June 29, 2026 • 31 mins
As we begin the book of 1 Samuel, we are moving into a series of books having to do with the kings of Israel. More often than not, they prove to be a curse rather than a blessing. How about the King of Kings? Is He like that? What can we expect out of Jesus as our heavenly King? #StJohnsBuffalo #CovertoCoverBible #1Samuel #KingJesus #KingofKings
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
Hello, this is Pastor Ryan Clark.
You are listening to a message from St.
John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Minnesota. 4 00:00:14,668.897959184 --> 00:00:18,988.897959184 Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 5 00:00:19,638.897959184 --> 00:00:20,248.897959184 Amen. 6 00:00:21,628.897959184 --> 00:00:30,898.897959184 As we are transitioning now into the Samuels and the Kings and the Chronicles, we're gonna be talking about a lot of kings in the weeks to come. 7 00:00:31,638.897959184 --> 00:00:41,618.897959184 And that got me thinking this week about the strangest, most bizarre leaders, kings, and queens throughout the history of the world. 8 00:00:41,618.897959184 --> 00:00:52,558.895959184 And so I did a little bit of research this week because I knew that there were some really strange ones throughout history, but I had no idea just how strange they were. 9 00:00:52,948.898959184 --> 00:00:57,508.897959184 And I'd like to share just a few of those with you here as we begin this message. 10 00:00:57,988.895959184 --> 00:01:01,658.897959184 First of all, maybe you've heard of this guy, the Emperor Caligula. 11 00:01:01,848.896959184 --> 00:01:05,928.898959184 He was the emperor of Rome shortly after Jesus was here. 12 00:01:06,438.896959184 --> 00:01:17,418.896959184 He was most likely insane, and one of the many insane things that he did is he declared that his own horse was a Roman senator. 13 00:01:18,38.894959184 --> 00:01:19,148.896959184 That's kinda crazy. 14 00:01:19,888.893959184 --> 00:01:26,178.892959184 And then we have this guy, Charles VI of France, who ruled in the late 14th century. 15 00:01:27,28.892959184 --> 00:01:32,808.894959184 He too suffered from bouts of madness, and he also had this deep paranoia. 16 00:01:33,348.892959184 --> 00:01:41,848.89295918 He famously had the delusion that he was made, ready for this, of glass, and that he could shatter very easily. 17 00:01:42,398.89595918 --> 00:01:51,608.89295918 During these delusions, he would nary move a muscle, sitting extremely still for up to hours on end. 18 00:01:52,558.89995918 --> 00:01:57,568.89395918 In the same vein was this lady, Princess Alexandria of Bavaria. 19 00:01:58,218.89595918 --> 00:02:15,138.89795918 As a 23-year-old, she became convinced that she had swallowed in her youth an entire glass grand piano and that any sudden movement she would make would shatter the instrument that was within her. 20 00:02:15,758.89595918 --> 00:02:21,518.89195918 She was said to walk sideways through doorways and corridors to avoid breaking. 21 00:02:22,398.89595918 --> 00:02:26,978.89095918 You can't make this stuff up This guy, Peter the Great. 22 00:02:27,38.89095918 --> 00:02:39,128.88795918 In the early 18th century, he enacted what was called a beard tax where he demanded that every man in Russia, both royal and peasant alike, shave their beards. 23 00:02:39,378.88695918 --> 00:02:45,186.88695918 Any beards out there today? This is an interesting one. 24 00:02:45,186.88695918 --> 00:02:49,96.88695918 Peter III, who ruled Russia in the late 18th century. 25 00:02:49,796.88695918 --> 00:02:51,906.88695918 This guy never really grew up. 26 00:02:52,126.88695918 --> 00:03:00,176.88695918 Although he was married to the famous Catherine the Great, he never seemed to have too much time for her or for ruling his country. 27 00:03:00,796.88695918 --> 00:03:08,286.88595918 Why? Because he spent copious amounts of time in bed playing with his toy soldiers. 28 00:03:08,696.88695918 --> 00:03:27,956.88395918 He loved these toy soldiers so much that when a rat got into his bedroom and bit the head off of one of his beloved toy soldiers, he caught the rat, he gave it a proper court martial and trial, and then he hung the vermin from a tiny little gallow that he had constructed himself. 29 00:03:29,166.88395918 --> 00:03:29,996.88495918 That's crazy. 30 00:03:31,436.88495918 --> 00:03:37,376.88495918 And then finally, we have Joanna of Castile from the 16th century. 31 00:03:37,786.88395918 --> 00:03:44,96.88595918 She earned the title Juana la Loca, Joanna the Crazy One. 32 00:03:44,536.88395918 --> 00:03:47,806.88495918 Why? For her obsession with her husband. 33 00:03:47,806.88495918 --> 00:03:49,526.88495918 You say, "Well, that's not a bad thing." 34 00:03:50,216.88095918 --> 00:03:52,926.88795918 It is when her husband had died. 35 00:03:53,356.88795918 --> 00:04:03,726.88795918 After his sudden death in 1506, she refused to bury his body, and she kept it in her room and even traveled with it. 36 00:04:04,496.88695918 --> 00:04:25,276.88495918 Kinda gives you that Weekend of Bernie's vibe, doesn't it? Like I said, as we're moving through our sermon series, Cover to Cover, we're now moving into this period of time that we're gonna see king after king after king over the nation of Israel. 37 00:04:25,616.88495918 --> 00:04:32,986.88595918 And just like those kings that I just talked about, most of the kings are gonna be bad. 38 00:04:34,666.88495918 --> 00:04:40,906.88495918 And so as we start 1 Samuel, it's the first time that they begin asking for a king. 39 00:04:41,236.88595918 --> 00:04:48,36.88595918 We see in 1 Samuel 8, it says, "So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel in Ramah. 40 00:04:48,336.88695918 --> 00:04:57,206.88595918 And they said to him," how would you like someone to say this to you? "'You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways. 41 00:04:57,376.88395918 --> 00:05:02,326.88495918 Now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.' 42 00:05:03,486.88395918 --> 00:05:09,746.88595918 And when they said, 'Give us a king to lead us,' this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 43 00:05:09,746.88595918 --> 00:05:13,986.88395918 And the Lord told him: 'Listen to all that the people are saying to you. 44 00:05:14,226.88595918 --> 00:05:20,136.88495918 It is not you that they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king. 45 00:05:20,726.88595918 --> 00:05:29,346.88695918 Now listen to them, but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.'" 46 00:05:30,356.88395918 --> 00:05:33,76.88895918 So He says, "Samuel, don't be upset. 47 00:05:33,106.88395918 --> 00:05:34,216.88995918 Don't be offended. 48 00:05:34,676.88295918 --> 00:05:36,476.88995918 It's not you they're rejecting. 49 00:05:37,396.88495918 --> 00:05:41,996.88495918 They're rejecting Me because I have told them that I am their king. 50 00:05:43,536.88395918 --> 00:05:49,466.88295918 Give them a king, but warn them what a human king will be like." 51 00:05:51,610.88795918 --> 00:05:55,910.88795918 And so he said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights. 52 00:05:56,50.88795918 --> 00:06:02,100.88795918 He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 53 00:06:02,300.88795918 --> 00:06:05,870.88795918 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 54 00:06:06,110.88795918 --> 00:06:09,440.88695918 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves. 55 00:06:09,600.88795918 --> 00:06:12,420.88795918 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage. 56 00:06:12,790.88795918 --> 00:06:15,760.88795918 You yourselves will become his slaves. 57 00:06:16,110.88795918 --> 00:06:20,0.88795918 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen. 58 00:06:20,420.88695918 --> 00:06:23,460.88795918 But the Lord will not answer you in that day." 59 00:06:23,520.88795918 --> 00:06:29,550.88695918 He says, "Let them know, Samuel, what an earthly king is gonna do to them. 60 00:06:29,670.88595918 --> 00:06:39,80.88795918 You're gonna think that he's going to give you all of this good stuff, but what is he gonna do? Over and over again, he's gonna take from you. 61 00:06:39,970.88895918 --> 00:06:46,490.88695918 He's going to use you for his purposes, and finally, you're gonna be his slaves. 62 00:06:46,580.88495918 --> 00:06:52,430.88795918 Do you really want that?" But the people refused to listen to Samuel. 63 00:06:52,880.88795918 --> 00:06:55,780.88695918 "No," they said, "we want a king over us. 64 00:06:56,350.88595918 --> 00:07:03,230.88395918 Then we will be like all the other nations with a king to lead us and go out before us and fight our battles." 65 00:07:04,160.88295918 --> 00:07:08,780.88595918 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 66 00:07:09,20.88395918 --> 00:07:13,230.88795918 And the Lord answered, "Listen to them and give them their king." 67 00:07:15,874.88795918 --> 00:07:19,304.88795918 Now, what can we learn from this? Number one is this. 68 00:07:19,854.88795918 --> 00:07:28,800.88795918 By nature, we refuse to listen to the Lord This is what it means to be sinners. 