Orchard Ridge Church

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The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” – 1 Samuel 3:10

Samuel. His name means, “The LORD hears.” It was in reference to his mother’s passionate prayer to the LORD asking for a child. She was barren and God had placed within her a longing to conceive. As is always the case, the LORD hears our sincere prayers from the heart; hearts desiring to do His will. The LORD heard Hannah. And He remembered her request and granted it. Samuel. A forever reminder that the LORD hears.

But the question before us in tomorrow’s sermon, isn’t whether God hears, but rather, do we hear God? The LORD is always speaking… Through His word, through Godly preachers and teachers, through circumstances (open/closed doors), through signs, through dreams, and more. But are we listening? Are we giving Him space to speak?

It shouldn’t be lost on us as we read 1 Samuel chapter 3 – which details Samuel’s calling and receiving prophecies from the LORD, that it takes place in the STILL of the night. Friends, be still, and listen. He’s speaking things we need to hear. May we be a people who say, “Speak LORD! Your servants are listening.”

Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the LORD. – 1 Samuel 2:12

But Samuel was ministering before the LORD—a boy wearing a linen ephod. – 1 Samuel 2:18

The Priest Eli presided as the High Priest over the Tabernacle at Shiloh where the Lord’s Ark of the Covenant was located. He had two biological sons – Hophni and Phinehas – and a boy named Samuel who had been entrusted to Eli’s care by the boy’s parents Elkanah and Hannah. To Samuel, Eli was a Spiritual Father.

By all accounts, Eli had failed as a father to his sons. The Bible says they were “scoundrels.” That’s harsh, but truthful. The responsibility for their actions lies with the sons – and the father.

There are many take away principles from 1 Samuel 2:11-36. But here’s just one we will explore in tomorrow’s sermon: Being around the people, places and things of God; wearing the right clothes, vestments or being related to Godly people; having titles like Pastor or Priest has nothing to do with being in right standing with God! Hophni and Phinehas had all of this – but they had no regard for God. They didn’t know the LORD and showed contempt for His ways. So what was their outcome? And what became of the young boy Samuel?

Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and He will establish your plans. – Proverbs 16:3

In 1 Samuel 1, a barren woman named Hannah poured out her heart to God – begging for a child. She vowed that if her request was granted, she would give the child back to God! She would consecrate her first born son to the service of God at the Tabernacle at Shiloh.

We have a practice in our Christian tradition at Orchard Ridge Church whereby parents present their children to the LORD in the assembly of believers on a Sunday morning and pledge to raise them up in the Christian faith by bringing them to God’s house regularly and more importantly by bringing God into THEIR house regularly so the child may see Christlike practices modeled. Additionally, the congregation vows to share the responsibility of raising the child WITH the parents in our faith through church ministries. We call this a baby dedication.

But I have never seen or experienced what Hannah did. She took her son Samuel and dropped him off at the Tabernacle (OT version of Church)! The Prophet Eli was now responsible to raise the child. And he had a bad track record of raising boys. His sons Hophni and Phineas were evil in their practices at the Tabernacle (that’s NEXT week’s sermon). What Hannah did was more than a baby dedication. It’s what I call “Dedication Baby!!”

When we say to the LORD, “please grant me X or Y or whatever, and God, if you do, I’ll give it back to You…” That’s “Dedication Baby!” The word “dedication” should always precede the “baby.” The baby is figurative or metaphor for your request. What is your baby? Is it health, energy, financial resources, a spouse, a job or career? I challenge you to be dedicated BEFORE your “baby” is delivered. And when God says YES to your request, honor Him by giving to Him what came from Him!

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Jesus sums up His entire Sermon on the Mount with a concluding statement that begins with one word: Therefore. What's that there for?

Matthew says that the people who heard Him preach were "amazed" at His teaching because He taught as One having authority - not like the Pharisees. But you know what being amazed at a sermon gets you? Absolutely NOTHING...

Hearing / listening is like building castles in the sand. Jesus' teaching amazed the crowds. But you know what amazed Jesus? People who heard Him, then chose to obey him. I wonder how many of the people who sat on that hillside were amazed? I'm going with 100%. Only God knows, however, how many of these amazed listeners, ACTED on what He taught.

The Wise and Foolish Builders.

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. – James 1:6

We are in the home stretch of our “Sermon on the Mount” series. Only two weeks to go! Tomorrow, we begin with Jesus’ encouragement to all of His followers to ask boldly for good things that God the Father wants to give us. The verse I’ve included (James 1:6) is tied to asking for wisdom if we lack it. And can I say that we ALL lack wisdom from time to time? Ask BOLDLY. But Believe BOLDLY! Ask, Seek, Knock is a call to persist in prayer. It’s also a call for patience in prayer. We all want God to give us the things we ask Him for in the timeline of our choosing – which is usually NOW! But God will ALWAYS answer our prayers with a YES, NO or WAIT. And a Good Father gives Good things – needed things – to His children. Some of the things we ask God for are not “bread” or “fish” but rather “serpents” and “stones.” If something we desire seems good to us, but He knows it’ll end badly, He won’t give it to us.

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” – Jesus

This Bible verse – Matthew 7:1 – might be the most quoted (and misquoted) Bible verse in all of scripture. Non-Christians are especially fond of it. “Don’t judge me!” they say to Christians around them. Are we to be void of all judgement? Understood in its proper context, these words of Jesus should make His followers more gracious when dealing with others in the church and outside the church.

There’s a difference between being judgmental and making judgements. The former is condemned by Jesus. The latter is commanded of us! Knowing the difference requires discernment. Discernment is wisdom and understanding given by the Holy Spirit.

We are in the final chapter of the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 7:1-12! Let’s GO!!!

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Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. – Psalm 139:23-24

As I type this sermon teaser devotional, it happens to be Valentine’s Day. I don’t have to tell you that expressions of love to our spouses or boyfriends / girlfriends are needed on a day like today. But I think the recipients have a keen sense of knowing whether or not we are giving the cards, chocolates, flowers, dinner, etc. to simply check the box “done” or because we truly appreciate the person we are gifting and truly want to celebrate them.

So does Jesus.

Giving. Praying. Fasting. If we identify ourselves with Christ… if we’re His friends, followers and family members, then we will do these things. But just “doing” is not enough. The giving, praying and fasting must come from pure heart motives. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount He addresses the importance of motives.

Search me, God, and know my heart… Create in me a pure heart!