CHILDREN IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD: LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF SAMUEL
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OUTLINE
1. PRAYER
2. PROMISE
3. PROGRESS
4. PRODUCTIVITY
5. PLEASING NATURE
6. PRESENCE OF GOD
7. PROPHET
INTRODUCTION
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Children are very important in the Kingdom of God . They are the key to the future of the church and the establishment of the purposes of God in the earth. Therefore it is very important that they are carefully nurtured and nourished in the ways of God so that they gorw up to fulfill their God given destinies. There are many lessons to be learnt from the birth and childhood of the prophet Samuel which could guide us in the rearing of our children.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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MATTHEW 18:1-6
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
He called a little child and had him stand among them.
And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.
But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
PROVERBS 22:6
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
JUDGES 13:8
Then Manoah prayed to the LORD : "O LORD, I beg you, let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born."
EPHESIANS 6:1-4
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
"Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise—
"that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."
Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
THE MESSAGE
CHILDREN IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD: LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF SAMUEL
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1. PRAYER
Samuel was born as a result of fervent prayer. Even before he was born , his life was covered by the prayers of his mother. Parents have a solemn responsibility to uphold their children in their prayers. This will go a long way to ensure a blessed future for our children and protect them from the evils of the world.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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1 SAMUEL 1: 10 , 20 , 27
In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD.
So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the LORD for him."
I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.
2. PROMISE
Samuel fulfilled the promise made to God by his mother. His mother vowed to give her son for the service of the Lord and she was faithful to fulfill her vow. If she had refused to keep her vow to the Lord , the life of Samuel would not have been blessed. Samuel accepted the vow his mother had made to the Lord and submitted his life to the service of God. We must be careful to fulfill the vows that we have made to the Lord as It is dangerous to break the promises that we have made to the Lord.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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1 SAMUEL 1:11, 28
And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head."
So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there.
1 SAMUEL 2: 20,21
Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, "May the LORD give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the LORD." Then they would go home.
And the LORD was gracious to Hannah; she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.
ECCLESIASTES 5: 4-6
When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.
It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.
Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, "My vow was a mistake." Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?
3. PROGRESS
Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord . He learnt the ways of God and grew up in the fear of the Lord. As a result the favour of God was upon his life and the Lord granted him favour in the eyes of the people as well. We must be careful to bring up our children in the ways of the Lord and not allow them to be corrupted with all the evil influences of the world.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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1 SAMUEL 2:21 , 26
And the LORD was gracious to Hannah; she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.
And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men.
LUKE 1:66 , 80
Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, "What then is this child going to be?" For the Lord’s hand was with him.
And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.
LUKE 2:40 , 52
And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
4. PRODUCTIVITY
Samuel lived a productive and fruitful life even from his childhood. He served the Lord in whatever way he could to the best of his ability. The Lord can use even small children who are willing and available. We must train our children to make themselves useful and serve the Lord in every opportunity that is available.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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1 SAMUEL 2 :11 , 18
Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the LORD under Eli the priest.
But Samuel was ministering before the LORD -a boy wearing a linen ephod.
1 SAMUEL 3:1
The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.
2 KINGS 5 :1-3
Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife.
She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."
JOHN 6 :5-13
When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?"
He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
Philip answered him, "Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"
Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up,
"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"
Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them.
Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted."
So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
5. PLEASING NATURE
Samuel had a pleasing nature and was always eager to please the Lord and the priest Eli. Even after he had laid down to sleep , he rushed to Eli as soon as he heard his name called. He willingly responded the same way for three consecutive times even after Eli told him that he had not called him. Samuel did not grumble or complain that he was being disturbed unneccesarily. The Lord honoured such a humble and obedient attitude that Samuel had and spoke to him, rather than speaking to the old priest Eli. We must train our children to have such an obedient and pleasing nature so that the Lord can use them for His glory.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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1 SAMUEL 3: 3-10
The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.
Then the LORD called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am."
And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down.
Again the LORD called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." "My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down."
Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD : The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy.
So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ’Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’ " So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
COLOSSIANS 3:23-24
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,
since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
ROMANS 12:11
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
6. PRESENCE OF GOD
Samuel grew up in the presence of God. From his childhood and all through his life , he did not drift away from the Lord but always lived in the presence of God. Therefore his life was blessed and he was a great blessing to the people of God. We must teach our children to stay close to the Lord all through their lives in order to live a blessed life.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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1 SAMUEL 3:19
The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground.
GENESIS 39:2-4
The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.
When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did,
Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.
1 KINGS 18:12-15
Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had left Saul.
So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns.
In everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him.
When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him.
7. PROPHET
Samuel grew up to be a prophet of the Lord. He received clear revelations from God and the Lord ensured that none of his prophecies failed to be fulfilled. All the people could recognize that Samuel was a prophet of the Lord. The Lord wants to raise up our sons and daughters in these last days to be His prophets who can hear His voice clearly and brings His revelations to the people of God. We must claim these promises for our children and pray fervently that they would be fulfilled in the lives of our children so that they would be a great blessing to the Kingdom of God.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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1 SAMUEL 3:19-21
The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground.
And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the LORD.
The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.
ACTS 2:17-18
" ’In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
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