WEBVTT 00:00:01.360 --> 00:00:04.719 Welcome to this week's message from the church at Chelsea Westover. 00:00:04.879 --> 00:00:10.800 Our core values are vibrant worship, intimate fellowship, fulfilling service, and clear biblical truth. 00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:13.359 We pray that this message changes your life. 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:17.600 Let's tune in to today's message and see what God has in store for you. 00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:19.440 It's going to give you a test time. 00:00:19.519 --> 00:00:23.519 Some of you here new here tonight say, uh-oh, uh, don't give me a test. 00:00:23.600 --> 00:00:25.120 I'd flunk it because I haven't been here. 00:00:25.199 --> 00:00:29.839 But I want to give you a quick review here if I can, uh, just to kind of remind you where we're going with this. 00:00:30.239 --> 00:00:32.000 By the way, the youth group, welcome. 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:33.280 We appreciate having you here. 00:00:33.439 --> 00:00:40.159 And please, I encourage you, if you can be here on Friday, come as a group and uh walk through the tabernacle. 00:00:40.240 --> 00:00:49.119 And I encourage all of you, if uh maybe you've never prayed a prayer out loud before, don't let that scare you, think it all go to a prayer meeting, someone's gonna call on me to pray. 00:00:49.280 --> 00:00:59.359 No, you're we are going to have leaders that will guide you and lead you through the stations, and you can experience, you can pray in your spirit and pray in your heart if you don't want to pray out loud. 00:00:59.520 --> 00:01:10.000 But you know, there's many times that people go through this and maybe maybe have never spoken a prayer out loud, and it's that very moment in that tabernacle when they feel that maybe they just want to say a word to Jesus. 00:01:10.159 --> 00:01:16.879 It could be a simple phrase or a couple words, but just expressing your desire to talk to God means so much. 00:01:17.040 --> 00:01:20.159 It'll be a stepping stone for you, it'll be a means for you to grow. 00:01:20.239 --> 00:01:39.760 But if you just want to come and walk through the tabernacle, it's impressive enough just to be able to look and see and feel and experience what it was like in ancient Israel as they set up this uh physical tabernacle, and this high priest over here, my friend Levi, would uh take folks through uh their petition, their prayers. 00:01:39.840 --> 00:01:40.879 He would intercede for them. 00:01:40.959 --> 00:01:46.480 And we talked last night about that inner circle, that inner uh holy place where they did ministry. 00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:48.400 Now, let me just speak for a moment here. 00:01:48.480 --> 00:01:51.040 I know the ones in the back can't see this, and that's fine. 00:01:51.120 --> 00:01:55.840 I I don't know if we have PowerPoint up there or not or not, but uh here we have an outer wall. 00:01:56.000 --> 00:02:03.519 We know the wall uh was made of fabric, it was not real uh strong and solid, only the fact that God guarded that wall. 00:02:03.599 --> 00:02:09.520 And the Bible says that uh uh that there was a command given forth that you come in by the way of the gate. 00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:23.680 So there was a hundred and fifty feet foot wall here, and there were pins and uh pillars that held the wall together, and then it was 75 feet uh wide, but there was only one way into the into that tabernacle that was that was by way of the gate. 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:28.719 And when you step inside the gate, that was the place that represented who of the Trinity? 00:02:29.199 --> 00:02:32.319 Inside the gate in the in the in the inner court? 00:02:33.039 --> 00:02:35.840 It was Jesus, that's the outer, excuse me, the outer court. 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:40.479 That's where they had the brazen altar, and that's where they had the labor where they washed. 00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:51.599 The brazen altar was where the lamb was slain, and there were fly fire that was flying from this, and God sent fire from heaven down to the brazen altar, and uh, and he said, keep the fire burning all the time. 00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:58.319 There was constant sacrifice being offered on that altar there, uh, day after day for the sins of the people. 00:02:58.479 --> 00:03:06.240 That was substitute, that was representative of the Lord Jesus Christ who was to come in the future, and he would be the sacrificial lamb. 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:11.120 And praise God, we don't have to bring lamb and sheep and bullocks and goats and turtle doves today. 00:03:11.280 --> 00:03:13.599 Praise God, Jesus was laid on that cross. 