1 00:00:01,600 --> 00:00:03,800 You're listening to the Bridgetown Church Podcast with 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,840 Pastor Casey Kendall, where our vision is Jesus, our mission is 3 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:09,760 people, and our cause is love. Thanks for tuning in. 4 00:00:10,040 --> 00:00:13,440 Let's dive in. First Samuel chapter 28, great 5 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:16,079 to see all of you in the front row that normally aren't there. 6 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:20,160 Just want to say welcome to you and thank you for being here 7 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:24,600 this morning and First Samuel chapter 28 We had an amazing 8 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:28,400 time on Friday night at the Glendora Holiday Stroll. 9 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:31,440 We strolled around with the gospel of Jesus Christ. 10 00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:35,880 I think we've talked to over 200 people with the gospel and about 11 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:37,840 the gospel. We got to pray over people. 12 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:40,560 I know Dave was telling me stories of praying for healing 13 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:42,440 with some ladies that had cancer. 14 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:45,400 And man, it was such a sweet night. 15 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:47,720 And thank you for being involved with that. 16 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:49,560 Make sure that you guys come to our parade. 17 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:52,040 We're going to be passing out more Flyers, more candy. 18 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:54,480 I know some of you've been coming up to me wondering like 19 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:58,800 on the flyer it looks like it's 25, but it's actually 23 and 20 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:01,560 that that's. So just know that on the flyer, 21 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:04,800 it's December 23rd. We're meeting for Christmas and 22 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:10,680 so with all that being said, just to clarify that as we reach 23 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:14,200 out to people, invite your friends and family members to 24 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:17,080 this will be in first Samuel chapter 28 today. 25 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:20,160 If you have your Bible handy, and if you would follow along 26 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:25,440 with me in verse 6. And when Saul inquired of the 27 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:31,680 Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim 28 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:35,280 or by the prophets. And then Saul said to his 29 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:41,840 servant, Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her 30 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:45,280 and inquire of her. And his servant said to him, in 31 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:49,040 fact, there is a woman who is a medium at Endor. 32 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:52,080 This is not Star Wars. This is actually from the 33 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:55,560 Scripture and the title of the message. 34 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:58,040 If you have a neighbor sitting next to you, just say neighbor. 35 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:01,440 My neighbor. Call on me brother. 36 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:05,560 Yep, just say call on me brother or call on your brother. 37 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:08,120 I don't know if you remember that song. 38 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:15,840 Just call on me, brother, when you need a hand. 39 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:26,040 We all need somebody to lean on. I just might have a problem that 40 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:33,520 you'd understand. We all need somebody to lean on. 41 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:35,560 Lean on me. You remember that song, Some of 42 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:37,120 you don't. You're like, where's that coming 43 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:38,240 from? Pastor Casey? 44 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:41,200 You were a little bit younger in age. 45 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:44,360 I, I know the song, but I didn't know the story of the song. 46 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:49,520 Written and released by Paul Withers in 1972. 47 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:55,280 Any 70s babies out there? All right, A few of us are still 48 00:02:55,280 --> 00:03:01,320 left in the, the, the crowd. I I as it was recorded on the 49 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:05,680 radio and as it was being sung, I I was reading the story behind 50 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:09,120 this song and why Bill Withers actually wrote it. 51 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:12,720 He says that the story behind the message and the meaning of 52 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:15,960 the song, however, comes from the Deep South, he writes. 53 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:19,280 Withers said in this interview that he was driving through 54 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:23,920 rural Alabama in a car with tread worn tires when one of the 55 00:03:23,920 --> 00:03:27,840 tires blew. He was in the middle of nowhere 56 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:30,720 and he didn't have a spare. And as he was sitting there 57 00:03:30,920 --> 00:03:34,680 stranded in the state where George Wallace was governor, Jim 58 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:39,040 Crow laws and the attitudes were rooted still and civil rights 59 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:43,120 clashes were increasing in urgency and in violence. 