69 00:07:29,330.88795918 --> 00:07:37,940.88795918 And when we refuse to follow Him, it's like we're saying, "God, I don't want you to be king over my life. 70 00:07:39,50.88795918 --> 00:07:40,130.88795918 I wanna be king. 71 00:07:40,580.88795918 --> 00:07:42,620.88695918 I wanna be the one that calls the shots." 72 00:07:44,590.88695918 --> 00:07:48,20.88695918 What else can we learn from this? This is actually a little scary. 73 00:07:49,0.88695918 --> 00:07:58,140.88695918 In God's love for us, sometimes He allows us to have what we insist on, even if it's not gonna be good for us. 74 00:07:59,380.88795918 --> 00:08:03,290.88895918 In the end, we say, "Lord, You know better than I do. 75 00:08:03,640.88595918 --> 00:08:04,720.88595918 You're the King. 76 00:08:05,230.88595918 --> 00:08:06,600.88795918 You're the Wise One. 77 00:08:06,900.88795918 --> 00:08:08,410.88795918 You're the Powerful One. 78 00:08:09,0.88695918 --> 00:08:10,880.88795918 Give me what I need." 79 00:08:11,810.88795918 --> 00:08:23,538.88795918 That's far better than what was happening with the Israelites He said, "Then," the people said, "Then we will be like all the other nations." 80 00:08:23,628.88795918 --> 00:08:29,258.88795918 What's wrong with that? Well, they were never supposed to be like all the other nations. 81 00:08:29,508.88795918 --> 00:08:36,218.88795918 When God called Israel to be His own nation, He said, "You're gonna be different than all the other nations. 82 00:08:36,448.88695918 --> 00:08:43,58.88695918 All the other nations are in slavery to their kings, but I'm gonna be your king. 83 00:08:43,438.88695918 --> 00:08:48,788.88695918 I'm gonna be a great and gracious and powerful king on your behalf." 84 00:08:50,398.88595918 --> 00:08:54,768.88695918 And they said, "No, we wanna be just like all the other nations." 85 00:08:56,348.88695918 --> 00:09:08,368.88595918 And sometimes we're like that, too, aren't we? Sometimes we wanna be like everybody else around us, and so pretty soon we start acting like everyone around us. 86 00:09:08,568.88795918 --> 00:09:13,148.88695918 But here, this church, we were never supposed to be like the rest of the world. 87 00:09:14,798.88795918 --> 00:09:19,888.88595918 God says, "I want to have a special, intimate relationship with you." 88 00:09:21,914.88795918 --> 00:09:23,834.88795918 that the world just doesn't have. 89 00:09:24,974.88795918 --> 00:09:37,24.88795918 Why would you like to be like the rest of the world? But the Israelites did not listen, and so Samuel gave them what they asked for, a king. 90 00:09:37,594.88795918 --> 00:09:44,24.88695918 And he anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel. 91 00:09:44,394.88795918 --> 00:09:53,364.88795918 And as you're gonna see in your readings this coming week, it didn't take long for it to not start going well for them. 92 00:09:55,556.88795918 --> 00:09:57,286.88795918 Here's our very important point of the day. 93 00:09:58,296.88795918 --> 00:10:04,96.88795918 God isn't calling us today through these readings to not have human leaders. 94 00:10:05,126.88795918 --> 00:10:09,296.88795918 We are just not to put our full trust in them for our good. 95 00:10:09,576.88795918 --> 00:10:14,786.88795918 That trust is to be reserved for our Heavenly King alone. 96 00:10:15,386.88795918 --> 00:10:19,256.88695918 Have you noticed that in your lifetime? I definitely have in my 50 years of life. 97 00:10:19,596.88695918 --> 00:10:30,386.88795918 I have noticed that every person that I vote for, that I've got these high hopes for, by the end of their term, I'm usually disappointed. 98 00:10:31,186.88695918 --> 00:10:35,736.88595918 Why? Because there's no king like our God. 99 00:10:37,276.88795918 --> 00:10:44,866.88695918 In Psalm 20 it says, "Some trust in chariots, some trust in horses, but we put our trust in the Lord our God." 100 00:10:45,186.88695918 --> 00:10:47,796.88795918 We don't put our trust in human beings. 101 00:10:47,796.88795918 --> 00:10:52,106.88995918 We don't put our trust in human kings and presidents, and governors. 102 00:10:52,106.88995918 --> 00:10:58,146.88995918 We put our trust in the Lord our God, and that is putting our trust in the right place. 103 00:11:00,392.88995918 --> 00:11:17,662.88895918 Why? Why is the Lord worthy of our worship as our King? Well, for the remainder of this message, we're gonna look at five reasons from our readings this week why the Lord is worthy to be our king. 104 00:11:18,402.88895918 --> 00:11:22,812.88995918 Number one: you have a king who is holy. 105 00:11:24,712.88895918 --> 00:11:29,732.88995918 In 1 Samuel 2 it says, "There is no one holy like the Lord. 106 00:11:30,12.88995918 --> 00:11:31,882.88995918 There is no one besides you. 107 00:11:31,882.88995918 --> 00:11:33,972.88995918 There is no rock like our God." 108 00:11:34,932.88795918 --> 00:11:38,442.88895918 The word holy literally means to be set apart. 109 00:11:38,682.88795918 --> 00:11:44,2.88895918 If we've got all of these rulers, all of these kings over here, God says, "I'm holy. 110 00:11:44,52.89095918 --> 00:11:45,12.88995918 I'm set apart. 111 00:11:45,12.88995918 --> 00:11:45,802.89095918 I'm over here. 112 00:11:45,972.88895918 --> 00:11:47,372.88795918 There's nobody like me. 113 00:11:49,546.88995918 --> 00:11:53,126.88995918 And as we're gonna see through the next four, that is true. 114 00:11:54,176.88995918 --> 00:11:55,986.88995918 We have a king who is holy. 115 00:11:56,176.88995918 --> 00:12:02,506.88895918 We also have a king who is powerful and able to save, no matter what. 116 00:12:04,156.88895918 --> 00:12:09,566.88995918 In 1 Samuel 7 it says, "The Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle." 117 00:12:09,996.88895918 --> 00:12:15,556.88895918 Now by the way, the Philistines in this time were one of the most powerful people in the world. 118 00:12:16,816.88895918 --> 00:12:22,166.88895918 But that day the Lord, the King, thundered with loud thunder. 119 00:12:22,286.88995918 --> 00:12:23,746.88795918 It's pretty cool we had thunder today. 120 00:12:25,456.88795918 --> 00:12:32,136.88995918 Against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. 121 00:12:32,656.88895918 --> 00:12:37,156.88995918 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. 122 00:12:37,686.88795918 --> 00:12:43,486.88995918 He named it Ebenezer saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped us." 123 00:12:44,276.88795918 --> 00:12:47,556.88995918 So we have these powerful people, the Philistines. 124 00:12:48,866.88795918 --> 00:12:58,466.88995918 But the King over Israel is the Lord God and He has power to save, and they don't stand a chance against Him. 125 00:12:59,306.88695918 --> 00:13:05,406.88795918 And then after they are routed, what does Samuel do? He takes the stone and he sets it up. 126 00:13:05,406.88795918 --> 00:13:09,206.89095918 And what does he call it? The Ebenezer Stone. 127 00:13:09,656.88495918 --> 00:13:11,776.88795918 The rock of our help. 128 00:13:12,26.88795918 --> 00:13:17,976.88895918 It was a reminder to them that the Lord is King and He helped them. 129 00:13:18,236.88695918 --> 00:13:23,726.88895918 We sang that just a little bit ago, didn't we? Here I raise my Ebenezer. 130 00:13:26,36.88895918 --> 00:13:32,648.88995918 In 1 Samuel 12, Samuel says this: "Do not turn away after useless idols. 131 00:13:32,998.88995918 --> 00:13:36,678.88995918 They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you." 132 00:13:37,58.88995918 --> 00:13:38,248.88995918 They're useless. 133 00:13:39,288.88995918 --> 00:13:47,488.89095918 Samuel was saying it is silly for you to bow down to some piece of stone or wood or metal. 134 00:13:48,718.89095918 --> 00:13:50,138.89095918 Those things can't help you. 135 00:13:50,738.89095918 --> 00:13:59,138.88895918 You know who can? The Lord, because He is powerful and able to save. 136 00:14:00,708.89095918 --> 00:14:03,398.89195918 And people of God, He hasn't changed. 137 00:14:03,498.89195918 --> 00:14:10,238.88995918 He is still powerful, and He is still able to save you no matter what is coming against you. 138 00:14:11,718.88895918 --> 00:14:16,398.88795918 Number three, you have a king who is just. 139 00:14:17,18.88795918 --> 00:14:18,478.89095918 Praise the Lord. 140 00:14:19,698.88895918 --> 00:14:24,478.88995918 In 1 Samuel, 2, it says, "Now the sons of Eli were corrupt. 141 00:14:24,788.88895918 --> 00:14:26,208.89095918 They did not know the Lord. 142 00:14:26,598.88995918 --> 00:14:41,918.88595918 When any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged flesh hook in his hand while the meat was boiling, that he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot, and the priest would take for himself all that the flesh hook brought up. 143 00:14:42,308.88895918 --> 00:14:46,858.88695918 So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there." 