WEBVTT 00:00:00.479 --> 00:00:04.719 First Samuel chapter seven, verses three through eleven. 00:00:05.280 --> 00:00:22.640 And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the ashtaroth from among you, and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 00:00:23.120 --> 00:00:28.960 So the people of Israel put away the balls and the ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only. 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:35.840 Then Samuel said, Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you. 00:00:36.079 --> 00:00:46.560 So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the Lord. 00:00:46.799 --> 00:00:50.159 And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. 00:00:50.880 --> 00:00:59.039 Now, when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. 00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:03.759 And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 00:01:04.159 --> 00:01:13.519 And the people of Israel said to Samuel, Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines. 00:01:13.920 --> 00:01:19.439 So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. 00:01:19.599 --> 00:01:24.400 And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. 00:01:24.799 --> 00:01:30.879 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. 00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:40.879 But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. 00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:48.319 And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them as far as below Bethkar. 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:50.079 This is the word of the Lord. 00:01:50.239 --> 00:01:51.519 Please be seated. 00:01:55.920 --> 00:01:56.319 Morning. 00:01:56.719 --> 00:01:56.959 Morning. 00:01:57.200 --> 00:01:58.319 Welcome to church this morning. 00:01:58.400 --> 00:01:59.680 My name is James Rathman. 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:02.480 I'm the pastor here at Redemption Church Denver. 00:02:02.719 --> 00:02:06.000 Couple of announcements before we get started into our sermon. 00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:13.599 Nice. 00:02:13.919 --> 00:02:14.479 A lot of you. 00:02:14.639 --> 00:02:14.960 Great. 00:02:15.039 --> 00:02:16.639 So those started this past week. 00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:19.120 David, my brother-in-law, is raising two hands. 00:02:19.360 --> 00:02:25.039 And the uh uh but it is not too late to get involved in one of those. 00:02:25.120 --> 00:02:29.680 So at Redemption Denver, we say that there's two uh ways to get involved. 00:02:29.840 --> 00:02:31.520 We gather large and we gather small. 00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:34.400 We gather large here on Sunday mornings as a church altogether. 00:02:34.479 --> 00:02:37.280 We gather small throughout the week in each other's homes. 00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:41.199 Uh so it's still not too late to get involved in a redemption group. 00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:44.879 You can sign up for one of those on our app, just tap groups. 00:02:45.439 --> 00:02:52.400 Also, uh coming up on uh February 24th, we have a baby dedication. 00:02:52.719 --> 00:02:58.719 So we're we come up here and we everybody lines up with their babies and we dedicate the babies. 00:02:59.439 --> 00:03:00.560 It's very cool. 00:03:00.879 --> 00:03:10.400 So uh if you have a baby that you would like to dedicate, you can go to the app as well, tap connect, and you can sign up your baby there. 00:03:10.960 --> 00:03:19.199 Also, uh it doesn't feel like it now because it's like summer out, but it snows in Denver during the winter. 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:30.639 And uh when it snows, uh especially on Saturday nights, it's very helpful if we have a group of people who can show up and help shovel snow with us. 00:03:30.879 --> 00:03:35.919 So when I shovel snow in the mornings before preaching, I'm very sweaty when I preach. 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:38.319 That was kind of a joke. 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:39.840 Thank you for the courtesy laugh. 00:03:40.080 --> 00:03:49.039 Um we uh uh so you can sign up to be a part of our snow removal team in the app uh as well. 00:03:49.120 --> 00:03:50.159 Just tap connect. 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:53.120 There's a theme, that's the best place to sign up for everything. 00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:59.599 Uh or downstairs in the foyer, uh, which is also a very fun place to sign up with someone from the welcome table. 00:03:59.840 --> 00:04:00.159 Okay. 00:04:01.439 --> 00:04:04.960 Uh that er that uh can this concludes our announcements for the day. 00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:06.879 Uh happy Super Bowl Sunday. 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:08.639 Yeah. 00:04:09.120 --> 00:04:11.439 There's a Patriot fan. 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:17.040 And LA has uh it's the LA Rams again? 