Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20061105.htm

BIOGRAPHIES OF BIBLE SAINTS
I. Hannah - Ministering As An Individual To Influence A Needy World
B. Step Two: Working With The Personal Opportunities God Gives Us
(1 Samuel 1:19-28 et al.)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

We face great evil in our world at all levels, and we can ask if we as individuals can DO anything about it to make a difference:

(1) We can ask this question in light of evils we face in politics:

As we voters in Connecticut go to the polls on Tuesday to vote on who will fill a seat for us in the U. S. Senate, among the candidates with any chance of winning, we will select either (a) a Republican who racked up a delinquent debt my misusing his "wampum card" at Foxwoods Casino or (a) for an "independent" incumbent who twice voted in the Senate in favor of late term abortions or (c) for a Democrat who has not repudiated his being endorsed by the American Communist Party!

(2) We also face evil in Evangelical Christian circles: last year, I recall seeing Ted Haggard, Pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs interviewed by NBC's Tom Brokaw on the documentary about Evangelicals entitled, "They Trust In God." At the time, I expressed concern to my wife about Brokaw's report on that show that Haggard had sent an e-mail to his laymen asking them not to be as expressive as usual in their worship services lest NBC present the Church in a bad light. That is pure hypocrisy, typical of the false spirituality Christ predicted in Revelation 3:14-22 that would mark Evangelicals today!

Sadly, my concerns were validated on Friday when the Denver Post reported Ted Haggard has resigned his presidency of the National Association of Evangelicals over allegations that he had an affair with a gay prostitute and used illegal methamphetamine! Haggard denies the affair, but the Associated Press reported that Ross Parsley, acting senior pastor of Haggard's Church, claims "Haggard admitted some of the accusations were true," (www.denverpost.com, 11/3/06).

(3) The concerns folk feel over evil at higher political and religious levels in our land are mirrored at our own level: last Sunday, three believers spoke to me over their concerns about evils they face in (a) family, (b) business or (c) relationships with fellow Christians.



So, in view of the intense and extensive degrees of evil we face at a wide variety of levels, we may ask, "CAN I as an INDIVIDUAL DO something to IMPACT such a spiritually NEEDY world for Christ? IF so, WHAT may it POSSIBLY be?!"