00:03:13.759 --> 00:03:17.280 He became the perfect lamb of God that died for your sins and my sins. 00:03:17.439 --> 00:03:23.759 So we can boldly come into that outer court, which represents the God incarnate, Jesus in flesh. 00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:31.039 And then the labor was daily cleansing, the blood of Jesus that constantly cleanses us and washes us from daily sins. 00:03:31.199 --> 00:03:36.800 So when we come into the tabernacle, we're gonna meet Jesus first and thank God for our salvation. 00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:39.360 Thank God for the sacrifice that Jesus made. 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:43.039 Number two, we're going to go to the laver, and there's gonna be physical water there. 00:03:43.199 --> 00:03:47.199 We'll be washing as a sign or a symbol that we want God to wash us. 00:03:47.360 --> 00:03:50.800 We can't come into the presence of Almighty God unless we're clean. 00:03:50.960 --> 00:03:54.560 He who comes to God must come with clean hands and a pure heart. 00:03:54.719 --> 00:03:58.479 So we cleanse ourselves at the altar there, uh the labor, excuse me. 00:03:58.639 --> 00:04:00.719 And then we come into the inner court. 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:02.639 Last night we talked about the inner court. 00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:05.039 The inner court, there were three pieces of furniture. 00:04:05.199 --> 00:04:14.400 We had in the inner court, first of all, to the left, we had the uh uh lampstand, which is a symbol of the Holy Spirit's light and his wisdom and direction that he gives to us. 00:04:14.560 --> 00:04:32.079 And then we go to the other side, which is the table of showbread, where we will be taking communion, speaks of the body and the blood of Christ, the word of God, the living bread, and then the altar of incense, right before we go into the holies of holies, and who's represented there at that prayer altar? 00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:36.959 We send up the prayers, we do ministry, we minister for the Lord in that place. 00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:45.519 The priests went in there and constantly were interceding for the people, and they were uh making supplication for the tribes of Israel that were camped outside. 00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:56.079 They were constantly moving around with bells in their garments, they could tell that they were constantly moving about in the uh inner court there, making supplication and intercession and prayers going up for the people. 00:04:56.240 --> 00:04:59.199 So they were ministering, doing service for the Lord. 00:04:59.360 --> 00:05:00.639 Now, who's represented there? 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:05.839 Well, we talked about the third, second person of the Trinity, which is the Holy Spirit's ministry. 00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:07.439 He fills us, the Spirit of God. 00:05:07.600 --> 00:05:10.319 Once we get saved, every one of us have a ministry. 00:05:10.560 --> 00:05:16.000 Every one of us have a service that we are involved in, doing and interceding and praying for people. 00:05:16.240 --> 00:05:20.000 So we serve the Lord in that inner sanction there. 00:05:20.160 --> 00:05:25.519 But now we come to this other veil, and the veil, now this is the trek that we're on. 00:05:26.079 --> 00:05:27.839 We are in pursuit of God. 00:05:28.079 --> 00:05:31.360 We want to come into fellowship with God Almighty. 00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:33.600 And God has given us an approach, a path. 00:05:33.759 --> 00:05:37.279 That path is through Jesus and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. 00:05:37.439 --> 00:05:46.319 Now we come to this uh veil that only the high priest would be able to go in once a year and make intercession and sacrifice for the people. 00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:49.600 So it was a very sacred place, a very scary place. 00:05:49.839 --> 00:05:56.399 Matter of fact, if the high priest was to go into that place with any kind of sin in their life, God would strike them dead in a moment. 00:05:56.560 --> 00:05:57.759 No sin was allowed. 00:05:57.920 --> 00:06:03.680 They had to make sure methodically and systematically, before they went in there once a year, they had to go. 00:06:03.759 --> 00:06:10.319 And the Bible says that they cleansed themselves and they made sure they were spotless as they entered into the presence of God. 00:06:10.560 --> 00:06:14.720 So also today in our prayer life, we don't still want to rush into the presence of God. 00:06:14.800 --> 00:06:18.480 We want to start the path and the approach and walk toward God. 00:06:18.560 --> 00:06:23.360 And when we get to that inner sanctum, the place where God the Father is, that's what we want. 00:06:23.439 --> 00:06:26.160 We want our spirit to connect with God's Spirit. 