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1 Samuel 3 Bible Study - Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  First Samuel chapter 3. Let's go there in our Bible
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  study. First Samuel chapter 3.
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  And as we arrived there, let's pray one more time and ask the
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  Holy Spirit to help us with his word.
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  Father again, we come before you.
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  Because you call your house a house of prayer.
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  And so we pray again. And Lord, we ask that your son,
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  Jesus Christ would be mightily, exalted, Lord.
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  He is our King and we bow before him in our hearts and our will
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  with our lives. We surrender to him afresh.
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  Lord, we desire to know more of you in this house load.
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  It is our deep longing to discover the glories of who you
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  are. We pray.
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  Lord that you would Polish every lofty thing that exalts itself
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  against the knowledge of God. We pray that you would replace
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  Lord, every single deceptive thing that has creeped into our
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  hearts, everything that would insult or would blaspheme the
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  name of God in our lives, Lord would be eradicated Lord.
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  Every false view of who he is, that would make us intimidated
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  or view, you wrongly Lord. We pray that you would come and
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  you would reign in our hearts instead.
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  We ask Lord that the anointed one according to Isaiah would
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  come and set the captive free Open the Eyes of the blind, open
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  the doors of those who are in prison Lord.
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  We long to see Liberation, we long to see you breathe Lord
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  life into this house into your people.
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  Lord that we may be revived. Will you not revive us again
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  that we may rejoice in you? Well, we know that one of the
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  evidences and symptoms of Revival is a rejoicing in God
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  and we pray that that would be the reality of tonight.
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  So Lord Icahn us God, quick and us that we made praise you and
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  adore. You and Obey.
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  You more importantly and we pray again that Jesus Christ would be
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  exalted whether people choose to surrender to him or not.
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  We pray that he would be exalted and Jesus name, we pray.
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  Amen. And amen.
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  We live in crazy times, guys. We live in crazy times and let
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  me make this charge to you. Okay.
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  Pay attention. You're going to hear a lot in
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  the next few weeks. Stick close to the word of God.
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  I'm telling you, I'm telling you, I'm restricting myself.
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  I'm trying to refrain of going a different direction in this
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  Bible study, but I'm going to stick close to this text as much
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  as possible. But let me just say this Stick
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  close to the word of God. Stick close to God and these
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  times. First Samuel chapter 3.
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  In this short yet wonderful chapter, we will read of
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  Samuel's, call into the ministry of a prophet.
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  And it's quite amazing because this little boy that we've been
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  reading about who was an answer to a mother's prayer.
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  Will now be promoted to a prophet of God for the nation of
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  Israel. And it's quite interesting to
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  see how much the word of God gives us concerning God's
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  commissioning or his invitation, or is call of men and women
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  throughout history. What I mean is that you and I
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  see different snapshots of how God calls a certain man or woman
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  of God, and he Of let those details out.
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  But no, he invites us to examine those details and for many
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  reasons, There's no question that when you read a story like
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  this, when you read this, kind of a chapter, or how God calls,
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  Jeremiah, or Moses that it's Unique to that person, it's
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  Unique to that individual nonetheless in every single call
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  in the Bible. There are underlining, insights
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  and instructions and principles to how God calls all men.
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  Now, I'm going to tell you how you're going to be really bored
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  in this Bible. Study, you ready?
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  You want to know? You will be extremely bored if
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  you don't care if you serve God's purposes or not on your
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  life, extremely bored. But you will be excited to know
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  how God does call if you want to serve God.
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  And what's amazing here is that his methods are different
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  throughout history. He uses a burning bush.
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  In one instance, he used the profits voices in another.
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  He speaks from heaven and in this case, he's going to speak
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  audibly to young men and though the methods vary, listen, the
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  measurements are still the same. What I mean?
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  The requirements, the qualifications, the aspects of
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  God's calling on a man or a woman are the same throughout
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  though. His methods and his means are
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  different. Does that make sense?
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  And so in this Bible study, the main emphasis is going to be the
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  different aspects to how God calls a man and what he looks
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  for in a man. And it's a glorious Insight,
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  it's a glorious study. And so we read from verse 1 of
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  chapter 3, Now the boys, Samuel was ministering to the Lord in
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  the presence of Eli and the word of the Lord was rare.
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  In those days, there was no frequent vision.
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  You remember, what's happening up to this point, right?
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  Eli's sons are deep in Mischief, Eli himself was rebuked by a man
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  of God and the whole nation of Israel is extremely frustrated
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  with what's happening in the house of God yet.
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  Despite all that is happening. We are told again that this
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  young boy, Samuel is doing what ministering to the Lord is this.
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  The only time that this has been brought up.
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  No, look at chapter 2 again and look at verse 11.
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  And the boy was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli
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  the priest. Look at Verse 18, Samuel was
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  ministering before the Lord, a boy clothed with linen.
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  Ephod coming into verse 21. Indeed, the Lord visited Hannah
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  and at the end of the verse it says and the boys single grew in
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  the presence of the Lord verse 26.
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  Now, the boys Samuel continue to grow both in stature and in
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  favor with the Lord and also with man.
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  And then we come to chapter 3 verse 1.
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  Now, the boys, Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the
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  presence of Eli whenever the Holy Spirit, especially in a
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  close tight, context repeats, something it means he really
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  wants to convey a message. You really wants something to be
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  drilled in our minds in our hearts.
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  And in this case, What's Happening Here is that he wants
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  us to see that again despite everything around Samuel that
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  could have discouraged them or cause them to not do what he was
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  doing. His devotion was not deterred.
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  His service to the Lord was not stifled.
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  It was not shaken. Didn't matter what was happening
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  around and whether it was good or bad, he was laser focused on
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  serving God. And this is how Samuel was found
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  when God called him. It was in this kind of posture,
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  serving the lord in whatever capacity, in which he was given,
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  whatever limitations he had, despite the failures of those
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  who would have caused anybody else.
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  Surely to go into a different direction.
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  Samuel is like, I'm going to serve God.
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  I'm going to minister to the Lord and it's also encouraging
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  to see that God calls Samuel while he was a boy.
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  Right now, the boy Samuel, that Hebrew word has a wide range for
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  different ages. Many believe he was 12 years
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  old, 12 years old when God is about to call him, I think about
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  how significant that is because that is not foreign to the rest
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  of the Bible. It is not a crazy concept to God
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  for him to recruit a young boy or a young girl to his service
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  and some of you in here. Can testify that even when you
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  were in pre-k, maybe, I don't know how young but some people
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  doing is five, six, seven, eight years old.
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  Can remember, sensing that God was going to use them in a
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  particular way. And it proves to be Be true when
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  they grow up. Now, why is that important for
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  us to understand? Because if God is willing to
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  make his calling clear to somebody as such at age, then
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  we, as the people of God should be encouraged to stir them up to
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  love. God at that age, right?
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  If God sees that they are able to understand something of his
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  voice and his gifting even as such a point of Their Lives.
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  Why do we don't think that they have no potential or grass with
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  the things of God? We should trust that they do and
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  we should encourage them and stir them as young as possible
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  to see the beauties of serving the lord and to and to make
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  their antennas ready for God to speak to them if he wants to
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  speak to them. Because God is able to recruit
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  somebody even in the womb. Who's the person that received a
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  call from God in the womb. Jeremiah, who else in the New
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  Testament? John, the Baptist knew how to
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  praise God in the womb. When Mary stepped in with Jesus
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  and her belly, John the Baptist and the presence of Jesus left
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  with joy. And so you and I should be able
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  to look at a young child and their innocence and their purity
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  and realized, this is a candidate for God's service now.
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  They are now when they understand more things.
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  No. Now in this moment, God can
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  speak and God can recruit and we should encourage them, like,
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  Samuels mom by putting on them speaking over them blessing them
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  training them to be used of God, that might not mean much to you.
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  Now, most people in here because you don't have children or maybe
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  you don't have young siblings, it will, when you Do so remember
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  that. Now, what do we see here?
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  And the word of the Lord was rare, in those days, there was
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  no frequent vision. This is a description of the
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  spiritual darkness that plagued the nation of Israel.
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  What's being said here is that essentially there was no
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  prophetic word, it was rare, it was like a blue moon.
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  It would come once in a while that you would have a voice of
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  guidance, a voice of reason, a voice that heard from God and in
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  spoke to the people of God to walk in a certain direction or
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  correct them from a certain way of life.
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  That was very, very rare. And secondary.
