FBCWest 730 | Consider What Great Things God Has Done for You
Recorded On: 09/20/2026
Bulletin
Hymn # 226 “Follow On”
SCRIPTURE READING – Psalms 105:1 - 5
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
OFFERTORY MUSIC – Pru Hungate
Praise and Worship
“This Is Amazing Grace”
“Your Love Awakens Me”
“Great I Am”
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“Consider What Great Things God Has Done for You”
PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
“At the Cross”
Acknowledgements and Announcements
Sermon Notes
1 Samuel 12:1 – 5 Samuel asks if he ever defrauded or oppressed them and their response is No
1 Samuel 12:6 – 11 Samuel gives them a history lesson
1 Samuel 12:12 & 13 They wanted a king even though God was their king
1 Samuel 14 & 15 Nothing really has changed – Love and serve the Lord, but if not the Lord will be against them
1 Samuel 12:16 – 18 The Lord through Samuel’s call showed them that they sinned
1 Samuel 12:19 The people acknowledged they added to their sins
1 Samuel 12:20 – 25 Samuel gives a message of encouragement
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
You've probably heard the expression, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Today we're going to take a look at the nation of Israel, who's transitioned from a family to a nation with its own territory, going from Judd to human kings. Many, many changes, and yet the thing that continues to bless them or lack a blessing is the very same thing, which is also the same thing that occurs in our life during no matter what transition we may find ourselves. See what that we should do to receive God's blessing. When people or countries are going through transitions, usually mark them as something.
When our country changes presidents, the new president will give a inaugural speech, but oftentimes the outgoing president will give what we call a farewell address. Unfortunately, most farewell addresses no one remembers. There are a couple, at least not maybe the whole speech, but a couple. We will remember because of certain warnings. So for instance, in George Washington's farewell address, he warns about political parties. In Eisenhower's farewell address, he warned of the military complex. And so there are things when people are transitioning, they try to tell us about and remind us to make sure that the actions. Similarly, this is what's happening in Israel with Samuel.
Samuel is now going to be the last judge of Israel. And it's transitioning to an earthly king. They've been warned against it. They decided to do it anyway.
And so Samuel in his, if you will, farewell address is going to make sure that they don't later complains that are inaccurate, excuse me, or to remind them of where their secures were. So if you have your Bibles and you should, please turn to 1 Samuel chapter 12, we're going to do the 25 verses. And it says this, then Samuel said to all Israel, behold, I have listened to your voice and all that and I have appointed a king over you. So Samuel saying, I heard you, God heard you, and that's what you want. And I'm going to listen to your voices. So I'm doing what you want. I'm not doing what I want.
But I've heard you and now we have appointed, it's been accomplished. And so there's this transition that's going to happen. So he goes, now here is the king walking before you. Soul. But I am old and gray. And my, behold, my sons are with you and I have walked before my youth even to this day. Now, I think that there's a couple things going on when, when Samuel says, I'm old and gray.
The first immediate reaction is, well, one of the complaints that the reason they wanted a king was that Samuel was old. So he's old, but he adds this that I'm old and gray. What I think he's saying is, with age comes wisdom. You're asking for a new king when I heard you from my youth.
Literally, he was dropped off with Eli from about the age of three to now when he is, quote, unquote, old and gray. So he goes, I have experienced walking with the Lord and judging you. But your exchanging may be old and gray wise for a king.
Even though I have walked before you constantly, here I am bear witness against me before the Lord. It's annoying to you. Whose ox have I taken or whose donkey have I taken or whom have I defrauded whom I have pressed and or whom from whom I have taken a bribe to blind my eye with it. So he's going, have I taken anything that's improper? And I find it interesting because have I taken any donkeys?
Well, how so was revealed to Samuel was so donkeys fathers have escaped and they're looking for him. So he's saying, so everything he's using is going back to Saul. He says, have I defrauded anybody? Have I taken he goes, if I have, I'm going to I'll restore it.
So he asked the question because he wants to make sure that because what happens usually after the first and leaves, that's when everybody complains about, oh, if they did done this or they did done that. So some of us in this transition, I don't want anyone to say that I did anything improper. I didn't take a bribe, I didn't oppress anybody. I didn't.
So now you have the opportunity to come here and say, you have a case against me and I will restore it. And they said, you have not defrauded us or oppressed us or take anything from any man's hands. Well, I wish I could say that today. I don't know so much about governments taking stuff, but they're saying, we agree with you.
You didn't do anything wrong. But yet they still wanted a king. And he said to them, the Lord is witness against you and his anointed as witness this day, nothing in my hand.
And they said, he is witness. So God, Sam is saying, in essence, as the scripture says, that you need two witnesses to confirm anything. So he goes, in essence, God is by witness and your new king is by witness that I am minister.
And they confirm, yes. And Samuel said to the people, it is a Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. So now he's going to go into a history lesson, much like if you will, if they're well. So now take your stand that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous acts of the Lord, which he did for you and your father. So he said, I'm going to go back all the way back to the patriarchs to before the nation of Israel wasn't just a family. I want to show you what God has done, family transition to a nation, transition to a country. When Jacob went into Egypt and your father's cried out to the Lord, then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron who brought your Egypt and settled them in this place. He goes, your patriarchs, your went from Egypt as a family to a nation and God delivered them.
