1 Samuel 12

FINISHING WITH STYLE

CONTEXT (11:15, 12:1-2)
1. They were having a great celebration to confirm Saul as King
2. For every new beginning, there is a closing
3. In this case, it was the closing of the judges and Samuels leadership
4. He took this occasion to give his farewell address

6 C’s to Closing with Class….

1. Character is key (3-5)
a. Make sure you’ve righted all your wrongs
b. In Samuel’s case, his integrity was obvious
c. Without integrity, people aren’t interested in listening
d. Example: Bill Clinton, Rush Limbaugh
e. It’s even more true of spiritual leaders
f. One of the hardest truths in life is that once you’ve compromised your character there is no way to make things perfect again
g. People call in to talk shows and ask how they can make their kids perfectly happy after a divorce, how they can make their spouse perfectly trust them after adultery. It can’t be done.
h. If you’re not living a life of integrity now, you won’t have the privilege to close with class later.

2. Cite the past (6-12)
a. Every time the Lord has been the answer, so get your act together!
b. We cried in Egypt, He sent an answer, we forgot
c. We cried at being conquered, He sent an answer, we forgot
d. And now we’re asking to be more like other nations and less like His people, we want a king

3. Caution the people about the present (12-15)
a. Asking for a king was a bad thing
b. You had a king: God
c. The judges were doing their job w/o taking from you (compare 8:11-18 with 12:3-4)
d. But God can work in this bad situation. He’ll continue to bless if we fear him.

4. Cast vision for the future (20-25)
a. Continue to serve the Lord
b. Stay away from idolatry
c. Keep looking back
d. Consider yourself warned

5. Continue to pray (19, 23)
a. It would be a sin to stop praying for them
b. The people were conveying a sense of urgency ‘so that we will not die’
c. The people were admitting their error, ‘we have added to all our other sins’
d. If you no longer have the strength to be a warrior in battle, be a prayer warrior. That’s where the battle really is.

6. Confirm your words and actions (16-18)
a. Your life shouldn’t be judged based on how it measures up with others, it should be judged by how it measures up with God’s will and word.
b. Samuel’s words were confirmed by thunder and rain in dry season.
c. Our words can be confirmed by God’s Word, God’s blessing, God’s Holy Spirit.