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  We can also say that it was rare for even God's leaders to open
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  God's word and to teach Faithfully because that was the
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  job of the Levites. Why is that important?
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  Because it's not God's desire. Not to speak.
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  The reason why Israel has stooped down to this point, you
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  ready? It's because Israel wanted them
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  to be there. You realize that?
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  And what sense God's word was rare first because the spiritual
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  leadership was incapable of receiving and then directing
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  those because of their own corruption.
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  There was no leaders, there was no vessels ready for the
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  Masters, use to speak on behalf of God because of their own
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  hypocrisy. As we read in chapter 2, And
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  secondary we see here that the people if this is the same crowd
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  that follows the Book of Judges, then we know full well that they
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  don't want God's word for themselves either.
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  And so, we see that the spiritual leadership is fault
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  and also the people's father, mainly that leadership and we
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  see it in verse 2, the converse to at that time, Eli.
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  Whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see was
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  lying down in his own place. That's his physical eyes.
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  He was an old man, he was partially blind but it also
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  speaks of his spiritual perception.
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  He could not see as God saw and therefore, he could not direct
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  as God wanted his people to be directed.
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  So, what's happening here? God is giving them what they
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  want as he often does and this is one of the worst forms of
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  God's judgment. You probably haven't heard of it
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  much, but it's described in the Book of Amos 8:11.
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  This might shock you as it did me.
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  But listen to this words here, in 811 of Amos behold, the days
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  are coming, God says declares the Lord God, when I who will do
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  it. When I got, when I will send a
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  famine on the land. Not a famine of bread, nor a
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  thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord, You know
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  what the prophet is saying. I want to tell you something
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  more catastrophic. More frightening than a drought,
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  that would cause a shortage of food and water and it's the
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  hearing of God's word. Can I ask you a question
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  tonight? This Friday night, bible study.
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  Do you cherish God's word that much?
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  Is God's word. So valuable to you that you see
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  a greater like Joe said than your daily food In God's eyes,
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  as we know from Deuteronomy, that man shall not live on bread
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  alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
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  And in this case, in Israel's history saying, I am going to
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  initiate a judgment where it's going to be so rare for you to
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  hear my voice. You think to yourself?
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  How is that an act of judgment will think about God's word?
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  What does it provide salvation life wisdom Comfort?
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  Peace, Joy, Purity power and for God to refrain to Vale that from
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  the general public, that is an act of judgment.
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  But it's not, his primary will. It's a response to the will of
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  the people who say we don't want God's word, you don't want my
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  word. Then here's chaos instead and
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  welcome to America in 2021. And obviously, it's speaking of
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  the prophetic word. Primarily in many believe.
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  Amos 8:11 was fulfilled during the old before the New Testament
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  after the Old Testament. Meaning that 400-year period.
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  Where there is not one prophetic voice for the nation of Israel
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  until John the Baptist appeared on the scene.
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  And you wonder why there is such a frantic scene, finally a
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  prophet arise and he calls people to repentance and the
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  whole nation sweeps Into the Wilderness.
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  Why because for hundreds, for centuries there was in one voice
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  that would speak on behalf of God.
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  Prophetically and your Bibles testify to that the
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  intertestamental period where there is no voice and what
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  happens with that, look at verse 12.
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  This is what you'll have. God will allow it and when he
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  does it says they being the people shall Wander from sea to
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  Sea and from North to East, they shall run to and fro to seek the
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  word of the Lord. But they shall not find it.
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  There will be such a desperation, for some guidance,
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  for some clarity for some instruction and people will
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  travel all across the world just to hear from God.
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  And God would choose not to speak.
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  And that is true prophetically and though that was unique to
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  Israel and their Covenant, the principle of this judgment is
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  still applicable. Like it wasn't Samuels day, even
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  in our day because I believe we are under this judgment in the
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  West. You're saying what prophetically
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  know I'm speaking about the word of God.
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  I can't tell you the amount of people that I've talked to that
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  are desperate just to hear sound Biblical teaching.
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  And their local church. And I know people that are
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  willing to move States. And move houses and move to
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  different countries. Why to hear from God to hear
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  from God? And I believe there is a famine
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  of hearing the word of the Lord, not because God wants to refrain
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  and restrict his word from being shot on the people because the
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  people don't want to hear from God and goes fine.
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  But here's the thing with that, God is still merciful It's a
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  terrifying, judgment but God is extremely merciful and he will
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  never leave himself without witness to any generation.
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  Look at verse 3, the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel
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  was lying down in the temple of the Lord.
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  Where the Ark of God was look back at verse 1 and the word of
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  the Lord was rare. Does he say?
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  It was totally unavailable. No, he says he was just rare.
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  It was in frequent. It wasn't regular.
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  Like it could have been. It was a rare commodity, and
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  it's proven here even with the lamp of God in the house of God,
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  the lamp of God was the only instrument in the Tabernacle
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  that provided what light? And it was the job of the priest
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  to come and maintain the light to snippet to protect it.
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  So that it would continually burn night and day.
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  And what are we told you that the lamp of God was almost near
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  being extinguished but it wasn't.
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  We out it wasn't totally out but the moment it would go out.
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  The house of God would be in darkness, if the house of God is
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  in darkness, and the people of God will be in darkness.
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  And if the people of God are in darkness than the rest of the
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  nation will be in darkness. But here's the point that this
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  lap represented, it defined the, spiritual condition of the
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  leadership. There was a little light left
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  but it was near to going out. And just when the light was
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  about to go out, God now is about to call another man to
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  reignite it. God is faithful to raise up a
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  voice even when things look grim and dim.
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  And every generation. And as much as it seems like
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  there is little influence of heat and divine truth being lit
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  and maintained at the right time.
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  God will raise up somebody to burn for God.
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  He will. What does that mean?
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  For us it means that you can look out into this world and you
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  can see professing Christians passionate just about everything
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  else except God you can see people that are more into
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  politics than they are in to Divine truth.
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  You can see little to no voice in this generation.
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  Just call you here more than anything else that's compromised
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  and people buying into Political agendas and social ideas more
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  than truth and you can think like what's going to happen.
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  And here's what I'm going to tell you, God has somebody in
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  mind. And God has a few people in
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  mind. In fact, he will never leave
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  himself without witness in any generation and the darker things
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  look. The more hopeful we should be as
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  hopeless as it looks. We should be the most hopeful
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  because God never leaves himself without a witness.
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  Let me prove it to you. The darkest period that this
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  world will ever know is in the period of the tribulation as
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  defined in the Book of Revelation. 7 years of living
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  hell. If you think 2020 was 20/20 was
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  a playground Compared to what the tribulation period will look
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  like. And yet, still during that
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  tribulation period. God will raise up, 144,000,
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  evangelist to preach, the word of God and to see the greatest
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  Revival that this world has ever known.
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  He will always leave himself with a witness and every single
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  generation. So you think about the time
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  where Amos 11 811, was fulfilled, 400 years, right?
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  And then offer a sudden, listen to the description of John the
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  Baptist, according to the words of Jesus, John 535, he was a
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  burning and Shining lamp. He was a burning and Shining
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  lamp and you were willing to Rejoice for a while in his
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  light. That's just like a lot of people
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  today. By the way, God will raise up a
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  prophetic voice. God will raise up a voice that
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  preaches truth. And people get so excited about
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  it and that excitement only last for so long though, it's a scary
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  symptom of people that you can hear a voice just like John the
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  Baptist thundering and preaching everything that God wants to say
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  and people get hyped and excited and then the rejoicing The
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  rejoicing dims down after a bit. Be careful that doesn't happen
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  to you. Be careful that doesn't happen
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  to you. And so what happens here, God is
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  about to raise up a man, even as the light is growing dim.
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  And I'm sure had to do with Eli's blindness that he couldn't
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  really see anyway. So he didn't know how to manage
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  the lamp of the Lord, but it was speaking of his own condition
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  and his own relationship with God.
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  So what are we about to see Samuels?
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  Call in that kind of a spiritual background societal background.
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  The moral chaos and Anarchy. Here comes the invitation for a
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  profit to arise. And today tonight at this Bible
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  study, I present to you seventh different aspects to God's
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  calling in our lives. For those who want to be used of
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  God. Here are seven ingredients, not
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  exclusive but major ones to consider.
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  So here's Point. Number one, in our Bible study,
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  when God calls a man God's call Is inconvenient to the flesh
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  verse 4, then the Lord called Samuel.
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  And he said, here I am, Samuel said that and ran to Eli and
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  said, here I am for you called me.
