Speak, Lord! (Part 1 of 2)

There's probably been a time you had to deliver tough message. Maybe you've said something like, don't shoot the messenger, the prophet Samuel must've been thinking something similar when he was called to give devastating news to Eli the priest he observed since early childhood today entry for life will find out how were supposed to handle being assigned a weight task, there's Alister Greg part one of a message titled, speak, Lord, I invite you to turn with me to force Samuel into chapter 3, we will read.

I will reads as you follow along. Essentially, the second half of this chapter verse 10 first Samuel three in verse 10 and the Lord came and stood calling as at other times. Samuel, Samuel, and Samuel said, speak, for your servant hears. Then the Lord said to Samuel, behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle on that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.

And I declare to him that I'm about to punish his house forever for the iniquity that he knew because his sons were blaspheming God and he did not restrain. Therefore, I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever. Samuel lay until morning.

Then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli, but Eli called Samuel and said Samuel, my son and he said here I am, and Eli said what was it that he told you do not hide it from me.

May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you so Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from. And he said it is the Lord let them do what seems good to him and Samuel girl in the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground and all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord and the Lord appeared again at Shiloh for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord. Amen. Father, thank you for the truth that we are able to sing because of the fight that you have spoken to us finally and saving me in your son thank you for the glory of the gospel. Thank you for the way in which throughout all of history you have raised up your servants in order that this good news may be made widely known and thank you for the place that you gave to Samuel and as we think of him again tonight. We pray that we might think off him and get beyond, and ultimately to the wonder of who you are, and of all that you are to us in the Lord Jesus Christ himself for us in his name we pray. Amen. Well, I encourage you to turn again to first Samuel and safe.

You I did not have the opportunity be with us this morning we need just to rehearse momentarily how we looked at the opening section, we said that in verses 1 to 3. There was silence because of the rarity of the word of God and then in verses four and Dawn how God had broken into that silence in the calling of his servant Samuel and as soon as the call has been responded to as Samuel has been guided by Eli eventually to know how to respond properly in the awareness of who it is that's calling him.

Both Eli and he now are aware that this is something way beyond then and is divine in its origin and so Samuel had gone back and once again laid down in his place and then the Lord spoke to Samuel and so that the pattern is is very clear. He told Samuel what he was about to do and then Samuel was to pass on the word that was given to him.

In other words, when you look at the place of the prophet in the Old Testament. It is the part of God to provide.

If you like the words and it is the part of the prophet than to speak the words. If you remember that amazing little section in in Exodus where Moses recoils from the role of being the prophet of God and he says to the Lord.

Could you please send somebody else and the anger of the Lord is kindled against Moses and he refers to Aaron his brother and he says I know that he can speak well he's coming out to meet you when he sees you he will be glad in his heart and then it says in verse 15 of Exodus for you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth and I will be with your mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you both what to do. He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth and you shall be as God. To him, so another words in the same way that God puts his word into the mouth of his servant. So in this case, Moses was to tell Aaron the word and then he was to proclaim note that the striking thing about this of course is that as we consider now God's word to Samuel as we noted just briefly in verse 11. It was as referred to here and your tingling word. It was a word that God says is going to make everybody sit up and listen is the word that is going to come and set people as it where on their heels and the word of course is in verse 12, I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house and if you have your Bible open and you look over to verse 31 of the previous chapter, where the man of God comes and speaks the word of God than the word that was spoken was, behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father's house, and so on. And now God reinforces this word in the calling of Samuel and he is telling Samuel. I am actually going to do what I said before I would do. And of course we have learned in Hannah's prayer that the Lord is a God of knowledge and by him actions. Are we. And so it is that the judgment that is expressed in this is on account of the iniquity of the house of Eli so important that we see exactly what is being said that in verse 13 and I declared to him that I'm about to punish his house forever for the iniquity that he knew because his sons were blaspheming God and he did not restrain them, and of course we consider this before and it is a chilling word because the sons of Eli had placed themselves beyond forgiveness and all that, therefore, remains is the execution of the message of a judgment which is now irreversible note, it's important when we come to passages like this in the Bible that we pause and we make sure that we don't fall foul of a kind of foolish and arrogant arguing with the Bible. I remember years ago being at church. I had a book with me in my hand. This was back in Buckinghamshire in England and it was the evening surface and I had a book and I can remember what it was about but it was called arguing with God, and it had arguing with God right on the front of the and as I was shaking hands with the pastor. He looked at me and then he looked to the book and he says that's the problem with you fellows I say what problem he said you spend far too much time arguing with God you get rid of that book. So I think I did and I can't even remember what it was but I found myself, I Julie challenged by so when we come to something like this that are certain things that we should just make a note of where in the flyleaf of our thinking.

