When Conditions Deteriorate - Pastor Stacey Shiflett
When Conditions Deteriorate
1 Samuel 3
Intro: We are living in dark days. Things have been getting worse and worse for a long time.
America has been on a fast-track to destruction for decades.
Regardless of who was in office, our nation has been deteriorating for many, many years.
Churches are deteriorating.
They are closing, compromising, collapsing in droves.
Families are deteriorating.
Marriages are falling apart.
In our text, I believe we can agree - conditions were deteriorating.
A. The Disappearance of the Voice of God
· 1 …And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.
You can hardly find it anymore!
Churches were on every corner in years gone by – thundering the message.
Now, people everywhere are starving for the Word of the Lord.
B. The Disqualifications of the Man of God
· 2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;
The Old Testament priest was not allowed to serve if he was blind.
Leviticus 21
· 17 Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God.
· 18 For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous,
His family was completely out of control.
His sons were wicked and did nothing to stop it.
· 13 …because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.
C. The Disregard for the Lamp of God - …ere the lamp of God went out…
This is a picture of the Word of God.
Exodus 25
· 33 Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick.
· 34 And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers.
Each of the 6 branches had 9 knops, flowers, and bowls (54)
The stem had 4 knops, flowers, and bowls (12)
(54 + 12 is 66)
The total of the bowls, knops, and flowers is 66 (66 books of the Bible).
Since everyone was in bed, it appears the light was left to burn until it ran out of oil.
The priests were responsible for maintaining the light.
The light depended upon a continual supply of oil and faithful priestly attention.
Exodus 27
· 20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.
· 21 In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.
But in spite of the deteriorating conditions, God’s people still have a choice.
Wallow in self-pity, or make a difference.
We can sit in the dark and cry, or we can turn the light on.
In this story, in spite of the deteriorating conditions, God raised up a young man to turn the tide.
If we do what he did, we might can see God do something in our lifetime!
When Conditions Deteriorate…
I. Wake Up
· 1 Samuel 3:3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;
Everybody was laid down to sleep.
Everyone was tired after a long day.
· 2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place…
· 3 …Samuel was laid down to sleep;
The normal reaction is to lay down and rest.
But it wasn’t time to sleep.
God didn’t come to him when he was rested.
God didn’t come to him when he’d just had his morning coffee and was energized and excited.
God came to him when he was tired, weary, out of energy and ready to quit.
But it wasn’t time to sleep.
It was time to get up!
From all indications, he never did get any sleep.
· 15 And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD.
Samuel reminds me of a lot of Christians.
· 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.
Samuel’s parents knew God.
His mother knew how to get ahold of God.
His mother made vows to God and kept them.
He was right in the center of everything that was happening that pertained to God.
He had been ministering before the Lord from a young child.
He was near the ark of God.
He lived with the priest.
He slept in the temple.
He opened the doors of the Temple.
But – he did not yet know the Lord!
Being IN church and being AROUND other church people isn’t the same as knowing God!!
When Conditions Deteriorate…
II. Listen Up
· 9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
· 10 And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
Darkness is not the end.
It doesn’t matter how bad things get, God is still speaking and working and moving.
The earth was dark and void in Genesis 1:2, and God still moved and God still spoke!
God has no problem communicating in the darkness.
Deuteronomy 5
· 22 These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.
· 23 And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders;
· 24 And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.
God is not finished speaking.
God is not finished revealing Himself.
God is not done communicating with His people.
It might be darker, but that is our cue to LISTEN UP!!
He will speak to you in your Bible reading.
He will speak to you in your prayer closet.
He will speak to you in your meditation.
He will speak to you through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
He will speak to you in Sunday School and church services.
God just needs His people to LISTEN UP!
When Conditions Deteriorate…
III. Speak Up
· 16 Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I.
· 17 And he said, What is the thing that the LORD hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.
· 18 And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.
Lastly, when it get bad, we need to be bold and vocal in sharing what God said.
There will be people all around us that have not heard Him.
· 17 And he said, What is the thing that the LORD hath said unto thee?
There will be people that have not been in a place to know God’s Word and His will.
It is up to us to tell them.
We cannot hide anything from them.
· 18 And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him…
If God said it, we need to share it.
If God said it, we need to proclaim it.
If God was good enough to tell us, we cannot keep it to ourselves.
And don’t hold anything back!