00:06:26.319 --> 00:06:35.360 So also, as the tabernacle is three compartments and the Godhead is three in one, so also we, body, soul, and spirit, worship God. 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:42.639 There's a scripture that talks about all three of those body, soul, and spirit may be sanctified wholly unto the day of Jesus Christ. 00:06:42.720 --> 00:06:50.720 So if you want to really want to pray, we have to pray physically with our bodies yielded to God, sacrificed to God as a living sacrifice. 00:06:50.879 --> 00:07:03.120 We have to come with the power of the Holy Spirit, praying in the Spirit, working in the Spirit, walking in the Spirit, a pure heart, and then when we come clean, we can go into the presence of God, and there, in the presence of God, we can minister. 00:07:03.279 --> 00:07:06.480 Listen very carefully, we can minister to God. 00:07:07.519 --> 00:07:11.519 Over 20 passages in the Bible use that phrase. 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:13.759 I started thinking about it this week. 00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:19.439 I thought I started thinking to myself, minister to God, minister means what? 00:07:19.759 --> 00:07:22.240 Serve or meet needs. 00:07:22.399 --> 00:07:24.480 I mean, if you minister to someone, what are you doing? 00:07:24.639 --> 00:07:27.040 You're meeting needs or you're helping them. 00:07:27.439 --> 00:07:34.000 And I'm thinking to myself, 20 passages in the Bible tell me that I'm supposed to minister to God? 00:07:34.319 --> 00:07:36.319 God doesn't have any needs. 00:07:36.959 --> 00:07:39.040 God doesn't need a thing. 00:07:39.680 --> 00:07:43.199 God doesn't need any help, certainly not Randy Spencer's help. 00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:45.600 How can I minister to God? 00:07:45.759 --> 00:07:51.519 Well, I'm going to give you four things that God might not need, but God desires. 00:07:51.759 --> 00:07:54.560 There's a difference between needing and desiring. 00:07:54.800 --> 00:07:56.879 You see, notice very carefully now. 00:07:57.040 --> 00:08:00.800 In this inner court, we are ministering for the Lord. 00:08:01.680 --> 00:08:04.959 In the Holiest of Holies, we are ministering to the Lord. 00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:06.560 There's a huge difference. 00:08:06.800 --> 00:08:11.920 All the way through the Bible, we find that people were ministering for one another. 00:08:12.079 --> 00:08:15.120 The high priests were ministering and serving for the community. 00:08:15.279 --> 00:08:19.360 But in the inner court, we come to that place where we minister to God. 00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:21.279 Well, what are you going to do in the inner court? 00:08:21.519 --> 00:08:23.199 Or, excuse me, in the holiest of holies. 00:08:23.439 --> 00:08:24.800 What are you going to do for God? 00:08:25.199 --> 00:08:27.040 I'm going to give you several things here. 00:08:27.279 --> 00:08:29.680 Number one, how we minister to the Lord. 00:08:29.839 --> 00:08:34.960 Acts chapter 13, verse 2 says, And they were ministering to the Lord and fasting. 00:08:35.600 --> 00:08:40.639 This is the church where Paul and Sinas were, or Saul and Barnabas, excuse me, were ordained. 00:08:40.720 --> 00:08:47.200 And the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work of which I have called them. 00:08:47.600 --> 00:08:51.279 Number one, they prayed and ministered to the Lord. 00:08:51.440 --> 00:09:01.039 If you want to minister to God, probably the best thing you can do, teenagers, the best thing you could do to be able to serve God is to talk to Him. 00:09:01.279 --> 00:09:04.559 If you have a relationship with Him, we have to commune with Him. 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:09.919 No, as I said Sunday morning, no one has a relationship with someone unless you're on speaking terms. 00:09:10.080 --> 00:09:16.799 And the Bible simply says, if my children will speak to me and I can speak to them, it would be ministering to me. 00:09:16.960 --> 00:09:18.799 So God is ministered to through our prayers. 00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:26.799 Number two, Psalms chapter 101, verse 6, my eyes will be on the faithful in the land that they may dwell with me. 00:09:27.200 --> 00:09:32.480 The one whose walk is blameless will minister to me. 00:09:32.639 --> 00:09:33.440 Let me say it again. 00:09:33.600 --> 00:09:38.879 The one or the person whose walk is blameless will minister to me. 00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:43.679 God is also ministered to by your purity, by your walk before him. 00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:50.720 So if I want to minister to God when I get to the holiest of holies, number one, I talk to him and allow him to talk to me. 00:09:50.879 --> 00:09:54.639 Number two, I make sure that my life is clean and that my walk is clean. 