Kerwin Baptist Church Daily Sermon Broadcast

Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Podcast.

Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Podcast. It is the Lord that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. Now therefore stand still that I may reason with you before the Lord of all the righteous acts of the Lord. Notice verse 8, the middle of verse 8. He says, speaking of the Lord, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt. Look at verse 9.

And when they forgot the Lord their God, He sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor. Look at verse 10. And they cried unto the Lord and said, We have sinned because we have forsaken the Lord. Look at verse 11. And the Lord sent Jerubal and Bedan and Jephthah and Samuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies. Notice verse 12. And when he saw that Nahash the king of the children of Anan came against you, he said unto me, Nay, but a king shall reign over us. When the Lord your God was your king. Verse 13.

I'm going to explain all this in a minute. Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen and whom ye have desired. Look at verse 14.

Samuel says this. If ye will fear the Lord and serve Him and obey His voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the Lord your God. Look at verse 15.

But if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you. Look if you would at verse 19. And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God that we die not. Look at verse 20. And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not, for ye have done all this wickedness, yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. Look at verse 22. Wonderful verse. For the Lord will not forsake His people for His great name's sake. Look at verse 23. Moreover as for me, Samuel says, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you. But I will teach you the good and the right way. A lot of verses and I'm going to explain them to you as briefly as I can today.

And we're going to make some application. I want you to think about this. The sin of prayerlessness.

I believe it is one of the most rampant sins in America today. Let's pray. Lord we love you. Lord you know I need you. You know how thankful I am for this church.

And Lord just to be away from it a little while reminds me of how great it is, how good you've been. Lord as great as it is, that means old Satan is going to do everything he can to stop it. So Lord I pray that you would help us to see the sin of prayerlessness. And how we just might be guilty of this very thing. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

If I can explain just real quickly. The children of Israel had gotten to a point that they wanted a king. See the problem is that God was their king. He had always been their king. And by the way God is the king.

And he's a great king. But the children of Israel began to be complacent. And they wanted somebody that they could see, that they could touch, that they could feel. And to be honest with you in my opinion because they're Baptist they just wanted somebody they could complain to. And so they needed a human being. And so what happened was they began to come to Samuel. And they said we want a new king.

We want a man. We want a king over us. And Samuel was telling them but God's your king. And God was very hurt by this.

Because the Bible says God is a jealous God. So as Samuel comes to them in chapter 12. In the first six verses he claims I've been around you my whole life. You've watched me.

You've seen me. And then verses six and on down what happens is Samuel tells the story of their history. Notice in verse six that he says that the Lord advanced Moses and Aaron and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. Verse eight at the end he says God brought forth your fathers out of Egypt. You can literally find the history of the children of Israel and yea even the history of you and me today in these verses. In verse six and eight we find that the Lord brought. In verse nine it says that when they forgot the Lord their God.

And that's the story. God brought. They forgot. Then in verse ten the people sought. They went back to God and said oh God we're sorry.

We're wrong. We've sinned. Here God did all this. They forgot about it. Went their own way. Now they've made a mess. Now they seek God again. Then you'll notice in verse eleven the Lord fought.

So here it is. God brought them out of the land. Did all this for them.

They forgot. Then they sought God again. Then God fought for them.

Verse thirteen. Then they got what they wanted. They wanted a king. So God gave them the king.

And then in verse fourteen Samuel taught. And so all this is being done. It's all because they want somebody else besides God to be their king.

And by the way that describes you and it describes me often times. All of us at times in our life want somebody other than God or something other than God to be our king. Let me put it this way. We would rather worship and give our time and effort and priority to many other things besides God. Samuel comes to the people. Now I want you to notice some things about this.

And at the end he says listen I will sin against God if I cease to pray for you. In other words you know what and dear friend can I say we do wrong. A lot of people do wrong. And your kids do wrong in different things. And we work in church.

You're going to work with people. And man there's ups and downs. And some weeks they do right.

