Sermon, 2015-06-07, Ying Kai An amazing way of sharing the gospel 1 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13 Then Samuel left for Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. 35 Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the LORD regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel. 1 The LORD said to Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have re-jected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king. 2 But Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me. The LORD said, Take a heifer with you and say, I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate. 4 Samuel did what the LORD said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, Do you come in peace? 5 Samuel replied, Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me. Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, Surely the LORD s anointed stands here before the LORD. 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, The LORD has not chosen this one either. 9 Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, Nor has the LORD chosen this one. 10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, The LORD has not chosen these. 11 So he asked Jesse, Are these all the sons you have? There is still the youngest, Jesse answered. He is tending the sheep. Samuel said, Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives. 12 So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the LORD said, Rise and anoint him; this is the one. 13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah. So today we begin a new Sunday message series on the life of David from the Old Testament books of Samuel and Kings and Chronicles. Title slide. Since the Bible twice calls David a man after God s own heart, we re gonna call this Chasing the Heart of God -A study on the life of David. Today, this passage is the very beginning of David s story. This is where David is chosen by God to be the king of Israel. Only he s still young. And there s still another king in Israel by the name of Saul. So here s what is happening. The people of Israel were ruled by Judges for a time after Moses and Joshua. Samuel is the last in the line of Judges. He had appointed his two sons as Judges as his replacements, But they were corrupt and they were rejected by God and the people.
Sermon, 2015-06-07, Ying Kai An amazing way of sharing the gospel 2 The countries around Israel in this era have kings. So some time ago the people of Israel cried out to Samuel to ask God to give them a king. God didn t like the idea because kings are problematic, and because He was their leader, But He gave the people what they wanted a king. He selected a great man named Saul. This is not the Saul of the NT who becomes Paul, This is another Saul. Saul does well in but he begins to be proud and seek his own honor and glory. And one time he disobeys God s direct instructions thru Samuel about how to conquer a neighboring evil king. some ways, So when Saul disobeys, God tells Samuel, I m sorry I made Saul king. He s done. When confronted, Saul makes excuses and blames others, until he eventually weakly confesses. And Samuel and Saul part ways. And here we pick up the story. Let me reread the first part. 1 Samuel 15:34-16:1 Then Samuel left for Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. 35 Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the LORD regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel. 16 The LORD said to Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king. Fill your horn with oil and be on your way. Do you see that? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way. In these days, God would use oil to anoint, to pour oil on a person, to select them for his service. He did this for prophets, priests, and kings. The horn here is just a hollowed out rams horn to carry the oil. God wants to select a new king, So he tells Samuel, fill your horn with oil and go find this new king. Fill your horn with oil - to anoint this new king. And be on your way - to find him. Fill your horn with oil and be on your way. is an idea, I think, that can relate to us today.
Sermon, 2015-06-07, Ying Kai An amazing way of sharing the gospel 3 I m sure there are some here who today, or who someday in the future, that God might want to say the very same thing: Fill your horn with oil and be on your way. So, I want to show us 3 ways in this story that God might say this to us today. The first is this: 1. When you are grieving a loss or a failure. Fill your horn with oil and be on your way, when you are grieving a loss or a failure. Who here has never failed at something or lost someone? Anyone here never gonna fail again or lose anyone again? Samuel is grieving a loss. He s lost his close friend Saul. -He had anointed Saul as king. -He had had a long time relationship with him. -He obviously felt some affection for him. It is especially painful to be hurt by someone we love. And, Samuel is grieving a failure. Saul has failed. Saul has fallen. And so Samuel is grieving that failure for his friend. And Samuel is grieving that failure for Israel. And Samuel is grieving that failure for his part in it. I bet he had constant thoughts of: If only. If only I had done this. If only I had done that. He probably couldn t sleep at night. He had set up his sons they failed. He had helped his friend every step of the way he failed. Saul is not dead. But the loss and the pain that Samuel is feeling is described by God himself as grief and mourning the same Hebrew word used for the dying. Listen to this poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It s called The Bridge. It s written 7 years after the loss his wife Mary, who died in child birth along with the unborn child. Listen for the grief and yet the hope.