00:09:54.720 --> 00:09:56.399 I live a pure life before God. 00:09:56.559 --> 00:10:13.120 And number three, we find also we minister to the Lord in Isaiah chapter 56, verse 6, and the foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and be his servants, all who keep his commandments. 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:17.440 Obedience also ministers to God. 00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:23.440 Prayer, purity, and performance. 00:10:23.759 --> 00:10:25.919 Obedience, saying, God, I will serve you. 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:26.720 And get minister. 00:10:27.039 --> 00:10:28.159 Oh, there's one more. 00:10:28.639 --> 00:10:34.720 The other one is you minister to God by honoring and respecting Him. 00:10:35.200 --> 00:10:42.720 I'm telling you what, young person and old person, today we are living in a generation where the respect for authority has diminished. 00:10:43.360 --> 00:10:50.960 We can't, we, we, we seem to have a trouble with understanding the word respect, honor, and to revere someone. 00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:54.960 God says, you minister to me when you respect my authority. 00:10:55.279 --> 00:10:58.080 I want to tell you what, God made it clear with this art. 00:10:58.320 --> 00:10:59.759 Here's the Ark of the Covenant. 00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:08.720 God made it clear when you come through that veil and you come into the holiest of holies, you understood that that box was full of power. 00:11:08.960 --> 00:11:11.279 I mean, there was electric come from that box. 00:11:11.440 --> 00:11:14.320 The angel, the cherubims, overshadowed that box. 00:11:14.399 --> 00:11:18.480 It was called the mercy seat and the Ark of the Covenant or the testimony of the covenant. 00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:20.799 And the Bible says that God dwelt there. 00:11:20.960 --> 00:11:22.960 That was his physical presence on earth. 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:26.080 And the thing that blows my mind that God loved me so much. 00:11:26.240 --> 00:11:37.279 I said this Sunday morning, God loved me so much that he was willing to leave the beauty and the glories and the splendor of heaven to come down here to a sin-cursed earth to be able to dwell among us. 00:11:37.759 --> 00:11:39.200 No, Jesus isn't coming back. 00:11:39.279 --> 00:11:41.759 That's just something falling off the wall over there, okay? 00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:45.919 A couple of people cleared the seat by a few inches there, you know. 00:11:46.080 --> 00:11:47.679 Uh-oh, the holiness of God. 00:11:47.840 --> 00:12:05.120 I'll tell you what, God wanted to put fear in the hearts of the priest and said to them, if you come into my presence without meeting these conditions to minister to me, prayer, purity, obedience, or performance, and respect and reverence toward me, you'll be struck dead. 00:12:05.279 --> 00:12:10.399 I want to tell you what, it's pretty hard to find a person that wants to go into the Holies of Holies. 00:12:10.480 --> 00:12:14.000 They only went in once a year, but I imagine they drew straws on that deal. 00:12:14.080 --> 00:12:18.399 You know, who's going to go into the Holies of Holies with that kind of condition upon them? 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:19.279 Well, praise God. 00:12:19.360 --> 00:12:20.639 Let me give you the little secret. 00:12:20.799 --> 00:12:36.240 Jesus paid it to the place when he died on the cross, that temple that had that veil that was that was uh four inches thick and uh sixty feet long and thirty feet high, and it took 300 priests to be able to pull it up into place and set it. 00:12:36.399 --> 00:12:39.759 When Jesus died on the cross, the Bible says God reached down. 00:12:39.919 --> 00:12:45.759 When Jesus' body was rent, God reached down and that veil was ripped from the top to the bottom. 00:12:45.919 --> 00:12:47.919 Not from the it wasn't a work of man, folks. 00:12:48.080 --> 00:12:53.279 You don't rip something four inches thick, sixty feet uh long and thirty feet high. 00:12:53.440 --> 00:13:13.039 It was the dynamic hand of God reached down and grabbed that veil and said, now all the fear and all the trembling and all the uh all the the requirements of the Old Testament law, I'm going to tear it so that you can come boldly to the throne of God by the grace of Jesus Christ provided for us. 00:13:13.279 --> 00:13:25.440 So we have the opportunity today, through Jesus, what these high priests had to go through all these rigmaroles and all these rituals and all this fear and trembling, we can come boldly with our prayers to God. 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:27.840 But I want to share with you one thing. 00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:36.399 As we look at this Ark of the Covenant, it's not with trembling and fear we come because of our relationship with the Father. 