Some weeks they fall off the deep end. But dear friend I want you to know like verse twenty-two says God does not forsake us. And I want you to understand if you've blown it I've blown it. I want you to know I've blown it and I know you've blown it. But can I tell you if you're a child of God he doesn't forsake you when you blow it. And I'm here to tell you at Kerwin Baptist Church listen none of us are perfect. All of us have blown it.

And all of us probably will blow it. But we're here to tell you God loves you enough he's not going to forsake you. But I want you to see some principles here. Number one in verse two. I want you to see this and you say where did this come from preacher? Well one night after revival we were out to eat my wife and my youngins and pastor and Mrs. Brown. And we were sitting there talking.

We just got talking about legacies. We got talking about our families and different things. And I was telling them and many of you have heard I'm not going to go through all the stories about my mom's prayers for me and how my mom prayed for me.

And I've told you so many times I'm not going to keep telling you all the time. And I told brother Andy I said brother Andy I just don't have recollection of a day I ever got up woke up my mom was still in bed. I said brother Andy I lived in a 30 whatever foot travel trailer and I said you know every morning I had to knock on that bathroom door. My mom had all her bibles and books out. She had her devotions every morning. And I said I knew most of the days before I ever woke up my mom had already probably spent an hour or more in prayer just for me specifically. And I told them the stories you've heard about before I went to college.

I ended up waking up catching my mom praying at the foot of my bed and I just laid there from 3.30 in the morning till probably 7 in the morning listening to her pray. She never knew I knew it. I just laid there and just listened and it just broke my heart. I told brother Andy I said it just melted me.

But tears were coming down his eyes. He said preacher when I was born my mom couldn't take care of me and she had rebelled and she didn't have all these different things. He said so my grandma had to raise me. Brother Andy said I lived with my grandma.

My grandma was that way. She just prayed and prayed and prayed. He said I found out years later when she took me in and my mom couldn't handle me and she just couldn't live with me and she was you know addicted to so many different things. And he said my grandma would hold me and I found out years later and she would just sit in that rocking chair and just pray God somehow would you take this young man out of this kind of situation. And would you make a preacher out of this young man. He said I found out years later that my grandma just gave me to God to be a preacher and we were talking about all this.

And I said brother Andy my fear is that our generation of children and our generation of young Christians is not going to know what it's like to have that kind of prayer made for them. Dear friend can I tell you you've always heard that what one generation does in moderation the next generation is going to do to excess. I would ask you this who is more spiritual you or your parents? Now some of you might have come from a horrible background but I'm going to tell you something. Normally when there's a mom and dad that have kept things right and live right and their kids grow up in it. Normally their kids are going to be a little bit looser and a little bit more liberal and a little bit more free living and different things.

And you'll watch as generations go it just goes down and down and down. It's not that we're bad people and different things but I'm here to tell you that I'm from a generation of moms and dads that didn't have a thousand things going on every day. But they had time to get down and pray for their kids and pray for their family and ask God to do something for them. And I'm here to tell you that that's one of the problems with our generation. We get up and we preach against things and we look at people like they're idiots because they do these things. But you've got to understand that they've grown up for years and never had a mom and dad get down and pray through the night for them. And I'm here to tell you that the Bible says there is a sin of prayerlessness. And that's what we're facing. I want you to notice this Samuel here number one in verse two.

We find this principle and this will be on the screen if you need it. That reputation must be built for instruction or before instruction. Look if you would at verse two. And now behold the king walketh before you. Samuel said I gave you the king that you said you wanted. I am old and gray headed and behold my sons are with you and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day. Samuel is reminding them before I give you instruction, before I tell you why you're wrong and before I show you why it's wrong what you've done.

I want you to make note that you have known me since I was a kid. I have spent years in front of you and you know that I know what I'm talking about. You know what we have a generation of kids that have mom and dad tell them what to do but they see mom and dad doing a totally different thing. We have a generation of preachers that get up and preach but people know that they have their own things and I'm guilty of that too I'm sure. And you know what we have?

