What is a Man After God's Heart?

Sunday, January 26, 2025

Scriptures: Matthew 1:1, 16:1-12

• Sermon Summary

  In the first message of our new series, Becoming King, Jeremy first talks about the time of the Judges, where God was seen as a liberator and protector. He then emphasizes that the way we speak about God is deeply contextual. The era of Judges was characterized by fear, instability and insecurity, all of that led the people to desire a king. Jeremy compared God’s warning about the nature of kings  with the danger of having or following spiritual leaders who demand control. True leadership is earned through love and influence. Jeremy wrapped up the message by a quick introduction of David, the overlooked shepherd boy chosen by God to be king. The title that is often misunderstood when applied to David - "a man after God's heart," refers to his divine selection, it is an idiom, a divinely bestowed title, not a reflection of David’s personal character, and a get-out-of-jail-free card.
  The main point of this sermon is that God is not primarily concerned with power and control, but with relationships. Even when the Israelites choose a king against God's wishes, God continues to be present and work through the situation. The story of David being chosen as king highlights that God looks at the heart, not outward appearances, and that leadership should be based on influence earned in love, not demanded power.

• Discussion Guide

  Community is shaped by the conversations we share. These questions and reflections are a tool to help you meaningfully engage with the themes of this week's teaching.

  Connect: Two options to start your conversation today. One is more personal while the other one is a little lighter.

  1. Take a minute to check in with yourself, and share where you carry a bit of heaviness or experience a sense of instability, either personally or when you look at the world around.
     [Later, we will talk about how in the moments of fear or instability people long for the clarity that comes with control. So if you think it works for your group, feel free to invite people to name some of those things that are on their minds.]

  2. David is kind of a big deal in the Bible. What have you heard of him and what are your baseline impressions of him?

  Share: When speaking about how God was conceptualized in different times of Israel’s history (e.g. in Exodus - liberator who stands against the powerful, in Joshua and Judges - protector who raises up warriors), Jeremy said that “the way we speak about God, even in scripture is, deeply contextual.”

  The Old Testament contains many different ways of thinking about God. Judaism as a religion is the product of wrestling with these different conceptualizations. Christians believe that Jesus ultimately reveals God to us. So, as Christians, we should approach the Old Testament stories with the intent to understand how they lead us to and are completed in Jesus, and not to remake Jesus in the image of an ancient warlord or ancient king.

  Now, lets see how these ideas are landing for you personally.
  Share about how you think your cultural background or upbringing has shaped or influenced your perspective on God? How has that changed when your context has changed?

  Reflect: on leadership, relationship and control.

  In his message, Jeremy made a point that Israel’s desire to have a king like all the other nations around them was not what God wanted for them. God warned them about what can happen if they go down that path.

  Quote from the sermon:

  “And it's intriguing to think about a God who warns us against something, encourages us to turn away, and yet not only allows us to go down dark paths, but sometimes even gives us what we want, in spite of ourselves…

  I think sometimes we too quickly imagine God as concerned with power and control.

  When the Divine is apparently more interested in relationship, even at the cost of disobedience…

  Now don't get me wrong—I think the Divine wants to save us from all the damage we do to ourselves, but, as a primary commitment, it seems to me that God will always be there to see the story through, with us, beside us, no matter what.

  And I take a lot of comfort in Israel’s choosing of a king, because it seems to say to me at least, that there is no path I can choose that will separate me from God's gaze.

  God is in it for the long haul — with me.”

  So, reflecting on the idea that God is more interested in relationship than control, even when we choose disobedience, how does this influence your understanding of God, or maybe even your understanding of love and grace?

  Where have you experienced this pull between God’s guidance and the freedom you have to choose for yourself?

  Engage: with the idea of what’s behind our desire for controlling leadership and where it can lead us.

  Jeremy mentioned that the political era of Kings in Israel begins during the time of instability, insecurity and fear. In those moments, people want someone to tell them what to do and what to think. There are implications of that for the political moment we’re in right now, but even if we steer away from that, it still holds true for our experience of church and community leadership.