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  But he said, I did not call lie down again, so he went and laid
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  down. Notice first year that the end
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  of verse 3, when God called Samuel, Samuel was lying down
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  for bed, he was trying to sleep and it was in that moment that
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  God chose to speak to him to get his attention to awaken him.
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  And what's interesting about that is we all know the
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  discomfort of being awoken from sleep.
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  It's not pleasant. It's not pleasant, is it?
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  I don't know anybody that enjoys that.
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  And here in Samuels case, the call of God came at An
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  Inconvenient time because when he does call, oftentimes it does
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  not line up with the desires of our flesh.
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  Sometimes the Lord calls somebody when they are in a
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  state of life, where everything is extremely well, in the
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  natural sense, you have everything going for you, you
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  have your plan for your life set out.
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  You have your Investments laid out, you have your relationship
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  established you have your education, all sorted,
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  everything is set in place and offer some of the Lord will come
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  and interrupt and say follow me. Or for others.
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  Maybe they're not as well-placed.
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  But they have their future set and the call of God invokes this
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  sense of uncertainty and nobody likes uncertainty.
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  And so there's an inconvenience to the invitation And if God
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  truly call somebody, oftentimes it will include both hurdles.
• 22:23
  I'm in a really good place right now and I'm kind of scared of
• 22:26
  where you might take me if I say yes to you. but the point is
• 22:31
  this, Samuel was interrupted in his sleep and your flesh will
• 22:37
  find reasons why not, to completely submit to the will of
• 22:39
  God also. But you have to remember in that
• 22:43
  moment, when God does call, if he does, call you in a certain
• 22:45
  direction, you have to hold on to the promises that come with
• 22:48
  the purpose. And realize that he'll take care
• 22:51
  of you and that you're on the, you're on the path of a wild
• 22:55
  Journey. If you say yes, it's
• 22:58
  inconvenient. It's inconvenient.
• 23:01
  There will be something that you have to give up.
• 23:03
  There will be something that you have to reject.
• 23:04
  There will be something that you have to turn away from and if
• 23:07
  you're not willing to do that, I'm sorry, like Jesus said,
• 23:10
  you're not worthy to be his disciple.
• 23:13
  Number one, God's call is inconvenient to the flesh.
• 23:15
  Samuel was awoken Samuel was Disturbed while he was sleeping.
• 23:18
  But number two, God's call meets a heart that is eager to serve.
• 23:24
  God's called meets a heart that is eager to serve when God,
• 23:27
  spoke Samuel immediately said, here I am.
• 23:32
  And ran to Eli notice that he ran to Eli.
• 23:35
  He said here, I am, so I want you to imagine this Eli's laying
• 23:38
  in his bed and he hears a voice Samuel.
• 23:43
  And in his mind as a servant under Eli, who's partially blind
• 23:46
  that needs assistance. He ran in that moment as she ran
• 23:49
  out and he jumps out of his bed, and he runs he doesn't walk.
• 23:53
  He doesn't crawl. He runs to Eli to assist them
• 23:56
  and then he says again, here I am.
• 23:58
  You called me, right? Here's the thing, he was
• 24:02
  misunderstood, he didn't have the perception to understand
• 24:05
  that it was God who was calling him, but we can still see the
• 24:08
  character of the man even in his lack of understanding.
• 24:13
  When he was told, and when he was called, you can sense, an
• 24:18
  eagerness, you can sense an excitement, you can sense an
• 24:21
  urgency to serve he was sacrificial.
• 24:25
  He was prompt, he was respectful.
• 24:29
  And the beauty about this is that he does it over and over
• 24:32
  again. I mean he goes back to bed, he
• 24:36
  hears his name again and he gets up and he goes back to Eli again
• 24:39
  and again three times before he gets it, So this is speaking
• 24:43
  about the man's attitude, the young boys attitude that even at
• 24:47
  this point with menial tasks such as assisting a blind man, a
• 24:51
  partially blind men life to make it a little easier.
• 24:54
  He was still willing And surely God found somebody who is
• 24:59
  willing to help a weak individual, to be able to handle
• 25:03
  the power and authority to serve a weak Nation.
• 25:09
  Because God will look at where you're at right now and what
• 25:11
  you're doing right now and we'll consider the attitude.
• 25:16
  And the eagerness and the sense of privilege before even
• 25:20
  considering to promote you or me.
• 25:24
  He saw something special in this boy.
• 25:27
  We just helped an old man when you would call in the middle of
• 25:31
  the night, maybe for a glass of water or maybe to grab an extra
• 25:35
  sheet to make them warmer. You have a lot of people that
• 25:38
  don't want to serve God until God gives them exactly what they
• 25:41
  want from Ministry and that's not how it works.
• 25:43
  It's not how it works. He finds Samuel if you wanted to
• 25:48
  make him a profit right away, he would have made him a profit
• 25:50
  right away. Like Jeremiah he could have made
• 25:54
  Samuel young Prophet at a young age but instead know, he lets
• 25:57
  him go to Eli's house and God's house and to train him in
• 26:00
  humility and train him in the sense of serving at this
• 26:03
  capacity, before he promotes him.
• 26:06
  So wherever you are today, God will look at you and say, how
• 26:09
  much are you willing to serve me as though?
• 26:11
  This was the only thing I was going to give you anyway and
• 26:14
  based on that attitude, based on that sense of honor and
• 26:17
  privilege and efficiency God will consider the next step.
• 26:23
  God's call comes to a heart. That is eager to serve thirdly,
• 26:28
  God's call comes with merciful confirmation.
• 26:34
  Look here. Verse 5 again.
• 26:40
  And ran to Eli and said, here I am for you called me.
• 26:43
  But he Eli said, I didn't call lie down again, so he went and
• 26:47
  laid down and the Lord called again Samuel.
• 26:53
  And Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, here, I am for you
• 26:56
  called me. But he said, I did not call my
• 27:00
  son lie down again. Now, Samuel did not yet know the
• 27:06
  Lord and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to
• 27:09
  him. And the Lord called Samuel.
• 27:12
  Again, the third time and he arose and went to Eli and said,
• 27:17
  here, I am for you called me then, Eli perceived that the
• 27:21
  Lord was calling the boy. Three times.
• 27:28
  Three times the Lord calls Samuels name and the boy, misses
• 27:31
  it every single time. He thinks it's his boss.
• 27:35
  He thinks it's Eli and his unwillingness to respond to the
• 27:39
  Lord was not a reluctance or a desire to ignore God's call
• 27:44
  knowing the cost. He just does not know God's
• 27:47
  voice yet. And when God sees this boy who
• 27:51
  doesn't have the capacity yet to understand that he is the one
• 27:55
  speaking to him. He attempts over and over and
• 27:59
  over again, to get his attention and was willing to do so until
• 28:03
  he understood it was God speaking to him.
• 28:06
  God's Mercy is wonderful because even when somebody knows, it's
• 28:09
  God speaking them and they were willing to go the opposite
• 28:11
  direction. He's still willing to give him a
• 28:13
  chance, give me a proof of that of an individual in the Old
• 28:15
  Testament. Jonah, Jonah literally goes the
• 28:18
  opposite direction. Geographically says, you're
• 28:21
  telling me to go there and he GPS.
• 28:23
  Where is the exact opposite direction?
• 28:25
  Because that's where I'm going. And God still gives the man a
• 28:29
  second chance to perform his duty as a prophet.
• 28:32
  That's how merciful he is. How much more for somebody who
• 28:35
  doesn't understand that God is calling him and he wants to
• 28:38
  serve God, but he doesn't know of God's.
• 28:39
  The one directing him in this way.
• 28:43
  So God when he really listen, I want to tell you something.
• 28:45
  God is more excited for you to fulfill his will for your life
• 28:49
  then you are God Longs you to know the joys and the privilege
• 28:54
  of glorifying him more than you might anticipate is.
• 28:58
  So here's God, trying to get the attention of this young boy.
• 29:01
  He's not getting it. So what he's going to do he
• 29:03
  doesn't give up on a so quickly. He doesn't play this strange
• 29:08
  game where he's mysterious and if you can't crack the code then
• 29:11
  you're not worthy to serve him know.
• 29:13
  He's very realistic. God is extremely realistic.
• 29:17
  And so there are people that are terrified terrified if they're
• 29:22
  going to miss God's will for their lives.
