From His Heart

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Now in 1 Samuel chapter 3, we run into the call of Samuel. Very, very important chapter and so many lessons that we can learn from this chapter. And the question I want you to consider is this: How do you respond when the Lord calls out to you?

Larry Nobles: And that question deserves to be repeated. How do you respond when the Lord calls to you? This is From His Heart with Pastor Jeff Schreve and thank you for joining us today. Jesus said in Mark chapter 4 verse 9, "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear."

In today's insightful message, Pastor Jeff challenges every believer to faithfully hear and answer God's call and courageously speak the truth in love. But if you don't hear God's voice, answering His call is hard to do. This message is from Pastor Jeff Schreve's eight-lesson series, Leaving a Legacy: Lessons from the Life of Samuel.

It's our thanks to you for your gift of any amount to From His Heart. Find out more about how to get all of these messages in the format of your choice. Just go to fromhisheart.org. Now though, open your Bible to the book of 1 Samuel and turn to chapter 3 as Pastor Jeff Schreve begins to explain the benefits of hearing God's voice in this message called "Answering the Call."

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Now in 1 Samuel chapter 3, we run into the call of Samuel. Very, very important chapter and so many lessons that we can learn from this chapter. And the question I want you to consider is this: How do you respond when the Lord calls out to you?

1 Samuel chapter 3. Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. Josephus, the Jewish historian, tells us that Samuel is about 12 years old at this time. So he's been with Eli for some years. And word from the Lord was rare in those days; visions were infrequent.

It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place—now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well—and 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, that the Lord called to Samuel and he said, "Here I am."

Then he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call you. Lie down again." So he went and lay down. The Lord called yet again, "Samuel!" So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me."

But he answered, "I did not call, my son. Lie down again." Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him. So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time, and he arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me."

Then Eli discerned that the Lord was calling the boy. And Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down. And it shall be if He calls you that you shall say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Then the Lord came and stood and called out as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

Three insights from this great passage of Scripture, from this wonderful chapter. Insight number one concerning the call of God: God's call often comes when the situation is bleak. When it just looks like all hope is lost. It's just so down, so discouraging. I mean, you look out and you just say, "I don't think this could get any worse."

Now this situation was bleak in Israel. This is around 1100 BC. And what's going on? We read in the book of Judges, the last verse in the book of Judges says, "And there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes." And so there's just kind of chaos.

What's right in your eyes might not be right in my eyes. Maybe it's right in my eyes to steal your sheep and maybe it's right in your eyes to shoot me for stealing your sheep. It can just be chaos when there's no priest that's teaching the people.

Now remember, they didn't have a lot of Scripture. They had the writings of Moses and they had Joshua, and then that was it. Judges was being written. And so you had a bad situation. And the priesthood was bad. Eli is old at this time. He's probably around 90 years old, maybe a little older.

He dies at 98. He's not doing a good job. His sons, who are going to take over after he dies presumably, well, they're rotten to the core. The Bible says they were worthless men who did not know the Lord. They were sons of Belial.

And that's the Hebrew for the worthless men. It's used in the New Testament. If you're a son of Belial, that means you're a son of the devil. So that's Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. Things looked bad. And God's call often comes when the situation is bleak because God does His best work in the worst of circumstances.

So we have a little bit of picture here of what was going on. And I want you to see the picture, the bleakness of the situation. The Lord really pictures this for us. Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli (verse 1) and word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent.

It happened at the time that as Eli was lying down in his place—now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well—and 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.

So what do we learn from that? This picture? Number one, the light was dimming in Israel. It hadn't gone out, but it was dimming. Just as Eli's eyesight was beginning to dim, he could still see, but he couldn't see very well.

And then in the temple, it said that the light from the Holy of Holies in the menorah, the seven-pronged lampstand, that light had not yet gone out. Now that light was powered by olive oil. And in the night as the night would drag on, the olive oil would be used up and then the light of the menorah would go out.

So they would light it again in the morning. Well, this says that the light hadn't yet gone out yet. Significance: It's probably 3 a.m., 4 a.m., something like that. And it hadn't gone out yet. So the light was dimming. And then the silence was deafening because it says that word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent.

God wasn't speaking to His people very much because His people were so wayward. And when you read in the book of Judges—we went through the book of Judges not that long ago—you find that it's a broken record. That the people walk with God and then they defect from God.

As Robert Robinson's song says, "Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love." They would defect from God, they'd start worshipping the false gods of the Canaanites and the Ammonites and the Amorites, all those "ites" that lived there that God told them, "You drive all those people out. If you don't drive them out, then they're going to be a snare for you."

And so they served the king of Mesopotamia, Cushan-Rishathaim. They had to serve under his thumb for eight years until they cried out to God and then God would raise up a judge and send a deliverance, and then the people would be delivered and they'd walk with God until they would wander away.