00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:20.639 It shows how much I follow football. 00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:23.920 Because it wasn't the LA Rams and then now it is again. 00:04:24.079 --> 00:04:24.639 What a world. 00:04:26.879 --> 00:04:27.600 Wayne Jones. 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:28.639 Oh, okay. 00:04:29.600 --> 00:04:31.839 We can we can conclude this after the sermon. 00:04:32.079 --> 00:04:34.959 Uh let's pray and get started. 00:04:35.040 --> 00:04:36.240 I better start preaching. 00:04:36.480 --> 00:04:37.120 All right. 00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:43.040 Father, thank you for gathering us together as a church this morning. 00:04:43.279 --> 00:04:47.600 It forms our hearts to gather together, hear each other sing, and worship you. 00:04:48.800 --> 00:04:51.519 Lord, you inhabit our praises. 00:04:52.399 --> 00:04:57.600 What an amazing thing to consider that you're in this room with us now. 00:04:58.560 --> 00:05:06.079 Lord, I pray that your word would go out and it would shape our hearts, and that by your spirit we might be transformed by it. 00:05:07.199 --> 00:05:10.000 Lord, your word has the power to do that. 00:05:10.560 --> 00:05:12.879 And I pray that you would attend us this morning. 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:14.240 In Jesus' name. 00:05:14.560 --> 00:05:15.199 Amen. 00:05:15.839 --> 00:05:19.360 So this is our fourth week in our series, Heart of Kings. 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:28.959 We're looking at three different stories through the book of Samuel, story of Samuel, story of David, excuse me, story of Saul, and then the story of David. 00:05:29.360 --> 00:05:54.720 And uh last week we saw this interaction between Israel and the Philistines regarding the Ark of the Covenant, where the ark was actually stolen from Israel, held by the Philistines, and uh God sort of punishes the Philistines for stealing the ark to the point where they return the ark to Israel. 00:05:54.879 --> 00:05:56.399 And we think, okay, this is good. 00:05:56.480 --> 00:05:58.480 We've got the conclusion to the story. 00:05:58.639 --> 00:06:00.800 The ark has been returned to Israel. 00:06:01.040 --> 00:06:12.560 But this strange event happens where the same way that God had treated the Philistines for holding the ark, it seems like he's treating Israel the same way. 00:06:12.879 --> 00:06:19.920 Seventy men die because 70 Israelites die because they're mistreating the ark. 00:06:20.079 --> 00:06:22.639 They're treating it as though it isn't holy. 00:06:22.879 --> 00:06:28.160 The ark is this place that uh was that God commanded Moses to make. 00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:32.160 Uh it's not really a place, but it's like a box and it holds the Ten Commandments. 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:38.000 And on top of it is the mercy seat where atonement was made for the people of Israel. 00:06:38.079 --> 00:06:48.160 And God promised to meet Moses at the ark, to meet the priest at the ark, so that he could offer his commands and guidance to the people of Israel. 00:06:48.399 --> 00:06:54.399 But now, where the story is left off, the Israelites can't even approach the Ark. 00:06:54.639 --> 00:07:06.879 It's been returned to them, but all they have now is just this question on their minds, which is who is able to stand before the Lord this holy God? 00:07:08.560 --> 00:07:12.399 The last 70 people to approach it have been killed. 00:07:12.879 --> 00:07:17.120 Who can stand before the Lord this holy God? 00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:31.199 Now, ironically, it's actually that posture of defeat before the ark that shows us that they're starting to view the ark appropriately. 00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:43.439 The way that they had pursued God and the way that they'd taken advantage of the ark before was just to summon it and then try and use its power to accomplish their own ends. 00:07:44.160 --> 00:07:48.079 So they were attacked by the Philistines and they captured the Ark. 00:07:48.560 --> 00:07:56.160 And uh, excuse me, they were attacked by the Philistines and they say, Let's bring the ark into the battle, and then surely God will fight for us. 00:07:56.319 --> 00:08:00.639 And in that moment, they actually lose the ark and they lose the battle. 00:08:01.439 --> 00:08:08.720 So now, instead of summoning the ark, they're realizing that it's not about the ark. 00:08:08.959 --> 00:08:12.560 It's about the holy God who meets us there. 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:19.759 And who of us can possibly stand before that Lord, before that holy God. 00:08:20.319 --> 00:08:31.920 If you're on a quest for God, if you feel like you're pursuing who God is, it may seem as though getting to a point where you think I couldn't even possibly stand before him. 00:08:32.320 --> 00:08:36.480 That may seem counterproductive in your quest for the Lord. 00:08:36.799 --> 00:08:40.480 But actually, that's precisely where he meets us. 00:08:41.120 --> 00:08:45.519 In that space where the question is, I feel utterly defeated before him. 00:08:45.759 --> 00:08:47.840 Who can possibly stand before the Lord? 00:08:48.159 --> 00:08:51.919 Now we're actually talking about God as he is. 00:08:52.720 --> 00:09:00.879 So what we see happen is Samuel comes to the people of Israel in this time and he draws them towards repentance. 