It was God's righteous acts. But they forgot the Lord, their God. So them entered the hand of the sister of Captain of the Army of Hazor and entered the hand of the Philistines and entered the hand of the King of Moab and they fought against him. And so again, when God's people stop following God, God says, okay, I'm going to let your enemies come against you. And he says this situation keeps going.
It's not only with the sister, but the Hazor and the Philistines, which is if they're in essence, their situation now where they keep fighting the Philistines, you're reminding them when they don't this is their consequence. And they cried out to the Lord and said, we have sin because we have forsaken the Lord and have served the Bales and the Azaross, but are but now deliver us from the hands of our enemies and we will serve you. Through the law, which is probably Hidian and Beedann and Jeffeth and Samuel and he delivered you from the hands of the enemies all around so that you lived in security. He said, you sin, you acknowledge your sin, then you call out the God and God sent judges, judges to deliver you from the enemies hands. And not only to deliver you from the enemies hands, he delivered you in security. You were at peace and safety. The one thing everybody seems to want, safety. And when you the king of the sons of Eman came against you, you said to me, no, but a king shall reign over us, although the Lord your God was your king.
Now you've come up with another difficulty, another person Nash and Ammonite. He came again and instead of trusting God, you decided to trust a king. God was your king. God and not bless your forefathers, blessed your nation, would deliver you out of bondage, would deliver you out of those enemies, throw you and God did it each and every time, even after you would sin and then repent. Over and over again. Now therefore, here's the king whom you have chosen whom you hold, the Lord has set a king over you. So you asked for a king. God is anointed a king and you've even confirmed that he is going to be your king.
So now you have this transition. You've gone from family to nation to being delivered by judges to now having a king, even though God was your king, even though it was God who delivered you. So their thinking, everything is going to be different. They're going to be like the rest of the nations. All the other nations have kings, therefore we'll be like them. If you fear the Lord, for him and listen to his voice and not repel against the command of the Lord, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God.
So he goes, if you do, if you serve God, you see what Samuel saying is, you may think that there's a transition, you're transitioning from those judges who were there to a king. You think that there's been a transition. Samuel saying it's the same thing as the expression says, the more things change, the more they say the same.
If you want to live in security, if you want to be blessed, then serve the Lord and listen to his voice and do not rebel against him. If you want that, then you will have success both you and your king. And if your king follows him, then you will have success. You will be blessed. If you will not listen to the voice of the Lord, the rebel against the command of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you as it was against your fathers. So again, the more things change, the more they are the same, when the ancestors rebel against God took away his blessings when they followed God, God blessed them and delivered them.
So the key is not the king. The key is not the judges. The key is not Jacob. The key is not Abraham. The key is God. Clean and serving God is the important thing, regardless of what stage you are or whether there is a transition. So similarly in our lives, oftentimes we have transitions. We go from students to working to being single to being children.
There are stages. There are transitions in our life. But all too often in those transitions, we tend not to trust God. We say, well, once I graduate college, then I will follow the Lord.
And then the transition, I get a job and I do well in my job, then I will follow the Lord. Well, once I get, well, now I am looking for a promotion, so I need to work harder. So when that promotion happens, I will follow God. Well, now I have grandkids and I want to be with them. And so then after that, well, then you're going to run out of life to follow God.
We think transitions make the difference. It's not following God no matter what the transition is, no matter what the stage of life is. God will bless us and He will tell us. There may be times when we are persecuted, but Jesus says in those first occutions, if we are persecuted for His names, then we are blessed. God will take really terrible things and cause it to be a blessing. Romans tells us how we'll make good those things to also love Him and are called according to His purpose. If we trust God, it doesn't matter the stage, it doesn't matter the transition.
Well, we're uncertain what's going to happen. The certainty is the Lord trusting Him, following Him, seeing to His voice. Even now, take your stand and see this great thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes. So he goes, I'm going to give you one more reminder that God sees and hears. The wheat harvests today. I will call to the Lord that He may send thunder and rain, then you will know and see that your wickedness is great, but you have done in the sight of the Lord by asking for yourselves a king.
I'm saying wheat is usually in Israel and in the mid-ease. Barley was a stable crop. It was harding.
Wheat was much more of a rich man's product, if you will, but it was very sensitive to the elements and rain at the wrong time could be the kernels and now you don't have wheat. So, some of the saying, I'm going to send rain today, which is going to mess up your harvest, because you've asked for a king. So Samuel called to the Lord and the Lord sent thunder and rain, and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. But I thought he was old and gray, but all of a sudden now they fear him because Samuel and the Lord are working together. That's what their king should be doing. And so, as what God did immediately, they begin to fear the Lord. Then all the people said to Samuel, pray for your servants to the Lord, your God.
And this phrase is accurate. It bothers me. Pray for your servants to the Lord, our God. But they acknowledge that Samuel's God is God, that they've not been faced. So that we may not die, but we have added to all of our sins, this evil by asking for ourselves a king. Notice, it's kind of too late. They've already have a king. They're now after sinning acknowledging their sin.
