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God will give you what you want

1 Samuel 8

1. People make demands

• 5 and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
• The demand of Israel was that they wanted a king. They wanted to be like the rest of the nations. They wanted someone to rule them. To tell that what to do and how to live.
• They saw the other nations Edom, Moab, etc with Kings and said “we want to be like that”

• The issue was their heart. They blamed Samuel because his sons weren’t righteous. They have just come out of some huge military losses- it must be a king that is the problem- It can’t be US.
• How can we be the problem of our destruction- it must be who RULES us. FAMILIAR???
• Rulership isn’t the end all be all of the success of the individual. A president may be powerful, but try to get a 2 year old to stop crying in a restaurant.

• People make demands! On God- make him into an eternal genie and MAD if they DON’T GET
• Give me a job, give me a spouse, give me kids, give me money, heal me, Do THIS in my life God. I know whats good for me and what I’m going to need is for you to do THIS
• Typically these demands are self centered for comfort and significance So what happens?

1. God tells the truth’

• 9 Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.” Read v 11-18
• You want a king? This is whats going to happen-

• He’s going to exploit your sons, he’s going to serve himself, he’s going to exploit your daughters, he’s going to take the best parts of your fields, your increase, and take all your everything to serve himself, PLUS a tenth of all you have. Aaand then you’ll cry out to me and I’m not going to listen.
• The people had rejected Samuel and would reject God and whatever king they asked for
• The problem wasn’t who ruled them- the problem was the heart of the people.
• The were a disobedient self serving complaining people who didn’t want to submit to anyone

• Let God be your King- He always wanted to be Israel’s King
• God never intended to Israel to have an earthly king forever. HE wanted to be their king. HE wanted to rule them.
• Deuteronomy 10:17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.
• Earthly Kings and leaders will always let you down because God never intended for them to care for you the way that HE can care for you

• People ask for someone to rule them, and then those broken rulers take advantage of them, and they get upset with God, when God originally told you that you wouldn’t like it.
• This plays out in American politics- People want a president until they see the flaws of the President and then they want a new one. THE PRESIDENT CAN NEVER SATISFY.
• In Sales- prayed for promotion- wanted influence and recognition. Made less- worked harder

1. People don’t listen

• 19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
• This is people. People can hear the audible voice of God telling them NOT do something or that they SHOULDN’T do something and they completely disregard it.

• You can tell someone till you are blue in the face the dangers of something, they don’t care. They will do what they want. In Church-don’t sin, be w that person, take that job, move
• Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

• Prov 19:20 Listen to counsel and receive instruction, That you may be wise in your latter days.
• Matthew 11:15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

1. God Gives them what they want

• 21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the Lord. 22 So the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed their voice, and make them a king.”
• I don’t agree with God on this one. Well, its not my job, its his job.

• If I were God, I’d flood the earth every few years until people learned how to get along.
• But sometimes, God just gives people what they want. He tells them they don’t want it, he tells them it will destroy them, but they BEG for it. Or they just walk in disobedience- and then God just gives them over to it.
• You beg, you plead, you demand and finally….JUST TAKE IT AND GO ITS WHAT YOU WANT

• This is the judgment of God- Getting what you want without the counsel of God
• People complain about evil, but much of the evil is because of DISOBEDIENT MEN
• Psalm 81:11-12 “But My people would not heed My voice, And Israel would have none of Me. 12 So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, To walk in their own counsels.
• READ Romans 1:26-32 This is the judgment of God- the giving over. The destruction
• God gave Israel over to their stubborn heart many times
• Acts 14:16 who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways.
• In this story its about kingship, but in YOUR life- you’re probably not asking for a king- you’re asking for some other selfish pleasure. Some plan you want to do things on your own timeline to get what you want the way you want it when you want it.

• Here’s what happens when God gives you what you want when already said NO
• You will walk in sin– Isa 30:1 “Woe to the rebellious children,” says the Lord, “Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin;
• You will be condemned– 2 Thes 2: 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
• You will cry out God will not care
• 18 And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day.”

• It is well within the character and nature of God to ignore you because of your sinful disobedience
• Micah 3:4 Then they will cry to the Lord, But He will not hear them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, Because they have been evil in their deeds .Isaiah 1:15 as well
• Who does God listen to?
• 1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” Prov 15:29

• If you want God to listen to you- live for him. Serve him. Submit to him.
• A rebellious child never turns the ear of his parent. Ever. Rebellion must be fixed first.
• Israel wanted a king because they thought that would fix their problems. They were looking everywhere except the LORD. Everywhere except the problems within THEMSELVES

So what should you do

1. Fully submit to God

• You MUST fully submit to God- this is everything- The FIRST step in talking to God isn’t ASKING him to do anything less than save you from your sins. Ask for forgiveness, turn from your sins and fully live for him
• Mark 8:35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.
• Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
• This is a constant theme you will hear. Nothing in life goes well half way. Nothing.

1. Quit Making so many demands

Its fine to talk to God and ask for things- but how much are you asking for and why are you asking for it?

How much does it take to make you happy? I promised Crystal sleeping bags and top ramen

The less you require, the happier you’ll be

1. Ask with the right motives

• You have to have your heart in the right place
• Why are you asking what you are asking? So you can be like someone else or so you can bless someone else?
• Who are you living for and why. What are your plans for you? Who is going to get the glory?
• James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
• 1 John 5:14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

1. Trust that God Knows best

• God knows what he is doing- Ecclesiastes 8:6 Because for every matter there is a time and judgment, Though the misery of man increases greatly.
• Galatians 6:9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
• Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.

1. Do what God told you to do in the first place

• IF God tells you to do something, you just do it. And if he tells you to not do it, you don’t do it.
• Let Jesus be your King. Any other earthly king is going to leave you wanting.