I Samuel 4:1-11
WHAT ARE YOU HIDING BEHIND?
(Read Judges 21:25/ I Samuel 3:1)
INTRO: Let me share with you a couple of troubling headlines from a very popular and trustworthy news source. One deals with a cult. A man by the name of Mike stole nearly $150,000 from his mother. Not knowing who the thief was, she pronounced a curse on him. He heard it and confessed to the crime. She then turned around and give him the money back to pursue his dream of starting his own church/ religion. He ordained his son and paid another man to be his personal priest. But it wasn’t long before a power struggle developed and his cult was overtaken by another group. The second story deals with a violent crime. Another man, from the same mountain region as Mike, got married. The marriage didn’t last long because she was unfaithful to him. She finally left the area and moved back home to live with her daddy. After about 4 months her husband come after her. When he arrived at her daddy’s house he was welcomed. In fact they partied for a few days but he left late one afternoon with his wife and headed back home. As night fell they pulled off the highway into a rest area to spend the night. Later on a good old boy got off work and on his way home he saw them and pulled in to help. He asked them where they were from and where they were headed? He told them to come stay at his place because it wasn’t safe there. They agreed but as it turned out a mob surrounded this good Samaritan’s house. And to make a long story short they got a hold of this man’s wife and brutally raped her and then killed her. Now what do these two stories have in common? Well the news source is not Savannah Morning News or Atlanta Constitution. These true stories are found in Judges 17-19. And I tell you of these two events because this is the time Samuel lived. He grew up in the time when everyone did as they pleased. And the problem is there was no authority. People became their own authority. Therefore, I Sam. 3:1 says the Word of God was rare in those days. The KJV word "precious" in the Hebrew is "yaqar". It means rare. There were no open visions/revelations. And even when there were some revelations, they were not adequately explained to the people. This was a day in age of religious hypocrisy, moral relativism, and extreme materialism. Rather than follow the law of God, man had become a law unto himself. Sounds a lot like today, doesn’t it? Man has become his own authority. We don’t call it sin anymore. It’s a problem or a mental disorder or inappropriate actions. Brother call it what it is; it is sin!!!
And what Israel did in ch.4 was to hide behind the ark. They trusted in the outward sign, the ark of the covenant. They figured, hey it worked in crossing the Jordan River and it worked at Jericho, so it’ll work again. Wrong! You don’t put your faith in the symbol, you place your faith in God.
[Illus.—Story of a girl Fred Johnson saw with cross around her neck. He asked her was she a Christian or Catholic? Her reply was "Neither." ]
Listen, a cross on your chest is worthless if Christ is not in your heart. So the question is what are you hiding behind? Let me tell you a few things folks hide behind.
1. THE BIBLE
Polls show that the majority of the people in this country own a Bible. But they don’t live it. They are not in church today. People hide behind it as if it is some kind of good luck charm. Listen, instead of hiding behind it, you need to hide it in your heart-Psalm 119:11. Let me give you a few reasons why you need to hide the Word in your heart.
A. SALVATION Rom.10:17
Salvation comes by hearing the Word of God. This Bible is God’s love letter to you. He
sent His only Son to die for your sins. That’s the Word of God. That’s the Gospel truth.
Hear it and be saved today. How? Salvation is as close as your own mouth and heart-Rom.
10:9-10, 13. [Ex.]—They can put a Bible in your hands before they close the casket, but
it’ll do you no good if it isn’t in your heart.
B. DETERMINATION Psalm 119:11
You need to hide it in your heart in order to make a determination not to sin. [Illus.]-If you
get this in your head you’ll have it in a nutshell. The Plan: Hide the Word. Don’t bury it,
but believe it and behave it. The Place: In your heart. It’s good to have the Bible in your
home, it’s better to have it in your head, but it’s best to have it in your heart. The Purpose:
That you will not sin… Remember, a chapter a day keeps satan at bay.
C. DIRECTION Psalm 119:105
The Word of God is both a lamp and a light to reveal both the truth and the path that we
should go. It gives our lives direction. [Illus.—Me…stump my toe in the dark. Boy, if I only had one of those little night lights...]
D. DEVOTION God wants to spend time with Him. [Illus.]
2. A NAME
Not only do people hide behind the Bible but also a name. "I’m a Christian". Israel, in our text, is hiding behind a name. "We’re God’s chosen people." True. But they aren’t behaving like it. They are in direct disobedience to God. [Stat.]—Did you know that 85% of Americans call themselves Christians. But only 40% are in church today. Let me tell you what hiding behind the name ‘Christian’ involves. First of all it involves hiding behind a:
A. PROFESSION Matt. 7:21 "Not everyone that says to Me ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter into the
Kingdom of Heaven…" But Jesus will profess "I never knew you". So many people put
their name on a church roll and think they just bought themselves a ticket to heaven. Friend
you’re going to have a rude awaking.
B. PERFORMANCE Matt. 7:22 "Lord, Lord, we prophesied in Your Name…"
They have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof. It’s just works. They are not
connected to Jesus Christ. Have no relationship. [Ex.]—People will sign a petition to put
prayer back in school but they won’t show up for prayer meeting. ‘But Lord, I fought to
get prayer back in school.’ ‘Depart from Me’, He’ll say.
C. POSITION Matt.7:22 Prophet, preacher, teacher, in choir etc. Hold a position but do not
have a relationship. The only position that’ll save you is to be in Christ Jesus. [Illus.]—A
minister, missionary, and old lady arrived at the gate of heaven. To their surprise they did
not find Peter there but another person. But the question was the same, "Why should I
allow you to enter Heaven?" "I was in the ministry for 40 years. I planted churches, wrote
books, evangelized" etc., replied the minister. The person then asked, "But do you know
Jesus?" Somewhat irritated the minister answered, "Would I’ve done all this if I had not
known Him?" Next was the missionary….Then the old lady. Her achievements were not
that impressive. She went to church, read her Bible, prayed and gave what she could. But
do you know Jesus", the gatekeeper asked. Suddenly a radiant smile flashed across her
face, "Yes, of course, Lord! I recognized You right away!"
Conclusion:
My friend, what are you hiding behind? The only safe place to hide is under the shed blood of Jesus Christ. [Illus.]—A 12 year old boy accidentally killed one of his family’s geese. Figuring no one was looking, he buried it. But his sister saw him and said ‘you’ve got to do the dishes on my nights
He was bound. His mother would asked, "Billy, you’re going to do the dishes again?" This went on for a couple of weeks. Finally he decided to confess. His Mama said, "Son, I saw you do it. I was just wondering how long you would remain bondage to your sister." You see my friend, you can run but you can’t hide. How long are you going to remain in sin’s bondage? Jesus wants to set you free but it’s your choice. Christian, did you notice in this story, the Israelites worshipped the Ark, rather than God? Is there an "ark" in your life? Royce Hendry, Sand Hill Baptist, 5/6/01 am
