Foundation of Reality

 

 Foundation of Reality

John 8:32; 14:6; 17:17; 2 Cor. 5:7; Hebrews 11:1

Theme: Authentic facts point to God’s truth; we must live by God’s truth and not mere facts…by faith and not by sight.

Relevance:

John 8:32, says, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Accepting and actively living by Christ’s teachings breaks the heavy chains of sin, fear, and spiritual blindness. God also delivers us from spiritual confusion when we believe Him instead of our circumstances. Facts are subject to misleading, but embracing God’s truth is freeing, liberating, and life transforming!  

Hebrews 11:1 states: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Rather than relying strictly on physical observation or human scientific measurement, biblical faith treats God, His word, and unseen spiritual truths as the ultimate foundation of reality.

Introduction:

God’s spiritual truth (His word and promises) supersedes temporary earthly facts (physical or biological realities or human observations). Again, selecting God’s reality over our mere visible or empirical world perceptions is the very meaning of living by faith (Heb. 11:1-6). While the exact phrase “truth over facts” is rather modern, the King James Bible explains that God’s eternal word overrides human circumstances, obstacles, and observations always. God’s statements in the Bible are not dismissed merely because some misguided soul says so. Bible teachings are not relegated to sheer superstition or nonsense just because some supposedly ‘intellectual,’ ‘highly educated’ person, or ‘vastly esteemed group’ demotes it to such status. I do not apologize for valuing God’s revelation over human education! 

Message:

Secondly, Truth Must Override Facts as a Standard!

Once more, God’s truth does not change with time, culture, or personal feelings, nor is it diminished in its real significance by an elite group of esteemed individuals. Truth always remains constant for all people, and abiding within truth (embracing complete reality) is the power of authentic spiritual freedom! Truth provides a correct foundation for reality. 

This Tendency to Select God’s Truth is a Recurring Thesis in the Word:

• John 17:17: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” — God’s standard as always is absolute truth. Jesus in His ‘High Priestly Prayer’ is asking the Father to cleanse the disciples and separate them from worldly corruption so they can serve Him.
• “Truth” (the content and occurrence points to ‘what happened’ or ‘whole truth’) constitutes the environment God uses to make us holy—His word. His message and standards do not change. In a confusing world, His word is the ultimate, absolute stable reality.
• Now His second petition for them was for their sanctification. Sanctify means “set apart for special use.” A believer is to be distinct from the world’s sin, its values, and its goals.
• The means of this sanctifying work is God’s truth. The truth is communicated in the Word, which is both personal and propositional. As the message about Jesus was heard, believed, and understood, the disciples’ hearts and minds were captured. This change in their thinking resulted in changes in their living. The same is true of believers today. As they appropriate God’s Word to their lives, they are sanctified—set apart for God and changed in their living in order to honor God (cf. 15:3). God’s message set the apostles apart from the world so that they would do His will, not Satan’s.^[1]
• John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life...” Truth is a person, Jesus Christ, —a divine reality, not just data points, a collection of metrics, or a clear pattern for making informed decisions. Jesus during the Last Supper is telling His disciple Thomas that He is the sole path, ultimate truth, and source of eternal life required to reach God the Father.
• Beloved, Jesus literally embodies divine reality; He is God’s absolute standard. He represents the final, complete, and most accurate revelation of God to the world. God does not simply consider some data pipeline that directly drives operational performance and strategic growth. He relies on Jesus, the TRUTH and so should we!
• As the Father is Truth and Life, Jesus is the embodiment of God so people can come to the Father (cf. 1:4, 14, 18; 11:25). By His words, No one comes to the Father except through Me, Jesus stressed that salvation, contrary to what many people think, is not obtainable through many ways. Only one Way exists (cf. Acts 4:12; 1 Tim. 2:5). Jesus is the only access to the Father because He is the only One from the Father (cf. John 1:1–2, 51; 3:13).^[2]
• 2 Corinthians 5:7: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” — This may be taxing for some individuals, but Believers are instructed to live by spiritual reality rather than physical evidence or observations.
• The word [faith] is not used actively in the sense of vision. Faith is contrasted with the actual appearance of heavenly things.^[3]
• To “walk” in the Bible indicates our daily life, habits, and the way we conduct our journey through life.
• “By faith” is literally trusting the truth of God and His eternal promises even without physical/material proof or verification.
• “Not by sight” is refusing to let temporary physical data, struggles, fears, or worldly-wise emergences control our hope or decisions.
• Beloved, by this strategy we can overcome difficulties by permitting this ‘truth’ when facing intense suffering remind us that earthly life is brief but rather hard at times. We MUST remember our eternal hope constantly! We are to look ahead to an eternal, perfect home with God after physical death, which cannot be seen now but is gripped by our faith.
• The fact that we walk by faith, not by sight is abundant proof that we are absent from the Lord. We have never gazed upon the Lord with our physical eyes. Only through faith have we ever seen Him. As long as we are at home in the body, we have a life that is less close and intimate than the life of actual sight.^[4]
• What sustained Paul was the realization that this was a temporary and transitory state (2 Cor. 4:18). He focused not on present but on future conditions, not on the seen but the unseen. To live this way is to live by faith, not by sight. It is to live in light of ultimate rather than immediate realities (cf. Rom. 8:24–25), to be obedient to God’s commands despite the hardships that obedience produces (e.g., 2 Cor. 11:23–29). Such was Paul’s life. If the choice were his, he would have seized the opportunity to depart this pilgrimage life and take up residence (be at home) with the Lord (Phil. 1:21–23). But the constraints of his commission caused him to press on (cf. Phil. 1:24; Eph. 3:1–13).^[5]
• Child of God, genuine believers are instructed to live according to spiritual reality rather than physical evidence. It is not that we forsake our ability to think, we conscientiously choose to ‘see’ things God’s way! We make daily choices by trusting God’s unseen promises instead of relying only on physical circumstances, the perceptions of human logic, or what our eyes can see…what seems extremely real. Remember, you must exercise your faith; your ability to reason will not give you all the information…only what’s tangible. We are called to steadily trust in the Lord Jesus always and especially during difficult times.

