Potential: Being All God Wants You to Be!
Part I

I Samuel 9:1-2

We are in the midst of one of the greatest spiritual awakenings the world has ever seen. Now with that being said let me explain what I mean by spiritual here. We are seeing today one of the greatest moves of people that are look-ing beyond themselves and beyond other people for meaning and significance. People are searching for spiritual answers today in a way that may not have ever been seen before.

People are looking for spiritual answers, unfortunately most people are turning to the wrong source(s). They are finding spirituality, but they aren’t find The Way, The Truth and The Life.

The church has been given a great opportunity . . . a great potential to be part of one of the largest harvests that has ever been. But the question is what are we going to do with that potential.

This church has been given a great potential to reach out to a lost and dying world that is literally just a door away from you. Whether you live in a metropolis or if you are living in rural America, we see people every day that are hurting and need on an answer — The Answer.

Not only does the church as a whole have great potential, but each one of us individually has great potential.

There is a great opportunity to reach a lost and dying world. But with great potential comes great responsibility. And just because we have potential, does not mean we will be successful.

So each of us has to answer the question what are we going to do with the potential that God has given us. And individual congregations have to answer the question what are we going to do with the potential God has given us as a church.

Now this man Saul probably had more potential than any one human in the Old Testament. He was like the George Washington of his country. He was the first king of Israel.

But the question is did Saul turn that potential into success and that remains to be seen. This is just part I of a two-part teaching so I encourage you to get the second part of the teaching. And we are going to look and see if Saul turned his potential into success or not.

Now what’s happening is around 1600 BC God has led the Children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage through Moses and Moses has taken the Israelites right to promise land at the Jordan River, but for a variety of reasons Moses was not allowed to take them into the promise land.

His disciple/apprentice/mentoree Joshua did lead them across the Jordan and into the promise land. And the Book of Joshua tells of the Israeli conquest of the promise land. They crossed the Jordan and started setting up their king-dom. The problem is they never completed the process. This is all happening around 1600 BC.

What they did was leave pockets of people scattered throughout the land and these people are worshipping pagan gods. This included homosexuality, beastiality, human sacrifice and cannibalism. And what happened is since these pockets of people were left they started to influence and mix in with the children of Israel.

Then what you have is about a 500-year period known as the judges. And during this period of judges there is a loose-knit confederacy of 12 tribes that were basically equal the Bible says that each man did what was right according to his own eye.

Basically what this means is that no one is in charge. The hope was that God was in charge, but many times the people turned away from God and then from time to time the people would get desperate and fall on their knees and call on God and He would send a judge like Samson, Gideon or Deborah just to name a few.

The judges would rally the tribes together, get them pointed back toward God and all would be well for a while and then they would fall back into the trap of the pagan gods. And so you would have this vicious cycle that would go on until around 1100 BC.

And around 1100 BC you have the last of the judges named Samuel. Samuel is doing a relatively good job. But what happens is the people come to him and they say we want a king. We want to be like the other people around here. We don’t want to be a loose-knit confederacy we want a king.

So Samuel turns to God and says what do I do. And God says give them a king. And so God leads Samuel to this man named Saul from the tribe of Benjamin to be the first king of Israel.

So what is it that God gave Saul as his package of potential just like He has given to each of us. Now not everyone has the same package of potential as we’ll see here in a moment. But each of us does have a packet of potential that God has given to us to work through us.

Let’s take a look at what God gave Saul in verse two of the text it says that Saul was a choice and handsome man. So what does that mean? We all know that when you are handsome or pretty that it opens doors for you.

I mean stuff happens for you that just doesn’t happen for the rest of us. The reason I know that is because I’m not one of them. I wasn’t given that piece of potential. See not all of us have the same package.

Some of the girls that I tried to date in high school told me that I must have fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way done. I'm not a handsome man in the likeness of Saul.

But here’s the point . . . I didn’t get that, maybe you did or didn’t, but he got it and here’s the guy that's so good looking that it just makes people want to do stuff for him.

He didn’t will himself to be pretty or handsome. He didn't stand around an gauk in a mirror and tell himself how handsome he was. He didn't have a magical mirror that he was concerned with. It was just something God gave him and he was expected to use it. He was expected to turn it into success.

The same is true for us. We have been given a package of potential and we are expected to turn it into success. It’s not meant for us to just sit on a shelf and look at. To whom much is given, much is required.

It also says from the shoulders and up he was taller than any man. As if being handsome wasn’t enough. But what does that mean? Average height of an Israelite was somewhere between 5-foot and 5-5. So to be a head taller means Saul was anywhere between 6-foot to 6-5.

To put this in modern terms he was the captain of the All-Israel football team. He was the All-Israel center on the national basketball team. He wasn the All-Israel short stop and ace pitcher.

