Altamesa Sermons

What do you mean Saul couldve been David? Didnt God know what He was doing?

info@altamesa.org (info@altamesa.org) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:42:43 GMT

1 Samuel 13:11-14 11 "What have you done?" asked Samuel. Saul replied, "When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time... 12 I thought, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the LORD's favor.' So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering."

· When things dont go well or you are faced with pressure, are your pipes good?

· Faced with a difficult circumstance dont allow impatience to drive you to disobedience.

· When temptation comes will you follow Gods plan.

· When you know what God wants follow His plan regardless of the consequences.

13 "You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD's command."

Samuel calls Sauls actions foolish. Other examples of fools in the scripture:

· Psalm 14... Atheistic fool

· Luke 12... Rich fool

· Matthew 7... Foolish builder

· Matthew 25... Unprepared fool

· Galatians 3... Legalistic fool

Heres what foolishness costs:

· The fulfillment of Gods will & the power of Gods Word

· The realization of Gods Kingdom

· The blessings of my kingdom

· The salvation of my soul

Samuels last sermon (almost)

info@altamesa.org (info@altamesa.org) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:32:36 GMT

Overview of 1 Samuel 12:1-19

Samuel asks You can trust me, right? (verses 1-5)
Remember your salvation story, it will come in handy (6-8)
Remember the human story, it tends to repeat itself (9-11)
Pay me now or pay me later (12-15)
Rain or reign (16-19; 25)

Our focus is on 1 Samuel 12:20-24... How do people return to God?

Make sure its the right God you return to (20-21)

20-21 20 "Do not be afraid," Samuel replied. "You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. 21 Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless.

Fan the fire of Holy fear (24a)

24 But be sure to fear the LORD

What size portion do you serve? (24b)

and serve him faithfully with all your heart;

Make your memories count (24c)

consider what great things he has done for you.

Accept what only God can do (22)

22 For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own.

We pray for one another (23)

23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.

The Strange & Sad Story of the Selection of Saul as King

info@altamesa.org (info@altamesa.org) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:08:49 GMT

1 Samuel 9 & 10

9:1-2; 15-17 1 There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish... 2 He had a son named Saul, an impressive young man without equal among the Israelitesa head taller than any of the others.

15 Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed this to Samuel: 16 "About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him leader over my people Israel; he will deliver my people from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked upon my people, for their cry has reached me." 17 When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the LORD said to him, "This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people."

9:20-21; 27-10:1a 20 As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and all your father's family?" 21 Saul answered, "But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?"

27 As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the servant to go on ahead of us"-and the servant did so-"but you stay here awhile, so that I may give you a message from God." 1 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul's head and kissed him, saying, "Has not the LORD anointed you leader over hispeople Israel? You will reign over the LORD 's people and save them from the power of their surrounding enemies.

10:9, 13-16 9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul's heart,and all these signs were fulfilled that day. 13 After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the high place

14 Now Saul's uncle asked him and his servant, "Where have you been?" "Looking for the donkeys," he said. "But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel." 15 Saul's uncle said, "Tell me what Samuel said to you." 16 Saul replied, "He assured us that the donkeys had been found." But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.

This is a story about 4 things.

Faith
The benefits and dangers of a human king
God using ordinary events & people to accomplish His purposes
Consequences & missed opportunities

June 21st

info@altamesa.org (info@altamesa.org) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:14:15 GMT

The Heartbreak of God, the People ask for a King

info@altamesa.org (info@altamesa.org) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:11:54 GMT

I Samuel 8:7 And the LORD told him: Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.
8:1-3 1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
See Deuteronomy 17:14-15a
1 Samuel 8: 19-20 19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles."
The people are looking for love in all the wrong places. Two things theyre looking for.
First, we want to be like the nations around us
Leviticus 20:26 You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own.
If you meet your desires outside the will of God and the calling He has laid on your life you are headed for one of these five Ds:
Disappointment
Debt
Dependence (on some addictive substance or behavior)
Divorce
Death
The second thing the Israelites were looking for was a king to fight their battles.
So what kind of king does God want?
One after His own heart. Look what Paul says and notice his emphasis on Gods role in all this.
See Acts 13:16-22
God is the King who goes before you!
You can be faithful to God under a king. You cannot live under God but have your faith in any other king.
Accept Gods work on your behalf then work like your life depends on Him and be loyal to your calling.
Your deepest desires will only truly be fulfilled inside of Gods will for you
Resolve what God has called you to do.

