1. Israel Wants to be like the Nations Around Them
Israel Wants A King
Israel Wants to be like the Nations Around Them

2. Israel Wants a King
1Sa 8:1 ¶ Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel.
2 The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba.
3 But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.
Samuel had the some of the same problems Eli had with his sons

3. Israel Wants a King
4 ¶ Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah,
5 and said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations."

4. Israel Wants a King
6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." So Samuel prayed to the LORD.
Samuel seems to have been offended by this.
He was their Judge and had been for a long time, but before he makes a hasty response he takes their request to God in prayer.

5. Israel Wants a King
This is a great example for us today. Samuel held his tongue until he talked to God.
We sometimes let our Tongue outrun Brain
We speak before we think
We react emotionally rather than logically

6. Israel Wants a King
Before we open our mouths in situations where we may be hurt, offended or even mad lets stop and consider how God would have us handle the situation.
Even go to God in prayer and seek guidance from His Word about how we should respond.

7. Israel Wants a King
Samuel takes their request to God and I think he may have been a little surprised at God’s Response
1Sa 8:7 And the LORD said to Samuel, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.

8. Israel Wants a King
8 "According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day-with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods-so they are doing to you also.
Let them have their King!

9. Israel Wants a King
This is not what God wanted for the Israelites. He was their King
God knew this day was coming even Moses prophesied about this.
De 17:14 ¶ "When you come to the land which the LORD your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, 'I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,‘

10. Israel Wants a King
God even give Moses instruction for their King in the next few verses.
Neither shall he multiply wives for himself
Nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself
He shall not multiply horses for himself

11. Israel Wants a King Does this remind us of one of the Kings of Israel?
It reminds me of Solomon
Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines
Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in wealth, all the drinking vessels in his house were of Gold none were made out of silver
40,000 stalls of horses

12. Israel Wants a King
Solomon although he was the wisest man on the face of the earth turned his back on God when he was old because he violated these laws.
1Ki 11:4 For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David.
Back to I Samuel Chapter 8

13. Israel Wants a King
1Sa 8:9 "Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them."
10 So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked him for a king.
11 And he said, "This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots.

14. Israel Wants a King
12 "He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.
13 "He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.

15. Israel Wants a King
14 "And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants.
15 "He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants.
16 "And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work.

16. Israel Wants a King
17 "He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants.
18 "And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day."
19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, "No, but we will have a king over us,

17. Israel Wants a King
In spite of all Samuel has told them they are determined to have a king
Why did they want a king?
20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.“
No sadder words have ever been spoken. We want to “be like all the nations”

18. Israel Wants a King
The Israelites were God’s People, His chosen people, a Special People
Le 26:12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.
De 7:6 "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.

19. Israel Wants a King
All the other nations should have wanted to be like the Israelites not the other way around
I think we can see this same problem today many times in individual Christians and with some Congregations of the Lord’s People.
We forget who we are

20. Israel Wants a King
As Individuals we look around us and see some of the things that our friends participate in that are sin and we want to participate in them too.
We don’t want to be different
We want to fit in.
This is especially true with young people.

21. Do We Want to be Like the Nations Around Us?
I remember Momma telling me, on many occasions, “remember who you are”
She didn’t mean, don’t forget your name or where you live or who your parents are
But to remember I am a Christian and a Christian is a special type of person

22. Do We Want to be Like the Nations Around Us?
Tit 2:11 ¶ For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

23. Do We Want to be Like the Nations Around Us?
14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
Christians are different from the rest of the world
Does the World see a difference in us?

24. Do We Want to be Like the Nations Around Us?
Lets not make the same mistake the Israelites made and want to be like the people around us.
Even congregations of the Lord’s people can have the same problem.

25. Do We Want to be Like the Nations Around Us?
We look at the Denominations around us and see.
Big beautiful buildings
Gymnasiums
Fellowship halls
Huge buses
Thousands of people
Basketball, Baseball & Soccer Leagues

26. Do We Want to be Like the Nations Around Us?
We see these things and others and may become a little jealous of the numbers they are attracting.
We might start thinking to ourselves
“They are attracting thousands of people”
“I wish we could do something like that”
“They just seem to have so much more to offer people”

27. Do We Want to be Like the Nations Around Us?
They have more to offer??
They may have many activities and attractions of a worldly nature, but
The Lord’s Church has the Gospel of Christ
The Gospel offers much more than fun and games!