144 00:14:47,448.88895918 --> 00:14:48,648.88695918 Little bit of background. 145 00:14:49,718.89295918 --> 00:15:02,538.88995918 So the Lord had said that when people would bring these different offerings to present before the Lord, there was a portion of some of them that would go to the priest. 146 00:15:04,268.88795918 --> 00:15:25,48.89195918 But what the sons of Eli, who were serving as priests, were doing is they were saying, "Yes, we'll take that apportioned piece, but then we're also gonna take a fork, and we're gonna stick it into the pot, and we're gonna pull out whatever else comes out on our behalf as well." 147 00:15:26,28.88995918 --> 00:15:28,58.88995918 And the people were saying, "That isn't right. 148 00:15:28,58.88995918 --> 00:15:29,438.89095918 You're, you shouldn't be doing this." 149 00:15:29,638.89095918 --> 00:15:33,288.89195918 They said, "You either give it to us or we're gonna take it by force." 150 00:15:35,38.88495918 --> 00:15:44,118.89095918 And what ended up happening is people stopped wanting to sacrifice to the Lord because of what these two boys were doing. 151 00:15:45,198.88895918 --> 00:15:46,468.88095918 It was not right. 152 00:15:47,8.88595918 --> 00:15:52,938.88195918 They were taking advantage of the people, and they were obscuring God's good name. 153 00:15:55,820.89095918 --> 00:15:58,450.89095918 But the Lord is a just God. 154 00:15:59,870.89095918 --> 00:16:17,710.89095918 This is what the Lord says: "Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribe for my dwelling? The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house so that no one in it will reach old age." 155 00:16:20,588.89095918 --> 00:16:28,78.89095918 Your king is a king of justice, and he doesn't let injustice go on forever. 156 00:16:28,798.89095918 --> 00:16:34,454.89095918 Eventually, he deals with it Think about that. 157 00:16:35,944.89095918 --> 00:16:47,184.8899592 Wouldn't it be nice if all of our leaders in our country were just? When someone did right, they would be heralded. 158 00:16:47,564.8909592 --> 00:16:50,354.8909592 When someone did wrong, they would be dealt with. 159 00:16:51,104.8899592 --> 00:16:57,124.8909592 But unfortunately, many of our leaders are injust in the way that they act. 160 00:16:58,834.8899592 --> 00:17:09,514.8889592 Fourth, you have a worthy King in our God because He is accessible, and this is a big one. 161 00:17:10,854.8899592 --> 00:17:12,464.8889592 The Lord is accessible. 162 00:17:12,464.8909592 --> 00:17:26,914.8909592 Wouldn't it be nice if all of your leaders were easily accessible to you? As the book of 1 Samuel opens up, we have Hannah, and Hannah had an unfortunate situation. 163 00:17:27,214.8909592 --> 00:17:42,694.8899592 She was married to a husband who also had a second wife That's a problem, especially when one of the wives keeps on having child after child after child, and Hannah is barren. 164 00:17:43,584.8909592 --> 00:17:54,224.8909592 And the wife that was having all of these children was rubbing it in to Hannah, so much so that she just was really struggling emotionally. 165 00:17:54,484.8909592 --> 00:18:04,304.8909592 And so one day they go to the house of the Lord, and Hannah goes before the Lord and she begins crying out from her heart to her King. 166 00:18:05,214.8899592 --> 00:18:07,674.8919592 And she says, "Lord, please remember me. 167 00:18:09,214.8899592 --> 00:18:12,834.8919592 If you give me a child, I'll give him back to you." 168 00:18:14,902.8909592 --> 00:18:17,882.8909592 Hannah said, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. 169 00:18:18,132.8909592 --> 00:18:21,852.8909592 I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief." 170 00:18:22,522.8909592 --> 00:18:28,942.8909592 Eli, the priest, answered, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you've asked of him." 171 00:18:29,912.8909592 --> 00:18:31,52.8909592 And I love these words. 172 00:18:31,392.8909592 --> 00:18:33,932.8899592 The Lord remembered her. 173 00:18:34,682.8899592 --> 00:18:38,882.8909592 So in the course of time, Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. 174 00:18:39,122.8909592 --> 00:18:44,372.8909592 She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the Lord for him." 175 00:18:46,412.8909592 --> 00:18:49,722.8909592 You have a king who is accessible to you. 176 00:18:51,62.8909592 --> 00:18:53,372.8909592 Hannah was no different than you and me. 177 00:18:54,212.8909592 --> 00:19:05,842.8899592 She had a need, and she brought it before her King, and the King who was accessible to her heard her prayer and helped her in her time of need. 178 00:19:06,872.8899592 --> 00:19:13,222.8909592 And she miraculously has this child, Samuel, and she makes good on her promise. 179 00:19:13,232.8909592 --> 00:19:21,762.8889592 Once he's weaned, she takes him to the house of the Lord, and she says, "You're gonna serve the Lord in his temple for the rest of your life." 180 00:19:25,14.8909592 --> 00:19:28,894.8909592 Now the boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. 181 00:19:29,204.8909592 --> 00:19:36,464.8909592 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord where the ark of God was. 182 00:19:36,924.8909592 --> 00:19:38,594.8909592 Then the Lord called Samuel. 183 00:19:39,144.8909592 --> 00:19:40,884.8899592 Samuel answered, "Here I am." 184 00:19:41,284.8899592 --> 00:19:43,714.8899592 And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am. 185 00:19:43,714.8909592 --> 00:19:47,494.8909592 You called me?" But Eli said, "I did not call you. 186 00:19:47,684.8899592 --> 00:19:49,184.8899592 Go back and lie down." 187 00:19:50,24.8899592 --> 00:20:00,494.8909592 So here we have Hannah's little child, he's still a young boy, and he's there inside the temple, and the Lord speaks to him. 188 00:20:01,574.8889592 --> 00:20:05,584.8889592 He doesn't know the Lord's voice, and so he runs into Eli and he says, "Here I am." 189 00:20:05,824.8889592 --> 00:20:07,594.8909592 And Eli says, "Go back to bed. 190 00:20:07,914.8889592 --> 00:20:08,954.8909592 I didn't call you." 191 00:20:09,414.8889592 --> 00:20:11,464.8909592 And this happens a few times. 192 00:20:12,824.8889592 --> 00:20:15,574.8909592 Samuel just keeps on getting woken up. 193 00:20:16,724.8909592 --> 00:20:22,444.8899592 A third time the Lord called Samuel, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am. 194 00:20:22,454.8899592 --> 00:20:27,504.8899592 You called me?" Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 195 00:20:27,924.8879592 --> 00:20:36,494.8899592 So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if He calls you again, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'" 196 00:20:37,614.8859592 --> 00:20:47,994.8859592 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at other times, "Samuel, Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." 197 00:20:50,944.8909592 --> 00:20:59,94.8909592 So this little boy, Samuel, he didn't know the voice of the Lord yet, but God was even calling this little boy. 198 00:21:00,284.8909592 --> 00:21:08,84.8909592 Kids, if you think that you have to become an adult before God will call you and talk to you, you're mistaken. 199 00:21:08,234.8899592 --> 00:21:11,954.8909592 He wants to talk to anybody that will listen. 200 00:21:13,564.8899592 --> 00:21:17,874.8909592 It says in 1 Samuel 3, "The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. 201 00:21:18,34.8909592 --> 00:21:22,904.8899592 And in those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions." 202 00:21:23,934.8889592 --> 00:21:37,260.8909592 In other words, not many people were hearing from the Lord during this time that Samuel was serving inside the temple I think there's people that believe that about today. 203 00:21:38,70.8909592 --> 00:21:39,720.8909592 "Well, the Lord's really not speaking. 204 00:21:39,720.8909592 --> 00:21:41,350.8909592 There's not a whole lot of visions. 205 00:21:41,850.8909592 --> 00:21:44,380.8909592 God's really not talking to us today." 206 00:21:45,940.8899592 --> 00:21:47,910.8909592 But you know what? That's not what the Bible says. 207 00:21:48,510.8909592 --> 00:21:59,490.8909592 In Acts 2, says this: "In the last days," and we're living in the last days, God says, "I will pour out my Spirit on all people. 208 00:21:59,790.8909592 --> 00:22:07,800.8919592 Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams from me. 209 00:22:08,460.8889592 --> 00:22:15,750.8909592 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy." 210 00:22:18,792.8909592 --> 00:22:22,82.8909592 No, the word of the Lord is not rare today. 211 00:22:23,682.8909592 --> 00:22:28,612.8909592 We are living in the days that God is pouring out His Spirit on people. 212 00:22:28,742.8909592 --> 00:22:31,532.8909592 He wants to be accessible to people. 213 00:22:31,752.8909592 --> 00:22:39,762.8899592 He wants to not only hear our prayers, He wants to speak back to us in many and various ways. 214 00:22:41,22.8899592 --> 00:22:43,452.8909592 He wants us to learn how to prophesy. 