1 Samuel
St. Paul's Anglican Church Chatswood - SermonsAugust 31, 201340:1555.28 MB

1 Samuel

1 Samuel

Speaker: Sam Low

Date: 1st September 2013

Passage: 1 Samuel 2:1-11


00:00:00 --> 00:00:06 If you missed out last week, we did kick off a new series here at church in 1 Samuel.
00:00:06 --> 00:00:08 Let me give you the shortest summary I can.
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 Basically, Hannah doesn't have a baby.
00:00:11 --> 00:00:12 She's not real happy about it.
00:00:13 --> 00:00:14 She prays, she gets one.
00:00:15 --> 00:00:18 There's a bit more going on there, but hopefully you heard a bit more detail.
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 We're going to look at the second half of Hannah this week,
00:00:21 --> 00:00:25 so hopefully you'll get enough of the picture to know where we're going.
00:00:25 --> 00:00:30 But I'm going to pray and pray that God will help us to concentrate and focus as we get stuck in.
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 Father God, we do thank you for your word.
00:00:35 --> 00:00:38 We thank you that you've given it to us so that we might know you.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:46 And God, I want to ask that tonight you'd give us the humility to maybe recognize where we have reduced you
00:00:46 --> 00:00:50 or where we've made you fit into the box that we want you to fit in.
00:00:50 --> 00:00:56 And I pray that instead you might open our eyes to see you in all your majesty and splendor.
00:00:56 --> 00:01:02 And God, I pray that having seen you, our lives might be lived in response to that.
00:01:03 --> 00:01:03 Amen.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:11 Sometimes in our exuberance, we can get a little bit overexcited about things.
00:01:12 --> 00:01:18 I don't know if you remember a little while ago, KFC decided an experiment in health food was a good idea.
00:01:18 --> 00:01:20 And they launched the burger without a bun.
00:01:21 --> 00:01:27 It was basically a chicken patty, cheese, bacon, cheese, and then another piece of chicken.
00:01:28 --> 00:01:29 It was amazing.
00:01:29 --> 00:01:31 Hard to eat, but very good.
00:01:31 --> 00:01:37 But I repeatedly, when that came out, told people that it was the best thing that has ever been invented.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:41 Now, at the time, you know, I kind of meant it.
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 But in reality, I may have got a little bit excited.
00:01:43 --> 00:01:51 There's probably one or two things that have been invented in the history of humans that are a little bit above the old KFC double down.
00:01:52 --> 00:01:54 But sometimes we get overexcited.
00:01:54 --> 00:01:59 I was trying to think of other examples here, and Tashi sprung to mind, but I couldn't think of one example.
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 Everything that Tashi says is potentially overexuberant.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:05 And that's why it's so great to have you around, Tashi.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:15 But I wonder if, as we read this prayer from Hannah, as Ali read it out for us, if you begin to feel like it's a little bit overstated.
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 It's a little bit overenthusiastic.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:24 I mean, without playing down the genuine despair that we saw last week and the pain that Hannah was going through,
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 it's kind of like her whole world has changed.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:31 But we know the story, and her whole world hasn't changed.
00:02:31 --> 00:02:34 You know, she starts getting really excited.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:35 She's saying things like,
00:02:35 --> 00:02:36 The mighty are broken.
00:02:37 --> 00:02:39 Those who stumbled find strength.
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 The barren woman has seven kids.
00:02:42 --> 00:02:43 The woman with kids has none.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:44 The hungry are well fed.
00:02:44 --> 00:02:46 The full are hungry.
00:02:46 --> 00:02:49 Like, it's like everything is different.
00:02:49 --> 00:02:54 If we turn back just one page and a few years to Hannah's first prayer,
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 she's bitterly weeping.
00:02:57 --> 00:03:00 She's crying out to God to look on her in affliction.
00:03:00 --> 00:03:03 And now she's like exploding with joy.
00:03:04 --> 00:03:08 It's like she's jumping on the spot because she's so excited about her life.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:14 Now, again, it's a big deal that she was barren and now she's not.
00:03:15 --> 00:03:16 That is significant.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:20 But is that a sufficient reason for a prayer like this?
00:03:22 --> 00:03:23 It's not.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:28 And that's because it's not the reason for this prayer.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:32 It would be understandable to assume that,
00:03:32 --> 00:03:37 but Samuel being born is the occasion on which this prayer came out.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:41 But it's not the basis for the prayer.
00:03:41 --> 00:03:42 There's more going on for Hannah.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:45 And there's a few clues in what we looked at last week.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 If you remember in Hannah's prayer in chapter one,
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 what she prays for is God to remember her.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:55 She sees her situation in a bigger picture.
00:03:55 --> 00:04:01 She sees her situation as part of the whole nation that needs to be remembered by God,
00:04:01 --> 00:04:04 a nation that thinks God's love has wandered away.
00:04:04 --> 00:04:10 And so she sees her little situation as part of a bigger work that God is doing.
00:04:10 --> 00:04:14 Now, if you look with me in chapter one, just flick back quickly to verse 23.
00:04:15 --> 00:04:20 Elkanah, this is Hannah's husband, says something quite profound in verse 23.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:26 This is when Hannah has had the boy, and then instead of going back up to go to the temple,
00:04:26 --> 00:04:30 she says, I'm going to wait a little bit longer until the boy is ready to be handed over.
00:04:31 --> 00:04:32 And he says,
00:04:32 --> 00:04:35 Do what seems best to you, Elkanah, her husband, told her.
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 Stay here until you have weaned him.
00:04:38 --> 00:04:42 Only may the Lord make good his word.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:47 Now, I don't know if you noticed that when it was read out last week,
00:04:47 --> 00:04:51 but up to this point in 1 Samuel, God hasn't spoken at any point.
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 It's been Hannah speaking, and then the other wife, Peninnah, speaking,
00:04:55 --> 00:04:59 and Elkanah has spoken, and the priest Eli has spoken,
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 but God has not spoken.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:05 So what does Elkanah mean when he says, establish his word?
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 I mean, Hannah's the one who made a promise.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:15 What he's getting at is that there is a bigger word that God has made.
00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 There is a bigger plan that is unfolding through history,
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 and both Elkanah and Hannah, it's catchy,
00:05:22 --> 00:05:27 both Elkanah and Hannah recognize that this little situation in their family
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 is part of something bigger.
00:05:30 --> 00:05:34 They might not get every part of how significant it is,
00:05:34 --> 00:05:36 but they can see that something extra is going on.
00:05:37 --> 00:05:41 Because at this point in history, Israel has almost lost sight of who God is.
00:05:41 --> 00:05:46 I mean, it's not that many generations back that they were rescued dramatically
00:05:46 --> 00:05:49 out of slavery in Egypt, that the Red Sea parted,
00:05:49 --> 00:05:50 and they wandered through on dry land.
00:05:50 --> 00:05:54 It's not that many generations ago that they went to the mountain in the desert,
00:05:54 --> 00:05:57 and God came down, and the mountain was shaking,
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 and there was lightning and thunder.
00:05:59 --> 00:06:03 I mean, they're still kind of going through the motions of worshiping God.
00:06:03 --> 00:06:07 They're still kind of acting like God is important for them as a country.
00:06:07 --> 00:06:14 But if you look closely, and we're going to find out next week even more,
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 even the worship that they're doing,
00:06:16 --> 00:06:20 even the church services they're holding have become corrupt and dishonest.
00:06:21 --> 00:06:24 They've basically forgotten who God is.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 They've gone from being people who were scared of Him, who feared Him,
00:06:28 --> 00:06:31 to being people who kind of treat Him like He doesn't matter,
00:06:31 --> 00:06:32 and there's nothing He can do about it.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:40 Israel's forgotten their God, but in Hannah, we have God pushing His way back in.
