Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth.

1. www.rossvillechurch.com 781 Salem Road, Rossville, GA 30741 August 21, 2011 God spoke to Samuel, and Samuel answered : "Speak; for Thy servant heareth."

2. 1 Samuel 3 1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the Word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. God had very few men to whom He could speak in those days. Almost every one was doing what was right in his own eyes , following his own will .

3. 2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; 3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was , and Samuel was laid down to sleep ; 4 That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.

4. 5 And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. 6 And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.

5. 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the Word of the Lord yet revealed unto him. 8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child. Samuel had not learned to recognize the Voice of God.

6. 9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if He call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. We all need to learn to respond to God's Voice. Recognize Him as Lord, and ourselves as His servant . He is our Lord ! We need to be good servants .

7. 10 And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for Thy servant heareth . Samuel was saying, Speak Lord, for I am paying attention ; my mind is focused; I will understand and obey what You say. That is the only proper response to the Voice of God .

8. Do you know how to hear from God? Spend time in His Word ; give your full attention as you read. Give your full attention when the Bible is being taught or preached . Pray for understanding . Open your spiritual ears so that the Holy Spirit can reveal God's Will.

9. A good servant listens -- really listens , makes sure he understands his Lord's Will, and willingly obeys . An inattentive servant can never please his Lord. Proverbs 10 26 As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.

10. 11 And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. God said, "I am going to do an amazing thing." Not a good thing, as men would see it. But totally amazing.

11. 12 In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin , I will also make an end . God finishes what He starts. If God did not carry out His Judgments, We could not trust His Promises. or

12. 13 For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile , and he restrained them not . They couldn't blame their sin on God; nor their death when it came. The devil didn't make them do it. The boys made themselves vile. Eli did not stop them.

13. James 1 13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Sin has a definite starting place: In each man's own lust .

14. The capacity to sin is in each person's heart, whether we be saved or lost . But sin does not have dominion over the saved. The children of the devil may say in truth, "I couldn't help myself."

15. Romans 6 12 Let not (choice) sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye (choice) your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves (choice) unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you : for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

16. Christians are commanded in Romans 6 never to yield ourselves unto sin. We are commanded to yield ourselves unto God and His Righteousness . Trying to coast just won't work . We are gonna serve somebody ! Trying to turn from sin , while remaining free from righteousness , just won't work.

17. Rom 6:13b yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. When we quit sinning , and in order to quit sinning, we have to start living right , with all our heart. We must have no reservations in our mind. We must go all out for Jesus .

18. It is almost impossible to turn from sin, unless we also turn unto righteousness. "I am going to quit getting high, and just hang out with my friends, but not do drugs." If I want to change, I will completely change.

19. When God speaks Say as Samuel said -- "Speak; for Thy servant heareth ." And do whatever God says is right. Prayerfully study

20. The next fifth Sunday is October 30. We will meet at Constitution Hall in Fort O after the Sunday morning service. Food, Fellowship, and Worship