28. Do We Want to be Like the Nations Around Us?
Ro 1:16 ¶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
Eph 1:13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

29. Do We Want to be Like the Nations Around Us?
Israel wanted to be like the nations around them.
Are we wanting to be like the denominations around us?
When we start thinking like this as we have forgotten “Who we are”
Just who are we?

30. Israel Wants to be like the Nations Around Them
Israel Wants A King
Israel Wants to be like the Nations Around Them

31. Do We Want to be Like the Nations Around Us?
1Pe 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Tit 2:14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

32. Who Are We?
Ro 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 ¶ and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

33. Who Are We?
Ga 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!"
7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

34. Who Are We?
Heirs of What?
1Pe 1:4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
Mt 25:34 "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35. Who Are We?
Not only are Christians the Children of God and Heirs of God but we are special in other ways as well
1Co 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

36. Who Are We? Washed: Baptism in water that puts us into Christ
Ro 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Sanctified: Set apart made Holy. Done by the truth
Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

37. Who Are We? Justified: Greek: To render just or innocent
Ga 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
But not by “Faith Alone” as so many would have us believe

38. Who Are We?
Jas 2:22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?
23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God.
24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

39. Why Would Christians want to be like anyone else?
We are:
Children of God
Heirs of God
A Chosen Generation
A Royal Priesthood
A Special People
A Holy Nation
Washed
Sanctified
Justified

40. Do We Want to be Like the Nations Around Us?
Some Denominations will say “we are those things too”
Is it possible to have many different churches made up of those we just described? No!
Paul tells us the body of Christ is the Church
Col 1:18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

41. Do We Want to be Like the Nations Around Us?
Paul also tells the Corinthians there is “One Body” therefore One Church
1Co 12:12 ¶ For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

42. Do We Want to be Like the Nations Around Us?
Those who teach, “one church is as good as another” or “attend the church of your choice”, Will many times tell us the members of Christ Body are different churches
This is not the case. The members are individual Christians who make up the Body of Christ
Listen to who Paul tells these Corinthian Christians the members of the Body are.

43. Do We Want to be Like the Nations Around Us?
1Co 12:27 ¶ Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.
These were different individual Christians with different abilities that make up the Body of Christ

44. Do We Want to be Like the Nations Around Us?
Paul tells the Ephesian Christians there is one body (Church)
Eph 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

45. Do We Want to be Like the Nations Around Us?
When we start looking at the “Nations” around us we need to ask ourselves “why would we want to be like those who are not part of that:
“One Body”
“The one Church”
That just doesn’t make sense!

46. Who is the Body of Christ?
You may ask “How do we know which church is the one Body of Christ”
This is a very good question
Many sermons could be taught on just this one subject
Lets just look at a few ways to identify it

47. Who is the Body of Christ?
It’s head is Christ
Col 1:18 And He is the head of the body, the church
The Body does what the head tells it to.
Col 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,

48. Who is the Body of Christ?
It was founded about AD on the day of Pentecost
Anything founded after that is not the Lord’s Body
It has a scriptural name
Ro 16:16 …. The churches of Christ greet you.
1Co 11:16 ….nor do the churches of God.
Heb 12:23 …church of the firstborn …
Any church not willing to carry the name Christ has given to His church is not the Lord’s Body

49. Who is the Body of Christ?
It has a scriptural government
Christ is its Head
Elders over individual congregations
Ac 14:23 So when they had appointed elders in every church…
These Elders were limited to the local congregation
1Pe 5:2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you

50. Who is the Body of Christ?
If a church has any form of government other than Christ as it head and Elders over individual congregations its not the Lord’s Body
No New Testament Church ever had one Elder or Pastor
If a local congregation has only one Pastor it is not the Lord’s Body

51. Who is the Body of Christ?
It meets on the first day of the week to partake of the “Lords Supper” and Give
Ac 20:7 ¶ Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.

52. Who is the Body of Christ?
1Co 16:2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.
There is no record of Christians doing this on any other day of the week therefore we only have the authority to do it on Sunday
If a church does these things on any other day of the week then they are not the one body described in the New Testament

53. Conclusion Let’s not be like Israel
Trying to be like the denominations around us will only lead to our eternal destruction
As Christians we need to remember “who we are”
A Chosen People, A Royal Preisthood, A Special People
And remember the benefits that come from being a Child of God