00:06:41 --> 00:06:44 God is making sure that He is remembered,
00:06:44 --> 00:06:48 and He is making sure that Hannah knows, and we know,
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 that God will keep His word.
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 God will keep the promises that He has made to His people.
00:06:55 --> 00:07:03 Now again, chances are that Hannah had no idea just how significant her son was in God's plan.
00:07:04 --> 00:07:09 But she does seem to understand that this is about more than her little family.
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 She seems to have at least a glimpse.
00:07:12 --> 00:07:15 God has revealed Himself to Hannah,
00:07:15 --> 00:07:18 and this prayer is not just about Samuel.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:23 This is Hannah having seen God and responding.
00:07:23 --> 00:07:27 It's her pouring out her heart, her heart overflowing with excitement,
00:07:27 --> 00:07:30 because she has seen God again.
00:07:31 --> 00:07:35 Having started to maybe forget Him a little bit, along with everyone else,
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 she has seen Him again.
00:07:37 --> 00:07:40 And the question for us tonight, the thing that I want you to wrestle with,
00:07:40 --> 00:07:44 is have you settled for a smaller vision of God?
00:07:44 --> 00:07:50 Have you, like Israel, progressively taken this exciting God that you started following,
00:07:51 --> 00:07:54 and just trimmed Him down until it was a little bit more convenient?
00:07:55 --> 00:07:59 Until it didn't really impact the bits of your life that it didn't want to impact?
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 If you think back to when you chose to follow God,
00:08:02 --> 00:08:06 and the joy and fear and absolute commitment you had at that point,
00:08:06 --> 00:08:11 have you, like Israel, shrunk God down,
00:08:12 --> 00:08:15 so that He doesn't actually make a difference to you?
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 Well, tonight, Hannah wants to show you in this prayer,
00:08:19 --> 00:08:22 and God wants to show you three things about Himself
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 that will change your life.
00:08:26 --> 00:08:29 Firstly, God stands alone.
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 Look again at verse 1 with me.
00:08:31 --> 00:08:52 Our God stands alone.
00:08:53 --> 00:08:57 Even the fact that Hannah calls Him our God back then,
00:08:57 --> 00:09:00 and we come to church tonight and call Him our God now,
00:09:00 --> 00:09:03 says something about His significance.
00:09:03 --> 00:09:05 He's not constrained by time.
00:09:05 --> 00:09:07 He didn't exist for one generation of people.
00:09:08 --> 00:09:10 He's not limited to one nation.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:12 It's not like just one family got really excited about Him
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 and kept teaching their kids.
00:09:14 --> 00:09:16 Our God is bigger than that.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:20 Our God is not like any other God.
00:09:21 --> 00:09:24 He's all-consuming and all-encompassing.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:29 Now, that might sound like a kind of obvious statement for us in church tonight,
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 the idea that God stands alone.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:34 I mean, in our context, at most,
00:09:34 --> 00:09:37 there's probably a small handful of gods that we would acknowledge.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:41 We might talk about the God of Muslims, the God of Hindus,
00:09:41 --> 00:09:42 the God of...
00:09:42 --> 00:09:47 There's a handful that we would probably acknowledge as gods-ish.
00:09:47 --> 00:09:55 But for Israel, every nation had an absolute multitude of gods.
00:09:55 --> 00:09:59 Gods for sun, gods for water, gods for farming, gods for fertility.
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 They would invent gods every other day.
00:10:02 --> 00:10:06 And so Israel is surrounded by this catalogue of gods.
00:10:06 --> 00:10:11 And Hannah suddenly gets this picture that her God is not like those other gods.
00:10:12 --> 00:10:13 Her God stands alone.
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 He is not to be compared to these other gods.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:18 He is not even in the same category.
00:10:18 --> 00:10:22 And maybe this is more poignant for us than we think.
00:10:23 --> 00:10:27 It might not be that we use the language of gods or worship
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 when we look at the things in our world.
00:10:30 --> 00:10:35 But it could be that there are just as many things in our culture today
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 that we worship instead of God.
00:10:38 --> 00:10:42 Or that we are convinced are more important than God.
00:10:42 --> 00:10:47 It could be that there are just as many fake gods now as there were then.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:53 Israel's trap in Hannah's day wasn't the trap of outright rejecting God.
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 It was the trap of diluting him.
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 Of rocking up to church and going,
00:10:59 --> 00:11:01 Yes, God, you're the most important.
00:11:01 --> 00:11:02 God, please help me with this issue.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:05 But then turning around and praying to the farming God as well
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 just to cover their bases.
00:11:06 --> 00:11:10 It's not that they'd walk away from God altogether
00:11:10 --> 00:11:11 because that's obviously wrong.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:14 But they would just grab these extra things and add them in.
00:11:15 --> 00:11:17 They'd do what he asked them
00:11:17 --> 00:11:20 but then they would dilute him down.
00:11:20 --> 00:11:23 And I wonder if we do something similar.
00:11:23 --> 00:11:28 When we say we're following God,
00:11:29 --> 00:11:31 when we say we treasure Jesus,
00:11:32 --> 00:11:35 have we reduced down our infinite creator
00:11:35 --> 00:11:38 to the point where in actual fact in our lives
00:11:38 --> 00:11:42 he's just one of the choices among a whole bunch of valid options
00:11:42 --> 00:11:45 for us to go after, for us to obey,
00:11:45 --> 00:11:46 for us to treasure and value.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:50 When it comes to religion,
00:11:50 --> 00:11:54 one of the ongoing conversations is always comparison.
00:11:54 --> 00:11:56 Which religion is best?
00:11:56 --> 00:11:58 Which one is most helpful?
00:11:58 --> 00:11:58 Most right?
00:11:58 --> 00:12:01 Which God is most impressive?
00:12:01 --> 00:12:02 Most powerful?
00:12:02 --> 00:12:04 And as Christians, we get in on these conversations.
00:12:05 --> 00:12:06 We say our God is best because...
00:12:09 --> 00:12:13 But even in our need to defend him in those conversations,
00:12:13 --> 00:12:20 I wonder if that says that we have a slightly small view of him.
00:12:23 --> 00:12:26 We actually do look at our God next to these other gods
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 and feel the need to compare statistics.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:35 But to even think of comparing our God to anyone or anything else,
00:12:35 --> 00:12:37 you need to reduce him so much
00:12:37 --> 00:12:42 that he no longer resembles God as he has revealed himself in Scripture.
00:12:43 --> 00:12:48 Now, it's not to say there's not a place for those sorts of conversations,
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 for religious debate,
00:12:50 --> 00:12:54 but you've got to realize that you're not comparing apples with apples,
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 so to speak.
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 You're not even comparing apples with oranges.
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 It's almost like comparing apples with people.
00:13:02 --> 00:13:03 And that doesn't even do it justice.
00:13:05 --> 00:13:09 The gods that we compare our God to
00:13:09 --> 00:13:11 are not even in the same category.
00:13:11 --> 00:13:15 Hannah finally grasps,
00:13:15 --> 00:13:17 surrounded by an infinite number of gods,
00:13:17 --> 00:13:19 promising an infinite number of things,
00:13:19 --> 00:13:22 that there is no one like our God.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 There is no one who compares.
00:13:26 --> 00:13:28 And Hannah celebrates three things specifically
00:13:28 --> 00:13:30 that make him unique.
00:13:30 --> 00:13:31 Firstly, his holiness.
00:13:32 --> 00:13:33 It's there in verse 2.
00:13:33 --> 00:13:35 There is no one holy like the Lord,
00:13:35 --> 00:13:38 none who is so pure and perfect and just.
00:13:38 --> 00:13:41 God is set apart from everything else that exists.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 These other gods are within creation.
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 They're limited by the amount of time that creation stays around,
00:13:47 --> 00:13:49 but God is set apart from it
00:13:49 --> 00:13:52 because he is too pure and perfect.