He stood out in a land of little people. Physically he was superior to his peers.

Even today we know that being a top-notch athlete gets you in doors that no one else would dare knock on.

If Nolan Ryan ever wanted to be the governor of Texas he would get elected. Just look at what happened in California with Arnold Schwarezneagger. He wasn’t elected because he was the most qualified man for the job.

Saul didn’t will himself to be a foot taller than everyone else around him. It was a gift from God and God expected him to use it and turn the potential into success.

But not only was Saul tall, dark and hansome. In Chapter 10 verses 6-10 we see that Saul was given another piece of potential.

So what’s happening is Samuel tells Saul hey look there’s going to be some guys come over this hill playing their guitars and banjos and blowing their saxophones, they’re just going to be praising and worshipping God, and when that happens Saul the Spirit of God is going to hit you like a bolt of lightning and you are going to start prophesying.

So Samuel walks away and guess what – here comes the praise band over the hill and when the prophets get to Saul boom the Spirit of God falls on Saul and he starts prophesying.

Now what we have to understand is that the way we use the word prophesy in this day and age is not the same way the word was used in the Old Testament. To prophesy in the Old Testament meant to proclaim with power the truths of God.

Now prophets of the Old Testament did prophesy about the future and all of those prophecies have come to pass and what is left will eventually come to pass. You can take that to the bank.

But prophets not only told about future events, but they also shared God given truths that are profitable for every generation. They proclaimed with power the truths of God.

We are all supposed to prophesy in that we are to be ready to share the truths of God in season and out of season to those around us. We all have to be prepared to share what God is doing in our lives each time we get the chance.

That’s one of the problems in today's churches. We think fellowship means to get together eat a meal and talk about the week that we just finished or the week that’s coming up or about our kids and this that and the other. Now is that okay . . . sure . . . but we also need to be sharing with each other what God is doing in our lives. Not so we can be boastful or arrogant, but to edify and build one another up. That’s what a testimony is. It’s a word about what God is doing in your life so that you can lift up your brother or sister in Christ.

We’re all called to prophesy, but there are some folks that are given a gift. When they break the Word of God there is a power and an authority that is not their own. It’s potent. There’s just something about when that Word hits you, you know it’s from God. Sometimes its people that are gifted orators and sometimes its just ordinary people that leaving you thinking how could that have come from that person. It’s a gift.

Saul didn’t go to college or seminary. He received a gift from God. He didn’t give it to him so he could show off. God gave it to him so he would use it to lead the people.

But it wasn’t that Saul was just tall, dark, handsome and a good speaker.

Look at Chapter 10 verse 25. Here is Samuel laying down the guidelines for this new country . . . it is a very intense time. These people have to get some ground work and foundation going, because they have never been a nation before. When it’s all said and done Saul heads for his house and he looks back and there is a group of people that are following him. And he says what are you doing and these guys said I don’t know what’s going on, but God has turned our hearts to you.

The verse says these were the valiant men . . . these weren’t just a group of chumps. These were the best guys. These were the sharpest, finest men in the land. The were the most moral. They loved God the most. They were the cream of the crop.

And they told Saul hey look man you are our leader, we’re not going home. We’re going to set up camp here and if you want us to march against the Amonites, the Amorites, the Midianites, the Philistines, if you want us to march against the gates of hell we’re here for you Saul. We’re the valiant men.

God made Saul a leader. And we are all supposed to be leaders. Everyone of us are a leader to someone. Whether it be students in a classroom, a boss at work, or a parent to your children. Each of us are to be leaders and we need to learn the ins and outs of leadership and what that means. There are skills and guidelines that can be learned from Scripture and we must do that.

But there are just some people that have a gift of leadership. Because they are like EF Hutton, when they speak you listen. When they get loud it touches your heart and when they get silent you strain to listen. That’s not something you learn that is a gift from God. And it’s not to be wasted.

Everyone of us has a package of potential just like Saul was given a package of potential. He was expected to turn it into success and so are we.

Well we know Saul was handsome, tall, a great speaker and a leader, but that’s not all that God gave him. Look at chapter 11 and read verses 11 through 15.

Everyone is into the king thing as long as it is in the nominating process . . . because in the nominating process everyone’s tribe has a chance to have their man named king.

Everyone thought there guy was it. The tribe of Dan, Gad, Judah, Levi . . . you name it, each one of them had their own guy and probably two or three different guys from each tribe.

But once Saul was chosen from the tribe of Benjamin, which was one of the smallest of the 12 tribes, there started to be some infighting. There was some gossiping and back biting. Hey he may be handsome, but we have some pretty good guys over here in Dan. Hey he may be taller than all the rest, but we have some pretty tall guys over here in Gad. He may be a great speaker, but we have some pretty good speakers here in Judah. How come a Benjamite got to be the king.

