The Filters of Fear and Faith

We all make use of filters in life.  A filter is something that screens out impurities.  We filter water before we drink it.  We wear those masks to filter air when we ride our motorcycles.  Filter can affect the quality of what we take into our bodies.

In our cars and scooters there are certain filters that we use.  Our cars have air filters, oil filters and gas filters.  These filters affect the vehicle’s performance.  Unfiltered gas can clog fuel injection lines.  Unfiltered air can allow things to enter the cylinders that can damage the engine.  Unfiltered oil can allow metal shavings that enter and score the cylinders.  All of these things affect the cars performance.

I want you to know that we have spiritual filters that filter our perceptions of the world.  Those filters can affect our performance as well.  Today I want to post on filters from this portion of scripture:

Matthew 6:22-23 (NKJV)
^6:22 "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Filters

There were two sources of inspiration for this sermon.  The first was a comment that my wife made about what we look at and listen to.  The second was the story of David and Goliath from our Bible study on Wednesday (Points of Victory, “The Spear of Intimidation;” by Pastor Greg Mitchell).  This post is what God showed me through those two things. 

Our bodies are created with natural filters; our eyes are filters; our ears are filters.  The things we hear and see can affect us.  The scripture says that the eye is the lamp of the body.  If our eye is good there will be light in the body – The light is goodness and righteousness:

2 Corinthians 6:14 (NKJV)
^6:14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

Our eye is a filter of light and darkness.  What we focus our attention on is what enters our minds.  What we see isn’t the filter.  What we see is information that requires interpretation.  We take what we see and we FILTER it through our biases, our culture and our frames of reference. 

Today, I want to focus on spiritual filters, specifically, the filters of fear and faith.  These two filters are opposites.  You cannot have faith in presence of fear, because fear betrays a LACK of faith.  If fear is present then faith is not. 

So much of how we behave and react is based on these two filters – many of us struggle with fear:

Fear is a natural response to danger.  It’s a part of the fight or flight response.  This is a natural physiological response to imminent danger.  Adrenaline is secreted into our bloodstreams.  Our heart rate increases, our breathing becomes deeper, so more oxygen can be transported to our muscles.  This can provide more speed when running or more strength when fighting.  Or reflexes become faster so that we’re better prepared to face the danger.  Those responses were built into us for a more dangerous time.

These days we don’t have to run from saber-toothed tigers but we continue to have the same reactions, but now we call them stress and they’re produced by different fears, like fear of failure, for example.

Fear of failure can cause us to react in one or more of following three ways:

1)      We don’t act at all – We’re paralyzed by over-analysis; fearful of a misstep creating more problems.  In sports this often called “the paralysis of analysis.”

2)      We become control freaks – We hold on to every detail.  We don’t allow anyone to help, running ourselves ragged, or;

3)      We become perfectionists and because nothing is perfect we end up doing nothing at all focusing on minor details always striving for an unobtainable result.

There are other types of fear and other reactions.

1)      Fear creates a lack of confidence – I can’t do it – I’m not up to it.

2)      Fear creates procrastination – If I ignore that thing that frightens me, it will go away.

3)      Fear makes you unable to lead – I’ll leave it to someone else so I don’t mess it up.

If we filter what we see through fear it stops us from moving forward in life, it’s destructive to relationships, and it hinders God’s calling in our lives.  Nothing positive is created by fear, but fear is pervasive in society. 

In order to illustrate the differences between fear reactions and faith reactions I’m going to look at one event in which, the filter of fear and the filter of faith cause separate reactions.

The Fear Filter

1 Samuel 17:4-7 (NKJV)
^17:4 And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. ⁵ He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. ⁶ And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. ⁷ Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him.

So here’s Goliath – He’s a huge man about three meters tall (9.5 feet).  The name Goliath is Hebrew and the man is a Philistine, so this is probably a name that the Israelis gave him.  The name means to strip naked – so as to humiliate someone.  Every time they see Goliath and say, “There’s Goliath!” they’re saying, “There’s the one who will strip me naked and humiliate me!”

