Today on Real Life Radio. When we see our own children erring, rather than fail to correct error, we need to look for error. And we need to respond to it. This is real life. Welcome to Real Life Radio with Pastor Jack Hibbs.
I'm David Jay, thanking you for joining us today as we listen, learn, and are challenged by God's Word, the Bible. Here, our featured resource for the month is a great book by Charles Spurgeon, the great preacher of yesteryear. Words of warning. And listen to the subtitle, everyone, for those wavering between belief and unbelief. You need this book.
Everyone needs this book. If you're struggling with belief and unbelief, Get it. Maybe you have a friend who's struggling with belief and unbelief and they're wavering. This book, Words of Warning by Charles Spurgeon, is just the right fit for you. Order yours right now at jackhibbs.com slash real radio.
On today's edition of Real Life Radio. Pastor Jack continues his series called First Samuel and a message titled, Be Careful What You Plant. Samuel of the Old Testament was a man dedicated to God as Israel's last judge. and the first of the prophets, a time when Israel was facing difficulty, adversity, and uncertainty. You see, as there are weeds growing among the flowers, we need to be careful what we sow.
It's all about choosing to do what's right.
Sowing what only our flesh desires reaps a corrupt life. but like a beautiful flower sowing to the spirit reaps everlasting life.
So today, Pastor Jack teaches that while Eli and his sons were losing favor with God, Samuel is growing and thriving. Samuel chose not to benefit personally. but to put God first in worship and in everything he set out to do.
Now with his message called Be Careful What You Plant. Here's Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs. Embracing correction. prevents future correction. Have you noticed that?
I guess it's kinda like goes along that the uh The secular saying that if you learn this lesson first because you don't want to go through and learn it all over again.
Well Embrace the correction that God gives. Whatever and however it comes, embrace it, take it. Why? Because if you do. The road will be much smoother along the way.
Then if you keep fighting and resisting God. Very important. Listen, the application to these points is this. Rather than fail to correct error, we need to look for error. And we need to respond to it.
When we see our own children erring, We need to be looking for their error. That doesn't mean hunting them down. Junior, what did you do? No, no, no, no, don't do that. But when you see them sinning like that, If you see them stealing a cookie from the and they're not supposed to.
Don't let it slide. Sit them down and say, What did you take a cookie? And you know what they're going to say. If you sit them down and ask them, what do they say? Did you take the cookie?
What do they say? No. And one hand's behind the back, and you say, what's behind your back? They say. Nothing.
Okay, at that point. they'll maybe crush the cookie to get rid of the ovens or they'll drop it. Step three, show me your hands. And there'll be traces. Of cookie dust.
on their fingers. You'll be busted. And then asked them, did you lie to me? And then, oh boy, you'll get all it varies. based upon people.
And how many? If you have ten people, you might have twelve manifestations of something. Go through here. What's the deal? And then you say, listen, I told you not to get any the cookies.
And when I asked you the questions, you lied to me.
Okay. And so In a moment I'm going to discipline you. Do you understand why? Because you did this.
Okay, do you understand?
Now listen, stop, pause the tape right there, listen.
Okay. When the child heard in his ears earlier. Johnny, don't take the cookies. That was recorded in his head. If you had a kid, or you have a kid, you know what I'm talking about.
It's there. It's set. Then Johnny goes into the kitchen to snag a cookie. The moment he takes the cookie, He has crossed the line that he knows, even though he's so young, he knows he has sinned. He knows it.
And do you know what instantly happens when you sin? you began to battle with guilt. Even at a very young age, And that guilt will be stored up and stored up and piled up higher and higher. Until it is dealt with. And when we do not discipline our children for the error of their way, We are actually contributing to their demise.
emotionally, mentally. Because what happens is they grow up feeling and sensing guilt, and it is human nature for them to try to. to get away from that guilt by some other means. And they can never get away from it. It's an amazing thing.
Isn't peritone bizarre? Parents, have you noticed once your child is disciplined, they crawl into your lap and give you a hug, and all is well? It's it's the Right, the slate's clear. But if that little kid goes around with guilt stored up and piled up higher. and higher.
it begins to affect them emotionally. And Eli never was there for his kids in that manner. The second thing before we leave this point is that rather than neglect to correct evil, we need to instruct about it and reinforce against it.
So the first thing was rather than fail to correct error, look for error. and respond to it. Secondly, rather than neglect to correct evil, instruct about it. That is, show, teach your kids what is evil. Don't do this because this is wrong.