60 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:47,400 He saw a large white man approaching him on the dusty Rd. 61 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:51,880 The man look like someone right out of the movie Deliverance. 62 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:57,280 Naturally, Bill felt uneasy as the man lumbered toward him 63 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:00,840 closer and closer. And when he finally arrived, the 64 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:05,520 conversation was brief as the man surveyed the situation. 65 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:09,680 And then he said he would be right back without explanation. 66 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:13,800 Bill Withers didn't know the man's intentions or what to 67 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:17,480 expect next. He could do little but wait for 68 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:19,600 the man's return. What could he do? 69 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:22,079 He was stuck. He was helpless. 70 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:26,240 After an anxious time, he saw the man trudging back over the 71 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:29,440 hill, and in his arms he was carrying a tire. 72 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:33,400 The man helped the singer put the tire on his car. 73 00:04:33,840 --> 00:04:37,200 Few words were spoken, but the words weren't necessary. 74 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:41,920 The generosity and kindness of a strange man in the middle of 75 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:44,360 nowhere. And Alabama said it all. 76 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:48,960 An act of love and kindness can make a lifetime of difference. 77 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:55,280 This experience inspired Bill Withers to pin these legendary 78 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:59,200 words. Just call on me, brother, when 79 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:04,560 you need a hand. In this moment, I think that the 80 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:10,760 issue that we're in is not necessarily are we asking for 81 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:16,880 help, but what I want to get to is the means in which we seek 82 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:23,240 the help that is given. Because sometimes we are asking 83 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:29,760 for help that eventually hurts us and we can find ourselves in 84 00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:35,400 a place where we run and we think that we'll be happy if we 85 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:39,040 hurry along. We think often times that the 86 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:44,240 answer to our questions is going to be found in the anxiety that 87 00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:47,160 we have. We often think that we're going 88 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:52,400 to work it out with all of this worry and what you are seeking 89 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:56,840 to lean on won't last long in your life. 90 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:02,360 And I think many times what happens is, is the panic begins 91 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:07,560 to escalate in our own hearts. And we think that through the 92 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:14,120 panic we can produce a pathway to our own peace, but only to 93 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:19,640 find that if we seek it that way, that we find a heavy price 94 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:22,880 is to pay. I think many times we can find 95 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:27,520 help in people, but also I think there's many times when we're 96 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:33,600 calling on the wrong person or the wrong thing while we're 97 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:37,160 waiting for the right answer. I don't know if you've ever 98 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:39,480 found yourself there where you've been in a place of 99 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:44,400 waiting and it seems as if you're not hearing anything just 100 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:48,640 yet from the Lord, and so you're calling on different things in 101 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:55,360 your life to bring you an answer that only God can bring you in 102 00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:58,920 this moment. I think all throughout Scripture 103 00:06:59,280 --> 00:07:02,920 people have done this. They've chosen their own pathway 104 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:05,960 to peace. Eve did this with the fruit when 105 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:09,720 she picked up the tree and she bit into that fruit that God 106 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:14,200 said not to eat of. Moses did this in his anger when 107 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:19,400 he struck the rock because he wanted to bring the thirst of 108 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:24,880 the Israelites to a halt. We find that Jonah did this when 109 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:28,160 he in his stubbornness, he ran from the Lord. 110 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:32,080 Peter did this even with his own courage when he told the Lord 111 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:35,520 that he would not deny him. And in this chapter that we're 112 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:40,480 going to look at today, Saul does this when he doesn't have 113 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:45,720 an answer. He calls on the wrong person to 114 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:50,120 bring him direction. Did you see this is the moment 115 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:53,840 that we looked at last week where we remember that David had 116 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:58,160 made his way to the Philistines. Now David not only made his way 117 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:01,680 to the Philistines, but now David would be fighting with the 118 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:04,880 Philistines against the Israelites. 