Words have power, they define the filter that you’re using to interpret the circumstances you find yourself in.  You can speak words of strength and courage or you can speak words of fear and discouragement.  Your actions will always follow the direction seen through your words.  The words "I’m afraid" lead to the actions of fear that I mentioned earlier.  That’s what we see here:

1 Samuel 17:10-11 (NKJV)
^17:10 And the Philistine said, "I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together." ¹¹ When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

They saw him – They heard his words and it caused fear.  That word dismay means to lose courage.  They saw this huge powerful man, they spoke their fear, they heard his taunt – You will be our slaves and they lost the courage to face him.  They quit.

1 Samuel 17:23-24 (NKJV)
^17:23 Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them. ²⁴ And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid.

They used the fear filter.  They took actions of fear; they fled from him.  There’s no victory in fear.  Fear must be overcome in order to see victory.

How often do we filter our circumstances through fear?  “What if I lose my job, I may not find another one?”  “I can’t take a chance and invest my money.  What if I lose it?”  “What if my kids don’t get into the best school?” What if?  What if?  What if?   “I can’t.”  “I’m not qualified.”  “I don’t know enough!”  “They might be offended.”  “They might react angrily.”  That’s the fear filter.  It paralyzes you – It hinders you.

Do you know that great success usually involves great risk?  Edmund Hillary – No one had ever come off of Mt. Everest alive – But he went anyway!  Neil Armstrong – He didn’t know if landing on the moon was even possible – But he did it, anyway. 

Fear takes away the courage to risk.  You have dreams; things you want in life but you filter that vision through a prism of fear…so they never happen.

Fear also destroys relationships.  It creates family friction.

1 Samuel 17:28-29 (NKJV)
^17:28 Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab's anger was aroused against David, and he said, "Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle." ²⁹ And David said, "What have I done now? Is there not a cause?"

David’s talking to the others, trying to find out what the reward for killing Goliath is.  He’s considering it.  His brother Eliab confronts him, “You’re full of pride.  What can you do?  It’s insolence to think that you can do what this army of battle hardened soldiers can’t do.”  I think Eliab resents David’s courage.  He was also there and he also refused to face Goliath.  He thinks David’s courage highlights his lack of courage so he lashes out.  Have you ever done that?  Have you ever ridiculed someone because they weren’t afraid of what you’re afraid of?  That’s Eliab thinking.

Fear also betrays your lack of faith in God

The Faith Filter

Let’s look now at the Faith Filter.  We find faith in David’s reaction to Goliath.

1 Samuel 17:26 (NKJV)
^17:26 Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that defies God’s army?  Who is this enemy of God that has you running scared?  He’s reminding them that they’re instruments of God’s power.  This is the army that took the promised land.  This is the army that has faced enemies too numerous to count.  This is God’s army – Who’s this Philistine punk that thinks he can defeat God’s army?  That thinks he can defeat God? 

So, he goes to Saul, remember he’s a teenager – He’s young.  Look at what he says:

 1 Samuel 17:32-33 (NKJV)
^17:32 Then David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." ³³ And Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth."

He says, “I’m not afraid – I’ll handle this for you – I’ll fight him.”  He’s confident; he has faith in his own abilities and in God’s assistance.  He knows God will help him.  Saul, though, is fearful, “You can’t you’re too young.  I’m a veteran of many battles and I’m scared.  You’re so young, what can you do?”

David’s had victories, though.  He’s a experienced battle, too.

 1 Samuel 17:34-35 (NKJV)
^17:34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep his father's sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, ³⁵ I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.

David’s filter isn’t fear – He’s seeing past victories and he’s applying them to this circumstance.  David’s filter is faith; in himself and in God.

1 Samuel 17:37 (NKJV)
^17:37 Moreover David said, "The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and the Lord be with you!"

David says, “This is no different and since he’s also defying God, God will move on my behalf.”  Faith is the filter that David is visualizing this through.  Faith trumps fear.  Victory is only possible through faith. 