We have a lot of times we give instruction to people and we want to give them all the teaching but we've not built a reputation with them. May I say something if people aren't going to listen to you. If you go to a restaurant and you chew out a waitress and act like a spoiled brat like most Christians do Sunday afternoons after church. You ask a waitress where you go to eat today and say who are the worst customers you have and they'll say church people.

Unfortunately. And here's what we do. We go, we complain and all this stuff and then we want to give people a track and say hey come to my church. Dear friend I'm here to tell you a reputation has to be built before instruction. Notice here what he says in verse 3 through 5.

Restoration must be made before instruction. Samuel had not done anything dishonest but he mentions a number of things and he says if I have done any. He hasn't even started preaching to him yet. He gives all these things and he says if I've done any of this.

Notice if you would look at verse 3 at the very end. I will restore it you. If there's anything I've done. If I've ever been dishonest. If I've ever whatever. You tell me about it and I want to get it right with you before he ever even preached to him.

May I say something? You know why we have a generation a lot of times that doesn't listen to anything we have to say because we've done them wrong over the years. We've never apologized. We don't restore relationships. We just go on pretend it doesn't happen. And we have teenagers and we have new Christians and we have young couples that sit and they know this junk and they say well I'm not listening to one thing that person has to say. Because they've never even offered to apologize for anything that they've done.

Hello? Bible says God resists the but gives grace to the humble. Old Samuel says I don't know of anything I've done.

But if I have you tell me and I'll make it right. May I tell you something today often times we try to give people instruction but we've never restored relationships. And that's something we have to do before we ever even start preaching. Notice the third thing here.

Reasoning must be shared for instruction. Look at verse six. Samuel said unto the people it is the Lord that advanced Moses and Aaron. Notice verse seven.

Now therefore stand still that I may reason you with you before the Lord. You know what's happened in our generation a lot of times we've gotten up told everybody what to do but we didn't give them the Bible reason. We didn't say this is where the Bible teaches that.

You know why? Half the time they don't even know where the Bible says it. They heard somebody else say it. So we get up and we lamb bless people and we don't give them the verse.

We don't show them why. We don't show them the biblical principle and before Samuel ever even tried to show them that what they had done was wrong he reasoned with them. He said let me tell you what the Lord did. He led Moses and Aaron. The Lord led your parents, your fathers out of Egypt. And as he begins to share God's word he reasons with them.

May I say something? Our generation right now doesn't just take what we say as fact. This generation needs to know if you're saying this show me why you think that. Show me where in the Bible this is true. And the problem is over the years we have no idea. Because we didn't get it from the Bible. We got it from somebody else.

Do I need to conduct my test again this morning? It's been a long time. Nobody say a word okay. Do not answer me out loud. You ever heard the thing there's no wrong answers?

Well there are. So I want to ask you a question this morning. Your biblical question. What color is sin?

You know what many of you think? It's black. And dear friend the Bible teaches us in Isaiah though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool.

You know why a lot of people think so? Because the generation before them told them well sin is black. I told you I've shared with you before.

I had a lady come to me one church I was preaching. She says well preacher the wordless book says that sin is black. I said the wordless book doesn't say anything. It's wordless. The creator of the wordless book meant the black page to sow the results of sin. Darkness and hell forever. But dear friend I'm here to say our sin is red because the Bible says it. And that's just one example why a lot of times what we think is just tradition and not truth. You know why? We were given instruction without reasoning.

Notice if you would number four requirement must be clear before instruction. Look at verse 13. I love how Samuel now that he established a reputation. Now that he had offered to make restoration. Now that he had reasoned with them.

Notice I love this in verse 13. Now therefore. In other words all I've said. Now listen this is the nitty gritty. And I like the nitty gritty.