Truth always remains constant for all people and cultures, and abiding within truth (embracing complete reality) is the indisputable power of authentic spiritual freedom! Truth provides the only correct foundation for all reality. 

---

^[1] Edwin A. Blum, “John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 333.

^[2] Edwin A. Blum, “John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 322.

^[3] Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, vol. 3 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887), 319.

^[4] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1838.

^[5] David K. Lowery, “2 Corinthians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 566.

Effectively Winning the Lost

 

“Effectively Win the Lost”

2 Tim. 4:5; Acts 4:1-40

 

SUBJECT: EVANGELISM

THEME: Practice the essentials to win the lost and overcome the distractions, and discouragements involved with evangelism.

INTRODUCTION:

1. You might say that I have it on my heart to speak especially to all who are interested in propagating the Gospel to the ends of the earth. That is carrying out the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus and winning the lost of the world for whom He died.  Paul said to Timothy in 2 Tim. 4:5, “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”

• Do the work of an evangelist. That work is always proclaiming the gospel to all people, calling on them to repent and be saved. Whatever the obstacles, opposition of false teachers, problems of church administration, distractions, or discouragements, Timothy was not to allow any of them to keep him from his appointed task. The phrase means, “do the work of preaching the gospel,” or of one appointed to proclaim the glad tidings of salvation. This is the proper business of all ministers, whatever other position or function we may maintain. This is a major part of our ministry.

• Make full proof of thy ministry. We are to push all our primary duties to their utmost energy and activity! That is carrying out each duty toward all their consequences and trusting God to work with us and through us.  We are not to neglect any part of our sacred functions; perform faithfully all the duties of our ministry; and do God's work in his own way and in his own Spirit.

• Nothing should deter us from carrying out our duties until the day when our ministry would be completed (that is, at our death). How can we know when we have fully carried out our ministry? By defining ministry in terms of lifelong goals instead of temporary jobs, positions, and opportunities.

·       Then, when life ends, we will be able to say with Paul, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” (2 Tim. 4:7). Paul also tells us to “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.” (1 Tim. 4:15).

2. These are challenging days however. I need not remind you of that. One thing that amazes me about the Bible is how minutely and accurately it describes the last days in which we currently live.  It characterizes the last days before the Lord Jesus returns as “evil days.”  Currently there are many enemies to fundamental, Bible-believing, soul-winning churches, workers and preachers.

·       Men in the last days will have a form of “godliness, but denying the power thereof.”  This generation is seeing this statement fulfilled like no other has.  There is worldliness and modernism on every hand.  Wickedness occupies high and low places nationally and around the world.  Thus, this presents the modern preacher and Christian worker with some extremely challenging days in which to minister.

