to submit to your husband, to follow your husband's leading, even when he doesn't get the whole picture, even when he's being stubborn. When you follow your husband, you're showing that you're trusting God. Children, obey your parents and the Lord. This is the order God has said for you. This is good for you to learn and apply. This place is the Lord. So that means that you should have faith for the responsibilities God has given you. When you come home from work, when you've been with the kids all day, and it's like the last thing that I want to do is continue to mother, continue to submit, continue to lead. I am so tired. Have faith that God has given these things to you for your good. Follow his order and show that you actually believe that he will help you. Have faith for being a husband, for being a wife. Have faith for parenting your kids. Have faith that God wants that and decides that and longs to see your kids following after him. That applies to you, even if you're single, even if you don't have a spouse. What do you do? Obviously, you can't love your spouse when you don't have one of you. Many of you have been praying for a spouse for years, and God has not granted that yet. But again, the point is submit to God's providence. Keep praying. Keep seeking. But ultimately be faithful in the things that he's called you. Be faithful in your lot, even if it feels unfair. Trust God. Even the providence that God is bringing feels like it's lacking. Even if prayers, it feels like have not been answered. Your call is to trust in God and exercise faith in his good order and find ways to do the best that you can with God has given you. That's the home and in the church. The church was supposed to be a gift for God's people to uphold the truth. And instead, what does the world say about the church today? It's the root of all evil. And if they're more charitable, right, they'll say, well, you know, church is optional if you want to go. Great, but it's really more like a social club for entertainment. Even a evangelical world today sees the church simply just as a place to get together with other Christians. But you should treat church differently. You should treat church as the place where God has worshiped. The closest taste of heaven that you'll get is worshiping your Lord and Savior at church on Sunday mornings. This is a place where God's law has to be upheld, a place where God's word is preached, where the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's table find their place. It's a place where discipline is exercised, where God opens eyes and soften hearts. But we love and encourage one another daily. That is the church. So love the church. Join the church because it is part of God's good order for your life. If you're going through life and you're not taking steps to find ways, avenues to submit to the leadership of the church, just remember you are living in rebellion of the rule in order that God has established for you and for your good. And then when you join, if you've joined, follow the pattern God has set forth for the church. Follow your elders. We know we are oftentimes weak and we don't have all the answers. That follow the order that God has set forth with love with hope. That God is doing good work in his church and pray for us. Pray for us as we seek to serve and lead and exercise authority and discipline gently but firmly and rightly. Pray for us as we exercise careful care of the flock. The elders here, you're called to rule well. When you rule well with faith, you are upholding God's order. This is what God has called you to do. In church, when you are following and loving your pastors and your elders, you are showing faith in God who's the one who's set forth, this is the order that it's supposed to be. And it's all the more important for us to do it united, especially now, right? Today, like today, when we have the vote upcoming, it's important for us to show faith in God in his order that whatever happens, whatever comes from the vote, God is the one who's taking care of his church. But in a week from now, God will not be surprised still. The reason why we can even consider calling a new senior pastor is because we know that the church is God's. And he is the one who will provide under shepherds to care for his flock as an extension of his great care as the great shepherd. We trust in the great shepherd, and so we pray and ask him to lead us forth in the days ahead. And you should have confidence that God will do that. You out of all churches should have confidence that God will do that. The devil has tried over and over again to take down our church, to mess with the order of authority, to shut down our doors. But the devil has not prevailed. God's kingdom will stand. The gates of hell will not prevail against it. God is the one who's protected our church. God is the one who continues to work for our church because he is the one who's caring for us as a sheep. So exercise faith in God as you care and you love the church. And finally, God cannot forget God. Submit to his providence. Submit to his discipline. Whatever that may look like for you today. I wish I could tell you what he was doing in your life. I know I can see you and I see the stories in your life and I see your trials and your suffering. And I wish I could just tell you this is all that God is trying to accomplish in you, but I don't know. I don't have the full picture. God's grace. He may give me some wisdom into it, but we will not know the full picture. But be willing to submit to him. Ask your king as the one who's fighting your battles and honor him in every circumstance. So again, what do you do when the world seems upside down? Return, return to the priorities that God has set forth for you in his word. Return to remember that God is the one who's king and he's given you responsibilities to be a father, mother, husband, wife, church member, church elder, citizen, and do those things faithfully as unto the Lord. So have faith for things mundane tasks. Have faith when you change a diaper because you're upholding God's order as you care for your kids. Change that diaper with joy. Have joy when you're at home all day and the kids are just running crazy and it feels like you got absolutely nothing done. You know what you did? You upheld God's order by faith, trusting that he is doing good work in you and your family. Have faith to continue to work that job that just feels meaningless and you're like, "What is God doing in me through this?" Having faith that God is using that hard work to provide for your families. Have faith for conflict with your spouse. This is all part of God's good plan and you can even have faith. You can have faith and hope even in the upcoming election even if things are completely upside down and turn around. Have hope because God is in control and God is the one who's king and God will usher his kingdom and bring his people to obedience. Have faith that God is more pleased by a stay at home mom than by a missionary who abandons his family at the altar of ministry. This is what I want you to have hope in. Now if you do this, does that mean everything will be easy? No, of course not. Life will still be hard. Same will still plague us this side of eternity. Better will be better of alternative. It will be better for us and I hope that obedience brings blessing. So don't do it for your convenience. Do it because you want to glorify God and honor him in the way that he set forth. Do this because you trust him. Verse 20, he says the word was in 19 and 20. People refused to obey the voice of Samuel and they said no but there shall be a king over us that lives in each of your hearts. Why? That we may also be like all the nations that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles. Don't replace God's place as king. Don't mess with this good order. Show faith even when this counter-cultural, even when your friends are doing completely the opposite. The goal is not to be like the other nations. What happened to any other nation that God has fought against? They are destroyed. They're just worse in a page now. You're not called to be like everyone else around you. God will care for you. Order your life around him until he delivers us from the futility and corruption of this present world. All right, let's pray. Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for the reminder. And I pray it's a helpful reminder, Lord, of your kingdom and your order. Lord, I pray that you would remind us and help us to live as if you're king, to live as if the authorities that you've set forth are for our good, even when they're full of sin. Father, would you give us faith in the coming days to submit to your providence and our families and our nation? And Father, would you have mercy? Would you please have mercy? Would you save us? Would you spare us? You know that we are so weak when suffering comes. You know that we're weak when uncertainty comes, Lord, and you know that. Would you strengthen us for the days ahead? Would you fill our hearts with hope when there seemingly is no hope in no end to the suffering at hand? And Father, would you help us not to neglect the things that are before us, not to neglect the responsibility that God that you have given us? Better hold it with faith. So Father, we ask for you to help be with us in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, thank you, Church. Would you please go ahead and get your kids, grab your kids now from Children's Ministry, and then go ahead and come back. We probably will need a few more chairs, so, man, if you can just be mindful of that and just be looking for chairs, grab chairs from Children's Ministry classes and bring them back. But go ahead and grab your kids and come back and we will get ready for the votes. Thank you. And you get the kids. Can you get the kids? Can you stop the recording? Oops. You can still hear me. That's okay. I don't know how you did. [BLANK_AUDIO]