WEBVTT 00:00:07.522 --> 00:00:17.250 And I'm so proud of Mike and his honesty and his willingness to share of what we call the transformation process in his life. 00:00:17.250 --> 00:00:22.692 If you venture over to Pinewood before things start, you'll see him because he's serving. 00:00:22.692 --> 00:00:29.753 He's helping unload the trailer and getting things set up every single week with Christie, his wife. 00:00:29.753 --> 00:00:36.792 You know we say around here nothing beats a changed life, and he's just evidence of that. 00:00:36.792 --> 00:00:41.564 Some of you are great witnesses of that too, some of you who are sitting here now. 00:00:41.564 --> 00:00:52.292 This time last year you didn't know Jesus and now you're a year into the faith and things are a lot more clear than they used to be. 00:00:52.292 --> 00:00:58.326 But you've just begun the learning process and I'm just thankful All of you are here. 00:00:58.326 --> 00:00:59.786 That's actually a great segue. 00:00:59.786 --> 00:01:03.410 I got this big old gift over here right. 00:01:03.410 --> 00:01:04.703 Wonder what's in that thing? 00:01:04.703 --> 00:01:10.729 Well, eleanor Roosevelt said it better than me, I think, one time. 00:01:10.729 --> 00:01:18.626 She said well, when we're trying to chart our course, the past is history, the future is still a mystery. 00:01:18.626 --> 00:01:23.626 All we really have is the present, and so the present should be a gift. 00:01:23.626 --> 00:01:28.509 So this is sort of our way of saying today is our gift from God. 00:01:28.509 --> 00:01:30.623 Let's use it, let's make it count. 00:01:30.623 --> 00:01:36.027 Tomorrow we'll have another gift and let's use it and let's make it count. 00:01:36.027 --> 00:01:46.923 Let's don't get too far ahead and certainly not dwell on the past, and I think we'll be all right if he's really in leadership over all of us this time of year. 00:01:46.923 --> 00:01:48.206 And, by the way, my name's Randy. 00:01:48.206 --> 00:01:49.765 Thank you for being here, guest. 00:01:49.765 --> 00:01:51.940 We're really glad that you're here, man. 00:01:51.960 --> 00:01:57.159 It's almost full house this morning, balcony y'all doing okay, good, good. 00:01:57.159 --> 00:02:02.083 It's great to see everybody this morning and out there online. 00:02:02.083 --> 00:02:06.599 We know there's hundreds of you that watch every week, that are faithful. 00:02:06.599 --> 00:02:13.508 It can't be somewhere, can't be here, possibly because of health or whatnot, and we're glad that you tune in with us too. 00:02:13.508 --> 00:02:15.787 There's a monitor there to help you engage. 00:02:15.787 --> 00:02:24.847 We love to get prayer requests by you or just next step decisions that God has led you to make, and that's why we have a little alter call here. 00:02:24.847 --> 00:02:35.346 At the end of my talk is to give you an opportunity to do the same thing as we had some last hour dudes come and pray or come and share of a new year. 00:02:35.346 --> 00:02:41.750 There's no better time than to make that next step spiritual decision than in the new year. 00:02:41.750 --> 00:02:46.270 Right, it's our Sunday of 2024,. 00:02:46.310 --> 00:02:49.359 Speaking of that, we tend to err on the side of. 00:02:49.359 --> 00:03:02.670 We'll do our evaluation and then we like, like there's 14 things that I need to change radically right now, and we get overwhelmed right With the detail of it, the magnitude of it. 00:03:02.670 --> 00:03:17.228 Experts tell us I'm not one experts tell us that if we focus on two or three really maybe small behaviors that turn into habits every day, we get the goals. 00:03:17.228 --> 00:03:25.033 But when we start with the goals, that's where we start well but we don't finish well many times. 00:03:25.033 --> 00:03:30.432 And actually the scripture today that I thought would be a good place to talk about talks about that. 00:03:30.432 --> 00:03:37.394 We're going to talk about someone who started really well but he didn't finish well whatsoever. 00:03:37.394 --> 00:03:41.491 It's in the first in the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel. 00:03:41.491 --> 00:03:43.004 So you're going to need your Bible today. 00:03:43.004 --> 00:03:48.350 We're not going to do like a narrow expose of like six or eight verses. 00:03:48.350 --> 00:04:10.204 I'm just going to I'm just going to take little bits and pieces from actually about five different chapters to walk through the life of a character that you'll meet in a minute and why he's so important in the scope of the history of Israel, but also what we can learn from him today about all of this starting out the new year and starting starting well and everything. 00:04:11.340 --> 00:04:12.784 Years ago. 00:04:12.784 --> 00:04:14.081 I wasn't a pastor, I was. 00:04:14.081 --> 00:04:23.000 I was working for in the corporate world marketplace and the vice president of our company organized a deep sea fishing trip. 