David’s faith encourages.  It doesn’t drive courage away; it causes one to gain courage.  It doesn’t paralyze it makes it possible to take action.  It makes it possible to take a risk that leads to reward.

 1 Samuel 17:48-49 (NKJV)
^17:48 So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hastened and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹ Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.

David, in faith and courage, ran to the battle.  He RAN into the danger and God gave him a victory.  Our faith causes a response on God’s part.  Our faith can be the catalyst to victory.

Finally, your faith can ignite faith in other people. 

1 Samuel 17:52 (NKJV)
^17:52 Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron.

Suddenly, the paralysis of fear that has kept the Israelis from the battle is lifted.  The men rose up and ran toward the enemy, engaging them, chasing them and killing them.  Your victory through faith and courage can inspire others and encourage others to that same kind of action.  If we face challenges through a filter of faith, and people can see that we trust God for the victory, they will trust Him as well. 

What do you look like when there are challenges in your life – fearful?  Are you afraid to move forward?  Lashing out at others?  Or are you like David, filtering the challenge through faith, eager for victory?  Trusting God to bring it and making it happen.

The outcome of any circumstance is the dependent on the filter through which we see that circumstance.

Abraham’s filter was faith – He was called the friend of God.

Moses’ filter was faith – God met with him as with a friend.

David’s filter was faith – He was Israel’s greatest king – EVER!

Paul’s filter was faith – God’s greatest evangelist and missionary.

What are you looking for – Victory or defeat?  Through what do you filter your vision – Fear or Faith.

Christian Dating

The Young man poured out his heart’s devotion on paper to the girl of his dreams:

Darling,

I would climb the highest mountain for your love.  I would swim the widest stream for a chance to see your smile.  I would cross the burning desert just to gaze into your eyes.  I would die at the stake to hold your hand for a single moment.

P.S.  I will see you Saturday…if it doesn't rain.

Today, I’m going to do something I’ve never done.  I’m going to post on dating and marriage.  The reason I’ve never done this is because I’ve never preached on dating and marriage, until now.  I’ve never had a congregation that had young adults who were dating or who were becoming the age where they would want to date, before this.  For the married couples who may be reading this, please bear in mind that if you have young children, they will date one day.  You need to instill the right values in them, now.  There are things people decide while dating that will have an affect on the rest of their lives. 

1 Timothy 5:1-2 (NKJV)
^5:1 Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, ² older women as mothers, younger as sisters, with all purity.

Treat Women as Sisters

I realize that this is written to Timothy as a pastor, but it is important in what it tells us about how to treat people.  Unfortunately, the Bible doesn’t have “rules for dating.” Why not, you ask.  The reason is simple; in those days marriages were arranged between parents, for their own reasons. I know this will be a huge blow to young women but “He’s so cute” was never a reason a young man was considered for marriage to a young woman. 

This scripture is telling us that we should treat women with respect like sisters. Think about your sisters, men, how would you want other men to treat them?  What expectations would you have for a guy who’s dating your sister?  Would you want your sister treated with the respect with which you treat women?  That question is really asking, “Do you treat women with respect”?

I came across this document on the Internet a while back:

8 Simple Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter

1. Use your hands on my daughter and you’ll lose them after.
2. You make her cry; I make you cry.
3. Safe sex is a myth; anything you try will be hazardous to your health.
4. Bring her home late, there’s no next date.
5. If you pull into my driveway and honk you better be dropping off a package, because you’re sure not picking anything up.  (Alternate:  Only deliverymen honk, dates ring the doorbell…Once!
6. No complaining while you’re waiting for her, if you’re bored you can change my oil.
7. If your pants hang off your hips, I’ll gladly secure them with my staple gun.
8. Dates must be in crowded public places.  You want romance?  Read a book.(1)

Now, this is meant to be humorous, but if you look beyond the attitude it’s really a father’s desire that his daughter be treated with respect.  We have become a society, though, that doesn’t value treating others with respect.  We expect to be treated with respect, but feel that we’re exempt from treating others respectfully. 

The Bible gives us a clue as to what it means to treat women with respect in the last phrase of our text “with all purity.”  What is purity?

