Jan 2nd - Sermon Notes - 1 Samuel 12 He Takes Us Back

- Question have you ever been your own worst enemy?
- Child doesn't know when to stop talking
- We are often responsible for reaping what we have sown, God takes us back despite our wandering heart.
- 3 Directions in the passage
- What Samuel has done
- What YHWH has done
- What they are to do - how they should respond
- V1 - Chapter 12 - Catch up with where we've been
- 4 Weeks of advent
- 1 Samuel started at time of Judges everyone did what was right in their own eyes...
- Hannah wanted to have a child couldn't conceive - Give Child Back (similar to Luke 1:46-55)
- Contrast Samuel - Eli and his sons (his sons are terrible)
- Samuel takes over as Judge things are going well, he appoints his sons, they aren't doing well,
- So the Israelites ask for a King... they have not rejected you they have rejected me.. (God says)
- Chapter 11 - Nahash comes agaisnt Israel - gouge out your right eye or beat me... Saul leads God's people against Nahash,
- Chapter 12 is Samuel's retirement party
- Point 1: Look at What Samuel has done
- He reminds them of his life - he was blameless - never stole an ox etc. giving them a reason to listen, he is a man of integrity
- Acts 24:16 - I take pains to have a clear conscience between God and man
- We must be committed to live in a way that our lives don't mute the message we proclaim - The gospel, Our life is radically different than the world's.
- Repentance - Samuel calls them to repent, 1 cor 11:1 - be imitators of me as I am of Christ,
- Samuel told them their King would be a taker. 1 Timothy 4:12 - Set an example, 1 Timothy 3 - Character not Charisma
- Are you an example of Christ to your children?
- Point 2 - What YHWH has done
- vs 6 - His patient hand - YHWH brought them out of Egypt, Christ is the greater Moses - The greater deliverer, The greater Israel
- Super Hero shows - we love to see the weak rescued by the strong - God is the greatest super hero - Ex 2:23 - God remembered his Covenant... (promise)
- Do you rejoice in God's righteous deeds for you? Sit down and consider God's faithfulness to you
- V9 - They forgot the LORD their God, they cried out to God and he delivered them (Gideon, Samson etc...)
- Everyone did what was right in their own eyes, (Time of Judges) Deliver, Forget, Judge, Raise Up, Deliver
- John 1:16 Grace upon Grace, Did you experience grace in the last year? Ebenezer - (means stone of remembrance)
- God would deliver them over and over (all sin is rejection of God)
- How good is your memory? Adversity is coming 2022 - not fear mongering every year, what will be your default?
- They have forsaken the Triune God of the Bible
- The LORD has set a king over you, follow the LORD and God and it will be well for you,
- Pray for the Lord your God to forgive them.... they had forgotten and forsaken him,
- 1 Samuel 8:7 - The rejected God as King..... for Saul...
- Your wickedness is great .... God says
- God does not forsake them - God chose them🙂
- Point 3 - What they are to do
- vs 20 - Do not be afraid you have done all this evil - If you are in Christ you should not be afraid - reverence toward God
- If you are not in Christ you should be very afraid
- When we do what is wrong we hide, - fear we run from God, we hide
- Once we are sad enough we go back to God - no Go back to God serve him right away (Christ is our High priest and atonement)
- Don't be enamored with the things of this World - The LORD will not forsake His people
- Deut 7 - I chose you because I love - Ephesians 1:4-6 - He loves us, He chose us,
- Samuel promises to pray for them, fear the LORD and serve him, consider what he has done, natural overflow of the Heart, we are not paying back God, we are grateful and love him
- Or face the consequences - unfaithfulness will be rewarded... we are too quick to focus on the God of Love alone - he is also a righteous judge!
- Hosea and Gomer - the prophets in the OT did wild things - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, - marry a prostitute, But God loves them and brings them back,
- Snapshot of the Old Testament - God pursues and welcomes them back, Hosea 14:1 return to the LORD,
- God takes us back,
- God is gracious, steadfast love, Psalm 86, Jeremy camp song "I'll Take You Back"