Sermon Tone Analysis

! Introduction:

by show of hands, how many of you believe that the United States us in need of Revival?

Not an outward change for a few weeks, but a change of heart of the people in our country!

In this section, we see that the Ark has been returned to Israel, but Israel had not returned to the Lord.

So Samuel calls the nation of Israel to repentance to /put away their foreign gods from among them, and prepare their hearts for the Lord and serve Him only.

/The result would be that the Lord /will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines./

/Israel// Had The Ark Back; But Things Were Not Really Set Right.

/Israel realizes that they are no more right with God just because they have the Ark again.

Instead, *all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD*.

/They Had Good Reason To Lament.

/Their cities were in ruins (morally the United States is in ruins), their armies were defeated, and they were under Philistine domination, all because they were not right with God. 

 

!! A.                 The Inward Elements of Revival (v.2-4).

!!! 1.

A Lamenting after the Lord/ /(v.2).

!!!! a)                  ‘…all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord…’  (v.2).

!!!!! (1)                 *Lament means to*/ “wail, to make ritualized motions and sounds of sorrow, here as an act of repentance, implying a change of behavior,/ more specifically /“to change one’s manner of life, with the implication of turning toward God”/.

*Its not just tears without repentance like Esau who *"sold his own birthright for a single meal.

For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.”

(Hebrews 12:16-17, NASB95)

*It is the kind of tears that Isaiah called on unfaithful Israel to do, reminding them, *“Therefore in that day the Lord God of hosts called you to weeping, to wailing, to shaving the head and to wearing sackcloth” (Isa.22:12).

!!!!! (2)                 *James 4:1-9*—Lament or (/be miserable /NASB) carries the idea of /“being broken and feeling wretched because of one’s circumstances”/—in this case, that of being sinful, lost, and separated from god.

*It is exactly the feeling expressed by the tax collector spoken of by Jesus who *“was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!

’ (Luke 18:13).

*Jesus Himself said* “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

(Matthew 5:4, NKJV)

*This corresponds to what He said in Luke 6:21 *"Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

“  (Luke 6:21, NASB95)

*However, just a few verses later Jesus says* "Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.”

(Luke 6:25, NASB95).

*To laugh now and not mourn is the same attitude of those in Noah’s day, Jesus said *"For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.

“For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”  (Matthew 24:37-39, NASB95)

 

!!!!! (3)                 The flood took them away to a place where there will be eternal weeping (Luke 13:22-28).

!!!!! (4)                 Again, there needs to be a lamenting from the heart.

*Paul wrote that *“godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”

(2 Corinthians 7:10, NKJV)

* *

* *

* *

!!!! b)                  Peter Had Sorrow That Produced Godly Repentance (Matt.26:74-75)

!!!!! (1)                 Remember in (Matthew 26) where a servant girl said to him, “you were with Jesus of Galilee” & he denied it.

And not only once but three times, and the third time

*Peter said,* “I swear by God, I don’t know the man.”

And immediately the rooster crowed.

Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”

And he went away, crying bitterly.”

(Matthew 26:74-75, NLT)

!!!!! (2)                 When Peter finally realized the grievousness of his sin, he turned from it in disgust.

*Like* Judas, he fled into the night; but *unlike* Judas, *he returned to the Lord in faith*.

!!!!! (3)                 His faith had slipped and weakened, but it was genuine faith, and Jesus Himself had prayed that it would not fail:

*And the Lord said,* “Simon, Simon!

Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.

But I have prayed for you; that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

(Luke 22:31-32)  

* *

!!! /2.                  /A Returning to the lord with all your hearts: /Inward Repentance!/

!!!! a)                  ‘…if you return to the Lord with all your hearts…’  (v.3).

!!!!! (1)                 /The Opportunity To Repent Was Given (Joel 2:12-16).

/Romans 2:4-5/ /

*Even in the midst of judgment God calls out.

Through the prophet Joel the Lord says *“Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning; And rend your heart and not your garments.”

Now return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil.

Who knows whether He will not turn and relent And leave a blessing behind Him…?  “Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and the nursing infants.

(Joel 2:12-16, NASB95)

!!!!! (2)                 The Lord was ready to forgive and bless, if genuine repentance was demonstrated:

*The Psalmist says* "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

(Psalm 34:18, NASB95)

*David goes on to say that* "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

“  (Psalm 51:17, NASB95)

 

!!!! b)                  Returning to the Lord involves several things: /it calls for…/

!!!!! (1)                 */A Self Examination of us and our country (/Psalm 139:23-24)!*

The New Living translation says /‘point out anything that offends you.”

/

*Jeremiah said* “Let us examine and probe our ways, and let us return to the Lord” (Lam.3:40).

*Through Ezekiel, the Lord says of the genuinely repentant man: *“Because he considered and turned away from all his transgressions which he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die” (Ezek.

18:28; cf.

Ps.

119:59; 139:23-24).

*Paul admonished the Galatians,* “Each one must examine his own work” (Gal.

6:4)

*And to the Corinthians,* “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!

Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (2Cor.

13:5).

*Isaiah writes* ‘Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”

(Isaiah 55:6-7, NKJV)

* *

!!!!! (2)                 */A Fear of God/*/!  /Although most believers know that intellectually, I’m afraid very few realize what that means practically.

Our country has no fear of God!

*Clearly, the “fear of God” is not optional: *“Live in the fear of the Lord always” (Prov.

23:17); “fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt.

10:28); “in all things obey . . .

fearing the Lord” (Col.

3:22).

!!!!! (3)                 God Has Always Called His People To Have Such A Perspective Of His Holiness:

*Standing in the presence of God’s holiness, Isaiah pronounced a curse on himself,* “Woe is me, for I am ruined!”  (Isa.

6:5)

*During our Lord’s earthly ministry,* the disciples often came face to face with His power and holiness.

On one occasion when they were crossing the Sea of Galilee, a storm appeared.

Although they were afraid of the storm, they feared greatly (literally “feared a great fear”) when Jesus calmed the storm (Mark 4:41).

They became much more fearful of the presence and power of God than they were of the deadly storm.

*Today the challenge for Christ’s church is this:* “Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2Cor.

7:1).

*Fearing God Will Lead to the Obedience of God.*  *Genesis says that *“Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord…  Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations.

Noah walked with God…  Noah did; according to all that God commanded him…  By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household…  (Genesis 6:8-9, 22; Heb.11:7)

 

!!! 3.                  The putting away of foreign gods /in their heart /(v.3)!

!!!! a)                  ‘…Put away the foreign gods from among you…’  (v.3)

!!!!! (1)                 /The Inward Was More Important Than The Outward, And It Had To Come First.

/That is why Samuel first called Israel to *return with all your hearts*, and then told them to *put away the foreign gods*.

!!!!! (2)                 However, inward repentance is a secret thing, it is hidden, and therefore no one can really “see” the heart of another.

No one could see their heart, but they could see if they put away the foreign gods.

!!!!! (3)                 The heart needs to be changed first not merely an outward reformation.

There is a danger in thinking you can change on your own!

 

!!!! b)                  The Danger of reformation, changing outwardly but not inward (Matthew 12:43-45).