• 29:24
  A lot of people like that. And when people come up to me
• 29:28
  with that concern, I applaud them and comfort them with the
• 29:31
  fact that they have that concern. because when you
• 29:34
  understand the nature of God and his desire for you to be used,
• 29:38
  For his glory, you have no reason to fear.
• 29:42
  You have no reason to fear because he'll make it clear.
• 29:44
  Why fear your future wife feel like you're going to miss the
• 29:46
  door, why I feel like you're going to miss a moment of God's
• 29:48
  will for your life? Samuel, your could not perceive
• 29:54
  it yet. And I see another principal who
• 29:57
  was the one that preceded it for Samuel.
• 30:00
  Eli. Eli was the one who had the
• 30:03
  maturity and the experience and the relationship with God to
• 30:06
  understand that after three times.
• 30:09
  The boys hearing his name. The Lord is trying to call you
• 30:13
  boy. Do you know how Eli received
• 30:17
  confirmation or greater Clarity rather that God was speaking to
• 30:21
  him? Through community. there was a
• 30:27
  there was somebody else in his life that had the Experience
• 30:33
  that had the knowledge that had an understanding that he did not
• 30:36
  have that helped them understand that it was God speaking to him.
• 30:40
  And as much as the Holy Spirit lives, in each of us the Holy
• 30:43
  Spirit has also made it that you would be dependent on somebody
• 30:46
  else to perceive something that you cannot perceive on your own.
• 30:51
  We don't like that. And this individualistic
• 30:52
  Society, how dare you? I have all the holy spirit in
• 30:56
  me. I have the whole counsel of God.
• 30:57
  I'll be just fine or really You will be fine, but you'll be even
• 31:03
  better off, if you know how to be in partnership with other
• 31:05
  people. I love this.
• 31:09
  I love this Samuel, young boy, and God allows for Eli, another
• 31:13
  man to turn his eyes and to help him realize this is God speaking
• 31:19
  to you. And although we each need to
• 31:22
  have our own personal walk with the Lord in that personal
• 31:25
  Journey, God has ordained it for you to be humbled by knowing
• 31:29
  you, you have blind spots. And so do I and it's a humbling
• 31:37
  thing to ask somebody for prayer.
• 31:39
  It's a humbling thing to ask somebody else for Council but
• 31:42
  God will see that humility and he will honor it by providing
• 31:46
  greater Clarity to whatever you need Clarity for.
• 31:50
  And in this case he received guidance from another man and
• 31:54
  you and I can know this that when we walk with others, who
• 31:58
  are Spirit-filled, who actually love you, who care for you
• 32:01
  because this must have been very humbling for Eli, you realize
• 32:03
  that right? Eli is the high priest and Eli
• 32:07
  realizes In This Moment, God is speaking to a kid and he's not
• 32:11
  speaking to me. God is speaking to a little boy
• 32:17
  and knowing what that man said to me in Chapter 2 about my
• 32:19
  faith, I know I'm probably cut off with God, and he's not going
• 32:23
  to speak to me, ever again, and he was what, Was he like Baba,
• 32:27
  you're just hearing things boy, go to bed, I can't believe God's
• 32:30
  calling him. No, he encouraged.
• 32:32
  The boy, he encouraged the boy, what an example of older Saints.
• 32:37
  Not being intimidated by younger men and women, but encouraging
• 32:40
  them to fulfill the will of God in their lives.
• 32:43
  Go. God is calling you and he gave
• 32:46
  him instructions of how to receive from the Lord further
• 32:49
  from that place, but look at your birth 7.
• 32:51
  Now, Samuel did not yet know the Lord and the word of the Lord
• 32:54
  had not yet been revealed to him.
• 32:56
  I don't believe that this is saying that Samuel had no
• 32:58
  personal knowledge of God. Meaning, he didn't have a
• 33:00
  relationship with God. I don't think that's what it was
• 33:03
  trying to be said, here. I believe what's being said here
• 33:06
  more specifically is that Samuel was not in the place of maturity
• 33:09
  to perceive the spoken word of God.
• 33:13
  The revelation of God as a prophet would understand in
• 33:15
  here. God, Samuel had not arrived
• 33:17
  there yet. And so that's the understanding
• 33:20
  here is that he he didn't have the ears yet.
• 33:22
  He didn't have the experience that to know.
• 33:24
  This is God speaking to me right here.
• 33:26
  And right now nonetheless the possibility of somebody like
• 33:31
  Samuel who all he knew was church, man.
• 33:35
  That's all he knew. Like some of you in this place
• 33:37
  as young as he can. Remember every meeting that the
• 33:40
  temple could offer. He was there Wednesday night,
• 33:42
  Friday night, Night, Sunday, morning, Sunday afternoon, till
• 33:45
  the evening. He was there, he was there and
• 33:49
  he served at the youngest age possible.
• 33:52
  He was in the Sunday school. He became the youth leader.
• 33:55
  He probably became the young adults leader at that point.
• 33:57
  What am I trying to say that? Although, this is a specific
• 34:00
  type of knowing of the Lord that he did?
• 34:02
  Not know. There are those like Samuel who
• 34:05
  grew up in the ministry, who grew up in the church, and let
• 34:08
  me say they don't know the Lord. I'm just going to cut it
• 34:13
  straight tonight. They don't know the Lord.
• 34:16
  And I've personally encountered this, you ask people certain
• 34:19
  people especially people that grew up in the church and you
• 34:22
  ask them. Tell me your testimony and they
• 34:24
  begin to tell you what they did for the lord.
• 34:26
  Well, I went to Sunday school ever since I was a kid and I
• 34:29
  served on the worship team and I didn't wanna And I did a
• 34:34
  missions trip in Florida. And it's like that's not the
• 34:39
  same as you knowing the Lord. You describing your activities
• 34:44
  for Christ. Does not equal how you entered
• 34:47
  into a relationship with him. And sometimes we convince
• 34:52
  ourselves because I've busied myself like Sammy.
• 34:54
  I've ministered to the Lord I've ministered.
• 34:56
  Lord yeah. But do you know the Lord Do you
• 35:00
  know the Lord? And not the work for the Lord.
• 35:04
  Do you know him? And one way you'll know if you
• 35:09
  know, the Lord is that you want to spend time with him, you
• 35:15
  actually want to spend time with him, you actually want to get to
• 35:17
  know him. This might shatter your
• 35:19
  confidence, but I hope if it saves her soul tonight.
• 35:22
  You actually want to spend time with God.
• 35:23
  If you don't want to spend time with God, I question if you've
• 35:26
  ever met him You want to actually open his word and read
• 35:31
  it. You actually look at sin
• 35:34
  differently. And if you do fall in cynic,
• 35:35
  Grieves you in a way that you never known before you were
• 35:38
  saved, what's encouraging though?
• 35:43
  Is that Samuel was called while he was in the house of God,
• 35:47
  because here's the opposite extreme.
• 35:49
  You have people that grow up in the church and they think that
• 35:51
  God will not use them because they don't have as colorful as a
• 35:54
  past as others that grew up in a much more broken background.
• 35:59
  But here's a beauty that Samuel was called in the house of God
• 36:03
  for a mighty purpose and just because your background like
• 36:07
  Samuel is pristine and clean and free from like Eli son's
• 36:12
  description of life, God can still recruit you.
• 36:16
  God has a vast array of recruiting different people with
• 36:19
  different backgrounds for different purposes and
• 36:22
  oftentimes God will find somebody who grew up in his word
• 36:25
  that grew up under his word that grew up with the people of God,
• 36:28
  to be a mighty voice for his glory.
• 36:34
  I'll tell you this from personal experience, some of the hardest
• 36:39
  people to preach these church people.
• 36:43
  Like the youth conferences. Like, can these Dry Bones live?
• 36:49
  Lord, those kind of services. I'm like, am I living in Ezekiel
• 36:53
  37? Right now, you want me to preach
• 36:56
  on this theme? I don't even know if these kids
• 36:57
  are saved. You know, you ask questions and
• 37:02
  Bible studying the one question that I often want to ask at
• 37:04
  those conferences. Are you guys even alive?
• 37:08
  Anyways, I don't know. Sorry, something just came out
• 37:10
  of me there. Let's come back to the Bible
• 37:12
  study. God's call.
• 37:17
  Comes with merciful confirmation, merciful
• 37:20
  confirmation. He will make himself known when
• 37:22
  you really desire to serve him, which comes to the fourth Point.
• 37:25
  God's call is known to a submissive spirit.