  Jeremy said, ”I think we often reach a point where we throw up our hands in confusion and we turn to someone else to tell us what to think, or what to believe, how to language or make sense of our faith...And I don't think that's particularly healthy". The role of a pastor in shaping a community is to offer a well-researched, thought-through, considered perspective, but not be an autocrat. A leader shouldn’t think for you.

  Do you agree with this statement? Have you been in a situation where you wanted a pastor or a leader to give you more guidance?
  And what are the dangers of an autocratic pastoral leadership?
  
  How should a spiritual or a community or a political leader navigate this desire (which we all have in times of fear) for stability and clarity while also respecting people's freedom to think and choose and find their own path?

  Feel free to engage with the rest of Jeremy’s quote too:

  “The model of Christ is fundamentally different — it’s predicated on the idea that we are in this together. That the hand and the eye, the foot and the mouth, the nose and ears, that no one can say to another I don’t need you—We are all part of something together. And so whenever power is demanded - the antidote is influence earned in love.”

  Takeaway: Feel free to share one takeaway from the sermon or today’s conversation.

  Alternatively, take a quiet moment to think about where you need God’s guidance in your life at the moment and where you want to trust that God is with you for the long haul.

  Prayerfromthesermon:
  Gracious God
  For all of the relationships in our life
  For those with the depth and the intimacy we need
  to keep us pointed in the right direction
  For those that need our investment and attention before they wither
  For those that have hurt us intentionally or perhaps through neglect 

  We ask for your grace
  And your guidance
  Your wisdom as we navigate our interactions and
  our dependence on each other
  Help us to be as forgiving as we need for ourselves
  Help us to live at peace as far as it is up to us
  And encourage us to take courageous steps toward each other in pursuit of the friendships we so desperately need—

  And now as we turn our attention to ancient stories
  to the Hebrew Kings
  To the glorious heights
  and the tragic mistakes
  would we be prepared to listen and learn and watch
  for the ways in which Jesus is present to us even here
  in the strong name of the risen Christ we pray,
  Amen

• Service Songs & Prayers

  CALL TO WORSHIP Psalm 63

  MUSIC Curated by Curt Muller
  Cody Carnes - Firm Foundation
  Hillsong Worship - Forever Reign
  Hillsong Worship - Cornerstone
  Brooke Ligertwood - Holy Song

  PRAYER OF CONFESSION: WE ARE SORRY FOR THE WORLD WE MAKE
  Written by Bobbi Salkeld

  I’d like to invite you into a prayer of confession called “We are Sorry for the World We Make.” 

  Confessions are not easy prayers, but they do invite honesty. We will marry our confession with a desire for renewal.

  Let us pray. 

  [PRAYER]
  
  We are sorry for the ways we have worked against your creation, 

  Loving God. 

  We are sorry that we have worked against natural rhythms of work and rest, play and dormancy.
  We are sorry that we have been driven to consume and settle for convenience instead of care. 

  Jesus our friend, Spirit our guide— 
  Renew us with your life. 

  We are sorry for the ways we have denied liberation, 

  Loving God. 

  We are sorry that we have not cared for our neighbour or stranger with more curiosity and kindness. 

  We are sorry the world is so locked into fear and fuelled by distrust. 

  Jesus our friend, Spirit our guide—
  Renew us with your life. 

  We are sorry for the ways we have ignored holy moments, 

  Loving God. 

  We are sorry for our distraction and our numbness. 

  We are sorry when our worship is something we shape instead of an act that shapes us.

  Jesus our friend, Spirit our guide— 
  Renew us with your life. 

  We are sorry for the ways we are too stubborn to learn from our struggles, 

  Loving God. 

  We are sorry when we don’t own our part in what feels hard about our lives. 

  We are sorry we have fallen for the trap of hyper-individualism and denied our need to be vulnerable and stay close. 

  Jesus our friend, Spirit our guide — 
  Renew us with your life. 

  Finally, we are sorry for not imagining a better world made possible with you, 

  Loving God. 

  We are sorry we have frustrated patterns of renewal and endings that give way to beginnings. 

  We are sorry we have not stayed open to the hard work of healing.

  Jesus our friend, Spirit our guide — 
  Renew us with your life. 

  Amen.

  SERIES BUMPER
  Becoming King