I don't know about you. I'd rather somebody just get to the nitty gritty. That is the one big difference between men and women. Men like to quickly get to the nitty gritty.

Women want to add a whole bunch of stuff before they get to the nitty gritty. My wife will come you won't believe what happened today. I was like well what happened? I'm expecting her to say blah, blah, blah. I was driving and it was a pretty day outside and there was this car over here. And she's going I'm like what happened?

I'm hanging over the cliff waiting. She's giving me needless details. So a woman wants to talk a man comes home she says how was your day? Good.

He got right to the nitty gritty didn't he? That's why we have problems preacher. Well I know I understand. Notice verse 13. Now therefore behold the king of you chosen in whom ye have desire. Behold the Lord has set a king over you.

He gets right to the nitty gritty. Ok you got what you wanted. Look at verse 15. But if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord but rebel against the commandment of the Lord then shall the hand of the Lord be against you. You know what listen to me we have a generation that doesn't really even understand what God requires of us. We've never just gotten down to the nitty gritty dear friend you're going to sin you're going to pay for it.

You know why? Churches are afraid to say that nowadays. Listen a preacher is literally afraid to get up and say let me tell you something. You meddle in sin you're going to pay for it.

That might offend somebody it might make somebody uncomfortable and dear friend it ought to make us uncomfortable. It ought to. Samuel gets right to the requirement. I love it.

I really do. Look at verse 14 if you would. If ye will fear the Lord serve him obey his voice not rebel against the commandment of the Lord then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue to follow the Lord your God. So if you obey you do right you follow God's commandments you'll be okay. If you rebel against him in verse 15 and you do wrong God's going to be against you. Requirement. It's that clear. You know what we want to do we want to just kind of water down sin we want to water down things.

Well as long as you're just trying to do right in your life and as long as you're just trying to be the best person that you can where do you find that? Dear friend we need to get to the point we don't care what some preachers requirement is or what some leaders requirement is we need to find out what is God's requirement. That's what Samuel did. It had nothing to do with Samuel. Samuel said you're right you wanted a king you got it. Here's the nitty gritty. Notice if you would last and this is where we're heading verse 23.

Requesting must be constant before instruction. Look at verse 23. Samuel says moreover as for me God forbid that I should sin against the Lord. Why?

How? Partying, drinking, carousing that's all the big things you know we always talk about. Oh no no no no no. He said the sin of ceasing to pray for you. In other words that's just as much a sin as anything else. Samuel said you know what I've given you the instruction and I'm trying to teach you right and I've offered to make restoration and I've built a reputation around you. I've reasoned with you from the word of God. I've given you the requirements of the word of God. But Samuel said this even though I've done all that and even though I have taught you the truth. If I don't pray for you none of it's going to work.

And we have a generation where we have given the truth but we've not prayed for them. And it went in this ear and out that one. Now you look at me.

I want you to get this. I spent 10 years in evangelism. Not as many as some.

More than others. I'm going to tell you something. I've watched weeks of preaching and I'll even put it this way. I've preached youth conferences and youth camps and different things. And I've watched kids sit there and hear the truth understand the truth and realize that it's truth and they'll leave camp and go home exactly like they came. And then I've had weeks where I've preached the exact same truth and you just see kids understand it they get it but something gets a hold of their heart.

And I'll tell you what I have found that's made the difference. Those kids had a church back at home that were praying for them during that week. That teenager had a mom or a dad that was calling out to God during that week of meetings. Dear friend I'm here to tell you that literally all of the reputation you can build a great reputation but it's not going to help anybody until you pray for them. And you can make restoration but it's not going to help anybody until you pray for them. And you can reason with people from God's word. And you can give them God's requirement but dear friend until you and I are faithful requesting to God every day on behalf of an individual it's not going to do anything. Do you get it say amen. Moms and dads you can teach your kids all you want to.