00:13:53 --> 00:13:57 And there is nothing that rightfully sits next to God.
00:13:57 --> 00:13:58 He is holy and set apart.
00:13:58 --> 00:14:00 Second thing, he is a rock.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 Again, verse 2,
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 there is no rock like our God.
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 He is a mighty fortress,
00:14:05 --> 00:14:08 a secure, immovable, unchanging foundation,
00:14:08 --> 00:14:11 and in him people find refuge.
00:14:12 --> 00:14:15 There is no storm too powerful for God.
00:14:16 --> 00:14:18 There is no trial, no opposition,
00:14:18 --> 00:14:21 which he does not have complete control over.
00:14:21 --> 00:14:24 He is stronger and more powerful than anything else
00:14:24 --> 00:14:29 because he made everything else.
00:14:30 --> 00:14:34 Because every power that exists is from him,
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 from his power.
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 He is holy.
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 He is a rock like no other.
00:14:41 --> 00:14:43 And thirdly, he is a deliverer.
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44 There in verse 1.
00:14:45 --> 00:14:48 For I delight in your deliverance.
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 Our God is the God who saves people.
00:14:52 --> 00:14:55 He is the rescuing God.
00:14:56 --> 00:14:59 He is the God who rescued Joseph from his brothers.
00:15:00 --> 00:15:03 He is the God who rescued Isaac and his whole family from famine.
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 The God who rescued Israel from Egypt.
00:15:06 --> 00:15:10 And the God who rescued Hannah from her barrenness.
00:15:10 --> 00:15:12 And even though we haven't seen it yet,
00:15:14 --> 00:15:16 God is the God who will use Samuel
00:15:16 --> 00:15:22 to continue his plan to rescue people for himself.
00:15:23 --> 00:15:25 No other God can claim this.
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 No other God has delivered on his promises.
00:15:28 --> 00:15:32 No other God has rescued like the God of Israel,
00:15:32 --> 00:15:34 like the God of Scripture, like our God.
00:15:34 --> 00:15:37 No other God answers prayer like our God.
00:15:37 --> 00:15:41 No other God looks down on Hannah's situation
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 and cares like our God.
00:15:43 --> 00:15:46 And because Hannah gets this,
00:15:47 --> 00:15:53 because she sees her holy, secure, mighty, delivering God,
00:15:54 --> 00:15:56 standing alone and without equal,
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 everything changes.
00:15:58 --> 00:16:03 This prayer is not a response to her life being completely different.
00:16:04 --> 00:16:08 This prayer is a response to her vision of God being clear.
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 Look with me at verse 3.
00:16:10 --> 00:16:13 Do not keep talking so proudly,
00:16:13 --> 00:16:16 or let your mouth speak such arrogance.
00:16:16 --> 00:16:18 For the Lord is a God who knows,
00:16:18 --> 00:16:20 and by him deeds are weighed.
00:16:21 --> 00:16:23 The bows of the warriors are broken,
00:16:23 --> 00:16:25 but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
00:16:26 --> 00:16:28 Those who are full hire themselves out for food,
00:16:29 --> 00:16:31 but those who are hungry hunger no more.
00:16:31 --> 00:16:33 She who is barren has borne seven children,
00:16:34 --> 00:16:36 but she who has had many sons pines away.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:39 The Lord brings death and makes alive.
00:16:39 --> 00:16:41 He brings down to the grave and raises up.
00:16:41 --> 00:16:43 The Lord sends poverty and wealth.
00:16:43 --> 00:16:45 He humbles and he exalts.
00:16:45 --> 00:16:47 He raises the poor from the dust
00:16:47 --> 00:16:49 and lifts the needy from the ash heap.
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 He seats them with princes,
00:16:50 --> 00:16:53 and he has them inherit a throne of honor.
00:16:53 --> 00:16:57 For the foundations of the earth are the Lord's.
00:16:57 --> 00:17:00 Upon them he has set the world.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 Having seen God,
00:17:03 --> 00:17:08 her world and her situation are redefined.
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 Having seen God,
00:17:11 --> 00:17:14 Israel's situation is suddenly brought into sharp focus.
00:17:15 --> 00:17:17 She no longer fears the taunts of her enemies.
00:17:18 --> 00:17:20 She no longer fears the woman who teases her
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 for not having children.
00:17:22 --> 00:17:24 She now defiantly reminds them,
00:17:25 --> 00:17:27 you will answer to my God.
00:17:29 --> 00:17:32 You will answer to the God who knows all things,
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 the God who is ever-present,
00:17:35 --> 00:17:38 the God who is the rightful judge of all creation,
00:17:38 --> 00:17:40 because it's his.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:46 Suddenly, Hannah's perspective is unrecognizable.
00:17:47 --> 00:17:49 From a bitter, weeping woman,
00:17:50 --> 00:17:54 she now sees hope.
00:17:54 --> 00:17:59 She is no longer limited by what's possible,
00:18:00 --> 00:18:02 what she is capable of.
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 The bows of the mighty are broken.
00:18:07 --> 00:18:09 The weak and feeble are given strength.
00:18:11 --> 00:18:13 Israel's situation is suddenly less hopeless.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:16 The armies queuing up around them to take over,
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 suddenly not so scary.
00:18:18 --> 00:18:22 Not because they're not mighty.
00:18:24 --> 00:18:27 Not because they're not more powerful than Israel.
00:18:28 --> 00:18:31 But in the face of her mighty rock God.
00:18:34 --> 00:18:36 Look again at the picture she paints.
00:18:36 --> 00:18:39 The mighty are broken.
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 The feeble are strengthened.
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 The full are hungry.
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 The hungry are full.
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 The barren woman has kids.
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 The woman with kids has none.
00:18:46 --> 00:18:46 Why?
00:18:47 --> 00:18:49 Because it's the Lord who gives life.
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 It's the Lord who kills.
00:18:52 --> 00:18:54 It's the Lord who gives everything.
00:18:55 --> 00:18:57 Nothing exists except by his will.
00:18:57 --> 00:19:02 And suddenly Hannah realizes that the injustice within Israel
00:19:02 --> 00:19:05 and the oppression from outside
00:19:05 --> 00:19:09 will not go unanswered before a sovereign God.
00:19:10 --> 00:19:13 She sees that God has not left.
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16 God will keep his promise
00:19:16 --> 00:19:19 and he will bring justice.
00:19:20 --> 00:19:24 He's the one who spoke the earth into existence.
00:19:24 --> 00:19:28 And he is the one who will hold it accountable.
00:19:30 --> 00:19:33 For Hannah, this new picture of God
00:19:33 --> 00:19:35 redefines everything that she sees.
00:19:36 --> 00:19:39 There's this fantastic quote from C.S. Lewis
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 where he says,
00:19:40 --> 00:19:44 I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen.
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 Not only because I see it,
00:19:47 --> 00:19:49 but because by it I see everything else.
00:19:51 --> 00:19:53 Without God, at best we see silhouettes.
00:19:55 --> 00:19:57 We are fumbling around in a dark room.
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 But when we see him,
00:20:01 --> 00:20:03 the world is illuminated.
00:20:05 --> 00:20:07 Because he is the power that created
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 and the power that sustains,
00:20:10 --> 00:20:14 he is the defining reality for all that exists.
00:20:15 --> 00:20:17 We need to wrestle with what that means for us today.
00:20:18 --> 00:20:20 Because it made Hannah weird.
00:20:20 --> 00:20:24 Hannah's perspective in this passage isn't normal.
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 We don't look at the world and go,
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 you know what, the rich people,
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 I feel sorry for them.
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 The people who are healthy,
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 who are unlucky.
00:20:32 --> 00:20:34 Or the woman who's got lots of kids,
00:20:34 --> 00:20:34 that must be terrible.
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 Although we might sometimes say that.
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 Hannah's perspective isn't normal, is it?
