GS052 · 1997
Who knows best?
God gives us rules and warnings for our own good. If we ignore them, we have to face the consequences, ...but he still stays with us to help us make the best out of a bad situation.
- Bible
- 1 Samuel 8.4-22
- Preached at
- Binley, Allesley Park and Whoberley
- Kind
- Full script, Service · All Age
- Themes
- ten commandments, rules, human weakness
- Resources
- Acetate: ACET 01 - 004 - The LORD Calls Samuel; Activity: SALT 97C - 003 - A leader listens to his people; Sermon: SALT 97C - 003 - A leader listens to his people; Sermon: Running order
(1Sam. 8.4-22)
Welcome
How many were here last time?
Who here for the first time?
Notices
- Children not to leave until people come over from communion (10 min after service)
- Toys in committee room
- Put away chairs
- Open Door - Get sheets from Judy
Welcome to baptism families
PLEASE STAND
Sheet - 'We prepare'
We call this service 'Parish Praise'...
Junior choir will sing verse 3 on their own
Song - Praise my soul the king of heave
PLEASE SIT TO PRAY
"Well our feeble frame he knows"...
Sheet - 'We confess'
Absolution
May God who loved the world so much
that he sent his Son to be our Saviour
forgive us our sins
and make us holy to serve him in the world,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Collect
Almighty God,
you see that we have no power of ourselves
to help ourselves,
Keep us both outwardly in our bodies
and inwardly in our souls,
that we may be defended from all adversities
which may happen to the body,
and from all evil thoughts
which may assault and hurt the soul;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Having prepared ourselves for worship, confessed our sins, and received assurance of God's forgiveness, we've now reached the heart of our service when we listen to God's word.
In our next song we thank Jesus for the way he loves us and wants to feed us through his word.
PLEASE REMAIN SEATED
Junior choir will sing first verse on their own, then we'll all join in starting again from the beginning.
Song - There's a quiet understanding
Talk 1 - Warnings we've not headed
This week we're thinking about who knows best.
Have you noticed how many things today come with warnings printed on them.
Show some items and ask people what sort of warnings they come with. ...and what are the consequences of ignoring them.
- A packet of sausages
- A packet of cigarettes
- An electric kettle
- An kitchen timer
Tell the story of Christopher 'swallowing' the battery from a kitchen timer.
God has given us rules and warnings FOR OUR OWN GOOD. People sometimes think that God's given us rules simply to spoil our enjoyment.
I've mentioned before the story of the young boy who was ever so disappointed when they first discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls. "Oh no!", he said, "I hope they don't contain any more commandments."
But that's sometimes how people see them, ...rules which stop us enjoying ourselves.
But the truth is that God's rules are there to help us to enjoy ourselves, and to live life to the full. God has given us rules and warnings FOR OUR OWN GOOD: ...and if we ignore them, ...then like the warnings elsewhere in life (show the timer), we have to face the consequences.
At Spring Harvest this year we were thinking about the 10 Commandments, ...and one of the speakers summed it up very well. He said,
"Don't think of God as a hard taskmaster, or a kill-joy, who says "Thou shalt not steal", or "Thou shalt not covet". ...but rather as a loving Father, who knows what's best for us, and who says "Don't steal, and don't get obsessed with what others have got, ...because if you do, you'll never be content with what you have got, and will always feel dissatisfied with life".
That's the tone with which God gives us his rules and warnings.
BUT... What happens if we take no notice of God's warnings?
Will he force us to do what he wants?
Or does he wash his hands of us? And say to us, "Well if you wont listen to me, I want nothing to do with you". Is that what God does?
Well that's what I want us to think about this morning.
OHP of child Samuel
Now children, who can remember the name of the person in the Bible who we were looking at last week? (Samuel)
In the story last week Samuel was just a young boy, ...but in the story today he was an old man, he'd had children of his own, ...and they were now grown up.
OHP of adult Samuel
Now in those days the people of Israel didn't have a king. ...because they said that God was their king. They had leaders, (like Moses, and Joshua, and Gideon and Samson, and Samuel). But they didn't have a king. ...and some of the people decided that they would like one.
Ask for 3 adult volunteers
I'm not going to ask you to do anything embarrassing, but I want the sort of people who enjoy jury service, who are good at listening, and weighing up the arguments.
These are the elders of Israel, ...don't they look wise people?
Give elders voting cards, and say that I'll explain what they're for later.
Now lets pretend that you are all the people of Israel. Most of you want a king, ...but some of you don't.
Ask one group to think of some reasons why they want a king, ...and the other group to think of reasons why not.
Ask children for two reasons, then elders vote on it.
Now ask adults for additional reason, then take
final vote.
Ask elders to sit down.
Well in our Bible reading we will find what really happened. And I'd especially like the children to see if they can hear the main reasons why the elders decided to have a king or not.
Reading - 1Sam. 8 v 4-10,19-22
Talk 2 - Mixed motives
OHP of faces
Did any of the children hear why? (To be like the other nations).
