Corner posts
Sermon 2
Marks of A Great Servant of God
1 Samuel 11:12-15, 1 Samuel 12:1-25
Periodically we are going to take a break from our sermon series
And preach a series called corner posts
As I have said many times in the past
A fence is absolutely worthless without strong corners
And it is on strong corners that we must also build our faith
In this case it ties directly in with our study of 1 Samuel
Several weeks ago, I preached a sermon about Saul
Finally becoming what God had called him to be
How when he started acting like a king
The people began to treat him as one
This brings us to today and our corner post lesson
“Marks of a good servant”
We are all called to be servants by God
When he saves us
He expects us to serve him and others
Sometimes we do that well
Other times not so well
So today
Through the life of Samuel
And chapter 12 of 1 Samuel
Let’s look at
What doing it well looks like
Let’s start out in 1 Samuel 11:12-15
Let me recap just a bit as you turn to 1 Samuel
Samuel had been set aside from birth to serve the lord
And God used him in a mighty way
He was the last of Israel’s judges and a good and Godly man
Oppression and fear from the other nations had caused the people to believe that in order to beat their enemies they must become like their enemies
So they rejected God as their king and asked Samuel to give them a king like the other nations had
Samuel advised them against this
And God told Samuel
Give them what they want
So we studied that Saul was first chosen by God
Anointed by Samuel
Appointed by most of the people and then when he started acting like a king
He was accepted by all
And now it was time for Samuel to change roles
This brings us to today’s lesson
1 Samuel 11:12-15
12 Then the people exclaimed to Samuel, “Now where are those men who said, ‘Why should Saul rule over us?’ Bring them here, and we will kill them!”
13 But Saul replied, “No one will be executed today, for today the LORD has rescued Israel!”
14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us all go to Gilgal to renew the kingdom.” 15 So they all went to Gilgal, and in a solemn ceremony before the LORD they made Saul king. Then they offered peace offerings to the LORD, and Saul and all the Israelites were filled with joy.
This is where chapter 12 comes in.
Samuel at the solemn ceremony makes a farewell speech to the people.
The heading in my bible and most likely yours says
“ Samuels farewell speech”
This is a bit misleading
He was changing roles
He was stepping aside
No longer would he be their leader
But he would still continue to serve as their prophet and spiritual guide
He would continue as we will see to pray for and teach the people
He would also be instrumental in the life and rule of David as we will see later in our Study of the life of David
But for now
The nation would now look to Saul their King to lead them instead of Samuel
This is important
Samuel is not stepping down, but stepping aside for Saul
You see
A good leader knows when to step aside when a new leader emerges
Samuel is an excellent model for us for the marks of a great servant of God
We got to know him from the beginning, even before he was born, when his mother Hannah prays for a child in chapter 1
We learned how he answered the call from God to service at an early age in chapter 2
We studied how he was used by God to lead and teach the people in chapters 4-9
And then in chapters 10-11 we saw how he was used to give them the king they wanted
Samuels life is an outstanding illustration of a great servant of God
Three things in today’s passage of scripture and his life stand out for me:
(1) His Integrity (12:1-5);
(2) His Faithfulness (12:6-18)
(3) His Love for his people (12:18-25).
Let’s begin in chapter 12 verses 1-5
Then Samuel addressed all Israel: “I have done as you asked and given you a king. 2 Your king is now your leader. I stand here before you—an old, gray-haired man—and my sons serve you. I have served as your leader from the time I was a boy to this very day. 3 Now testify against me in the presence of the LORD and before his anointed one. Whose ox or donkey have I stolen? Have I ever cheated any of you? Have I ever oppressed you? Have I ever taken a bribe and perverted justice? Tell me and I will make right whatever I have done wrong.”
4 “No,” they replied, “you have never cheated or oppressed us, and you have never taken even a single bribe.”
5 “The LORD and his anointed one are my witnesses today,” Samuel declared, “that my hands are clean.”
“Yes, he is a witness,” they replied.
This is the first mark of a great servant of God:
HE LIVES WITH INTEGRITY
Samuel never took advantage of his position, or his people.
And the crowd affirms this.