·       Consider the prophet Elijah as an example of a man of God discouraged while attempting the work of Evangelism.  In spite of the fact that he reached great heights in the Lord’s work, enjoyed tremendous power in executing his ministry, and experienced great victories over the enemies of the Lord, he still encountered periods of discouragement.

MESSAGE:

I.           We Need to Witness with Reality (Acts 4:13, 20).

Christ had originally chosen the Twelve to be with him and to send them out to preach the Gospel in power and authority (Mark 3:14-15). Here we find Peter and John, fishermen by trade, who had never received formal theological or special training. Yet their testimony before the members of the council was astonishing. Peter and John were bold, composed, confident, and undaunted in their defense. Christ and the Gospel message was a reality to them. As the apostles stood there with the healed cripple man, speaking with authority, the members of the Council recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. Though the Council still rejected Christ, they were certain the apostles totally believed what they were declaring.

A.   To Witness with Reality Means to Really Believe What We Are Declaring (Acts 4:19-20). 

                                             i.     They Were Convinced of the Truth of the Gospel.

Commanded by Christ to be witnesses (Acts 1:8) and utterly convinced of the truth of the gospel, Peter and John announced their rejection of any such ban on speaking in the name of Jesus. 

                                           ii.     They Were Compelled by Their Personal Experiences With Christ.

A.    These men had indeed “been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13), and he had completely transformed their lives. They had lived with him; they had witnessed his resurrection; they had experienced the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

B.    And so they said, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” To have obeyed the Council's command would have been to disobey God.

                                         iii.     They Were Careful to Sustain a Credible Witness of the Gospel. 

A.    What if, when threatened by the Sanhedrin, the disciples had abruptly changed their story and curtailed their witness? How credible would the gospel have been after that?

B.    The fact that they stood strong in the face of severe persecution gave their message a lot more credibility.

C.    Likewise, when we make the daily decision to do what is right, when we stand up boldly for Christ against a hostile crowd, people take notice. They look closer at our lives and listen more carefully to our message. (From Dr. C. Malone)

                                          iv.     Our Conviction for the Truth Can Be Used of God in Witnessing.

A.    We must possess a belief to such a degree that the listener will be compelled to note the authenticity of our faith. 

B.    Even if they reject or disagree with our message, they will still be convinced that we truly believe it.  The message must be real to the messengers of the Lord.

B.   To Witness With Reality Requires a Belief in Heaven and Hell.

                                             i.     I had a lengthy witness with a young man on visitation. While working the front gate and intersection between Katterbach and Bismark Kaserns, a tall young man came along in uniform. So, I introduced myself and extended to him an invitation to the church. Then I asked him if he had a religious background as I customarily do during witnessing encounters and episodes.  He stated that he was Catholic and once studied to prepare to become a priest.  He said he left the movement because his father was a strong ‘Christian’ all his life until he lost his faith on his deathbed.  He tried to find peace with this experience as he wrestled with whether his father went to heaven or did his failure of faith cause him to finally go to Hell instead. His priest could not assure him of his father’s salvation, therefore he dropped out of school. As the conversation continued, I assured him that salvation is strictly through faith in Christ and his finished work at Calvary. I proceeded to share with him the gospel. During the presentation, I pressed home the truth that Jesus Christ is the ONLY Way, Truth and Life. But this very thing he could not accept.  He believed that there were other good religions and that many ways lead to heaven. He rejected the idea that Jesus is the only way, and he said with all the seriousness in his soul. “If you really believed that the rest of the world was dying and going to hell, and the only way they could be saved is through Jesus, then why aren’t Christians telling people all over the world?”

I told him, “I believe this so much that I am a missionary here in Germany to servicemen and their families; I generously support missions around the world; and I am standing here on this corner telling you about Jesus.”  He stood there in disbelief and said, “I have difficulty with accepting one way as the only way to heaven.”  I assured him that I really believe what God said directly about this matter without a single doubt!

Yes, I believe it with all my heart. With all my soul I believe as Jesus taught, that every lost man and woman, buy or girl who has not been born by God's Holy Spirit is forever lost and will spend eternity in Hell.

That young man looked deep into my face and said, “If that is true, it is mighty serious business.”

I prayed, “O God, give to my heart and the heart of every Christian the seriousness of this unbelieving young man.”

 

                                           ii.     My friends, it is true, and it is serious business. Multitudes are lost. They are lost in our city; they are lost all over Germany and America; they are lost on every mission field. We need to enter the holy presence of God in travail of soul and in earnest supplication and prayer until we can go out with a message and the people can say, “Those people actually believe what they are saying.” We need to witness with tremendous reality.