How do you think Samuel felt when the elders asked for a king? (upset)
How do you think God felt? (sad)
Yes but more than that, because God also knew that a king was NOT the best thing for the people. He knew all the problems that a king would bring.
And so God told Samuel to warn the people.
He said, a king will take your sons and force them to serve in his army. He will take your daughters and force them to serve in his palace. A king will take your best fields for himself, ...and you'll have to pay heavy taxes.
But the people refused to listen to Samuel and said "No!" We do want a king over us!"
And I find it fascinating to see how God reacted to this.
Did God force his will upon the people. Did he say to the people "I don't care what you want, ...a king's not good for you, so you can't have one."
NO!
God said to Samuel, "If that's what they want, give them a king"
I find that amazing, ...God is the creator of the whole universe, ...he has the power to do anything, ...yet he doesn't impose his will upon us. He has given us the gift of free-will, and lets us decide for ourselves what we will do.
He gives us the best rules for living, he warns us of the consequences of ignoring them, ...but then gives us a free hand to make our own decisions.
OHP
CS Lewis wrote:
"There are only two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Your will be done", and those to whom God says in the end, "Your will be done". All that are in hell chose it.
(The Great Divorce)
It's a sobering thought. God let them have a king, and everything went from bad to worse. Within three reigns there was open civil war within Israel.
But that's not the end of the story.
Having allowed his people to chose a king, did God then wash his hands of them? Did God then say, "Have it your own way, but from now on I want nothing to do with you".
NO!
God still loved them just as much, and was determined to stay with them to help them make the best out of the wrong decision.
God helped Samuel to find a king. ...And that's great news for us too.
For there are times when we all get it wrong. But God goes on loving us, and wants to help us make the best out of a bad job. If we ignore God's rules we still have to face the consequences, ...
- if you eat mouldy sausages you may still be ill,
- if you overfill a kettle you may still get scalded,
- if you let a toddler play with a kitchen timer you may still have to go to casually,
- and if you disobey God's rules we still have to face the consequences.
But God never turns his back on us, ...he continues to love us, ...he is always willing to forgive us, ...and to help us make the best out the situation we then find ourselves in.
PLEASE STAND
Response - Who knows best
Next song will be a new one for many people.
Verse 3, let us serve God together, him obey,
let our lives show his goodness through each day.
Song - Let us praise God together
Next song reminds us that God is our king.
We'll sing it as a 2 part round.
- King of Kings
Sheet - 'A statement of our belief'
Brian and Pat will now lead us in our prayers.
PLEASE SIT TO PRAY
Prayers
Sheet - 'The Lord's Prayer'
God is our king, but he's a very special kind of king. When he came to live among us, he didn't come to be served, but to serve.
Our God is a servant king.
This is our offertory hymn.
PLEASE STAND
Song - The Servant King
Sheet - 'God sends us out'
Other versions
Graeme often reworked a sermon for a different church or occasion. These are the other copies he kept.
GS052A (Microsoft Works)
Who knows best?
(1Sam. 8.4-22)
Talk 1 - Warnings we've not headed
This week we're thinking about who knows best.
Have you noticed how many things today come with warnings printed on them.
Show some items and ask people what sort of warnings they come with. ...and what are the consequences of ignoring them.
- A packet of sausages
- A packet of cigarettes
- An electric kettle
- An kitchen timer
Tell the story of Christopher 'swallowing' the battery from a kitchen timer.
God has given us rules and warnings FOR OUR OWN GOOD. People sometimes think that God's given us rules simply to spoil our enjoyment.
You may have heard the story of the young boy who was ever so disappointed when they first discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls. "Oh no!", he said, "I hope they don't contain any more commandments."
But that's sometimes how people see them, ...rules which stop us enjoying ourselves.
But the truth is that God's rules are there to help us to enjoy ourselves, and to live life to the full. God has given us rules and warnings FOR OUR OWN GOOD: ...and if we ignore them, ...then like the warnings elsewhere in life (show the timer), we have to face the consequences.
But how well do we know the ten commandments? We're going to have a little quiz now to see how many of them we can actually remember.
Quiz: Boys v. Girls (Men and Women), reveal the answers as we go. Beavers and Rainbows to hold up number cards of the ones teams get right.
1. Have no other Gods before me
2. Don't make yourself an idol
3. Don't misuse God's name
4. Keep the Sabbath day holy
5. Honour your father and mother
6. Do not murder
7. Do not commit adultery
8. Do not steal
9. Do not lie
10. Do not covet things
This Summer in Coventry there'll be the opportunity to find out more about the Ten Commandments. Starting in May there will be a series of talks at the cathederal on Tuesday evenings, focussing each week on one of the commandments. The speaker is a man called J.John and he's very entertaining to listen to. It will give people an opportunity to find out what the commandments are really all about, and why God made them - not to stop us having fun, but to help us enjoy life to the full. I heard one speaker sum it up very well when he said,
"Don't think of God as a hard taskmaster, or a kill-joy, who says "Thou shalt not steal", or "Thou shalt not covet". ...but rather as a loving Father, who knows what's best for us, and who says "Don't steal, and don't get obsessed with what others have got, ...because if you do, you'll never be content with what you have got, and will always feel dissatisfied with life".