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 It's weird.
00:20:40 --> 00:20:46 She has seen God and suddenly she sees the whole world
00:20:46 --> 00:20:48 in a way that no one else does.
00:20:49 --> 00:20:52 She's not seeing what most people see.
00:20:53 --> 00:20:56 I had an interesting conversation with my brother.
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 It was about a week ago.
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 He was staying with me just for a night.
00:20:59 --> 00:21:01 My brother used to be really involved in church.
00:21:01 --> 00:21:03 I don't know if he's a Christian.
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 That's between him and God.
00:21:04 --> 00:21:07 But I would say if he is,
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 he doesn't take it very seriously.
00:21:10 --> 00:21:13 But there was a time when church was really high on his priority list.
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 When ministry was really important.
00:21:15 --> 00:21:18 And we were just chatting about an old Bible study group
00:21:18 --> 00:21:20 that he used to be in when he was about 20 or 21.
00:21:21 --> 00:21:26 And he was reflecting to me how that group was full of full-on Christians.
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 The extreme kind.
00:21:29 --> 00:21:32 And he wasn't being particularly rude about them or anything like that.
00:21:32 --> 00:21:36 But these were guys who had become missionaries and gone overseas.
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 Guys who had gone into ministry.
00:21:39 --> 00:21:41 He didn't say that I was one of those.
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 But I feel like it might have been in brackets.
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 Just a subtle.
00:21:44 --> 00:21:46 But we were having this conversation.
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 And in my head I was going,
00:21:48 --> 00:21:51 I understand what you're saying.
00:21:52 --> 00:21:55 They've kind of just basically thrown their whole life up in the air
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 having met Jesus.
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 But here's the thing.
00:21:58 --> 00:22:00 That's not extreme.
00:22:00 --> 00:22:03 That's what a Christian is.
00:22:04 --> 00:22:06 Hannah's position feels weird.
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 It feels full-on.
00:22:08 --> 00:22:11 It feels like it's at the extreme end.
00:22:11 --> 00:22:14 But it's not like she's had some unique revelation of God.
00:22:15 --> 00:22:19 It's not like some angel appeared and told her a secret that no one else knows.
00:22:19 --> 00:22:24 She just reflected on God who had been revealed in history.
00:22:24 --> 00:22:26 God as he was revealed in Scripture.
00:22:27 --> 00:22:32 And that is sufficient to change her perception of everything in her life.
00:22:33 --> 00:22:35 Change her perception of what success is,
00:22:36 --> 00:22:36 of what matters,
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 of how her relationships work.
00:22:38 --> 00:22:41 And so again,
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 I come back to the question.
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 How does your view of God
00:22:45 --> 00:22:47 shape the decisions that you make?
00:22:50 --> 00:22:52 How does your view of God
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 and his power and his significance
00:22:53 --> 00:22:55 change the way
00:22:55 --> 00:22:57 that you see possibilities in your life
00:22:57 --> 00:22:59 or limitations in your life?
00:23:00 --> 00:23:02 How much of an impact does it have
00:23:02 --> 00:23:04 on the ambitions that you have?
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 The things you want to achieve?
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 The desires you have?
00:23:07 --> 00:23:10 If our God is
00:23:10 --> 00:23:13 incomparably great and powerful,
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 if he is all-consuming
00:23:15 --> 00:23:18 and the source of everything that exists,
00:23:18 --> 00:23:20 if our God will come to judge everything,
00:23:21 --> 00:23:24 then it must affect
00:23:24 --> 00:23:26 every part of our life.
00:23:27 --> 00:23:29 It must shape even the little decisions,
00:23:30 --> 00:23:32 even the seemingly mundane.
00:23:34 --> 00:23:36 And so again,
00:23:36 --> 00:23:36 I ask you,
00:23:37 --> 00:23:39 do you look at the world any different
00:23:39 --> 00:23:42 to the people who don't know God?
00:23:44 --> 00:23:46 Or are you pretty much the same
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 as everyone else?
00:23:50 --> 00:23:52 One of the fun parts of my job
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 is teaching scripture.
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 And this year,
00:23:55 --> 00:23:55 so this week,
00:23:55 --> 00:23:58 I was teaching year six and year three.
00:23:58 --> 00:24:00 And we're doing roughly the same lesson,
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 slightly different.
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 And we opened the lesson this week
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 with a question.
00:24:03 --> 00:24:05 It was a what would you do if scenario.
00:24:06 --> 00:24:08 And the scenarios went something like,
00:24:09 --> 00:24:11 you've got a sports final this weekend,
00:24:12 --> 00:24:14 and your coach has told you that training's on tonight,
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 and if you don't go,
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 you won't be playing.
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 And you're at home ready to go,
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 and mum says,
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 I've got a headache.
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 Do you,
00:24:23 --> 00:24:23 A,
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 tell her tough,
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 drive me to training,
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 otherwise I don't get to play my final.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 Or B,
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 let her rest,
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 so that her headache can get better.
00:24:32 --> 00:24:35 It's amazing how much more selfish year six got.
00:24:35 --> 00:24:37 But the other thing that I noticed is,
00:24:38 --> 00:24:40 year three were maybe naive,
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 or just really,
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 really selfless.
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 They were all like,
00:24:43 --> 00:24:45 oh, mum looks after me so much,
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 I'll do the right thing,
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 and I'll let her rest.
00:24:47 --> 00:24:49 I wonder if that would be true in the actual situation,
00:24:49 --> 00:24:51 but they all knew which answer they were supposed to give.
00:24:52 --> 00:24:54 But year six was really interesting.
00:24:54 --> 00:24:56 They knew which answer they were supposed to give.
00:24:57 --> 00:24:59 They knew there was something not quite right about saying,
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 I just want to look after myself.
00:25:01 --> 00:25:05 So what they did was invented every possible other scenario
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 where they could do both.
00:25:07 --> 00:25:09 I would let mum rest and hitchhike.
00:25:09 --> 00:25:11 I would catch a taxi.
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 I would ring my friend.
00:25:12 --> 00:25:12 I would do all this,
00:25:12 --> 00:25:12 and I said,
00:25:13 --> 00:25:13 no,
00:25:13 --> 00:25:13 it's not an option.
00:25:13 --> 00:25:15 You need to choose to do one or the other.
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 And it just went round and round,
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 and circles,
00:25:17 --> 00:25:19 and it became really obvious that,
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 you know,
00:25:20 --> 00:25:22 they didn't want to admit that ultimately,
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 they cared about themselves more,
00:25:25 --> 00:25:28 but their refusal to agree to a scenario
00:25:28 --> 00:25:31 that meant them missing out was quite telling.
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 Now,
00:25:33 --> 00:25:35 I'm not having a crack at my year six class
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 because I'm sure I'm the same.
00:25:37 --> 00:25:39 But the reality is,
00:25:39 --> 00:25:42 we live in a world that is inherently self-obsessed.
00:25:43 --> 00:25:46 The unspoken mantra of our culture is,
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 if I don't look after me,
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 then who will?
00:25:49 --> 00:25:52 We've got this sense of what we've earned,
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 this sense of entitlement.
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 It's ours.
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 It's mine.
00:25:57 --> 00:25:59 So I should be able to do with it what I want.
00:26:00 --> 00:26:04 But I wonder how that fits with Hannah's vision of God.
00:26:04 --> 00:26:06 Have a look again at verse six.
00:26:06 --> 00:26:32 It's God who provides.
00:26:32 --> 00:26:35 It's God who blesses.
00:26:35 --> 00:26:37 He's the God of knowledge.
00:26:37 --> 00:26:41 He's intimately involved in every situation that you face.
00:26:41 --> 00:26:43 He knows your fears,
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 your concerns,
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 your desires.
00:26:46 --> 00:26:49 Just like he heard and responded to Hannah's cry,
00:26:50 --> 00:26:52 his ears are attentive to you in your life.