• 37:29
  Look at verse 9. Therefore Eli said to Samuel go
• 37:34
  lie down and if he calls you you shall say Speak Lord for your
• 37:38
  servant. Here's so Samuel went and laid
• 37:41
  down in his place. Now, Eli perhaps had this
• 37:46
  experience where he heard from God as a high priest.
• 37:49
  So he knew what to give Samuel has instruction and he said
• 37:53
  Samuel. Listen, this is important.
• 37:55
  And he picks himself up from his bed and he tries to wipe his
• 37:58
  eyes because listen boy, is we need to understand if he calls
• 38:01
  you again, if you hear his name again, make sure that this is
• 38:05
  how you respond. Now, why would he say that
• 38:07
  unless he knew something about it?
• 38:10
  I want you to say Speak Lord, for your servant hears.
• 38:18
  And Samuel says, in verse 10, and the Lord came and stood,
• 38:21
  this is a physical manifestation of the Lord, that's not just
• 38:24
  speaking audibly. The Lord.
• 38:25
  Now appears in the room, you want to talk about making
• 38:27
  yourself known He appears in the room calling his other times,
• 38:32
  Samuel Samuel, you see, he's amplifying.
• 38:35
  He's repeating. He's really wanting to get this
• 38:37
  boy's attention and Samuel said speak for your servant.
• 38:42
  Here's now this is this is really encouraging.
• 38:45
  Remember God's call God's voice for your life.
• 38:50
  Meets a person who has a submissive spirit and this is
• 38:54
  the instruction. He didn't just say go and say
• 38:56
  Speak. Lord.
• 38:58
  It is a just just say Speak Lord because that's that's what you
• 39:02
  have. A lot of people often wanting.
• 39:03
  They want to know something of God's voice of an experience
• 39:07
  with God of opening, the Bible and something to shooting right
• 39:10
  into your life. That speaks to the moment that
• 39:11
  you're in right now. People long for that and you
• 39:14
  should long for that, because I'll tell you this, if you have
• 39:17
  no desire for God to speak, like God Only Knows, God Only Knows
• 39:21
  our hearts and we pull up into this place when we open our
• 39:23
  Bibles, every single morning. If we even do that, God knows
• 39:27
  our heart posture. Day.
• 39:29
  And if we have no desire for God to speak, guess what?
• 39:31
  He'll honor that desire. See, this is why you cannot
• 39:35
  succumb. Make sure you check yourself
• 39:37
  brother sister. Make sure you don't slip into
• 39:39
  this trap where your satisfaction is you satisfying
• 39:43
  what you're supposed to do as a Christian in your devotional
• 39:45
  life, go deeper than that go deeper and saying Lord.
• 39:49
  I long for you to speak when I come to your words speak to me,
• 39:54
  don't let my joy be found in the fact that I just read I want to
• 39:57
  know your voice and God will see that, but it goes beyond that
• 40:01
  because you have people that are just crazy for Periences and
• 40:04
  sensationalism and some thrill and some story they can share
• 40:08
  with others. Listen, he could have said, when
• 40:11
  you hear your name, say Speak, Lord, and I would have been
• 40:13
  enough, but that's not what he said.
• 40:14
  He said Speak Lord for what your servant.
• 40:18
  Here's so the equation is this that if you want God to speak,
• 40:25
  It's because you're ready to obey what he has to say.
• 40:29
  You're ready to obey, whatever he reveals to you.
• 40:34
  And oftentimes people want God to speak for much more different
• 40:37
  reasons than for you to submit to his will for your life.
• 40:41
  But this is what's necessary. I'm willing to do whatever you
• 40:45
  tell me to do. I'm willing to go wherever you
• 40:49
  tell me to go, I'm willing to give up whatever you want me to
• 40:51
  give up. I'm willing to say whatever you
• 40:53
  want me to say. And when that is the heart
• 40:57
  posture, Of God's child. He readies himself to hear from
• 41:01
  the Lord. they forget the second part she, when I come to hear a
• 41:12
  sermon, What am I looking for? What am I looking for?
• 41:17
  I can tell you this. You'd be Mason on how God will
• 41:21
  speak when you're ready to hear from and you ask him to speak to
• 41:25
  you from wherever it's being preached from.
• 41:28
  You'll be amazed to know and sometimes it's for yourself.
• 41:31
  It's sometimes it's for you to know for somebody else.
• 41:33
  It's incredible. And I never want to be a person
• 41:36
  that Waltz into the house of God.
• 41:39
  And I don't even say Speak Lord. I'm just like, I hope this isn't
• 41:43
  a long sermon so I can eat because I skipped breakfast
• 41:45
  today. What is sad way of going to the
• 41:47
  house of God. What a sad way of going to the
• 41:50
  house of God. So, God won't speak.
• 41:53
  If you don't want it to speak, you'll hear words, you'll hear a
• 41:55
  sermon. You see somebody passion and get
• 41:57
  veins in their neck but you won't hear God speak.
• 41:59
  And God is specially won't speak.
• 42:01
  If you're not ready to obey. Whatever is being revealed.
• 42:02
  You have a lot of people that are hungry for knowledge but not
• 42:06
  for the sake of 0 being obeying God in Greater ways in
• 42:09
  Deuteronomy. 29:29 Look What the Lord says.
• 42:11
  We're having this conversation with a few Brothers, on
• 42:14
  Wednesday night, the secret things belong to the Lord, Our
• 42:17
  God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our
• 42:20
  children forever, but it doesn't stop there.
• 42:23
  That we may do all the words of this law.
• 42:29
  You have many people that spend their entire Christian
• 42:31
  existence, trying to find out things that only God knows so
• 42:35
  that they can when they feel like they have an answer debated
• 42:37
  with other Christians, that's all there.
• 42:40
  That's the thrill of their Christian Life.
• 42:42
  Debating, the secret things of God.
• 42:45
  And here's what the Bible says, whatever God has made known to
• 42:49
  you. Whatever God has revealed to
• 42:51
  you. Here's the purpose, it's been
• 42:53
  revealed to you so that you can do.
• 42:54
  What, what is this a obey? It obey it, the Revelation, no
• 43:00
  matter how great the inside, no matter how I've never seen that
• 43:02
  before. All of those things is for one
• 43:05
  main purpose, that from it, you would draw something where you
• 43:07
  can be more Sanctified in Christ, Or else we become?
• 43:16
  Dangerous to our own Souls when we want to gather and we become
• 43:19
  like the Dead Sea, all we do is get things in, but we have no
• 43:22
  outlet and we become swampy and poisonous and our spiritual
• 43:25
  life. So, even whatever God Reveals
• 43:29
  His for the sake of me, walking and close to relationship with
• 43:32
  him and representing him more well than I did before, when it
• 43:34
  was revealed. But no, people want the secret
• 43:37
  things. God, I want to know the
• 43:38
  mysterious things for what to be, puffed up.
• 43:41
  Let's just be honest to be puffed up.
• 43:44
  But he says no I'm going to reveal whatever I reveal
• 43:46
  whatever exposed to you is for one main purpose.
• 43:48
  So that you would be more like my son.
• 43:52
  And so God speaks here but only two per person who's ready to
• 43:56
  obey. And here's the thing, out of all
• 43:59
  the things that God could have said, this is point number five
• 44:02
  of God's call, God's call will always come with a cost.
• 44:06
  Always always always. It will always come with a cost,
• 44:10
  the Lord manifest himself, and he tells Sam, you have something
• 44:13
  that is going to come to pass in the land of Israel.
• 44:17
  Verse 11, then the Lord said to Samuel behold, I'm about to do a
• 44:21
  thing in Israel. at which the two ears of everyone who hears
• 44:24
  it will tingle He goes, I'm about to say something to you.
• 44:28
  Now, that when the rest of the people hear it, their ears are
• 44:32
  actually going to vibrate. And that's, that's an important
• 44:35
  phrase because you see it into other times in the Old
• 44:37
  Testament, Second Kings, Jeremiah 19, and both times, God
• 44:41
  says you're about to hear and you're about to say something
• 44:45
  that will make the ears of the people tingle, and it always has
• 44:48
  to do with severe judgment that he's going to rain down from
• 44:51
  heaven. So what's about to be told here
• 44:55
  is something that's going to shake the hearts of men when
• 44:58
  they realize what God is about to do.
• 45:02
  And why is he telling this? Why is he saying?
• 45:04
  This is Samuel because Samuel supposed to Proclaim it.
