"Four Bible Saints"

Sermon.986

See Sermon # 538

"Four Bible Saints”

I John 1:5-10

Moses, David, Samson, Peter

The word "Saint" is defined as one who has led a good life and

accumulated many good deeds, then years after that person’s death

the church hierarchy elects that person a "Saint."

In the Old Testament a "Saint" was a person who had trusted God

and who was looking forward in faith to the coming of the Messiah.

In the New Testament, a "Saint" is anyone who has trusted Christ

as his or her Savior and Lord. Paul refers to his fellow

Christians as "Saints."

Let us look at some men of the bible who belonged to

God, and who are called "saints", but who are guilty of sin.

Moses was certainly a man called and set apart for God.

He is perhaps the greatest man in the Old Testiment.

He could have been a rich ruler of Egypt, but he gave his life

for the liberation of God’s people from Egyptian bondage.

What did he do? He turned his back upon wealth and chose to

suffer the affliction with the people of God.

Moses felt that serving God was much more important to him that all the riches of

Egypt.

Yes, Moses was God’s right hand man! God laid his hand on mosses and

used him to lead nearly three million people out of Egypt right to

the edge of the Promise Land.

For forty years mosses looked forward to going into the land of Canaan.

Why then, did he die just outside of the Promised Land? It

was because of his personal sin against God.

Moses often became angry with the people he was leading.

For 40 years these people blamed Moses for everything that went wrong.

Suddenly Moses lost his temper!

Here is what happened!

The people needed water, so God told Moses to hold his rod up before the people.

The rod of Moses represented the supreme authority of God.

Moses was to speak to the rock and the water would gush out of the rock.

But when Moses stood before the people he forgot about God.

In anger Moses shouted, "Must we bring water out of this rock for you, you rebel?"

Then mosses struck the rock instead of speaking to the rock as God had commanded.

Water did gush out of the rock; for God knew the physical need of the people, and He provided for them like He always provides for us today.

Later, God took Moses aside and said to him, "You didn’t glorify me at the rock. You took all the credit for yourself. You directly disobeyed me, so you will not be allowed to journey into the promise land."

When Moses cooled off his temper he realized what he had lost.

For the past 40 years of his life he had dreamed of going into God’s Promise Land with his people.

Now because of his temper, all of his dreams were shattered.

Anger weakens a person and causes that person to play right into the hands of the Satan.

The pity about anger and a hot temper is that we often use them on the people we love the most.

A man went to the doctor for a check-up. The doctor said, "You are the most robust man for your age that I have ever seen. What’s your secret of your strength and good health?"

The man replied: "I have been compelled to live an out-door life. When my wife and I were married years ago we agreed that when I lost my temper she would keep quiet, and when she lost her temper I would go out-doors.”

During our married life, my wife has lost her temper so often, that I’ve spent most of my life out doors in the fresh air, and that sir is the reason for my good health."

Moses was a good man, a great man, and a Godly saint, but when he lost his temper he lost much more. He lost the Promised Land.

How many of us have lost many wonderful blessings because we’ve lost our temper?

Our second Bible Saint we’re looking at is David.

David was certainly a man of God.

God called him, "a man after my own heart."

God anointed David and blessed him in a wonderful way.

David wrote the finest tributes to God ever published, but David was one of the greatest sinners in the Bible?

One day he was idling around on the rooftop of his palace doing nothing.

Even back in David’s time an idle brain was the devil’s workshop.

David looked over his rooftop to the house next-door and he saw a beautiful woman taking a bath.

So since David was the king with all the authority to do as he pleased, he had her brought over to his palace.