00:26:52 --> 00:26:55 And in response,
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 Hannah warns us,
00:26:58 --> 00:27:01 not by might shall a man prevail.
00:27:02 --> 00:27:04 It's God who gives.
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 You can work as hard as you want.
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 Unless God gives it,
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 you will get nothing.
00:27:10 --> 00:27:12 Hannah sees God and recognizes that everything
00:27:12 --> 00:27:14 comes from his generous hand.
00:27:14 --> 00:27:17 And everything that he has given her
00:27:17 --> 00:27:20 exists for a specific purpose.
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 His purpose.
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 His glory.
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 And ultimately,
00:27:27 --> 00:27:29 everything that exists
00:27:29 --> 00:27:31 will return to him one day
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 for judgment.
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 Last week,
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 I was sharing with you
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 that there was something about this story
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 that annoyed me.
00:27:37 --> 00:27:39 How could Hannah be so upset
00:27:39 --> 00:27:41 about not having a child,
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 have a child,
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 and then hand him over?
00:27:43 --> 00:27:46 It still messed with me,
00:27:46 --> 00:27:48 but I was looking at it again this week.
00:27:49 --> 00:27:51 But I think this prayer answers it for us.
00:27:53 --> 00:27:55 Hannah knew that everything that she had,
00:27:55 --> 00:27:58 including this gift of a son,
00:27:59 --> 00:28:01 was a gift from God
00:28:01 --> 00:28:03 for God's glory.
00:28:05 --> 00:28:07 Even her family was something
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 that God had given her
00:28:08 --> 00:28:10 for his purposes.
00:28:10 --> 00:28:12 She rejoices.
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 She rejoices in the gift of Samuel.
00:28:14 --> 00:28:16 But this prayer is not about that.
00:28:17 --> 00:28:19 This prayer is her rejoicing
00:28:19 --> 00:28:21 in the chance to use that gift
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 in the right way
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 in service of her worthy
00:28:23 --> 00:28:25 and unmatchable God.
00:28:28 --> 00:28:30 And I wonder if that is how you view
00:28:30 --> 00:28:32 the things in your life
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 that are precious to you.
00:28:33 --> 00:28:38 I wonder if that is how I view my son.
00:28:40 --> 00:28:42 Does my son exist for me?
00:28:44 --> 00:28:44 Or for God?
00:28:46 --> 00:28:48 The time that you have free
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 on a weekend
00:28:49 --> 00:28:51 after a hard week of work or study,
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 is that yours?
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 Or is it God's?
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 If you are not sure,
00:28:59 --> 00:29:02 it's really just a question
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 of ownership.
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 I do have a responsibility
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 for my son
00:29:06 --> 00:29:08 and for the money God's given me
00:29:08 --> 00:29:10 and for the time and energy
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 that I use in whatever direction,
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 but do I use it as mine?
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 So do I view it as mine
00:29:15 --> 00:29:17 to use however I want?
00:29:17 --> 00:29:19 Or do I view it as God's?
00:29:19 --> 00:29:21 Is the starting point
00:29:21 --> 00:29:23 for everything in my life
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 Him?
00:29:24 --> 00:29:27 Do I wake up each day
00:29:27 --> 00:29:29 and say I have this many hours,
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 this much energy,
00:29:30 --> 00:29:30 this much money,
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 these individuals,
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 these relationships
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 and say God,
00:29:33 --> 00:29:35 how can I use all of it for you?
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 Or do I say God,
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 I've got a couple of hours here,
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 couple of hours there,
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 you can have this relationship,
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 you can have this much of my money.
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 What does it say
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 about our view of God?
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 Hannah recognizes
00:29:50 --> 00:29:50 that everything
00:29:50 --> 00:29:52 comes from God.
00:29:52 --> 00:29:55 You and I exist
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 to glorify God.
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 That's why we are breathing
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 right now.
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 To know God,
00:30:01 --> 00:30:01 to treasure Him,
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 to represent Him,
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 the goal is
00:30:03 --> 00:30:05 and will always be
00:30:05 --> 00:30:07 His glory.
00:30:08 --> 00:30:10 And everything else
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 in your life
00:30:10 --> 00:30:12 exists
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 to that end.
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 Holidays,
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 your job,
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 your school marks,
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 whatever's in your life
00:30:21 --> 00:30:21 right now.
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 That is just
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 an opportunity
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 that God has given you
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 to glorify Him.
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 That is the purpose there.
00:30:31 --> 00:30:33 Ask yourself this question.
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 If Jesus came back
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 right now,
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 would I be happy about it
00:30:38 --> 00:30:40 or would I be disappointed?
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 Would you feel like
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 you'd missed out
00:30:45 --> 00:30:45 on the chance
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 to enjoy something
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 that you'd earned?
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 Maybe a holiday
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 you've been looking forward to?
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 Maybe some money
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 that you've been saving up
00:30:53 --> 00:30:53 to spend
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 in a particular way?
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 Or would you just rejoice
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 that God
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 was being glorified?
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 God changes
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 everything.
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 Following Him
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 is not a hobby.
00:31:07 --> 00:31:07 It's not a choice
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 among other things.
00:31:09 --> 00:31:10 It's all-consuming.
00:31:10 --> 00:31:11 It's the central reality.
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 It defines everything.
00:31:13 --> 00:31:13 And if God
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 doesn't shape
00:31:14 --> 00:31:16 the way we view everything,
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 then we've either settled
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 for a dodgy version
00:31:18 --> 00:31:20 or we're just going
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 through the motions
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 to keep someone else happy.
00:31:27 --> 00:31:29 God is the defining reality
00:31:29 --> 00:31:32 and change in us
00:31:32 --> 00:31:34 comes not from
00:31:34 --> 00:31:34 trying harder
00:31:34 --> 00:31:36 to make Him
00:31:36 --> 00:31:37 the defining reality,
00:31:37 --> 00:31:39 but it comes
00:31:39 --> 00:31:40 like it did for Hannah
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 when we see Him
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 clearly.
00:31:43 --> 00:31:44 And thankfully,
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 Hannah gives us
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 the answer
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 on where to look.
00:31:47 --> 00:31:48 Look at verse 9 and 10.
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 Hannah's prayer finishes
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 at the only logical place.
00:32:14 --> 00:32:16 having begun
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 with her incomparable
00:32:17 --> 00:32:19 holy God,
00:32:20 --> 00:32:20 she finishes
00:32:20 --> 00:32:21 with Him bringing
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 justice and judgment
00:32:22 --> 00:32:23 in His creation.
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 Judgment for the wicked
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 and vindication
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 for the faithful.
00:32:29 --> 00:32:30 When God judges,
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31 He weighs the actions
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 of all people.
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 He won't look
00:32:35 --> 00:32:36 at what's on the outside.
00:32:37 --> 00:32:37 He won't look
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 at how strong you are,
00:32:38 --> 00:32:39 how rich you are,
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 how influential you are.
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 He will look
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 at your heart.
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 He will look
00:32:45 --> 00:32:45 at whether your heart
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 recognizes Him
00:32:46 --> 00:32:48 as the giver
00:32:48 --> 00:32:50 of every good gift.
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 Hannah looks forward
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 to the victories
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 that God will win
00:32:56 --> 00:32:57 on behalf of His people
00:32:57 --> 00:32:57 and we're going to see
00:32:57 --> 00:32:58 a couple of them
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 in the next few chapters,
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 but she looks past
00:33:00 --> 00:33:01 the short term.
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 She is looking
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04 at the final
00:33:04 --> 00:33:05 and ultimate victory
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 that God will work
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 for His people.
00:33:07 --> 00:33:09 She is looking forward
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 to the time
00:33:10 --> 00:33:10 when all these things
00:33:10 --> 00:33:11 that she's talked about,
00:33:12 --> 00:33:12 where the poor
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 are made rich,
00:33:14 --> 00:33:14 where the hungry
00:33:14 --> 00:33:15 are filled up,
00:33:16 --> 00:33:18 will be fully realized.