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:24.745 Y'all probably been on those. 00:04:24.745 --> 00:04:26.408 You leave early, get in late. 00:04:26.408 --> 00:04:50.067 I did not go on it but, like four or five people in our company did, we had a new employee and he got invited to go and he was can I call himself, confident, to say the least, cocky would probably be a better word and he announced to everybody before the trip I'm going to show these guys how to fish, I'm going to catch that more. 00:04:50.067 --> 00:04:54.161 I'm going to, you know, I'm going to get the biggest catch of the day. 00:04:54.161 --> 00:04:54.802 And he's just. 00:04:54.802 --> 00:04:57.971 He talked an extremely good game. 00:04:58.840 --> 00:05:11.367 And so the next month we had like a meeting where everybody came down to the home office and our vice president had done a great job of organizing some photographs of that day to kind of chronicle their day real quick. 00:05:11.367 --> 00:05:12.444 And he started off with that. 00:05:12.444 --> 00:05:19.864 So, of course, the scene the first photo is all of them and in front of the boat and he's standing there like this. 00:05:19.864 --> 00:05:31.768 He's got his ride where you know he, and he's got that confident look on his face and that smile, and then the action started, and every photograph after that. 00:05:31.768 --> 00:05:34.973 I didn't see him from the front whatsoever. 00:05:34.973 --> 00:05:42.864 I only you only saw him from the back, and that's cause he's bent over the boat and you know what he's doing. 00:05:42.864 --> 00:05:44.742 He's hurling. 00:05:44.742 --> 00:05:47.887 He was that all day long. 00:05:47.887 --> 00:05:49.646 He caught zero fish. 00:05:49.646 --> 00:05:54.870 I think he threw up dinner from the night before he threw up breakfast. 00:05:54.870 --> 00:06:05.847 I think he threw up the built duds from the eighth grade actually by the time it's over and he took more grief over that than than any. 00:06:05.847 --> 00:06:10.762 See, he started well, but he didn't finish so good. 00:06:11.540 --> 00:06:14.028 So that's really what we're going to talk about today. 00:06:14.028 --> 00:06:17.889 It's not how you start, but it's how you finish. 00:06:17.889 --> 00:06:19.704 So let me fast forward. 00:06:19.704 --> 00:06:28.108 First of all, before I do that, let me pray for us, cause we really, we really need to start well this year, but we need to finish well, I think too. 00:06:28.108 --> 00:06:37.833 Lord, everybody in this room and everybody watching, would you just move? 00:06:37.833 --> 00:07:01.787 Would you share your amazing truth, wrapped in your love, fueled by your grace, but also accompanied by your conviction? 00:07:01.787 --> 00:07:12.141 God, if I'm not willing to make some serious changes in my life, I'm not going to be usable to you. 00:07:12.141 --> 00:07:38.417 So, god, would you not only open our hearts, but give us the ability to do one of the most powerful things we'll ever do this year, and that is to surrender to you Flat out, no holds barred, as we are God. 00:07:38.417 --> 00:07:57.987 The day we do that is the day that we become men and women of God who care so deeply about pleasing you that we don't spend too much time worrying about pleasing other people who don't matter in the equation. 00:07:57.987 --> 00:08:05.543 So, god, do what you need to do and we'll give you the glory in Jesus name. 00:08:05.543 --> 00:08:07.697 We pray Amen. 00:08:07.697 --> 00:08:10.639 So thank you for bringing your Bibles. 00:08:10.639 --> 00:08:11.201 You got one. 00:08:11.201 --> 00:08:13.706 If you don't, there's some P Bibles in front of you. 00:08:13.706 --> 00:08:14.716 There's some of. 00:08:14.716 --> 00:08:16.360 You have the apps on your phone. 00:08:16.360 --> 00:08:18.605 Turn to 1 Samuel, if you will. 00:08:18.605 --> 00:08:19.588 1 Samuel. 00:08:19.588 --> 00:08:24.186 We're gonna start chapter 9 and walk through the a few chapters. 00:08:24.186 --> 00:08:30.686 So I'm gonna be picking and choosing some, some verses to illustrate what we're talking about here. 00:08:31.026 --> 00:08:32.568 First, let me set the characters. 00:08:32.568 --> 00:08:35.343 This is a great story, a great narrative. 00:08:35.343 --> 00:08:38.315 I love the historical narratives in the in the Old Testament. 00:08:38.315 --> 00:08:42.623 One of our key characters is a prophet by the name of Samuel. 00:08:42.623 --> 00:08:44.326 He was also known as a seer. 00:08:44.326 --> 00:08:46.490 Your translation may say that same thing. 00:08:46.490 --> 00:08:48.177 He spoke for God. 00:08:48.177 --> 00:08:54.149 God would tell him directly some things and then he would echo that, whether it was to the great or the small of the nation. 00:08:54.149 --> 00:08:55.778 Samuel is well established. 00:08:55.778 --> 00:08:57.281 Samuel is really. 