119 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:09,880 So all excuse me, all of the army of the Philistines is 120 00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:14,160 surrounding the Israelites and they find themselves at a spot 121 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:20,520 in a time where Saul the Bible says in verse 5, he was greatly 122 00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:24,480 afraid and his heart trembled greatly. 123 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:28,760 Now normally what happens in life is this is that when we 124 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:34,080 become greatly afraid and our heart is troubled within us, we 125 00:08:34,159 --> 00:08:37,320 we begin to live like Mark Batterson once said. 126 00:08:37,559 --> 00:08:43,320 He said when we take things into our own hands, we will always 127 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:49,160 take God out of the equation. One author put it this way, 128 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:55,920 Jesus never said take control, but he did say take heart. 129 00:08:56,760 --> 00:09:00,880 Solomon put it this way, trust in the Lord with all of your 130 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:03,880 heart. Lean not on your own 131 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:06,920 understanding in all of your ways. 132 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:13,920 Acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight. 133 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:17,320 I believe as we acknowledge the Lord that He directs, He 134 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:21,240 protects, and He provides and He guides in the path that we're 135 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:23,960 called to. But maybe for some of you today, 136 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:27,200 you've been going through a situation in your life that you 137 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:31,160 find yourself a lot like Saul. You find yourself waiting for an 138 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:36,320 answer from God, but you are looking for that answer in all 139 00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:38,880 the wrong places. Can I just walk you through the 140 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:42,240 process of how this oftentimes happens? 141 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:46,440 Can I just walk you through the process of how this oftentimes 142 00:09:46,440 --> 00:09:49,480 happens? It begins with silence. 143 00:09:49,480 --> 00:09:52,280 If you're taking note, it begins with silence. 144 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:55,560 Just put a number one and the word silence right next to it. 145 00:09:55,920 --> 00:09:59,320 It begins with silence. We we find ourselves a lot like 146 00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:04,080 Saul in verse 6. When Saul inquired of the Lord, 147 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:09,160 notice this, the Lord did not answer him. 148 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:12,360 Now what I want you to do is circle the name Saul in your 149 00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:15,840 Bible. The name Saul there means to ask 150 00:10:15,920 --> 00:10:20,120 for the nation of Israel. It's exactly what they're asking 151 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:23,920 for now. The one who was asked for now 152 00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:29,600 inquires of the Lord. If you're taking note, if you 153 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:35,120 would the the word there inquire means to beg someone for 154 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:38,760 counsel. So Saul is coming to the Lord, 155 00:10:38,760 --> 00:10:43,120 he's begging the Lord Yahweh, the one who has absolute 156 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:46,080 authority, the one who has supreme strength and complete 157 00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:51,000 control. And notice the Lord did not 158 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:54,240 answer him. No, no, no. 159 00:10:54,240 --> 00:11:01,680 Notice this, this word answer literally means to respond. 160 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:06,280 Now notice the Lord did not answer or respond then the Urim. 161 00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:09,840 They would use stones to highlight the will of God. 162 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:12,600 That didn't direct Saul in that moment. 163 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:18,480 And the prophets had no direct word for Saul in this moment. 164 00:11:18,480 --> 00:11:26,920 It was as if the situation was a cloudy issue in Saul's life. 165 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:29,920 But I want to submit this to you this morning, if I may. 166 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:34,800 Don't seek the hidden things in the will of God if you're first 167 00:11:34,800 --> 00:11:38,440 not willing to obey the revealed things in the will of God. 168 00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:42,640 Some of us are asking God to reveal things in our lives. 169 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:45,120 Should we go to this college? Should we? 170 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:48,680 Should we take this job? But we're not even willing to 171 00:11:48,680 --> 00:11:52,120 obey the will of God That's already in the Word of God. 172 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:58,200 How can we expect God to answer us a lot like Saul, if we're 173 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:02,560 unwilling to take what God has already said through the voice 174 00:12:02,560 --> 00:12:08,840 of the prophet and obey fully what He has given to us? 175 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:11,560 That the Lord did not respond in dreams. 176 00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:14,320 He didn't respond in the Urim, which would be with the high 177 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:18,680 priest, and he didn't respond through the prophets. 