Well now we come to a common cause. The Ammonites are at the gate and everyone says okay mister handsome, okay mister speaker, okay mister leader, okay mister leader let’s see what you got.

Because in 1100 BC kings don’t send soldiers out into battle and sit off on a hill in a tent and move around little figurines to figure out what’s going on. In 1100 BC kings led the charge into battle.

The adrenaline is pumping and he knows it’s do or die. This is game time . . . it’s the big show. And he puts his men into three companies. They attack the Ammonites at the morning watch and God gives them such a great victory that no two Ammonites were left standing together.

They are coming back from the victory and Saul has been confirmed as king and his valiant men who have been fighting with him all day long, blood all over their swords . . . their full of passion and can be talked into anything. They are now a mob.

And they come back with their bloody swords and who do they see, but the chumps that were talking smack about Saul being the king.

And they say who is it now that says shall Saul reign over us. And they look to Saul and they say hey look we’ve done a lot of killing today we might as well go ahead and rid ourselves of these yo-yos.

A man without wisdom let’s brother attack brother, because in the short run it may be politically advantageous. But a person that has wisdom knows that once that mob comes down off their emotional high they would regret killing their brothers.

Jesus said he that lives by the sword shall die by the sword. So we see that Saul got another big piece of potential. He got wisdom. This could have been a bad moment, but Saul jumps up and says put away your sword boys there will be no more killing today. They may have talked smack about me, but we kill our enemies not our brothers.

And as the men put away their swords they say I would have killed for him, but he didn’t make me. He protected me against my own passion. It makes me trust him more.

And now those men that had been talking smack all along go from fear to gratefulness. Some times when you give your enemy mercy he sometimes becomes more faithful than your friends.

And now everyone is happy with Saul and they return to Gilgal and renew the kingdom.

Well we have seen the package of potential that Saul was given. And as great as that package looks (I mean who wouldn't want to be tall, dark, handsome, a great speaker, motivator and leader with great wisdom), but we have been given greater potential than even Saul.

You say how is that I’m not a public speaker. I’m not handsome or beautiful. I’m not athletic. I can't even lead myself, much less anyone else. I'm just a chip off the ole unwise tree.

Well true believers today have got something that Saul never had. If you are a born again believer in Jesus Christ you have been given the Holy Spirit of God dwelling inside of you.

Saul had the ability to rule a kingdom about the size of Houston, TX, but Jesus said greater things you will do than I have done because you believe in Me.

In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit never indwells a person. It says from time to time the Holy Spirit would fall on a man, but never indwell him.

It wasn’t until Pentecost that the Holy Spirit indwelled believers. You see Saul could use his potential for God, but we have the literal chance to be the body of Christ in this world.

Saul never had anything remotely close to that. But just like Saul, just because you and I have the potential doesn’t mean we are going to turn it into success. Just because the Holy Spirit is in us doesn’t mean that we are going to be a success.

So the question becomes how can I turn my potential into success?

We can find those answers in avoiding what Saul does.

Look at Chapter 13 and let’s see what caused Saul to squander his potential Read verses 8-14.

Here’s the deal you can fight fellow Palestinians or fellow semitics that’s what the Cananites were. They were fellow Bronze age cultures.

Bronze swords can kill people when you are fighting other people with bronze swords. Warfare during the bronze age, was basically a 1-on-1 battle. The swords could kill a person, but bronze is not a hard metal.

So these guys would go at each other and very quickly they were denting and dulling the swords. So in Bronze Age warfare you call a timeout and your squires come over and sharpen your swords while you and the enemy ex-change pleasantries about the weather. Once your swords are ready you call time in and start trying to kill each other again.

The problem with the Philistines was they were not a semitic people. They were not the Cannanites. They are a European group that had settled on the Gaza strip. And they’ve got iron.

Iron is a superior metal. It’s like you fighting with a wooden stick against an enemy that has F-16s. With iron you can make a sword a foot-and-a-half longer so I kill you before you even get close.

The other problem is when you hit a bronze sword against iron it doesn’t just knick it. It shaves it off at the handle. So you might be the greatest warrior alive, but you swing your sword and the iron guy swings his and all your left with is holding a nub and you call a timeout. And he says timeout nothing, you’re a dead man.

By human standards you can’t beat iron with bronze.

So what happens is when the Philistines show up the people know they are dead unless God is in the battle. The Philistines have gathered at Michmash. The people are wondering what they were going to do.

You can just here them saying or thinking, we have to offer a sacrifice so we can get God in this thing.

But Samuel is late.

So you say well what’s the big deal about that. Well while Saul is king . . . he is king over not a monarchy , but a theocracy. Theos means God. In Israel kings had great power, but the Bible says a king must stay under the authority and be obedient to the King of kings!!

