Brother Gary Sunday Morning 5/15/16

Brother Gary Sunday Morning 5/15/16

Last week we brought how God remembered Hannah, now we want to bring how Hannah remembered God.

1Sa 2:18  But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.

1Sa 2:19  Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

What a wonderful heritage given to that child to be right there in the temple.  Yearly Hannah came to Shiloh to worship and yearly Hannah brought him the little coat.  Hannah remembered God.

It was a stirring setting.  Eli had two sons that lived right there and had a very abominable, reproachful lifestyle.  The sons’ sin was very great. 

We see children in abominable circumstances and we cry out to God for those children.  Jesus taught us that in heaven the angels are always beholding the face of the Father concerning children.  This is not something that just happened in Jesus’ day; it is a part of heaven since God ordained heaven as it is.

Samuel was placed under the supervision of Eli the priest.  Things were terrible in that day; there was no open vision.  I am challenged this morning for a vision from God.  I trust that everyone, not just mothers of little children, have a vision from God.

Hannah brought their precious child, the only child that Hannah had at the time, and gave this precious little son back to God.  There was Eli; the lamp of God had almost gone out.

May God help every American to realize that everywhere the lamp of God goes out then there is only darkness.  If you are able to be awakened to the effects of this spiritually, it will be a blessing of God to be there and awakened.

The sons of Eli took advantage of the offerings brought into the temple.  They did not do as it should have been done.  They took advantage of Eli and abhorred the offering of the Lord.  They did not like to be where people were truly worshipping God.

Samuel was there, but God was also there.  You may be here and facing mountains that you think are insurmountable.  You may have an incurable sickness according to the medical community.  You might be having mind battles. If you get to God, He will be there.  You can count on Him.

Samuel ministered unto the Lord. 

His parents were coming to worship and Samuel’s mother made him a coat.  I thought of the joy of preparing.  We get blessed when we have a vision, “I want to do something reaching out beyond the circle that I am in.”  We want to have a circle bigger than our daughter or our son. 

I thought of the questions, “How did she get the material?  Did she do it without a pattern?  How did she get the pattern?” 

She gathered the material to make this coat of love.  She had something that was causing her to identify with, “We have given our son back to God but I am still involved in his care.”

Some here are blessed to have little children at your knees.  They are at the age where you are helping form the thoughts in their minds.  You are blessed to be able to teach them things that are to be so profitable in their lives. 

That which God has called you to do…  Hannah had a marvelous calling.  God gave her other children, but the for oldest one, that she had given to God, she had an inspiration and anointing, “Every year that I go to worship I am going to take something to him that I work all year long on.”

She may have made it of wool from their own sheep.  She may have cleaned the wool and put it together for her son.  Think of the vision that God wants you to have and that soul that God would want you to reach to this week. 

I still shake and tremble when I talk to someone.  To shake and tremble does not excuse you.  You never know how you will be received when you take a bible and a scripture to them. 

When we deal with someone and they don’t have the attitude, “I really want to be saved,” then don’t stay there long or they will be a distracting influence.  Either we are the influencer or we are the influenced. 

Hannah prepared to make that little coat.  Hannah remembered God. 

1Sa 2:20  And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD. And they went unto their own home.

1Sa 2:21  And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD.

ELkanah and Hannah remembered God.  Everyone needs to make the vow today, “God, I am going to remember you like Hannah and Elkanah did.  When I come back in a year I want to have prepared with all of my mind for a spiritual son, and a spiritual or literal daughter.” 

God remembered them.  I don’t covet anything that any of you possess.  That which God has laid upon your heart to give to Him, one of the biggest, most challenging things that I know to give is our time.  We will find ourselves so exhausted that we will feel, “God I would like to give but I am so tired.” 

This congregation is such a giving congregation, I believe that we will have plenty of money for Vacation Bible School.  God has never failed.  He is God. 

We need to remember God, “God everything that I have is yours.  I want to remember that you have made me a steward over these things but I want to be preparing for whatever you wants me to prepare.”

God remembers those that remember Him.  If we will remember God then God will remember us.  We have the beautiful account that Elkanah and Hannah gave Samuel back to God.  We also need to give everything back to God.