178 00:12:18,680 --> 00:12:27,000 Sometimes in our lives, it's as if heaven seems silent to his 179 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:33,280 Saints on earth. Sometimes it feels as if your 180 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:37,680 prayers are hitting the ceiling and they're bouncing right back 181 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:43,840 at you and this is what happens. I think a lot like the King Saul 182 00:12:44,040 --> 00:12:54,160 is, is we seek to escape and things that are unrighteous and 183 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:58,520 that which will bring an immediate answer to our lives. 184 00:12:58,520 --> 00:13:02,440 Did you see it just starts by silence, But I want you to write 185 00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:05,120 this down. If you take note, God's silence 186 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:10,160 doesn't equal his absence. God is still on the throne. 187 00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:12,680 God is still ruling. He's still reigning. 188 00:13:12,920 --> 00:13:16,480 Here is the issue. The issue is often times because 189 00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:22,920 we cannot see Him or we cannot fully view what He is doing, we 190 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:28,080 begin to seek the control of what we think will best work in 191 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:30,760 the moment. Do you see there are moments 192 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:35,520 where earth feels like it's chaotic this morning and heaven 193 00:13:35,520 --> 00:13:39,680 seems silent? And it's in these we can catch 194 00:13:39,680 --> 00:13:44,240 ourselves running into the future where fear is the main 195 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:48,960 focus and our impending doom. And then we try to make choices 196 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:53,000 that would steer us away from the future because we're 197 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:57,680 obsessing about the future. We don't even live in the 198 00:13:57,680 --> 00:14:03,480 present moment of today, but we cannot control tomorrow. 199 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:08,920 All we can control is the moment that we're in today. 200 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:14,360 And the silence for Saul was a result of his sin. 201 00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:18,640 But that's not always the case throughout Scripture. 202 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:24,240 Sometimes God seems silent, not because your sin, but because of 203 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:30,440 the storm and the struggle. And sometimes in this moment we 204 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:34,920 have to pay attention to what God has said. 205 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:37,600 I don't know if you've ever been to the Midwest, but in the 206 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:42,400 Midwest they send out these sirens when the sky begins to 207 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:47,240 get a little bit black, grey. There's certain moments when we 208 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:51,120 were in Missouri with our friends years ago and we were 209 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:55,640 speaking at a camp there and my wife was with the other wife, 210 00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:59,400 the pastor's wife, and, and they were on the dock, the kids were 211 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:02,760 swimming. And then all of the sudden she 212 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:10,200 said the wife said, we need to go and we need to go now. 213 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:14,040 We're from California. We're like, we've been through 214 00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:17,760 earthquakes and she's all, no, we need to go now. 215 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:22,720 And I think there's moments where God is saying this is the 216 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:29,160 time now and we delay in our obedience to the Lord because we 217 00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:33,000 think that our timeline is better than the Lord's timeline. 218 00:15:33,160 --> 00:15:36,320 But here's what Saul would realize in his life. 219 00:15:36,320 --> 00:15:40,080 Is it delayed obedience is disobedience to God. 220 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:44,800 The silence came because he was willingly sinning against God. 221 00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:48,720 But maybe for you, it's coming because of the storm that you're 222 00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:53,280 in and the struggle that you're battling, and you just feel like 223 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:55,760 it is silence. Silent. 224 00:15:56,120 --> 00:16:00,240 Can I just give you some things to hold on to in this moment 225 00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:05,360 where it just feels silent? The back row, OK, anybody in the 226 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:07,560 front row would receive this this morning. 227 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:09,680 Listen, here we go. You ready? 228 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:13,240 If you feel like heaven is silent, here's what I want you 229 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:15,720 to realize. God does not always reveal his 230 00:16:15,720 --> 00:16:18,120 plan. He reveals himself. 231 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:23,800 God does not always reveal the plan, but He does reveal 232 00:16:23,800 --> 00:16:27,040 Himself. Can you write this down if 233 00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:30,000 you're taking note today? And that is this. 234 00:16:30,320 --> 00:16:40,600 Except mystery without anxiety. Except the mystery without the 235 00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:45,080 anxiety. So we're going to understand 236 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:47,480 that God doesn't always reveal His plan, but He does reveal 237 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:50,720 Himself. We're going to accept mystery 238 00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:54,520 that we don't have all the answers in the moment, but we 239 00:16:54,520 --> 00:17:00,000 are going to understand that we could do this waiting without 240 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:03,680 anxiety. Notice what else? 241 00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:07,920 If you would trust in the dark what God has spoken to you in 242 00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:12,480 the light. So trust in the darkness what 243 00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:15,560 God has already spoken to you in the light. 