According to Mirriam-Webster Dictionary purity can be defined as:  Free from moral fault:  Innocent.

When we treat women without regard for their purity; when we have a physical relationship with them without marriage, we take something that doesn't belong to us.

Dating with no intention of marriage, is like clothes shopping with no money.  You’ll leave frustrated or take something that doesn't belong to you. (2)

The Bible defines for us when it is proper to come together:

Hebrews 13:4 (NKJV)
^13:4 Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

So, a sexual relationship after marriage is honorable, but not before.  Fornication is a sexual relationship outside of marriage; God will judge that.  This ties into sexual purity, sexual purity is abstinence from sexual intercourse prior to marriage.  Maintaining sexual purity in your dating relationship is acting with respect for women.  It shows a concern for their relationship with God, their well-being and their future.  Look at this:

1 Corinthians 6:18 (NKJV)
^6:18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

Or her own body, as the case may be.

When we have sex outside of marriage we sin against God, remember God will judge, but we also sin against ourselves.  This scripture says it’s a sin against our own bodies.  Now let me show you some statistics:

Men who marry as virgins are 36% less likely to divorce.  Women who marry as virgins are 24% less likely to divorce. (3)

Those who wait to until marriage to have sex and remain faithful in marriage report higher levels of life satisfaction compared to adults who engage in premarital or adulterous sex.  Those who wait until marriage and are faithful to their spouse also report notably higher happiness scores. (4)

So what do these statistics tell us?  That young people who abstain from sex before marriage are happier, more satisfied with life, and less likely to divorce.  God isn’t trying to spoil your fun, He’s trying to insure that your life be the best it can be.

John 10:10 (NKJV)
^10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

This tells us that Jesus has come to give us a more abundant life, a happier, fuller life, but it also tells us that the devil wants to destroy it. 

Why Remain Pure?

Someone once said, “Why buy the cow when you can have the milk for free?”

The meaning of that is why make the commitment to marriage, when you can enjoy the benefits of the marriage bed without making commitments.  In simpler and perhaps cruder terms, why get married when you can have sex without it?

You know, marriage is a lot of work; two selfish people come together and have to figure out how to live with each other and maintain a relationship.  I want what I want – She wants what she wants.  Unfortunately, the two wants aren't always the same.  It takes compromise and commitment to be married, so that means sometimes you have to give up what you want so the other can have what they want. 

Sometimes men look at marriage and say, “It’s easier to stay single.  I can do what I want.  I don’t have to share my stuff.  I can check out a lot of women.  Being single is great.”  So, if women are going to let them have sex, in addition to all these other things, some men are not going to get married.  They don’t see a benefit to them.  If you’re dating a guy with that attitude, you don’t need him, he’s selfish and immature, which, by the way aren't good prospects for a healthy, happy marriage.  Look at this statement about the first marriage:

Genesis 2:24-25 (NKJV)
^2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. ²⁵ And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

What do we see here?  A MAN leaves his parents:  He’s grown up; he’s matured.  He’s not dependent on his parents anymore; he can make his own way in the world.  He has some resources of his own.

THEN he’s joined to a wife.  He’s united with her.  Then they become one (that’s a Bible euphemism for sex.)  They become one flesh.  They’re naked and there’s no shame.  There’s nothing to be ashamed of to be naked in front of your spouse, you’re one flesh. 

Do you know why sex is intended for marriage?  Sexual intimacy is intended to draw couples together.  There is a bond that is built between couples that are intimate that joins them together. 

Matthew 19:4-6 (NKJV)
^19:4 And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' ⁵ and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? ⁶ So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

This bond remains until one or the other dies.  Think about this for a moment.  A woman sleeps with her boyfriend and gets pregnant.  That couple is linked for life; even if they break up, even if they marry other people.  They still have that child between them.  There will always be that link.  They will have to work out taking care of the child.

How many marriages do you know where the wife got pregnant before the marriage, and so they “did the right thing and got married.”  Now they’re unhappy.  They’re struggling with the marriage and their feelings for each other.  They’re always fighting.  The problem is that they formed this tie before they cleaved together. 