Sermon, 2015-06-07, Ying Kai An amazing way of sharing the gospel 4 I stood on the bridge at midnight, As the clocks were striking the hour, And the moon rose o er the city, Behind the dark church-tower. I saw her bright reflection In the waters under me, Like a golden goblet falling And sinking into the sea. And far in the hazy distance Of that lovely night in June, The blaze of the flaming furnace Gleamed redder than the moon. Among the long, black rafters The wavering shadows lay, And the current that came from the ocean Seemed to lift and bear them away; As, sweeping and eddying through them, Rose the belated tide, And, streaming into the moonlight, The seaweed floated wide. And like those waters rushing Among the wooden piers, A flood of thoughts came o er me That filled my eyes with tears. How often, O, how often, In the days that had gone by, I had stood on that bridge at midnight And gazed on that wave and sky! How often, O, how often, I had wished that the ebbing tide Would bear me away on its bosom O er the ocean wild and wide! For my heart was hot and restless, And my life was full of care, And the burden laid upon me Seemed greater than I could bear. But now it has fallen from me, It is buried in the sea; And only the sorrow of others Throws its shadow over me. Yet whenever I cross the river On its bridge with wooden piers, Like the odor of brine from the ocean Comes the thought of other years. And I think how many thousands Of care-encumbered men,
Sermon, 2015-06-07, Ying Kai An amazing way of sharing the gospel 5 Each bearing his burden of sorrow, Have crossed the bridge since then. I see the long procession Still passing to and fro, The young heart hot and restless, And the old subdued and slow! And forever and forever, As long as the river flows, As long as the heart has passions, As long as life has woes; The moon and its broken reflection And its shadows shall appear, As the symbol of love in heaven, And its wavering image here. In the last stanza the moon is the symbol of love in heaven. But here below, like a moon s reflection on a river, it s reflection is broken and wavering. The Apostle Paul said Now I see through a glass darkly. Now the reflection of love is broken and wavering here below. But Longfellow is coming to terms with his burden. Did you hear it? The burden laid upon me Seemed greater than I could bear. But here he is able to say, it has fallen from me, into the sea. He actually went on to find love again. And ironically it was said that to court his second wife Francis he d have to cross this same Boston Bridge. So you could say, he mourned deeply. But he found a way to fill up his horn with oil and move forward. Maybe it s not a loss you grieve, but it s a failure. I had a big failure in my life. I got a great job with Xerox when I was 19 years old. And I worked for them for 6 years and learned a lot. But I got a DUI, and I lost that job. And I didn t know what I would do from there. But that s when I came back to Christ and to church. And that s when I heard God s call to become a pastor.
Sermon, 2015-06-07, Ying Kai An amazing way of sharing the gospel 6 So, there was a time or a process over a short period of time that you could say God said to me: Fill your horn with oil and be on your way. The LORD said to Samuel, How long will you mourn? God s not saying don t mourn or grieve, He seems to be saying He doesn t want us to mourn indefinitely. If you re ready to hear it, If it s time for you to hear it, I say to you in the Lord today, Fill your horn with oil and be on your way. It is faithful to this example from the OT to say that God might call us to: Fill your horn with oil and be on your way. 1. When you are grieving a loss or a failure. And, 2. When you have a daunting journey or task ahead. When God tells Samuel what he wants him to do, Samuel is afraid. V. 2 1 Samuel 16:2 2 But Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me. Samuel s not only bound by sorrow, he s also hindered by fear. He s afraid that King Saul will kill him, if Saul finds out that he's on a mission to anoint and declare someone else as a new king. This is a real history Game of Thrones. In fact, the conflict between kings David and Saul, & David s children & the wildling giants will become as violent & adult-rated as that of the Lannister s and Baratheon s. God helps Samuel to have a cover story. Take a heifer with you and say, I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Invite Jesse (David s father) to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate. And he does offer a sacrifice, so it s the truth. This reminds me of those who face danger in taking the gospel into dangerous places in the world today. Some people are called by God to take the gospel to Muslim countries or to places with oppressive governments and they go there under the cover of teaching English or another profession. That s okay with God, by implication here.