244 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:21,400 This will help you take the word of God and apply it to the way 245 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:24,599 of God. That will keep you from worrying 246 00:17:24,599 --> 00:17:28,880 about if God's really in it. OK, we're not. 247 00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:31,440 We're a little tired. We haven't even had Turkey this 248 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:33,400 morning. That this is silence. 249 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:37,520 Silence has filled the air. In the silence, the process goes 250 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:41,240 down till we begin to settle. We begin to settle because it's 251 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:43,360 silent. We begin to settle. 252 00:17:43,360 --> 00:17:46,240 Now notice what happens with Saul, The Bible says. 253 00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:49,400 Then Saul said to his servants, find me a woman. 254 00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:53,280 Find me a woman who is a medium. Now. 255 00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:55,640 Now, if you could just write this down somewhere. 256 00:17:56,080 --> 00:17:59,680 Stop settling for a medium when God wants to give you a large 257 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:02,320 look at this. Look at this. 258 00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:05,080 This is so important. Did you guys get that? 259 00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:11,800 OK that I may go to her and inquire of her now. 260 00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:15,080 A medium with someone who would do seances. 261 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:21,240 A seance they say is someone who can bring up the dead. 262 00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:26,960 Seances are demonic. Tarot cards are demonic. 263 00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:31,840 Ouija boards are demonic. You should not be fooling around 264 00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:35,120 with that stuff as a Christian. You shouldn't be going to your 265 00:18:35,120 --> 00:18:38,680 friends and putting your hand on the thing saying OK direct me to 266 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:40,760 this answer that that is demonic. 267 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:44,520 You are entering into a realm as a Christian that you should not 268 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:48,320 enter into. Demons are real, angels are 269 00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:55,480 real, Satan is real, God is real, Heaven is real, Hell is 270 00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:59,280 real, and there are demonic forces that are seeking to 271 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:06,400 emulate what God does. God directs, God brings the 272 00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:09,920 answer. But now Saul is seeking a woman 273 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:16,200 who is a medium and he says, I want to go to her and inquire of 274 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:18,120 her. And a servant said to him, in 275 00:19:18,120 --> 00:19:22,280 fact there is a woman who is a medium at endor No, notice what 276 00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:29,200 happens. He settles for AI when God is 277 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:36,360 given his image, He settles for that which would bring the 278 00:19:36,360 --> 00:19:41,760 immediate answer. It is the quick way to get it. 279 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:46,480 And and in this time it's interesting. 280 00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:51,040 Saul in previous chapters and verses has cast out all the 281 00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:56,560 mediums, but now in the moment of his trial, he's asking for 282 00:19:56,560 --> 00:19:59,960 one. You see what happens, what 283 00:19:59,960 --> 00:20:07,120 happens is this often times in our hearts and in our lives is 284 00:20:07,120 --> 00:20:10,760 we go back to what is familiar rather than that which is free. 285 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:18,200 We go back to that which is familiar rather than that which 286 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:21,600 is free. So you're single in here. 287 00:20:22,760 --> 00:20:26,920 And you're thinking to yourself, well, I know what I actually, I 288 00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:30,360 need to do. I actually, I need to find a 289 00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:32,360 boyfriend. I need to find a girlfriend. 290 00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:36,240 Now I'm new in Jesus. I'm following Jesus, I'm born 291 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:37,760 again. I'm filled with the Spirit of 292 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:39,640 God. I have the fruit of the Spirit, 293 00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:42,720 I have the gifts of the Spirit. And this is what happens. 294 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:46,840 We've looked and looked and looked and looked and because we 295 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:51,880 can't find that girl or that guy now, we go back to Tinder. 