     “She trapped me into marriage. 

     “He’s here, but he doesn't love me.”

They didn't treat each other with "all purity."  He didn't treat her with respect before marriage.  She allowed him to take what didn't belong to him and now they’re struggling with the consequences.  Even if there’s no child there’s still a tie, in a spiritual sense. 

1 Corinthians 6:16 (NKJV)
^6:16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For "the two," He says, "shall become one flesh."

The Bible uses the word “harlot,” but the implication is just that there’s no marriage.  They’re not married to each other but the two become one flesh.  There is still that link that binds them together. 

Why buy the cow when the milk is free?  Why give the milk away in the first place?  That milk is intended to nourish your marriage.

How to Date like a Christian

I said this post was about Christian dating, but so far I haven’t said anything about how we’re supposed to date.  What is Christian dating like?

I think it would be simpler to first discuss non-Christian dating.  Non-Christian dating – The way everyone else is doing it.  The word dating in the 1920s was another word for prostitution.  Media; television, movies and music create an image of what a hip, modern dating relationship looks like.  It does nothing to promote Godliness. 

Non-Christians are waiting longer to get married, and sleeping and living together.  50% of adults are not married.  33% of all births are to unmarried women.  The myth is that if you’re living together or sleeping together you’ll have a better marriage.  That’s a lie.  The odds of your marriage failing are higher than those who don’t engage in that type of behavior. (5)

Christian dating is not like the world’s dating.  The following are MY recommendations:

1. Date in groups or in public restaurants:  Places where there are a lot of people around.
2. Don’t spend the night together.  When my wife and I were dating we separated by 10:30.  I WENT HOME.
3. Avoid being physical.  Keep your hands to yourself.  I kissed my wife for the first time at the end of our wedding ceremony.  We weren't hanging all over each other and acting all lovey-dovey, either.
4. Don’t be alone in private places.  The devil’s probably not going to be able to tempt you to get naked in the middle of Wal-Mart, but he might in a nice, romantic bedroom.
5. Make God a part of your romance.  Let Him guide and direct you.  After all, God brought Eve to Adam. 

A good rule of thumb is don’t do anything you wouldn't want your pastor to see you doing.  If you can’t do it while your pastor is there…DON’T DO IT.  This will help you to avoid the dangers of dating, and it may help you to have a happy marriage. 

I’m not naive and I know that some people may have already engaged in fornication.  But the wonderful thing is that you can repent.  “God, I messed up and violated myself and my partner.”  God is faithful to forgive, but remember that repentance requires change.  Without change there is no repentance.  If you've done that, I would recommend separating for a while and being honest with your pastor.  Then prayerfully and with counsel, evaluate your relationship. 

When you begin to date, do so with the idea that you’re courting.  Courting means there is a seriousness about marriage, and do it the right way. 

Sex is a wonderful thing.  It’s a gift to marriage.  Waiting until the right time makes your wedding night a wonderful and joyous occasion.  It makes it special; the excitement and anticipation.  What a wonderful gift.  So value yourself and the gift God has given you.  Use it for its proper purpose, to create a closeness and intimacy in your MARRIAGE:  To make your marriage a lasting and happy one.

(1)  8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter: And other tips for a beleaguered Father (Not that any of them work.  W, Bruce Cameron , 2001, Workman

(2)  Twitter Feed:  Calvary Tweets:  Sept. 24, 2013

(3)  Pastor Mark Driscoll, Dating, Relating and Fornicating, October 26, 2011

http://pastormark.tv/2011/10/26/dating-relating-and-fornicating 

(4)  Cohabitation Vs. Marriage:  26 Research Findings, Physicians for Life.org,

http://www.physiciansforlife.org/content/view/242/27/

(5)  Pastor Mark Driscoll, Dating, Relating and Fornicating, October 26, 2011

http://pastormark.tv/2011/10/26/dating-relating-and-fornicating

Growing Like Samuel

All of us have a desire to hear from God. That's one reason Christians attend church. One responsibility of a pastor is to bring the word of God in a way that is understandable and allows God to speak to us, in a personal way. But each of us must have an openness to hear from God for this to happen. A preacher can preach all day but unless we are open to hear from God nothing will happen.