That's the tone with which God gives us his rules and warnings.
What about these as some alternative titles for the ten commandments?
I want you to go back in your imagination now to Israel 3 000 years ago. That's a thousand years before Jesus was born.
Now in those days the people of Israel didn't have a king. ...because they said that God was their king. They had leaders, (you may have heard of people like Moses, and Joshua, and Gideon and Samson, and Samuel). But they didn't have a king. ...and some of the people decided that they would like one.
Ask for 3 adult volunteers
I'm not going to ask you to do anything embarrassing, but I want the sort of people who enjoy jury service, who are good at listening, and weighing up the arguments.
These are the elders of Israel, ...don't they look wise people?
Give elders voting cards, and say that I'll explain what they're for later.
Now lets pretend that you are all the people of Israel. Most of you want a king, ...but some of you don't.
Ask one group to think of some reasons why they want a king, ...and the other group to think of reasons why not.
Ask children for two reasons, then elders vote on it.
Now ask adults for additional reason, then take
final vote.
Ask elders to sit down.
Well in our Bible reading we will find what really happened. And I'd especially like the children to see if they can hear the main reasons why the elders decided to have a king or not.
Reading - 1Sam. 8 v 4-10,19-22
Talk 2 - Mixed motives
Did any of the children hear why? (To be like the other nations).
How do you think Samuel felt when the elders asked for a king? (upset)
How do you think God felt? (sad)
Yes but more than that, because God also knew that a king was NOT the best thing for the people. He knew all the problems that a king would bring.
And so God told Samuel to warn the people.
He said, a king will take your sons and force them to serve in his army. He will take your daughters and force them to serve in his palace. A king will take your best fields for himself, ...and you'll have to pay heavy taxes.
But the people refused to listen to Samuel and said "No!" We do want a king over us!"
And I find it fascinating to see how God reacted to this.
Did God force his will upon the people. Did he say to the people "I don't care what you want, ...a king's not good for you, so you can't have one."
NO!
God said to Samuel, "If that's what they want, give them a king"
I find that amazing, ...God is the creator of the whole universe, ...he has the power to do anything, ...yet he doesn't impose his will upon us. He has given us the gift of free-will, and lets us decide for ourselves what we will do.
He gives us the best rules for living, he warns us of the consequences of ignoring them, ...but then gives us a free hand to make our own decisions.
OHP
CS Lewis wrote:
"There are only two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Your will be done", and those to whom God says in the end, "Your will be done".
(The Great Divorce)
But they then have to face the consequences.
It's a sobering thought. God let them have a king, and everything went from bad to worse. Within three reigns there was open civil war within Israel.
But that's not the end of the story.
Having allowed his people to chose a king, did God then wash his hands of them? Did God then say, "Have it your own way, but from now on I want nothing to do with you".
NO!
God still loved them just as much, and was determined to stay with them to help them make the best out of the wrong decision.
God helped Samuel to find a king. ...And that's great news for us too.
For there are times when we all get it wrong. But God goes on loving us, and wants to help us make the best out of a bad job. If we ignore God's rules we still have to face the consequences, ...
- if you eat mouldy sausages you may still be ill,
- if you overfill a kettle you may still get scalded,
- if you let a toddler play with a kitchen timer you may still have to go to casualty,
- and if you disobey God's rules we still have to face the consequences.
But God never turns his back on us, ...he continues to love us, ...he is always willing to forgive us, ...and to help us make the best out the situation we then find ourselves in.
In our prayers today, let us try to set aside our own agendas and seek God's will for the church and for the world.
We pray for all who are seeking God, and ask that here at St Christopher's and at Whoberley we will be able to help them. We ask you to give us opportunities to share God's love with others.
Silence
Lord in your mercy
hear our prayer
We pray for all who fight against evil
and work for goodness, truth and justice,
both those who make the world news
and those whose battles are known only to God.
We pray for the people of Mozambique, and ask you to move people throughout the world to give them all the help they need.
We pray for our own country and its leaders,
that this nation may seek God.
Silence
Lord in your mercy
hear our prayer
We pray that wealth and comfort may not divert us from searching to find out what you want for us;
that we may hear God's challenging and gladly respond to him;
that our homes and communities may sparkle with God's glory.
And we pray for all who work with children in our community and particularly for our uniformed groups, that you will bless them in their work, and help them to nurture the children in their care.
Silence
Lord in your mercy
hear our prayer
We pray for all who are ill or worried or grieving at this time.
In particular we pray for Chris Sowter, .........
We pray for your comfort and healing to all in times of trouble.
Silence
Lord in your mercy
hear our prayer
With thankfulness wer remember the times when God has rescued and forgiven us, leading us deeper into his love.
Merciful Father
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.