296 00:20:55,800 --> 00:21:01,960 You go back to Hinge, you go back to the club, you're like 30 297 00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:03,160 something. You're still dropping it like 298 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:07,280 it's hot. It's like, come on, We go back 299 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:11,200 to the drug. That would calm our hearts down. 300 00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:16,320 This is what I hear from Christians a lot. 301 00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:21,880 Well, I got to have that drink to actually calm me down. 302 00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:30,280 It's interesting. When it comes to the things that 303 00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:35,560 are familiar to us, we often choose what's familiar rather 304 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:42,320 than what is freeing us because we go back to old ways of 305 00:21:42,320 --> 00:21:46,480 escaping the experience that we find ourselves in. 306 00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:51,840 And we settle. We settle for what we call in 307 00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:55,000 our lives, a liberty. But it doesn't bring any freedom 308 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:59,160 at all to you. It actually still binds you to 309 00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:03,960 the one thing that you feel like you're depending on over and 310 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:06,840 over again. We go back to these old pathways 311 00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:12,240 to bring new peace and it just doesn't work in our lives. 312 00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:17,440 And so we have the silence and then we begin to settle in our 313 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:22,920 lives and in the is settling. The emphasis is on escaping 314 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:26,280 rather than entering into what is true. 315 00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:30,480 And so this is what we often will do. 316 00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:37,040 We are looking for comfort and we find ourselves in a comfort 317 00:22:37,040 --> 00:22:39,720 trap. And if it doesn't happen this 318 00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:43,320 quick for us, a lot like Saul, we're going to the medium to 319 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:47,600 find the answer. Now we're not, I don't think you 320 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:51,920 are going to mediums right now. But let me ask you a question. 321 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:59,000 If we were to leave that blank, find a woman who is a what do 322 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:04,440 you go back to to find some source of peace in your life and 323 00:23:04,440 --> 00:23:10,080 in your heart? Listen please, if you would. 324 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:14,640 We find ourselves in this comfort trap and we settle for 325 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:22,360 cheap, quick comfort that doesn't last long. 326 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:29,960 Can you write this down that what's familiar is not better, 327 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:32,200 it often times becomes a barrier. 328 00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:37,640 What's familiar is not better. It often becomes a barrier 329 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:41,800 between you and God. And this is what happens is that 330 00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:47,200 God's best always requires movement into his presence. 331 00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:51,600 And that becomes something in my life that becomes uncomfortable. 332 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:56,080 Now, if you're in a play, a place where you're waiting for 333 00:23:56,080 --> 00:24:00,080 something to happen and you have silence and you feel like you're 334 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:03,680 settling, can I just remind you and encourage you today that the 335 00:24:03,680 --> 00:24:05,480 love of God wants what's best for you. 336 00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:08,720 The love of God wants what's best for you. 337 00:24:08,720 --> 00:24:13,520 Praise God, you didn't get that girl if you saw her 30 years 338 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:16,800 from now, praise God. You didn't get that guy if you 339 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:19,640 knew who he was 30 years from now, God's actually protecting 340 00:24:19,640 --> 00:24:21,920 you. Praise God. 341 00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:26,240 You didn't get that job. Praise God, you didn't go in 342 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:29,480 that direction. God is actually protecting you. 343 00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:32,080 Can you write this down that the wisdom of God knows what's best 344 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:35,320 for you? If the love of God wants what's 345 00:24:35,320 --> 00:24:37,800 best for you, the wisdom of God knows what's best for you. 346 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:40,840 And write this down. The power of God will accomplish 347 00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:44,400 what's best for you. This is true of your life. 348 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:49,120 It's true of Saul's life. I love what AW Tozer once said. 349 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:53,280 He said outside of the will of God, there's nothing I want. 350 00:24:54,240 --> 00:24:59,640 Inside the will of God, there's nothing I fear, there's silence. 351 00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:04,000 Then we begin to settle in our lives and then we begin to seek 352 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:06,640 notice. Notice this about Saul, if you 353 00:25:06,640 --> 00:25:10,000 would follow the story, Saul disguised himself and put on 354 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:13,600 other clothes. So he comes into church like or 355 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:18,480 he comes into the medium like. We come into church, we disguise 356 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:22,800 ourselves. We're not real, not really 357 00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:24,240 hurting. I'm not really broken. 358 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:26,360 I'm not. We cover. 