But a most interesting place to examine sermons is to see how they were preached in the Old Testament. One thing almost all the sermons we ever read in Scripture having common is that they expound Scripture. Even the Old Testament sermons we read, although often only very brief summaries of what must originally have been a much longer sermon to enormous crowds, are an exposition of the Word of God that is then applied to the current generation. And this evening we're looking at one Samuel chapter 12, do find it in the few Bibles. And it's the most famous of Samuel's sermons, I'm title this sermon on your red cards, Samuel preaches for repentance. But first, let's look at what has happened in chapter 11 and then, at this particular sermon that he preaches. If the program twin peaks can give the story so far, I think we should be able to do the same, so remember what has happened. At last in chapter 10 Saul has properly been given the kingship and its rules. In chapter 11 we find that a warlord called Nehash the Ammonite was besieging an Israelite city called Jvesh Gilead. The seed was working and so the men of Jvesh wanted peace. Now Nehash was not the most charitable figure in human history and certainly not the most charitable figure in victory. So he said to them, okay I'll make a peace treaty with you provided the right eye of every male inhabitant is gouged out as a sign of shame and subservience to me and as a warning never again to attack me. As I said, not quite the most charitable figure. As you can imagine, the men in Jvesh tried a final delaying tactic. They sent one last plea for help to other Israelites. At last the news came to Saul. Saul was back with his oxen again. He certainly hadn't moved up the social strata yet. But when Saul heard the terrible news verse 6, the spirit of the lord came upon him in power and he burned with anger. He called Israel together and they came to be led by Saul into battle against Nehash. And chapter 11 then described Saul's military astuteness and his utterly complete victory that saved the people of Jvesh. This great win in battle under Saul led by the Holy Spirit, firmly established Saul as king in the hearts of the people. He was king constitutionally in chapter 10, but now he was king in practice and in the people's heart. They had seen him do what they expected a king to do at the end of chapter 11. There we find that no one refused now to go along with Saul as king. On night the end of chapter 10 where there had been less than a whole hearted support from some people. Well after this battle Samuel gives his farewell sermon in chapter 12. He begins by reminding the people of the changes that had happened in the move from Samuel as prophet and judge and priest through to Saul who was not a prophet or a priest. He asked the people to remember that Samuel had served God properly and that they had received wise judgments from him. He reminds them that he's never once received a bride. Perhaps one day towards the end of Saul's reign the people would look back to Samuel's honesty and humility and care for them with great longing. They responded to Samuel's preaching and agreed with him that he had not oppressed them and then Samuel starts the deeper part of his servant and he begins to expound scripture. The only scripture they would have had would have been the first five books of our Bible. So Samuel looked back through the history from that rather limited Bible and he drew it out and he taught from it. And this section of his sermon starts in chapter 12 verse 6. He talks to them of Moses and Aaron who lived at least 350 years before. Look at verse 7. Samuel says I'm going to plead with you concerning the saving acts performed by the Lord for you and your forefathers. This is what the Bible does for us today isn't it? This is what we preach from this pulpit and how we should preach. We should preach with the Bible open and let those acts of God the words of God and the Bible confront us. We have to plead from the pulpit with the word of God itself or what then is Samuel's text. It's broadly drawn. It concerns God's blessing on Moses, the people's rebellion and sin, the judgment on that sin, and then God's mercy in sending judges to help them. Samuel preaches the history you see of God's acts with the people of Israel. He preaches history. He takes out of that history four important points. I bet you never thought there was a biblical precedent for something more than a 3.7. Firstly he talks about the sin of the Israelites, verse 9. They forgot the Lord. Then secondly he talks about God's judgment, verse 9. God sold them into the hands of Cicero. In other words he gave them into the hands of their enemies and even into the hands of the Philistines. Then thirdly he says, they repented. Thus 10 they cried to the Lord and said, we have sinned. Please deliver us out of the hand of our enemies and we will serve you. That is repentance isn't it in a nutshell? Admit sin. Ask for the giftedness and turn round to serve the Lord properly. Then finally says Samuel, God saved them and delivered them so that they lived in safety, verse 10. Now when you hear some preachers you find that they will indeed plead with people quite forcefully. For English people at the end of the 20th century that can be rather disconcerting. I know that in previous places where I preached some people have been surprised that I have made such direct or challenging applications of God's word. It's almost been embarrassing for people but I don't think I have ever made such an absolutely immediate and direct