• 45:08
  And he goes on to say, on that day, I will fulfill against Eli
• 45:12
  all that I have spoken concerning his house from
• 45:15
  beginning to end and I declared to him that I'm about to punish
• 45:18
  his house forever for the iniquity that he knew because
• 45:21
  his sons were blaspheming God and he did not restrain them.
• 45:26
  I mean I want you to realize here's a 12 year old boy.
• 45:28
  And the first thing that God reveals to this boy, the very
• 45:33
  core of this message is the Holiness of God.
• 45:37
  The Holiness of God, Samuel I want you to realize right off
• 45:41
  the bat who I am and my hatred for sin.
• 45:44
  And I'm going to tell you this message because you're going to
• 45:46
  Proclaim it to Eli. And I want you to realize of
• 45:51
  what I am capable of doing, and here's what we all have to
• 45:54
  choose in our own Hearts. You ready?
• 45:56
  In second, Timothy 4, what is it say about those?
• 45:59
  Who would want teachers that stray away from the word of God?
• 46:02
  So that they would do what? Tickle their itching ears,
• 46:11
  right? You and I have to make a
• 46:14
  decision that we are willing to declare.
• 46:16
  What will make not ears. Tickle but tingle Let me say
• 46:23
  that one more time you and I have to determine in our hearts
• 46:26
  that we are willing to relay the message that would make people's
• 46:28
  ears. Tingle and not take Cole.
• 46:36
  Because many people don't want people's ears to tingle because
• 46:40
  tingle has to do with God's holiness, and his Justice, and
• 46:44
  his wrath and his righteousness. But if you're going to serve
• 46:49
  God, whether you're a preacher or not, you're going to be a
• 46:52
  faithful servant, you have to be determined within yourself Lord.
• 46:56
  If you're telling me to say something or live in a way that
• 46:58
  would cause people to tingle, I'll do it.
• 47:02
  And that's why many people can't serve God.
• 47:06
  And this is a difficult thing that many people are not willing
• 47:08
  to do, but it's a necessary price of being used by the Lord.
• 47:12
  And here's what makes it so much more difficult for Eli or rather
• 47:14
  for Samuel. He has to say to somebody that
• 47:16
  he grew up with his whole life. I have to say it to Eli, who was
• 47:21
  like a father figure. To me, this man took me under
• 47:24
  his wing. We ate together, we played
• 47:27
  together, he put me to bed. We had conversations, I served
• 47:33
  him my whole life and now you're telling me that I have to speak
• 47:38
  this word over him. And the answer is yes, because
• 47:42
  Samuel is going to do what Eli refused to do with his own kids
• 47:46
  and that's honor. God's holiness above the
• 47:47
  feelings of other people. Samuel.
• 47:54
  Here's the message that I'm giving to you.
• 47:55
  I mean this is a 12 year old kid.
• 47:56
  You have 40 year old men that won't even preach this.
• 48:01
  You have a twelve-year-old by the God is entrusting to this
• 48:03
  message. Why?
• 48:04
  Because, you have grown men that are not willing to do.
• 48:05
  So, and is day. So he's going to let a kid
• 48:09
  prophesied judgment because men can't even judge themselves.
• 48:17
  And what do we told? Look at Verse 18.
• 48:20
  So Samuel told him being Eli everything and hid, nothing from
• 48:25
  him. 12 years old. Yeah, guess what?
• 48:31
  A 12 year old can understand the concept of God's holiness.
• 48:36
  They can. But we again just like we'll be
• 48:41
  doing many things underestimate, their capacity of understanding
• 48:43
  certain things and we try to hide God's holiness from them.
• 48:46
  Lest they be? Who knows what?
• 48:48
  And so you want proof of that. Look at the common child's book
• 48:51
  of Noah's Ark. It's like the happiest thing in
• 48:53
  the world. Ask not what I read.
• 48:55
  When I read Genesis, I don't read rainbow over the arc and
• 48:58
  giraffes and elephants sticking their head of the windows.
• 49:01
  There's Terror in that book. It's a picture of God's holiness
• 49:07
  and his thundering righteousness and great Wrath.
• 49:14
  So Samuel had nothing from Eli, but look how honest the Bible
• 49:19
  is. Look at verse 15 Samuel lay
• 49:20
  until morning. You know, he didn't sleep that
• 49:25
  night. I got told him what he was
• 49:28
  supposed to say, what was going to happen and the boy just laid
• 49:31
  there all night. Because what when you want to be
• 49:35
  used by God, don't be surprised if he puts his burden on you.
• 49:40
  I'm not talking about the burden of legalistic limitation about
• 49:42
  talking about the burden of unrealistic way of life.
• 49:45
  I'm talking about the burden of his heart.
• 49:48
  For sinners. And for his people, this young
• 49:53
  boy could not even sleep, a wink that night and I don't blame him
• 49:57
  because he knew what was going to happen to one of the closest
• 49:59
  people in his life. But look, then he opened the
• 50:05
  doors of the house of the Lord and Samuel was afraid to tell
• 50:07
  the vision to Eli. Look how honest, the Bible is,
• 50:10
  this boy was afraid, he goes to the house and who knows?
• 50:13
  He was sweeping the floor knees. Like, I hope I don't bump into
• 50:15
  Eli. I hope he doesn't ask me about
• 50:16
  last night. I hope he doesn't tell me and
• 50:18
  ask me that I don't want to have this kind of conversation with
• 50:20
  Eli. Who knows?
• 50:21
  What was running through the boys mind.
• 50:23
  But here's what we learn in verse 18, despite his feelings.
• 50:26
  He honored God, he crucified his emotions for the sake of obeying
• 50:30
  God, and at times when, Serve God.
• 50:33
  Guess what? You're not going to feel like it
• 50:35
  sometimes. If you ask some preachers,
• 50:39
  they'll be honest, sometimes they don't want to go up and
• 50:41
  preach for different reasons. You have some people that serve
• 50:46
  God in different ways they'll be honest and say there are some
• 50:48
  days where I feel lazy, there are some days where I feel
• 50:50
  afraid. There are some days where I feel
• 50:52
  depressed, but guess what they do?
• 50:54
  They crucify how they feel for the sake of serving and
• 50:58
  glorifying God. And you and I have to learn how
• 51:02
  to manage how we feel because you have a lot of Christians
• 51:05
  that allow their emotions to determine their devotion.
• 51:09
  You cannot go far. You cannot go far and God is
• 51:12
  merciful. He is extremely patient with us.
• 51:14
  I mean, you have the boy afraid here after the Lord.
• 51:17
  I mean, how can you be afraid when the Lord stands in your
• 51:20
  room and says, can you here's the message?
• 51:21
  I mean I would feel like Superman.
• 51:23
  I would feel invincible and like bring it on.
• 51:25
  Bring on Baal and ashtaroth. I don't care.
• 51:29
  I know he was still sincerely. and after wonderful,
• 51:32
  manifestation of the revelation of Christ, And he goes, I don't
• 51:37
  want to say it. And then he ends up saying it
• 51:39
  anyway, because that's what it means.
• 51:41
  To serve the Lord, you die to yourself, you die to yourself.
• 51:47
  And he does. Now here's a great question for
• 51:51
  discussion. So Samuel Verse, 18 told them
• 51:53
  everything in hid, nothing from him and he being Eli said it is
• 51:58
  the Lord. Let him do.
• 52:02
  Let him do, what seems good to him.
• 52:04
  Here's my question. What do you guys think about
• 52:06
  that reaction? I actually want to hear from
• 52:09
  you. If you're willing to answer, is
• 52:11
  this a noble response? Is this a bad example as a
• 52:15
  response? What do you think?
• 52:18
  He says you're done. Okay, it seems a pathetic like
• 52:24
  he's ignoring if that's the case and let it be.
• 52:28
  That's his only response. That's the other answer that he
• 52:30
  pretty much says it's done. There's no chance that because
• 52:32
  he says here it's over, this judgment is sealed, there's no
• 52:36
  chance of repentance. So what we're hearing here is
• 52:39
  well. Okay, that's it, that's it.
• 52:44
  Okay. So there's an element of
• 52:45
  repentance there where he's not saying, well, no, how can this
• 52:48
  be? This isn't fair and he just
• 52:49
  accepts his fate. Yeah.
• 53:03
  So he's saying whatever God would do, whatever is good to
• 53:06
  him. I'll accept it.
• 53:07
  So he's leaving it at the mercy of God.
• 53:09
  These are great. Great answers.
• 53:19
  Okay, you're on to something. Now, you're on to something
• 53:21
  where you see different responses, from Men in different
• 53:24
  places and God, responds differently.
