This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "If You Want God On Your Side, You Must First Be On His Side", 7/1/2012

IF YOU WANT GOD ON YOUR SIDE, YOU MUST BE ON HIS SIDE

1 Samuel 7:3-11, 15-17

IN TROUBLED TIMES, SEEK THE LORD

V:3. "And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines."

 A. Sometimes God allows adversity in our lives to bring us to our senses.

     1. Israel was in sin worshiping idol gods.

         a. As a result, they were facing destruction by the Philistines.

         b. When we quit trusting God, we enter the road of destruction.

         c. Trouble follows disobedience.

 B. Israel  had put their trust in idol gods.

      1. The idol gods were the gods of their neighbors. They

           were to have no relationship with them.

      2. As a result of their disobedience they were in danger of being destroyed.

 C. God gives His people a way out.

      1. Put away strange gods.

          a. Stop what you are doing that displeases God.

          b. Return to worshipping the one true God.

      2. Prepare your hearts.

          a. Repent and ask forgiveness.

          b. Focus on the Lord.

      3. Serve Him only.

          a. Commit your self to the mission of the Lord.

          b. Get active. Work for the Lord.

  D.  God will take charge of your battles.

      1. The enemy is no match for God.

      2. There is nothing to big or to bad that God can't handle.

DEDICATE YOURSELF COMPLETLY TO THE LORD

V:4. "Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only."

 A. It is wise and profitable to follow the commands of God.

     1. There is only one God to serve and that is the Lord.

     2. All other gods are false.

     3. You know you are serving the wrong god when you can't get help when you are

          in trouble.

  B. Israel had a history with God.

     1. When trouble arises, it is best to return to what you know works.

  C. The Hebrew words  'Baalim and Ashtaroth" are plural, meaning

       they worship many foreign gods.

      1. The attraction to these foreign gods were their sexual impurity and

           worldly behavior and the promise of success in all areas of life.

      2. Ashtaroth was the fertility goddess.

      3. Baalim was the male god.

      4. Their worship included sexual prostitution and child sacrifice.

      5. Worship of these foreign gods was expressly prohibited by God.

THE POWER OF PRAYER

V:5. "And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD."

 A. Mizpeh= a meeting place, a look out point

     1. Prayer should be the starting point of all our activities.

       a. We ought to come together for corporate prayer.

   2. Their sins were nationwide, so their prayers should be nationwide.

       a. All the people were gathered together in one place to pray.

   3. Samuel the Judge was acting as Priest and the intercessor for the people before God.

       a. Jesus is our Priest, judge and intercessor before the Father.  

B. Samuel exercised his duty to pray for the people.

   1. We all have a duty to pray for others.

       a. Our prayers can be specific and general as the need requires.

   2. Samuel volunteered to pray for the people.

      a. We should be in prayer for others continuously. 

 V:6. "And they gathered together to Mizpeh, 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 children of Israel in Mizpeh."

 A. "Drew water and poured it out before the Lord"

     1. The pouring out of water represented the pouring out of ones heart before the

          the Lord in repentance. Ps 62:8, Lam 2:19

 B. "And fasted on the day"

     1. The Israelites abstained from eating for a day.

         a. They denied themselves food to devote themselves to prayer and worship.

         b. There are times when we need to set aside some time to devote to the Lord

              without any distractions.

     2. There is power in unity. Gen 11:5-7

        a. When believers come together in prayer, God listen.

        b. There is power in corporate prayer.

 C. "We  have sinned against the Lord."

     1. To get our prayers answered, we must first prepare our hearts.

         a. Confessing our sins before the Lord is one of the keys to right fellowship with

             the Lord.

         b. We need to see ourselves as we are; sinful by nature.

         c.  We need forgiveness. Jesus is the answer.

 D. "Samuel judged the children of Israel."

    1. To get right with the Father we must first get right with our brothers.

    2. If we have an issue with someone, go settle it. Ask forgiveness.

    

THE ENEMY IS ALWAYS WATCHING

V:7. "And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines."

 A. There is always someone who sees you as an easy target.

    1. When your enemy don't know that the Lord is on your side, they don't know

         the power that is behind you.

 B. The Children of Israel were afraid because they knew their sin.

     1. Israel ceased to trust the Lord when they begin worshipping foreign gods.

         a. If you deny God before men, He will deny you. Mark 8:38

     2. To stand in confidence in the face of adversity, you must believe that the Lord is

         with you.

        a. For God to be on your side, you must be in right fellowship with Him.

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

V:8. "And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines."

 A. Regardless of your situation you ought to start your day off in prayer.

    1. Believers ought to pray without ceasing.  1 Th 5:17

    2. The enemy is always around you.

    3. Some of your enemies you know and some you don't.

    4. Everybody that smiles at you or pats you on your back is not on your side.

        a. Some people you think are with you, may be against you.

B. Israel cried to Samuel to pray for them.

    1. We have an advocate in Heaven named Jesus.

         a. We are commanded to pray to the Lord in the name of Jesus.

    2. God hears the prayers of the righteous. Pr 15:29

       a. There is no need to panic.

THE PEACE OFFERING

V:9. "And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him."

 A. The wages of sin is death.

     1. If the Israelites sinned, they were commanded by God to bring a lamb to the altar to

         be sacrificed for a peace offering.

     2. Jesus is our peace offering before the Lord.

     3. Deliverance is available to those who have sinned, if they repent and return to the

         the Lord.  1 John 1:9

 B. Samuel cried to the Lord in faith.

    1. Whatever we ask of the Lord, it must be asked in faith. Heb 11:6

    2. God hears our prayers.

GOD IS THE VICTORY

V:10. "And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel."

 A. God may not come when you want Him, but He is always on time.

     1. As Samuel was making the offering, the enemy was coming to do battle.

     2. God sometimes delays an answer, so that there is no doubt that He is giving

         the victory.

        a. God arranges your circumstances so He gets the Glory.

 B. God can use some unusual ways to get rid of your enemies.

      1. He caused a thunder to confuse the enemy.

      2. God's thunder caused the enemy to stumble.

      3. God caused many of the Philistine army to fall dead by the sound of His voice.

      4. Don't limit what God's does by your way of thinking.

          a. God works in ways that we cannot understand or conceive.

V:11. "And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Bethcar."

 A. When God gives you the upper hand, you have to take advantage of it immediately.

      1. God destroyed most of the enemy, but He left some for Israel to destroy.

          a. When we are down, God has a way of restoring our confidence.

          b. God leaves us a part in our victory.

      2. When God does His part, you have to do your part.

      3. God opens the door, but you have to go through it.

     4. When God gives you a job, you have to do the job.

BE A SERVENT FOR GOD

V:15. "And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life."

 A. God never retires His servants.

     1. Samuel served God until his death.

     2. God never stop blessing us, so we should never stop serving

         God.

V:16. "And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places."

 A. God defines the responsibility of His servants.

     1. He expects us to be in our place in time and location.

     2. Samuel was assigned to judge the people in three cities.

         1. He was to be at each place at a given time.

         2. To serve God, we have to be available, reliable, respectable and prompt.

         3. To serve God, we have to follow His directions and commands.

V:17. " And his return was to Ramah; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the Lord."

 A.  God expects his servants to be findable.

      1. If Samuel was not on the road, he was at his home ready to serve.

 B. Worship of the Lord should be a regular part of our routine.

     1. Samuel built an altar to the Lord.

        a. We ought to have a special place where we go to worship the Lord.

        b. It is through prayer that we continue to get His guidance and directions.