And kids will naturally say, why? Give them an answer. Don't say because. I'm your parent. That's not an answer.
Instruct about it and then reinforce it. That means back it up. Parents don't say things like this. If you do this, you're grounded. And then they do it.
And you conveniently don't remember saying it. Or you vacillate on it. If you say it, follow through with it, or else don't say it. Because your kid will begin to learn how to manipulate you and get their way, and what happens is self-destruct. They think they're winning.
but they're losing in the long run. And you know this to be true. Reinforce it. And then we saw, we need to consider, I should say, rather than resist correction, we need to understand that it is good for the child. and realize it's too Both advantage the child and us.
By the way. A great verse. Proverbs 27, verse 6 tells us: Faithful are the wounds of a friend. And I think that's good toward a parent or about a parent. If a parent loves that child, he's going to discipline that child.
Second point, verses 26 to 29. Determined to cooperate with God. Eli didn't do that, but we're gonna. Determine To cooperate with God. How so?
First of all, realizing that God knows everything. Verses 26 and 27, God knows everything. It says, and the child Samuel grew. Watch the contrast. The child Samuel grew in stature.
and in favor both with the Lord and men. Verse 27A says, Then a man of God came to Eli. We'll stop right there. While Eli's sons were Fading. away with Eli.
Samuel was growing. And by the way, his time was coming. Jesus knows the direction in life that you and I should take. He knows everything. While Eli and his kids are fading away because of sin, Samuel is growing up is a great contrast to this.
Eli didn't pray, Hannah did. By the way, little Eli, or excuse me, little Sammy wore a cool little ephod. From the day that she took him to the temple and. and gave him back to God, he wore a little priestly ephod. An e-font is like a, actually, quite honestly, it's like a skirt.
with the dress top. It's about middle of the thigh. And um it's sleeveless. And it's kind of like a dress. E five The priest wore them.
And here's the cool thing. Hannah. dresses her little boy up as a priest. Why? Because according to Hannah, he is a priest.
Why? He's going to be one. Why? She dedicated him to God. Eli's sons, on the other hand, we don't know what they're wearing.
It's not even said. It's not even told to us. Sammy's worshiping God and serving the Lord at such a young age. Who and he may, according to the scripture, not even know God yet. We'll see that.
In our study, where Eli's sons were very familiar with God, but they didn't worship at all. In fact, they robbed people of worship while little Sammy was worshiping. The contrast is huge. Jesus knows exactly the direction. that you should take.
And from your birth... He has been leading and steering and guiding. You to a predetermined work of his. It's the way God works. It's awesome.
In 2 Thessalonians 3:5, the Bible says, Now may the Lord direct your hearts. into the love of God and into the patience of Christ. Wow. And then, of course, you know this verse. You're waiting for me to say this one: Proverbs 3, verse 5.
Trust in the Lord with all of your heart. And lean not to your own understanding, and in all of your ways acknowledge him, and he shall. direct Your paths do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from evil. See, when you get wise in your own eyes, you're gonna call the shots, and you're not gonna listen to God, and you're gonna get in trouble.
Example, Eli's sons. important. You're listening to Real Life with Pastor Jack Hibbs. To learn more about this ministry or to catch up on some previous episodes, Go to jackhibbs.com. That's jackhibbs.com.
And now, let's get back to today's message. Once again, here's Pastor Jack. We have a second consideration under this point, and that is, God has provided all that we need in verse 27 to 28. It says, Now the man of God came to Eli and he said to him, Thus says the Lord. Listen to this.
Wow, this is powerful. Thus saith the Lord now.
Now God is speaking. Did I not clearly reveal myself to the house of your father? when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house. Did I not choose Him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon my altar. to burn incense and to wear an ephod before me?
Listen. Did I not give? to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire? Three indictments. Did I not reveal myself?
The answer is yes, you did. Did I not choose him that is Aaron, a priest, which your kids Eli and you are from? Did I not give? But you hear the tone of the Lord in this? Did I not?
God supplies everything we need. He's saying, haven't I done it? I gave you the priesthood, Eli. I gave you sons. Your very life should be.
What people long to be like. Wasn't I enough for you? Didn't I make a promise? I've extended my hands out. I gave you everything I could, and...
You see now why. Eli's boys have come out the way they are. Eli, God is indicting him. Have I not done these things? Have I not provided for you?
It's amazing to me to consider what Eli's sons had heard and seen as Sons of the priest. who were in line to be priests themselves. God provides all that we needed. And listen. Eli had the wonderful, awesome witness of God.