359 00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:30,800 He put on other clothes and he went and two men with him and 360 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:34,320 they came to the woman by night and he said please conduct A 361 00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:39,920 seance for me. Chosen by God, empowered by God, 362 00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:43,440 anointed by God. Now he says, can you do a seance 363 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:49,560 for me? We're one step away from evil, 364 00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:53,520 and bring up for me the one I shall name to you. 365 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:56,600 Then the woman said to him, Look, you know what Saul has 366 00:25:56,600 --> 00:25:59,800 done, how he has cut off the mediums, and the Spirit is from 367 00:25:59,800 --> 00:26:02,440 the land. Why then do you lay a snare for 368 00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:05,720 my life to cause me to die? And Saul swore to her by the 369 00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:08,600 Lord, saying, As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon 370 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:11,280 you for this thing. And then the woman said, Whom 371 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:15,080 shall I bring up for you? And he said, Bring up Samuel. 372 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:19,200 Samuel was his mentor. Samuel anointed him. 373 00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:21,320 Samuel was called by God to choose him. 374 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:27,600 I want that guy back in my life. The woman saw Samuel and she 375 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:31,040 cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul 376 00:26:31,040 --> 00:26:32,440 saying, why have you deceived me? 377 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:36,240 For you are Saul. Interesting. 378 00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:45,640 That woman who is calling up demonic forces calls Saul out 379 00:26:46,120 --> 00:26:51,440 and Saul doesn't call her out. And the king said to her, do not 380 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:54,440 be afraid, what did you see? And the woman said to Saul, I 381 00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:57,280 saw a spirit ascending out of the earth. 382 00:26:57,280 --> 00:26:59,840 And so he said to her, what is his form? 383 00:26:59,880 --> 00:27:03,760 And he said, an old man is coming up and he is covered with 384 00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:09,800 a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was 385 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:13,240 Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and he bowed 386 00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:17,600 down. Now what Saul does is he has 387 00:27:17,600 --> 00:27:19,880 silence. They're settling now. 388 00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:23,880 He's beginning to seek the answer himself, seeking the 389 00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:27,200 answer himself. He begins to in this moment, he 390 00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:31,560 disguises himself. He gives this woman an empty 391 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:37,280 promise, and then they bring back the dead and he's left 392 00:27:37,360 --> 00:27:39,800 distressed. Now think of this. 393 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:43,480 There are different commentators that say different things about 394 00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:46,600 this portion of Scripture. Some people say that this was a 395 00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:49,120 demon. Some people actually say this 396 00:27:49,120 --> 00:27:53,680 was Samuel. Whatever it is, it's demonic. 397 00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:58,800 It's demonic. And Saul begins to seek this out 398 00:27:58,800 --> 00:28:01,440 in his own way with his own answer. 399 00:28:01,440 --> 00:28:03,480 And this is what happens in verse 15. 400 00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:06,160 Now Samuel said to Saul, why have you disturbed me by 401 00:28:06,160 --> 00:28:08,680 bringing me up? And Saul answered, I'm deeply 402 00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:12,400 distressed, for the Philistines make war against me, and God has 403 00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:15,920 departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by 404 00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:19,960 prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you that 405 00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:23,840 you may reveal to me what I should do. 406 00:28:24,160 --> 00:28:29,000 And then Samuel said, Why then do you ask me, seeing the Lord 407 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:32,720 has departed from you and has become your enemy, and the Lord 408 00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:36,360 has done for himself as he spoke by me? 409 00:28:36,360 --> 00:28:39,240 For the Lord has torn the Kingdom out of your hand and 410 00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:42,560 given it to your neighbor, namely David. 411 00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:48,280 So whether this is Samuel or not, it is either a great 412 00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:57,120 imitation or the Lord again speaks through Samuel even 413 00:28:57,280 --> 00:29:04,400 though he is dead on earth. Wild story. 414 00:29:04,800 --> 00:29:10,520 Saul disobeys God's law, he's desperate in fear, he rejects 415 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:16,280 God's will, and he seeks to use God and not really live for God. 416 00:29:17,520 --> 00:29:21,200 And I think sometimes in our lives, when we feel like we're 417 00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:25,640 waiting for something to happen, at some point, the silence leads 418 00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:31,080 to settling and the settling leads to seeking things in our 419 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:35,960 own way, and we begin to use God instead of living for God. 420 00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:38,280 And this is what ultimately happens in your life. 421 00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:42,080 You lose all of the strength of your life. 422 00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:47,080 And he says this in verse 19. Moreover, the Lord will also 423 00:29:47,080 --> 00:29:50,880 deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. 