Real People- Real problems
A study of 1 Samuel
Part 4c
“Knowing God”- “ Little g gods”
Today we will continue our series on Real People with real problems from 1 Samuel
In the last few weeks we have been covering the problem of not knowing God
Or
Wrong thinking about who God is and what he really does and better yet what he does not do
We saw a few weeks ago that we have the ability to know about someone and not really know them
I used a scene from Young Guns for that to show that it is not all that uncommon for us to base our knowledge of someone on
Rumor
Wrong information
Misguided teachings
Personal preferences
And even selfish desires and ambitions
That bounty hunter knew about Billy the Kid but did not know him well enough to recognize him when he was right in front of his face
The Israelites thought they knew God
They certainly should have
They had access to the right teaching
They chose the wrong instead
They had access to the true God
The Creator
But they chose to view him as some sort of lucky charm
And
They chose other fake gods instead
The Philistines on the hand
Only knew God by reputation
They knew the God of Israel had destroyed the Egyptians and parted the sea
As a result
They feared God in a scary /Stephen King kind of way
Not a reverent way
And they viewed him simply as a power they could control
Both views were detrimental to their health
Their happiness
And
Their relationship with God
You see
In order to have a healthy
Happy
Maturing
Relationship
With God
It is imperative that we know God
Really know God
Over the next few weeks
It is my prayer to help us
You and I know and understand God a bit better
Through God’s word
Please open your bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 7
We are going to ship ahead just a bit in the story of the Ark and its return today
Then sometime in the weeks to come we will back track just a bit and see how we should and should not deal with guilt
It is significant that we understand that between 7:2 and 7:3 twenty years passed
Let’s read 1 Samuel 7:1-17 together
Then we can break it down and apply it to our lives
1 Samuel 7:1-17
7 So the men of Kiriath-jearim came to get the Ark of the LORD. They took it to the hillside home of Abinadab and ordained Eleazar, his son, to be in charge of it. 2 The Ark remained in Kiriath-jearim for a long time—twenty years in all. During that time all Israel mourned because it seemed the LORD had abandoned them.
3 Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you want to return to the LORD with all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Turn your hearts to the LORD and obey him alone; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” 4 So the Israelites got rid of their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only the LORD.
5 Then Samuel told them, “Gather all of Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you.” 6 So they gathered at Mizpah and, in a great ceremony, drew water from a well and poured it out before the LORD. They also went without food all day and confessed that they had sinned against the LORD. (It was at Mizpah that Samuel became Israel’s judge.)
7 When the Philistine rulers heard that Israel had gathered at Mizpah, they mobilized their army and advanced. The Israelites were badly frightened when they learned that the Philistines were approaching. 8 “Don’t stop pleading with the LORD our God to save us from the Philistines!” they begged Samuel. 9 So Samuel took a young lamb and offered it to the LORD as a whole burnt offering. He pleaded with the LORD to help Israel, and the LORD answered him.
10 Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived to attack Israel. But the LORD spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven that day, and the Philistines were thrown into such confusion that the Israelites defeated them. 11 The men of Israel chased them from Mizpah to a place below Beth-car, slaughtering them all along the way.
12 Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah.[a] He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, “Up to this point the LORD has helped us!”
13 So the Philistines were subdued and didn’t invade Israel again for some time. And throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the LORD’s powerful hand was raised against the Philistines. 14 The Israelite villages near Ekron and Gath that the Philistines had captured were restored to Israel, along with the rest of the territory that the Philistines had taken. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites in those days.
15 Samuel continued as Israel’s judge for the rest of his life. 16 Each year he traveled around, setting up his court first at Bethel, then at Gilgal, and then at Mizpah. He judged the people of Israel at each of these places. 17 Then he would return to his home at Ramah, and he would hear cases there, too. And Samuel built an altar to the LORD at Ramah.
The Israelites had strayed far from God
They had turned their backs on him
And as a result could no longer feel his presence in their lives
Verse 2
2 The Ark remained in Kiriath-jearim for a long time—twenty years in all. During that time all Israel mourned because it seemed the LORD had abandoned them.