And God says, hey, didn't I? That is so serious.
Well, in verse 29, we see that God desires holiness from us. Which Eli had failed to do. Look what he says, verse 29. We learn by contrast. Why do you kick at my sacrifice?
and my offering. which I have commanded in my dwelling place. Number two, and honor. Your sons more than me. To make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel, my people.
Wow, two things. Number one, why do you kick? The word kick means to resist, avoid, neglect, to worship. Why do you resist worship at my sacrifice? And my offerings.
Why do you resist? You kick against me. You don't want to be near me. That's number one indictment. Number two, and you honor your sons more than me.
In other words, you have idols enthroned in your heart, and they're your boys. Wow, that's tough stuff, isn't it? Man, God is laying it. to the root of the tree. And God is holding Eli accountable to this.
Listen, to communicate to our children that God can. Uh In our lives, settle for maybe second place in our lives, or third place, or fourth place, maybe. is a very dangerous thing. When you communicate to your kids, Like Eli was communicating to his boys: Boys, you're number one. You're on top, you're the guys.
God is saying, this is the word of God, God is saying, you know what the problem is here? Number one, you're not into worshiping me. Number two, you desire your boys more than me. That kind of gives us some insight. You desire your boys more than me, and that's why you've taken the soft road regarding your boys.
If you had had me up front, your boys would have come out fine, is what's implied.
Now, let me say this. very carefully. You may be a wonderful, godly parent. And your children have grown up and they've gone astray. And you say, where did I go wrong?
My friend, you probably didn't go wrong anywhere. There comes a point in time no matter how good you brought your child up. They may still decide to be absolutely stupid. And God will not hold you accountable for that.
Now as a parent, does that make you feel any better? Yeah. Because when your kids are hurting, you're hurting. But to communicate to our kids, as Eli did to his, that God is somewhere maybe second, or third, or fourth. is to ruin our children.
Somebody might say, yeah, but you know what? God's on my top 10 list. You know what? I love how Missler puts it. God doesn't want to be number one on the list of ten.
God wants to be number one on the list of one. Huh. He doesn't want to be competing with number two or four. Matthew 6.33 says, to seek first the kingdom of God then all these other things will be added to us. And I jotted some things down.
Number one, Matthew 10, 37. He who loves father, Jesus said, or mother more than me. Is not worthy of me, and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. That doesn't mean God doesn't want you to love your kids. He just means that you have to love God first.
These things I jotted down. What do our children know about our prayer life? That sends a message to them about where God is. What do our children know about our spending priorities? And I thought about that.
Will I dump 50 bucks? At a dinner or a movie or a Basketball. And then give God $1.50 on Sunday and my kids watch him? They're always watching. The other night we were out and I went into the men's bathroom at this place and You know, men's bathroom have stand-up things, you know that ladies?
And I'm waiting in line. It's like a rare... one of the first lines I've ever seen in the guy's bathroom in all my life. Yeah. And there's this man, and he's going to the bathroom, and his little boy, probably about four years old.
is patent him on the rear end because the kid's too short. He's patting him on the rear end going, dad. What up boy daddy? Good boy. It was the funniest and it How are we just dying?
Think Good boy daddy. That a boy daddy And when daddy got done, he says, now wash your hands, daddy. And I thought, this is great. This is great. Why?
The little guy's watching everything and he's noticing.
Well, I know how mommy taught me. And daddy's doing it right. Good boy, Daddy. And so we say, you know, son, you got to put God first in your life in everything. And we'll take our finances and blow it on something.
Indulging And then rip God off. On Sunday. And that sends a message to our kids. Don't be mistaken. It does.
What do our kids know about it? Us reading our Bible. What about Our kids Seeing how we love others. Our worship What about our kids? Seeing what we love more than God.
It's been said that what our children remember about us will be what they make as a habit for their life. Another Huh. Commentators said, what they see of you outwardly determines what they'll do inwardly. Mm. Very important.
And then it says at the end of verse 29. It says that they did these things. Eli, really, to make yourselves fat with the best of all. And by the way, we'll come to the chapter soon where Eli is so fat. He's He's so overweight, and you gotta wonder: well, is it because his sons were ripping off all the food?
Remember? Last time together in our study, was it because his sons were ripping off all the food and bringing it home even to pop? It it's funny, it's almost a play in words here, to make yourself fat with the best of all. Supposed to be a priest and you're robbing people. They robbed the worshipers of God.