Listen
Almost anybody can live with integrity for a while
that’s doable
But Samuel lived that way all his life.
God’s word says that from the time he was a child in diapers to the time when he was “old and gray”
the people had nothing to accuse him of.
That is amazing
Samuel had been honest with God and with his people
in life and in ministry
His whole life!!!
I am afraid my resume would not say the same about me
What makes this even more amazing is the difficult circumstances he grew up in.
The fact that Eli’s two sons were corrupt
The fact that Eli turned a blind eye to the corruption maybe even went along with it
And later Samuel’s own two sons have also turned corrupt
Shows that the environment wasn’t that good.
1 Sam 8:3
3 But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice.
Listen
The temptations are there.
The opportunities for dishonest gains are there.
But Samuel chose to stay incorruptible!
He chose to honor God, all his life!
What this tells me is
Our choices do not need to be dictated by the circumstances in our lives
Even in tough circumstances, we can still hold on to our values and do the right thing!
Many people let the circumstances of their lives mold them
Many blame their current condition on things from their pasts
This is so unfortunate.
We are never victims of the circumstances, so don’t choose to be one.
By the grace of God and the help of the Holy Spirit, we can always choose to do right.
Repeat
Listen
if we are in the Garden of Eden
we cannot blame God
we cannot blame the tree for being there
we cannot blame the beautiful fruit that hangs before our eyes
and we cannot blame the serpent Satan for enticing us.
We are blessed with the FREEDOM to CHOOSE - the freedom to choose from ALL the fruit trees that are there in the Garden of Eden.
So we have ourselves to blame, if we choose to pick that one forbidden fruit!
We must as Samuel did Take ownership of our choices and actions.
That’s the only way we learn and grown and improve.
Improve yourself, no one else can.
Otherwise, if we blame everything and everyone else, we are not going to change.
Circumstances may be outside your control, but the way we respond to them is NOT.
Paraphrasing verse 3
Samuel says
Have I done anything wrong?
Even something I am unaware of?
Because of his integrity he does not want to handover the leadership with unresolved issues.
The next mark of a Good servant to God in this passage is
His Faithfulness (12:6-18)
Listen to what Samuel says next – 1 Sam 12:6-18.
6 “It was the LORD who appointed Moses and Aaron,” Samuel continued. “He brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt. 7 Now stand here quietly before the LORD as I remind you of all the great things the LORD has done for you and your ancestors.
8 “When the Israelites were[a] in Egypt and cried out to the LORD, he sent Moses and Aaron to rescue them from Egypt and to bring them into this land. 9 But the people soon forgot about the LORD their God, so he handed them over to Sisera, the commander of Hazor’s army, and also to the Philistines and to the king of Moab, who fought against them.
10 “Then they cried to the LORD again and confessed, ‘We have sinned by turning away from the LORD and worshiping the images of Baal and Ashtoreth. But we will worship you and you alone if you will rescue us from our enemies.’ 11 Then the LORD sent Gideon,[b] Bedan,[c] Jephthah, and Samuel[d] to save you, and you lived in safety.
12 “But when you were afraid of Nahash, the king of Ammon, you came to me and said that you wanted a king to reign over you, even though the LORD your God was already your king. 13 All right, here is the king you have chosen. You asked for him, and the LORD has granted your request.
14 “Now if you fear and worship the LORD and listen to his voice, and if you do not rebel against the LORD’s commands, then both you and your king will show that you recognize the LORD as your God. 15 But if you rebel against the LORD’s commands and refuse to listen to him, then his hand will be as heavy upon you as it was upon your ancestors.
16 “Now stand here and see the great thing the LORD is about to do. 17 You know that it does not rain at this time of the year during the wheat harvest. I will ask the LORD to send thunder and rain today. Then you will realize how wicked you have been in asking the LORD for a king!”
18 So Samuel called to the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day. And all the people were terrified of the LORD and of Samuel. 19 “Pray to the LORD your God for us, or we will die!” they all said to Samuel. “For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king.”
Samuel in his faithfulness reminds the people of all God has done for them
He reminds them of the great things God has done for his people
He reminds them how God delivered them from slavery in Egypt and gave them the land.
