Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

Final wrap up - 37 sermons in the making

acts13.36

What a statement to be said at the end of your life.

Pat, served God’s purpose in his own generation, then fell asleep.

Megan, served God’s purpose in her own generation, then fell asleep.

What greater compliment can you receive than that you have fulfilled God’s purpose for your life in your generation?

If we serve God according to His own will, and in doing so serve our generation, we shall have accomplished all that is possible for any human being.

David was smart enough to serve God and his generation before he fell asleep.

To fall asleep before we have served our generation is nothing short of tragic.

It is good to sleep at last, as all our honored fathers have done, but it is a moral calamity to sleep without having first labored to bless the world.

-A.W. Tozer

Over the past 37 sermons, we have a learned a ton about what God expects from His children, what it means to follow Him, and the faithfulness of His presence in our life.

Yet, there’s a constant theme that weaves itself through 1 & 2 Samuel.

It shows up again and again, in different people, different circumstances, and different methods.

What we discover is that God is a God who restores.

We see the restoration of national unity, the restoration of Israel’s worship, the restoration of David after he sinned, the restoration of the throne after Absalom’s rebellion.

Isn’t that what so many of us are longing for?

Restoration of our relationships, our brokenness, our faith, our souls?

We’re searching for wholeness.

A contentment and peace that transcends our present circumstances and reality.

We’re desperate for someone—something—to put the pieces of our life back together.

Broken lives, broken dreams, broken homes, churches, cities, and nations.

If 1 & 2 Samuel—and the life of David in particular—teach us anything, it’s that God can perfectly use imperfect people to accomplish His perfect purpose.

And it just may be possible that God will use you and I to play a part in someone else’s restoration story.

>>> This morning, I want to flip back the pages and take a walk down memory lane and look once again at some of the highlights from 1 & 2 Samuel as we rediscover together a God who restores.

So if you’re ready to be restored and go on more fly-by through 1 & 2 Samuel, look at your neighbor and tell them, “I’m ready.”

Let’s dive in.

In Their Own Eyes

Book of Samuel picks up where the book of Judges ends.

It’s important to keep the events in Samuel in the context of where the nation was.

It will help us better appreciate how far they came.

Imagine the brokenness that must have existed during this time...

jud21.25

What what happen if this was true today?

Recent news articles and stories gives us a preview/snapshot.

This is where we are headed.

If it’s right for you, do it.

If it’s true for you, do it.

The issue arises when, when what’s good for you, and true for you, and what you believe, interferes with what I want, believe, and is good for me.

Now what?

Someone has to pay.

This is the situation during the opening pages of 1 Samuel.

It was chaos.

>>> As we flip the pages to the opening chapter of 1 Samuel, we find a woman who is broken and desperate.

Broken Dreams

1 Samuel chapter 1 tells us that a man named Elkanah has two wives.

His first wife, Hannah, is childless, while his second wife is not.

Scratch Sheet

Par for the course during this time, the second wife would taunt Hannah over her bareness—reveling in Hannah’s misery.

Hannah is broken and desperate.

What do you do when you’re broken and desperate?

What or who do you turn to?

Hannah prayed.

She cried out to God for son.

—> And God responded.

Sometimes you have not, because you ask not.

Too big, too small, too outrageous...

Hannah’s son would be named Samuel, and as promised Hannah gave him to the Lord.

God restores a barren womb, a broken dream, and delivers Samuel to help restore the nation of Israel back to a right relationship with God.

1sam

1sam7

Samuel calls the nation back to repentance, back to relationship, back to restoration

God wants to restore your broken dreams too.

Do you trust Him?

I know you’ve prayed about it.

Pray again.

I know you’ve given it to God before.

Give it again.

I know that year after year it’s been the same battle.

Trust Him again and be restored.

Just as the Ark of the Lord departed Israel for a time and returned, God’s presence is always coming back.

It’s available to all who will turn to Him and worship Him alone—even in the chaos, even in the doubt, even in the frustration…

Broken Allegiance

When God rescued the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, He promised that He would be their God and they would be His people.

It was an assurance of protection, provision, and blessing.

Yet, over and over again the nation broke their allegiance to God and desired more to reflect the nations around them than to reflect the image of their Redeemer.

Eventually, despite the warning and cautionary reasoning of Samuel, the people demand a king so they can be like the nations around them.

In their desire to project strength to constant enemy opposition, they turned to manmade systems, failing to trust in the strength and provision of Almighty God.

The Lord tells Samuel to do all that the people have asked.

Delivering the Lord’s response, Samuel calls the nation to faithfully follow and worship the Lord, promising that the Lord will not abandon His people, because of His great name and determination to make Israel His own people.

1sam12.20-

Here again, undeterred by Israel’s rebellion, God promises to restore the people and uphold His promise.

What broken wells do you keep returning to?

What worthless idols take up space on the mantle of your heart?

The nation of Israel turned to a human king and yet, even Saul—the Lord’s anointed, couldn’t maintain his allegiance.

So God determined to replace Saul with a man after God’s own heart who would do everything the Lord commands.

If you long to be restored, return again to the Lord and worship Him with all your heart.

Fix your allegiance and devotion on Him alone.

God is still looking for men and women who will chase after His heart.

To desire what He desires.

To long for what He longs for.

To love what He loves.

To hate what He hates.

He is still looking for those who will stand against the enemies who defy the armies of the Living God.

Where does your allegiance lie?

Broken Relationships

Following a multi-year run-for-your-life marathon from a jealous king, David is finally appointed king over Israel.

David immediately begins the task of uniting the kingdom, protecting the nation from its enemies, and moving the Ark to Jerusalem.

It is clear that everything David puts his hand to is blessed by the Lord.