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Sermon #5096

An Earthly King

A Sermon on 1 Samuel 12:12

Originally preached Sept. 17, 1967

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Scripture

1 Samuel 12:12 ESV KJV
And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the LORD your God was your king. (ESV)

Sermon Description

Christians battle temptations and trials daily and can feel afflicted by the opinions of the world. In this sermon on 1 Samuel 12:12, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones compares Christians today to the Israelites found in this Scripture passage while teaching that it matters what Christians do in response to their situation. The Israelites did not respond correctly but rather they insisted on their own way. They wanted a king in order to be like the rest of the world. Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that if the Christian feels afflicted in their current state, it is because they have forgotten the history of their salvation. Christian, do not forget the great privilege of being a child of the Lord. The Christian has direct access to their Creator, and have full forgiveness in Christ. They have a God who is not ashamed to call them His child. Do not succumb to the temptations of this world, but walk in gratitude for the gift of Christianity and the great privileges they have in Christ.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The sermon focuses on 1 Samuel 12, specifically verse 12 which says “And when ye saw that Nahash, the king of the children of Ammon, came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the Lord your God was your king.”
  2. Samuel is addressing the Israelites after they have insisted on having an earthly king to rule over them.
  3. Samuel points out that this was a turning point in Israel’s history and relationship with God. Up until now, God himself was their king.

  4. The sermon outlines several reasons why it was wrong for the Israelites to demand an earthly king:

  5. They were rebellious and insisted on getting their way. They brushed aside God’s direction and demanded what they wanted.

  6. They were self-confident in their decision and didn’t listen to God’s prophet Samuel.
  7. They wanted something new and different. They grew tired of God as their king.
  8. They wanted to be like other nations who had earthly kings.
  9. They forgot their own history and God’s faithfulness to them. God had always been their king and had delivered them.
  10. They failed to realize their uniqueness as God’s people. God himself was their king, they didn’t need an earthly one.

  11. They forgot God’s power and ability to deliver them.

  12. The sermon highlights the need for warning, to be reminded of God’s power which humbles us, and true repentance - turning away from vain things and back to God.

  13. If the people repent, God will not forsake them because he has chosen them as his people.

Old Testament

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.