Through constant prayer and worship, we can hear God's voice.
The more we hear Him, the more we receive fresh instructions from God for daily living.
We need to hear Him speak to us on how we should act and what we should say to people.
We need to hear Him how we should budget our finances well.
We need to hear Him how we should react to criticism and conflicts.
We need to hear Him how we pray for our nation.
There are a lot of things that we need to hear God speaking to us.
It is only those prolonged periods of prayer and worship and reading His Word that we can hear from God.
And of course, we need to make sure that it is God's voice we are hearing and NOT the voice of the adversary.
And when we know that God is talking to us, we had to make sure that we listen very, very carefully or else, we could miss his instructions.
It is really that important to hear the voice of God.
That is why today, we are going to talk especially about Hearing the Voice of God.
You see, ministry, which we talked about last week and hearing God's voice are two important aspects of the Christian life.
We cannot be able to minister well if we do not hear God's clear voice giving us His daily instructions.
The more we hear Him speak to us, the more our ministry will be meaningful and satisfying.
When we cannot hear from God, we will have difficulty ministering to God and to others.
Rick Warren, the pastor of Saddleback Church said, "We often miss hearing God's voice simply because we aren't paying attention."
That is true.
Let me also say that we often miss hearing God's voice simply because there are others things that occupy our minds.
And when our minds are fully occupied with other things, we could not hear His voice.
And so, I encourage you to hear God's voice loud and clear.
And of course, there is another important barrier we need to clear if we want to hear from God.
John 8:47(NIV) 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
If you belong to God, you can fully hear and receive God's Word clearly right now with ease and joy.
Why, because of the Holy Spirit living in your life.
However, if you do not belong to God and the Holy Spirit is not in you, I assure you that you will have great difficulty comprehending everything we are going to talk about.
And so, open your hearts right now and receive the Holy Spirit so that you will have the comprehension and the understanding of God's Word.
God wants to accomplish great things in your life.
Receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
Repent from your sins and embrace His forgiveness.
And so, today, we are going to look at the way the little boy Samuel had received God's call but experienced some difficulty of comprehending the source.
God called him several times but he thought it was the priest Eli who called him.
Then, we are going to look at how he was able to clearly hear and receive God's Word and how it completely affected his thoughts and his entire life in the process.
Finally, we will look at the difficult task that Samuel faced when forced to unveil to priest Eli the Word of God that he received from God.
Our goal for today's message is to individually allow each one of us us to hear God's Word, process it in our minds and hearts so that we can be able to share God's Word to others.
I assure you than when you allow God's Word to enter deep in your soul, into your very being, the change and transformation into Christlikeness will be very evident and will have an eternal benefit.
Again, I would like to inform you that you need to make a personal response of this morning's message.
Do something about what you are hearing.
Because at the end of this message, I will challenge you to take a step of faith and come forward so that I can pray for you and anoint you with oil.
My prayer is that you will receive clearly God's Word and bring forth fruit into your life.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE THIRD CHAPTER OF 1 SAMUEL
1. SAMUEL HEARD THE CALL OF GOD
I Samuel 3:1-4 (NIV) “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 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.”
Here in this first verse, we learned that Samuel was ministering faithfully before the Lord under the care of priest Eli.
However, there was a great problem.
During his time, the text says that word of the Lord was rare.
The word "rare" means that God's Word was very uncommon, infrequent or very scarce.
People at that time have not been hearing much from God.
They don't know His plans, they don't know His guidance and His directions.
There was a great famine of God's Word.
In fact, it also says that there were not too many visions at that time.
Even the priest Eli was so weak that he could barely see.
Can you imagine a time when there was no revelation or no Word from God?
That could be frightening, indeed.
Because if there is no Word from God, people are bound to do whatever seems best in their thoughts,
just like what the wicked sons of Eli did in the temple.
Because the Word of the Lord was rare, they had disregard for the things of God and put the offering of the Lord in contempt.
I hope and pray that it would not happen during our time because we have God's Word - the Bible to guide us.
But you see, if people ignore and do not read and study the Bible, then it is much the same as during the days of Samuel.
