From His Heart

Dr. Jeff Schreve: You have an enemy out there. Your adversary Peter says the devil prowls around also like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him firm in your faith. He doesn’t ever stop. He comes to steal and kill and destroy. When you are gathered having a prayer meeting, confessing your sins, getting your heart right with God, he is planning his attack on you.

So don't be surprised when you get your heart and life right with God that you don't get attacked immediately after that. We cry out to the Lord for deliverance. We cry out to the Lord, “Lord, let the lion roar. Lord, thunder from heaven.”

Larry Nobles: It’s been said that a lion's roar is one of the loudest sounds in the animal kingdom, reaching up to a deafening volume of 114 decibels and heard from five miles away. It's as loud as a rock concert or a chainsaw close to your ear. In many people's minds, that sound represents great power. At one point during the time of the prophet Samuel, the people of Israel desperately needed a lion to roar. God said, “Done.” The lion did roar.

What does that mean for you and me today? Pastor Jeff Schreve will tell us on From His Heart. Thank you for being here for the message, When the Lion Roars, Part Two. It's from Pastor Jeff's new eight-lesson series, Leaving a Legacy: Lessons from the Life of Samuel. We'll be in this extended study for the next two weeks. If you miss any of these life-changing lessons, go to fromhisheart.org and click the listen link to catch up. Open your Bible to First Samuel chapter seven and get ready for a lesson on what happens when the lion roars.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: How can we see the Lord roar on behalf of His people today? I think that's the cry of many, many hearts. God, we want You to rise up and show Yourself as the God who is mighty and strong. Roar from heaven. As it says in Ezekiel over and over and over again, then they will know that I am the Lord.

How can we see that happen? There are three critical steps. Step number one, we can recognize the seriousness of our situation. David said in Psalm 139, verses 23 and 24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts, and see if there be any evil, hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

For Israel, what was the situation? They were losing. The Israelites had lost 4,000 foot soldiers. They said, “Let's get the ark of God, the Ark of the Covenant, and let's bring it into the camp. That'll be like our good luck charm. We'll take it into the camp and we'll defeat the Philistines.” God wasn't going to bless the Israelites. They were living in sin and they were trying to use Him as a lucky rabbit's foot. He did not give Israel victory over the Philistines. He gave the Philistines victory over the Israelites, and 30,000 Israelite foot soldiers were killed.

The Philistines took the Ark of the Covenant and they brought it back to their territory. They think they have a great victory until they find out they don't want to have the Ark of the Covenant if they are the pagans. The Ark of the Covenant gave them lots and lots of problems. Finally, they sent it back to Israel. They put it on two milk cows and said, “These milk cows are nursing. If we lock up their babies and put the Ark of the Covenant on these cows, they would naturally go back to their babies. But if they don't, if they make a beeline for the land of Israel, we'll know that this was the Lord who did this to us.”

Sure enough, those two milk cows made a beeline for Beth Shemesh, to the land of Israel. They looked into it just to make sure that the Philistines didn't take anything. They were irreverent in their handling of the ark, and God killed them. The men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this Holy God?” God is holy, holy, holy. If we treat God like He's an old shoe, if we don't give God the respect that is due His name, we are going to pay a price for that. Israel paid a price for that.

God will not overlook sin. God doesn't wink at sin. God hates sin. What do we need to do as a first step if we're going to see the lion roar on our behalf? If we're going to see the lion roar against the enemies of God, I have to deal with sin. Step number two, we can get our heart right with Him. It says in verse three, “Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, ‘If you will return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtoreth from among you, and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone, and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.’”

It says in verse three that they were to serve Him alone. It’s not that they didn't acknowledge God anymore; they synchronized the Canaanite fertility cult worship in with Yahweh. They compromised. They were big-time compromisers. Samuel's saying, “You can't do that. You got to be all in with the Lord.” You have to make a complete break with sin and idolatry. They did that. They confessed their sins and got things right.

We have to do the same. Confess our sins to the Lord and yield to His lordship. You got to get rid of any idols that might be in your life. They had the idols of Baal. They would bow down to Baal. Baal is the god of storms and the god of fertility. He has a female consort, Ashtoreth, depicted by this pole, this armless pole. The worship in that Canaanite fertility cult was very sensual, very sexual with temple prostitutes and that kind of thing. The Lord told His people not to have anything to do with those people in the land. He knew they couldn't handle it. It was too much of a pull on their flesh. They thought they could handle it, but they couldn't.

None of us could. The Bible says put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh with regard to its lusts. We can't handle that kind of stuff. It’s interesting the Bible says that we resist the devil and he will flee from us. But when it comes to temptations of the flesh, flee immorality. You can't handle it. It’s too strong. What did Joseph do when Mrs. Potiphar was trying to get him to sleep with her? He spun out of his coat and ran because that's how you deal with that temptation. You have to run from it, you have to flee from it because it's too strong by itself.

We get our hearts right with Him. They had idol worship as a big problem. You say we've graduated and we don't have that anymore. We have idols galore. The American idol is money. So many people, that's their most important thing is money. What's on the throne of their heart? Money. What do they long for, scheme for, dream for? Money. That is the be-all, end-all. That's a big idol. If that's your god, so to speak, you wouldn't put it in those terms. But what really motivates you? Is it pleasing God or making money? You see if you look at how you spend your time and how you spend your money, you see what really is important to you.