 

                                         iii.     It is said that some years ago in England there was a great actor giving a reading in a room filled with people. Someone suggested that he give the 23rd Psalm.

                                           He asked, “Do you really want me to?”

                                           An old clergyman stood up and said, “Yes, Sir. Give the 23rd Psalm.”

It is said that the great actor, with the most precise intonations and the finest of elocution, began to recite. When he finished, the people smiled, nodded their heads and applauded.

 

                                           Then the actor said, “I want that elderly preacher to give it.”

That gray-haired preacher rose like a giant for God and began, “The Lord is my shepherd.” He walked with God in the green meadows; he walked with God beside the still waters; he walked with God down in the dark valley that came out on the bright side. Finally, with his face turned toward Heaven, he closed, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”

                                              He sat down. Nobody applauded but heads were down and people weeping.

The great actor arose and said, “The difference between me and this preacher is that I knew the Psalm, but he knew the Shepherd.” (From Dr. C. Malone)

                                          iv.     Beloved, our witnessing must be done with a reality that will grip hearts. It must not be vague. It must not be filled with doubt. We must witness so that the lost shall take knowledge that “we have been with Jesus.” Listen, the world today has enough doubt without getting anymore from you and from me. We must witness with the tone of reality.

The Power of Our Faith

Ephesians 1:15-23

Subject: Faith

Theme: pray that we believers will appreciate the privileges we have in Christ, experience God deeply, have hope in His grand calling, and daily experience His matchless power by faith.

Introduction:

Can you think of someone who has a powerful faith? What are the evidences of his or her faith? At the very foundation of Christian belief and behavior, we find ‘faith.’ Like the Washington Monument in the District of Columbia clearly looms over all other structures in the city, Christ regards faith as the supremely desirable quality. It far surpasses all others except charity (1Cor. 13:13).

To understand its significance to Christian experience we only need to perceive the value Christ placed on it. The superiority of faith is demonstrated by the Syrophoenician woman who possessed incredible determination as she appealed to the Lord Jesus for her daughter’s deliverance (Matt. 15:21-28). Faith’s weight can be seen when the Roman centurion who was distinguishingly humble approach the Lord on behalf of his sick servant (Matt. 8:5-13). And you may also recall the supremacy of faith as Bartimaeus, the blind man, who was conspicuously earnest and sincere despite the obstacles asked Jesus for sight (Mark 10:46-52). But what about each of them captured Christ’s attention? He was even delightfully amazed in some of these instances! What is it that repeatedly opens His generous hands to grant requests? Unmistakably, it was their powerful faith. It was this Christ centered confidence that brought them to Him in the first place—a conviction that Jesus will make all the difference in the world. Faith will evidence perseverance, faithfulness, humility, earnestness, and myriads of other holy qualities. But, essentially faith crafts and cultivates a certain lifestyle—one in which the believer daily experiences God in powerful ways. 

Message:

Now, because we possess monumental spiritual blessings in Christ, we need enlightenment regarding them. Like all believers, these blessings include election, predestination, adoption, purpose, acceptance, redemption, forgiveness, grace, insight into the mystery of God’s will, an inheritance, and sealing by the Spirit for additional assurance (Eph. 1:3-14). Beyond this we like Paul should yearn to know God most personally, intimately, experientially, and powerfully. In fact this is what he prayed for the Ephesians. Note…

I.       How Paul Responded to the Ephesian Believers’ Privileges (Eph. 1:14b-16).

A.    He praised God for their salvation blessings (v. 14b, 15a).

B.    He heard of their faithfulness in the Lord Jesus (v. 15).

C.    He heard of their love for all the saints (v. 15).

D.    He thanked God for them ceaselessly (v. 16a).

E.     He prayed for their spiritual enlightenment constantly (v. 16b).

II.     What Paul Prayed for the Ephesian Believers’ Progress (Eph. 1:17-23).

A.    Whom He Prayed to: He Addressed God for Them (v. 17).

                                                  1.     To the God of our Lord Jesus Christ (v. 17).

                                                  2.     To the Father of Glory (v. 17).

B.    What He Prayed for: He Appealed to God for Them (v. 17-23).

                                                  1.     That God would give them knowledge of Himself through the Spirit (v. 17b).

i.       A deep and practical knowledge of Himself (v. 17).

ii.     An experiential and intimate knowledge of Himself (v. 17).