Today, I want to examine our ability to hear from God using Samuel's encounter with God as an example.

1 Samuel 3:1-11
Then the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation.2 And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see,3 and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the LORD where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down,4 that the LORD called Samuel. And he answered, “Here I am!”5 So he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” And he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” And he went and lay down.6 Then the LORD called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” He answered, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.”7 (Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor was the word of the LORD yet revealed to him.)8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. Then he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD had called the boy.9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 Now the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”11 Then the LORD said to Samuel: “Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.

1 Samuel 3:18-19
18 Then Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him.” 19 So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.

Samuel was Willing to be Taught the Things of God

In the first verse of our text we read that, "Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli." So we are seeing that Samuel followed the teachings of Eli as he ministered before God. So Samuel was a disciple: A pupil: A learner. But there is a deeper relationship between a disciple and a teacher than between a student and a teacher. A disciple will strive to be like the teacher. he will pattern his life after the teacher. Samuel has accepted the training of the man of God, his pastor.

What kind of relationship do you think they had? Do you think Eli was able to bring correction into his life? Samuel had been given to God at an early age and brought to Eli so that he could be raised to serve God. That's what that word minister means. Eli raised him as a father and as a teacher. This is a powerful relationsghip that they have.

Samuel's life was turned over, completely, to God for God's use.

1 Samuel 1:28
28 “Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD.” So they worshiped the LORD there.

That word lent means to be turned over for someone else's use. I have a number of books, people always ask to borrow them. So I let them use them. I give them to them to use. Those books have been lent. Hannah, Samuel's mother, turned him over to God for God's use. So he has been dedicated to God. he is set aside for God's use, or consecrated to God.

As Christians we are supposed to turn our lives over to God. We have consecrated our lives. We have been lent to the Lord. Giving ourselves to God is a vital step In hearing from God, because it removes the distractions of the world. In a sense we are dying to Christ: making his will, our will. Our lives no longer belong to us.

When we turn our lives over to his pleasure. Then we are creating an openness to hear from Him, because we are now listening for his voice. He can we live his will if we don't know what it is? How can we know what it is, if we don't hear it.

Kids are funny aren’t they? Sometimes you can call them over and over and they don’t hear you. It’s because they have their own things that they’re doing. They don’t want to hear you. But when they are eager to please you what happens? They are listening for you voice. They are looking for your call and so they can hear from you.

Unless they desire to please you, there's resistance. But when they want to please you, they willingly respond. That's an openness to hearing from you. Samuel is open to hearing from God, because of the desire to please God.

Secondly, Samuel is ministered to the Lord before Eli. He is serving God. he is looking to meet the needs of God. He has a desire to serve and contribute.

So often we come to church looking for what God can do for us. People come to church in need and often when that need is met they leave again. And we think that by giving up drugs and whatever we're serving God. But that's really serving ourselves. Serving God means meeting the needs of God.

When you go to a restaurant, the server waits on you. They take your order, they bring your food. They fill your water glass, they serve you. They try to meet your food related needs. But what would you think about a restaurant where the server comes up and says, “I quit using drugs so I could be here with you today.” And then takes a seat. Is that serving you? No, it isn't but that's what people do with God all the time. "I'm serving God." "Really what are you doing for him?" "I quit using drugs and now I go to church."


Samuel is doing things in the tabernacle. He's assisting in the worship. He's preparing things so others can worship. He's serving God. He has given himself to the purposes of God. When he is in this frame of mind, God can speak truths into him, because God knows that he will faithfully speak those truths according to God's purposes for them. Simply put, God can trust him to execute those truths according to God's purpose. God is able to use him, because he has immersed himself into the will of God. In our lives, if we desire all that God has for us, we must also immerse ourselves into His will. When we have done that we have prepared ourselves to hear from and become useful to, God.