Other people, what is their idol? What is their god? It is pleasure. They're hedonistic, and everything they do is for pleasure. Others it's success, others it's sports, others it's sex. Pornography becomes an idol. For others, it's the phone, the smartphone. That becomes an idol that you keep with you everywhere you go. I'm talking to myself because that phone can become such a part of us. If you lose your phone, that would be horrible. I'd rather lose my car than lose my phone. All these contacts and everything I have in there. It’s a sinking feeling when you can't find your phone because that phone has become such a part of us, and for many, it becomes an idol.

Comfort and pleasure can become an idol. You got to make a clean break from that, and you have to confess that as sin and yield yourself afresh to the Lord. It says in verse five, “Then Samuel said, ‘Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.’ They gathered to Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day and said there, ‘We have sinned against the Lord.’ And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah.”

They confessed. God, we are guilty. We have sinned against You. But God, here is a symbolic offering. We're going to fast and we are going to pour out the water, which is a symbol of pouring out our lives. We're going to yield ourselves anew and afresh to You. It says in the book of Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, the Lord says, “Return to Me, and I will return to you.” But you say, “How shall we return?” Then He goes into giving and tithes and offerings because what tends to take over in our hearts when we're not submitted to the Lord? Money. That is the thing.

We confess our sins to God. We make things right with God. First Peter 3:15 tells us to humble our hearts before the Lord and sanctify Him as Lord in our hearts. Set Him apart as King, as Lord. Psalm 85, verse six says, “Will You not Yourself, Lord, revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?”

Larry Nobles: Pastor Jeff Schreve returns From His Heart in just a moment to continue this powerfully personal lesson called When the Lion Roars from his eight-message series, Leaving a Legacy: Lessons from the Life of Samuel. This series is our special thank-you gift for your support of From His Heart this month of any amount. It's eight messages on a USB flash drive, CDs, DVDs, or an immediate MP3 download.

It'll transform your life and change your eternity as you leave a legacy for Christ. We want to thank you for your gift today to help From His Heart share this real truth in a world filled with confusion and unbelief. Pastor Jeff began From His Heart over 20 years ago as a listener-supported ministry, and it still is. He's our chief volunteer. All you give goes to help us shine Christ's light around the world. Every broadcast, every sermon, every resource you help share is another opportunity to point someone to Jesus and encourage believers to stand firm in their faith.

In Psalm 145, verse four, we read, “One generation shall praise Your works to another and shall declare Your mighty acts.” What a beautiful picture of legacy. Go to fromhisheart.org for more information about how to get this series or call 866-40-BIBLE to make your gift. God bless you for joining this effort to reach the entire world with the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life for all who believe with a repentant heart. Again, the series Leaving a Legacy. God bless you. Now, let's conclude this deafening truth shouted from the heavens, When the Lion Roars.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: The first step, we recognize the seriousness of our situation. Second step, we get our hearts right with Him. The third step, we cry out to the Lord for deliverance. Israel is gathered at Mizpah, and this is a time of great revival for the people. But what happens? The enemy hears that they're all gathered together and the enemy is going to pounce. Verse seven: “Now when the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered to Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the sons of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. Then the sons of Israel said to Samuel, ‘Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.’”

We cry out to the Lord for deliverance. Lord, let the lion roar. Lord, thunder from heaven. Remember, the enemy will be persistent. You have an enemy out there. Your adversary Peter says the devil prowls around also like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. The enemy is out there. I told you before, he's the original Terminator. He doesn’t ever stop. He comes to steal and kill and destroy.

When you are gathered having a prayer meeting, confessing your sins, getting your heart right with God, he is planning his attack on you. Don't be surprised when you get your heart and life right with God that you don't get attacked immediately after that. You say, “Lord, money has been my god. I've put that on the throne of my heart and my life, and I want to take that off. I want You to be on the throne of my life. The dearest idol I have known, whate'er that idol be, help me pull it from Your throne to worship only Thee,” as the song says.

You recognize that it was money and then you say, “Lord, I'm going to honor You from my wealth, from the first of all that I produce.” What happens? You run into financial problems. Maybe you lose your job or maybe you get demoted or maybe there's some catastrophe that eats up a lot of your money. You say, “What gives? Now I can't live anymore. I can't do this, and now I'm going to have to let money be in charge.” No, all that stuff's a test. You say, “Lord, I'm going to live for You with all my heart,” and then you get into a bad accident on the road and now you're broken up and you have difficulty. You say, “I don't understand what gives.” The enemy is at work. He's going to be persistent. He's still coming after you.

The Bible says in James chapter one, verse 12, “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial, for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” You persevere under trial. When the difficulties come, as they will, just remember that you do have an enemy and he is out there. The Lord allows him to get to us for a purpose. The devil can only do what the Lord allows him to do. Just like with Job, he couldn't get at Job until the Lord let down the hedge and allowed him to get at Job, and He did that for a purpose.