• 53:26
  Yeah. Mmm.
• 53:40
  Right? So he's saying, if this is what
• 53:41
  God wants, I have a different opinion, so let just let it be
• 53:45
  okay. You guys are onto something.
• 54:01
  So again, we're seeing another example of how God has declared
• 54:04
  something that seems to be a sealed fate for people and he
• 54:07
  was willing to reverse that based on the response of the
• 54:09
  people. Go to 1st Kings.
• 54:12
  I want you to see something. In chapter 21.
• 54:18
  And let me say this is not a dogmatic thing.
• 54:20
  Every answer that was given is where people stand on this
• 54:23
  issue. Concerning Eli's response but I
• 54:26
  want you to see something quite interesting.
• 54:30
  In First Kings 21. What happens here?
• 54:35
  Is that a Hab killed? A man for his Vineyard.
• 54:40
  I mean, he was so Covetous, so ugly that he robbed the man of
• 54:45
  his father's inheritance so that he can enjoy gardening.
• 54:50
  And and to God, in God's eyes, this was the last straw.
• 54:53
  This is like, you're done after all that you've done, I'm
• 54:55
  sending my prophet and he's going to declare your faith and
• 54:58
  he does and we see it here in verse 19.
• 55:02
  So he tells Elijah to go to a Ab and this is what the instruction
• 55:05
  is, and you shall say to him. Thus says, the Lord have you
• 55:09
  killed and also taken possession, and you shall say to
• 55:12
  him. Thus says the Lord and the place
• 55:15
  where dogs licked up the blood of naboth shall dogs.
• 55:18
  Lick your Her own blood talk about a sermon.
• 55:23
  Talk about a sermon. You know how you're going to
• 55:24
  die. Wild, dogs are going to lick up
• 55:26
  the blood from the floor. After you are slaughtered, in a
• 55:30
  way that you're not going to know.
• 55:33
  Does that sound like a final fate?
• 55:36
  Does that sound like it's a done deal?
• 55:38
  Yes. There's no or or if he says,
• 55:42
  that's it, you're going to be dog's food because of what
• 55:46
  you've done. This is what's amazing.
• 55:50
  I want you to see the response here, as you scroll down and
• 55:53
  verse 25. They go back and forth and then
• 55:57
  Elijah walks away and look how the Holy Spirit goes beyond to
• 56:00
  describe. What kind of man Ahab was there
• 56:03
  was none Who Sold himself to do, what was evil in the sight of
• 56:06
  the Lord, like Ahab who Jezebel his wife incited.
• 56:10
  He acted very abominably in going After idols as the
• 56:13
  amorites had done, whom the Lord, cast out before the people
• 56:16
  of Israel. It's like the Bible wants to say
• 56:19
  this man is a Among the top Wicked people that Israel has
• 56:23
  ever known before we read on. He wants to make sure that we
• 56:26
  understand this person is vile despicable unspeakable.
• 56:31
  Filth has come from his life as a king and as a leader for the
• 56:34
  nation of Israel. And then what happens, verse 27
• 56:39
  and when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put
• 56:43
  sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and Lane sackcloth and
• 56:46
  went about dejectedly and the word of the Lord came to Elijah
• 56:49
  the tishbite. It's saying now before after it
• 56:52
  said your dog food, you're done your blood, your blood is going
• 56:55
  to be spilled on the floor, and they're going to drink it.
• 56:58
  After saying that and walking away done deal, my hands are
• 57:01
  clean. I've declared the word of the
• 57:02
  Lord. Look, what happens.
• 57:04
  In verse 29 or verse 28 and the word of the Lord came to Elijah.
• 57:07
  The tishbite saying, have you seen how a Hab has humbled
• 57:11
  himself before me? Because he has humbled himself
• 57:15
  before me. I will not bring the disaster in
• 57:18
  his days, but in his sons days, I will bring the disaster upon
• 57:22
  his house. Wow.
• 57:26
  The mercy of God. The grace of God.
• 57:31
  You know, it's important to realize that Samuel speaking
• 57:34
  this war to Eli was the second time, there was a man before
• 57:37
  that in Chapter 2 that declared the same word of judgment.
• 57:40
  But we don't see a response from Eli.
• 57:43
  And then now God speaks to Samuel to speak to the man so
• 57:46
  that it would really, really be driven into his skull and still
• 57:50
  the responses. Well, if this is what he wants
• 57:52
  and let it be, there was no sense of Brokenness.
• 57:54
  No sense of fear, no sense of trembling just the reception of
• 57:58
  what seemed to be a final fate. But then, I look at a man like
• 58:02
  Ahab who the Bible goes beyond to say this man, is there are no
• 58:05
  words to describe how evil he was, and because he tore his
• 58:08
  robe. Humble himself.
• 58:10
  God says, do you see this man? Elijah change the word that I've
• 58:14
  declared over and let the Judgment come upon his sons.
• 58:17
  I wonder if he'll I could have escaped judgment.
• 58:20
  And it would have went on his sons instead of him as well.
• 58:24
  Don't underestimate the mercy of God.
• 58:27
  It's much deeper and greater than you can imagine.
• 58:30
  So, The man receives it. And we come to the last two
• 58:35
  points of God's call aspects of God's calls on a life.
• 58:37
  Number 6, God's call. Should always keep us humble.
• 58:43
  God's call should always keep us.
• 58:45
  Humble. Look at verse 15 against Samuel
• 58:47
  land till morning. Then he opened the doors of the
• 58:49
  house of the Lord. Don't you love that?
• 58:54
  I mean you just had God himself manifest in your room.
• 58:58
  He stands there and he's about to call you to be a prophet and
• 59:02
  you get up. Once you realize the Sun comes,
• 59:05
  and you've reached the morning, you get up and what do you do,
• 59:07
  you return to the task that you were given before you were
• 59:09
  called as a prophet? And he opens the door for the
• 59:13
  house of God, just like he did before and he was willing to
• 59:17
  what not allow himself to be puffed up.
• 59:19
  Not think that he was greater than anybody else.
• 59:21
  Not think there is there. Anybody else in?
• 59:24
  Israel's history. That was called at the age of 12
• 59:26
  to be a prophet. No, he just goes about, like
• 59:29
  nothing happened. Because he had a revelation even
• 59:34
  at that point in his life that this is all by the grace and
• 59:36
  mercy of God. And so God will tell me where to
• 59:40
  go next, but until he does, I'm going to serve him at this point
• 59:43
  in this way. And so he opens the house of
• 59:46
  God. He came to church early and
• 59:47
  unlocked the door and set the alarm up inside and wait for the
• 59:50
  people to come in. That's what he had profit.
• 59:52
  Yes, the man that's about to speak and call for the weather
• 59:55
  to change. That's how much Authority the
• 59:57
  man was going to get. He was still able to serve God
• 1:00:00
  in this way. We have this dangerous thing in
• 1:00:04
  our modern Church area, you know what?
• 1:00:05
  It is celebrity Christianity. Celebrity Christianity.
• 1:00:10
  You would be amazed to know. You'd be amazed to know how many
• 1:00:15
  people will use Christian Ministry.
• 1:00:17
  And I think, I think what it is especially in the worship world
• 1:00:19
  is because to get into it in the secular world.
• 1:00:21
  So they come into the church. That's just my opinion.
• 1:00:23
  I'm sorry. They couldn't make it in the
• 1:00:25
  real world. So they come into the Christian
• 1:00:26
  world and they know they can dupe a bunch of people.
• 1:00:31
  And so they come and they want to be treated like rock stars.
• 1:00:34
  You'd be amazed to know the request that people make when
• 1:00:37
  they come into a place to minister for a few days.
• 1:00:41
  Like who are you? Brad Pitt.
• 1:00:42
  Like who do you think you are? You're serving the lord.
• 1:00:45
  Jesus Christ. We're not here to lay out a red
• 1:00:47
  carpet for you so we can praise you because you can speak.
• 1:00:49
  Well Samuel. Put a broom in his hand and
• 1:00:57
  he'll sweep the floor. He'll open the house.
• 1:01:02
  He'll take out the garbage. And that saw so people can look
• 1:01:07
  look at me, I'm a man of God. I'm going to take out the
• 1:01:09
  garbage and I hope that somebody's looking out the
• 1:01:11
  window right now. So I'm going to go, that's not
• 1:01:14
  humility. I'm sure everybody else was
• 1:01:18
  asleep when he did this. And if you desire, not just to
• 1:01:22
  know God's call for your life, but continue in God's call for
• 1:01:25
  your life. You want to know the ingredient.