00:09:01.039 --> 00:09:05.759 They repent and they move in faith, and there's another battle against the Philistines. 00:09:05.840 --> 00:09:07.600 I won't give away the ending. 00:09:08.720 --> 00:09:20.159 But what we're going to see is in their return to the Lord as he is, we'll see in the Philistines this pattern that is true throughout all of Scripture. 00:09:20.320 --> 00:09:30.000 And it's that their lament becomes repentance, their repentance becomes faith, and their faith leads to life. 00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:37.759 Last week we saw a lot of ways to pursue the Lord that actually cause more distance between us and him. 00:09:38.879 --> 00:09:45.120 This week we see what it means to actually return to him in a meaningful way. 00:09:45.360 --> 00:09:47.519 So let's go ahead and get into our story. 00:09:47.759 --> 00:10:03.279 1 Samuel 7, verse 2 says, From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath Jiraim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord. 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:07.679 The ark has been returned, but they can't come before it. 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:16.000 It stands in the place, actually, a second location, because the first place, so many people died, they thought we just need to get it away from us. 00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:18.240 Who can stand before the Lord? 00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:24.720 And lament over that fact becomes the culture of a generation. 00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:33.200 Twenty years, the defining quality of the Israelites who now have the Ark back is lament. 00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:38.799 It's a lament, a sadness after the Lord. 00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:46.240 Now I think when we hear something like that, we think, well, that was wrong. 00:10:47.360 --> 00:10:50.080 Twenty years of lament? 00:10:50.720 --> 00:10:52.080 What a waste. 00:10:52.559 --> 00:10:56.080 Quit the navel gazing and build a temple already. 00:10:56.480 --> 00:11:05.919 But I think our sort of despising of that lament, it says more about our culture than it does about theirs. 00:11:06.879 --> 00:11:11.600 Because the lament was actually an appropriate response. 00:11:12.080 --> 00:11:18.879 This God who had promised to meet them at this place of the ark, they were unable to even approach. 00:11:19.519 --> 00:11:31.519 They were realizing over the course of a generation the sin that kept them from the God who would protect them and defend them and care for them. 00:11:31.759 --> 00:11:36.799 And the appropriate response to that is sadness. 00:11:38.480 --> 00:11:40.480 We hate sadness so much. 00:11:41.440 --> 00:11:44.799 We don't have a category for good lament. 00:11:45.039 --> 00:11:51.919 When someone approaches you and they're sad, what you try and do is just make them stop being sad. 00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:55.840 Like with my wife, it's a don't cry. 00:11:56.159 --> 00:11:57.600 Don't cry. 00:11:59.759 --> 00:12:02.080 We don't have a category for lament. 00:12:02.480 --> 00:12:04.000 We don't allow it. 00:12:04.320 --> 00:12:08.159 And so what we do instead is we tend to numb ourselves. 00:12:08.480 --> 00:12:23.519 When we start to feel sad, even over things that are legitimately sad, we spend our time numbing with Netflix or alcohol or porn or more work or whatever it may be. 00:12:23.919 --> 00:12:33.840 And perhaps even worse or more dangerous place to be is we try and numb ourselves with this like false religious pressure to put on a joyful face. 00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:36.399 Then we live as hypocrites. 00:12:38.159 --> 00:12:42.000 But their lament was appropriate. 00:12:43.360 --> 00:12:52.399 And because we don't lament, our hearts aren't formed to see who we really are before God. 00:12:53.840 --> 00:13:02.320 We aren't able to get an accurate picture or an accurate response to reality, and so we're numb to almost everything. 00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:11.600 Jesus rebukes several cities for their lack of repentance. 00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:27.519 And the it basically he says, look, I came to you, I preached to you, I gave you these signs, John the Baptist was preaching to you, and we had these totally different approaches, and you responded to neither of them. 00:13:27.840 --> 00:13:31.759 Cursed are you, woe to you, for not repenting. 00:13:32.879 --> 00:13:41.039 And he uses this analogy in Matthew 11, 16 to 17, he says, But what shall I compare this generation? 00:13:41.679 --> 00:13:50.000 It is like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to their playmates, we played the flute for you and you didn't dance. 