00:08:57.281 --> 00:09:01.028 Nobody questioned his authority when he spoke. 00:09:01.555 --> 00:09:05.630 There's another character that we'll meet first time in the Scripture Young man. 00:09:05.630 --> 00:09:18.198 His name is Saul, and Saul at this point is going to be the focus of our story, because Saul starts very well, but sadly he doesn't finish well. 00:09:18.198 --> 00:09:25.250 So one of the questions we're going to try to answer today because this is appropriate for me and you today in this new year is what went wrong? 00:09:25.250 --> 00:09:29.230 How do you start so well but you don't finish well at all? 00:09:29.230 --> 00:09:37.507 What went wrong and here's why I'm so jacked up about today is everything we're going to talk about that Saul started well by. 00:09:37.507 --> 00:09:44.307 We have access to, we have those same opportunities from God through the Holy Spirit that he did. 00:09:44.307 --> 00:09:57.495 But here's the warning Everything that helped promote or continued his fall from God's grace we also can be vulnerable to, we can go there. 00:09:57.495 --> 00:10:10.529 Anybody in this room, including me, is capable of anything if we remove ourselves from that covering that, that grace of God and obedience to him. 00:10:10.529 --> 00:10:14.978 And so that's what we're going to talk about. 00:10:14.998 --> 00:10:19.985 It starts with the people who are clamoring and complaining they don't have a king. 00:10:19.985 --> 00:10:21.067 Israel is unique. 00:10:21.067 --> 00:10:23.478 It's a small little country. 00:10:23.478 --> 00:10:27.446 There's people all in there, people, groups that are hostile to them. 00:10:27.446 --> 00:10:28.948 That has them scared. 00:10:28.948 --> 00:10:35.735 They get to a point they're like well, you know, we know we have a fine history here of God taking care of us. 00:10:35.735 --> 00:10:40.326 But boy, we see the people and they're outnumbering us and it could not go well with us. 00:10:40.326 --> 00:10:41.288 We're not that strong. 00:10:41.288 --> 00:10:42.817 Give us a king. 00:10:42.817 --> 00:10:44.081 Everybody else has a king. 00:10:44.081 --> 00:10:44.624 Give us a king. 00:10:44.624 --> 00:10:46.349 Finally, god gets tired of hearing it. 00:10:46.349 --> 00:10:48.174 He goes same as I'm going to give him a king. 00:10:48.174 --> 00:10:51.259 They're asking for a king, I'm going to give them a king. 00:10:51.259 --> 00:10:56.389 It's not best for them, but because I'm really their king, but we're going to do that. 00:10:56.389 --> 00:10:59.839 So that's the beginning of the process. 00:11:00.781 --> 00:11:06.509 So chapter 9 is what we'll call Saul's selection. 00:11:06.509 --> 00:11:09.538 Saul is selected to lead this country. 00:11:09.538 --> 00:11:15.966 At this point, look down at chapter 9, verse 17,. 00:11:15.966 --> 00:11:21.938 When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him this is the man I spoke to you about. 00:11:21.938 --> 00:11:25.365 He will govern my people. 00:11:25.365 --> 00:11:32.823 In chapter 10, verse 24, it was on the screen a minute ago Samuel presents him to the people and he says do you see, the one God has chosen. 00:11:32.823 --> 00:11:33.726 There's no one like him. 00:11:33.726 --> 00:11:40.148 The entire population, I think verse 1 says that he was a head taller than anybody else in the country. 00:11:40.148 --> 00:11:40.889 He had the look. 00:11:40.889 --> 00:11:43.560 He had the look of a leader. 00:11:43.560 --> 00:11:48.168 He had the intellect of a leader, the ability, the energy. 00:11:48.168 --> 00:11:51.321 He has everything going for him that he needed. 00:11:51.321 --> 00:11:57.153 So God selects him and tells Samuel to ordain that. 00:11:57.153 --> 00:11:57.995 So how do they get together? 00:11:58.596 --> 00:11:59.658 Saul's a young guy. 00:11:59.658 --> 00:12:01.781 They're missing some donkeys one day. 00:12:01.781 --> 00:12:10.079 Now he is from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest little tribe in the whole confederation of Israel. 00:12:10.079 --> 00:12:13.726 His dad sends, his dad sends him out. 00:12:13.726 --> 00:12:17.996 He says get a servant to go to somebody with you and go find those donkeys and bring them back. 00:12:17.996 --> 00:12:19.039 We can't spare, lose them. 00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:23.152 So he goes second, third day, gets concerned hadn't found them. 00:12:23.152 --> 00:12:23.995 We need to turn around. 00:12:23.995 --> 00:12:26.840 The servant says you know, there's one thing we haven't tried. 00:12:26.840 --> 00:12:29.325 We're in an area where there's this prophet. 00:12:29.325 --> 00:12:31.489 His name is Samuel. 00:12:31.489 --> 00:12:36.744 He may even know God may reveal to him where our donkeys are. 00:12:36.744 --> 00:12:38.767 Let's go and let's ask him. 00:12:38.767 --> 00:12:40.250 And so they do that. 00:12:40.634 --> 00:12:50.899 Samuel, at the same time, has this encounter with God where God says your man is going to be walking through town pretty soon the man I have chosen. 