215 00:22:43,452.8909592 --> 00:22:53,302.8899592 What does that mean? It means that God speaks to us, and then we say what God has said, and that is the prophesying. 216 00:22:53,752.8909592 --> 00:22:57,972.8919592 We take what God has said, and then we say it as well. 217 00:23:01,428.8909592 --> 00:23:03,758.8909592 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord. 218 00:23:03,768.8909592 --> 00:23:06,908.8909592 The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 219 00:23:07,188.8909592 --> 00:23:11,378.8909592 It's not saying there that Samuel didn't know who God was. 220 00:23:12,868.8909592 --> 00:23:14,518.8909592 He knew who God was. 221 00:23:15,578.8909592 --> 00:23:17,298.8909592 He just hadn't met Him yet. 222 00:23:18,308.8909592 --> 00:23:24,98.8899592 He just hadn't learned to discern His voice yet. 223 00:23:27,560.8909592 --> 00:23:43,630.8909592 I sometimes think about it as one of those old radios, you know, where you turn it on and all you get is static, right? Until you start turning the dial, and you turn it real slowly, and pretty soon that static becomes kind of broken words. 224 00:23:43,840.8909592 --> 00:23:52,990.8899592 But as you keep on turning it, you get to that place where all of a sudden you're hearing someone's voice or some song over the radio. 225 00:23:54,660.8899592 --> 00:23:59,730.8919592 Now, that song or that voice, that person on there, that's been going on forever. 226 00:24:00,770.8919592 --> 00:24:05,610.8899592 But it took us a little while to get to that place on the dial. 227 00:24:05,840.8909592 --> 00:24:18,100.8879592 And in the same way, we who know who the Lord is, it takes us a little time to tune in to His voice, but He is speaking. 228 00:24:19,280.8889592 --> 00:24:23,690.8879592 He's pouring out His Spirit in this day and age. 229 00:24:23,740.8879592 --> 00:24:33,280.8859592 So what does that look like? How can I tune my ears to hear His voice? Well, if you take a little bit of time each day. 230 00:24:33,680.8899592 --> 00:24:38,810.8879592 Maybe you read through the Bible, you read through your chapters in your two-year read-through. 231 00:24:39,180.8899592 --> 00:24:50,650.8899592 And then after that you say, "You know what? I'm gonna take 15 minutes to pray, to talk to the Lord, and then I'm gonna take a few minutes to listen to see if He has anything to say to me." 232 00:24:51,560.8879592 --> 00:24:59,740.8849592 And as you do that, what you're doing is you're tuning your ears to be able to discern what His voice sounds like. 233 00:25:01,350.8879592 --> 00:25:11,720.8879592 Or what you can also do is maybe once a quarter you take a full day to get away with the Lord and say, "Lord, I really want to hear your voice. 234 00:25:11,880.8869592 --> 00:25:16,850.8899592 If you are truly pouring out your Spirit on all people, I don't want to miss that." 235 00:25:18,906.8899592 --> 00:25:28,226.8899592 And so I wanna take a full day to seek you in your Word, to seek you in prayer, to learn how to hear your voice. 236 00:25:29,676.8899592 --> 00:25:34,676.8899592 I mentioned a few weeks ago that I try to do this about once a quarter, once a semester. 237 00:25:35,966.8899592 --> 00:25:41,86.8899592 I have never once walked away not having heard the Lord's voice. 238 00:25:42,226.8899592 --> 00:25:43,626.8899592 It's just nobody does it. 239 00:25:44,896.8899592 --> 00:25:50,986.8889592 But He's speaking, and He wants us to tune our ears to His voice. 240 00:25:51,926.8889592 --> 00:25:58,526.8889592 He promises us in Jeremiah 29, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 241 00:25:58,786.8889592 --> 00:26:02,426.8879592 I will be found by you," declares the Lord. 242 00:26:04,26.8869592 --> 00:26:12,316.8869592 So we have a King who is worthy of our praise, worthy of following Him because He's holy, because He's powerful. 243 00:26:12,316.8879592 --> 00:26:14,676.8879592 He's able to save us like nobody else. 244 00:26:15,286.8889592 --> 00:26:17,536.8879592 He's just in everything that He does. 245 00:26:17,846.8869592 --> 00:26:20,866.8879592 He's very accessible to us. 246 00:26:21,456.8879592 --> 00:26:26,896.8859592 And finally, number five, He is forgiving and gracious. 247 00:26:29,72.8899592 --> 00:26:50,542.8899592 In 1 Samuel 7 it says, "So Samuel said to all the Israelites, 'If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then rid yourself of all the foreign gods you've been worshiping, all the Ashtoreths, and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve Him only, and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.' 248 00:26:51,182.8889592 --> 00:26:56,742.8899592 So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths and served the Lord only. 249 00:26:57,262.8889592 --> 00:27:03,662.8879592 Then Samuel said, 'Assemble all Israel at Mizpah, and I will intercede with the Lord for you.' 250 00:27:04,452.8909592 --> 00:27:10,952.8899592 Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. 251 00:27:11,582.8879592 --> 00:27:17,92.8899592 He cried out to the Lord on Israel's behalf, and the Lord answered him." 252 00:27:18,552.8899592 --> 00:27:55,528.8889592 So we have all of these Israelite people that at the time had forgotten who God is, and they were worshiping other gods that were not gods at all But in spite of that, when they turned back to the Lord in repentance, and Samuel took that poor, innocent suckling lamb and slaughtered it on their behalf, through their repentance and through that sacrifice, God forgave them and was gracious to them and came to be their King once again. 253 00:28:00,826.8899592 --> 00:28:24,686.8889592 How about you and me? If we repent of our sins, if we turn back from all of those things that God has said not to do, do we too have a lamb that would be sacrificed for us so that all of our sins could be forgiven and we could have a fresh new start in our relationship with God? And you know where this is going. 254 00:28:26,616.8889592 --> 00:28:34,696.8899592 Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the whole world. 255 00:28:35,786.8899592 --> 00:28:52,416.8909592 2,000 years ago, God sent His own Son down here to this world to be the once for all sacrifice, the Lamb of God who would, through His suffering and death on that cross, take away the sins of the whole world. 256 00:28:53,676.8909592 --> 00:28:57,856.8879592 He would be a King that would wear a crown, but not a golden crown. 257 00:28:58,766.8869592 --> 00:29:06,676.8889592 He would wear a crown of thorns for you and for me, and then He would die on that cross and be buried. 258 00:29:08,416.8879592 --> 00:29:10,46.8919592 But He wouldn't stay in that grave. 259 00:29:10,466.8919592 --> 00:29:12,926.8849592 He would rise again three days later. 260 00:29:13,86.8869592 --> 00:29:25,526.8909592 He would ascend up into heaven where He has now taken His seat as the King over every king, the Lord over every lord, the King of the universe. 261 00:29:26,606.8909592 --> 00:29:46,26.8879592 And the Bible is crystal clear that very soon that King is coming back here, not as a king with a crown of thorns this time, but as a King with a crown of glory, and He's coming to make all things new, including you and me. 262 00:29:48,536.8899592 --> 00:29:51,406.8899592 Knowing that that is the King. 263 00:29:53,658.8899592 --> 00:30:02,736.8899592 How do we respond? We respond by bowing the knee to this King Jesus and saying, "Lord, I'm sorry. 264 00:30:03,916.8899592 --> 00:30:12,526.8889592 I've been worshiping other gods, things that I think that are going to make me happy, but you have told me they never could. 265 00:30:13,446.8889592 --> 00:30:21,330.8899592 I've tried to put myself on the throne, Lord I wanted to call the shots, but you're a better king than me. 266 00:30:22,890.8899592 --> 00:30:27,740.8899592 Lord, I'm sorry, and for the sake of Jesus, I ask you that you would forgive me." 267 00:30:28,840.8899592 --> 00:30:48,470.8889592 And when we do that, because of Jesus' sacrifice, over and over and over again, He shows himself to be a good King, a just King, a powerful King who is able to save, a good King, a gracious king, and a forgiving King. 268 00:30:49,220.8899592 --> 00:30:51,710.8879592 May we worship our King today and always. 269 00:30:51,750.8899592 --> 00:30:53,60.8889592 In Jesus' name, Amen. 270 00:30:56,342.5566259 --> 00:30:57,992.5566259 You've been listening to a sermon from St. 271 00:30:57,992.5566259 --> 00:31:00,72.5566259 John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Minnesota. 272 00:31:00,392.5566259 --> 00:31:02,192.5566259 If you would like more information about St. 273 00:31:02,192.5566259 --> 00:31:07,852.5566259 John's and any of our ministries to our community and beyond, you can go to our website, www. 274 00:31:07,942.5566259 --> 00:31:08,182.5566259 stjohnsbuffalo. 275 00:31:09,422.5556259 --> 00:31:09,752.5556259 org. 276 00:31:10,132.5556259 --> 00:31:11,422.5566259 Thank you and God bless you.
