Speak, Lord! (Part 2 of 2)

Delivering bad news can be as challenging as having to receive it today on Truth for Life will learn how to find the delicate balance between compassion and truth.

When were assigned to deliver an uncomfortable and yet biblical message. Let's join Alistair Begg as he teaches from first Samuel chapter 3 verses 15 through 21 when Judy called and he went about his business and he opened 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. While I don't think any of us would be surprised by that.

I think we would have been afraid to tell the vision to Eli as well and Eli called Samuel and said Samuel, my son and he said here I am, and Eli said what was it that he told you for 17 don't hide it from me. May God punish you if you hide anything from me of all that he told you, as 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 tax 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 and treat. 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 nice impasses 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 yes 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. He spoke the word of God, and he held nothing back.

Now there's a challenge in this.

I want a positive or 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 where it comes of 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 member and 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 and may your work and your glorious power and so on its right in the middle of it art are two sources 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 set 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.

I'll tell you another one in the New Testament is very common to hear people reading. Two Corinthians 5 and again I don't see this in any spirit of judgment. I confess I've often been tempted to skip a couple of these verses, you know, for we know that the earthly tent we live in. If it is destroyed, we have a building with from God not made with hands, and so on. The wonderful picture of rolling up the tent of life and heading for our permanent dwelling and saw, and yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether Willard home and away we make it our aim to please him. Amen. Not so fast you just skip the kicker for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he is done in the body with her good or evil. Savanna selective prophesy so I are you are you suggesting then that the way to handle this is always to lead with this and always to emphasize this, and so on. No II think is were going to see Samuel helps us in this there is a really unsavory I mention in the psyche of certain individuals who feel that to lead in this way, you know, is to really be doing the job we were were were not like those who are Now verse seven and eight of Psalm 90 were not those who are leaving off of verse 10.

No, we are starting with first day we are leaving with verses seven and eight those of the polar extremes on in the real challenge you see is in allowing the Scriptures themselves so to adjudicate not only on what we say, but also how we say it, and in what context we communicated. So, for example, Nepal says, knowing the fear of the Lord we persuade men the prophetic role the role of the preacher in every generation is is by definition a persuasive role is not simply the provider of information.

Knowing the fear of the Lord. We seek to persuade men are not coming to a decision you can take it or leave no and in that context, says Paul, it is the love of Christ that constrains us when Lloyd Jones gave his lectures to the students at Westminster seminary back in the 70s. At one point he asked the question rhetorically what kind of preacher do we need today and this is what he said the chief thing is the love of God, the love of souls.

A knowledge of the truth, and the Holy Spirit within you.

These are the things that make the preacher if he is the love of God in his heart, and if he has a love for God and if he has the love of the souls of men and concern about if he knows the truth of the Scriptures and has the spirit of God within him that man will preach.

So Eli said tell me everything hold nothing back from me. Interestingly, Lloyd Jones, prior to writing that book in the UK was preaching on one occasion when a mutual friend was leaving the service.

The mutual friend was a much younger man than the doctor. Lloyd Jones preached in his normal fashion and it was an event to be present when he preached and he and he sat down, or better still, he collapsed into his seat and following the benediction. My friend went to him and said Dr. Lloyd Jones how do you feel long, Jones said, I feel tired, unhappy with such a short response. My friend Preston. He said in what way he said the young man. I think this is the closest that a man will ever come to the experience of childbirth, and he wasn't being funny. The agony, the ecstasy, the carrying of something that has to be released has to be discharged all the joy that accompanies it all the pain that is part of all that done. I mention no wonder it says that he got up and he opened the doors and he was afraid to tell Eli what God had told him to tell.

Listen, if we are not afraid if we are not fearful if we do not cringe from that responsibility, then there's something actually wrong with us. If that is not within our own hearts that which recoils from the reality of it all because it is such a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, and there is a large crowd in every generation that simply want you to tickle their itching ears to tell them something that they would like to hear that was what Paul said to Timothy in Ephesus and is assumed true in Cleveland as it ever was in Ephesus and the danger was that Samuel would be tempted just to tickle the ears of Eli. When the message was supposed to tingle both of the ears of Eli. You know the real challenges. The challenge in teaching the Bible and in preaching and in this way, a tall is in recognizing that you have to somehow another make sure that in seeking to comfort those who are afflicted that you don't use it lose out on the opportunity to afflict those who are comforted and one of the unique challenges of a congregation, such as our own.

If I may just put it to you in plain terms is that the congregation is so diverse that in an average service here. We have all of the categories of listeners to which Perkins referred in an earlier era.

Perkins said to the preachers of his day, you need to be aware of the fact that these various categories of of listeners are present when you preach the Bible. I've told you them before you've all forgotten and I have forgotten but I keep notes and so here here's what he says when you proclaim the word of God. There will be non-Christians present who know nothing about the gospel and don't care to write. There will be non-Christians who know nothing about the gospel, but their teachable there will be those who know the gospel is but have never been humbled by it. To see the need of a Savior. There are those who have been humbled. Some in the early stages of seeing their need others to see that they need salvation, not merely an improvement and are convinced that only Christ can save them. There will be genuine believers who need to be taught there will be backsliders who in that condition either as a result of failing to be taught was a real art as a result of failure to live constantly in the light of what they have been taught what you have. He says, is a mixed congregation of believers and nonbelievers that simply heightens the challenge and reinforces what we say to one another about how the effectiveness of the delivery of the word of God, of the bringing home of the word of God to the life of a very integrated group of listeners is surely directly tied to the prayers of the people of God, praying home the word of God is as if the person is is filing the truth like arrows from a vantage point and end, and that people are saying you know bring this home Lord, bring it to me. Bring it home to people for that was going to be the issue in Samuel's case and of course you'll notice that as Samuel responds, and in just a sentence, we have what some commenters to say was a kind of spirit of fatalistic resignation. It is the Lord let them do what seems good to him.