00:33:18 --> 00:33:19 She is praying
00:33:19 --> 00:33:21 for God's eternal King,
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 God's chosen one
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 to come.
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 Israel's about
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 to get some kings.
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 They're about to get Saul,
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 they're about to get David
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 and that's all important,
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 but she's looking
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 beyond that.
00:33:34 --> 00:33:35 There's a good chance
00:33:35 --> 00:33:35 she didn't know
00:33:35 --> 00:33:37 exactly what she was
00:33:37 --> 00:33:37 praying for,
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 she didn't understand
00:33:38 --> 00:33:39 the full significance
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 of it,
00:33:41 --> 00:33:43 but ultimately
00:33:43 --> 00:33:46 her prayer points
00:33:46 --> 00:33:46 to Jesus.
00:33:48 --> 00:33:49 There in verse 10,
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 He will give strength
00:33:51 --> 00:33:51 to His King
00:33:51 --> 00:33:53 and exalt the horn
00:33:53 --> 00:33:53 of His anointed.
00:33:55 --> 00:33:56 His anointed
00:33:56 --> 00:33:57 is His Saviour,
00:33:59 --> 00:34:00 His Christ.
00:34:02 --> 00:34:03 Thousands of years
00:34:03 --> 00:34:04 before Jesus
00:34:04 --> 00:34:05 came into the world,
00:34:06 --> 00:34:07 Hannah knew
00:34:07 --> 00:34:08 that her God
00:34:08 --> 00:34:09 would save her.
00:34:11 --> 00:34:12 She didn't understand
00:34:12 --> 00:34:13 fully how,
00:34:14 --> 00:34:15 but she knew
00:34:15 --> 00:34:16 that God
00:34:16 --> 00:34:17 would send someone
00:34:17 --> 00:34:18 to save
00:34:18 --> 00:34:20 because her God
00:34:20 --> 00:34:22 is the delivering God.
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 Let me read to you
00:34:24 --> 00:34:25 very briefly
00:34:25 --> 00:34:26 the prayer of another woman
00:34:26 --> 00:34:27 in the New Testament.
00:34:28 --> 00:34:29 This comes out
00:34:29 --> 00:34:30 of Luke's Gospel
00:34:30 --> 00:34:30 in chapter 1.
00:34:30 --> 00:34:34 And Mary said,
00:34:34 --> 00:34:36 My soul glorifies
00:34:36 --> 00:34:37 the Lord
00:34:37 --> 00:34:38 and my spirit
00:34:38 --> 00:34:39 rejoices in God
00:34:39 --> 00:34:40 my Saviour
00:34:40 --> 00:34:41 for He has been
00:34:41 --> 00:34:42 mindful of the
00:34:42 --> 00:34:43 humble state
00:34:43 --> 00:34:43 of His servant.
00:34:44 --> 00:34:45 From now on
00:34:45 --> 00:34:46 all generations
00:34:46 --> 00:34:47 will call me blessed
00:34:47 --> 00:34:48 for the Mighty One
00:34:48 --> 00:34:49 has done great things
00:34:49 --> 00:34:50 for me.
00:34:50 --> 00:34:51 Holy is His name.
00:34:52 --> 00:34:52 His mercy
00:34:52 --> 00:34:53 extends to those
00:34:53 --> 00:34:54 who fear Him.
00:34:54 --> 00:34:55 From generation
00:34:55 --> 00:34:56 to generation
00:34:56 --> 00:34:57 He has performed
00:34:57 --> 00:34:58 mighty deeds
00:34:58 --> 00:34:58 with His arm.
00:34:59 --> 00:34:59 He has scattered
00:34:59 --> 00:35:00 those who are proud
00:35:00 --> 00:35:02 in their inmost thoughts.
00:35:02 --> 00:35:03 He has brought down
00:35:03 --> 00:35:04 rulers from their thrones
00:35:04 --> 00:35:05 but has lifted up
00:35:05 --> 00:35:05 the humble.
00:35:06 --> 00:35:06 He has filled
00:35:06 --> 00:35:07 the hungry
00:35:07 --> 00:35:08 with good things
00:35:08 --> 00:35:09 but has sent
00:35:09 --> 00:35:10 the rich away empty.
00:35:10 --> 00:35:11 He has helped
00:35:11 --> 00:35:12 His servant Israel
00:35:12 --> 00:35:13 remembering to be
00:35:13 --> 00:35:15 merciful to Abraham
00:35:15 --> 00:35:16 and his descendants
00:35:16 --> 00:35:16 forever
00:35:16 --> 00:35:18 even as He said
00:35:18 --> 00:35:19 to our fathers.
00:35:19 --> 00:35:23 what changes
00:35:23 --> 00:35:25 in this story
00:35:25 --> 00:35:25 in 1 Samuel
00:35:25 --> 00:35:26 for Hannah?
00:35:27 --> 00:35:28 What's different
00:35:28 --> 00:35:28 for her
00:35:28 --> 00:35:29 between chapter 1
00:35:29 --> 00:35:30 and chapter 2?
00:35:32 --> 00:35:33 Answer is
00:35:33 --> 00:35:33 not a lot.
00:35:35 --> 00:35:36 She was praying
00:35:36 --> 00:35:36 to God
00:35:36 --> 00:35:37 when she was barren
00:35:37 --> 00:35:37 and she's praying
00:35:37 --> 00:35:38 to God afterwards.
00:35:39 --> 00:35:40 She has the same
00:35:40 --> 00:35:40 husband.
00:35:41 --> 00:35:42 She still has to
00:35:42 --> 00:35:43 share that husband
00:35:43 --> 00:35:43 with a woman
00:35:43 --> 00:35:44 who she doesn't
00:35:44 --> 00:35:44 get on with
00:35:44 --> 00:35:45 very well
00:35:45 --> 00:35:47 and at this point
00:35:47 --> 00:35:48 Israel continues
00:35:48 --> 00:35:49 to ignore God
00:35:49 --> 00:35:49 and we're going
00:35:49 --> 00:35:50 to see it
00:35:50 --> 00:35:52 in really vivid detail
00:35:52 --> 00:35:54 in two weeks time.
00:35:56 --> 00:35:57 Her circumstances
00:35:57 --> 00:35:58 don't shift enough
00:35:58 --> 00:35:59 to warrant
00:35:59 --> 00:35:59 a prayer like this
00:35:59 --> 00:36:00 do they?
00:36:03 --> 00:36:04 A child is an
00:36:04 --> 00:36:05 amazing gift
00:36:05 --> 00:36:06 but a prayer like this
00:36:06 --> 00:36:06 says something
00:36:06 --> 00:36:08 more significant
00:36:08 --> 00:36:08 has gone on.
00:36:08 --> 00:36:09 What shifts
00:36:09 --> 00:36:10 for her
00:36:10 --> 00:36:11 is her view
00:36:11 --> 00:36:12 of God
00:36:12 --> 00:36:15 and that
00:36:15 --> 00:36:15 should
00:36:15 --> 00:36:16 challenge us.
00:36:18 --> 00:36:19 She had
00:36:19 --> 00:36:20 but a vague
00:36:20 --> 00:36:20 idea
00:36:20 --> 00:36:22 that Jesus
00:36:22 --> 00:36:23 would come
00:36:23 --> 00:36:25 and when you
00:36:25 --> 00:36:26 hear about
00:36:26 --> 00:36:26 how her whole
00:36:26 --> 00:36:27 life was
00:36:27 --> 00:36:27 redefined
00:36:27 --> 00:36:29 it probably
00:36:29 --> 00:36:30 should intimidate
00:36:30 --> 00:36:31 you a little bit
00:36:31 --> 00:36:33 because I think
00:36:33 --> 00:36:34 it would be fair
00:36:34 --> 00:36:34 to say that
00:36:34 --> 00:36:35 for most of us
00:36:35 --> 00:36:36 our view of God
00:36:36 --> 00:36:36 is pretty small
00:36:36 --> 00:36:37 in comparison
00:36:37 --> 00:36:38 to hers.