00:12:50.899 --> 00:12:54.846 There's no one like him and so just get ready. 00:12:54.846 --> 00:12:58.712 They're walking, they're looking for Samuel. 00:12:58.712 --> 00:13:00.937 Samuel's looking for the next first. 00:13:00.937 --> 00:13:03.725 Well, the first king of Israel Bang. 00:13:03.725 --> 00:13:05.691 They run into each other in the street. 00:13:05.691 --> 00:13:08.157 There's this meeting he. 00:13:08.157 --> 00:13:12.826 Saul thinks it's random, but Samuel and this is where it gets a little weird y'all. 00:13:12.826 --> 00:13:17.195 Samuel says good to meet you, by the way, what you doing for lunch? 00:13:17.195 --> 00:13:19.038 Will you join me for lunch? 00:13:19.038 --> 00:13:23.168 And he says I'm just looking for my donkeys to go home. 00:13:23.168 --> 00:13:25.875 He says I know that, but your donkeys have already been found. 00:13:25.875 --> 00:13:27.618 They're good, they're all at home. 00:13:27.618 --> 00:13:28.899 Pressure's off. 00:13:28.899 --> 00:13:29.661 Go with me lunch. 00:13:29.661 --> 00:13:35.070 Well, there was a pre-determined, planned lunch of like 30 people sitting around. 00:13:35.775 --> 00:13:37.859 Saul finds himself sitting at the head table. 00:13:37.859 --> 00:13:44.629 He gets the best portions of the meat and stuff, which meant like the place of honor, the person, the VIP of the whole room. 00:13:44.629 --> 00:13:46.496 He's like I don't even know these people. 00:13:46.496 --> 00:13:48.019 I don't know this man. 00:13:48.019 --> 00:13:49.061 What's he doing here? 00:13:49.061 --> 00:13:49.501 What's up? 00:13:49.501 --> 00:13:50.243 This is weird. 00:13:50.243 --> 00:13:51.605 They finished that. 00:13:51.644 --> 00:13:55.370 They walk back and the prophet says oh, by the way, you need to spend the night with us. 00:13:55.370 --> 00:14:02.991 We'll take good care of you and you can go on your way in the morning, next morning, he says send the servant on ahead, I got something to tell you. 00:14:02.991 --> 00:14:06.341 And he basically breaks it out for him. 00:14:06.341 --> 00:14:10.230 He says you're gonna be the next leader of the whole nation. 00:14:10.230 --> 00:14:13.600 And Saul then does the famous. 00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:14.945 Do you know who I am? 00:14:14.945 --> 00:14:21.303 My family is the least of the least tribe of all Israel. 00:14:21.303 --> 00:14:27.344 What he's saying is I'm completely unqualified To be doing this. 00:14:27.344 --> 00:14:28.210 Have you ever felt that? 00:14:28.210 --> 00:14:33.190 Ever been there, where you feel like, oh my goodness, what am I doing on the platform? 00:14:33.190 --> 00:14:34.695 What am I doing in the spotlight? 00:14:34.695 --> 00:14:36.459 What am I doing leading this group? 00:14:36.459 --> 00:14:38.504 What am I doing in this situation? 00:14:38.504 --> 00:14:41.457 I'm completely unprepared, unqualified. 00:14:42.696 --> 00:14:47.648 God's not really concerned about our qualifications, because once he selects you, what will he do? 00:14:47.648 --> 00:14:50.380 He'll take care of that right. 00:14:50.380 --> 00:14:56.634 He'll do the qualifying for you, and that's gonna be some of you in 2024. 00:14:56.634 --> 00:15:07.260 You don't know, I don't know, but you're headed into one of these encounters where God's gonna start doing this and you have free will. 00:15:07.260 --> 00:15:10.303 You can say yes or you can say no. 00:15:10.303 --> 00:15:16.387 If you say yes, you will have a great start to the year. 00:15:16.387 --> 00:15:22.769 Hopefully you'll finish well, because, as we said, it's not how you start, it's how you finish. 00:15:22.789 --> 00:15:23.715 Can I give you some good news. 00:15:23.715 --> 00:15:35.359 When God selects you and you say, yes, that is the greatest plan for your life, that's greater than any of your ambitions. 00:15:35.359 --> 00:15:42.798 And some of you, pretty driven people, some of you pretty goal oriented, you are achievers. 00:15:42.798 --> 00:15:43.799 I love that. 00:15:43.799 --> 00:15:45.182 There's nothing wrong with that. 00:15:45.182 --> 00:15:51.262 But let me tell you, your greatest gift will be Submission to what he has for you. 00:15:51.262 --> 00:15:52.345 Why is that? 00:15:52.345 --> 00:15:55.499 Because you will be Successful, guaranteed. 00:15:55.499 --> 00:15:56.621 How do you know that? 00:15:56.621 --> 00:15:58.889 Because he knows the future. 00:15:58.889 --> 00:16:13.209 We don't know the future, and If he selects you for this or that or this place, he's already made sure that how you start is how you'll finish, if you allow him to. 00:16:17.291 --> 00:16:23.774 I Don't know who said it first, but there's a quotes pretty famous life is what happens when you're busy making other plans. 