They had taken him for granted
Denied his holiness
Blamed him for their mistakes and calamities
And
Glorified everything but God
As a result
God removed from them the object of their worship - their spiritual rabbit’s foot-- the ark
The things of God
And they felt far from God for many years
We are guilty of this many times in our lives
Focusing on everything but God
And feeling God has abandoned us
Listen
He has not moved
If we can’t see or feel God
We are looking in the wrong direction
We like the Israelites
Must refocus in order to see God
In order to know God
Samuel lays out a good plan for them and for us in the process
We will cover the first part of his plan today
Verse 3
3 Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you want to return to the LORD with all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth.
Samuel said the first thing you have to do is get rid of all your little g gods
Stop elevating stuff to the same level as God
In the case of the Israelites
It was Images of the Philistine Gods
Baal- Ashtoreth and Dagon
We have foreign gods in our lives as well
And in order to know God
And return to him
And receive the blessing he has for us
We too must get rid of our foreign gods
You may be saying right now
“Whew “
He is not talking to me
I don’t worship any other gods
I can just coast on this sermon but I really hope that person over there is listening
Well I hate to bust your bubble
So hang on tight
Because this applies to all of us
Listen
We might not worship wooded images
And little statues
And we might not bow down to Baal and Astoreth
But we all have little g gods in our lives- ---all of us
Cover your toes
Let’s look at just a few
Religion can become a god
The Israelites worshiped the ark
“ It” will protect us
They cried
“ It” will save us – they yelled
Religion --can take the place of God in our lives and actually become an idol
When we spend countless hours concerning ourselves with the things of God
Doctrines
Rules
Regulations
Stand up---Sit down---Say this ---Do that
Don’t do this
Don’t do that
We can easily lose sight of the nature of God
We can miss the love of God and even the judgment of God and everything in between
Many churches and Christians are driving away those seeking a relationship with Jesus Christ ---- with of all things religion
They are making Church about what not to do
Focusing on how we dress- God does not care if you wear suits or shorts- boots or flip flops
How we look
What language we speak
Many are
More worried about singing the right songs or not using that type of instument
Or
Reading the right version of the bible
Than introducing people to the savior of the world
And building their own relationship with Jesus
Religion is destroying the church
And religion can keep us from knowing God
How so, you may ask
We all agree that Jesus is love
Right?
Do we show love when we judge others?
God is all about inclusion
All who come--All who believe—come to me—all ---he says
Let me remind you of this simple verse
John 3:16
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave[a] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life
But we show that we don’t really know God when we exclude others
Based on
What?
How they look- their hair- their skin color- their tatoos
How they talk
How they dress
Listen
When we add things like baptism and church membership to salvation
(Please don’t give me the It’s right out of the bible argument)
Read your bible in context and cross reference
-------Scripture does not contradict scripture------
And if you think it does
It ain’t his word that’s wrong
You see
By focusing on
Restrictions and rules
Requirements and additions
Instead of a true life changing relationship with God through Jesus Christ
We are excluding others
Jesus condemned the Pharisees and religious leaders for that very thing
If we know God
Then we know That Jesus is enough for salvation.
When we condemn – it shows we don’t know God
Judgment belongs to God
When we know God we also know that
Every coin has two sides
On the other side
Some are using religion as a little g god
To water down his word
Turning come as you are into do as you please
Disregarding sin- holiness – and God’s word in the process
Allowing so many distractions that worship is impossible
Listen
I am not talking about loving the sinners; we are called to do that -----but Embracing sin
Sin is sin – God’s word is very clear
No grey areas
No new deal
No blurred lines
But it is our job to show someone their sin, not embrace their sin, and certaitently not celebrate their sin
We are to show them their sin though the word- this is important- Through the word
Not our opinions and likes and dislikes-we have all been to churches that took a stand on this or that based on their opinions or feelings
We are to show them their sin though the word
Not convict them of it
But we are also called to hold our brothers and sisters accountable
And help them turn from their sin and find forgiveness
When we know God – we know that
Pride can become a god in our lives
Psalm 10:4
“The wicked are too proud to seek God.
They seem to think that God is dead.”