00:13:36.720 --> 00:13:47.600 But that does not diminish or eliminate the fact that if we come into the presence of God, we better come with prayer and purity and obedience and respect. 00:13:48.159 --> 00:13:52.559 God wants us to honor and respect Him from the depths of our heart. 00:13:52.799 --> 00:13:54.240 God, what does God need? 00:13:54.480 --> 00:13:55.759 God wants us. 00:13:56.159 --> 00:13:58.000 God wants your heart, teenager. 00:13:58.320 --> 00:13:59.440 God wants your love. 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:04.960 And he's made a path and approach for you through the person of Jesus to come into his presence. 00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:07.919 Praise God for that entrance made open for us. 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:11.600 I love the chat uh Psalms chapter 73, verse 25. 00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:12.879 I love this verse. 00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:18.559 It says, Whom have I, the psalmist writes, in heaven but you, O God? 00:14:20.159 --> 00:14:31.039 In other words, he was just saying, of all the things of earth, all the things that I could have, all the things I could request or ask for, who would I who do I have in heaven but you, O Lord? 00:14:31.200 --> 00:14:36.000 And there is none on earth that I desire besides you. 00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:38.799 Is that your heart tonight? 00:14:39.279 --> 00:14:40.000 Do you want God? 00:14:40.159 --> 00:14:41.360 Are you hungry for God? 00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:43.039 Are you thirsty for God? 00:14:43.279 --> 00:14:45.200 Do your heart does your heart long for him? 00:14:45.519 --> 00:14:47.200 Do you want to get into his presence? 00:14:47.360 --> 00:14:50.000 Do you want to feel the power of this Ark of the Covenant? 00:14:50.320 --> 00:14:51.840 Let me take you on a little journey. 00:14:53.120 --> 00:15:04.159 I made reference to it the other night, but this is this is probably one of the most fascinating little passages of scripture because it points out the fear that they had to enter into in the Old Testament here coming into the presence of God. 00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:06.559 You don't have to turn there, but just listen while I read. 00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:08.720 It's found in 1 Samuel chapter 3. 00:15:08.960 --> 00:15:10.639 It talks about the boy Samuel. 00:15:10.879 --> 00:15:13.919 And there again, that minister, that word comes again to us. 00:15:14.080 --> 00:15:19.840 And now the boy Samuel in chapter 3, verse 1, ministered to the Lord before Eli. 00:15:20.799 --> 00:15:26.240 I want to tell you, young person, as young as you are, Samuel was a young boy. 00:15:26.559 --> 00:15:27.840 He ministered to the Lord. 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:29.200 There's a challenge for you. 00:15:29.279 --> 00:15:31.120 You could set, you could set the pace. 00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:39.519 As a matter of fact, I find many times it's teenagers that set the pace for all the church by their love for the Lord and their walk with God. 00:15:39.759 --> 00:15:43.519 You don't have to wait and think I've got to grow up before I can be spiritual. 00:15:43.679 --> 00:15:51.440 I'm going to tell you what, I see young people that are on fire for God to the point where they're the ones setting the pace many times for their parents and their and the adults. 00:15:51.919 --> 00:15:53.440 I mean, get on fire for God. 00:15:53.679 --> 00:15:56.240 Young Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. 00:15:56.320 --> 00:15:57.200 Who is Eli? 00:15:57.519 --> 00:16:01.200 Eli was the high priest of Israel and the judge of Israel. 00:16:01.279 --> 00:16:04.879 I mean, a man, old, an older man in his 90s. 00:16:05.039 --> 00:16:11.039 And here's little Samuel ministering before the Lord in Eli's company. 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:14.559 And you can minister for the Lord at your young age. 00:16:14.799 --> 00:16:17.840 There's no age limit on ministering to the Lord and coming to the Lord. 00:16:18.000 --> 00:16:18.879 But there was a problem. 00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:21.039 It wasn't Samuel that the problem was. 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:23.200 The problem was with Eli, the high priest. 00:16:23.360 --> 00:16:30.000 The problem was with Israel when they decided to not follow God and not regard the things that God had set for the tabernacle. 00:16:30.159 --> 00:16:35.440 And what they did was began to disregard the commands that God gave about the tabernacle. 00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:36.480 They didn't do it properly. 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:39.360 Matter of fact, the tabernacle was everything but shut down. 00:16:39.519 --> 00:16:39.600 Yeah. 00:16:39.759 --> 00:16:41.039 And it was desecrated. 