00:13:50.399 --> 00:13:54.000 We sang a dirge and you didn't mourn. 00:13:54.879 --> 00:13:57.360 I think God could say that of us. 00:13:58.559 --> 00:14:06.559 You went through this incredible sadness, you realized the depth of pain from your sin, and you didn't even weep. 00:14:08.559 --> 00:14:15.600 You just sort of tuned out, you zoned out, you numbed yourself, you detached from the sadness of the life that you were in. 00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:26.799 You have no concept of the reality of what you're dealing with here, you have no concept of the distance that you're feeling between yourself and God. 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:35.519 You don't even sense that distance expanding because you're so practiced at numbing yourself. 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:38.720 Because that would make you experience a pain. 00:14:38.879 --> 00:14:40.960 And you'll do anything to avoid that. 00:14:41.039 --> 00:14:45.679 And so you have no capacity for happiness and you have no capacity for sadness. 00:14:46.320 --> 00:14:51.919 This is a really scary thing, I think, about our culture, because I recognize it so much in myself. 00:14:52.159 --> 00:15:04.000 Like when little just going through the day, and it's like I get a hard email or something, and I'm working on it and trying to compose an answer, and I hit a spot and it's just a hard spot, and it's like, all right, Instagram. 00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:09.519 All of a sudden I'm just like in a scroll. 00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:12.960 You know, like looking at nothing. 00:15:14.240 --> 00:15:15.120 Nothing. 00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:27.919 Can you do you think that this is kind of a side note, kind of, but do you think that like television companies that are spending all this money to make shows, and they're like, we gotta hire creative writers and great actors? 00:15:28.080 --> 00:15:35.759 Do you think they ever would have thought, like, you know, actually people would just want like random pictures over and over again? 00:15:36.080 --> 00:15:40.000 You know, if we just give the human that, it will be fine. 00:15:41.679 --> 00:15:49.519 And we do, and and so we're disconnected from what we're really feeling. 00:15:50.559 --> 00:15:52.879 Which means we're disconnected from reality. 00:15:53.039 --> 00:15:59.519 Our our hearts are being deformed to feel reality. 00:16:01.440 --> 00:16:03.200 Why is that email stressing me out? 00:16:03.279 --> 00:16:05.039 I'm probably, you know what I probably am? 00:16:05.200 --> 00:16:06.879 I'm probably afraid. 00:16:08.960 --> 00:16:13.200 And instead of taking that fear before the Lord and saying, look, I'm afraid. 00:16:13.919 --> 00:16:16.159 Or maybe hurt by something. 00:16:16.879 --> 00:16:20.399 And instead of that, I just sort of try and feel nothing through it. 00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:25.360 God doesn't get incorporated, and I just sort of skip through life. 00:16:27.360 --> 00:16:32.960 Our hearts become so numb, so deformed, that even the call to repentance, we can't hear. 00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:38.799 But it's that lamentation, that space for real sadness that actually draws us to repentance. 00:16:38.879 --> 00:16:43.919 You know, we've forgotten lament as a practice, we've forgotten the promise of lament. 00:16:44.639 --> 00:16:48.960 Here's an excellent promise that's been so helpful to me. 00:16:50.639 --> 00:16:52.240 In times of sadness. 00:16:52.480 --> 00:16:55.600 It's Lamentations 3, 27 to 32. 00:16:55.840 --> 00:17:00.480 It says, It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:05.279 Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him. 00:17:05.920 --> 00:17:10.319 Let him put his mouth in the dust, that there may yet be hope. 00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:19.279 Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults, for the Lord will not cast off forever. 00:17:19.759 --> 00:17:26.319 But though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love. 00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:31.599 The pain that we practice avoiding. 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:37.599 God is saying it's good for you. 00:17:39.839 --> 00:17:45.759 This reality of your life, the sadness that you're really experiencing, sit in it. 00:17:46.079 --> 00:17:48.319 Sit in silence in it. 00:17:48.559 --> 00:17:49.680 What does it say? 00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:54.799 Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him. 00:17:55.759 --> 00:17:57.519 Do you have space for that? 00:17:59.359 --> 00:18:06.400 Sit alone in silence with your own thoughts before God to mourn. 00:18:08.400 --> 00:18:13.920 To mourn that job that didn't go well, to mourn that marriage, to mourn that relationship. 00:18:16.240 --> 00:18:21.279 Or is it like, let's just get rid of that sadness, because it'll hurt me? 