00:16:23.774 --> 00:16:25.079 You ever heard that one? 00:16:25.079 --> 00:16:31.898 I think I so real, that's so true, and Saul is like Scratching his head. 00:16:31.898 --> 00:16:33.464 What does this mean? 00:16:33.464 --> 00:16:36.399 So he selects, but then he's not through. 00:16:36.399 --> 00:16:41.634 There's a transforming, he's got to be transformed and that's in chapter 10. 00:16:41.634 --> 00:16:45.866 How about take a look at chapter 10, verse 9, 6 and 9? 00:16:45.866 --> 00:16:56.980 There's an anointing that happens in verse 1, where Samuel says you are this is my way of saying you are Selected by God. 00:16:56.980 --> 00:17:07.216 Look at verse 6 the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power and you will prophesy with them and you will be changed into a different Person. 00:17:07.216 --> 00:17:15.710 Verse 9 Saul turned to leave Samuel and God changed Saul's heart and all these signs were fulfilled in that day. 00:17:15.710 --> 00:17:19.044 Ooh, here's some more good news for you. 00:17:19.044 --> 00:17:19.605 You're ready. 00:17:20.654 --> 00:17:31.595 Everything that God gave Saul you have today, in 2024, only beggar Because in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came and went. 00:17:31.595 --> 00:17:34.341 He would appear. 00:17:34.341 --> 00:17:36.404 You know Spirit, phil, david. 00:17:36.404 --> 00:17:46.045 The Spirit filled Moses and they prophesied, they did this or that we see it with with Saul post crucifixion, resurrection of Jesus. 00:17:46.045 --> 00:17:49.335 If you are a Christ follower, you have the Holy Spirit 24-7. 00:17:49.335 --> 00:17:52.015 He's not coming and going. 00:17:52.015 --> 00:17:57.914 So we have this extra ingredient that Saul did not have. 00:17:57.914 --> 00:18:12.074 It's a marvelous, marvelous gift because it says his whole heart changed, everything about him changed, and he has now gone from unqualified to qualified. 00:18:12.074 --> 00:18:27.193 He still got some decision making ability, and we'll see about that in a minute, but Saul is going to start extremely well Because of those two factors and one more factor before I get to the third factor. 00:18:27.213 --> 00:18:33.173 How do I know, how do you know in 2024, that you're being transformed? 00:18:33.173 --> 00:18:33.433 By the way? 00:18:33.433 --> 00:18:38.643 It's continuous you get transformed, to get saved, but it ain't over. 00:18:38.643 --> 00:18:42.334 That's a continuous thing. 00:18:42.334 --> 00:18:43.259 You wear only as good. 00:18:43.259 --> 00:18:43.822 You've heard. 00:18:43.842 --> 00:18:48.259 I know some of you here tired of hearing me say this what's your plan for 2024? 00:18:48.259 --> 00:18:57.813 For spiritual growth, monday through Saturday, that's where it will really matter. 00:18:57.813 --> 00:19:06.134 That's where you're gonna learn to walk with God and by his spirit, or will walk our own path. 00:19:06.134 --> 00:19:12.072 If you don't have a plan and you're like where do I even start? 00:19:12.072 --> 00:19:17.480 Please don't just sit on that, in that in the spirit, in that indecisiveness. 00:19:17.480 --> 00:19:19.707 Go see somebody, come see one of us. 00:19:19.707 --> 00:19:23.862 Call Email, email a group leader email, one of us do. 00:19:23.862 --> 00:19:25.223 Just do that. 00:19:25.223 --> 00:19:31.644 There's so many great ways to start In this new year of spending a little bit of time. 00:19:31.995 --> 00:19:34.682 You don't have to have a phd in theology. 00:19:34.682 --> 00:19:36.547 You don't have to have all this experience. 00:19:36.547 --> 00:19:38.420 You don't have to be the smartest guy. 00:19:38.420 --> 00:19:47.747 You just got to have a little bit of time that you set aside and say this is my god time and be willing to accept what he's showing you. 00:19:47.747 --> 00:19:54.205 And you'll never be disappointed, I promise you, because then how will you know? 00:19:54.205 --> 00:19:55.288 You'll be bearing fruit. 00:19:55.288 --> 00:19:56.377 That's John 15. 00:19:56.377 --> 00:19:57.140 John 15. 00:19:57.140 --> 00:19:58.423 We're here to bear fruit, y'all. 00:19:58.423 --> 00:20:05.295 Much fruit that lasts If we're not bearing fruit out of our life, then God's gonna come back through the holy spirit. 00:20:05.415 --> 00:20:09.394 He's gonna question whether or not I'm legitimately a child of God. 00:20:09.394 --> 00:20:12.345 He takes it serious. 00:20:12.345 --> 00:20:13.548 So here's the question. 00:20:13.548 --> 00:20:14.592 I'm getting a little bit off track here. 00:20:14.592 --> 00:20:15.295 Is God tolerant when I'm bearing? 00:20:15.295 --> 00:20:20.214 Is God tolerant when there's no fruit coming out of my life? 00:20:20.214 --> 00:20:26.231 Absolutely not, because John 15 basically gives us that impression. 00:20:26.231 --> 00:20:45.481 He's gonna judge it and his judgment is not, is not unfair, but his judgment is cold, harsh some days, because it's wrapped in the truth and it always comes with about 42 warnings to correct our actions. 