Perhaps a wise person might say, what can we do to fix the situation? Can we be thrown to the king and go back to following God? No, they're going to be content in the current situation. They just want God to get of this situation. They don't want to fear him anymore, but they want what they want it. They acknowledge that it was an evil. And Samuel said to the people, do not fear you have committed all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord.
Notice what Samuel does. Samuel doesn't say, you deserve it. I'm happy for it. Suffer. No, he goes, if you will just turn, if you will repent and follow the Lord, he will bless you. Individually or as a nation, God will not heal if we seek repentance and forgiveness.
So he's giving them the opportunity. So again, it doesn't matter what sin you've committed, what sin you think God cannot forgive. These people acknowledge they have been adding sins upon sins upon sins from their ancestors on. And yet God is still giving them the opportunity to repent and to serve them with all their heart.
And that's the key. The greatest commandment is to love the Lord you God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, all your strength. The problem is when we love the Lord a little bit, only follow him a little bit. But when we follow him with our entire heart, then we will serve him. So again, he's giving them the opportunity to say, God will forgive and God will bless. Side for then you would go after the futile things which cannot profit or deliver because they are futile. He's saying, you are going after the wrong things. You keep going after those things that are temporary instead of those things that are eternal.
And I'll give you an example. It's an easy one. Let's say someone, because well, maybe you can, but let's say you can or you can't.
Someone gives you enough money to go and get the finest stake that there is. Two or something. And maybe it's $500 for the stake.
Then you on the top of that, you get the baspitados and salad and all the extras and it keeps costing more and more money and you pay all this money and you get it. And even though you're full, you decide to have dessert and now you're stuffed. I will guarantee you within a few hours, you will be hung. Doesn't matter how expensive the meal was, you could have gone to McDonald's and eaten. And after you ate at McDonald's, you will get hungry again because things are temporary things. And yet we tend to spend our most of our times on temporary things rather than eternal things. And he's saying, don't worry about the futile. Don't worry about the temporary.
Follow God. And that eternal. For the Lord will not abandon his people on account of his great name. Hear that. God won't abandon you because you're you.
Other people might remember when God had had it with the people and the wilderness, the name is going to wipe them out and start over with Moses. Moses said, well, the other nations will say that you weren't able to do this because it will affect your name. God's name is glorious. He will not have it detracted. So he's going to not abandon you, not because you deserve not to be abandoned, but because God is who God is. That should be a great comfort no matter what you've done, no matter what you may do. We'll bring you back if you're his child because you're his child, not because he just got to be around you, because of his great name, because the Lord has been pleased to make you a people for himself.
God chose us. Now, I know many of us think we're pretty special. God chose us. Not so much. Corinthians tells us that God chose the futile things and the unwise and the non-strong to confound those who think they're pretty special. God decided to make you his not because you're you, but because he chose you.
Lord, as for me, or be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you. Notice Samuel could have said, you wanted a king? His problem. I didn't do anything wrong.
You admitted it. I'm like pilot washing my hands of you. I'm done. You have your king. Good luck, but he doesn't.
He says it would be a sin for me to stop praying for you. But I won't sin in the good and right way. So God, Samuel says, not only I'm going to pray for you, I'm still going to be active. I'm still going to minister to you. And I'm going to tell you the right things to do and the wrong things that you should not do. Because you may have fired me.
I did it. And that shows you the heart of Samuel. Initially, he took it personal. The God said, they're not rejecting you, Samuel. They're rejecting me. And Samuel saying, I don't care if they should follow the Lord. I will continue to pray for them. And I will continue to instruct them and to warn them what's right and good.
Because that is what God has called me to do. And when we have been called to be witnesses, we are called to be witnesses, not because people respond well. That's what we've been called to do.
To pray, to speak the truth. Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all of your heart, but consider what great things He has done for you. The sermon title, consider what great things God has done for you.
Maybe instead of lying awake at night, anxious, but all the possible things that could go wrong, and let's face it, most of the things that don't go wrong. But maybe instead of worried about what could go wrong, we start counting what God has done for us. What great and wonderful things God has done for us individually and as a congregation and as a nation.
I say, I really have God intervened in my life. You can consider that. That's the good and right way. But if you still do wickedly both you and your king, we'll be swept away. God will still love you, but you won't exist as a people because you didn't follow Him because the purpose of calling you is for you to follow Him. And if you're not following Him, then what's the point? So just like real had a choice that day, every day we have a choice. Are we going to follow God with all of our heart, all of our mind, all of our soul, all of our strength?
Are we going to do something else? Are we going to trust other people? We're going to follow other people or follow God. And one of the best ways that you can help you to follow God, so remember what great things he has done.
And I'll help you out. If you're thinking, thing has God done in my life. On a hill called Galgoth, God sent his only begotten son to die for you, to take away your sin and your shame, to be able to be called the child of God, to be righteous in his eyes.
I can't think of a greater thing God has ever done for anyone. And he's done it for you and for me. And all of God's people said.