Malachi chapter 3 verse 7. Says, yet from the days of your fathers you have gone away from my ordinances, and you have not kept them. God says, return to me. And now we'll return to you. says the Lord of hosts.
But you said, in what way? Shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me. But you say, in what way have we robbed you, God?
In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring all your tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And try me now in this, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out For you, such blessing that there will not be enough room for you to receive it. Isn't that awesome?
Eli's sons had robbed. And then finally, third point, we'll end here. Respond to God in an act of worship. They didn't do it. Verses 30 to 36.
First thing we see here, verses 30 to 32. Respond to God in an act of worship because he's looking for a heart. The Bible says that God is scanning the earth looking for a man, that's a Mr. and Mrs. Man, someone in the family of man.
whose heart is seeking him. that he might show himself strong on their behalf. Verse 30: Therefore, the Lord God of Israel says, I said indeed that your house and the house of your father. would walk before me forever. This is the promise that God had made the priest.
of Israel. of which Eli was. But now the Lord says, Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me I shall lightly esteem. Behold, the days are coming that I will cut off your arm. And the arm of your father's house, that is not his arm.
physically his descendants.
So that there will not be an old man in your house. You will see an enemy in my dwelling place. Despite all the good which God does for Israel. And there shall not be an old man. in your house forever.
BAM BOOM! This is God's judgment upon The line because of Eli's sin. It's amazing. Quickly, we've got to hurry through this. They had lost reverence for God.
So, what happens? 2 Timothy 2.19. 2 Timothy 2:19 says, Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. They didn't do that. We learn by Contrast, they didn't do that.
If you name the name of God, depart from the wrong stuff. Get away from it. Listen. If you're not strong enough to get away from the evil, tell your friend. Tell a Christian friend.
Man, I hope you have a friend like this. Tell a friend, say listen, I'm struggling in this area in my life. Call me, follow me. I don't know. Whatever.
Watch out for me. Depart from it. Proverbs. 16 tells us. The highway of the upright is to depart from evil.
And he who keeps his way preserves his own soul. That's a great bit of wisdom. Man, that's a great thing to give to your... Teenager at graduation or something, huh? The highway of the upright is to depart from evil, and he who keeps his way preserves his own soul.
And then Psalm 111, verse 10. Says The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding have all those who do his will. That's awesome. God is looking for a heart like that.
We need to pray, Lord, I want a heart like this. Verses 33 to 34, we're almost done. Respond to God in an act of worship because. He's holy and just. But any of your men whom I do not cut off from my altar, shall consume your eyes.
and grieve your hearts. and all the descendants of your house shall die in the flower of their age.
Now this shall be a sign to you, that will come upon your two sons, on Hophni and Finhas, in one day they shall die both of them. This is the judgment of God. I'm not going to give you all the passages that we could look up on this for time's sake, but. The reason why this judgment is levied people is not because God is upset, God is angry, and because he's got nothing better to do. The reason why this judgment is levied is because these guys had transgressed and transgressed God over and over again and then finally God brought judgment because a parent would not.
Even in Exodus 34, God pleads and he says, aren't I merciful? Aren't I slow to wrath? Aren't I compassionate? And he is. He's loving and kind.
Yeah. Respond to God in an act of worship because He's forever faithful. Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs. here on real life radio and his message called Be Careful What You Plan. You know this message is part of Pastor Jack's series called First Samuel.
A series highlighting the prophet Samuel, who was called by God during one of Israel's darkest ages. to bring the people back to the heart of true worship. and will continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio. You ever felt like something's missing in your life? Maybe you've been searching for answers for peace or a sense of purpose?
You know, the truth is those longings are there because you were created to know God. At jackhibbs.com, there's a tab called No God. It's designed to help you discover what it truly means to have a relationship with God. This isn't about religion, it's about understanding who God is. And why He loves you, and how you can find hope and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
The page breaks it down in a simple, clear way, answering common questions and guiding you through the steps of faith. It's a great place to explore and reflect whether you're just curious or you're ready to make that next step.
So don't miss out on the most important relationship you'll ever have. Visit that tab called KnowGod at jackhibbs.com. And start your journey today. That's jackhibbs.com because knowing God Changes everything in your life for the better. Take that next step.
Explore and reflect at the Know God section at jackhibbs.com. This program is made possible by the generous contributions of you, our listeners. Visit us at jackhibbs.com. That's jackhibbs.com. Until next time, Pastor Jack Hibbs and all of us here at Real Life Radio wish for you solid and steady growth in Christ and in His Word.
We'll see you next time here on Real Life Radio.