00:36:39 --> 00:36:40 We still fear
00:36:40 --> 00:36:41 the things
00:36:41 --> 00:36:41 that the world
00:36:41 --> 00:36:42 tells us to fear
00:36:42 --> 00:36:43 we still feel
00:36:43 --> 00:36:44 the limitations
00:36:44 --> 00:36:44 of our own
00:36:44 --> 00:36:45 strength
00:36:45 --> 00:36:45 or capacity
00:36:45 --> 00:36:48 our view
00:36:48 --> 00:36:48 of God
00:36:48 --> 00:36:50 doesn't look
00:36:50 --> 00:36:50 very impressive
00:36:50 --> 00:36:51 next to her view
00:36:51 --> 00:36:52 let alone
00:36:52 --> 00:36:53 next to God
00:36:53 --> 00:36:53 himself
00:36:53 --> 00:36:56 but the great
00:36:56 --> 00:36:56 encouragement
00:36:56 --> 00:36:57 of Hannah
00:36:57 --> 00:36:58 and of Mary's
00:36:58 --> 00:36:58 prayer from Luke's
00:36:58 --> 00:36:59 gospel is that
00:36:59 --> 00:37:00 we live
00:37:00 --> 00:37:01 in light
00:37:01 --> 00:37:01 of what Jesus
00:37:01 --> 00:37:02 has already done.
00:37:05 --> 00:37:06 Jesus came
00:37:06 --> 00:37:06 to earth
00:37:06 --> 00:37:07 for people
00:37:07 --> 00:37:07 who have
00:37:07 --> 00:37:08 a small view
00:37:08 --> 00:37:08 of God.
00:37:08 --> 00:37:11 he came
00:37:11 --> 00:37:11 to earth
00:37:11 --> 00:37:12 for people
00:37:12 --> 00:37:12 like you
00:37:12 --> 00:37:12 and me
00:37:12 --> 00:37:13 who had
00:37:13 --> 00:37:14 this vague
00:37:14 --> 00:37:15 idea
00:37:15 --> 00:37:15 but had
00:37:15 --> 00:37:16 kind of
00:37:16 --> 00:37:16 domesticated
00:37:16 --> 00:37:17 it.
00:37:17 --> 00:37:18 He came
00:37:18 --> 00:37:18 to forgive
00:37:18 --> 00:37:19 self-dependent
00:37:19 --> 00:37:20 people
00:37:20 --> 00:37:21 to forgive
00:37:21 --> 00:37:22 self-focused
00:37:22 --> 00:37:22 selfish people
00:37:22 --> 00:37:23 like you
00:37:23 --> 00:37:23 and me.
00:37:24 --> 00:37:25 He came
00:37:25 --> 00:37:25 to reveal
00:37:25 --> 00:37:26 God
00:37:26 --> 00:37:26 so that we
00:37:26 --> 00:37:27 would see
00:37:27 --> 00:37:27 him clearly
00:37:27 --> 00:37:28 just like
00:37:28 --> 00:37:28 Hannah did.
00:37:29 --> 00:37:30 In Jesus
00:37:30 --> 00:37:31 we have
00:37:31 --> 00:37:32 certain hope
00:37:32 --> 00:37:34 we have
00:37:34 --> 00:37:34 an anchor
00:37:34 --> 00:37:35 which will
00:37:35 --> 00:37:35 withstand
00:37:35 --> 00:37:36 whatever
00:37:36 --> 00:37:37 life throws
00:37:37 --> 00:37:37 at us
00:37:37 --> 00:37:39 and if
00:37:39 --> 00:37:39 you're
00:37:39 --> 00:37:40 feeling
00:37:40 --> 00:37:40 guilty
00:37:40 --> 00:37:41 right now
00:37:41 --> 00:37:41 because
00:37:41 --> 00:37:42 your life
00:37:42 --> 00:37:42 doesn't
00:37:42 --> 00:37:43 reflect
00:37:43 --> 00:37:44 the God
00:37:44 --> 00:37:45 of the
00:37:45 --> 00:37:45 universe
00:37:45 --> 00:37:47 I want
00:37:47 --> 00:37:48 to say
00:37:48 --> 00:37:48 that that
00:37:48 --> 00:37:49 is God's
00:37:49 --> 00:37:49 gift to
00:37:49 --> 00:37:50 you right
00:37:50 --> 00:37:50 now
00:37:50 --> 00:37:53 because
00:37:53 --> 00:37:53 he will
00:37:53 --> 00:37:54 use that
00:37:54 --> 00:37:54 to drive
00:37:54 --> 00:37:55 you back
00:37:55 --> 00:37:57 to the
00:37:57 --> 00:37:58 one place
00:37:58 --> 00:37:58 where you
00:37:58 --> 00:37:59 will find
00:37:59 --> 00:37:59 salvation
00:37:59 --> 00:38:01 in the
00:38:01 --> 00:38:02 incomparable
00:38:02 --> 00:38:03 God
00:38:03 --> 00:38:04 who delivers.
00:38:05 --> 00:38:10 if you're
00:38:10 --> 00:38:10 feeling
00:38:10 --> 00:38:11 a weight
00:38:11 --> 00:38:11 tonight
00:38:11 --> 00:38:12 the goal
00:38:12 --> 00:38:13 is not
00:38:13 --> 00:38:13 to walk
00:38:13 --> 00:38:14 out of
00:38:14 --> 00:38:14 here
00:38:14 --> 00:38:14 and try
00:38:14 --> 00:38:14 harder
00:38:14 --> 00:38:16 the goal
00:38:16 --> 00:38:17 is to
00:38:17 --> 00:38:17 look to
00:38:17 --> 00:38:17 Jesus
00:38:17 --> 00:38:19 and like
00:38:19 --> 00:38:20 Hannah
00:38:20 --> 00:38:21 rejoice.
00:38:23 --> 00:38:24 Let's
00:38:24 --> 00:38:24 pray.