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:24.400 What if you sad in it? 00:18:25.440 --> 00:18:27.599 What shape would your heart take on? 00:18:28.160 --> 00:18:30.000 It would not make you harder. 00:18:31.039 --> 00:18:34.400 It would make you a softer person in the hands of the Lord. 00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:40.480 So they lament for 20 years. 00:18:41.599 --> 00:18:43.680 It's good for our souls. 00:18:44.799 --> 00:18:50.799 We often use this metaphor in you hear it of religion, or you read it on bumper stickers. 00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:56.960 You know, like all roads lead to the same mountaintop, like that one, which was said by Gandhi or something. 00:18:57.519 --> 00:18:59.759 Uh I think it was actually Gandhi. 00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:17.839 And the analogy works because we think of religions as journeys to a mountaintop, which is perfect for Americans because we love uh the great Gatsby, right? 00:19:18.160 --> 00:19:20.319 He says, My life has got to be like this. 00:19:20.559 --> 00:19:22.640 It's got to always be going up. 00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:25.119 And we think of our lives like that. 00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:28.240 Our religious experience needs to be like this. 00:19:28.480 --> 00:19:30.319 It needs to always be going up. 00:19:31.839 --> 00:19:35.599 But the metaphor of the Bible is not a journey to a mountaintop. 00:19:36.319 --> 00:19:39.839 It's death and resurrection. 00:19:41.119 --> 00:19:43.119 That is how we're transformed. 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:46.079 Death and resurrection. 00:19:46.640 --> 00:19:48.559 And they always come together. 00:19:49.279 --> 00:20:01.920 And so when we when we allow ourselves the space for lament, what we're saying to God is in this sadness, we trust the resurrection that you will bring. 00:20:02.559 --> 00:20:10.160 It's not by avoiding the death that we find true life, but it's trusting you in the midst of this death. 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:14.160 And so we sit before Him in our sadness, as we really are. 00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:26.720 And so it is in this context that Samuel calls these people towards repentance. 00:20:29.119 --> 00:20:37.920 He says this, waiting 20 years, it makes you wonder, why did God have Samuel wait 20 years before he intervened? 00:20:38.079 --> 00:20:44.240 I think it was because their hearts needed to be broken to a point where they could be healed. 00:21:05.759 --> 00:21:12.160 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only. 00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:33.759 With their repentance, it had to be met with the casting away of their idols, of the Baals, which they said, I'll come to you and you will provide the rain, and you'll take away this stress and this anxiety. 00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:40.480 And I can go through this practice and this rhythm of my sacrifice to the Baals, or the Ashtoth, which is sort of the feminine deity. 00:21:42.240 --> 00:21:52.480 And I can come to you and I can escape the pain of these thoughts and even express myself sexually in this place, which is what the Ashtaroths were for. 00:21:53.680 --> 00:22:07.920 And I'll escape from that sort of pain of waiting before the Lord who Is the real God, but I know to come to Him I'll be exposed as who I really am. 00:22:08.799 --> 00:22:13.359 Their repentance meant casting away those idols. 00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:18.720 For our sake, we'll call them coping mechanisms. 00:22:20.799 --> 00:22:30.480 And because they stopped coping and started lamenting, they were able to repent. 00:22:31.839 --> 00:22:34.640 Because it showed those things as what they really were. 00:22:35.440 --> 00:22:42.400 Empty promises of reconciliation from the God that they truly needed to reconcile with. 00:22:44.079 --> 00:22:47.839 So it's their lament that becomes repenting. 00:22:48.559 --> 00:22:49.440 So consider. 00:22:51.359 --> 00:22:57.839 Consider what is it, what is it that you're coping with that you should perhaps be lamenting? 00:22:58.880 --> 00:23:04.319 Are you allowing space for that type of lament in your life, the experience of that sadness? 00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:14.720 You know, when Jesus said, I came that you may have life and have it to the full, I don't think he meant, you know, some translate it abundant. 00:23:15.039 --> 00:23:17.920 I don't think he meant just like this abundance of happiness all the time. 00:23:18.079 --> 00:23:22.640 I think he meant like you're gonna have the full spectrum of the human life. 00:23:22.799 --> 00:23:27.839 And you're gonna see that the sad face really does make the heart joyful. 00:23:29.200 --> 00:23:34.079 So what are you coping with that you should be lamenting? 00:23:36.480 --> 00:23:40.000 Allows you to see things as they are, draw you towards repentance. 00:23:40.480 --> 00:23:45.680 So, the people repent, and their repentance becomes faith. 00:23:45.920 --> 00:23:47.680 So we'll return to the story. 