We should remind ourselves that because when you look at this you're tempted I at least I am tempted to say goodness me. It wasn't really that bad was it. I mean he he he didn't restrain his sons, and they were a bad group but what we have to remember is where not the ones executing the judgment. It is God who is executing the judgment and God as the psalmist says is a righteous judge and a God who feels indignation every day.

One of the reasons that we are able to look so cursorily at sin in our own life. Send in the lives of others and in the life of our nation's in part because although we begin the day singing, holy, holy, holy, we don't fully grasp the fact that God is of such holiness that it is impossible for them to look on wickedness and did not seem judge in Genesis 18 is the judge of all the earth, who will do what is right and it's not uncommon for us as I say, when you come to something like this in the Bible.

Certainly if you're in conversation with somebody else to begin to pontificate on things in a way that actually is distinctly unhelpful and I find myself going back to, for example, Romans 11, who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor said as Isaiah 40 yes it is but is being quoted there in Romans 11 or again in Romans chapter 9 where Paul is forced to ponder virtually the imponderable and remembrances, but who are you all man to answer back to God will what is molded say to its molder so that we are molded by God, then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life is the other doctrine of creation plays into this as well. God is actually fashioned is according to his own purpose. He is the author we are the clay shell the clay call the Potter to account so it's good to pause and acknowledge that the reason it is such a challenge is because of the horror and because of the terror that is attached to this message, you notice there. How that word for ever comes twice and I will. I am about to punish his house for ever and at the end of verse 14 and the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering for ever.

Forever is a long time.

Eli sons had rejected the sacrifice of God, and in doing so, they had rejected the very basis of forgiveness. So, having rejected the basis of forgiveness. There is therefore now no basis for forgiveness see the basis for forgiveness that is been rejected now in the New Testament and we noted this before but I think it's important for us to make sure were clear in our own minds. This is the explanation isn't it of one of the apostasy passages in Hebrews chapter 10 where if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth. In other words, if, if, after we have come to a place where we said this, I think. I believe that, and we are then defiant of God defined of his truth, unwilling to obey and so on. If we remove ourselves from the realm of God's grace of the realm of God's forgiveness and says the writer.

There is no longer remaining a sacrifice for sins, but if only a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. This week I was helped in this regard and I hope you will help by this court and are quoted to you in full by a quote from Tim Chester vicar and in England and this is what he says on this. He says it is not that there are sins which are beyond the scope of the cross. There are no sins which are too big for the grace of God in the blood of Christ to cover the point is this if you despise the cross of Christ, then you reject the only means of salvation reject Christ's sacrifice and you have nowhere else to turn, and died in is the significance of the word that God speaks to Samuel that takes us in verse 15 where were told that Samuel lay until morning is hardly surprising. It would be hardly surprising if he decided to stay in his bed for a little longer on that morning.

After all, he been up and down all evening. Every time the word came, he was up and running off to Eli and now I see lies in his bed is interesting.

It doesn't say I was sleeping. It does say that he lay there and Samuel lay until morning. I wonder did he sleep is not difficult to imagine him wrestling with the implications of the word that he adjust her God had not spoken to observe very clearly and he had made a pronouncement of judgment on the house of the very man in whose company. Samuel was serving the man who was a very priest of God who was the representative of the establishment of your life and so he lay until morning. But when Judy called and he went about his business and he opened the doors of the house of the Lord is wonderful picture.

I don't know what age he is, we don't let's guess let's make them 17 NE 17 and he gets up and he says well I better just do what I'm supposed to do and his day begins and he opens the doors of the house of the Lord and the writer tells us, but in his mind he was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. Well, I don't think any of us would be surprised by that. I think we would've been afraid to television to Eli as well.

Unfortunately, in the providence of God, he doesn't have to find a way to broach the subject.

Because in verse 16 Eli calls to Samuel and notices terms of endearment this is come previously. And it's reinforced here and Eli called Samuel and said Samuel, my son. It's almost as if he looks on Samuel now and looks on him as a boy. He wished it had for his own voice, are a disaster in the judgment of God hangs over Samuel. My son and he said here I am, and Eli said what was it that he told you. Verse 17 don't hide it from me. May God punish you if you hide anything from me of all that he told you so.