00:38:30 --> 00:38:31 Father
00:38:31 --> 00:38:31 God
00:38:31 --> 00:38:31 we
00:38:31 --> 00:38:33 we want
00:38:33 --> 00:38:33 to acknowledge
00:38:33 --> 00:38:34 that
00:38:34 --> 00:38:36 so often
00:38:36 --> 00:38:37 we do
00:38:37 --> 00:38:37 trim
00:38:37 --> 00:38:38 down
00:38:38 --> 00:38:39 just how
00:38:39 --> 00:38:40 impressive
00:38:40 --> 00:38:40 and majestic
00:38:40 --> 00:38:41 and glorious
00:38:41 --> 00:38:42 you are
00:38:42 --> 00:38:43 in so many
00:38:43 --> 00:38:44 areas of
00:38:44 --> 00:38:45 our life
00:38:45 --> 00:38:45 we act
00:38:45 --> 00:38:45 like you
00:38:45 --> 00:38:46 don't
00:38:46 --> 00:38:46 matter
00:38:46 --> 00:38:48 in so
00:38:48 --> 00:38:48 many
00:38:48 --> 00:38:48 things
00:38:48 --> 00:38:48 we are
00:38:48 --> 00:38:49 more
00:38:49 --> 00:38:49 consumed
00:38:49 --> 00:38:49 with our
00:38:49 --> 00:38:50 own
00:38:50 --> 00:38:50 capacity
00:38:50 --> 00:38:51 than with
00:38:51 --> 00:38:51 your
00:38:51 --> 00:38:51 power
00:38:51 --> 00:38:52 at work
00:38:52 --> 00:38:52 in us
00:38:52 --> 00:38:54 and
00:38:54 --> 00:38:54 God
00:38:54 --> 00:38:54 we want
00:38:54 --> 00:38:55 to ask
00:38:55 --> 00:38:55 that you
00:38:55 --> 00:38:55 would
00:38:55 --> 00:38:55 open
00:38:55 --> 00:38:56 our
00:38:56 --> 00:38:56 eyes
00:38:56 --> 00:38:56 to
00:38:56 --> 00:38:57 see
00:38:57 --> 00:38:57 you
00:38:57 --> 00:38:57 clearly
00:38:57 --> 00:38:58 we want
00:38:58 --> 00:38:59 to thank
00:38:59 --> 00:38:59 you
00:38:59 --> 00:38:59 that you
00:38:59 --> 00:38:59 sent
00:38:59 --> 00:39:00 your
00:39:00 --> 00:39:00 son
00:39:00 --> 00:39:00 that we
00:39:00 --> 00:39:01 might
00:39:01 --> 00:39:01 know
00:39:01 --> 00:39:01 you
00:39:01 --> 00:39:02 that we
00:39:02 --> 00:39:02 might
00:39:02 --> 00:39:02 know
00:39:02 --> 00:39:02 your
00:39:02 --> 00:39:03 love
00:39:03 --> 00:39:03 and your
00:39:03 --> 00:39:04 justice
00:39:04 --> 00:39:05 and your
00:39:05 --> 00:39:06 power
00:39:06 --> 00:39:06 over sin
00:39:06 --> 00:39:07 and death
00:39:07 --> 00:39:11 father
00:39:11 --> 00:39:11 we want
00:39:11 --> 00:39:12 to ask
00:39:12 --> 00:39:12 that
00:39:12 --> 00:39:13 you
00:39:13 --> 00:39:13 would
00:39:13 --> 00:39:13 show
00:39:13 --> 00:39:13 us
00:39:13 --> 00:39:14 areas
00:39:14 --> 00:39:14 in our
00:39:14 --> 00:39:15 life
00:39:15 --> 00:39:15 where
00:39:15 --> 00:39:16 we're
00:39:16 --> 00:39:16 living
00:39:16 --> 00:39:16 as if
00:39:16 --> 00:39:17 you
00:39:17 --> 00:39:17 have
00:39:17 --> 00:39:17 no
00:39:17 --> 00:39:18 power
00:39:18 --> 00:39:20 lord
00:39:20 --> 00:39:21 and as
00:39:21 --> 00:39:21 we
00:39:21 --> 00:39:21 confess
00:39:21 --> 00:39:22 those
00:39:22 --> 00:39:22 things
00:39:22 --> 00:39:22 please
00:39:22 --> 00:39:23 consume
00:39:23 --> 00:39:23 the
00:39:23 --> 00:39:24 desires
00:39:24 --> 00:39:24 of our
00:39:24 --> 00:39:24 hearts
00:39:24 --> 00:39:26 with a
00:39:26 --> 00:39:26 desire
00:39:26 --> 00:39:26 to
00:39:26 --> 00:39:27 glorify
00:39:27 --> 00:39:27 you
00:39:27 --> 00:39:30 father
00:39:30 --> 00:39:30 god
00:39:30 --> 00:39:31 if there
00:39:31 --> 00:39:31 are
00:39:31 --> 00:39:31 people
00:39:31 --> 00:39:31 in this
00:39:31 --> 00:39:32 room
00:39:32 --> 00:39:32 tonight
00:39:32 --> 00:39:32 who
00:39:32 --> 00:39:32 don't
00:39:32 --> 00:39:33 even
00:39:33 --> 00:39:33 know
00:39:33 --> 00:39:33 you
00:39:33 --> 00:39:33 yet
00:39:33 --> 00:39:35 who
00:39:35 --> 00:39:36 still
00:39:36 --> 00:39:36 think
00:39:36 --> 00:39:36 that this
00:39:36 --> 00:39:37 idea
00:39:37 --> 00:39:37 of living
00:39:37 --> 00:39:37 a whole
00:39:37 --> 00:39:38 life
00:39:38 --> 00:39:38 because
00:39:38 --> 00:39:38 of who
00:39:38 --> 00:39:38 you
00:39:38 --> 00:39:39 are
00:39:39 --> 00:39:39 is
00:39:39 --> 00:39:39 weird
00:39:39 --> 00:39:39 and
00:39:39 --> 00:39:40 extreme
00:39:40 --> 00:39:41 i pray
00:39:41 --> 00:39:42 that you
00:39:42 --> 00:39:42 would
00:39:42 --> 00:39:42 show
00:39:42 --> 00:39:42 them
00:39:42 --> 00:39:42 your
00:39:42 --> 00:39:43 majesty
00:39:43 --> 00:39:44 that
00:39:44 --> 00:39:44 they
00:39:44 --> 00:39:45 would
00:39:45 --> 00:39:45 look
00:39:45 --> 00:39:45 to
00:39:45 --> 00:39:45 jesus
00:39:45 --> 00:39:47 crucified
00:39:47 --> 00:39:48 and
00:39:48 --> 00:39:48 risen
00:39:48 --> 00:39:49 and
00:39:49 --> 00:39:49 understand
00:39:49 --> 00:39:50 that
00:39:50 --> 00:39:50 you
00:39:50 --> 00:39:50 are
00:39:50 --> 00:39:50 worth
00:39:50 --> 00:39:50 that
00:39:50 --> 00:39:51 and
00:39:51 --> 00:39:51 so
00:39:51 --> 00:39:51 much
00:39:51 --> 00:39:52 more
00:39:52 --> 00:39:54 god
00:39:54 --> 00:39:54 and for
00:39:54 --> 00:39:55 those
00:39:55 --> 00:39:55 of us
00:39:55 --> 00:39:55 who
00:39:55 --> 00:39:55 do
00:39:55 --> 00:39:55 know
00:39:55 --> 00:39:56 you
00:39:56 --> 00:39:57 give
00:39:57 --> 00:39:57 us
00:39:57 --> 00:39:58 great
00:39:58 --> 00:39:58 joy
00:39:58 --> 00:39:58 as
00:39:58 --> 00:39:59 we
00:39:59 --> 00:39:59 seek
00:39:59 --> 00:39:59 to
00:39:59 --> 00:40:00 sacrifice
00:40:00 --> 00:40:00 our
00:40:00 --> 00:40:00 lives
00:40:00 --> 00:40:01 for
00:40:01 --> 00:40:01 the
00:40:01 --> 00:40:01 sake
00:40:01 --> 00:40:01 of
00:40:01 --> 00:40:01 your
00:40:01 --> 00:40:02 purpose
00:40:02 --> 00:40:02 and
00:40:02 --> 00:40:02 your
00:40:02 --> 00:40:03 call
00:40:03 --> 00:40:05 father
00:40:05 --> 00:40:06 thank
00:40:06 --> 00:40:06 you
00:40:06 --> 00:40:06 for
00:40:06 --> 00:40:06 your
00:40:06 --> 00:40:07 love
00:40:07 --> 00:40:07 even
00:40:07 --> 00:40:07 when
00:40:07 --> 00:40:07 we
00:40:07 --> 00:40:08 don't
00:40:08 --> 00:40:08 deserve
00:40:08 --> 00:40:08 it
00:40:08 --> 00:40:10 thank
00:40:10 --> 00:40:10 you
00:40:10 --> 00:40:10 for
00:40:10 --> 00:40:11 your
00:40:11 --> 00:40:11 son
00:40:11 --> 00:40:11 in
00:40:11 --> 00:40:12 whom
00:40:12 --> 00:40:12 is
00:40:12 --> 00:40:12 our
00:40:12 --> 00:40:12 hope
00:40:12 --> 00:40:14 amen