00:23:48.799 --> 00:23:54.319 Samuel, after they acknowledge repentance, he gathers together the whole nation of Israel. 00:23:54.480 --> 00:23:57.680 This would have been a remarkable event in your life. 00:23:57.839 --> 00:24:07.839 Consider 20 years, the culture of the nation had now become lamentation, and now they're called to this worship service of repentance. 00:24:08.160 --> 00:24:15.839 And the whole nation repents together over the way that they, over the sin that they had treated the Lord with. 00:24:16.960 --> 00:24:34.720 And uh Samuel performs a sort of a ritual, it's almost like a baptism, but he pours out water before them to show the pouring out of their hearts before the Lord and the cleansing that God will offer in their forgiveness. 00:24:34.960 --> 00:24:39.759 And so the whole nation is gathered together at a border city called Mizpah. 00:24:40.400 --> 00:24:51.680 And while they are gathered at Mizpah, the Philistines notice that the entire nation of Israel has gathered at a key border city. 00:24:51.920 --> 00:24:56.079 And so the Philistines are not super pumped about that. 00:24:56.880 --> 00:24:57.839 This is what they say. 00:24:57.920 --> 00:25:08.720 In 1 Samuel 7, 7 through 8, it says, Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. 00:25:10.079 --> 00:25:14.160 And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 00:25:14.319 --> 00:25:23.839 And the people of Israel said to Samuel, Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines. 00:25:24.559 --> 00:25:36.079 Now, if you remember last week, when the Philistines gathered up against the Israelites for that first battle, the Israelites just go up to meet them. 00:25:36.960 --> 00:25:39.200 No consideration of calling on the Lord. 00:25:39.359 --> 00:25:43.920 They just go up to meet the Philistines, and they're defeated by the Philistines. 00:25:44.400 --> 00:25:47.279 Then they say, Why were we defeated? 00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:48.640 Let's bring the ark. 00:25:48.799 --> 00:25:50.960 Then God will have to fight for us. 00:25:51.119 --> 00:25:55.920 And they treat God as their possession rather than something they're possessed by. 00:25:56.640 --> 00:26:04.640 And they say, God, you go do our bidding for us as though you work for us, and they're defeated once again. 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:09.440 But this time their response is completely different. 00:26:09.920 --> 00:26:16.799 They've lamented, they've seen how they acted towards the Lord, they've repented, they've cast away their false idols. 00:26:16.960 --> 00:26:18.720 And so what do they say? 00:26:19.039 --> 00:26:21.599 It says, they were afraid. 00:26:24.960 --> 00:26:36.079 And they said to Samuel, Don't cease to cry out to the Lord, our God, for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines. 00:26:36.480 --> 00:26:41.200 This time they humbly appeal to the Lord. 00:26:41.759 --> 00:26:47.519 They treat God as God, they humbly appeal to him. 00:26:48.400 --> 00:26:52.400 And at this, in this battle, they see victory. 00:26:54.000 --> 00:26:57.680 Here's a critical point of our faith. 00:27:01.119 --> 00:27:04.640 They went out confidently. 00:27:04.960 --> 00:27:14.880 We could say they had a strong faith in themselves when they originally went out against the Philistines. 00:27:15.440 --> 00:27:16.960 And they were defeated. 00:27:18.240 --> 00:27:26.079 Now at this point, we couldn't say that they then had a strong faith in the Lord. 00:27:27.279 --> 00:27:32.160 And so when they called upon him with that strong faith, they saw a victory. 00:27:32.480 --> 00:27:34.799 That's not the pattern we see here. 00:27:35.119 --> 00:27:36.720 They're terrified. 00:27:37.119 --> 00:27:39.519 And it's not like Samuel, just call out to the Lord. 00:27:39.759 --> 00:27:45.599 We know he's so strong that you'll cry out once and he'll come and he'll rescue us. 00:27:45.680 --> 00:27:52.400 No, they say, Samuel, don't stop crying out to the Lord on our behalf, and could you make these sacrifices? 00:27:52.480 --> 00:27:56.559 And please, you can't cease, because then he just might save us. 00:27:56.720 --> 00:27:58.880 Their faith is really timid. 00:28:00.079 --> 00:28:02.240 And yet they're victorious. 00:28:04.559 --> 00:28:11.279 And that's because our faith as Christians, the strength of our faith does not depend. 00:28:11.440 --> 00:28:14.640 This is a this is a Keller quote, so I cite it. 00:28:15.039 --> 00:28:16.480 But I'm sure he didn't come up with this. 00:28:16.559 --> 00:28:17.759 I think it's really in the Bible. 00:28:18.000 --> 00:28:20.319 The strength of our faith does not. 00:28:22.400 --> 00:28:26.559 The strength of our faith depends on the object of our faith. 00:28:27.599 --> 00:28:31.359 You could have a really strong faith in yourself. 00:28:32.480 --> 00:28:34.079 But it doesn't matter. 00:28:35.119 --> 00:28:39.759 The strength of your faith comes from the object of your faith. 00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:43.039 They had a timid faith in God. 00:28:45.519 --> 00:28:48.319 But it was God who had to deliver. 