How many moms and dads do we know that have taught their kids and their kids went way off the deep end. Dear friend I'm here to tell you the truth by itself isn't enough. You've got to pray for them. You say preacher why is that so important before we go this morning. Number one I want you to see from this passage that prayer welcomes our sovereign God.

Look at verse 19 and all the people said unto Samuel pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God that we die not. Do you know what prayer does it invites God into a situation. When you go to God and pray look at me I want you to get this please don't miss this this morning. When you go to God and pray you're saying God I want you in this situation. I don't want to take another step in this situation or in this circumstance or in this individuals life until you are involved God. I am acknowledging I am not accomplishing anything and God by you going to God and praying you're saying God I need your help in this. I need you involved in this I can't do it without you God would you please come and help. You know why a lot of times our prayers aren't answered we're not praying. We've never invited God into the situation.

You'll have people sometimes sit down in office they've got all these things and I just don't know how it's going to work out all this thing. And you wonder have you ever even talked to God about it. Can I tell you something third person that I told the other church and I'm not telling you because you would be offended but I'm going to tell you what I told brother Randy's church. On Sunday night so and so doing it's like me telling you but you're not going to get mad because I'm not really telling you I'm telling his church.

Some of you just went whoa. Sunday night we were at brother Randy's church. I sat up and I said now I'm going to tell you something folks there are some people that have already decided that they're not going to be a church Monday night Tuesday night Wednesday night Thursday night or Friday night. They've already decided that and I said here's what's interesting they never even asked God about it. Can I ask you this was the last time you said God do you really want me to be at revival could you imagine him saying no. Let me tell you something I recently wrote a letter to some of our youth group because God's been weighing on my heart for a while. I'm going to tell you something I prayed months about it and I wondered did the parents even pray a second about it when they got it. Did they even pray God what do you want me to learn from this God what do you want to do in my life from this. Let me tell you something dear friend we don't even ask God about things.

We don't invite him into any situation. I wonder sometimes the decisions we make in our life did you ever even ask God about it. I mean you've already decided I'm not going to be at such and such and I'm not going to do such and such did you even ask God about that.

Did you even get his opinion did you even ask his permission. I wonder sometimes we get all up in a tizzy and yet did we take one second to even ask God about it. The Savior welcomes the sovereign Savior. Number two I want you to see this prayer hinders Satan. Notice if you would verse 14 if you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice notice this and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord.

He says I'm going to pray for you so that you don't rebel against the commandment of the Lord which is such an easy thing to do by the way. Let me tell you something if even us Christians if you came and said listen what I need you to do in your Christian life you just need to get the dictionary out every day and read a page. We could do that easier than reading the Bible. Do you know that? There's just something hard about opening the Bible and reading it. We can read a magazine and enjoy it. Do you have to read one five verse chapter in Psalms?

We're having a cow. You know why? Satan hinders that. And what prayer does prayer hinders Satan. You know why often times Satan has his way with our kids has his way with our families because we have not done anything to hinder that. We have revivals and people can come in and go come in as they were leave as they were nothing's changed.

You know why? It's not because the preacher didn't preach anything from the Bible. It wasn't because the preacher didn't give the truth.

Oh I'll tell you exactly what it was we did nothing to hinder Satan during that time. Number three I want you to see that prayer strengthens sinners. Look at verse fourteen. I'll pray that ye not rebel against the commandment of the Lord. Notice verse fourteen if you fear the Lord serve him obey his voice.

Look at the end continue following the Lord your God continue continue continue. You know what prayer does? Prayer strengthens sinners. And I don't know about you I'm a sinner and I need some strength. And I'm going to tell you something I don't often have all that I need or I should have. And I'm going to tell you what I need. I need some people in my life that know me and love me and will pray for me. It strengthens sinners. And all of a sudden you hear you think boy this things got a hold of them in their life.

But we've not prayed to hinder Satan and we've not even prayed to strengthen them. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin broadcast today. God bless you. you