Then he points out how
They disobeyed God,
indulged in idolatry
and how their enemies around oppressed them
And then how God sent judges to save them
Then when the Ammonites were against them and they wanted a King to lead them fight them.
He shows them that God is FOR them and not AGAINST them.
But he also reminds them that it was their choice to reject God as their king and ask for a king like the other nations
And lets them know that while they are forgiven
They will suffer the consequences of their sin
He speaks the truth in love
He makes it clear that this was not God’s idea nor his own idea.
It was their stubborn will.
Samuel did not brush it aside nor ignore it.
He tells them as it is.
And he repeats it.
That’s a faithful shepherd of the flock.
In real common terms
He says
You want to know why your life is in a wreck
You want to know the cause of the storm
Look at your choices
Samuel then told them in verse 14-15
14 “Now if you fear and worship the LORD and listen to his voice, and if you do not rebel against the LORD’s commands, then both you and your king will show that you recognize the LORD as your God. 15 But if you rebel against the LORD’s commands and refuse to listen to him, then his hand will be as heavy upon you as it was upon your ancestors.
I love this part
Samuel says in love
Your ancestors messed up
And you are messing up
But stop!!
Listen
One wrong turn
One wrong choice
Does not mean you are condemned forever
He says you and your kings have got to obey God
And we can start fresh
Listen
Youi don’t have to live in regret forever.
Acknowledge your mistake, confess your sin and obey the Lord again.
Samuel was a great leader and a great servant because he was a man of integrity
Samuel was a great leader and a great servant because he was faithful to god
And Samuel was a great servant of God because
He loved people
Samuel loved the people God had called him to shepherd
1 Sam 12:19-25
19 “Pray to the LORD your God for us, or we will die!” they all said to Samuel. “For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king.”
20 “Don’t be afraid,” Samuel reassured them. “You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the LORD with all your heart, and don’t turn your back on him. 21 Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless! 22 The LORD will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the LORD to make you his very own people.
Samuel encourages them. “Do not be afraid… and do not turn away from the Lord.”
He is saying
You can choose to walk right with God TODAY!
Don’t live in the past, with regrets. Don’t live in the future, by worrying.
Neither one work
Obey God and serve Him with all your heart TODAY.
Samuel assures them that God will not reject them, because He he created them and loves them
Listen
God’s favor is not a response to the good that they or we are doing or can do.
It is “for the sake of His great Name…”
The reason for God’s blessing lies with Him, not with Israel. Not us
We are loved because God has chosen to love us, for His name sake.
Then Samuel promises to pray for them:
23 “As for me, I will certainly not sin against the LORD by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right.
He puts it in an interesting way - he must not sin by stopping to pray for them.
He is already praying for them;
he says it would be a sin to stop praying for them.
This is the mark of a great servant of God:
HE LOVES HIS PEOPLE
Samuel speaks the truth in love. He encourages them and prays for them.
And even though his role has changed
He continues to teach them right from wrong
Samuel was a true servant of God
And we can follow in his foot steps
If we look at him as an example
From his first words
Speak your servant is listening
He set himself apart from the crowd
It is our crying out to Jesus
Speak
Your servant is listening
That is the first step in our becoming a true servant of God
We all have pasts
Most are not pretty
Mine included
But Jesus died to remove the shame and guilt of our pasts
We must cry out to him
Listen
Maybe you have not always lived a life of integrity
Few have
Today is a new day
You can start fresh
Put yesterday aside
And begin a new life of integrity
Maybe you have not always been faithful
Maybe your still not
Today is a new day
Take a look at your past mistakes
Ask for forgiveness
Get up
Dust yourself off
Remember what God has done for you
And
Start new
right here right now
Love for people is not only a mark of a good servant
It is a mark of a believer
I struggled in this area for years
It was not until I fully understood grace
That I was able to love others
As God directs
And as Jesus modeled
When we live our lives in integrity
When we live our lives in faithfulness to God
When we live our lives loving people
One day
We will wake up in our father’s arms and hear the words
“Well done, My good and faithful servant”
Close from the heart
pray
