Sunday Recap for 7/30 Big Picture Question:  If we can sin against God, who can help us?

Sunday Recap for 7/30 Big Picture Question:  If we can sin against God, who can help us?

Sunday, July 30, Evident Grace Fellowship, we attempted to answer this Big Picture Question: 

If someone sins against God, who will help them

And we looked at 1 Samuel 2:22-36: 

22 Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. 24 No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. 25 If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death

26 Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man. 

27 And there came a man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh? 28 Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. 29 Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’ 30 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 31 Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32 Then in distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. 33 The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants of your house shall die by the sword of men. 34 And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die on the same day.  

35 And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever. 36 And everyone who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say, “Please put me in one of the priests’ places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.”’

And we found these 3 answers to our Big Picture Question: 

If someone sins against God, who will help them? 

  • Not a person
  • Not an institution
  • Only a faithful priest  

Not a person

1 Samuel 2:22 Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. 24 No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. 25 If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.  25 If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death. 

Eli’s sons were sinning greatly, and they weren’t going to stop.  Eli warned them, and he asks them, “If you sin against another person, God will intervene, but if you sin against God, who will intercede for you?”  That’s just it.  The priests were supposed to be doing that, but they failed.  They failed the people of God, and they failed God Himself.  They can’t intercede for themselves.  No man can mend the broken relationship between God and man.

Not an institution  

1 Samuel 2:26 Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man

27 And there came a man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus the Lord has said, ‘Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh? 28 Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel.   

29 Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’  

30 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 31 Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house.

32 Then in distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. 33 The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants of your house shall die by the sword of men.   

34 And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die on the same day

Eli’s family were part of the Levitical priesthood.  God had promised that they would always have a priest serving Him from that family.  But Eli’s line within that family was going to be removed.  God was going to put Hophni and Phineas to death.  Eli and his sons trusted that they were priests.  They trusted that institutions would continue on.  But institutions don’t save.  The family, the church, and institutions like government won’t save us.  We need a faithful priest to save us. 

Only a faithful pries

1 Samuel 2:35 And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever. 36 And everyone who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say, “Please put me in one of the priests’ places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.”’” 

God promised that a faithful priest would serve Him and build a sure house for Him.  Hebrews 3.5-6 tell us that Jesus is that faithful priest and the church is the sure house of God.  Jesus is the hope for us when we sin against God.  He is our only hope

Big Picture Question:  If someone sins against God, who will help them

Truth:  Only Jesus can forgive you of your sin.   

Application:  Living knowing that God gifts you with Godly people, a church, and a pastor, but the purpose of all of them is to point to Jesus

Action:  This week, forgive someone so completely that it is like they never sinned against you.   

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