Where is the Ark of the Covenant?

info@altamesa.org (info@altamesa.org) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 20:05:38 GMT

Today we cover 4 chapters in 1 Samuel. Here they are with the big picture theme:

Chapter 4: Symbols of God without the substance of God leads to separation from God!
Chapter 5: Dont be seduced by the lesser gods!
Chapter 6: The Ark comes home, how about you?
Chapter 7: How far has God brought us and how far are we willing to go?

Samuel

info@altamesa.org (info@altamesa.org) — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:46:13 GMT

Samuel 3
The LORD Calls Samuel
1 The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.
2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple [a] of the LORD, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the LORD called Samuel.
Samuel answered, "Here I am." 5 And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me."
But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down.

6 Again the LORD called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me."
"My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down."

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD : The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.

8 The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me."
Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!"
Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

11 And the LORD said to Samuel: "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle. 12 At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his familyfrom beginning to end. 13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, [b] and he failed to restrain them. 14 Therefore, I swore to the house of Eli, 'The guilt of Eli's house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.' "

15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the LORD. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, 16 but Eli called him and said, "Samuel, my son."
Samuel answered, "Here I am."

17 "What was it he said to you?" Eli asked. "Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you." 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."

19 The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the LORD. 21 The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.
1 Samuel 4
Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines at Aphek. 2 The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield. 3 When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, "Why did the LORD bring defeat upon us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the LORD's covenant from

1. I'm Listening
2. God speaks through the Holy Spirit by...

His Word
Prayer
The Church
Our Circumstances

Special: Rising to the Occasion

info@altamesa.org (info@altamesa.org) — Sun, 24 May 2009 20:53:51 GMT

Today Danny stepped out of the series on the life of Samuel to bring a special message for our church: Rising to the Occasion. The scripture text is Jude 20-22 from the New Living Translation.

Jude 20-22 NLT 20 But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, 21 and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in Gods love.

22 And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. 23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.

Elis Tragedy

info@altamesa.org (info@altamesa.org) — Sat, 16 May 2009 21:29:58 GMT

I Samuel 2:12-26

12 Eli's sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD. 13 Now it was the practice of the priests with the people that whenever anyone offered a sacrifice and while the meat was being boiled, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand. 14 He would plunge it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot, and the priest would take for himself whatever the fork brought up. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. 15 But even before the fat was burned, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give the priest some meat to roast; he won't accept boiled meat from you, but only raw."

16 If the man said to him, "Let the fat be burned up first, and then take whatever you want," the servant would then answer, "No, hand it over now; if you don't, I'll take it by force."

17 This sin of the young men was very great in the LORD's sight, for they [ d ] were treating the LORD's offering with contempt.

18 But Samuel was ministering before the LORD -a boy wearing a linen ephod. 19 Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, "May the LORD give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the LORD." Then they would go home. 21 And the LORD was gracious to Hannah; she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.

22 Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 23 So he said to them, "Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. 24 No, my sons; it is not a good report that I hear spreading among the LORD's people. 25 If a man sins against another man, God [ e ] may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?" His sons, however, did not listen to their father's rebuke, for it was the LORD's will to put them to death.

26 And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men.

3 things we know from this story:

We know what dedication looks like
We know God and wed better take that as seriously as He does
We know what the standard needs to be for the next generation

God Knows What He is Doing: Hannah Rose

info@altamesa.org (info@altamesa.org) — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:53:32 GMT

I Samuel 1:1-9a 1 There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite [ a ] from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

3 Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the LORD. 4 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb. 6 And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. 7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. 8 Elkanah her husband would say to her, "Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don't you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?"

9 Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah rose...

Hannah rose... That's where the title of the sermon and the name come from. Let's look at it again.
Now I think it must have been a big, beautiful wedding in the old hill country of Ephraim. The solemn ceremonies are over and now it's time for the reception out of doors of course and I can see Hannah and all of the bride's maids having fun. I think, maybe, they sing a little song teasing her a bit saying, "Come dance and sing your glad Hosannas, but pray for lots of little Hannahs!" You know they talk like that at weddings. And of course the men have their drinking song as well. They tease Elkanah saying, "Son of Jeroham, Elihu, Tohu and of Zuph come on Elkanah and do your stuff!" Always at weddings in Ephraim there were Freudian undertones because the concern was not simply the happiness of the man and wife, but that they would be fruitful, that they would have offspring to extend the life of the tribe. So it was that all of the friends during the reception had lots of fun, and when they left they probably said, "Now, we hope that we will hear news very soon that a child is to be born to this happy union."

