1 Samuel 3 verses 10 - 21
As we always do, think it is right and proper to give God the glory and thanks for the week gone by. What was it all about? Was it just a slot to fill the church diary, to give us something to do in these long evenings or had we a desire in our hearts? We have got to give thanks for what has happened in this past week. Thank God for all the families and children that attended. We have been primarily reaching out to families about the wonderful news of this book, the Bible. We have been reaching out to families who are blinded by this world. We have been seeking to hold forth the word of God in these days. We want to thank God for all the families that came in this past week. We want to do so with a few thoughts around Samuel and the influence of Eli. We have got to get it into context. One little boy called Samuel under the watchful eye of an old priest who at one time had been anointed by God to stand between the people and God. He had grown cold, got into a backslidden state. He watched things happening in his own home and maybe he spoke out against them but nothing was done, he didn`t restrain them or stop them. Eli was going to be judged for it. God would take Eli out of his position and raise up another priest in his place. Eli realised the Lord was calling Samuel. Eli told him it was the Lord speaking to Samuel and he told him to say "speak Lord for thy servant heareth." How many times has God spoken to us yet we have closed him out?
Samuel was a child asked of God. Chapter 1 verse 20. Hannah had no child, she was barren. She knew the answer to that barrenness lay with the God of heaven. "If he would only hear and answer my prayer he would supply the need I have." She gets down before the God of heaven, begins to pray, brought her problem to him. Chapter 1 verse 27 when she conceived and brought forth her child then later brought him back to the temple she tells Eli "for this child I prayed." I have prayed that the Lord would give me a child now she is giving him back to the Lord of heaven. Imagine having to do that. What it must have been like for her to give her son up. Imagine her turning away, walking away, her heart would have been broken. I`m sure there never was a night when she didn`t pray for him. This is an earthly story of Samuel. It started with a woman on her knees praying. The eternal story started in the heart of God. He had it all planned and purposed from the word go. He was not going to reach down into a mighty strong family but rather to the life of a little boy of 8 or 9 years of age. That was the importance of last week - just to bring the word of God to little ones, that the God of heaven might speak to them, reach them, that they might turn. Remember the last verse of Judges - "there was no king in Israel and every man did that which was right in their own eyes." Can you imagine the mayhem, the anarchy. Imagine in the homes, in the government of the land. Surely we are not far from that same situation today? Hannah prayed for this man child. Chapter 1 verse 11. She was particular in her prayers. We need to be praying specific in our prayers. It brings a real challenge to us. She is coming believing, she is coming into the place of prayer and believing in the God of heaven. We need to take that same example tonight. In Hebrews 11 verse 6 we read "without faith it is impossible to please God." When we are seeking God we must realise he can answer prayer. "For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them the diligently seek him." He is a loving God, he has power to answer prayer. James says "let him ask in faith nothing wavering." (James 1 verse 6) Hannah was asking in faith. A centurion came to Jesus one day and told him he had a servant at home who was sick. The Lord said he would come to his home but the centurion asked him not to but rather just say the word and he would be healed. Remember the people in the wilderness who came complaining to Moses that they had no water. God told him to go out to a certain place and smite a rock. The elders questioned what he was going to do. Moses told them that water would come out of the rock as a result. Moses did exactly as he was told. Moses was believing God. Hannah asked for a child and she received it. Samuel was asked of the Lord.
Samuel was also accepted of the Lord. Hannah promised to give Samuel back if she received her request. What have you given the Lord today? Would you be prepared to do what he asks of you today? What if God was to ask something specifically very precious and real to you today? Just like Abraham with his son. It is easy to sing the hymns but when God comes and challenges us, what about it? Are we prepared to set aside that bit of time for the Lord? Hannah lent him back to the Lord. Chapter 2 verses 11 and 26. He was accepted by God. When we were born into the world we were born as sinners, we had a broken relationship with God from birth, from conception. A wall of sin has been built up between us and God. Jesus came into the world to bring us back into a relationship with him. The moment we realise we have that broken relationship and ask him to come into our lives, he accepts us not because of anything we have done, not because we have attended church or sat around the communion table. It is because you have come by the way of the cross and accepted him as your Lord and Saviour. Ephesians 1 verse 6 "wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved."
Samuel was awakened. He closed up the doors of the house of the temple, he made sure Eli was in his bed then he went of into his own bed. Somewhere between that and the morning God spoke to him. Eli realised the third time it was God speaking. Samuel was awakened by God out of his sleep. Job says "For God speaketh once yea twice but man perceiveth it not." (Job 33 verse 14) Man closes his ears, his mind didn`t want this. The grace of God is there. Job tells us God does it through dreams and visions. Has God been speaking to you in past days about something? I believe that God is giving the church an awakening call. We are part of that church, In this year, 2017 God is giving us an awakening call. When we see a march through our city for the law to be changed for a new thought on abortion, to introduce same sex marriage - all in contradiction to the word of God, what does the church do? We will have a car boot sale, a daffodil tea, some scheme for raising money, a vintage rally, a sponsored walk but all the time men and women are going out to a Christless hell. You and I are getting an awakening call. When we see things happening on the TV screen, see them in our newspapers it should drive us to our knees in prayer. We are evangelical in our outreach. When we see things happening it is God that is speaking in our hearts calling us back into the house of prayer. Samuel was awakened. God speaks in different ways - to the very young, the children we reached out to last week. Sometimes we hear that children cannot take this message in, that they cannot make a decision like that. The greatest preacher who ever lived said "Except ye become converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18 verse 3) That was Jesus himself who said that. Sometimes God can speak through sickness or through something that happens in our lives. Has he spoken to you today? If you were to go through the pages of Samuel you will read the words "them that honour me I will honour." (1 Samuel 2 verse 30) "Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits, of all thine increase." (Proverbs 3 verse 9)
Samuel was given totally to the Lord and the Lord used him. When we give our all to the Lord, are we prepared to say "here I am whatever you ask I am prepared to do."
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