Hello, this is Pastor Ryan Clark.
You are listening to a message from St.
John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Minnesota. 4 00:00:14,668.897959184 --> 00:00:18,988.897959184 Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 5 00:00:19,638.897959184 --> 00:00:20,248.897959184 Amen. 6 00:00:21,628.897959184 --> 00:00:30,898.897959184 As we are transitioning now into the Samuels and the Kings and the Chronicles, we're gonna be talking about a lot of kings in the weeks to come. 7 00:00:31,638.897959184 --> 00:00:41,618.897959184 And that got me thinking this week about the strangest, most bizarre leaders, kings, and queens throughout the history of the world. 8 00:00:41,618.897959184 --> 00:00:52,558.895959184 And so I did a little bit of research this week because I knew that there were some really strange ones throughout history, but I had no idea just how strange they were. 9 00:00:52,948.898959184 --> 00:00:57,508.897959184 And I'd like to share just a few of those with you here as we begin this message. 10 00:00:57,988.895959184 --> 00:01:01,658.897959184 First of all, maybe you've heard of this guy, the Emperor Caligula. 11 00:01:01,848.896959184 --> 00:01:05,928.898959184 He was the emperor of Rome shortly after Jesus was here. 12 00:01:06,438.896959184 --> 00:01:17,418.896959184 He was most likely insane, and one of the many insane things that he did is he declared that his own horse was a Roman senator. 13 00:01:18,38.894959184 --> 00:01:19,148.896959184 That's kinda crazy. 14 00:01:19,888.893959184 --> 00:01:26,178.892959184 And then we have this guy, Charles VI of France, who ruled in the late 14th century. 15 00:01:27,28.892959184 --> 00:01:32,808.894959184 He too suffered from bouts of madness, and he also had this deep paranoia. 16 00:01:33,348.892959184 --> 00:01:41,848.89295918 He famously had the delusion that he was made, ready for this, of glass, and that he could shatter very easily. 17 00:01:42,398.89595918 --> 00:01:51,608.89295918 During these delusions, he would nary move a muscle, sitting extremely still for up to hours on end. 18 00:01:52,558.89995918 --> 00:01:57,568.89395918 In the same vein was this lady, Princess Alexandria of Bavaria. 19 00:01:58,218.89595918 --> 00:02:15,138.89795918 As a 23-year-old, she became convinced that she had swallowed in her youth an entire glass grand piano and that any sudden movement she would make would shatter the instrument that was within her. 20 00:02:15,758.89595918 --> 00:02:21,518.89195918 She was said to walk sideways through doorways and corridors to avoid breaking. 21 00:02:22,398.89595918 --> 00:02:26,978.89095918 You can't make this stuff up This guy, Peter the Great. 22 00:02:27,38.89095918 --> 00:02:39,128.88795918 In the early 18th century, he enacted what was called a beard tax where he demanded that every man in Russia, both royal and peasant alike, shave their beards. 23 00:02:39,378.88695918 --> 00:02:45,186.88695918 Any beards out there today? This is an interesting one. 24 00:02:45,186.88695918 --> 00:02:49,96.88695918 Peter III, who ruled Russia in the late 18th century. 25 00:02:49,796.88695918 --> 00:02:51,906.88695918 This guy never really grew up. 26 00:02:52,126.88695918 --> 00:03:00,176.88695918 Although he was married to the famous Catherine the Great, he never seemed to have too much time for her or for ruling his country. 27 00:03:00,796.88695918 --> 00:03:08,286.88595918 Why? Because he spent copious amounts of time in bed playing with his toy soldiers. 28 00:03:08,696.88695918 --> 00:03:27,956.88395918 He loved these toy soldiers so much that when a rat got into his bedroom and bit the head off of one of his beloved toy soldiers, he caught the rat, he gave it a proper court martial and trial, and then he hung the vermin from a tiny little gallow that he had constructed himself. 29 00:03:29,166.88395918 --> 00:03:29,996.88495918 That's crazy. 30 00:03:31,436.88495918 --> 00:03:37,376.88495918 And then finally, we have Joanna of Castile from the 16th century. 31 00:03:37,786.88395918 --> 00:03:44,96.88595918 She earned the title Juana la Loca, Joanna the Crazy One. 32 00:03:44,536.88395918 --> 00:03:47,806.88495918 Why? For her obsession with her husband. 33 00:03:47,806.88495918 --> 00:03:49,526.88495918 You say, "Well, that's not a bad thing." 34 00:03:50,216.88095918 --> 00:03:52,926.88795918 It is when her husband had died. 35 00:03:53,356.88795918 --> 00:04:03,726.88795918 After his sudden death in 1506, she refused to bury his body, and she kept it in her room and even traveled with it. 36 00:04:04,496.88695918 --> 00:04:25,276.88495918 Kinda gives you that Weekend of Bernie's vibe, doesn't it? Like I said, as we're moving through our sermon series, Cover to Cover, we're now moving into this period of time that we're gonna see king after king after king over the nation of Israel. 37 00:04:25,616.88495918 --> 00:04:32,986.88595918 And just like those kings that I just talked about, most of the kings are gonna be bad. 38 00:04:34,666.88495918 --> 00:04:40,906.88495918 And so as we start 1 Samuel, it's the first time that they begin asking for a king. 39 00:04:41,236.88595918 --> 00:04:48,36.88595918 We see in 1 Samuel 8, it says, "So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel in Ramah. 40 00:04:48,336.88695918 --> 00:04:57,206.88595918 And they said to him," how would you like someone to say this to you? "'You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways. 41 00:04:57,376.88395918 --> 00:05:02,326.88495918 Now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.' 42 00:05:03,486.88395918 --> 00:05:09,746.88595918 And when they said, 'Give us a king to lead us,' this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 43 00:05:09,746.88595918 --> 00:05:13,986.88395918 And the Lord told him: 'Listen to all that the people are saying to you. 44 00:05:14,226.88595918 --> 00:05:20,136.88495918 It is not you that they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king. 45 00:05:20,726.88595918 --> 00:05:29,346.88695918 Now listen to them, but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.'" 46 00:05:30,356.88395918 --> 00:05:33,76.88895918 So He says, "Samuel, don't be upset. 47 00:05:33,106.88395918 --> 00:05:34,216.88995918 Don't be offended. 48 00:05:34,676.88295918 --> 00:05:36,476.88995918 It's not you they're rejecting. 49 00:05:37,396.88495918 --> 00:05:41,996.88495918 They're rejecting Me because I have told them that I am their king. 50 00:05:43,536.88395918 --> 00:05:49,466.88295918 Give them a king, but warn them what a human king will be like." 51 00:05:51,610.88795918 --> 00:05:55,910.88795918 And so he said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights. 52 00:05:56,50.88795918 --> 00:06:02,100.88795918 He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 53 00:06:02,300.88795918 --> 00:06:05,870.88795918 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 54 00:06:06,110.88795918 --> 00:06:09,440.88695918 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves. 55 00:06:09,600.88795918 --> 00:06:12,420.88795918 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage. 56 00:06:12,790.88795918 --> 00:06:15,760.88795918 You yourselves will become his slaves. 57 00:06:16,110.88795918 --> 00:06:20,0.88795918 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen. 58 00:06:20,420.88695918 --> 00:06:23,460.88795918 But the Lord will not answer you in that day." 59 00:06:23,520.88795918 --> 00:06:29,550.88695918 He says, "Let them know, Samuel, what an earthly king is gonna do to them. 60 00:06:29,670.88595918 --> 00:06:39,80.88795918 You're gonna think that he's going to give you all of this good stuff, but what is he gonna do? Over and over again, he's gonna take from you. 61 00:06:39,970.88895918 --> 00:06:46,490.88695918 He's going to use you for his purposes, and finally, you're gonna be his slaves. 62 00:06:46,580.88495918 --> 00:06:52,430.88795918 Do you really want that?" But the people refused to listen to Samuel. 63 00:06:52,880.88795918 --> 00:06:55,780.88695918 "No," they said, "we want a king over us. 64 00:06:56,350.88595918 --> 00:07:03,230.88395918 Then we will be like all the other nations with a king to lead us and go out before us and fight our battles." 65 00:07:04,160.88295918 --> 00:07:08,780.88595918 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 66 00:07:09,20.88395918 --> 00:07:13,230.88795918 And the Lord answered, "Listen to them and give them their king." 67 00:07:15,874.88795918 --> 00:07:19,304.88795918 Now, what can we learn from this? Number one is this. 68 00:07:19,854.88795918 --> 00:07:28,800.88795918 By nature, we refuse to listen to the Lord This is what it means to be sinners. 69 00:07:29,330.88795918 --> 00:07:37,940.88795918 And when we refuse to follow Him, it's like we're saying, "God, I don't want you to be king over my life. 70 00:07:39,50.88795918 --> 00:07:40,130.88795918 I wanna be king. 71 00:07:40,580.88795918 --> 00:07:42,620.88695918 I wanna be the one that calls the shots." 