00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:53.279 Eli's two sons, Hoffni and Phinehas, or Phinehas, were the scripture says to me that in the chapter before that they were wicked men. 00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:56.320 Eli failed to raise up his teenagers. 00:16:56.720 --> 00:17:01.919 And Eli failed to correct his young men, the teenagers, who were also serving in the tabernacle. 00:17:02.080 --> 00:17:09.599 The tabernacle had deteriorated to such a point that Eli was old and he heard every he heard everything his sons did in all of Israel. 00:17:09.759 --> 00:17:17.599 They were a bunch of rowdy rebels and uh uh scandal, scandalous activities and scoundrels they were. 00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:23.279 And they, it says here, even laid with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:25.680 And Eli did nothing about it. 00:17:25.920 --> 00:17:27.920 The tabernacle was in ruins. 00:17:28.160 --> 00:17:32.400 Everything that God had established, the priest and all of Israel was disrespecting it. 00:17:32.480 --> 00:17:33.759 So what was taking place? 00:17:33.920 --> 00:17:43.200 Well, sad thing about it, it says, and it came to pass at that time when Eli was laying down to sleep, and when his eyes had begun to grow dim, that he could not see. 00:17:43.359 --> 00:17:49.519 And before, listen to me, verse 3, and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the Lord. 00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:55.200 Here's the lamp of God, and the commandment was to keep oil in the lamp and keep it burning continuously. 00:17:55.359 --> 00:18:07.200 You could go to Exodus chapter 27, I believe, verse 20, and it says that God commanded that once that lamp was lit, that the priest's job was to make sure there was always fresh oil in there and never let it go out. 00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:12.480 It was the only light that was in there, and the Bible says the lamp was flickering and about to go out. 00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:15.519 There was nothing left of the light of the tabernacle. 00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:21.359 The priesthood had been defiled, the tabernacle had been neglected, the Lord had been disregarded. 00:18:21.519 --> 00:18:23.759 It was a sad place in Israel's history. 00:18:23.920 --> 00:18:26.480 And the Lord uh said to Samuel, Come here. 00:18:26.559 --> 00:18:27.920 And God called Samuel. 00:18:28.079 --> 00:18:37.519 I want to tell you, no matter how bad the church gets, God still has a generation of ones that'll come in and stand and live the righteous life and do the job of God. 00:18:37.759 --> 00:18:44.480 Young person tonight, you could you could be the next generation that would help to correct where the church is today. 00:18:44.720 --> 00:18:45.920 Listen to me, young people. 00:18:46.079 --> 00:18:49.920 Is it pastor, Pastor Lovett and myself down at Liberty University? 00:18:50.079 --> 00:18:59.519 One of the most exciting years I had was to work with young people that knew that they could change the next generation of young pastors could change the course of the world and change the course of the church. 00:18:59.680 --> 00:19:03.440 There's churches out there everywhere that are dying, and young people, they need some life. 00:19:03.599 --> 00:19:05.440 I was in church after church where there's heart. 00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:08.960 The youngest, I matter of fact, I called my sister the other day. 00:19:09.119 --> 00:19:11.279 She was in church and I said, How'd church service go? 00:19:11.440 --> 00:19:16.559 She says, She kind of laughed as she said, Oh, we had a good time uh in the senior saint center. 00:19:16.640 --> 00:19:17.680 And I said, What do you mean? 00:19:17.839 --> 00:19:26.240 She said, My husband and I, and they are 68 years old and 70 years old, said, We are the youngest ones in the church. 00:19:26.400 --> 00:19:28.000 And I thought to myself, what? 00:19:28.480 --> 00:19:30.720 I teased her and I said, You need to start a youth group. 00:19:30.880 --> 00:19:36.480 Everyone uh 70 and older, you know, can be, or 70 and younger could be part of your youth group. 00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:37.759 It's ridiculous. 00:19:37.920 --> 00:19:44.720 Listen to me, there's churches that would beg for young blood in a new generation because it's going to be on your shoulders, young people. 00:19:44.880 --> 00:19:47.680 It's up to you to carry this uh uh robe. 00:19:47.759 --> 00:19:53.359 It's up to you to do what the work of the priesthood and keep the church alive and keep the oil in the lamp. 00:19:53.519 --> 00:19:59.920 That old song, give me oil in my lamp, keep it burning, keep it burning until the break of day or till the day of Jesus. 