Faith Baptist Church
08/10/25 Worship Service

      • Psalms 23.1-3ESV

      • Psalms 23.4-5ESV

      • Psalms 23.6ESV

  • All I Need
  • Jesus, Shepherd
  • The King of Love My Shepherd Is
  • Jesus Is All The World To Me

      • Lamentations 3.20-24ESV

      • Lamentations 3.25-26ESV

  • This morning I want to begin my message by talking about cancel culture. What is cancel culture?
    I asked AI that question and here is the answer it gave me:
    Cancel culture is a social phenomenon where a person, organization, or brand is boycotted, shunned, or publicly criticized—often on social media—because they are perceived to have done or said something offensive, unethical, or harmful.
    Here’s the basic breakdown:
    Trigger Event – Someone makes a statement, takes an action, or has past behavior revealed that others find objectionable.
    Public Reaction – The issue spreads online (often through platforms like Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok), leading to widespread discussion and condemnation.
    Call to “Cancel” – People advocate withdrawing support—this could mean unfollowing them, not buying their products, asking employers to sever ties, or removing them from public platforms.
    Consequences – Depending on the situation, the “canceled” party might lose sponsorships, jobs, speaking opportunities, or public standing.
    Pastor Jon, why are you talking about cancel culture?
    Because in our text this morning I want to deliver one primary point: God never cancels His people.
    This is what I want to demonstrate from the text this morning. Let’s review the preceding events of the narrative.
    Last week, in I Samuel 8, we discovered what we could call the “Trigger event.” What was the trigger event from chapter 8?
    1 Samuel 8:7 ESV
    7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.
    What is our normal response when someone has rejected us? We cancel them. We withdraw our support, we unfollow them, we boycott them, we sever ties with them.
    That is not the way God responded to His people. And it is not the way God’s responds to us. God’s people rejected Him and instead of canceling them, God treated them with faithfulness.
    When Israel acted like an adulterer God responded in faithfulness.
    When Christians reject God, He never cancels them, instead He responds with faithfulness.
    How do we see the faithfulness of God?
    I think we see the faithfulness of God in three actions:

    I. God’s Sending (9:1-26)

    If we were to think about this narrative as a play, we could ask the question, “Who is the main character?”
    There are many characters in this narrative, Samuel, Saul, servants, prophets, a group of young women, and in the end the entire nation of Israel. Yet, the main character in this narrative is God. He is the one doing. He is the one performing the critical actions. And it is in these actions that we see God’s faithfulness.
    Chapters 9 & 10 are an expansion of this verse:
    1 Samuel 8:22 “22 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.””
    In our text we find the details of Samuel making the nation of Israel a king.

    A. The King’s Introduction (1-2)

    1 Samuel 9:1–2 ESV
    1 There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. 2 And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.
    Humanly speaking this is exactly the man Israel wanted as a king. Tall, handsome, in the prime of his life, strong… What kind of king did Israel want? A king like all the nations! And that is exactly what God gave them.

    B. Saul’s Task (3-4)

    1 Samuel 9:3–4 ESV
    3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.” 4 And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them.
    How is Saul pictured in these two verses? As an inept shepherd. Later on in the book of Samuel we will meet a good shepherd, but a good shepherd Saul was not!
    The donkeys go missing.
    Saul needed a servant to go with him and help him.
    They fail in their task of locating the lost donkeys.

    C. Their Solution (5-10)

    1 Samuel 9:5–10 ESV
    5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, let us go back, lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us.” 6 But he said to him, “Behold, there is a man of God in this city, and he is a man who is held in honor; all that he says comes true. So now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us the way we should go.” 7 Then Saul said to his servant, “But if we go, what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?” 8 The servant answered Saul again, “Here, I have with me a quarter of a shekel of silver, and I will give it to the man of God to tell us our way.” 9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, “Come, let us go to the seer,” for today’s “prophet” was formerly called a seer.) 10 And Saul said to his servant, “Well said; come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.
    Again we see some troubling information about Saul:
    Saul is profoundly ignorant of Samuel.
    1 Samuel 3:20 ESV
    20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord.
    1 Samuel 4:1 ESV
    1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.
    Samuel lived nearby. All Israel knew that he was a prophet, even Saul’s lowly servant. Yet Saul is ignorant.
    2. Saul failed to consider seeking divine help for his problem.
    Saul’s solution was to give up and go home before his father started to worry. It was Saul’s servant who suggested the idea of going to the Lord for help.
    3. Saul assumed that the Lord’s help had to be bought.
    1 Samuel 9:7 ESV
    7 Then Saul said to his servant, “But if we go, what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?”
    Already in the narrative we get the sense that Saul being king is not going to go well.

    D. Good Timing (11-14)

    1 Samuel 9:11–14 ESV
    11 As they went up the hill to the city, they met young women coming out to draw water and said to them, “Is the seer here?” 12 They answered, “He is; behold, he is just ahead of you. Hurry. He has come just now to the city, because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place. 13 As soon as you enter the city you will find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat till he comes, since he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now go up, for you will meet him immediately.” 14 So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place.