                                                  2.     That God would enlighten them to know the hope of His calling for believers (v. 18).

                                                  3.     That God would give them factual knowledge of the wealth of glory in His inheritance (v. 18).

i.       God’s inheritance is within the sphere of His saints.

ii.     God views His inheritance as valuable and precious.

                                                  4.     That God would give them knowledge of His dynamic power towards believers (v. 19-23).

i.       God’s mighty power glorified Christ as Supreme (v. 19b-22a).

a.      This is resurrection power (v. 20).

b.     This is ascension power (v. 20).

c.      This is enthroning power (v. 20).

d.     This is supreme, universal, and enduring power (v. 21).

ii.     God’s mighty power placed Christ as the comprehensive Head over all creation (v. 22a).

iii.   God’s mighty power gave Christ to the church to be its glorious Head and share His kingdom dominion (v. 22b-23).

a.      To be Christ’s body (v. 22, 23).

b.     To be filled by Christ like He fills the universe (v. 23).

Conclusion:

Today we should be using the power of faith to believe, accept, and live in light of the fact that God’s dynamic power is immediately available to us believers (Eph. 1:19-23). Like Paul, we must cry out to God in prayer to grasp this life transforming reality. Not that we might receive this power, but that we would recognize it is already available to each of us by faith. Personally, I want an entire catalog of accounts of the powerful faithfulness of God through multiplied experiences with him throughout my life. Don’t you want to experience God in powerful ways?

The Weakness of Shallow Religion

1 SAMUEL 1:1-3

Theme: Though Elkanah’s faith appears to be strong, it is actually weak, shallow and superficial. God would have us know Him, walk with Him and worship Him with all our heart and mind in an ever growing relationship.  

ELKANAH IS MERELY A RELIGIOUS MAN.  

Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite: ² And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. ³ And this man went up out of his city ^†yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there.^[1] (1Samuel 1:1-3)

Elkanah’s description as an Ephraimite appears troublesome since Samuel served as a priest, an office reserved exclusively for Levites. However, Elkanah was a direct descendant of Levi (1 Chron. 6:33–38) and was therefore qualified to function in a priestly capacity. He was a Levite by lineage but an Ephraimite by residence. One indication of how lawless were the times in which Samuel was born is his father’s bigamous marriages. ^[2]

The designation “Ephrathite” indicates his residence and location only, but he actually belongs to the priestly tribe of Levi. He and his family are Levites who had been historically devoted to the Lord and His service. Yet, Elkanah is not serving as a priest or Levite….

    1. He Appears to be Faithful in His Worship.   Vs. 3

In spite of Elkanah’s failures, he is still a deeply religious man (1Sam.1:3).

       A.  He Has Not Forsaken the Lord.  Vs. 3, “unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh”

He had not forsaken the one true God to worship the "gods" of Canaan like so many of his fellow Israelites. 

       B.  He Keeps the Annual Feasts and Sacrifices. 

Evidently, he faithfully celebrates all three special feasts outlined by the Lord in the book of Exodus (23:15-16).  "Three times in the year," God had said, “all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD” (Exo. 23:17).

Though many in Israel failed to honor God in this way—just as many Christians today fail to honor God by worshiping Him regularly and giving the first fruits of their material possessions—Elkanah was very conscientious about obeying these particular commandments.

       C.  He is Consistent and Faithful.

We read that “this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh.” (1 Sam. 1:3).

    2.  He Appears to be Persistent in His Worship.  Vs. 3

1 Samuel 1:3, And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there.

Verse 3 emphasize Elkanah’s persistence in spite of the sinfulness and corruption of Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas. These men were notoriously wicked, but Elkanah faithfully and persistently worshiped God from his heart. He refuses to allow the sinfulness of others hinder his acts of devotion. Many weak souls will soon abandon their practice of faith because of the perceived and actual hypocrisy of so called adherents. They will work with, play with, recreate with, party with and even go into business with hypocrites, but they will NOT worship with them. Such excuses only evidence shallow commitments. Not Elkanah though.... He stayed with what he knew to be right and true even though his spiritual leaders were desperately wicked men.     

    3. He is Actually Superficial in His Worship.

Elkanah is a religious man—a faithful Jew when it came to performing the outward requirements of the law, particularly in terms of offering sacrifices to God. Remember superficial identifies his religion as surface, external, peripheral, and merely skin deep. It consisted in outward routines devoid of spiritual meaning. His faith is not really internalized; therefore, minimally impactful in his lifestyle and decisions.  Elkanah is an illustration of weak and shallow religion....