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:04.799 Uh give me gas for my ford, keep me trucking for the Lord, all those things we sang when we were kids. 00:20:05.039 --> 00:20:08.319 Keep oil in the lamp in the church, don't let the lights go out. 00:20:08.400 --> 00:20:11.839 And you're in a church here that's filled with the Spirit and filled with life. 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:24.160 Young person, serve God, pray to God, be pure, be obedient to God, and honor and respect God when you come into his presence and understand that you're going to be the next generation as Samuel was to make a difference. 00:20:24.960 --> 00:20:30.960 Well, we find in the scriptures that things began to get even darker. 00:20:31.359 --> 00:20:36.160 We find in the scriptures that the word of God was rare in those days. 00:20:36.400 --> 00:20:38.960 What does it mean the word of God was rare? 00:20:39.279 --> 00:20:42.000 It means that God wasn't speaking anymore. 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:47.440 It's sad today, but I wonder how many churches hear the voice of God. 00:20:47.839 --> 00:20:51.279 When the word of God is rare today, it ought to break our hearts. 00:20:51.599 --> 00:20:57.839 When the word of God is not seen and felt in a long, long time, it ought to break our hearts. 00:20:58.160 --> 00:21:00.160 The word of God was rare. 00:21:00.559 --> 00:21:03.839 And they had problems in those days because they weren't hearing from God. 00:21:03.920 --> 00:21:11.359 And if we're not hearing from God and God stopped speaking to us and we stop speaking to God, what that simply means is we're alienated ourselves from the Lord. 00:21:11.599 --> 00:21:15.359 Number two, there were no visions and revelations, the Bible says. 00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:17.599 In other words, the work had ceased. 00:21:18.480 --> 00:21:20.559 Where there's no vision, the people perish. 00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:22.960 We need a vision. 00:21:23.279 --> 00:21:30.960 And when we have when God's not speaking to us and we're not going anywhere serving God because we have no direction, we're in sad shape, as it was in Israel. 00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:35.440 And number three, ere the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle, the lights were growing dim. 00:21:35.920 --> 00:21:39.519 Well, God was raising up a uh a Samuel to take the place. 00:21:39.680 --> 00:21:43.200 But this I want to tell you the consequences when the church gets in that shape. 00:21:43.359 --> 00:21:45.599 And chapter four, it tells us the consequence. 00:21:45.759 --> 00:21:47.200 What happened now? 00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:53.279 Uh tabernacle was wasn't working the way it needs to work, and that's why it's important that we understand the power of the tabernacle. 00:21:53.359 --> 00:21:54.960 It's not working the way it should be working. 00:21:55.039 --> 00:21:57.599 And all of a sudden, Israel was called to battle to the Philistines. 00:21:57.680 --> 00:21:58.799 And I'll do this very quickly. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.079 Seven consequences because the church was. 00:22:02.160 --> 00:22:06.000 Listen, if the man of God is not right, Eli's not right, the church is not going to be right. 00:22:06.079 --> 00:22:08.799 And if the church is not right, the nation's not going to be right. 00:22:09.039 --> 00:22:13.519 We have to have men of God in the pulpits that make sure the church is right so the nation goes right. 00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:16.400 And if we're going to see a healing in our land, it's going to be. 00:22:16.559 --> 00:22:23.279 And the only victory, the only strength we're going to have is when we come strongly as the church and as men of God stand up and preach the word. 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:26.559 But what happened was the Philistines went to battle. 00:22:26.640 --> 00:22:31.119 And as they were going to battle with the Philistines, they just thought, well, business as usual. 00:22:31.279 --> 00:22:33.440 God has always protected us and we're more powerful. 00:22:33.519 --> 00:22:37.920 So the armies of Israel went against the Philistines, and all of a sudden they found that they had no power. 00:22:38.160 --> 00:22:42.559 4,000 footmen died on the battlefield and they chased them back to their camp. 00:22:42.640 --> 00:22:46.319 And when they got back to their camp, they got together and said, What in the world happened? 00:22:46.559 --> 00:22:47.599 God, where are you? 00:22:47.839 --> 00:22:49.039 We thought we could trust you. 00:22:49.279 --> 00:22:50.880 God, where were you when we needed you? 00:22:51.039 --> 00:22:52.079 4,000 men died. 00:22:52.240 --> 00:22:53.680 The Philistines drove us out. 00:22:53.839 --> 00:22:56.640 And all of a sudden, one of them said, Well, you know what we need to do? 00:22:56.720 --> 00:22:58.640 We need to go down and get the Ark of the Covenant. 