April 12, 2014 – Saturday

Start Time: 9:00 A.M.

End Time: 12:00 NN

Title: The Power of God’s love Through His Word

Scripture: 1 Samuel 1, 3, 9, 10, & 11

God’s Message / God’s Promise / God’s Commands:

→ God's love s an action – it changes us!

Ex: when we are in love, we do d things we don’t usually do, even the things that we didn’t think we can do - how much more God's love?

God's love changes us completely! And this love comes alive thru His words.

Here are 3 characters in the book of Samuel that showed the power of God’s love thru His word:

1) Hannah - 1 Samuel 1

-Hannah was barren (vs 3)
She was a housewife but not a mother;

She was unproductive and stuck;

She wanted the one thing that she cannot have; she went to the temple year after year to pray the same thing over & over again

Note: Are we stuck? Are we doing things over & over again but accomplishes nothing? Do we work & work but receives no promotion or recognition? Do we sell & sell but receive no profit? Do we desire something that we cannot have? Maybe you want to be a doctor but you’re 40 years old now and has not studied medicine at any point of your life? Or you want to go abroad but you don’t even have a passport?

Are you stuck or unproductive like Hannah today?

-Hannah was depressed (vs 7-10)
She refused to eat and weeps every time she goes to the temple;

She couldn’t see that Elkanah loves her so much because all she sees is what she lacks (the children of Pinenah)

Are we like Hannah who doesn’t see God's grace daily because all we see is the debts we currently have?

- Hannah’s spirit was broken with sorrow (vs 15)
She was praying quietly in her heart in great anguish and pain

Are we hurting inside every day as we continue our daily lives?

Do we keep the hurt we feel bottled up inside us?

Well, if you are Hannah today, God has a word for u! His love is found n His words and His word will change u completely!

God's response to Hannah is very simple and He used Eli, d priest who accused Hannah of being drunk. God said, "Go in peace!" Then God allows Eli to intercede for her (Eli said, may God grant you your request)

Hannah hold on to Eli's words and believe it! For the first time in years, she ate and her face was no longer sad when she went to the temple.

God's simple word brought life to her and changed her disposition.

RESULTS:
From being depressed - she ate and her face no longer sad (vs 18-19)
From being barren - she gave birth to Samuel (vs 20)
From broken with sorrow - she received joy; her heart rejoices n the Lord (1 Samuel 2:1)

God's simple words thru Eli made the barren fruitful, the depressed happy and the broken spirit rejoicing!

That's the power of God's love thru His word!

2) Samuel - 1 Samuel 3

- given away to be a servant of the priest (vs 1)

As a young boy, he was given away so he can serve others. He did not grow up having the love of a family; he grew up as a servant; he has a family but he was not part of his family because he was a payment for a promise made by his mother.

Are we like Samuel who was given away to serve? Or maybe we feel abandoned? Did we grow up without a family or the love of a family?

- Samuel was ignorant of the Lord and has no identity vs 7

Samuel grew up in the temple, working under a priest but know nothing of the Lord. It's like he was told that he was born to serve and he doesn't know who created him or who he really is. He is like a child who found out he is adopted and doesn’t know who his parents are...

Are we like Samuel who even to this day, still doesn’t understand our purpose? Are we like Samuel who doesn’t know who we really are? Are we still looking for answers for questions about ourselves? Do we still have doubts of who we are?

- Samuel was afraid and had no voice vs 15

Samuel received a message from God about Eli, his master, but becaus he was a servant, he was afraid to speak out

Are we like Samuel who is fearful and lost our voice to be heard? Are we too afraid to speak because we don’t think we have d right to do so? R we too afraid to tell our friends or boss about God or the truth because we feel we are not pastors and we have so little knowledge of Him or of the truth?

Well, f u can relate to Samuel then God has a message for u in His word! His love thru His word is calling u today!

God's response to Samuel is found n 1 Sam 3 when he called Samuel and revealed His plans to him.

1 Sam 3:18 shows that Samuel started speaking God's words and he gave an account of everything God has spoken to him, keeping nothing back.  And it started his relationship with the Lord

God's love through God’s words to Samuel started intimacy between them!

RESULTS:
From a servant, Samuel became a prophet vs 20
From being ignorant of the Lord, Samuel received the revelation of God thru God's words vs 21
From being fearful and having no voice, he became the voice of God to Israel and God was with Him vs 19-21

That's the power of God thru His words!

3) Saul - 1 Samuel 9 & 10 & 11

- Saul was born from a wealthy Benjamite man and was good looking & taller among the rest (1 Sam 9:1-2) but he was just that. His privileges are all in the outward appearances but nothing was spoken about his inner self

Are we like Saul who was born with talents? With skills? Beauty and brains? Or maybe our family is not poor? Maybe we are privilege and is living a great life? And we became contented and satisfied...

- Saul has no initiative; everything was done for him (1 Sam 9:5-10) so he lacks leadership qualities

It was his servant who told him to go to Samuel instead of him thinking what to do to find the lost donkeys. It was also his servants who thought of the gift to give Samuel when they meet him.

Are we like Saul, because of our great life we became lazy and no initiative? We live life que sera sera? Whatever will be, will be? We don’t have plans, we are happy go lucky. We don’t make decisions. Everything was given and done for us.

- Saul was a quitter and he had low self esteem despite of his good looks and status in life

He started looking for the donkeys and ended up wanting to go home without them (1 Sam 9:5)

He already knew that God chose him to b king but when it was time to proclaim him as king he hid among the supplies (1 Sam 10:22)

Are we like Saul who never finishes what we started? Are we like Saul who backs out and hides from our responsibilities? Do we say yes to a task but when it’s time to do it we are nowhere to be found or we just say we forgot?

Well f you can relate to Saul today God has a word for you! God has kept a special portion just for us! His love thru His word pours out His favor on us.

Saul received favor from God and became king! His words to Saul thru Samuel changed Saul to a different person

RESULTS:
From being born good looking and in a privilege life (outward appearance & status), God changed him to a different person (1 Sam 10:6) God changed him completely - from a shallow person with superficial beauty, God's Spirit came upon Him and he became a totally different man! God changed his heart (1 Sam 10:9)

From a quitter and no self esteem, Saul prophesied among the prophets in the midst of many witnesses. From a man who hid from his responsibilities comes a man speaking in the midst of the prophets – that’s confidence! (1 Sam 10:10-11)

From lacking initiative or leadership qualities, Saul with the Spirit of the Lord in Him led the Israelites to victory against the ammonites and reigned as king of Israel! (1 Sam 11:11-15)

That's the power of God's love thru His words!

What an amazing God we have! His love thru His words changes us.  He loves us so much that He doesn’t want us to stay the same yesterday, today, and forever...

So let me ask you today? What is your condition right now? Are u feeling like Hannah, broken, depressed and stuck? Are u like Samuel who is fearful, possibly with so many questions or doubts in him, and who is unfortunate or under privilege? Or maybe you’re like Saul, who was born good looking and wealthy but u have low self esteem and no leadership qualities? Whoever you are right now, God's love thru His words can change that.

He wants to reveal His love to us to change us into someone great and unexpected for His glory.

Let's allow Him to change us through His word!  So read the Bible daily!