APPLICATION: It’s often easier to carry out the external requirements of Christianity yet neglect the internal and foundational requirements that give meaning to our outward forms of worship, service and commitment. Sometimes giving great amounts of money to a church or ministry is merely a substitute for giving one self and our talents or skills to the Lord. Such gifts tend to gain us recognition, special privileges, and honor before the rest of the church. It is so easy for spiritual disciplines to become routines disconnected from their God-given designs. As a result our faith stagnates at shallow routines and nearly meaningless practices. Bible reading is hit and miss...mostly miss. Prayer is relegated to emergency use only, but certainly not daily communion with God. Meditating on God's Word has been lost upon modern Christians. Tradition can displace truth as worship descends into patterns and forms long severed from their original meaning, power, and grace as God intended. It is possible to attend church and never worship while there…. It is possible to discover powerful truths through preaching and never bother to actually explore their potential in our own lives...through obedience. Yes, like Elkanah we can merely settle for a form of shallow and weak religion that vaguely resembles a vibrant faith.  

But, why? How could this development take shape when a person regularly involves themselves in religious events and activities? Really...when a person is willing to sacrifice for their faith isn't that an indication of deep and substantial devotion? Then how can Elkanah be regarded as merely superficial and shallow in his worship? Wouldn't it be more correct to say his faith is strong and deep instead of weak and shallow?

          A.  Worldliness is often the Culprit.

However, when it came to matters of the heart, Elkanah allowed the worlds system to penetrate his lifestyle. We must remember that in this moment of Israel’s history, “every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 21:25), including marrying more than one woman. Elkanah’s decision to be a polygamist and to subsequently demonstrate favoritism toward Hannah definitely reflected the pagan influence that had penetrated his own life. Consequently, he suffered the consequences in terms of his family life.

          B.  External Religion without Internal Commitment is Likely the Case.

Today, many of us as Christians definitely consider ourselves religious. We may go to church regularly, we may have been baptized, and we may even substantially support the ministry financially. We're also committed to the basic tenets of Christianity: the deity of Christ, salvation by grace, the Bible is the Word of God, and that Jesus Christ is coming again.

But at the heart level there is something missing in many of our lives. We are more committed to the externals of the Christian Faith than we are to the internal aspects, such as genuine devotion, loving God, deep transformation within, empowered obedience, reflecting the fruit of the Spirit, which the apostle Paul describes as “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance” (Gal. 5:22).

APPLICATION: Unfortunately, most of us live in a culture that is out of harmony with these Christian values. Consequently, we must constantly be on guard against the subtle influences of the world system, which the apostle John defines as, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (1 John 2:16). The Word of God can help us know the true state of our hearts and motives. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Daily, the Scriptures can alerts us when we are merely going through the religious motions.

          C.  A Compensation for Guilt May also be in Play.

Frankly, I also believe many of us as Christians perform our religious duties to compensate for our failures. Guilt is the real motivation and not the Spirit of God.

                 1.  We know in our hearts we are not committed to Jesus Christ as we should be.

                 2.  We know we’re toying with sinful thoughts that dull our spiritual lives.

                 3.  We’re playing around with the sensual aspects of a worldly lifestyle.

                 4.  We’re making decisions in our businesses that are questionable, if not downright unethical.

                 5.  Our language is often not honoring to God.

                 6.  We give the appearance of being religious—in actuality, to compensate for our guilt.

APPLICATION: Sometimes we do good things for the wrong reasons. Elkanah should have been devoted to God as a priest or a Levite…. Knowing he was not what and where he ought to be motivated him to practice shallow religion instead of exploring and experiencing a life of joyful obedience to God. Yes, He made great sacrifices to compensate for his guilt, but God would rather obedience than sacrifice (1 Sam. 15:22-23). God desires that we worship Him in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:23-24) from the heart and not merely adhering to empty religious traditions, and rituals that miss the point of adoration, praise, and heart-felt devotion (Matt. 22:36-40). If any of what I am emphasizing is true in your own life, ask God to help you practice Paul's exhortation to the Philippians: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Philip. 4:8) Allow such honest inward reflections and Spirit-led self-examinations to produce godly outward expressions of true devotion from the heart. Finally, 1 John 1:9, is still in the Bible for folks just like you and me. God is a merciful and forgiving God when we specifically acknowledge our sins to Him in an attitude of genuine repentance.

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^[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 1 Sa 1:1–3). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^[2] Merrill, E. H. (1985). 1 Samuel. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 433). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.