That is why we need to study and learn from God's Word.
Then, again, in verses 3 and 4 when Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, behold, the Lord called Samuel.
In fact, in the duration of this chapter, the Lord called Samuel three times.
Samuel answered "Here am I," but he ran to priest Eli who was lying down and about to sleep.
Samuel heard the voice of God but he did not recognize that it was from God.
He thought that it was the priest Eli who was calling him.
He was so familiar with the voice of priest Eli but he was not familiar or did not recognize the voice of God.
And that is same thing with most of us.
We are so familiar with the voice of those around us but we have difficulty discerning the voice of God.
That is why we missed God's Word because we have not been accustomed to His voice.
This is part of the difficulty of hearing God's voice.
The only solution is to be familiar to God's voice and respond to His leading.
Through constant prolonged worship and prayer, I assure you that we will be familiar with God's voice.
And so, twice, priest Eli had to tell Samuel to lie down again because he did not call him.
The reason is found in verse 7 - "Now, Samuel did not yet know the Lord."
Here then is the reason why he had difficulty comprehending God's voice - he did not know the Lord.
He had been serving God but He did not know God personally.
There is no real fellowship or relationship that has been established with God.
No wonder, God called him several times, but he was not able to hear God's voice.
You see, if we have no personal relationship with God, regardless of the many times God calls us to serve Him,
we cannot be able to respond properly.
The key to hearing God then is a personal relationship with Christ as Lord and Savior.
Recognize that you are a sinner needing salvation by grace.
Open your heart to Christ, repent from your sins and believe in the redemption at the cross by Christ.
Then, you will be called children of God and you will be able to hear His voice clearly.
Then, in verse 8, when priest Eli realized that it was the Lord calling Samuel, he gave an important instruction for Samuel to follow.
He said, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening!"
As if, he was saying to Samuel, "You must open your ears, Samuel, open your hearts and open your minds so that God can speak to you."
"Tell, God that you are His servant and you are listening intently to His commands."
My brothers and sisters, if you want to hear from God, you must do the same thing.
Be attentive to His voice. Don't resist His voice.
Let God's Word enter your ear, your heart and your mind without any hindrance, without any interference or obstacle.
This leads us to the first lesson.
REMOVE THE OBSTACLES IN HEARING GOD'S WORD. Isaiah 57:14 (NIV) '"14 And it will be said: “Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”
I saw a cartoon from the internet about a man asking God, "Dear God, how come I can never hear your voice?"
But I saw some obvious things that can distract him - there are ear phones plugging his ears and the computer sound is so loud.
No wonder he cannot hear God.
And so, we must unplug those distractions and learn to listen to God's voice.
What are some obstacles that have prevented you from hearing God's voice?
The many noises around you can be obstacles.
You always listen to loud rock and roll music and you have no time to listen to God's Word.
The text says to remove them. Take them all away.
Turn off the radio, the i-pod. Pause for a while and listen intently to God's voice by the Holy Spirit.
God has been calling you several times now.
It says, build up and prepare the road so that you can walk on the right path of life.
This will leads us to the next life lesson.
RECEIVE THE VOICE OF GOD SPEAKING TO YOU. Isaiah 30:21 (NIV) "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."
After clearing all the obstacles, you can now receive God's voice without any interruptions and receive God's daily instructions.
God might want you to turn to the right or to the left. Be obedient.
Don't resist Him. He knows what is good for you.
He knows the right path that you need to take.
He knows the traps or dangers you need to avoid in life.
He knows how far you can go.
He knows all these things and so, as long as your ears are open to the voice of God that speaks behind you,
then, when you are sure that you are on the right path, then walk in it without turning back.
Don't be swayed again to the wrong path.
Stay in the good path that leads to life.
Eventually, you will reach your destination safely under God's guidance.
Story:
A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street,
going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar.
He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down
when he thought he saw something.
As his car passed, no children appeared.
Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door!
He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.
The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed
him up against a parked car shouting,
"What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?
That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?"
The young boy was apologetic.
"Please, mister.. please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do,"
He pleaded. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..."