00:20:48.039 --> 00:20:52.329 And so transformation is a big deal, but it's got to be continuous. 00:20:52.329 --> 00:20:55.426 So here's a question to ask yourself. 00:20:55.426 --> 00:21:03.672 I've been asking it for the last couple of weeks at least when do I have opportunities this year that are not just great opportunities. 00:21:03.672 --> 00:21:08.722 They meet God's plans for me, and that takes guess what? 00:21:08.722 --> 00:21:24.384 Continual time with God, because I don't always know His plans, and that's the best way to judge whether the opportunities or God's opportunities are some opportunity. 00:21:24.384 --> 00:21:35.808 Somebody else needs to do that have been sent here to distract me and to keep me from doing what is essential, and you all, we're all the same in that. 00:21:35.808 --> 00:21:40.691 So you see now why it's not how you start, how you finish, very good. 00:21:41.620 --> 00:21:45.810 Third thing he got transformed, he got selected, but he's also empowered. 00:21:45.810 --> 00:21:49.689 So that goes to skip down to chapter 11. 00:21:49.689 --> 00:21:56.968 So Saul has been, he's been confirmed by the whole nation, he's been selected by God through Samuel. 00:21:56.968 --> 00:21:58.545 He is the new king. 00:21:58.545 --> 00:22:00.306 He doesn't really know what that means. 00:22:00.306 --> 00:22:01.984 So what do you do? 00:22:01.984 --> 00:22:03.967 What do you do when you don't know what to do? 00:22:03.967 --> 00:22:06.166 You just keep doing what you've been doing, right. 00:22:07.160 --> 00:22:08.766 So he's out one day plowing. 00:22:08.766 --> 00:22:10.701 He's got some oxen. 00:22:10.701 --> 00:22:14.190 He's plowing because you know agrarian society. 00:22:14.190 --> 00:22:17.428 They got to earn a living and they got to do this and that. 00:22:17.428 --> 00:22:22.291 And word comes to him that the Ammonites have invaded one of their many enemies. 00:22:22.291 --> 00:22:35.685 The Ammonites have put a siege around one of the towns in Israel and they've basically said if you'll surrender unconditionally, it'll be a lot better with you, but we're going to mess all of you up. 00:22:35.685 --> 00:22:39.407 We'll let you live, we're going to disfigure you for the rest of your life. 00:22:39.407 --> 00:22:44.652 And so word gets out to the officials. 00:22:44.652 --> 00:22:52.448 The officials contact Saul as the new king and it's like oh, my goodness, here's a crisis right off the bat. 00:22:52.448 --> 00:22:57.366 And so look at chapter 11, verse 6. 00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:05.652 When Saul heard these words, the Spirit of God came upon him in power and he what? 00:23:05.652 --> 00:23:07.464 He burned with anger. 00:23:07.464 --> 00:23:11.930 Here's the characteristic of the empowered thing. 00:23:11.930 --> 00:23:19.403 You know you're not going to be able to sit still with some of the stuff that you get contacted about. 00:23:19.403 --> 00:23:27.701 There are some things that are so wrong, so egregious, so messed up that you will get the idea. 00:23:27.701 --> 00:23:35.563 Oh, not only is that so wrong and it makes me angry, he's wanting me to do something about that. 00:23:35.563 --> 00:23:38.906 That's called righteous indignation. 00:23:38.906 --> 00:23:45.147 That's not sinful and can I tell you, a lot of you can relate to this better than me. 00:23:45.147 --> 00:23:50.568 A little bit of dose of righteous indignation is a terrific motivator. 00:23:50.568 --> 00:23:54.405 That gives you energy that you didn't know you had. 00:23:54.405 --> 00:24:04.913 It will make the most passive mom of a seventh grader like that wounded, grizzly bear all of a sudden. 00:24:04.913 --> 00:24:07.686 Oh no, not to my boy, you're not doing that. 00:24:07.686 --> 00:24:18.913 That's righteous indignation and we can try to ignore it or we can lean into it, because that's where your true passion comes from. 00:24:21.664 --> 00:24:31.088 Verse 9, he basically sends a message out to all the other tribes and he said here's my big ask you're either in or you're out. 00:24:31.088 --> 00:24:34.508 If you're out, it's not going to go well with you, because God will deal with you. 00:24:34.508 --> 00:24:41.663 If you're in, though, we're going to go whoop this enemy and we're going to liberate our other town, and that's exactly what happens. 00:24:41.663 --> 00:24:43.443 300,000 people show up. 00:24:43.443 --> 00:24:45.190 It's a smashing victory. 00:24:45.190 --> 00:24:46.463 He is a hero. 00:24:46.463 --> 00:24:53.866 They're hailing him as already hailed him as the king, but they're confirming him as the king, and you know what confirming means in the Old Testament. 00:24:54.819 --> 00:25:07.813 Confirming in the Old Testament of the king meant not only are you the military leader and the king, but you represent the religious sector of our society, because they are the same. 00:25:07.813 --> 00:25:08.902 It's not like today. 