And then it was the same thing over and over again. So they were under the servitude of Cushan-Rishathaim for eight years, and then it was another guy, Eglon, and that lasted for 18 years. And then it's somebody else, it's 20 years. And then it's the Philistines for 40 years.

It's getting worse and worse and worse. And word from the Lord was rare. The silence was deafening. Warren Wiersbe says the silence of God was the judgment of God. You know, I think it's interesting in the New Testament when Jesus is brought before Pilate.

Arrested by the religious leaders, tried in a kangaroo court, determined that He is deserving of death. Because what was His crime? He said He was the Son of God. Who was He? The Son of God. He said who He was and they said, "Not this man, but Barabbas. We don't want this man."

Well, they brought Him to Pilate and He has conversations with Pilate. Then Pilate recognizes this guy's a hot potato and he finds out he's a Galilean. He said, "Oh, he's a Galilean. Well, you need to send him to Herod because that's Herod's jurisdiction."

So they send Jesus to Herod because he was there for the Passover feast. And Herod wanted to talk to Jesus. He wanted to see Jesus. He had heard so many things about Jesus. But when Jesus was before him, the Bible says he questioned Jesus at length and Jesus answered him nothing.

Talked to Pilate, wouldn't talk to Herod. Why not? Because Herod had John the Baptist incarcerated in his prison. And he would bring John out and converse with John. He liked to hear from John. And when he heard truth from John, he did not respond to truth from John.

And so now he has the sinless Son of God, God in the flesh, right before him, and God doesn't speak to him. Why? Because he was under judgment.

Larry Nobles: You're listening to From His Heart with Pastor Jeff Schreve, who'll be back with more from this lesson, "Answering the Call," part one in just a moment. Now this message is one of eight in Pastor Jeff's new series, Leaving a Legacy: Lessons from the Life of Samuel. And we're featuring that series this month.

Why? Because we can all learn a lot from Samuel. He was one of the greatest men in the Old Testament, serving Israel as prophet, priest, and judge. His life of godliness and faithfulness and devotion to the Lord is a testament to how God touched his life when he answered God's call.

And you can get this series in the format of your choice when you call 866-40-BIBLE, 866-40-BIBLE, or go online to fromhisheart.org. Let these revealing and practical lessons impact your life now and for all of eternity as you listen. Now let's get back to more of the message, "Answering the Call."

Dr. Jeff Schreve: The silence of God was the judgment of God and word was rare because God's people had defected from Him and it was bad. And the ministry was defiled. It's an awful thing when the ministry becomes defiled. What do you do with that?

What would the people do? You can't come to the priest and hear the Word of God because he's not living it out and he's not sharing it like he's supposed to. He's not faithfully administering his office that the Lord had given him.

Jeremiah 5:30 and 31 says this: "An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land. The prophets prophesy falsely and the priests rule on their own authority, and my people love it so. But what will you do at the end of it?" Isn't that sad? "My people love it so."

They said in Isaiah's day, "Prophesy to us illusions, speak to us pleasant words, let us hear no more about the Holy One of God. Just tell us that we're going to get a promotion next week, that God just wants to bless us. Just tell us how much God loves us again and how wonderful we are and that we're the apple of His eye. Just give us a one-sided message that is all grace and no truth."

Isaiah didn't do that. How did that end up for Isaiah? They put him inside a hollow log and cut it in half. He was sawn in two for his faithfulness to the ministry. But here in this day, in the 1100s, the ministry is defiled. The situation was bleak. And that's when the word of the Lord came. Came to Samuel. Little Samuel. Little 12-year-old Samuel.

Now your situation, whatever it is, I don't know what it is. God knows what it is, you know what it is, and God knows what it is. He's intimately acquainted, the Bible says, with all our ways. And so God knows what you're going through. God knows what's going on in your life and you say, "Well, my marriage is hopeless. My family situation is so destroyed, it's so fractured, there's no hope for this. My business is dead in the water, there's no hope."

Romans 15:13 says, "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." God is the God of hope and God does His best work in the most difficult and the darkest of situations.

He's getting ready to call Samuel into the ministry. Samuel to be His spokesman, Samuel to be His prophet. The sun is setting on Eli's ministry, but the sun is rising on Samuel's ministry. God always has a witness and He doesn't leave Himself without a remnant.

So that's the first insight: God's call often comes when the situation is bleak. Second, God's call only comes when the recipient is attentive. God didn't call Eli at this time. He definitely didn't call Hophni and Phinehas, Eli's sons.

The call didn't come to anybody else. The call didn't come to Samuel's dad. The call came to Samuel because Samuel was attentive to the call. Now I believe that God calls every single person. But the Bible says repeatedly, "Because I called," God says, "and you didn't answer. Because I stretched out my hand and you didn't respond."