If you are experiencing attacks from the enemy, even though you're trying so hard with all your heart to follow the Lord and you're wondering what gives, God, just know it's a test. Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial. The enemy will be persistent, but the Lord will be faithful. They are afraid and they say to Samuel, “Cry out to the Lord our God for us that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” Samuel took a suckling lamb, a little lamb, and offered it for a whole burnt offering to the Lord. Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him.

Samuel was offering up the burnt offering and the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel, but the Lord thundered with a great thunder. He roared with a great noise on that day against the Philistines and confused them so that they were routed before Israel. The men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them down as far as below Beth Car. There was a great deliverance. They cried out to God. Samuel cried out to God on their behalf, and the Lord answered. Why? Because they had gotten themselves right with God. They got themselves on blessing ground. They got themselves on praying ground.

If I regard iniquity in my heart, as David said, the Lord will not hear. But if I get rid of that sin and confess it and get it out of my life and put it under the blood, then God is free to hear. He's free to answer. The Lord did answer. This is what is so cool. Baal, the god that the Philistines worshipped—the Canaanites worshipped Baal and they had their god Dagon, but it's all the same kind of fertility cult sick stuff—they thought in Canaan, who is the god there? Baal. Baal is the storm god. He's the god of fertility. That's why he has a female consort, Ashtoreth, because that is a sexual fertility cult.

When you see pictures of Baal, oftentimes Baal has his hand up like this, and in that hand is a lightning bolt, a thunderbolt. Here they are, they're saying, “Well, our god has defeated already, has defeated the god of the Hebrews, and so now we will defeat them again.” All of a sudden, this god of the storms that the people all trusted him, the storm is turned on them. Josephus, the Jewish historian, said what happened that day was the Lord thundered, the ground shook, the lightning came, the thunder came, and it freaked those people out. It knocked them off their feet. God's people were able to easily wipe them out. There was a great victory that day because they had gotten right with God and they had called upon His name.

The Lord will always be faithful. Then the people, what happens in the aftermath? The people of God must be mindful. God is faithful and we must be mindful of His faithfulness. Verse 12: “Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen and named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’ So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore within the border of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.” Ebenezer. He had the stone that he called Ebenezer, the Lord has helped us thus far. It’s the stone of power and the stone of deliverance, and they put it there to remember.

It's important that you and I remember what God has done. As we stand up for Jesus, He will use us and we will see victory and we will hear the lion roar. Rodney Smith was born in 1860. He was born in a gypsy tent. His parents were gypsies. Born outside of London. He became a great preacher. He was known as Gypsy Smith. Forty-five times he crossed the Atlantic to preach the gospel to millions of people in America and there in England. His passion was almost unparalleled, and there was great fruit in what he did.

The secret of his ministry, he said, was prayer. He was asked as this great evangelist and this great revivalist, what needs to be done? How can we have revival and see revival come in our lives, in our churches, in our communities? He said, “I'll tell you how to do it. Go home, lock yourself in your room, kneel down in the middle of the floor, and with a piece of chalk, draw a circle around yourself. There on your knees, pray fervently and brokenly that God would start a revival with the person in the circle.”

Would you be willing to pray, “God, would You do a work of revival in this person in this circle? Would You change me? Lord, I want to deal with sin. I want to get right with You. I want to seek You and seek You alone. I don't want to have idols in my life. I don't want to be plagued by these besetting sins that keep tripping me up to the point where I just say, ‘Okay, I guess I'll just live with that.’ I'll live with that lust, I'll live with that greed, I'll live with that bitterness. No, Lord, do a work in me. I don't want to regard iniquity and wickedness in my heart because then I know You won't hear me. But God, if I deal with sin and get honest, then You can work in my heart and deliverance can come.” The Lord is waiting on you to get serious about Him.

Larry Nobles: We at From His Heart pray each day for all those who are listening, that would willingly open their hearts to hear the roar of God, often mistaken for a still small voice in your spirit. We hope this lesson has provided emboldening and moving insights for you today. If you'd like a copy of this message, When the Lion Roars, or the eight-message series Leaving a Legacy: Lessons from the Life of Samuel, you can get it in the format of your choice when you make a gift of any amount to From His Heart. That helps sustain us and expand this broadcast around the world.

Pastor Jeff is a volunteer for this ministry. It is frankly amazing what is being accomplished by the preaching and the unvarnished truth of God. The opportunity to do that is not guaranteed every day, but we want to take full advantage of it while it is. Your gift will help. To make that gift and get the series Leaving a Legacy: Lessons from the Life of Samuel, call 866-40-BIBLE, 866-40-BIBLE, or go online to fromhisheart.org. Know that you are joining an effort that seeks to glorify God in all we do, and it'll bring Him glory.

God bless you for joining this effort to reach the entire world with the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life for all who believe with a repentant heart. Again, the series Leaving a Legacy. God bless you. Thank you for being with us today. I'm Larry Nobles, praying that you'll be with us next time when Pastor Jeff continues the Leaving a Legacy series with a message called The Heartache of Rejection. Pastor Jeff Schreve will speak truth, love, and hope. Remember, no matter what, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Find out more at fromhisheart.org.