• 1:01:26
  Humility is necessary for longevity humility.
• 1:01:34
  Realize that no matter what God allows you to experience or uses
• 1:01:37
  you to explore or touch, or whatever, remember where you
• 1:01:42
  came from. And Samuel as a young boy, is
• 1:01:46
  demonstrating this by his quiet service.
• 1:01:49
  The call of God should always keep us humble.
• 1:01:51
  And we come to the last Point. God's call will be recognized by
• 1:01:55
  others. Verse 19.
• 1:01:59
  And Samuel grew. And the Lord was with him and
• 1:02:04
  let none of his words, fall to the ground, and all Israel from
• 1:02:09
  Dan to Beersheba. Knew that Samuel was established
• 1:02:13
  as a prophet of the Lord and the Lord appeared.
• 1:02:15
  Again, Shiloh for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at
• 1:02:19
  Shiloh by the word of the Lord. So after he delivers his message
• 1:02:24
  to Eli, we fast-forward, he grows and snatcher in wisdom in
• 1:02:29
  every way, especially in his relationship with the Lord.
• 1:02:31
  And here's what I love every word that he spoke
• 1:02:34
  prophetically. It never failed.
• 1:02:37
  And then we're told Israel from Dan to Beersheba like from New
• 1:02:41
  York to LA. Everyone knew this guy's the
• 1:02:47
  real deal. This boy this man.
• 1:02:50
  This young adult. He's a prophet.
• 1:02:54
  Because when God really calls you and Gifts you and raises
• 1:02:58
  you, and prepares you and launches you, you don't have to
• 1:03:01
  convince others about it. You know, you don't have to go
• 1:03:06
  around telling everybody what God is going to use you for and
• 1:03:09
  how you have these gifts, and how this is the ministry.
• 1:03:12
  And and you're trying to convince everybody else that God
• 1:03:14
  really called. You have God called you, you
• 1:03:16
  don't have to say a word, you know.
• 1:03:19
  You don't have to say what do you have to convince anybody
• 1:03:21
  actually oftentimes when people go around trying to convince
• 1:03:23
  everybody who they are in God, it's probably likely that God
• 1:03:26
  hasn't called them and they want the validation from others to
• 1:03:28
  comfort them. Not that we can't go to others
• 1:03:34
  and ask for prayer confirmation, what you feel, God is in your
• 1:03:36
  heart, I'm not talking about that.
• 1:03:37
  I'm talking about those who toot their own horn.
• 1:03:40
  Talking about those who Force doors to be open and so they
• 1:03:42
  have awkward conversations to try to get into a place of
• 1:03:45
  ministry. You don't need to do that.
• 1:03:47
  You don't need to do that. Samuel didn't go around saying,
• 1:03:51
  do you guys realize that at 12 years old?
• 1:03:53
  God came into my room and went around telling everybody in
• 1:03:55
  Israel. Everyone in Israel knew as he
• 1:03:58
  just served God, when we're God called in the go, they begin to
• 1:04:02
  realize and deem and identifying saying, this guy's the real
• 1:04:05
  deal. This guy's the real deal and we
• 1:04:08
  God calls a man, the scriptures tells us in the New Testament,
• 1:04:11
  that there will be confirmation from the spiritual leadership of
• 1:04:14
  that house, the people of God, who receive from that gifting
• 1:04:17
  and then they'll be able to say this is from The Lord God's call
• 1:04:22
  comes with confirmation from others.
• 1:04:26
  And in verse 21, I Love How It Ends and the Lord appeared again
• 1:04:30
  at Shiloh. God shows up in the place where
• 1:04:34
  the house of God is supposed to be.
• 1:04:37
  And how does he show up? Look at it says for the Lord
• 1:04:40
  revealed himself to Samuel so God reveals himself to a man and
• 1:04:45
  through that man he's able to reveal God to others, that's the
• 1:04:48
  essence of every Ministry, whether you're a preacher,
• 1:04:50
  anything else, the essence of your ministry, in mind, the
• 1:04:53
  calling that God has placed in our lives is that God would do
• 1:04:56
  something in us, and then threw us, people would be able to
• 1:05:00
  taste something of God. And experience God through that
• 1:05:05
  particular minister. At least an aspect of God.
• 1:05:09
  And that's what this man does. He goes around?
• 1:05:11
  And he is now in essence embodying.
• 1:05:14
  He is carrying something of God, where people saying, God, has
• 1:05:17
  visit us again through this man. And oftentimes it comes by way,
• 1:05:22
  the way of the word of the Lord, the word of the Lord.
• 1:05:25
  And so let me repeat these seven aspects of God's call in our
• 1:05:28
  lives. It'll do us good to counsel our
• 1:05:32
  own souls and Council others with it.
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  Number one, God's calls inconvenient to the flesh.
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  Samuel was sleeping or trying to sleep rather when God called him
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  and oftentimes God will interrupt our comfort to follow
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  him but secondly, we see that God's call meets a heart.
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  That is eager to serve thirdly, God's call comes with merciful
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  confirmation. Fourthly God's call is known to
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  a submissive Spirit. Speak Lord for your servant
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  hears. Fifth God's call will always
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  come with a cost. Six, God's call will always and
• 1:06:10
  should always keep us humble. And lastly God's call will be
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  recognized by others. Let's pray together.
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  As brother Daniel open the service with the verse that we
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  unpacked among many Speak Lord for your servant.
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  Here's I encourage you to pray that tonight.
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  And guess what? It might not be as spectacular
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  as you being promoted to a new ministry, you know what I might
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  be? Hey, you're supposed to forgive
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  that person because you haven't forgave them yet.
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  Hey, I want you to serve in this way.
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  Hey I want you to move here and the Lord knows how to make that
• 1:07:07
  clear to your not saying he's going to be an audible Voice or
• 1:07:09
  him appearing in your room often times it comes when the word of
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  God is red or declared. But asked the Lord Lord, I want
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  to hear your voice because I want to make sure that every
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  part of my life is in a lion's with your will.
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  God Almighty. We thank you.
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  How your word is so alive. Lord, thank you for a room
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  filled with servants that want to hear your voice so that they
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  can obey you better. Lord help us believe that you're
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  a God, who speaks? Help us believe that you're a
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  God, who has a personal plan for each of Our Lives.
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  Help us believe that you're a God.
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  That wants us to be in your perfect will help us believe
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  that we have no reason to fear that.
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  As long as our hearts are eager to serve, you will not keep us
• 1:07:56
  away or miss the plan that you have for us.
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  Lord, we ask that in this place, you would make us into a burning
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  and Shining lamp. And a day that is very dark
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  like, Samuels day. We pray that this house would
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  not experience a famine of your word, but that we would Feast,
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  Every Time We Come Together by Lord, protect us from being like
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  those, under the influence of John, the Baptist who only
• 1:08:26
  Rejoice for a while in the light that they had.
• 1:08:31
  Lord, we want to Rejoice, always always.
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  We want to be grateful, always to know that we're in a house
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  filled with people that love the word of God, that takes serious,
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  the call of God, And so Lord we ask with great hope in our
• 1:08:47
  hearts that if you're going to find anybody to recruit in this
• 1:08:49
  dire age, you would find a people here.
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  You would find a people here. Lord, we look out into the news,
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  into the blog's, into the podcast and we hear the
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  confusion and the cries of this generation.
• 1:09:04
  But we are hopeful, we are hopeful because when the light
• 1:09:08
  of the lamp of God grows dim You are quick to reignite it.
• 1:09:14
  We want to be the very instrument you use for that
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  purpose Lord. In this place, maybe our daily
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  posture every single day. When we spent time with you
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  throughout our routine and our schedule is say Lord, Speak to
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  My Heart Lord. Is there something that I can
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  do? I need to do?
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  I want to be your servant. This is our desire tonight.
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  As a result of this chapter, we bless your Holy Name.
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  We honor you. We glorify you.
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  You are wonderful. You are Majestic.
• 1:09:41
  You are alive. You are real for those.
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  You don't know that reality Lord.
• 1:09:45
  We pray that they would be touched by your presence to
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  experience it. We glorify you in this place
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  tonight in Jesus mighty name we pray.
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  Amen. And amen.
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  Let's worship of living. God tonight the God, who speaks?
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  Oh, does he speak? He speaks, he speaks, let's
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  worship.