00:25:08.902 --> 00:25:21.069 The will of God and the will of the people are going to funnel into the same place, and we're expecting you, the king, to be the advisor of that. 00:25:21.069 --> 00:25:28.765 For us, that's a powerful position, and he starts really well. 00:25:28.765 --> 00:25:32.048 He's what we call a catalytic leader. 00:25:32.048 --> 00:25:41.825 That is, the ability to inspire and to encourage and to call to action a group of people, and there's not even like much of a question. 00:25:41.825 --> 00:25:46.384 It's like we're in and all is going well. 00:25:46.384 --> 00:25:48.982 Right, but what went wrong? 00:25:48.982 --> 00:25:51.309 What went wrong? 00:25:51.309 --> 00:25:53.066 Well, let's look at that. 00:25:53.066 --> 00:25:55.967 That starts in chapter 13. 00:25:55.967 --> 00:25:57.351 Tell you what went wrong. 00:25:57.559 --> 00:25:59.005 Now the Philistines invade. 00:25:59.005 --> 00:26:03.188 The Philistines are bigger and batter than the Ammonites. 00:26:03.188 --> 00:26:09.163 Saul thinks, well, I've done one, one, I'll just do the same thing. 00:26:09.163 --> 00:26:13.550 So he goes out to meet them and they have overwhelming more. 00:26:13.550 --> 00:26:17.149 They got 10 times the people that he has. 00:26:17.149 --> 00:26:21.149 And it's like one of those rut-row moments. 00:26:21.149 --> 00:26:22.962 We're in big trouble here. 00:26:22.962 --> 00:26:28.209 So he, paralyzed, he's paralyzed, he sits down under a tree and he's not doing anything. 00:26:28.209 --> 00:26:31.548 He's just in fear of all of that. 00:26:31.548 --> 00:26:40.413 And so he decides remember, I'm expected to be a religious advisor as well as the military guy. 00:26:40.413 --> 00:26:42.727 So he says where's the profit? 00:26:42.727 --> 00:26:44.565 We need to do a sacrifice at work. 00:26:44.565 --> 00:26:45.628 Last time It'll work. 00:26:45.628 --> 00:26:47.466 This time We'll get the blessing of God. 00:26:47.466 --> 00:26:49.527 Nobody can beat us if we have the blessing of God. 00:26:50.019 --> 00:26:54.107 So Samuel's on his way, but seven days later Samuel's still not come. 00:26:54.107 --> 00:26:58.547 They're getting closer and closer, his troops are getting more and more panicky. 00:26:58.547 --> 00:26:59.923 So what does Saul do? 00:26:59.923 --> 00:27:03.027 He offers the sacrifice himself. 00:27:03.027 --> 00:27:06.405 And just as he's finished, who shows up? 00:27:06.405 --> 00:27:08.284 Samuel? 00:27:08.284 --> 00:27:13.130 And Samuel calls him out and he says oh, you've just overstepped. 00:27:13.559 --> 00:27:20.073 So the first step he takes of really not finishing well is an overreach of authority. 00:27:20.073 --> 00:27:23.749 He didn't have the authority to be the priest. 00:27:23.749 --> 00:27:35.143 He's not the priest, he's the king who submits to what the priest or the prophets tell him to do when he takes that over. 00:27:35.143 --> 00:27:49.208 He's out now, out on his own, and Samuel tells him that he said that's a grievous area because you are not that guy and we still got to contend with the Philistines. 00:27:49.208 --> 00:27:50.765 Now God is silent. 00:27:50.765 --> 00:27:52.665 Now he's really paranoid. 00:27:52.665 --> 00:27:54.326 I'm not hearing from God. 00:27:54.326 --> 00:27:57.745 The prophets mad at me, the people are leaving. 00:27:57.745 --> 00:28:00.788 There's an erosion of morale when this happens. 00:28:00.788 --> 00:28:05.450 Evidence by there, down to like 600 people from thousands. 00:28:05.450 --> 00:28:07.144 What in the world is he going to do? 00:28:07.144 --> 00:28:19.231 Well, this is going to lead us to our second setback of Saul, and that's in the next chapter, which is chapter 14, and that is he starts making reckless decisions. 00:28:19.231 --> 00:28:27.852 Now he has a son, his name is Jonathan, and from this point on, really Jonathan and the family becomes the hero more than Saul. 00:28:28.380 --> 00:28:43.113 But Jonathan is in part of the army, he's like a captain, and his dad is the king, who is the general, and Jonathan gets tired of sitting around and just hoping that they're going to go away. 00:28:43.113 --> 00:28:53.945 They are not going to go away, and so Jonathan gets one person, his armor bear, it's called, and he says will you go attack with me? 00:28:53.945 --> 00:28:57.670 And the armor bear is like sure, who all is going with us? 00:28:57.670 --> 00:28:58.984 And he said just me and you. 00:28:58.984 --> 00:29:06.185 Okay, now check this out and some of you are military, ex-military, check this out for military strategy. 00:29:06.185 --> 00:29:18.512 We're going to climb a cliff, a sheer cliff, and there's overwhelming forces up there who have this position of strength because they're on the high ground, on a plateau already. 00:29:18.512 --> 00:29:19.422 They're armed. 