424 00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:54,640 And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, and the Lord 425 00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:57,560 will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the 426 00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:00,480 Philistines. Then immediately Saul fell full 427 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:05,200 length on the ground and was dreadfully afraid because the 428 00:30:05,200 --> 00:30:08,480 words of Samuel, and there was no strength in him, for he had 429 00:30:08,480 --> 00:30:11,160 eaten no food all day or all night. 430 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:15,240 And the woman came to saw, and saw that he was severely 431 00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:19,320 troubled, and said to him, Look, your maidservant has obeyed your 432 00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:22,600 voice, and I've put my life in my hands and heeded the words 433 00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:26,160 which you spoke to me. Now therefore, please heed also 434 00:30:26,160 --> 00:30:29,960 the voice of your maidservant, and let me set a piece of bread 435 00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:33,920 before you notice Saul cannot even get up. 436 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:40,720 He's on the ground laying down. And the medium comes to Saul and 437 00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:48,120 says, here is some bread. She begins to feed him. 438 00:30:48,720 --> 00:30:51,840 But he refused in verse 23 and said, I will not eat. 439 00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:56,160 But his servants together with a woman urged him, and he heeded 440 00:30:56,160 --> 00:30:58,120 their voice. So he arose from the ground and 441 00:30:58,120 --> 00:31:01,840 sat on the bed. Now the woman had a fatted calf 442 00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:05,400 in the house, and she hastened to kill it, And she took flour 443 00:31:05,400 --> 00:31:07,640 and eated it, and baked unleavened bread from it. 444 00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:10,680 And so she brought it before Saul and his servants, and they 445 00:31:10,680 --> 00:31:14,880 ate, and they arose and went away that night. 446 00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:18,680 Not only does Saul seek it in his own answers, but he has no 447 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:22,360 strength, and he sits at the enemy's table. 448 00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:30,320 I wonder this morning who you might be calling on in the 449 00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:37,880 moment that you are in. And here's what I want to ask 450 00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:41,440 you as you as we close and wrap this up together as the worship 451 00:31:41,440 --> 00:31:47,760 team comes up and that is this. I want you to answer some 452 00:31:47,760 --> 00:31:53,920 questions and the questions you're not going to answer out 453 00:31:53,920 --> 00:31:56,000 loud. I don't want you to. 454 00:31:56,000 --> 00:31:59,040 You don't have to in your circle at this Friendsgiving, go. 455 00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:01,520 Hey, Pastor Casey asked this question. 456 00:32:01,520 --> 00:32:04,760 I want to tell you my answer unless you really want to. 457 00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:10,960 No pressure. How long have you been waiting 458 00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:16,360 for God to answer that prayer? How long have you been waiting 459 00:32:16,360 --> 00:32:21,480 for God to answer that prayer? How long have you been waiting 460 00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:25,160 for God to answer that prayer? Second, a question that I want 461 00:32:25,160 --> 00:32:31,040 to pose to you today and that is this not just how long do you 462 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:35,520 believe that God can answer that prayer in His timing? 463 00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:44,000 3rd question, you ready? Third question, Where do you 464 00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:51,920 find your peace while you wait? Where do you find your peace 465 00:32:51,920 --> 00:32:57,920 while you wait? Where do you find your peace 466 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:06,080 while you wait? Last question, Are you willing 467 00:33:06,560 --> 00:33:13,840 to wait God's way? Are you willing to wait God's 468 00:33:13,840 --> 00:33:15,640 way? Here's waiting. 469 00:33:16,280 --> 00:33:19,920 Waiting on God is not laziness, G Campbell Morgan wrote. 470 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:24,480 Waiting on God is not the abandonment of effort. 471 00:33:25,360 --> 00:33:28,600 Waiting on God is, G Campbell Morgan wrote. 472 00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:33,880 Activity under command. He goes on to say that waiting 473 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:38,240 on God is the ability to do nothing until the command is 474 00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:43,920 given. And in that God will always 475 00:33:43,920 --> 00:33:47,160 provide a way. And I just want to challenge and 476 00:33:47,160 --> 00:33:51,520 encourage you today that in that way, maybe you've been waiting 477 00:33:51,520 --> 00:33:55,920 for this to happen at some time that heaven feels silent, that 478 00:33:55,920 --> 00:33:59,360 you've begin to settle, you've begin to seek things in your own 479 00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:01,800 way, and you've lost strength. Let's just come back to the 480 00:34:01,800 --> 00:34:04,840 Lord. Let's just ask Him to strengthen 481 00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:09,719 us for what is ahead and what He desires to do. 482 00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:13,239 We hope you enjoyed this message and we'd love for you to join us 483 00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:15,400 in person every Sunday at 10:30 AM. 484 00:34:15,840 --> 00:34:17,800 For more information and updates, visit 485 00:34:17,800 --> 00:34:20,480 wearebridgetown.com. Thanks for tuning in and we'll 486 00:34:20,480 --> 00:34:21,280 see you next week.