God Rejects One and Lifts Another up (1 Sam 2:27-3:21)

Introduction: At times, it appears that people are getting away with sin and God doesn’t seem to care or He isn’t aware of it

Eli the Priest may have been a decent priest but He was’t a very good dad because he turned a blind eye to his kids sin

Hophni and Phinehas sin:

They were taking advantage of their position

They were greedy and took more of the offerings than was permitted (Stealing)

They were seducing the women who worked at the Temple, plus the women who came to offer sacrifices to God

(2:24) No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make the LORD’s people transgress

1. (V27-29) Man of God Comes to Eli With a Message From God

A) The office of Priest was a blessing from God, yet God accuses Eli scorning His sacrifices and offerings

Scorn is to disdain, despise, or dishonor someone or something

B) Why do you give your sons more honor than me?

Eli was well aware of their sin, yet he did not remove them or stop them from committing sin against God

The sin of Eli was the lack of discipline of his children and placing them above God

The Bible tells us that God is jealous for our love and affection. The sin of Eli was placing his children in the position where God should be.

-Think about your relationships, do you honor or esteem others higher than God?

-Do you have friends that influence you to rebel against God?

-By maintaining a friendship that you know is harmful to your spiritual growth, you are honoring them over God

2. (V30-34) Judgement Against Eli’s Household

A) The Judgement / The Lord will not be mocked

Eli and his family will be cut off from serving as priests

All the members of your family will die before their time

Israel will be blessed with prosperity as the house of Eli is excluded

They will watch as their children die a violent death

B) As a sign this was of God, both Hophni and Phinehas will both die on the same day

Going back to you, if you keep ungodly friendships that lead you away from the presence of God don’t be surprised when you face consequences

3. (V35-36) God Will Raise Up a Faithful Priest

A) God had a plan to raise up Samual long before he was born

God works the supernatural through the natural

God gave Hannah a burden to have a baby

We may not always understand all the different circumstances in our life. But lets be clear, God is working in the midst of every situation

Thinking back to how I ended up here at Calvary chapel Sonora

Many doors Closed for me in Huntington Beach.

At the time I didn’t understand and was ready to quit ministry because I thought God was closing doors.

Now I see that God was moving me on to something different

Conclusion: God is looking for those who will be faithful to Him and His will for their life.

-For those who are faithful, God will bless your life and He will be for you and if He is for you, who can stand against you.