Pride is a big “little g god”
And pride is a problem with most people in some aspect or another
Pride can cause us to focus on ourselves instead of God
Pride can cause us to disregard God’s word
Pride can stand in the way of our true knowledge of God
I don’t believe my God would --- Some say- creating God in their image
I’m not as bad as him or her others claim----- minimizing, normalizing and rationalizing their own sins
Pride causes us to choose our own desires over his
I don’t like that part of his word or his plan- some declare
Pride causes us to be obedient to self instead of God
Pride is a killer
Pride may keep you from admitting sin
Turning from sin
Repenting form sin
Pride can become a powerful god in your life and pride can stop you from really knowing God
Pride can prevent someone from humbling themselves to accept forgiveness
Or even to seek forgiveness
Pride can lead to sexual immorality
------I deserve this some say----
God wants me to be happy- they cry
Listen to me
Any sex outside of marriage
Is sexual immorality
And God’s word is clear on that
If you have issues there- take it up with him
Homosexuality is a sin
God’s word is also clear in this area although many don’t want to hear it
Once again
If you have issues with this
Take it up with my boss
Pride is the root of many types of sin
Pride leads to a sense of entitlement
Selfishness
Greed
Lust
Pride keeps us from seeking God
And we can’t know God if we don’t seek God
Samuel says if you want to return to God
---- Turn from your foreign gods
---- And Obey the Lord alone
----And when we obey God
We get to know God
Religion can be a little g god
Pride can be a little g god
Money and possessions can be a god
Luke 16:13
13 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”
Many people
Myself included at one time in my life
Place money
And stuff
At the same level or even a higher level than God
Actually making money and things into an idol
We call it getting ahead
Making a buck
Keeping up with the Jones’s
And any other excuse we can find
If we are not careful
Soon our money and stuff take control of our thoughts our lives
And our worship
Money in of itself is not a bad thing
We all need money
But money never should take the place of God
You may be saying – this does not apply to me
Really
How many of you have chosen to work for extra instead of coming to church
Instead of spending time with family
Let me stomp a bit here
How many of you – tithe
I am not talking about kicking a buck in the little church house on Sunday
I mean tithe
Listen
I don’t know what you give
And I will not know
I also don’t care what you give
What you give is up to you
But I do care about you
And I do care if you get all God has for you
And I do know that many people value their money over their God
Which is disobedience
Which may be turning money into a god for you
If you don’t believe me
Give me your check book or bank statement
I can tell you in just a few seconds where you place your priorities
You see
When we elevate money and things to the level of God
Soon we may begin to worship those things
And soon instead of us controlling our money and owning our possessions
They control and own us
They become a foreign god
And Samuel
Once again says
To Paraphrase
---- If you want to get back to God
Get rid of your other gods------
I could go on for days and weeks about all the things that we allow to become god’s in our lives
I will quickly list just a few
I am sure you can easily add to the list
We already covered
Religion
Pride
Money and stuff
How about hobbies
Do you spend more time on face book?
More time fishing
Hunting
Riding your motorcycle or horse
Than you do seeking God though prayer and bible study
Your hobby may be dangerously close to becoming a god
How about your job? It can become a god
Your heath can become a god
Your addictions can become a god
Your Fears can become a god
I could go on and on
Listen very simply
Anything that takes the place of God in your life is a foreign god in your life
Samuel says to get rid of your foreign Gods
Am I saying quit church—NO!
Lose all your self esteem---NO!!
Give away all of your money and stuff—NO!!
And stop doing anything else –NO!!
No
I am saying
----Put God in his place----
And everything else will be in the proper place in our lives
And then we will be able to focus on knowing God
And growing in relationship with God
1 Samuel 3: b
“Turn your hearts to the LORD and obey him alone; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.”
In the context of this verse Samuel is teaching the Israelites about how to Know God
And how to be rescued in the process
Physically
But this applies to us spiritually today
“Turn your hearts to the Lord”
We do this first
By accepting the prompting of the Holy Spirit
To accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior
And obey him alone
Accepting his salvation accepting his mercy
Accepting his grace
Seeking his redemption
And forgiveness
And receiving rescue
Delivered from the penalty of sin
Into the glory of salvation
And then delivered into a restored relationship with the God who created you ‘
And loves you
And longs for you to know him –
Personally
Intimately
Gloriously
You can know him
Though Jesus
And though his word
It is all here
As the great old hymn says
It is no secret what God can do
What He's done for others He'll do for you
With arms wide open He'll (pardon you)
It is no secret what God can do
Close from the heart
Pray