00:28:49.279 --> 00:28:51.839 And so they saw the victory. 00:28:53.200 --> 00:28:57.200 This is where we realize that we're actually dealing with God here. 00:28:57.359 --> 00:29:00.000 We're actually dealing with something other than us. 00:29:00.160 --> 00:29:02.640 He lives in the heavens, he does as he pleases. 00:29:02.880 --> 00:29:08.319 He's not waiting around gauging his actions based on our emotions and our feelings. 00:29:08.880 --> 00:29:09.839 God is. 00:29:13.599 --> 00:29:16.960 And so many of us approach him just superstitiously. 00:29:17.200 --> 00:29:23.200 Like God will work once I get myself in this certain frame of mind or get myself hyped up in this certain way. 00:29:23.519 --> 00:29:25.519 That's not the picture we see here. 00:29:25.839 --> 00:29:27.759 We see them in their fear. 00:29:27.920 --> 00:29:36.319 They don't wait like, let's wait till we're not afraid, and then I'll know that I really have the faith that I need to go to God, and once I have that faith, he'll respond to me. 00:29:36.480 --> 00:29:38.480 They say, look, God is God. 00:29:39.039 --> 00:29:41.119 He's the one who fights for us. 00:29:41.279 --> 00:29:44.160 Just appeal to him, and then he might rescue us. 00:29:44.319 --> 00:29:45.920 That timid faith. 00:29:47.759 --> 00:29:51.119 And then the victory is the Lord's. 00:29:51.359 --> 00:29:53.039 It's the way God operates. 00:29:53.279 --> 00:29:54.880 He does things for his glory. 00:29:55.039 --> 00:29:56.240 That's good news. 00:29:57.599 --> 00:30:08.240 They win this victory, and you may remember our first sermon in this series ended with a prayer from Samuel's mother, whose name was Hannah. 00:30:08.400 --> 00:30:16.880 And she prayed this prayer, and in the last verse of it, she says, The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces. 00:30:17.359 --> 00:30:20.720 Against them he will thunder in heaven. 00:30:22.480 --> 00:30:32.960 And the way that their victory is accomplished is God drives the Philistines into confusion by his thunder. 00:30:36.799 --> 00:30:55.839 The small prayer of Hannah echoes throughout this story to complement the weak faith of a people who are rescued not by their strength, but by the strength of the God who rescues. 00:30:57.920 --> 00:31:01.680 So then their faith becomes life. 00:31:04.480 --> 00:31:10.640 After this great victory, which they can only give God glory for. 00:32:06.240 --> 00:32:10.960 And it actually has this double meaning of where it's till now and till here. 00:32:11.279 --> 00:32:13.519 That's because it's a geographical marker. 00:32:14.960 --> 00:32:19.440 Saying the Lord helped us to this point until now in time. 00:32:19.599 --> 00:32:23.440 It has been the Lord who has established us in this land. 00:32:26.319 --> 00:32:37.440 I think that many of us miss out on the opportunity to raise our Ebenezer. 00:32:39.200 --> 00:32:46.000 Because we never put ourselves in the position of faith to where God is the one that needs to come through. 00:32:47.200 --> 00:33:04.480 You know, when we've never really felt the pain that we've been in, we've never really acknowledged that we actually need to be rescued from this situation. 00:33:06.240 --> 00:33:11.359 This is something that I actually need to be saved from. 00:33:13.119 --> 00:33:22.319 And then when you see God's deliverance in that type of moment, you can raise your Ebenezer and say, the Lord is who helped me. 00:33:23.839 --> 00:33:29.519 Instead, for a lot of us, I think it's just kind of, yeah, that was, there was some pain there, whatever. 00:33:29.599 --> 00:33:30.799 I'm not really feeling it. 00:33:31.200 --> 00:33:32.000 Moving on. 00:33:32.240 --> 00:33:34.240 There's no sense of rescue. 00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:42.480 This marks an incredible peacetime for the Israelites. 00:33:42.799 --> 00:33:48.319 One that we actually won't see again throughout the rest of the story. 00:33:48.559 --> 00:34:05.279 For the rest of Samuel's life, he lives and he intercedes for the people, and God honors his faithfulness, and they turn away from their idols and they turn towards the one true God, remembering this marker that God is the one who helps them. 00:34:08.800 --> 00:34:10.719 Verses 13 through 14. 00:34:11.119 --> 00:34:15.679 This is a looked over, but it's critical for our understanding of the whole book. 00:34:15.920 --> 00:34:21.840 It says, So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. 00:34:22.480 --> 00:34:27.119 And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 00:34:27.440 --> 00:34:33.840 The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath. 00:34:34.320 --> 00:34:38.000 And Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. 00:34:38.159 --> 00:34:42.400 There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites. 00:34:44.639 --> 00:34:53.440 When we cope, we miss out on our opportunity to be rescued. 00:34:57.840 --> 00:35:03.039 But with a need to be saved, we come to God. 00:35:04.079 --> 00:35:06.639 We repent of how we've treated him. 00:35:07.679 --> 00:35:10.960 We're able to experience the joy of his salvation. 00:35:14.079 --> 00:35:17.519 This is a small picture of a bigger story. 