With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car.
"It's my brother," he said.
"He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."
Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive,
"Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."
Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat.
He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair,
then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts.
A quick look told him everything was going to be okay.
"Thank you and may God bless you!" the grateful child told the stranger.
Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound
brother down the sidewalk toward their home.
It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar.
The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door.
He kept the dent there to remind him of this message
"Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!"
God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts.
Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us.
We need to listen to God's voice.
2. SAMUEL RECEIVED THE PLANS FROM GOD
1 Samuel 3:10-14 (NIV) 10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 11 And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. 12 At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. 13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them. 14 Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’”
The second thing we need to remember is that we need to make sure that we receive God's message with complete clarity, with complete accuracy or purity.
Notice carefully the instructions of priest Eli to Samuel.
"Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."
Firstly, he had to prepare himself physically and mentally by lying down and resting.
His mind should be clear from any other unimportant or evil thoughts because God is about to speak to him.
Then, he had to address God as "Lord" of his life.
Then, he had to consider himself as "servant" of the most High God.
Then, he had to invite God to speak to him.
Those are the very things we need to do if we want to hear the clarity of God's voice speaking to us today.
We must prepare our minds and hearts to receive God's Word by removing all anxiety,
all doubts and fears in the name of the Lord.
Then, we must learn to address God as our "Lord" - it means God is the commander, the Master of our lives.
Then, we must consider ourselves as His servants, the one who do His bidding.
Finally, invite Him in. Draw near to God and welcome His presence.
Then, I assure you that you will be able to hear His voice and be able to receive His Word in your life.
The goal is to receive His Words in our hearts without any interruptions or obstructions.
After doing these things, the text tells us in verse 11 that the Lord began to speak to Samuel.
God told Samuel: "I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle."
That means, God is about to reveal His secret plans to Samuel.
And that secret plan is about the judgment of priest Eli and his family for the sins they were not able to correct.
That word "tingle"means a person who heard God's word of judgment will be struck with horror and amazement.
That is what happened to Samuel.
After receiving the message from God, he was stunned and would not know what to think or say.
Have you ever felt that way before, when you heard a message about a certain person,
you are so shocked that you became speechless?
You felt the intensity of the message that enters your very being and it affected you emotionally.
God has a message that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it to tingle because they have blasphemed God.
God has warned priest Eli several times about the sins of his sons, yet he was not able to restrain them.
They continued to disregard the Lord's work with contempt.
And so, God revealed to Samuel what he did not disclose to priest Eli himself in verse 14, "‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’”
That is a very disheartening statement indeed - imagine, no amount of sacrificial
offering can atone for the sins of Eli's house.
That means, they could never be forgiven of their sins.
This reminds us of the statement of Jesus in Mark 3:28-29 (NIV) "28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”
What is the unpardonable sin?
According to several Bible scholars, the sin that cannot be forgiven is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
When a person continually resist the convicting power of the Holy Spirit.
When that person has become "stiff-necked" that he cannot any more give up or confess
his sins and refuse to submit to God's Lordship.
When you turn your back to the voice of the Holy Spirit and continually oppose
His convicting power, there will be a point of no return.
Brothers, and sisters, this is what we need to prevent from happening.
The Holy Spirit is the seal or the guarantee that you and I belong to Christ.
He will lead us into all the truth and will warn us of the incoming danger.
He will convict us of our sins and point us back to obey Christ.
We must therefore hear the voice of God through the Holy Spirit in our lives.
We must not turn our back to the Holy Spirit.
We must never build a wall to block His voice.
This leads us to the next life lesson.
ACCEPT THE TEACHINGS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. John 14:26 (NIV) "26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."
Every day, God is speaking or teaching us through the ministry and direction of the Holy Spirit in us.
He is our Advocate that came from the Father.
His goal is to teach us all things pertaining to God's wonderful Kingdom.
It is important for us to regularly accept and welcome such teachings with open hearts and minds.
Don't reject His promptings.
Don't refuse His call.
Don't dispute His leading.
Learn to receive, to take hold and secure all the teachings in your hearts.