72 00:07:44,590.88695918 --> 00:07:48,20.88695918 What else can we learn from this? This is actually a little scary. 73 00:07:49,0.88695918 --> 00:07:58,140.88695918 In God's love for us, sometimes He allows us to have what we insist on, even if it's not gonna be good for us. 74 00:07:59,380.88795918 --> 00:08:03,290.88895918 In the end, we say, "Lord, You know better than I do. 75 00:08:03,640.88595918 --> 00:08:04,720.88595918 You're the King. 76 00:08:05,230.88595918 --> 00:08:06,600.88795918 You're the Wise One. 77 00:08:06,900.88795918 --> 00:08:08,410.88795918 You're the Powerful One. 78 00:08:09,0.88695918 --> 00:08:10,880.88795918 Give me what I need." 79 00:08:11,810.88795918 --> 00:08:23,538.88795918 That's far better than what was happening with the Israelites He said, "Then," the people said, "Then we will be like all the other nations." 80 00:08:23,628.88795918 --> 00:08:29,258.88795918 What's wrong with that? Well, they were never supposed to be like all the other nations. 81 00:08:29,508.88795918 --> 00:08:36,218.88795918 When God called Israel to be His own nation, He said, "You're gonna be different than all the other nations. 82 00:08:36,448.88695918 --> 00:08:43,58.88695918 All the other nations are in slavery to their kings, but I'm gonna be your king. 83 00:08:43,438.88695918 --> 00:08:48,788.88695918 I'm gonna be a great and gracious and powerful king on your behalf." 84 00:08:50,398.88595918 --> 00:08:54,768.88695918 And they said, "No, we wanna be just like all the other nations." 85 00:08:56,348.88695918 --> 00:09:08,368.88595918 And sometimes we're like that, too, aren't we? Sometimes we wanna be like everybody else around us, and so pretty soon we start acting like everyone around us. 86 00:09:08,568.88795918 --> 00:09:13,148.88695918 But here, this church, we were never supposed to be like the rest of the world. 87 00:09:14,798.88795918 --> 00:09:19,888.88595918 God says, "I want to have a special, intimate relationship with you." 88 00:09:21,914.88795918 --> 00:09:23,834.88795918 that the world just doesn't have. 89 00:09:24,974.88795918 --> 00:09:37,24.88795918 Why would you like to be like the rest of the world? But the Israelites did not listen, and so Samuel gave them what they asked for, a king. 90 00:09:37,594.88795918 --> 00:09:44,24.88695918 And he anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel. 91 00:09:44,394.88795918 --> 00:09:53,364.88795918 And as you're gonna see in your readings this coming week, it didn't take long for it to not start going well for them. 92 00:09:55,556.88795918 --> 00:09:57,286.88795918 Here's our very important point of the day. 93 00:09:58,296.88795918 --> 00:10:04,96.88795918 God isn't calling us today through these readings to not have human leaders. 94 00:10:05,126.88795918 --> 00:10:09,296.88795918 We are just not to put our full trust in them for our good. 95 00:10:09,576.88795918 --> 00:10:14,786.88795918 That trust is to be reserved for our Heavenly King alone. 96 00:10:15,386.88795918 --> 00:10:19,256.88695918 Have you noticed that in your lifetime? I definitely have in my 50 years of life. 97 00:10:19,596.88695918 --> 00:10:30,386.88795918 I have noticed that every person that I vote for, that I've got these high hopes for, by the end of their term, I'm usually disappointed. 98 00:10:31,186.88695918 --> 00:10:35,736.88595918 Why? Because there's no king like our God. 99 00:10:37,276.88795918 --> 00:10:44,866.88695918 In Psalm 20 it says, "Some trust in chariots, some trust in horses, but we put our trust in the Lord our God." 100 00:10:45,186.88695918 --> 00:10:47,796.88795918 We don't put our trust in human beings. 101 00:10:47,796.88795918 --> 00:10:52,106.88995918 We don't put our trust in human kings and presidents, and governors. 102 00:10:52,106.88995918 --> 00:10:58,146.88995918 We put our trust in the Lord our God, and that is putting our trust in the right place. 103 00:11:00,392.88995918 --> 00:11:17,662.88895918 Why? Why is the Lord worthy of our worship as our King? Well, for the remainder of this message, we're gonna look at five reasons from our readings this week why the Lord is worthy to be our king. 104 00:11:18,402.88895918 --> 00:11:22,812.88995918 Number one: you have a king who is holy. 105 00:11:24,712.88895918 --> 00:11:29,732.88995918 In 1 Samuel 2 it says, "There is no one holy like the Lord. 106 00:11:30,12.88995918 --> 00:11:31,882.88995918 There is no one besides you. 107 00:11:31,882.88995918 --> 00:11:33,972.88995918 There is no rock like our God." 108 00:11:34,932.88795918 --> 00:11:38,442.88895918 The word holy literally means to be set apart. 109 00:11:38,682.88795918 --> 00:11:44,2.88895918 If we've got all of these rulers, all of these kings over here, God says, "I'm holy. 110 00:11:44,52.89095918 --> 00:11:45,12.88995918 I'm set apart. 111 00:11:45,12.88995918 --> 00:11:45,802.89095918 I'm over here. 112 00:11:45,972.88895918 --> 00:11:47,372.88795918 There's nobody like me. 113 00:11:49,546.88995918 --> 00:11:53,126.88995918 And as we're gonna see through the next four, that is true. 114 00:11:54,176.88995918 --> 00:11:55,986.88995918 We have a king who is holy. 115 00:11:56,176.88995918 --> 00:12:02,506.88895918 We also have a king who is powerful and able to save, no matter what. 116 00:12:04,156.88895918 --> 00:12:09,566.88995918 In 1 Samuel 7 it says, "The Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle." 117 00:12:09,996.88895918 --> 00:12:15,556.88895918 Now by the way, the Philistines in this time were one of the most powerful people in the world. 118 00:12:16,816.88895918 --> 00:12:22,166.88895918 But that day the Lord, the King, thundered with loud thunder. 119 00:12:22,286.88995918 --> 00:12:23,746.88795918 It's pretty cool we had thunder today. 120 00:12:25,456.88795918 --> 00:12:32,136.88995918 Against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. 121 00:12:32,656.88895918 --> 00:12:37,156.88995918 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. 122 00:12:37,686.88795918 --> 00:12:43,486.88995918 He named it Ebenezer saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped us." 123 00:12:44,276.88795918 --> 00:12:47,556.88995918 So we have these powerful people, the Philistines. 124 00:12:48,866.88795918 --> 00:12:58,466.88995918 But the King over Israel is the Lord God and He has power to save, and they don't stand a chance against Him. 125 00:12:59,306.88695918 --> 00:13:05,406.88795918 And then after they are routed, what does Samuel do? He takes the stone and he sets it up. 126 00:13:05,406.88795918 --> 00:13:09,206.89095918 And what does he call it? The Ebenezer Stone. 127 00:13:09,656.88495918 --> 00:13:11,776.88795918 The rock of our help. 128 00:13:12,26.88795918 --> 00:13:17,976.88895918 It was a reminder to them that the Lord is King and He helped them. 129 00:13:18,236.88695918 --> 00:13:23,726.88895918 We sang that just a little bit ago, didn't we? Here I raise my Ebenezer. 130 00:13:26,36.88895918 --> 00:13:32,648.88995918 In 1 Samuel 12, Samuel says this: "Do not turn away after useless idols. 131 00:13:32,998.88995918 --> 00:13:36,678.88995918 They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you." 132 00:13:37,58.88995918 --> 00:13:38,248.88995918 They're useless. 133 00:13:39,288.88995918 --> 00:13:47,488.89095918 Samuel was saying it is silly for you to bow down to some piece of stone or wood or metal. 134 00:13:48,718.89095918 --> 00:13:50,138.89095918 Those things can't help you. 135 00:13:50,738.89095918 --> 00:13:59,138.88895918 You know who can? The Lord, because He is powerful and able to save. 136 00:14:00,708.89095918 --> 00:14:03,398.89195918 And people of God, He hasn't changed. 137 00:14:03,498.89195918 --> 00:14:10,238.88995918 He is still powerful, and He is still able to save you no matter what is coming against you. 138 00:14:11,718.88895918 --> 00:14:16,398.88795918 Number three, you have a king who is just. 139 00:14:17,18.88795918 --> 00:14:18,478.89095918 Praise the Lord. 140 00:14:19,698.88895918 --> 00:14:24,478.88995918 In 1 Samuel, 2, it says, "Now the sons of Eli were corrupt. 141 00:14:24,788.88895918 --> 00:14:26,208.89095918 They did not know the Lord. 142 00:14:26,598.88995918 --> 00:14:41,918.88595918 When any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged flesh hook in his hand while the meat was boiling, that he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot, and the priest would take for himself all that the flesh hook brought up. 143 00:14:42,308.88895918 --> 00:14:46,858.88695918 So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there." 144 00:14:47,448.88895918 --> 00:14:48,648.88695918 Little bit of background. 145 00:14:49,718.89295918 --> 00:15:02,538.88995918 So the Lord had said that when people would bring these different offerings to present before the Lord, there was a portion of some of them that would go to the priest. 