Proverbs chapter 1 says, "Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention and you neglected all my counsel and you did not want my reproof. I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, when your dread comes like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you."

It says in the book of Romans, God says, "All day long I've stretched out my hand to a disobedient and obstinate people." God does call to everyone. But this specific call and this effectual call, it comes to a person who is attentive, who is listening.

And Samuel, what does he say over and over? "Here I am, for you called me." Now he goes to Eli because Samuel doesn't know. He just thinks, "Well, it's 3 o'clock, 4 o'clock in the morning, and I'm hearing a call, 'Samuel.' I think it's Eli."

So he runs to Eli. "Here I am, for you called me." Well, Eli said, "I didn't call you. Go back. I didn't call you." So he goes back and then he hears it again from the Lord, "Samuel!" And he goes back. "Here I am, for you called me." "I didn't call you."

And the Bible says in verse 7—see, Samuel's not attuned to the voice of God—now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him. That is significant. Here is this guy, how does it start off? Verse 1: He was ministering to the Lord before Eli.

He was doing things. He was opening up the doors of the tent of meeting, the doors of the house, so to speak, and he was doing things, little things for Eli. But he didn't know the Lord. Now you can be around the things of God and not know Him.

That was so true for Samuel. He's around the things of God, he's serving in the church so to speak if we put it into New Testament terms, but he didn't know the Lord. Now religion is knowing about God, but a relationship, true salvation and true Christianity, is knowing God.

Big difference between knowing about God and knowing God. What makes the difference is your heart knowledge. You know, do you believe God is one? James chapter 2 says, "Well, you do well; the demons also believe and tremble." They know God is real.

The devil is not an atheist. The devil has perfect theology as far as who God is and who Jesus is. But he doesn't trust Jesus. He knows He's real, but there's no heart surrender to Jesus. So here is Samuel. He knows about the Lord, but he doesn't know Him, nor had the word of the Lord been revealed to him.

Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me." Isn't it interesting that at the judgment, from the lips of Jesus, Matthew 7: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

"For many will say to me on that day, on judgment day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name cast out demons and in your name perform many miracles? Have you not seen what we've done?' Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.'"

"You knew about me, you used my name, you did some things, you served in the church, but we didn't have a personal relationship. You never gave me your heart." And so with Samuel, you can be around the things of God and not know Him.

But the Lord doesn't want that. He wants you to know Him. "Let not the rich man boast of his riches, let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not the wise man boast of his wisdom. But let him who boasts boast of this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things," declares the Lord.

So here is Samuel. He doesn't yet know the Lord. He's not familiar with the voice, but he's ready. And see, you can be ready when the call of God comes. God does business with those who mean business. He's looking for people.

The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the whole earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. God is looking for some who are like Isaiah saying, "Here I am, send me." God, I want to be Your man, I want to be Your woman.

As it was said to Dwight L. Moody when he went and heard the preacher in England, "The world has yet to see what God can do in, with, and through a man who's totally surrendered to the grace of God." And Moody said, "By the grace of God, I will be that man. I want to be totally surrendered. Here I am, Lord, send me."

Larry Nobles: Well, that is the kind of truth that we all should consider for some time and pray about what God may be calling us to do. It could be going into full-time ministry or finding a need in your church and volunteering, or calling an estranged family member and apologizing.

And surely you should start with forgiving yourself and start faithfully serving the Lord in all that you think and do and say. The message today, part one of the lesson, "Answering the Call," from Pastor Jeff's eight-message series, Leaving a Legacy: Lessons from the Life of Samuel.

We'll have part two of this lesson next time. Now the whole series is our gift of thanks to you for your support of From His Heart this month of any amount. Support that goes to helping us reach the world each and every day.

Pastor Jeff is a volunteer for this ministry and receives no income from it. So make your gift today and get the series Leaving a Legacy when you call 866-40-BIBLE, 866-40-BIBLE, or go online to fromhisheart.org.

Your gift will matter to the world. We also hope that when you visit our website, you'll sign up for Pastor Jeff's weekly Real Hope email encouragement letter and you'll get it in your inbox every Friday morning. That's at fromhisheart.org.

Time has gone for today. Thank you for joining us. I'm Larry Nobles and you've been listening to the message, "Answering God's Call," and we'll have part two tomorrow. Here's just a little preview of what's to come.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: People desperately need to hear the whole counsel of God. They desperately need to hear that God is a God of love, yes, but He's also a God of wrath. They need to hear the bad news because the bad news sets you up and prepares the way for the good news.

Larry Nobles: Join Pastor Jeff Schreve on Tuesday when we'll again open up God's Word and share real truth, real love, and real hope to a lost and a hurting world. That's next time here on From His Heart.