But those of you who are Bible students know that no offspring were born to this union. Hannah did everything she could do to have children. She accepted all of the advice they gave her. Some people said, "Maybe you have to watch your diet, that might help you to bear." Others had said to her, "Hannah, try to sleep with your husband on the right moon." A closer friend had said, "Honey forget the moon, sleep with him as often as you can." Perhaps it was a grandmother who had provided some herbs and said, "Make a sun tea and drink this three times a day." Hannah had drunk so much of that stuff until she was beginning to look pregnant, but nothing no children.

In that time, to be married and have no children was a disappointment to the husband and to the wife. It was very, very difficult for Hannah. She tried everything she could, but nothing at all happened. Now, according to the tradition, if no children were born, it was possible for Elkanah, without putting Hannah away, to marry another. So their decision was made, probably reluctantly, but anyway Elkanah took a second wife alongside Hannah and her name was Peninnah. It was the right choice for, right off, Peninnah started having children, one right after the other. But you all understand what it's like too many cooks in one kitchen, too many wives in one household there was trouble on every hand. Peninnah seemed to use every opportunity she found to irritate and to vex Hannah. Oh it was awful in the house! As the children grew up, they started, I suspect, making obscene gestures at Hannah as well. It was so difficult to live there together.

But the real difficulty came when they would go yearly to Shiloh where they sacrificed unto the Lord. Now, I'll tell you about me. I don't mind having trouble in the house, but don't show off on me in public! That's exactly what Peninnah would do. When they were there at the great feast at Shiloh, Peninnah would say, "There she goes, the Barren One. There she is, no fruitfulness there." And then, of course, Hannah would try to lift up her head to rise above it, and that just gave Peninnah another opportunity to say, "See? Her nose is in the air. That's why God has closed her womb. She's so vain." Oh, it was awful and it happened every year. Every year, at Shiloh, Hannah knew that she was going to be humiliated again. So that, I suspect, it was hard for Hannah to get up to get ready to go.

I know something about that. There are times when the things that I must face in the course of a day almost always promise me disappointment and frustration, and I hate to get up. Old Hymns can point the way: Farther Along.... 753

That was what happened for Hannah. She pressed herself up and she got on out and once more they are at Shiloh. Yes, it happened all over again. Peninnah, teasing as usual. Then it really got rough because normally Elkanah would make sacrifices inside the temple and then bring portions of food for Peninnah and all her children and a portion of food for Hannah. There is a controversy as to whether he brought her a double portion or just enough, but I can almost hear Peninnah saying to Hannah, "Hannah, have you got enough over there? If not, when the kids get through with our basket, if we've got anything left, we'll give it to you." Any way that she could find to embarrass Hannah she was always doing it. Hannah thought, "This is it. I've had it up to here. Every year I come to this place and I'm humiliated by Peninnah and all her children." She began to cry. She could not eat. Her face was so sad that Elkanah came up to her and said, "Hannah, why don't you eat? Why are you crying? Why are you so sad?" He knew what was wrong, so then he asked the question, "Am I not more to you than ten sons? They complain about your barrenness, but I love you." But it was too much for Hannah.

It was at this point that I identified with her. I suspect that you know as well what it is like when you have sought to be who you are and yet who you are is not quite enough, when you've given what you had but what you had did not satisfy those who had expectations of you. So here's Hannah, a disappointment to herself, a disappointment and frustration to her husband, and now, Peninnah giving her trouble and vexation. She is even told that God has turned against her, "God has closed your womb." So Hannah sits there and tries to hold it. And I say to her, "Hannah, what are you going to do?"
And the text says, "After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose." I think that's the best thing. Hannah got up from there. Of course, I am concerned about what Hannah is going to do. Well, at least she decided not to sit there and drown in her own tears she got up. I do not know where she's going. Is she going to the restroom? Is she getting ready to walk all the way back home to Rama? Is she going outside to get a stick and try to even up the matter with Peninnah? It is not clear, and I am not sure that even Hannah knew what she was going to do, but as she left the table something deep inside of her prompted her to pray once again. And so she prayed, "Lord, if you will look upon your handmaiden, and not forget me, remember me and give me a man-child, then I will give him back to you and he shall serve you all the days of his life. No razor shall go against his head." She prayed this prayer, but her anguish was deep. So something also not only led her to pray, but also led her into the house of prayer. As she went into the house of prayer, she found herself still trembling. The text says, "She was speaking in her heart. Her lips moved, but her voice was not heard." So Eli, the High Priest who was sitting there, thought she was drunk and said to her, "Woman, put away your drinking. Why have you come in here with an over abundance of strong drink?"

