When God is Rejected

A Lenten Challenge and Honest Self-Examination

We began today with a simple invitation: what will we let go of, and what will we put in its place? Pastor Scott told us about his own plan for Lent: to step back from social media and use that space to read and reflect on scripture. He made it clear, though, that this is not just about personal improvement. The goal is to make room for God to shape our days, trusting that turning away from distractions allows us to listen more closely for God’s guidance.

"I'm thinking about taking and abstaining from social media this year, which is going to be new. ... Instead of doing that, I'm going to meditate on God's word. ... That's what I'm going to do: just replace that."

He connected this ordinary discipline to a larger struggle. When we are angry at the news, impatient with people (even slow drivers on the way to church), we face a choice. Do we let our habits shape us, or do we allow God to reshape our habits?

Depending on God or Seeking a Substitute?

Pastor Scott shifted from his own story to the world we live in. He named what is often left unsaid: it is easy for the church, today and always, to rely on systems or governments instead of God. There is an urge to let someone else do the caring, someone else meet the needs, someone else solve problems. But he drew a sharp line: the government is not God.

"What blows my mind is that most of the American church today wants to put their lot in ... socialism. ... The church does not relinquish her responsibility to take care of the poor, I don’t care what the government does or does not do. ... The government is not God."

He wasn’t making a political argument, but rather raising a spiritual one. Israel was meant to be a city on a hill: a people living with God, whose life together drew others to faith. Instead, their desire to copy other nations led to their undoing.

Israel’s Story: Wanting a King Like Everyone Else

This is where 1 Samuel 8 comes in. Pastor Scott read the whole passage, letting the story do its work. Israel’s leaders wanted a king, not because God asked for it but because "all the other nations have one." Despite warnings, they insisted. God’s answer was sobering.

"It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king, as they have done from the day that I brought them out of Egypt until this day."

The story is one of heartbreak and a warning. God lets the people have what they demand, even though it will cost them dearly. Their insistence on another leader, something between them and God, would reshape the life of every generation after them.

Human Leaders, Human Failures: A Pattern That Repeats

Scott pointed out that Israel’s turning away from God began with its ministers. Samuel’s sons were corrupt. This repeats a familiar pattern: leaders abuse trust, people get disillusioned, and the call to live by God’s Word is slowly replaced by compromise or outright rejection.

"When God is rejected by his people, it started with his ministers... If you have the Holy Spirit in you, we believe in the priesthood of all believers. You too are ministers of God's kingdom."

Failure wasn’t just about the leaders, but about the people too. The crowd wanted someone else to trust, someone other than God. In neglecting their calling, both leaders and people drifted toward idolatry. Pastor Scott cautioned us not to imagine that we are immune. We too are tempted to trust someone or something else to take responsibility we have been given.

God Gives Us Our Way, And Its Consequences

Through a personal story about his son’s wrestling career, Pastor linked God’s response to the way a parent sometimes lets a child have their way to learn a lesson. Israel pushed for a king; God eventually let them have one, knowing it would bring pain before wisdom.

"When you continue to pursue things that are not God's will, and you just won't let it go ... At some point, he lets you have your way. ... His way is the best way."

This wasn’t just their story. We also experience this: God allows us to feel the consequences of choices that leave Him out. The message is honest, God’s love doesn’t always mean rescue from our demands. Sometimes it means letting us walk the path we have insisted on, with its burdens and regrets.

Ignoring the Message and Refusing Responsibility

At the heart of the morning was the reality that God’s message often falls on deaf ears. Scott asked us to examine whether we are actually listening, or only hearing what fits our desires.

"When God is rejected by his people, his message is ignored. ... When you say that you no longer want to live by my moral code, that you want somebody else to come in and be your leader ... Here's what's going to happen."

The rejection in the passage was not loud and obvious. It was quiet and gradual, a refusal to fulfill their part of a covenant. Pastor Scott said this is spiritual adultery, a breaking of vows. It is not just Israel’s pattern; it is ours. We may say we want God, but we slip into wanting someone or something else to take care of things for us.

He cautioned that ignoring God’s word has generational consequences. The choices we make now affect our children and all who come after us. For Israel, wanting a king would mean hardship for generations. For us, the consequences of giving up responsibility as God’s people may be harder to see immediately, but they are just as real.

The Covenant Renewed: Are We a City on a Hill?

Near communion, Pastor Scott reminded us that we are people of a new covenant, and that it is Jesus who gives us our identity and purpose. We are called to live as a sign of God’s wisdom and love, not just to agree in theory but to act in faith.

"We are saying that we now are a city on a hill. And the way that we are living is to mirror what’s going on in heaven right now as a people."

He asked us to make this deeply personal, to do spiritual self-examination, to ask if Jesus is truly our king, or whether we have focused on other sources of hope or security. Repentance, in this sense, is not about guilt but about coming home, recommitting to the God who has never abandoned us, no matter how many times we have asked for a substitute.

Living It Out This Week

We look honestly at the patterns in our lives: what have we put in God’s place? What responsibilities have we tried to hand off to others, government, leaders, systems, instead of living them out as God’s family? This week, commit to a quiet self-evaluation. Let God shine a light on any areas where we have chosen substitutes. Remember that repentance is return, not condemnation. Receive grace and renew your partnership with Christ in daily action.

Discussion Questions

1. Where in your own life are you tempted to let someone or something else take on responsibilities that God has given you as His child?
2. What stories or patterns from our history as a faith community have shaped how we trust (or mistrust) leadership?
3. How can we as a church family make our reliance on God more visible to those around us in practical ways this month?