His message to you can be in the form of a direction for your life, truth to live by,
warning for dangers ahead and correction when you have been at fault.
Those are valuable lessons for us to live by.
This will lead us to the next life lesson.
AVOID DRIFTING AWAY. Hebrews 2:1 (NIV) "We must pay the most careful attention,
therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away."
That word "drift away" means you are moving aimlessly without any direction.
Consider a boat that is drifting away from the shore and out in the open seas.
It means that you are veering away from the original truth you have received from God and you have accepted other incorrect teachings.
It says that don't ever, ever drift away from your faith.
Stay anchored in your faith.
Pay careful attention to what you have received from God.
Stay away from senseless teachings.
Keep on hearing clearly God's voice.
So far, we have learned about hearing God's voice.
Then, we learned about receiving God's Word.
3. SAMUEL SHARED WHAT HE HAS HEARD
1 Samuel 3:15-21 (NIV) 15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, 16 but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.” Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 17 “What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.” 19 The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. 21 The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.”
After Samuel received the message from God, he could not sleep.
The message that he received had a great impact upon him personally.
It was all bad news that is why he was even afraid to tell Eli the content of the vision.
Retelling God's impending judgment to people close to you is never easy.
As much as possible, he wanted to keep the message to himself and never tell anybody about the content.
However, the text says that priest Eli called him and asked him what God said to him.
He even threatened Samuel that he will deal severely with him if he would not tell him the content of the message from God.
And so, Samuel had no choice but to reveal to priest Eli all that God told him.
It was the right thing to do.
For a message not received by the person concerned is useless.
And so, Eli, a veteran priest in the temple received the message from God through the young boy and Temple helper Samuel.
The latter portion of verse 18 says that Eli 's response was that of resignation or surrender to God's will -
"He is the Lord, let Him do what is good in his eyes."
He knew that he could not do anything more because he was given ample opportunity
to change the situation in order to avert the problem but he was not able to make the necessary changes.
In fact, it became worst and worst each day.
He knew that God's judgment was coming and it would start in the house of the Lord.
And so, whenever we hear from God and receive a message from Him, the truth is, it might bring good news or bad news to the hearer.
But as God's mouthpiece, regardless of the content, we had to stay true to what w
e have heard.
We have to retell God's message in its entirety.
This is what the boy Samuel did and the text tells us that he became the Lord's prophet.
A prophet is a person who speaks God's truth to others.
And in verse 21, it says that, "The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.”
When Samuel remained faithful to God, the more God revealed Himself to Samuel.
In the same way, the more we are faithful to God's Word, the more God can use us as His mouth piece to others.
This leads us to the next life lesson.
DON'T ADD OR SUBTRACT FROM GOD'S WORD. Deuteronomy 4:2 (NIV) "2 Do not add to what
I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you."
We had to be faithful when we share God's Word to others.
The entire message must be shared without adding or subtracting from it.
This is our responsibility as God's mouthpiece.
Lastly,
DON'T BE OVERCOME BY FEAR BUT BE FILLED WITH CONFIDENCE. Psalms 27:3 (NIV) "Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident."
When we share God's Word, we must not allow the fear of men to enter our hearts and minds because we have the Word from God.
Instead, we had to remain confident that God's Word will accomplish its ultimate purpose.
In closing, let us summarize the life lessons we have learned from the third chapter of 1 Samuel.
1. We must remove all obstacles in hearing God's Word.
2. We must receive the voice of God speaking to us.
3. We must accept the teachings of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
4. We must avoid drifting away from our faith.
5. We must not add or subtract anything from God's Word.
6. We must not be overcome by fear when we share God's Word but be filled with faith and confidence.
Response:
It is now time to make a response of the things you have heard.
If the Holy Spirit is speaking to you, you must listen carefully.
Do you want to receive Christ as your Lord and Savior?
Do you want to make a re-commitment to Christ and surrender to God's direction?
Do you want to make a commitment to serve Christ for the rest of your life?
Do you want to allow Christ to make you as His mouthpiece?
If you say YES to all these questions, then come forward so that I can anoint you with oil and pray for you.
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