(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "The spiritual needs in our world are so huge and pervasive, can I possibly DO anything to ADDRESS them? IF so, what?!"
  1. Israel's spiritual needs were great and pervasive in Hannah's day, and she was only an oppressed woman in a man-dominated society:
    1. Just before Hannah's time, Israel had experienced the time of the Judges, a 300-year era marked by "political, moral and spiritual anarchy and deterioration," Bible Knowledge Com., O. T. , p. 431.
    2. That age had ended in civil war (Judges 19-21), and the High Priest's sons were set to be judged for their evil deeds, 1 Sam. 2:27, 29, 34.
    3. As for Hannah, since she had failed to produce children, her husband in a man-dominated society had taken a second woman as a wife, and she had oppressed Hannah by mocking her infertility, 1 Samuel 1:1-8.
  2. Yet, Hannah FOCUSED on making the MOST of the PERSONAL OPPORTUNITY God gave her, and GOD thus greatly USED her:
    1. As we learned before, Hannah vowed that if God gave her a son, she would give him back to the Lord as a holy man for life, 1 Sam. 1:9-11.
    2. God granted her request, and Hannah gave birth to Samuel, 1:19-20.
    3. However, Hannah's plan to put Samuel into the care of Eli the High Priest strained against her vow to God regarding Samuel (as follows):
      1. The man who would oversee little Samuel once Hannah gave him back to God was Eli, and he had a terrible child-rearing record:
        1. The sons of Eli the High Priest committed immorality with the women who served at the temple door (1 Sam. 2:22; Ex. 38:8 NIV, ESV), and they defiled God's sacrifices, 1 Sam. 2:12-17.
        2. Indeed, a prophet from God had already warned Eli that the Lord would slay his sons for their sins, 1 Samuel 2:34, 25.
        3. Now, God held Eli partly responsible for his son's sins as he did not restrain them from doing them, 1 Samuel 2:27-29; 3:12-13!
      2. Besides, with Eli taking charge of Samuel, his sons could be a bad influence on the child, checking his growth into godly manhood in opposition to Hannah's vow to God that he be a lifelong Nazarite!
    4. Thus, to honor her vow that Samuel be given unto God "all the days of his life", that he thus grow into HOLY ADULTHOOD , Hannah did her best with what opportunity she had, keeping Samuel until she had given him a good initial rearing before giving him to Eli:
      1. When Hannah's husband wished to take her and her infant to the temple, Hannah said she would first "wean" him, 1 Sam. 1:21-22a.
      2. Literally, the Hebrew word, "wean" in 1 Samuel 1:22 means to "deal adequately with," and "may include the idea of spiritual training as well," (B. D. B., Heb. & Engl. Lex. of the O. T., p. 168; Ryrie St. Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to 1 Samuel 1:22 [emphasis ours]).
      3. Comparing Samuel's later behavior with that of Eli's evil sons, we see evidences of good rearing that Hannah must have achieved:
        1. Though Eli's sons had not to heeded their father's word (1 Sam. 2:25b), Samuel repeatedly obeyed when he thought Eli called for him to come to him in the night, and each time, Samuel patiently, respectfully spoke with Eli, cf. 1 Samuel 3:4-8.
        2. Though Eli's sons had not obeyed their father's admonitions (1 Sam. 2:25b), Samuel heeded Eli's charge to lie down again and what to say if God again addressed him, 1 Samuel 3:9-10.
        3. Though Eli's sons had not revered God as seen in their ongoing desecration of the temple sacrifices regardless of their father's objections (1 Sam. 2:25a,b), when Eli told Samuel to tell him all of God's message lest God judge him, Samuel revered God and thus explained every word that God had spoken to him even if it was about divine judgment upon Eli, the High Priest whom Samuel KNEW he was to RESPECT, 1 Samuel 3:16-18!
      4. So, Hannah MUST have been the one to RAISE Samuel to be (a) consistent and (b) patient, and to (c) obey and (d) respect both (e) human and (f) divine authority in contrast to Eli's vile sons. When Hannah gave Samuel back to God at the temple, her son had a good rearing start upon which he could grow into a godly man!
    5. Hannah then used the opportunity she had in Samuel's early days to "wean" him with an excellent start before giving him to Eli, 1:23-28!
    6. As Hannah turned little Samuel over to Eli, God HIMSELF became Samuel's "Heavenly Father", effectively INFLUENCING Samuel as his DIVINE Parent AGAINST the evil deeds of Eli and his sons and FOR a godly future prophetic office, 3:10-14, 19!
Application: As individuals, we CAN impact our needy world for God by (1) trusting in Christ as Savior (John 3:16) to be right with God as Hannah was; then, we can (2) use the opportunities GOD grants us to influence where we CAN, and (3) HE will do the rest!

Lesson: Though the spiritual evil she faced was huge and pervasive, Hannah used what little opportunity she had from God to REAR Samuel well in his EARLY days, and God took care of Samuel from there to develop him into a godly man He could use to lead a troubled nation!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

A member of our Church has recently noticed God's work to make a meager effort she has been allowed of God to give in the workplace be an effective witness for Christ!

She works in a business under a supervisor who is both very intelligent and perceptive of people, and who devoutly holds to a belief we at Nepaug would hold to be quite errant! The supervisor knows this subordinate attends our Church, and that we are not of that belief. Thus, this member of our Church has found she lacks the freedom verbally to share her beliefs on the job as her role and the environment do not really give her the room to do so!

However, this member has seen God open a very unusual opportunity to BE a LIFESTYLE witness in that setting!

The supervisor once instructed her that in certain situations, she was to tell customers of the business what amounts to a half-truth to protect the company interests. This half-truth is not harmful to the customers, and since it keeps the company out of potentially bad future problems, the half-truth practice is thus promoted!

Well, knowing she is not supposed to lie if she is to obey the Lord, and yet not daring to ask her supervisor why she is expected to tell a half-truth as that could "religiously show up" and irritate her devoutly religious, intelligent supervisor, this member of our Church has thought of a way to tell only the truth to the customers, but in a way that protects the interests of both the company and its customers! The supervisor has overheard this subordinate telling this truth to customers, and has been impressed with this believer's actions and other little things she has done to be both productive and upright!

Indeed, the member in our Church several weeks ago was given a gift certificate from this supervisor, and an attached note that admitted that the supervisor was "learning from you how to be a good Christian"!



May we like Hannah in Scripture or this member in our Church IMPACT our spiritually needy WORLD for Christ by BUSYING ourselves influencing in what SMALL AREA of influence WE are ALLOWED of GOD to impact!

GOD will take that effort and make it very EFFECTIVE!