Introduction
1. All of the people of Israel were gathered together. This was an important occasion. They had demanded that God set a king over them. And on this day their king would be chosen from amongst them. Whose tribe would he be from? Whose family? Some may even have wondered if they were to be the one chosen.
2. And so Samuel, the prophet and priest of God brings forth the tribes. The tribe of Benjamin is chosen. He brings forth the clans, one by one. The clan of Matri is chosen. Hhe brings forth the families within this clan and the family of Kish is chosen. And then from the family of Kish, Saul is chosen as king.
3. Samuel wants to present their first king to the people. But there is a problem. Saul is missing, he is not to be found. Where is he? Did he not show up? The Lord knows where Saul is. And He tells the people "He has hidden himself among the baggage."
4. As we will see Samuel knew that He had been chosen by God to be king, but he hid hoping that he could avoid this task that God had given him.
5. This morning I have a question that each one of you must answer, to God and to yourselves. Are you hiding among the baggage? As individuals and therefore together as a church?
6. As we look at Saul, let us ask ourselves, "Can I can see any similarities between Saul and myself?" "Am I hiding among the baggage?
Teaching
1. Saul seems to be qualified for the position.
a. We are first told about him in 1 Samuel 9:2:
1 Sam 9:2 He (Kish) had a son named Saul, an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites--a head taller than any of the others.
This could mean that he had a kingly stature. He stood out above all the others.
b. God chose Saul
In 1 Samuel 9, when Samuel sees Saul, God tells him "this is the man" who will govern my people
c. In 1 Samuel 10, we read that Saul anoints Saul as the king of Israel. Anointed into this position but also empowered by God to carry out his task.
d. And God changed Saul. He changed his heart so that Saul was receptive to God’s spirit working within him, to hearing God speak to him. And so we read that he joined a group of prophets as they were prophesying. Those who knew him could see that he was different.
e. Saul had been chosen and empowered by God to lead His people.
2. But when this was to be made public he hid among the baggage.
3. We also have been chosen and empowered by God to serve Him.
1 Pet 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
This verse has been chosen by the elders as the theme of our house visitation. Each one of us has been chosen by God to be His disciple and to make known to others what He has done. We have been anointed with the Holy Spirit and given gifts to serve Him. To proclaim His name and salvation to this community, to this city.
4. Are we doing this? Are you? Do people know that you are God’s child and are you showing His word and love to others? Or are you hiding among the baggage?
5. The word for baggage in Hebrew means a number of things. It includes implements, weapons, clothing, carriages, furniture. It includes the things we carry around with us, the things we possess.
6. It is not easy to carry baggage around with us. Two weeks ago in Edmonton, the Dekkers and I carried our baggage, our luggage from the parking garage to the hotel lobby. Across the parking lot, down to floors of stairs, down a hallway and then up a flighjt of stairs. It felt good to get rid of it in our rooms.
7. But the baggage I want to talk about today is not this kind of baggage. Just like the real baggage that Saul was hiding among was not the baggage that hid among but rather the baggage that he carried around within him. Baggage that would make him hesitate to take accept the task God had given him and which would hinder him from effectively carrying his task.
8. What is included in this baggage?
9. First, Saul failed to trust in God. Instead he trusted in his own strength and power. When he first heard that he was to be king, he said:
1 Sam 9:21 Saul answered, "But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?"
He felt inadequate to be king because he could not trust God fully. Even when he was to wait for Samuel to offer sacrifices, Saul went ahead and made the sacrifice himself when he felt it took to long. He wanted to start the battle before his men would grow weary of waiting. When we rely on our strength rather than trust in God, we are hiding among the baggage of faithlessness. Of not being willing to serve God because we fail to trust that His power is sufficient to enable us to serve Him.
10. That baggage is part of many of our lives at FRC. One of our corporate sins is the sin of self-negativism. Of seeing ourselves as weak, unworthy and insignificant. Of putting ourselves down. Thinking that we can or will make little difference in this community.
11. Well, we can. But we must act in faith and we must trust that God will use us. As we heard at the leadership we are called to take authority. We have been given authority to bring the good news by our commander in chief, Jesus Christ. We must not look at our weakness but at His strength
12. Another part of the baggage for Saul was his fear of what people would think or say. At one point, 1 Samuel 15, Saul is told by God to completely destroy the Amalekites and their animals. After the battle when Samuel hear the lowing of cattle and the bleating of sheep, he confronts Saul for not obeying God. Saul gives Samuel with a reason for his disobedience.
1 Sam 15:24 Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned. I violated the Lord's command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them.
Throughout the reign of Saul we see how he listens to what people say and often acts in response with little thought. It was listening to the people’s praise of David that led him to be jealous of David.
1 Sam 18:7-9 As they danced, they sang: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands." Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?" And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.
13. We also carry the baggage of the fear of people and what they think. It is also one of the corporate sins of FRC and of many of us individually. We are afraid to serve at times because of what others will think. If we share the word will others reject us. If we pray out loud, will we sound good enough. People are watching us and we are very self conscious. This has prevented us from using our God-given gifts and from being used by God. We must not fear man.
Prov 29:25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.
14. Saul also was inconsistent in his heart and actions. God had given him a heart that would hear the Lord. But he also followed the ways of his sinful heart. Twice when he was hunting down David, David could have killed Saul but did not do so. Each time Saul honoured David and said he would not harm him. But soon he would be after him again. He even consulted a psychic when God would not speak to him. In a sense Saul was too pragmatic. Do whatever seems to work. Whether it is God’s way or his own way.
15. I believe we often hide among this type of baggage. One day we want to serve God but the next we allow others things to get in the way. We live in both God’s kingdom and in the world. And the cares of the world, our jobs, our money and possessions prevent us from being used by God. We are inconsistent in our desire to serve the Lord.
16. And one more item of baggage. The baggage of disobedience and religiousity. Saul, as we have seen, often disobeyed God. And yet he was good at making sacrifices to God. He went through the motions of outer worship. At Gilgal, he offered a sacrifice to God but was disobedient in doing this, because, as we said, he was to have waited for Samuel. And again when he failed to destroyed the animals of the Amelikites he said he wanted to use them for sacrifice. Hear how God responds to Him.
1 Sam 15:22 But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
17. We also struggle with the sin of disobedience and religiosity. We often are content to worship God with our lips on Sunday but fail to obey His word. We so easily fail to forget that God brought us together to reach out to the lost. Are we often just going through the tradition of church without having a living faith that leads us to live obedient lives?
18. Friends, we are hiding among the baggage. We have mentioned just some of the baggage we have. The failure to trust God, the fear of man, self-negativism and religiousity. But we may also carry the baggage of unforgiveness and the failure to confess past sins. Of complacency and self-absorption. We have accumulated much baggage over the year.
19. What is the baggage you hide amongst?
20. I believe God wants to do much through us. That He wants us to worship Him more with all our heart and soul. To be released from the baggage that restrains our worship. That is why we can learn from Herb when he shouts to the Lord. I believe God wants us more active in our community. To show people we care because God cares. To do this we need to get out from the baggage. To step out in boldness. To take authority in the name and love of Christ.
21. It means I have baggage to shed. To get rid of. And so do you. I am very comfortable here, many of us are. But our comfort must be in the Lord not in traditions and not in a lack of fervour in serving God.
22. Let us get out from amongst the baggage. Let us give our baggage to the Lord. To be freed from the burden of carrying them.
23. To serve Him and to proclaim Him regardless of the cost.
24. Illustration of Cassie Bernal at Littleton school massacre.
