1 Samuel 3:18 (7/12/23)

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1 Samuel 3:18 (7/12/23)

Approach With Boldness

July 12, 2023 • Benham Brothers • 1 Samuel 3:18

God wants us to boldly approach the throne of grace (Hebrews 4;16).

“Approach with confidence” - knowing that God “wants” to bless you.

He’s a good Father.

Backstory - we see two different approaches to this in Scripture.

In 2 Kings 20 God showed up to Hezekiah and told him he would die.

Hezekiah cried out to the Lord for more time.

He passionately made his appeal.

God answered that prayer by granting him 15 more years.

In 1 Samuel 3 God had a message for Eli.

He had been a bad priest and dad, so his priesthood would be removed.

How would he receive the news?

Samuel delivered the message.

Vs 18 - “So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”

Eli passively received this news.

God didn’t answer Eli’s prayer because Eli didn’t make an appeal.

Eli was ok with God’s punishment, but he made no attempt to humble himself and rebuke his boys and make a request to God for mercy.

I believe it’s because Eli was a lazy man.

David, on the other hand, was not lazy.

He was a big sinner, but he was also a big repenter.

EX: David in 2 Samuel 12 cried out for his kid to live (he didn’t get it).

God wants us to pray!

He wants us to ask.

Here’s the key - when you make your request, surrender to God’s will.

Whether God grants your request or not, be ok with what God does.

This is how we can be confident.

Make your request. And be ok with the answer.

You can stand confident that your Good Father will do what’s best.

1 Samuel 1:12-15 (4/27/17)

April 27, 2017 • Benham Brothers

* We get a glimpse of the type of person Eli was and why maybe he was not a good father. * He rebuked a woman who didn’t need to be rebuked * He assumed something about a person that didn’t line up with reality and in haste rebuked her before he questioned her. * This shows his willingness to act without thinking. * On the flip side, we see later on that he didn’t rebuke his sons even though they needed to be rebuked. * Son on the one hand he rebuked someone who didn’t deserve it because he judged by outward appearance, but on the other hand he refused to rebuke someone who did deserve it because he didn’t have the courage to confront. * Hannah was an easy target - his sons were not.

1 Samuel 1:15-16 (4/29/21)

April 29, 2021 • Benham Brothers

* Philippians 4:6-7 - “Be anxious for nothing…” * Anxiety is “a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.” * Fear is often about a past or present threat. * Anxiety is about a future potential threat. * Oftentimes, that threat is the overwhelming feeling of powerlessness (lack of control). * Backstory - Hannah had anxiety over being barren and it was weighing her down. * She could think of nothing else but her lack of children. * She felt anxious. What would she do? * Vs 9-10 - she poured out her heart to God. * You have to pour out to God so He can pour into you. * He wants you to have peace, joy, love, etc. * But you have to let go of anything that would keep you from those things. * Vs 11 - she expressed her “devotion.” * It stirred God’s heart. * Vs 12-14 - Eli assumed something that wasn’t true of Hannah. * Often times people may misunderstand you when you are doing business with God. * Vs 15-18 - as a result of pouring out her soul, she was no longer anxious. * Although nothing had changed, everything was different! * She poured her burden into God’s bucket and He took it. * ** If you had a 50lb bucket of water and someone came along with an empty bucket and asked if they could help you, would you take it? * Vs 19-20 - she did her part. * Often times anxiety comes when you’re not doing something you know you should do. * Vs 25-28 - Result - she had the grace to handle the answer to her prayer. * She gave the son away and God rewarded her with a 500% return (1 Samuel 2:21).

1 Samuel 1:24 (4/26/18)

April 26, 2018 • Benham Brothers

* The best thing a young entrepreneur can do is quantify how much is enough. * You need a plan to: * 1) Quantify your hours. * When you get to a certain point financially will you use that money to buy your time back? * At what point do you stop working 70 hours a week and cut it to 30? * 2) Quantify your income. * When you get to a certain point financially will you increase what you give in tithe? * The goal is to get to a point where you give away more than you take home. * Hannah shows us how to do this. * It was her idea to give her son away after he was weaned. * She got to keep him for a few years, but then she let him go. * She didn’t keep holding on. * This worked out for her with 500% ROI (1 Samuel 2:21).