Only a Levite could offer a sacrifice. And only a Levite who was from the family of Aaron could offer a sacrifice.

Saul has great power. He can do all kinds of things no question, but he can not offer a sacrifice. God says I made you king and gave you great potential, but you’ve got to keep the ship within the channel.

The Mississippi is a very wide river if you’ve ever crossed it, but ships have to stay in channels or they are going to run aground. And the channel for Saul was he may be king, but God is King of kings and he needed to stay obed-ient.

And here you have Saul saying where are you Samuel the Philistines are gathering across the way and the people are starting to scatter they’re starting to go home. Where are you Samuel we need to get a sacrifice offered. We have to get God in this thing. Where are you Samuel.

Then he says wait a minute I’m the king. I don’t have to follow these silly rules. Wait a minute I’m Elvis Presley. I’m Micahel Jackson. I’m the president of the United States of America. I don’t have to follow the rules.

When you think the package of potential that a Soverign God gave you is so that you can just squander it, you are living in Neverland. God gave it to you to turn into success, but it’s got to stay in the channel.

Some of you may remember the story a few years ago about the ship going up the Arkansas river to Tulsa, Okla., but the captain didn’t keep the barge in the channel. And he hit the pilons of the I-40 bridge and the bridge collapsed.

And there were 13 people who were traveling across I-40 cruising along at 70-plus miles an hour minding their own business and how would you know it’s pitch black crossing a bridge you crossed hundred times before and the next thing they knew they were out in the middle of the air. They fell right into the river and 13 people died that night.

You don’t get to run the barge wherever you want. You got to keep it in the channel. Or you are going to do some real damage to other people or your-self. And you’re not going to be successful.

Wait a minute I’m the king I don’t have to obey those silly rules. Rules are for little people I don’t have to do that. Bring me a bull. Bring me a ram. And bring me a knife. I don’t have to obey these rules.

And on the alter the animal goes and up goes the knife and down comes the slit. Out comes the blood and up goes the smoke.

Then what happens. Here comes Samuel. And Samuel says wait a minute this is a sacrifice. There aren’t any Levites around here. Who authorized this?

And here comes Saul out with a bloody knife and Samuel asks Saul what happened. You didn’t do this did you?

Saul says yeah I did. I did it. You were late. It was your fault. The Philistines were gathering at Michmash. The army was starting to scatter. You should have been on time. I’m a king. I don’t have to obey the rules. Yeah I did it – what of it.

Samuel says you fool. God was going to give you a kingdom that would never end. All you had to do was keep the ship in the channel. I’m sorry Saul, you may rule the country for another 30 years, but God says He has taken your kingdom away and given it to a man after His own heart.

And eventually David gets the kingdom, because he knows that He has to stay obedient to His God.

Some might say David did things that were far more outrageous than Saul. After all he slept with another man’s wife and had her husband killed. That’s absolutely true. But when Nathan the prophet stands in front of David and the Holy Spirit through Nathan says to David thou art the man. David falls on his face and says you’re right God forgive me.

And God says very good David. I can work with sin. Everybody sins. But what I can’t work with is arrogance and disobedience.

And when the Holy Spirit stands in front of Saul in the person of Samuel and says what have you done. Saul’s response is umph you were late . . . I’m a king . . . it’s your fault . . . I had a right . . . what of it.

And God says hit the shower my friend you’re done. I’m not kicking you off the team, but I’m taking you out of the game. I can handle sin, but I can’t handle arrogant disobedience.

You want to know how to turn your potential into success.

When the Holy Spirit speaks to you about your character, your lifestyle, your walk, your ministry, about your relationships, as God deals with you about every area of your life as He trains you and works with you to make you the most effective tool you can be for Him in this critical time in human history. When God speaks if you like David say Oh God no argument . . . no excuses You are right – God will say I forgive sin – I expect you to stump your toe and make mistakes – come on I can work with that – that’s why Jesus died on the cross – I can work with sin.

But when God speaks to you and you defend and rationalize and argue and pridefully rebel God says I can’t work with that and I will take you out of the game.

Saul and David are both sinners – and by our culture’s judgement David would be considered the worst, but David is the man after God’s own heart, because when God shows him truth he rushes to obey.

When God shows you things in your life that need to stop rush to obey. When God shows you things in your life that need to start rush to obey. When God reveals areas that need adjustment then rush to obey.

In Potential Part II we will look at a couple of other areas where Saul feel short, and we'll see what eventually happened to Saul. And we'll see what can happen to us if we continue to walk in disobedience.

God thank You that You love us. Thank You that You care enough about us that You chasten us and You get in our face and show us things that need to be changed. God I pray that You will give us the grace to fall on our face when you confront us and that we will rush to obey whatever it is that You are calling or asking us to do. In Jesus name . . . Amen!!