Sermon, 2015-06-07, Ying Kai An amazing way of sharing the gospel 7 Generally, for us all a principle we could say from this is: Sometimes it is frightening to do what God commands, to be obedient to God. but we need to do it anyway. The previous king, King Saul failed when he was told by God to attack an evil king and utterly destroy everything in that land, every person and animal. But king Saul let his men keep some of the good animals as spoils. He didn t destroy them all as told. When Samuel asked him why he didn t obey God, Saul says he was afraid of his men, so he gave in to them. So there s an intentional contrast here between Saul and Samuel. Saul was afraid to obey God because of what others will do or say, so he doesn t obey God. Samuel was afraid to obey God because of what others will do or say, but he does obey God. As we live our lives, we can find situations where obeying God is frightening. Those who obey God, are blessed and protected. Those who don t obey God, might find themselves making excuses and blaming and failing. If you are facing a daunting journey or task, If you are facing a situation where obeying God is frightening because of what others may say or do I encourage you to fill your horn with oil and be on your way. Do only what is righteous. Do only what is godly. Do only what is clear from God s Word and commands. One more, God might call you to fill your horn with oil and be on your way: 1. When you are grieving a loss or a failure. 2. When you have a daunting journey or task ahead. And, 3. When the Lord asks you to help someone else. God tells Samuel to fill his horn with oil, but ultimately that oil is for someone else for David. Samuel s anointing is for someone else. Samuel s message is for someone else. He is only the means, David is the end. Samuel is God s instrument to help another find their path with God.
Sermon, 2015-06-07, Ying Kai An amazing way of sharing the gospel 8 The oil was not for Samuel. But Samuel had to be filled up, so he could go and pour it out on another. Who is your oil meant for? You might not be facing loss or grief or failure or fear or opposition to obedience to God, But you need to be faithful, so that someone else can be blessed. You need to be obedient, so someone else can become great for the Lord. You need to fill your horn with oil for the good and the blessings that God will direct you to pour out in your life. Fill your horn with oil, and ask Him? Who should I bless today God? Last thing. 1 Samuel 16:13 says, So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. The oil brings the Spirit of God. Later in the NT Jesus say, Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor... Anointed, means poured oil on me. The oil brings the Spirit of God. The oil isn t just a symbol. In the oil and the anointing, the very Spirit of God comes upon David. We get that symbolic connection from places like this, where God uses oil and the Holy Spirit is there with it. This event is not just a selection, it s the filling of a human being with the very Spirit of the Living God to empower him for service. Later, the Apostle Peter will tell people: Acts 10:38 "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on David! The Holy Spirit anointed Jesus with power!
Sermon, 2015-06-07, Ying Kai An amazing way of sharing the gospel 9 How can you fill your horn with oil and be on your way? What does that really mean? It means to receive an infilling of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit s power. The followers of Jesus were often filled with the Holy Spirit in the NT. Those who had been filled with the Holy Spirit, sometimes are filled again for a specific reason or service. We come to worship to receive from the Lord what we need for today. Right?! We come to be filled with his Spirit for our journey. Right?! Be filled with the anointing of his Spirit today. Fill your horn, yourself, with the oil of the Spirit of God his presence & power, for some situation you are in today. Failure, grief, loss, courage, desire to obey. Fill your horn, yourself, with the oil of the Spirit of God his presence & power, for the first time today. You want God in your life and you could see how you need this today. Fill your horn, yourself, with the oil of the Spirit of God his presence & power, today because you just are empty and you would like to be refilled and renewed with God s Spirit. You can even take this idea with you and every morning you can seek God in prayer and his Word and ask him to fill you with his HS so you can be on your way for him. We are going to sing a song from the hymnal. Song #297 - Spirit of the Living God As we sing, I am going to invite anyone who would like to be anointed with a small amount of oil on your forehead as a sign of your desire to have a fresh infilling of God s Holy Spirit to come forward and stand or kneel at this altar rail. If you would like to be anointed for a fresh infilling of the HS this morning you come as we sing.) Let s pray... People of God, fill your horn with oil, and in the name of the Christ, be on your way. Amen.