”LOST 2”
19 March 2006
1 Samuel 9:3-6; 17-20; 10:9 (RSV)
by
U.S. Army Chaplain (MAJ) Ken Harris
CP Walker, Taegu South Korea
BIG IDEA: Every believer needs to know that there is great JOY in the HEART of GOD when someone who was LOST is FOUND.
REFERENCES: 1 Samuel 9:1-27; Matthew 6:21 (Where your treasure is there your heart is also); 1 Samuel 10:1-17; Deut. 17:15 (God has in the law undertakens for the people of Israel to choose their King); Luke 15:1-7 (Parable of the Lost Sheep); Luke 15:8-10 (Parable of the LOST COIN); These two are called twin stories; Luke 15:11-32 (Parable of the LOST SON); Genesis 42:26 (Donkeys were used for bearing burdens); Isaiah 30:6,24 (Donkeys were highly used when they were young, because they were valued for their labor; Genesis 36:24; 1 Samuel 9:3;
I. ANNOUNCE THE PERICOPE: 1 Samuel 9:3-6; 17-20; 10:9
II. READ THE PERICOPE: 1 Samuel 9:36; 17-20; 10:9
III. READ THE TEXT: 1 Samuel 10:9 (RSV): And it was so, that, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all of those signs came to pass that day.
IV. PURPOSE: To motivate the hearers to affirm to others that just as the Donkeys were LOST – Saul was “LOST 2”..
V. SERMONIC THEME: “LOST 2”
INTRODUCTION: “May I have your attention please? May I have your attention Please?” The Lord spoke to me about 0500 this morning and He instructed me to make the following announcement: “In you are in here today, you will know that I’m alking directly to you if -
a. You have recently LOST someone close to you within the past 3 days.
b. If you have LOST anything of value within the last 3 DAYs: keys, money, books, phone numbers, or anything - Please stand in the ISLE.
c. If you recently, within the past 3 days - FELT pretty confident that you’re LOST parts/aspects of your marriage.
Now, I’m requesting that all persons currently seated on the FIRST ROW move back to ROW 2. Everyone that is standing in the ISLE should be seated on ROW 1.
*********************Take 5 Beats ********************
MOVE 1: Most of you are probably already aware that the most common biblical use of the WORD “LOST” is indicative of the unsaved, and the image of Jesus’ Parable of the LOST Sheep may even come to mind.
a. The word LOST is more often used in the Old Testament and the New Testament to refer to STRAYING believers rather than of those who have no relationship with the LORD.
b. Likewise, today, we believe that there is great JOY in the HEART of GOD when someone who was lost is found;
c. Therefore, we contend, today, that just as Saul Father’s DONKEYS were LOST – SAUL was spiritually “LOST 2”.
d. In other words, what we have in our scripture today is an example of the old axiom – “The Blind Looking for The Blind.”
*********************TAKE 5 BEATS*********************
MOVE 2: For you see, my brothers and my sisters, Saul and his servant had looked everywhere they knew to look. But, they couldn’t find the DONKEYS.
a. They searched the field – but NO DONKEYS;
b. They searched the mountains – where DONKEYS were known to look for food but still – no DONKEYS.
c. 3 Days they searched and traveled through 3 cities and still they could not FIND the burden-bearers; the heavy load carriers.
d. Therefore, I submit to you today that there are 3 reasons WHY they couldn’t find the DONKEYS:
**********************TAKE 3 BEATS*******************
MOVE 3: The FIRST reason why they couldn’t find the DONKEYS is because GOD HAD NEED OF SAUL.
a. God wanted to use SAUL to lead, protect, and defend ISAREL.
b. But, God also refuse to use SAUL in the condition that he was in.
c. For you see … SAUL was selfish and fleshly and he was not accustomed to thinking about the well-being of anyone else BUT HIMSELF.
d. I submit to you, today, that God had Saul’s Father DONKEYS hid from their NATURAL EYE.
e. Think about it … HOW CAN YOU LOOSE something as BIG AS DONKEYS ?
f. I mean … we’re not talking a diamond ear-ring; but we’re talking about BIG DONKEYS … and they couldn’t see them!
g. They couldn’t SEE THE OBVIOUS …
h. All of which, reminds me of what happened … last week … when we loss Major Auvil.
i. For don’t you remember … (Explain the loss and how you were LOST 2”)
*******************Take 5 Beats **********************
MOVE 4: My brothers and sisters …God caused Kish (Saul’s father) to send SAUL and SAUL’s Servant on a search for his DONKEYS.
a. Now, my brothers and my sisters … sometimes there are certain people and things that are in our lives, which we trust to carry the weight and the burdens for us.
b. We trust them so much that our dependence upon them CREATES a mountain between us and GOD.
c. Anything that stands between God and us - has TO COME DOWN.
D. So the FIRST reason … why they couldn’t find the DONKEYS is because GOD had need of SAUL.
*********************Take 5 Beats*********************
MOVE 5: Now the SECOND reason why … THEY COULDN’T FIND THE DONKEYS is because ISRAEL HAD NEED OF SAUL.
a. Sometimes we CAN’T FIND something that We’ve LOST because it’s CONNECTED TO THE SOURCE that we’re NEEDED TO HELP.
b. For you see, my brothers and sisters … IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU … ONLY …
c. This world that we’re LIVING IN NEEDS OUR help.
d. God has to hide things TO GET US in the RIGHT place at the right time.
e. Otherwise we would never END UP where God can use us BEST!!
f. The Religious Community of Prayer Warriors (IN ISRAEL) had been seeking GOD’s HELP to end the rule of Judges … IN ORDER to provide them a KING.
g. OTHER NATIONS had a KING but ISRAEL did NOT!
h. So,THE SECOND REASON why THEY COULDN’T FIND THE DONKEYS is because ISRAEL had NEED OF SAUL.
*********************Take 5 Beats *******************
MOVE 6: The THIRD reason why … THEY COULDN’T FIND THE DONKEYS is because SAUL was LOST 2 and HE NEEDED A NEW HEART.
a. For you see, thee are many jobs that can be done with the old heart.
b. But in order to do God’s work … we have to HAVE A NEW HEART.
c. In our culture … we have a tendency to divide a human being into isolated functions, such as emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually, and financially.
d. But, in the Hebrew Culture the Hebrew mind maintain the “unity of the person”.
e. For example, our Jewish Brothers and Sisters look at a human being as a whole and express that viewpoint throught he WORD leb – which means the HEART IS THE CONSCIOUS SELF & THE INNER PERSON AND EVERY FUNCTION THEREIN.
******************Take 5 Beats **********************
MOVE 7: Matthew says the thing that we treasure the most will become the FOCUS OF OUR LIFE and our personality.
a. In other words – where your treasure is … there your heart will be also..
b. Somewhere else (2 Corinthians 1:21-22) The Apostle Paul says … it is God who makes both us an you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us. Set his seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our HEARTs …
c. … as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
d. Then Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 … that if anyone is in Christ … He is a new creature … the old has gone; and the new has come.
e. My brothers and sisters … the Bible says when SAUL HAD turned his back to go from Samuel ….
f. God gave HIM a NEW HEART…
g. When we make attemps to do what God has ordained for us to do … he will meet us and give us a NEW HEART TOO …
********************Take 5 Beats ********************
CELEBRATION:
AND WE will be able to say … I was once blind but now I see;
I WAS BLIND, BUT NOW I SEE …
I WAS Lost 2 … but NOW I’m found …