So Hannah said to him, "No sir, I am not a base woman. I have had no strong drink. I am not drunk. I am just pouring out my soul unto my God, out of my vexation and out of my anguish." Then something very interesting happened. Eli looked at her again and he said to her, "Go in peace and the Lord of Israel grant you the petition that you have asked of Him." And although Hannah had been bent over in her anguish, when he said that, Hannah rose! She straightened up and she wiped the tears from her eyes and she went back to the place where she had been and said to Peninnah, "Hey, if you've got anymore scraps left, I'll be happy to have them."

As a matter of fact, she was a new person. The next day, as they were going back to Rama, usually she would be the one bringing up the rear of the caravan. But now that she had prayed the prayer and had heard the words of Eli, she felt grace working inside her, so she walked in front with her head lifted up and her shoulders thrown back. She knew grace is working inside her. And as she walked, the spirit spoke to her saying, "You thought I had forgotten you, but no, I reserved you for My purposes." Sayeth the Lord, "I thought you knew I had a problem, too. Hophni and Phinehas were bringing disgrace into the House of the Lord and I was waiting for just the right moment to replace them. So you had your problem, I had my problem and I was waiting for the time when we could put our problematics together and come up with the transformative possibility." While she walked, God spoke to her and let her know, "You're going to have a child and your child will solve my problem and in having a child, your problem will be solved and, after all, we will be able to shout the victory." So Hannah went home.
Now, let me tell you what happened that night. When they got back home, you could hear the following cry out from Peninnah talking to Elkanah, "Elkanah, I'll be in there as soon as I get the children in bed." And listen to Elkanah talk back, he said, "That's alright, Peninnah, you've worked hard today. When you have gotten the kids in bed you just go on to bed yourself." But then I hear a knock at Hannah's door knock, knock, knock. And I hear Hannah say, "Who's there?" He says, "Elkanah." And she says, "Can you come back?" Of course, now, as a minister, I hope you will not think there is any prurient interest at all. I just want to know why Hannah could not receive Elkanah at that moment. So I just take a little peek inside and there Hannah is, beside her bed, on her knees already dressed for bed but she's praying, "Thank you Lord, thank you that in my frustration, and in depression You reached out to me an offered me an opportunity to be collaborative with You to build together my problem put with your problem and we can bring a solution to the situation." She thanked the Lord, and when she had thanked the Lord in this way, guess what Hannah did. Hannah rose she got up and I thought it was time for me to leave. So I left. Elkanah came in and the Bible says that Elkanah knew his wife. They later on had a child and they named him Samuel, and they lived in hope of a brand new administration in Shiloh and it was a grand occasion of peace and joy and hope.

Now let me say to you that the reason I offer the name of Hannah Rose is that that name has a profound religious meaning to me now. For the word Hannah spells the same way both ways and seems to suggest that when Heaven's agendas and needs and agendas of humanity are brought together, no matter how depressing, there is a rising situation. It is also true that when anyone of us, in our brokenness, and barrenness, and unfruitfulness, will offer ourselves to Almighty God that God finds a way to lift us and to give us a chance to rise. It happened for Jesus the Christ as I see Him on the cross, I think of HANNAH Heaven's Agendas and Needs and the Needs and Agendas of Humanity are brought together.

Even though they put Him into the tomb, He had to rise, for whenever these two are brought together there's a rising situation. I say to you, brothers and sisters, when I have been down and have offered my brokenness to God, God has lifted me. It is my hope that this very day, for those of you who know brokenness, unfruitfulness, misunderstanding, that you will offer it all to God and let God give you an uplift of spirit and a new outlook on life. Hannah rose, you ought to rise, too.

Let us pray. "Oh God, thank You for Your ministry of hope in the barrenness and brokenness of Hannah. Thank You for Jesus the Christ who was crucified and buried and yet He rose again. Grant us the faith to believe this day that if we offer all that we have to You, You will indeed lift us and give us a new outlook on life. Do it for us and Your Name which is worthy shall have all of the praise. For we ask these blessings in Jesus' name. Amen."