    E. God’s Faithfulness (15-16)

    1 Samuel 9:15–16 ESV
    15 Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: 16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.”
    Now there are a few remarkable things about God in v. 16 that we need to pause and examine every sparkling faucet like a brilliant diamond.
    1 Samuel 9:16 ESV
    16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.”
    What is captivating about God’s statement to Samuel? “I will send to you...”
    Think about the series of dreadfully boring and human events that put Saul in front of Samuel.
    Some donkeys broke out of their pen and wandered off. Saul goes on a multi-day journey crisscrossing the wilderness— He went from the hill country of Ephraim over to the land of Shalishah over to the land of Shaalim over to the land of Benjamin over to the land of Zuph and finally to the city where Samuel just happened to be. And they entered the city at the exact moment that Samuel was on his way to the evening sacrifice.
    And yet God can say, “Samuel, tomorrow about this time I am going to send you a man from the land of Benjamin...”
    Friends, what do we call this? Providence!
    What is providence?
    Providence is not the same as miraculous. Sometimes, God works miraculously. Parting the Red Sea- that is a miracle. God overtly intervenes in the normal order of His creation. Providence is God’s covert activity in orchestrating the affairs of people and history.
    God tells Samuel, “I’m going to send you a man from the land of Benjamin.”
    Saul asks God, “how are you going to do that?”
    God responds, “I’m going to make sure some donkeys break out of their pen.”
    That’s providence. And our God is truly amazing! His providential rule of all creation sparkles like a radiant mutifaceted diamond. His providence is worthy of a prolonged stare!
    There is a second remarkable truth about God in this verse that deserves our admiration.
    1 Samuel 9:16 ESV
    16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.”
    Three times in v. 16 and once more in v. 17 God calls Israel, “my people.” Why is this worthy of our adoration?
    What did Israel just do to God? If we use cancel culture language, what was the trigger event?
    1 Samuel 8:7 ESV
    7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.
    Last week we spend significant time thinking about what that kind of reject felt like. Do you remember the analogy that we used? Israel rejecting God as king was like an adulterous woman rejecting her husband. Or like an adulterous husband rejecting his wife.
    What kind of reaction does the world expect when your spouse cheats on you?
    Call to “Cancel” – People advocate withdrawing support—this could mean unfollowing them, not buying their products, asking employers to sever ties, or removing them from public platforms.
    If that is true for cancel culture, how much more strong does the world reject the cheating spouse?
    Israel has just rejected the Lord as being King over them. How does God respond?
    First of all, God takes supernatural action to grant Israel’s desire for a king. God sent Saul to Samuel.
    “God we don’t want you, we want a king. And God says ok let me guide you through that process!”
    Second, after all of that God still says this about Israel, “my people.” They are my people!
    Last week we read Hosea 2 in order to feel the rejection God felt from His people. Now let’s read Hosea 3 so we can feel the overwhelming faithfulness of God!
    Hosea 3:1–3 ESV
    1 And the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. 3 And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.”
    This is God’s faithfulness! Israel rejected God, and God responds with faithfulness!
    1 Samuel 9:16 ESV
    16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.”
    This is who God is- rejected yet faithful!
    Why?
    Deuteronomy 7:6 ESV
    6 “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
    Isaiah 43:1 ESV
    1 But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
    Isaiah 49:15–16 ESV
    15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. 16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.
    Friends this is the God of the Bible! He is a god full of mercy, full of faithfulness, full of redemption.
    Pastor Jon, why does this matter for me?
    It matters because thousands of years later after the events of I Samuel- God sent his Son Jesus Christ to this earth. And Jesus came with a message for you and for me.
    John 6:37 ESV
    37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
    In the same way that God said to the nation of Israel, you are my people. Today, He is speaking to you. And God wants you to know… whoever comes to Jesus, He will never cast out.
    Friends, it doesn’t matter if you have rejected God in the past, if you will come to Jesus, if you will turn from your sin and turn towards Christ- God will say of you, you are my people, I will never cast you out.
    This was the mission of Jesus. This is why God sent him to the earth.
    John 6:38–40 ESV
    38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
    Christian, you might be sitting here this morning thinking- how could God ever want me after how I have treated him. That is a very human way of thinking. That kind of thinking is from our sin natures. You will never hear God saying things like that about believers.
    Instead you hear this,
    Philippians 1:6 ESV
    6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
    2 Timothy 1:12 ESV
    12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.
    God will never cast you out. Jesus will never cast you out. You are His! He will bring your salvation to completion all the way to the end- to the day of Jesus Christ. Be convinced! God is able to guard your salvation until that day—all the way to the end. God speaks to you Christian and says, “my people.”
    I love this quote by Spurgeon,
    If ever it should come to pass
    That sheep of Christ could fall away,
    My fickle, feeble soul, alas,
    Would fall a thousand times a day.
    Rejoice, friends we serve a God who is faithful!
    The nation of Israel rejected Him and yet God remained faithful.
    1 Samuel 9:16 ESV
    16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.”
    Friend, are you one of God’s people? Have you turned to Him yet? Have you put your trust in his offer of salvation? Have you found his forgiveness and mercy in the gift of His Son Jesus? Can God say of you, your my people?
    Christian, be encouraged!
    John 6:37 “37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”
    No matter how seriously you may have wandered from the Lord, he will never cast you out. He is waiting with open arms. You are His! Will you return to Him today? Will you humble yourself, confess your sin? Will you restore your fellowship? Remember, God says to you, your my people.

    II. God’s Anointing (9:27-10:16)

    III. God’s Choosing (10:17-27)

      • 1 Samuel 8:7ESV

      • 1 Samuel 3:20ESV

      • 1 Samuel 4:1ESV

      • 1 Samuel 9:7ESV

      • 1 Samuel 9:16ESV

      • 1 Samuel 9:16ESV

      • Hosea 3:1–3ESV

      • 1 Samuel 9:16ESV

      • Deuteronomy 7:6ESV

      • Isaiah 43:1ESV

      • Isaiah 49:15–16ESV

      • John 6:37ESV

      • John 6:38–40ESV

      • Philippians 1:6ESV

      • 2 Timothy 1:12ESV

      • 1 Samuel 9:16ESV

  • Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Faith Baptist Church
faith@fbcocon.org
262-567-0040
http://www.fbcocon.org
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