Listening for the Voice of God


The next thing we see in our text is that God is calling to Samuel. For all the reasons that I have just mentioned Samuel is prepared to hear from God. So when God calls out to him, "Samuel!" Samuel says, "Here I am!" He thinks that it is Eli calling and goes to see what Eli wants. He doesn't yell, "What!" He doesn't wait to see if he's called a second time. He just responds. He hears the voice calling and because he is immature he thinks that voice belongs to Eli.

1 Samuel 3:7
7 (Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor was the word of the LORD yet revealed to him.)

He's never heard the voice of God before so he goes to Eli and says, "Here I am." It's Eli who perceives that God is speaking to Samuel and so he gives him counsel on what to do when God calls. Samuel does what Eli tells him and God brings revelation that will affect all of Israel. "The ears of everyone who hears it will tingle," because it's from God.

Do you want to hear from God? If you do, then you need to listen for his voice, and you need to be open to instruction and sometimes interpretation.

I’ve had people come to tell me that they’ve heard from God and I don’t think it’s the voice of God. But they can’t hear me when I try to warn them. And they go off and make some huge mistake and end up chasing some dream that ruins them. Then they blame God when the real problem is that they were crying out to hear the voice of God, but then listening for their own; unable to distinguish the voice of God from their own thoughts.

Samuel is unable to distinguish the voice of God from the voice of Eli because he's immature. And it is the same for us as immature Christians, we have difficulty recognizing the voice of God. When I say immature I'm talking about being inexperienced.

How can we recognize a voice that we’ve never heard before? How can we know what to do when we have never done it before? People who are hiring look for people who have experience because they don’t want to take the time to teach someone who has no experience: Who has never experienced what needs to be done. We won't recognize when something is from God, unless we have experienced God's methods and purposes before.

Samuel Grew

1 Samuel 3:19
19 So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.

This is the end result of Samuel's ministry; spiritual maturity and fruitfulness. This should be what we are all striving for, but where did it come from? I've mentioned several things.

1) Samuel was a faithful servant of God. By ministering to God he served God's purposes and made himself a trusted servant.

2) He learned to recognize when God was speaking to him. He learned to recognize God's voice.

3) he faithfully spoke what God gave him to speak. And the result was that he grew in the Lord. God was with him. Wouldn’t it be nice to have the confidence that God was with you in everything you spoke? God made him fruitful. He let, "none of his words fall to the ground." We want to reach people and God will give us words to speak. But we have to be able to recognize when they are God’s words and not just our own thoughts.

It's God that brings the increase. God does it that's what we miss, sometimes. God gives anointing to our words. If we don't have anointing it is difficult to draw people with just our words. We need his anointing to give power to what we speak. That's what the verse is speaking about. God's anointing on the words he speaks,so that they won't, "fall to the ground."

The reason that God anointed Samuel's words was that Samuel spoke all that God gave him to speak. "Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him." If we will faithfully speak all that God gives us to speak, he will anoint our words as well.

What did God give to Samuel to speak to Eli?

1 Samuel 3:12-14
12 “In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.13 “For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them.14 “And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

Ouch. That's the judgment of God on Eli and his family. Can you imagine what Eli would feel in hearing that? Can you imagine what Samuel must have felt to tell him that? This is a close relationship and Samuel is called to tell Eli some very bad news. The Bible tells us he was afraid to say that to Eli. But he did it anyway, because he was committed to faithfully speaking the words of God.

In the end Samuel was the last God appointed Judge over Israel. After him was King Saul. The people demanded a king and Saul was chosen. The Bible tells us he stood head and shoulders above them all. He was Tall and handsome...He looked like a king. He is the king the people would have chosen for themselves. Samuel was the leader that was chosen by God. God didn't look on his outward appearance. God chose him because of his heart.

Samuel is what God is looking for from us. A faithful minister, committed to the will of God. A man who will hear from God and speak the word of God. Someone who will allow himself to be instructed in the things of God.

This is someone who can grow to maturity in the Lord. This is someone whom God will anoint and make fruitful. Are you a Samuel, today?