00:35:18.480 --> 00:35:24.400 Samuel intercedes on behalf of the people with goats and bulls and rams. 00:35:26.000 --> 00:35:33.119 He acted as their high priest, and under him as a faithful high priest, they saw an incredible peace. 00:35:33.679 --> 00:35:35.760 The Ebenezer was raised. 00:35:36.639 --> 00:35:39.280 But next week we'll see that it comes down. 00:35:40.159 --> 00:35:42.639 Samuel is rejected by the people. 00:35:48.559 --> 00:35:52.559 The Philistines attack again and the Israelites lose again. 00:35:56.000 --> 00:36:00.320 And that's because our problems are not land, our problems are not external enemies. 00:36:00.559 --> 00:36:03.920 The problem for the Israelites was not the Philistines. 00:36:05.199 --> 00:36:15.039 It was that their hearts were so corrupted that no matter how many markers they raised, they couldn't remain faithful to the Lord. 00:36:16.159 --> 00:36:19.840 They had to be saved by something much deeper than the Philistines. 00:36:20.159 --> 00:36:23.119 That's why this is a small part of a bigger story. 00:36:28.480 --> 00:36:30.559 We get a new high priest. 00:36:34.639 --> 00:36:46.719 And when Jesus comes as our new high priest, we see that he doesn't intercede with the blood of bulls and the blood of rams, but he intercedes with his own perfect blood. 00:36:48.079 --> 00:36:54.880 And he accomplishes a freedom for the Israelites and one that's offered to the world. 00:36:56.400 --> 00:37:03.440 A freedom not from those external oppressors, but a freedom from the sin which corrupts our hearts. 00:37:04.159 --> 00:37:11.119 No matter how many Ebenezers we raise, we won't be able to remember enough to cling to the Lord. 00:37:11.519 --> 00:37:13.760 But that's not what the Ebenezer means. 00:37:14.000 --> 00:37:18.079 The Ebenezer means that the Lord is our help. 00:37:18.800 --> 00:37:23.039 The message of the gospel is as good as it seems. 00:37:24.719 --> 00:37:26.960 He's the one who rescues us. 00:37:27.440 --> 00:37:29.599 He's the one who saves us. 00:37:32.639 --> 00:37:35.840 Lament in front of that God. 00:37:37.360 --> 00:37:40.239 Bear your sadness before Him. 00:37:41.119 --> 00:37:44.400 See yourself as you really are before Him. 00:37:44.639 --> 00:37:51.519 Repent of that sinfulness and know that you are coming into the hands of the one who can resurrect you. 00:37:54.639 --> 00:37:54.960 Okay. 00:37:55.679 --> 00:37:59.840 With that, let's take one question. 00:38:02.320 --> 00:38:07.679 What would it look like to emulate a stronger faith versus a timid faith? 00:38:07.920 --> 00:38:19.760 Yeah, so it doesn't I I I I don't want to convey that like there's there's no such thing as degrees of faith, because there absolutely are. 00:38:20.079 --> 00:38:30.480 Jesus commends his disciples, your faith is so weak, where you of little faith, he says, little faith means there's some faith, but there's just not enough of it to actually be working. 00:38:31.199 --> 00:38:37.519 And we also see that faith is uh one of the spiritual gifts that can be given to some people. 00:38:37.599 --> 00:38:40.639 So you'll meet some people that have this incredible faith. 00:38:40.719 --> 00:38:48.000 They're able to move into situations with risk and a sort of fearlessness because they have this depth of faith that's in them. 00:38:48.159 --> 00:38:52.320 There is such a thing as degrees of faith. 00:38:58.559 --> 00:39:03.199 But I want us to consider what it is that strengthens our faith. 00:39:07.760 --> 00:39:18.880 Our faith gets strengthened by a better and clearer grasp of the object of our faith. 00:39:20.079 --> 00:39:39.599 You know, if you were to go skydiving and uh you're uh terrified of skydiving or whatever, and if someone gives you a parachute, and uh they're like, look, you you don't need to be afraid, just take the parachute. 00:39:39.920 --> 00:39:41.119 You'd be like, okay. 00:39:41.280 --> 00:39:44.079 And maybe you jump and you'd probably be fine. 00:39:46.000 --> 00:39:53.039 But if someone hands you the parachute and they're like, look, here's the here's the stats on skydiving. 00:39:53.280 --> 00:39:55.199 We're really good at this. 00:39:55.840 --> 00:40:03.360 And when you uh pack it in just this way, in this little thing, I don't know anything about skydiving. 00:40:05.039 --> 00:40:07.599 And the and you pull this cord, then this comes out. 00:40:07.760 --> 00:40:08.559 And you know what? 00:40:08.800 --> 00:40:10.480 It it always comes out. 00:40:10.719 --> 00:40:14.400 And if it doesn't, then there's this other cord down here. 00:40:15.679 --> 00:40:22.320 I'm just making this up, uh, for another parachute, because we always we always jump with a backup. 00:40:22.559 --> 00:40:24.320 And so you'll be fine. 00:40:24.639 --> 00:40:32.480 And if that doesn't work, then we'll uh the other guy skydiving with you, they'll just come and pick you up. 00:40:36.320 --> 00:40:38.719 And if that doesn't work, before I wear helmets. 00:40:39.039 --> 00:40:45.760 And there's uh and you think to yourself, okay, you know what? 00:40:45.920 --> 00:40:54.960 Nothing's changed between you and the uh this object of your faith, the parachute pack. 00:40:55.519 --> 00:41:03.440