146 00:15:04,268.88795918 --> 00:15:25,48.89195918 But what the sons of Eli, who were serving as priests, were doing is they were saying, "Yes, we'll take that apportioned piece, but then we're also gonna take a fork, and we're gonna stick it into the pot, and we're gonna pull out whatever else comes out on our behalf as well." 147 00:15:26,28.88995918 --> 00:15:28,58.88995918 And the people were saying, "That isn't right. 148 00:15:28,58.88995918 --> 00:15:29,438.89095918 You're, you shouldn't be doing this." 149 00:15:29,638.89095918 --> 00:15:33,288.89195918 They said, "You either give it to us or we're gonna take it by force." 150 00:15:35,38.88495918 --> 00:15:44,118.89095918 And what ended up happening is people stopped wanting to sacrifice to the Lord because of what these two boys were doing. 151 00:15:45,198.88895918 --> 00:15:46,468.88095918 It was not right. 152 00:15:47,8.88595918 --> 00:15:52,938.88195918 They were taking advantage of the people, and they were obscuring God's good name. 153 00:15:55,820.89095918 --> 00:15:58,450.89095918 But the Lord is a just God. 154 00:15:59,870.89095918 --> 00:16:17,710.89095918 This is what the Lord says: "Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribe for my dwelling? The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house so that no one in it will reach old age." 155 00:16:20,588.89095918 --> 00:16:28,78.89095918 Your king is a king of justice, and he doesn't let injustice go on forever. 156 00:16:28,798.89095918 --> 00:16:34,454.89095918 Eventually, he deals with it Think about that. 157 00:16:35,944.89095918 --> 00:16:47,184.8899592 Wouldn't it be nice if all of our leaders in our country were just? When someone did right, they would be heralded. 158 00:16:47,564.8909592 --> 00:16:50,354.8909592 When someone did wrong, they would be dealt with. 159 00:16:51,104.8899592 --> 00:16:57,124.8909592 But unfortunately, many of our leaders are injust in the way that they act. 160 00:16:58,834.8899592 --> 00:17:09,514.8889592 Fourth, you have a worthy King in our God because He is accessible, and this is a big one. 161 00:17:10,854.8899592 --> 00:17:12,464.8889592 The Lord is accessible. 162 00:17:12,464.8909592 --> 00:17:26,914.8909592 Wouldn't it be nice if all of your leaders were easily accessible to you? As the book of 1 Samuel opens up, we have Hannah, and Hannah had an unfortunate situation. 163 00:17:27,214.8909592 --> 00:17:42,694.8899592 She was married to a husband who also had a second wife That's a problem, especially when one of the wives keeps on having child after child after child, and Hannah is barren. 164 00:17:43,584.8909592 --> 00:17:54,224.8909592 And the wife that was having all of these children was rubbing it in to Hannah, so much so that she just was really struggling emotionally. 165 00:17:54,484.8909592 --> 00:18:04,304.8909592 And so one day they go to the house of the Lord, and Hannah goes before the Lord and she begins crying out from her heart to her King. 166 00:18:05,214.8899592 --> 00:18:07,674.8919592 And she says, "Lord, please remember me. 167 00:18:09,214.8899592 --> 00:18:12,834.8919592 If you give me a child, I'll give him back to you." 168 00:18:14,902.8909592 --> 00:18:17,882.8909592 Hannah said, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. 169 00:18:18,132.8909592 --> 00:18:21,852.8909592 I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief." 170 00:18:22,522.8909592 --> 00:18:28,942.8909592 Eli, the priest, answered, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you've asked of him." 171 00:18:29,912.8909592 --> 00:18:31,52.8909592 And I love these words. 172 00:18:31,392.8909592 --> 00:18:33,932.8899592 The Lord remembered her. 173 00:18:34,682.8899592 --> 00:18:38,882.8909592 So in the course of time, Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. 174 00:18:39,122.8909592 --> 00:18:44,372.8909592 She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the Lord for him." 175 00:18:46,412.8909592 --> 00:18:49,722.8909592 You have a king who is accessible to you. 176 00:18:51,62.8909592 --> 00:18:53,372.8909592 Hannah was no different than you and me. 177 00:18:54,212.8909592 --> 00:19:05,842.8899592 She had a need, and she brought it before her King, and the King who was accessible to her heard her prayer and helped her in her time of need. 178 00:19:06,872.8899592 --> 00:19:13,222.8909592 And she miraculously has this child, Samuel, and she makes good on her promise. 179 00:19:13,232.8909592 --> 00:19:21,762.8889592 Once he's weaned, she takes him to the house of the Lord, and she says, "You're gonna serve the Lord in his temple for the rest of your life." 180 00:19:25,14.8909592 --> 00:19:28,894.8909592 Now the boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. 181 00:19:29,204.8909592 --> 00:19:36,464.8909592 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord where the ark of God was. 182 00:19:36,924.8909592 --> 00:19:38,594.8909592 Then the Lord called Samuel. 183 00:19:39,144.8909592 --> 00:19:40,884.8899592 Samuel answered, "Here I am." 184 00:19:41,284.8899592 --> 00:19:43,714.8899592 And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am. 185 00:19:43,714.8909592 --> 00:19:47,494.8909592 You called me?" But Eli said, "I did not call you. 186 00:19:47,684.8899592 --> 00:19:49,184.8899592 Go back and lie down." 187 00:19:50,24.8899592 --> 00:20:00,494.8909592 So here we have Hannah's little child, he's still a young boy, and he's there inside the temple, and the Lord speaks to him. 188 00:20:01,574.8889592 --> 00:20:05,584.8889592 He doesn't know the Lord's voice, and so he runs into Eli and he says, "Here I am." 189 00:20:05,824.8889592 --> 00:20:07,594.8909592 And Eli says, "Go back to bed. 190 00:20:07,914.8889592 --> 00:20:08,954.8909592 I didn't call you." 191 00:20:09,414.8889592 --> 00:20:11,464.8909592 And this happens a few times. 192 00:20:12,824.8889592 --> 00:20:15,574.8909592 Samuel just keeps on getting woken up. 193 00:20:16,724.8909592 --> 00:20:22,444.8899592 A third time the Lord called Samuel, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am. 194 00:20:22,454.8899592 --> 00:20:27,504.8899592 You called me?" Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 195 00:20:27,924.8879592 --> 00:20:36,494.8899592 So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if He calls you again, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'" 196 00:20:37,614.8859592 --> 00:20:47,994.8859592 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at other times, "Samuel, Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." 197 00:20:50,944.8909592 --> 00:20:59,94.8909592 So this little boy, Samuel, he didn't know the voice of the Lord yet, but God was even calling this little boy. 198 00:21:00,284.8909592 --> 00:21:08,84.8909592 Kids, if you think that you have to become an adult before God will call you and talk to you, you're mistaken. 199 00:21:08,234.8899592 --> 00:21:11,954.8909592 He wants to talk to anybody that will listen. 200 00:21:13,564.8899592 --> 00:21:17,874.8909592 It says in 1 Samuel 3, "The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. 201 00:21:18,34.8909592 --> 00:21:22,904.8899592 And in those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions." 202 00:21:23,934.8889592 --> 00:21:37,260.8909592 In other words, not many people were hearing from the Lord during this time that Samuel was serving inside the temple I think there's people that believe that about today. 203 00:21:38,70.8909592 --> 00:21:39,720.8909592 "Well, the Lord's really not speaking. 204 00:21:39,720.8909592 --> 00:21:41,350.8909592 There's not a whole lot of visions. 205 00:21:41,850.8909592 --> 00:21:44,380.8909592 God's really not talking to us today." 206 00:21:45,940.8899592 --> 00:21:47,910.8909592 But you know what? That's not what the Bible says. 207 00:21:48,510.8909592 --> 00:21:59,490.8909592 In Acts 2, says this: "In the last days," and we're living in the last days, God says, "I will pour out my Spirit on all people. 208 00:21:59,790.8909592 --> 00:22:07,800.8919592 Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams from me. 209 00:22:08,460.8889592 --> 00:22:15,750.8909592 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy." 210 00:22:18,792.8909592 --> 00:22:22,82.8909592 No, the word of the Lord is not rare today. 211 00:22:23,682.8909592 --> 00:22:28,612.8909592 We are living in the days that God is pouring out His Spirit on people. 212 00:22:28,742.8909592 --> 00:22:31,532.8909592 He wants to be accessible to people. 213 00:22:31,752.8909592 --> 00:22:39,762.8899592 He wants to not only hear our prayers, He wants to speak back to us in many and various ways. 214 00:22:41,22.8899592 --> 00:22:43,452.8909592 He wants us to learn how to prophesy. 215 00:22:43,452.8909592 --> 00:22:53,302.8899592 What does that mean? It means that God speaks to us, and then we say what God has said, and that is the prophesying. 