00:29:19.422 --> 00:29:21.847 We only got one sword between us. 00:29:21.847 --> 00:29:30.430 If we survive the mountain climb, we get to fight all of them, just the two of us, with one weapon. 00:29:30.430 --> 00:29:36.452 If I'm the armor bear, I'm gonna be tempted to say, uh, is that all you got? 00:29:36.452 --> 00:29:41.852 But the armor bear says I'm with you, heart and soul. 00:29:41.852 --> 00:29:45.108 Now he finishes his strategy. 00:29:45.108 --> 00:30:00.447 Jonathan finishes his strategy by saying this perhaps the Lord will grant us favor against these uncircumcised fellows, that's it, and and they win. 00:30:00.447 --> 00:30:01.814 God gives him the victory. 00:30:01.814 --> 00:30:12.589 I Don't have time to talk about him, but Jonathan is a fascinating study of when faith Overcomes all the things you do not have. 00:30:13.780 --> 00:30:17.951 Saul had a bunch of stuff, but he didn't have the faith. 00:30:17.951 --> 00:30:26.400 He's more reliant on what he has at his disposal and the obvious math of the numbers than he has faith. 00:30:26.400 --> 00:30:30.828 Jonathan just had faith and that was enough on that day. 00:30:30.828 --> 00:30:33.233 But where's the reckless decisions come in? 00:30:33.233 --> 00:30:44.267 They route, the Philistine army actually and as they're running off, Saul all of a sudden gets brave and he says, hey, let's go chase him and let's run them down. 00:30:44.267 --> 00:30:45.791 And they start doing it all the next day. 00:30:45.791 --> 00:30:49.664 But he makes this dumb, idiotic vow. 00:30:49.664 --> 00:31:01.182 He says all the army, all the men fighting, need to take a vow of Of not eating, a fasting all day long and maybe until we finally completely Beat them. 00:31:01.182 --> 00:31:02.490 And they're fighting all day. 00:31:02.490 --> 00:31:04.519 They're out of energy, they're out of everything. 00:31:04.519 --> 00:31:07.169 They're like why do we even have to do this? 00:31:07.169 --> 00:31:11.890 Jonathan doesn't know about the thing, the thing, the order his dad's given. 00:31:11.890 --> 00:31:17.649 He sees some honey On the ground in the woods, he scoops it up, he's refreshed and he's good. 00:31:17.649 --> 00:31:26.509 And of course, at that point somebody walks up and says oh, you messed up, you not know about your daddy's and Jonathan, this is pretty telling. 00:31:26.509 --> 00:31:32.352 Jonathan says my dad, my father, has made trouble for the country, for the whole country today. 00:31:32.352 --> 00:31:49.319 And, sure enough, saul is willing, at the end of the day, to kill his own son over his stupid policy and the people, the troops stepped in and prevented it. 00:31:51.405 --> 00:31:53.612 Reckless, reckless decisions. 00:31:53.612 --> 00:32:00.953 Here's how you know you're in an organization, or maybe a family, where the guy lady in charge is reckless. 00:32:00.953 --> 00:32:12.192 There's collateral damage, there's confusion, there's a lack of clarity of direction, as well as day-to-day decisions. 00:32:12.192 --> 00:32:15.007 That's not so with God. 00:32:15.007 --> 00:32:21.576 We may not get the whole picture, but we always have the next step to do with God. 00:32:21.576 --> 00:32:22.539 That's always clear. 00:32:22.539 --> 00:32:26.230 And if you're not sure what it is after that, what do you do? 00:32:26.230 --> 00:32:36.372 You keep doing the last thing he told you to do, and you do it with all the fervor and the enthusiasm that you can possibly muster. 00:32:36.372 --> 00:32:41.799 This is where your Spirit, my spirit, the Holy Spirit comes in handy. 00:32:41.799 --> 00:32:52.644 The Holy Spirit is available, and when the Holy Spirit is Saw and hungered for and accessed y'all, he's on the big stuff. 00:32:52.644 --> 00:32:53.448 He's pretty clear. 00:32:53.448 --> 00:32:55.963 He's pretty clear. 00:32:55.963 --> 00:32:59.786 And so we have these reckless decisions. 00:32:59.786 --> 00:33:00.788 We got an overreach. 00:33:00.827 --> 00:33:03.933 The third thing is disobedience to a direct command. 00:33:03.933 --> 00:33:12.587 Saul's slide is now into free fall, but even then, god's grace is there. 00:33:12.587 --> 00:33:23.807 We get this impression in chapter 16 that even after all of that, even after Samuel walks up and says you're out, there's another one coming behind you. 00:33:23.807 --> 00:33:29.229 That's a better man, he'll succeed you and there's not a thing you can do about it. 00:33:29.229 --> 00:33:37.447 God was still apparently trying to salvage this whole thing, because now there's another group, the amlicites. 00:33:38.348 --> 00:33:46.672 And God goes to Samuel to tell Saul look, the amlicites Did not help us way back in the Exodus when Moses needed their help. 00:33:46.672 --> 00:33:48.296 They were our enemies. 00:33:48.296 --> 00:33:49.759 Then we're gonna pay them back. 00:33:49.759 --> 00:33:51.483 It's time to pay them back. 00:33:51.483 --> 00:33:54.750