This is where we need the video and I need to hear his case by the did he. God hates the Lord whatever or was this his greatest moment was this when he said you know it is Yahweh is Yahweh can't do what God does, that matters more than anything matters more than my welfare matters more than my family's continuance. Let God be God.

That's what he say I want to believe that's what he said and then in the concluding two or three versus we can simply say that God is no longer silent. How many times are we going to read and Samuel grew for fear it is again. I wish I knew how old he was, how tall he wants, don't you mean how big is this is guy's going to be a giant here if you keep scrawling like this. It is just the picture of progress. There is who could could have ever imagined. This number in her prayer.

The Lord brings them down and the Lord lifts them up, which she ever thought that this boy who was given to her, for whom she longed for whom she cried would be lifted up in this way, to such a place in the purposes of God. He grew in the presence of God, and he delivered the word of God and the word of God accomplish the purpose of God. None of his words fall to the ground because God speaks through his servant, and remember in Isaiah 55 my word says God through the prophet will not return to me empty, but will accomplish the purpose, whereunto I have sent and that's what's being described here. He doesn't need to mount a PR campaign.

He doesn't need to send her another send himself out as aware over the radio to let everybody know who it now everybody knew all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord and once again the Lord appeared at Shiloh. How does that mean what is that mean well. The Lord revealed himself to Samuel and how does that work well by word of the Lord when I was a thousand years ago. And here we are tonight. So what is the take away. When you read a passage like this where we supposed to do with that if not careful. People we say well I see what it is was was to pray like crazy now for a prophet to be raised up. Perhaps another Samuel who will arise in our day nose good to pray for those who preach the Bible and so on. But that's not what we need to do. We don't need to pray for God to send a prophet what because of where we began our service. God has sent his prophet in the past year spoken in various ways by the prophets. But now, in these last days he has spoken to us in his son.

And remember the voice from heaven regarding his son. This is my beloved son, listen to Jesus sends out his followers. The Holy Spirit will come upon you and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth, and off they go there only a few chapters into it before, there's a hullabaloo somebody is complaining about something and the food distribution is not working as it should, and immediately the practical ramifications of this burgeoning church comes to the knowledge of the apostles and the apostle say what we video this thing sorted out in the opening verses of chapter 6 that's exactly what they do in the express purpose in doing what they do is so that they might give themselves to prayer and to the preaching of the word of God, and they do and then Luke records at the word of God continue to increase in the number of the disciples multiplied greatly.

Read church history, and you will find there is a direct correlation between the word of God being proclaimed believed obeyed shared and live in the multiplication of the church because as we like to say to one another the word of God. Does the work of God by the Spirit of God and the people of God. And so tonight throughout the whole world is kingdom grows unabated, no earthly kingdom has been able to last the test of time. But since Jesus is in the syndicate.

We can be sure of victory in the end is far more important that we tell people what they need to hear. They were on can be a matter of life and death at the Alistair Begg your listing to Truth for Life.

This is the conclusion of a message titled, speak, Lord, please keep listening. Alister will be back in just a minute close with prayer. Speaking of preaching what people need to hear the basics conferences returning to Parkside church in May 2022. This is a conference meant to refresh men who serve as pastors and church leaders to send them back to their home churches renewed and ready for ongoing gospel work this year's theme is back to basics the speakers include Alistair Begg Tony Marita and John Woodhouse will be encouraging pastors to remain faithful in their teaching of God's word basics begins Monday, May 2, concludes Wednesday, May 4. This is a popular event so don't wait to sign up conferences open to men who serve in any role of pastoral ministry or church leadership. Be sure to register before March 1 to take advantage of the discounted rate basics conference.org many of us have a nickname or maybe there's a term of endearment you use for your spouse or for a family member, but only Jesus has been given the name that is above all names.

That's the title of a book will recommending today name above all names. The authors Alistair Begg and Sinclair Ferguson, Explorer 7 of the many names that have been attributed to Jesus throughout Scripture the book name above all names comes bundled with a study guide which makes it perfect for use with a small group or for personal reflection. There are seven sections in the study guide that track with each chapter of the book. Each session includes additional Scripture questions for immediate application to help you meditate on the greatness of Christ. There is ample space provided so you can record your thoughts or prayers, and then each session ends with a quote or a poem or him text to help you close in praise John MacArthur had this to say about the book name above all names. He said one day every knee will bow at the mention of his name.

If you want to understand why and have your heart humbled, filled with gratitude and aroused to worship, nourish your soul with this simple yet profound overview of who Jesus is and what he has accomplished request. The book name above all names when you donate to support the teaching you hear on this program. Just visit Truth for Life.org/donate or call us at 888-588-7884. Now here's Alister with the closing prayer for the father thank you for the way in which this turns again to Christ and to the living word. Thank you that we were able to begin the day magnifying year. The triune God in your holiness.

Send in your grace and now as we seek to part from one another, we remind ourselves that as the day ends and Sarah a new day dawns are. Your kingdom continues to grow and we rejoice in this, and we pray that you will make us faithful. Help us Lord to be compassionate and yet to be clear, to be truthful and yet to be kind, help us not to be so focused on love that we would become so soft and and become absolutely hold up is not to so focus on truth that would become hardened and visited like a refrigerator make us like Christ. We pray for its in his name we ask that I bottlefeeding we hope you enjoy your weekend and are able to worship with your local church family this weekend.

Be sure to join us Monday will find out how quickly faith in the living God can be replaced by superstition Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life Learning is for Living