I imagine that Samuel just took a big intake of breath and then verse 18. He told him everything and hid nothing from here is the role of the prophet. Now we know that Samuel has been set to the task for the responsibility of the prophet is not that of invention or of creativity or of the ability to stimulate the mind of the listener with intrigue, but it is simply to take from God. God's word and to convey God's word to those who are to hear that word and in that same passage to which we referred in Exodus chapter 4 it's it's quite striking and also encouraging is not that God says to Moses, I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak number one for years. The system who made your mouth is no wonder that Moses recoiled when he realized what it was.

He was supposed to say what he was supposed to do you have the very same thing. Surely in Isaiah chapter 6, I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of the people of unclean lips, and then this coal comes and touches is his mouth and sends them out and what is a very first thing he has to say is a message of judgment who wants to go out and do that. Who gets up in the morning and says I think I'll go out and just pronounce judgment on people. Maybe some misguided souls but nobody should other than those who are to speak. The very word of God. He spoke the word of God, and he held nothing back. Now there's a challenge in this.

I want to pause on it for just a moment because the pattern is clear, but it is not easy to do.

Consider in more contemporary terms how many otherwise useful, potentially useful servants of God are condemned by their silences condemned by the things that are left out.

People will always say, but he such a nice person. He says so many nice things true and true. Where then with the problem I well the role of the prophet is to make sure that they say everything and every hide nothing.

I don't sit in judgment on those people because as it is an easy temptation and I'll tell you what comes up justice just like how wounds on your heels more than any other in my experience, and that is in the funeral service.

The conducting of a funeral service.

If you listen carefully to people reading the Bible and funeral services a lesson prepared to read the text exactly as it is written, you will often find that Psalm 90 is a great favorite in funerals and fighters become a funeral sound, although really it is not about dying is about living your remembered Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations before the mountains were brought forth, are you ever informed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God, and it goes on and later on make us glad. May your work and your glorious power and so on its right in the middle of it art are two resources that are often skipped and is what they read. For we are brought to an end by your anger by your Roth we are dismayed you have said our iniquities before you are secret sins in the light of your presence. You see, you should never read that unless you have the gospel because it is such a chronicle of absolute and utter judgment and despair and finality because the person whose funeral we are conducting if they remain.

If they have remained outside of Christ have, according to the Bible being lost for ever for ever know who but the prophet of God with the word of God would say such a thing listening to Truth for Life Alastair Greg pointing out how dangerous it is to skip or soften the difficult parts of God's word. This is one of the reasons we are so passionate about teaching the Scripture every day your Truth for Life, including the hard parts. If you been a regular listener to Truth for Life. You know that you can rely on one thing. Our program will invite you to open your Bible and that's because our mission is straightforward. We want to teach God's word without adding to it, or taking away from it. It's teaching that we hope you will love and trust teaching that, as the Bible says will make you wise for salvation and you should know that we hear from listeners all around the world, even in places that are hostile to the gospel listener to tell us that this program has become a go to source for strength and encouragement when you sign up to be one of our true partners and make a monthly gift to Truth for Life. You're giving goes directly to the distribution of Alistair's teaching online through our mobile app through radio, through many other channels as a true partner you're helping to bring clear relevant Bible teaching to a large global audience through Truth for Life and each month we will say thanks by inviting you to request both of our featured books being a true partner is a great way to share the gospel and at the same time to build a wonderful library of biblically sound books sign up online@truthforlife.org/true partner or give us a call at 888-588-7884 today were recommending a book titled name above all names. It's written by Alastair together with his friend Sinclair Ferguson, both of them long time Bible teachers and season pastors. This book explores seven key names attributed to Jesus in the Bible, beginning with seed of the woman in Genesis and ending with the lamb on the throne in Revelation as you reflect on the role and character of Jesus Christ will be better prepared to respond to Scripture to fix your gaze on him and to meditate on his Majesty, Alastair and Sinclair didn't intend for this book to be an exhaustive study. Instead they wanted it to be an eye-opener to reduce the greatness of Jesus to those who don't believe in him to encourage mature believers to refresh their love for the Savior request name above only you become a true partner or when you make a one-time donation through the Truth for Life app or online at truthforlife.org/donate and Bob Lapine. Thanks for listing.

Sometimes God's word comforts us other times it convicts us tomorrow will find out why both responses are vital Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life Learning is for Living