application as Samuel does here. He barely pauses a moment before swinging into the attack entirely based on Scripture. The Scripture he has just expounded. Look at verse 12. Of course this is almost certainly an abbreviation of a much much longer sermon from Samuel but in verse 12 he is straight into the application but when you when you Samuel's application is quite straightforward in spite of this God they have repented to in earlier generations the God who had judged them before they had sinned again they had wanted a king. Now we've already seen that God was prepared in his infinite mercy to overrule in their sin in order to work out his perfect purposes but they had to realize they had sinned and Samuel here is preaching hard and directly for repentance. They may have a king by God's grace and kindness to them but if they don't repent they can expect no mercy from God at all. They will be judged for their sin. The point is says Samuel verse 14. If you will fear the Lord and obey him and listen to his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord and if both you and the king yes maybe the king was listening as well but Samuel wants to get it into Saul as well. If both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the command of the Lord it will be well but if not judgment will come verse 15 just as it did in the past the people knew exactly what Samuel was getting at. Just in case they were not quite sure when a God was serious he sent a tremendous thunderstorm just as the people were about to gather in the crops of the harvest well the people did repent and they threw themselves on the mercy of God and then we get that marvelous verse verse 20 turned to it and it's repeated again in verse 24. Do not be afraid Samuel replied you have done all this evil yet do not turn away from the Lord but serve the Lord with all your heart and verse 24 but be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart consider what great things he has done for you then the people knew they were sinful but having thrown the book at them as it were Samuel now at last gives them real hope and joy because he tells them that if they've learned the lesson from the word of God if they've really repented and want to serve the Lord with all their heart then the Lord verse 22 will not cast away his people what an amazing sir the word was preached and people repented and went out with a different view of life and a different way in which to behave in future where are you tonight just think about what God has done for you as Samuel said consider what great things he has done for you where are you tonight if you continue in sin if you forget continue to forget your God every day except on Sunday services then judgment is around the corner it is a time to repent as sin it's a time again as Samuel said to turn to fear God and serve him faithfully with all your heart if you've recently found your faith feeble and your commitment to Christ lacking then you are in sin perhaps I might say who here isn't in sin in this way at least sometimes surely we are and just as Samuel challenged the people of Israel is it right to be challenged as the Christians of Hartford where are we today where is our commitment to Christ is it really only partial let me suggest two areas where I feel that as a people here in this Christian community we may be lacking in really solid and faithful service for you it may not be these two things perhaps it's something else but let me ask you are you serving the Lord faithfully with all your heart in prayer for God's people the first thing the Israelites recognized as their need was prayer they had they had to ask Samuel their priest to do it for them in the Old Testament that's 19 but we can come directly to God as the people of God why is it that in a church with perhaps 250 adults worshipping on a Sunday why is it that we can only muster about 30 to a half hour prayer meeting that meets only once every two weeks we're called to serve God faithfully as a church not just as individuals a second area that will be addressing more clearly sometime in the New Year is faithful service in giving again there will be people here to whom this sort of application simply does not apply just as there would have been Israelites in the crowd that Samuel addressed who did not need to hear that particular application but I think we have to repent as a church of how low our giving is why is it that two urban priority area churches in Birkenhead give to the Lord more income per person attending church than we do in this area where is our faithfulness we must serve the Lord with all our heart the people under Moses had to learn that the people under Samuel had to learn that Jesus tells the Pharisees that they must serve and love the Lord with all their heart and God through his word tells us that today as well in what area of our individual lives do you think there is a need for repentance in what area of our church is
let us grow together as we repent and then praise God verse 22 for the Lord will not cast away his people for his great namesake because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself let's pray our garden father we do come before you today and thank you for that sermon that Samuel preached so long ago we thank you for how the words that he preached then is still relevant today for your word is the same yesterday today and forever and father we ask that you will help us repent help us to turn to you and father then we thank you we thank you for that promise that you will not cast away your people in Jesus name. Amen