216 00:22:53,752.8909592 --> 00:22:57,972.8919592 We take what God has said, and then we say it as well. 217 00:23:01,428.8909592 --> 00:23:03,758.8909592 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord. 218 00:23:03,768.8909592 --> 00:23:06,908.8909592 The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 219 00:23:07,188.8909592 --> 00:23:11,378.8909592 It's not saying there that Samuel didn't know who God was. 220 00:23:12,868.8909592 --> 00:23:14,518.8909592 He knew who God was. 221 00:23:15,578.8909592 --> 00:23:17,298.8909592 He just hadn't met Him yet. 222 00:23:18,308.8909592 --> 00:23:24,98.8899592 He just hadn't learned to discern His voice yet. 223 00:23:27,560.8909592 --> 00:23:43,630.8909592 I sometimes think about it as one of those old radios, you know, where you turn it on and all you get is static, right? Until you start turning the dial, and you turn it real slowly, and pretty soon that static becomes kind of broken words. 224 00:23:43,840.8909592 --> 00:23:52,990.8899592 But as you keep on turning it, you get to that place where all of a sudden you're hearing someone's voice or some song over the radio. 225 00:23:54,660.8899592 --> 00:23:59,730.8919592 Now, that song or that voice, that person on there, that's been going on forever. 226 00:24:00,770.8919592 --> 00:24:05,610.8899592 But it took us a little while to get to that place on the dial. 227 00:24:05,840.8909592 --> 00:24:18,100.8879592 And in the same way, we who know who the Lord is, it takes us a little time to tune in to His voice, but He is speaking. 228 00:24:19,280.8889592 --> 00:24:23,690.8879592 He's pouring out His Spirit in this day and age. 229 00:24:23,740.8879592 --> 00:24:33,280.8859592 So what does that look like? How can I tune my ears to hear His voice? Well, if you take a little bit of time each day. 230 00:24:33,680.8899592 --> 00:24:38,810.8879592 Maybe you read through the Bible, you read through your chapters in your two-year read-through. 231 00:24:39,180.8899592 --> 00:24:50,650.8899592 And then after that you say, "You know what? I'm gonna take 15 minutes to pray, to talk to the Lord, and then I'm gonna take a few minutes to listen to see if He has anything to say to me." 232 00:24:51,560.8879592 --> 00:24:59,740.8849592 And as you do that, what you're doing is you're tuning your ears to be able to discern what His voice sounds like. 233 00:25:01,350.8879592 --> 00:25:11,720.8879592 Or what you can also do is maybe once a quarter you take a full day to get away with the Lord and say, "Lord, I really want to hear your voice. 234 00:25:11,880.8869592 --> 00:25:16,850.8899592 If you are truly pouring out your Spirit on all people, I don't want to miss that." 235 00:25:18,906.8899592 --> 00:25:28,226.8899592 And so I wanna take a full day to seek you in your Word, to seek you in prayer, to learn how to hear your voice. 236 00:25:29,676.8899592 --> 00:25:34,676.8899592 I mentioned a few weeks ago that I try to do this about once a quarter, once a semester. 237 00:25:35,966.8899592 --> 00:25:41,86.8899592 I have never once walked away not having heard the Lord's voice. 238 00:25:42,226.8899592 --> 00:25:43,626.8899592 It's just nobody does it. 239 00:25:44,896.8899592 --> 00:25:50,986.8889592 But He's speaking, and He wants us to tune our ears to His voice. 240 00:25:51,926.8889592 --> 00:25:58,526.8889592 He promises us in Jeremiah 29, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 241 00:25:58,786.8889592 --> 00:26:02,426.8879592 I will be found by you," declares the Lord. 242 00:26:04,26.8869592 --> 00:26:12,316.8869592 So we have a King who is worthy of our praise, worthy of following Him because He's holy, because He's powerful. 243 00:26:12,316.8879592 --> 00:26:14,676.8879592 He's able to save us like nobody else. 244 00:26:15,286.8889592 --> 00:26:17,536.8879592 He's just in everything that He does. 245 00:26:17,846.8869592 --> 00:26:20,866.8879592 He's very accessible to us. 246 00:26:21,456.8879592 --> 00:26:26,896.8859592 And finally, number five, He is forgiving and gracious. 247 00:26:29,72.8899592 --> 00:26:50,542.8899592 In 1 Samuel 7 it says, "So Samuel said to all the Israelites, 'If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then rid yourself of all the foreign gods you've been worshiping, all the Ashtoreths, and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve Him only, and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.' 248 00:26:51,182.8889592 --> 00:26:56,742.8899592 So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths and served the Lord only. 249 00:26:57,262.8889592 --> 00:27:03,662.8879592 Then Samuel said, 'Assemble all Israel at Mizpah, and I will intercede with the Lord for you.' 250 00:27:04,452.8909592 --> 00:27:10,952.8899592 Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. 251 00:27:11,582.8879592 --> 00:27:17,92.8899592 He cried out to the Lord on Israel's behalf, and the Lord answered him." 252 00:27:18,552.8899592 --> 00:27:55,528.8889592 So we have all of these Israelite people that at the time had forgotten who God is, and they were worshiping other gods that were not gods at all But in spite of that, when they turned back to the Lord in repentance, and Samuel took that poor, innocent suckling lamb and slaughtered it on their behalf, through their repentance and through that sacrifice, God forgave them and was gracious to them and came to be their King once again. 253 00:28:00,826.8899592 --> 00:28:24,686.8889592 How about you and me? If we repent of our sins, if we turn back from all of those things that God has said not to do, do we too have a lamb that would be sacrificed for us so that all of our sins could be forgiven and we could have a fresh new start in our relationship with God? And you know where this is going. 254 00:28:26,616.8889592 --> 00:28:34,696.8899592 Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the whole world. 255 00:28:35,786.8899592 --> 00:28:52,416.8909592 2,000 years ago, God sent His own Son down here to this world to be the once for all sacrifice, the Lamb of God who would, through His suffering and death on that cross, take away the sins of the whole world. 256 00:28:53,676.8909592 --> 00:28:57,856.8879592 He would be a King that would wear a crown, but not a golden crown. 257 00:28:58,766.8869592 --> 00:29:06,676.8889592 He would wear a crown of thorns for you and for me, and then He would die on that cross and be buried. 258 00:29:08,416.8879592 --> 00:29:10,46.8919592 But He wouldn't stay in that grave. 259 00:29:10,466.8919592 --> 00:29:12,926.8849592 He would rise again three days later. 260 00:29:13,86.8869592 --> 00:29:25,526.8909592 He would ascend up into heaven where He has now taken His seat as the King over every king, the Lord over every lord, the King of the universe. 261 00:29:26,606.8909592 --> 00:29:46,26.8879592 And the Bible is crystal clear that very soon that King is coming back here, not as a king with a crown of thorns this time, but as a King with a crown of glory, and He's coming to make all things new, including you and me. 262 00:29:48,536.8899592 --> 00:29:51,406.8899592 Knowing that that is the King. 263 00:29:53,658.8899592 --> 00:30:02,736.8899592 How do we respond? We respond by bowing the knee to this King Jesus and saying, "Lord, I'm sorry. 264 00:30:03,916.8899592 --> 00:30:12,526.8889592 I've been worshiping other gods, things that I think that are going to make me happy, but you have told me they never could. 265 00:30:13,446.8889592 --> 00:30:21,330.8899592 I've tried to put myself on the throne, Lord I wanted to call the shots, but you're a better king than me. 266 00:30:22,890.8899592 --> 00:30:27,740.8899592 Lord, I'm sorry, and for the sake of Jesus, I ask you that you would forgive me." 267 00:30:28,840.8899592 --> 00:30:48,470.8889592 And when we do that, because of Jesus' sacrifice, over and over and over again, He shows himself to be a good King, a just King, a powerful King who is able to save, a good King, a gracious king, and a forgiving King. 268 00:30:49,220.8899592 --> 00:30:51,710.8879592 May we worship our King today and always. 269 00:30:51,750.8899592 --> 00:30:53,60.8889592 In Jesus' name, Amen. 270 00:30:56,342.5566259 --> 00:30:57,992.5566259 You've been listening to a sermon from St. 271 00:30:57,992.5566259 --> 00:31:00,72.5566259 John's Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Minnesota. 272 00:31:00,392.5566259 --> 00:31:02,192.5566259 If you would like more information about St. 273 00:31:02,192.5566259 --> 00:31:07,852.5566259 John's and any of our ministries to our community and beyond, you can go to our website, www. 274 00:31:07,942.5566259 --> 00:31:08,182.5566259 stjohnsbuffalo. 275 00:31:09,422.5556259 --> 00:31:09,752.5556259 org. 276 00:31:10,132.5556259 --> 00:31:11,422.5566259 Thank you and God bless you.
Popular Podcasts
Betrayal Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.