I don’t know how much time lapsed, but God remembered them and gave back blessings.  He gave them three sons.  Can you envision the thrill when Hannah felt that another baby was coming?  “Samuel is there, but God is giving me another one.” 

They all went to the temple after a birth in that day.  Can you imagine them showing Samuel, “This is your little brother?”  They told Samuel, “Son, God has been so good to us, stay true to God.”  Probably the dad told Samuel, “Don’t learn the ways of Eli’s sons; they are bad examples.  Learn God’s ways.”

Can you imagine Hannah and Elkanah and two babies with a little coat, then there were three babies.  Then there came a daughter and another daughter. 

Let me tell you, God blesses those that remember God.  Remember God.  It is wonderful to be in a decision making process.  Remember God.  “Is this going to work to keep God first?”

God gave the blessing of three sons and two daughters because God remembers those that remember Him. 

God blessed Samuel as he grew. 

You precious children and young people that are here this morning.  To all of us, God wants us to be as children before Him and if we will be then God will remember us and bless us. 

The wise men came to worship.  Matt 2:2

These men were men that studied the stars.  They were not proud men, but they were men of means of knowledge, and of position.  Some believe that they had been influenced by Jews that had gone to other parts to gain influence and business. 

They knew that there would be a star.  God helped them to see it and line it up so that they would go worship.  They thought He would be born in Jerusalem.  God had a different plan.  The wise men came to worship.

The Kelly’s were not wise men.  God in His greatness not only visits people that are educated but also those that are like the Kelly’s were when we left West Virginia.  We were in a lot of trouble.  Sin had taken our family about as low as you can go.  My grandpa decided that it was time to run.  He headed for Canada. 

Someone from West Virginia was on a train trip to Canada and stopped in Paradise at the beanery and learned that there were Kelly’s there.  It was just a matter of time until the officials showed up.  God remembers the lowly.

My mother had a brother that died of appendicitis.  The family looked for a preacher and found a church of God preacher.  After the funeral, someone invited her to come to a revival meeting.  She heard the message that if you confess, repent, and turn from your sin then the burden of your heart will roll away.  My mother was waiting for that message.

God help us to realize that some are out there waiting for the message.

Sister Walker said that when she graduated from high school she wanted to go to College and her mother told her that she was not college material.  She sought God and told Him that if He would help her to go to college she would remember Him. 

Unfortunately but true after getting scholarships and making her way through college she forgot about God.  She got involved in drugs and other things that were available to her in college.  Brother Gordon was pastor in Illinois.  Some of those people went to that college campus and sang. 

Those people could really sing.  They sang Brother Gordon back from death several times.  Brother Gordon got pretty aged and it looked like he was going on to heaven and he said, “I want to go to heaven with scriptures and songs.”  They began to sing and read scriptures.  Instead of him going up, God came down.  He said, “Honey, I am feeling better.”  Soon he was up walking again.

They went onto that campus.  They found her and she found them; a little lady that was graduation from College and she found Jesus.  She is so happy that she found Him.

Her mother told her that she was not college material.  I don’ know what her professional life was.  It doesn’t matter whether people are sheepherders or dealing in commodities.  God speaks to all.

Remember the woman at the well?  She had a past.  She had a history.  That did not bother Jesus.  He knew what He could do for her.  He said, “If you knew who was speaking to you, you would ask for living water.” 

She came to the question, “Where shall we worship?  Some say worship in this mountain still others say in Jerusalem.” 

Jesus said, “God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

Elkanah and Hannah offered, obeyed God, and they were blessed.

God requires all men to repent, confess, and turn away from sin. 

Jesus told the little lady at the well that God seeks those that will worship Him in Spirit and in truth.  This is the reason that doctrine is so important.  It matters where you go.  Doctrine is important.  “If we will do His will then we shall know of the doctrine.  John 6:63

Doctrine is truth.  Anything that contradicts doctrine is error.  “I don’t want to go through a form, count beads, or say the little prayer, “Lord I lay me down to sleep…”  That is a form of prayer but not prayer.  Prayer comes from the heart.

Truth is the eternal Word of God that is taught in the Old and the New Testament and produces a holy life.

May we ever remember God.