Pastor Tunde Oyetola
Sunday Sermon: MFM Headquarters Youth Church
Date: 31st December, 2017
Text: 1 Samuel 28:3, Ezekiel 33:30
1 Sam. 28:3: “Now Samuel was dead…”
Beloved, anytime you see a scriptural verse beginning with the word “NOW”, please pay attention to that specific portion of the scripture. It means something definitive is about to happen, or something has happened; something has changed in the spirit realm. In Genesis 3, the Bible while introducing the serpent had this to say: “NOW, the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field…”. Anytime, I see “now”, I look closely, it means God wants to pass a message.
1 Sam. 28:3: “Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.”
Samuel was born at a time when there was no vision. He was born when the Word of the Lord was scarce. Samuel was born when the eyes of Eli started going dim and the lamp went out in the temple of the LORD. He was born at a very strategic time. Samuel had an agenda – he was the mouthpiece of the LORD. The Bible records that the words of Samuel did not fall to the ground. Samuel, greatly represented the voice of the LORD. He represented the presence of the LORD. Now Samuel, the same Samuel was dead.
This short exhortation is titled Now, Samuel was dead.
1 Sam. 28: 3 – 6:
3“Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.
4 And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.
5 And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.
6And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.”
Saul was in serious trouble here, he needed God urgently.
I pray over your life even in this coming year, Heaven will not be silent over your life in the name of Jesus.
My friend, if there’s anything you must defend now and in the coming year, it’s your glory. If there’s any battle you must wage and fight, it’s against the glory killers. Saul’s glory came with shouting, with massive publicity – so much so that the Israelites asked if he was among the Prophets. He was anointed. He had Samuel – he had the voice of God with him, he had the presence of God with him. However, along the line he lost everything. If there’s anything you must protect beloved, it’s that your glory be not stolen.
Saul’s glory came like a mighty rushing wind, but left silently. The same God that anointed Saul, and endorsed his ascension to the throne, spreading amazement throughout the camp of Israel was the same God that left him for dead when despair came upon him. The voice of God left him, the presence of God left him. Beloved, it will be a tragedy to lose the presence of God this coming year. You cannot afford to lose God in this journey. This is a year full of prophecies. A year the enemy will rage. Now Samuel died and Saul was in serious trouble.
The enemy knew that Saul had turned to an empty barrel; the enemy knew that the substance in which Saul was manifesting had deserted him. The enemy knew that Saul had exchanged his glory with disobedience, rebellion and all sorts. The enemy knew that Saul had lost everything that had to do with God’s presence. The enemy immediately gathered when Samuel died.
I pray for you in the name of Jesus that any power monitoring your life for evil, they shall be destroyed today.
Ezekiel 33:30-32 highlights the precept of God that Saul transgressed.
Ezek. 33: 30-32:
30“Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, everyone to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD.”
31 “And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
32And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.”
In verse 31, the Bible advises to ‘please come’, come and hear when you have the opportunity to hear. When there’s the opportunity to listen to God, to seek God. Beloved, there is a time when God can be found – Psa. 32:6a. Beloved, everything you can do to get God, please do it. Because it is in His direction that you find life. It is in His direction that you find progress; it is in HIS direction that you find advancement. Saul had a very wonderful opportunity, he was given some assignments which he oftentimes tweaked or outrightly disobeyed. Unfortunately, his sins accumulated, and resulted in his loss of God’s divine presence. At some point the voice of God died in his life.
Scripture says in Gen. 6:3:
Gen. 6:3: “And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh…”
If God speaks to you and your will often trumps His in your life, then know for sure that God will gradually cease to strive with you. God’s secrets are revealed to those who give him unrestricted access to every portion of their lives. There were so many lamentable misdeeds that hindered God in moving in our lives in 2017 that need correction. Some of them are:
- Chronic lack of the knowledge of the Scriptures.
- Cleverly concealed sins: Sin creates a ladder for the enemy into your life. Each sin committed acts like a hurdle on your path. Sin reduces your destiny.
- Lack of interest in Evangelism.
- Weak prayer altars: Like Daniel, have covenant prayer hours and make sure it stands – Dan. 6:10.
- Obituary of Quiet time: Your quiet time is the period when you download the mind of heaven for you for your day.
- Poor reading culture: How many Christian books did you read the past year?
- Disrespect towards time.
- Lack of Vision: Destiny-enhancing principles like having a vision i.e., a set target of when you ought to have achieved a specific goal could make all the difference. If you see someone “running”, check their vision. You must have God’s clear vision for your life.
- Entertainment lovers.
- Sermon-proof Christians: Christians that always have their own opinions. Nothing that’s preached moves them. Christians that resist the instructions of God to change or transform them.
- Living a carefree life: Don’t become over-familiar with God.
Finally, in Acts 28:24:
Acts 28:24:
24“And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.
25And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,
26Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:
27For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Stay blessed.