In this final message on the life of Samuel, the repeated failures of Saul push God to abandon his kingly line and seek another to take his place. At the heart of Saul's failure is a misunderstanding of who God is and a lack of faith. Three times Saul demonstrates that he thinks of God as if he were one of the gods of the surrounding nations by assuming that God will keep his promises only if a sacrifice is made first, and by offering to give God a "bribe" in order to justify partial obedience. In the end, the wisdom of Samuel proclaims to Saul that God cares more for obedience than he does sacrifice.
It is not our things that God wants, but our very minds, hearts, and souls. We must choose to fully obey the Word of God in faith and trust that God will keep his promises to us.
To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video
This blog serves as an outreach for Pastor Randy Powell of the First Baptist Church of Franklin, PA. Feel free to ask questions or send me an e-mail at pastorpowell@hotmail.com
Showing posts with label Samuel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Samuel. Show all posts
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Sermon Video: "failing to pray for you" - 1 Samuel 12:20-25
In part three of the four part series on the life of Samuel, the nation of Israel loses faith in their system of tribal theocracy and asks Samuel to choose a king for them. This loss of faith was not due to a failure on God's part, rather it was the culmination of bad leadership (both Eli's and Samuel's sons were corrupt) and poor morality on the part of the people. Ultimately, God allows Samuel to choose Saul as the first king of Israel, but not without the realization that they have chosen to no longer be the unique experiment that they were beginning with the Exodus.
In his farewell speech (several years before the end of his ministry), Samuel reminds the people of his own faithful leadership, God's past provision, and prompts them to realize that they have been unfaithful to the Covenant they have with God.
Will God abandon his people? Will he become fed up with their lack of obedience? Samuel assures the people that God's reputation and honor would not allow him to abandon his effort to build a Covenant people, nor would it allow God to give up on his efforts to reconcile the world through this same people. Samuel urges the people to recommit themselves to following God with all their hearts, and in connection with the peoples' responsibility he lists his own: to pray for and teach the people.
For Samuel, not only was it unacceptable that he should fail to pray for this people, it was a sin. He had an obligation to represent the people before God in prayer. In addition, Samuel had the blessing and the burden of teaching the people the Word of God and how to apply it.
The lessons of Samuel speak to us today, we too must fully dedicate ourselves to God, with all our hearts, and we too must have proper leadership to pray for us and teach us. After all, we have a New Covenant to keep, a commitment to the Church of Jesus Christ, and a world to minister to.
To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video
In his farewell speech (several years before the end of his ministry), Samuel reminds the people of his own faithful leadership, God's past provision, and prompts them to realize that they have been unfaithful to the Covenant they have with God.
Will God abandon his people? Will he become fed up with their lack of obedience? Samuel assures the people that God's reputation and honor would not allow him to abandon his effort to build a Covenant people, nor would it allow God to give up on his efforts to reconcile the world through this same people. Samuel urges the people to recommit themselves to following God with all their hearts, and in connection with the peoples' responsibility he lists his own: to pray for and teach the people.
For Samuel, not only was it unacceptable that he should fail to pray for this people, it was a sin. He had an obligation to represent the people before God in prayer. In addition, Samuel had the blessing and the burden of teaching the people the Word of God and how to apply it.
The lessons of Samuel speak to us today, we too must fully dedicate ourselves to God, with all our hearts, and we too must have proper leadership to pray for us and teach us. After all, we have a New Covenant to keep, a commitment to the Church of Jesus Christ, and a world to minister to.
To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video
Monday, February 18, 2013
Sermon Video: Ebenezer - 1 Samuel 7
As the story of the life of Samuel continues, Israel faces a dark and difficult period. The priestly leadership of the past under Eli is no more after his death upon hearing of the loss of the Ark and the death of his sons. The Ark of the Covenant, although quickly returned by the Philistines is unable to be returned to its place in the Tabernacle until after the people have rid themselves of false gods. When the people are ready to repent, Samuel leads them in a collective act of worship and repentance at Mizpah. The neighboring Philistines interpret this gathering as a prelude to war and attack. God's people call upon Samuel to pray for deliverance, but the question on everyone's mind is: Has God forgiven us or are we about to receive the punishment for our sins at the hand of the enemy?
God, in his mercy, has already accepted their repentance and protects his people by "thundering" that day, driving the Philistine army away in panic. To commemorate this victory, Samuel places a memorial stone, "Ebenezer" (in Hebrew: "stone of help") to show how far the LORD was willing to go to help his people. The stone will serve as a reminder to this generation and a teaching tool for future generations to obey the LORD and rely upon his deliverance.
In our own society, we too must put away our false gods of money, power, fame, illicit sex, and a host of others in order to fully devote ourselves to God. We could also benefit from memorials of our own, celebrating what God has done through us and for us. After such victories, we too, like Samuel, must return to the everyday business of shepherding God's people and doing the work of the Lord.
To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video
God, in his mercy, has already accepted their repentance and protects his people by "thundering" that day, driving the Philistine army away in panic. To commemorate this victory, Samuel places a memorial stone, "Ebenezer" (in Hebrew: "stone of help") to show how far the LORD was willing to go to help his people. The stone will serve as a reminder to this generation and a teaching tool for future generations to obey the LORD and rely upon his deliverance.
In our own society, we too must put away our false gods of money, power, fame, illicit sex, and a host of others in order to fully devote ourselves to God. We could also benefit from memorials of our own, celebrating what God has done through us and for us. After such victories, we too, like Samuel, must return to the everyday business of shepherding God's people and doing the work of the Lord.
To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Sermon Video: "Speak, your servant is listening" - 1 Samuel 3
The call of Samuel by the LORD is told in chapter 3 amidst the tribulation surrounding the wickedness and subsequent judgment of Eli's sons, Hophni and Phineas. While that unfortunate drama progresses, the LORD calls Samuel in the night to begin his road toward leading Israel as his prophet.
The advice that Eli gives to Samuel when he realizes that God is calling him is to say, "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening." That attitude of humble listening to the Word of God is one that we all can learn from. God may not speak to you with an audible voice, but his will is available to guide us through the Scriptures, prayer, and the wisdom of our fellow followers of Jesus. However, we will never hear what God is saying if we don't take the time to stop and listen.
The post script of God's call to Samuel is the observation that from this day forward he listened intently to God's word and consequently grew in stature and honor among the people. When the time comes for Samuel to lead the people, he'll be ready because he listened to God.
To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video
The advice that Eli gives to Samuel when he realizes that God is calling him is to say, "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening." That attitude of humble listening to the Word of God is one that we all can learn from. God may not speak to you with an audible voice, but his will is available to guide us through the Scriptures, prayer, and the wisdom of our fellow followers of Jesus. However, we will never hear what God is saying if we don't take the time to stop and listen.
The post script of God's call to Samuel is the observation that from this day forward he listened intently to God's word and consequently grew in stature and honor among the people. When the time comes for Samuel to lead the people, he'll be ready because he listened to God.
To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video
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