00:22:58.799 --> 00:23:02.640 We need to go get that box out of the tabernacle, and all that'll fix it. 00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:07.759 And all of a sudden they brought the Ark of the Covenant in, and all of Israel gathered together and they started cheering and shouting. 00:23:07.839 --> 00:23:10.720 And man, the noise scared the Philistines half to death. 00:23:10.799 --> 00:23:22.960 They thought, man, the boy the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is coming through again, and man, they're getting their armies together, and all of a sudden the Bible says they mustered up strength and said, Man, let's stand strong, let's not back down. 00:23:23.119 --> 00:23:31.359 And the children of Israel went into the battle with the Philistines, and this time, instead of losing 4,000, they lost four. 00:23:31.519 --> 00:23:36.240 30,000 men died on the battlefield and they chased them back to their camp. 00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:41.759 Listen to me, when the temple is not right, when the church is not right, there's no victory in our nation. 00:23:42.319 --> 00:23:47.200 If we want to see America turn back to God, we got to get the church right before the nation's right. 00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:49.599 And men are going to die. 00:23:49.680 --> 00:23:50.720 And I'll tell you something else. 00:23:50.880 --> 00:23:59.839 Not only are we going to lose men, not only are we going to lose power as military power and a national power, but we're we're also going to lose our children. 00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:03.359 Because Eli lost his two sons, Hophni and Phineas. 00:24:03.759 --> 00:24:05.119 Both died in battle. 00:24:05.519 --> 00:24:07.200 I mean, it just keeps getting worse. 00:24:07.359 --> 00:24:09.119 Both of them died in battle now. 00:24:09.200 --> 00:24:13.759 And Eli himself, when he got the news, fell over backward and broke his neck and he died. 00:24:13.920 --> 00:24:16.079 I mean, could anything else go wrong here? 00:24:16.319 --> 00:24:21.519 I mean, everything's, I mean, the the 34,000 die, 30,000 die. 00:24:22.880 --> 00:24:25.519 The priest uh son's both dead now. 00:24:25.599 --> 00:24:30.400 And the high priest falls over and breaks his neck, and everybody in Israel's saying, What in the world's happened? 00:24:30.559 --> 00:24:32.000 Well, I'll tell them what happened. 00:24:32.160 --> 00:24:34.559 You gotta get back to church and make the church right. 00:24:34.720 --> 00:24:36.400 You gotta get the lamp burning again. 00:24:36.559 --> 00:24:38.319 You gotta get on your knees and pray. 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:42.480 You've got to get back to pure living and walking with God and talking. 00:24:42.559 --> 00:24:44.960 You gotta get back on talking terms to God. 00:24:45.279 --> 00:24:58.640 Well, that wasn't the final thing, because when Phineas's uh wife heard that uh Phineas was dead in battle, she was pregnant with a child, and as she was bearing the child, she died. 00:24:58.880 --> 00:25:00.880 I mean, can it get any worse? 00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:09.200 But then the midwife, as that child was born, said, God, it's obvious that you're not here anymore. 00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:15.920 She named that little baby Ichabod, which means the glory of God is departed. 00:25:16.559 --> 00:25:19.039 God help our churches today. 00:25:19.359 --> 00:25:23.039 God help us today that we don't have that statement made of us. 00:25:23.359 --> 00:25:38.240 And I want to tell you, if we don't get our churches praying again, if we don't get our churches living a pure life again, if we don't get back where we need to be, churches are gonna continue to keep closing down and shutting down, and we're gonna see a continual overcome of the enemy over our lives. 00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:43.039 I was sad, sad is is what, I don't know how many years ago. 00:25:43.119 --> 00:25:44.240 I was down in West Virginia. 00:25:44.319 --> 00:25:56.480 I was pastoring a little church down there years ago, and uh I was out driving one day back through the back alleys and down through the hills and the hollers, as they say over there, and I got so far back in visiting this couple that gave me direct. 00:25:56.640 --> 00:26:06.079 I mean, I I I got to a place where I was crossing creeks and walking up paths and getting, I finally got to this old cabin and I visited these folks that said they were were wanted to come to church. 00:26:06.160 --> 00:26:18.559 So I visited with them, prayed with them, and on the way out of there, I noticed as I was driving through the brush and the brambles, scratching both sides of the car, I looked up through the weeds and I saw an old steeple of a church. 00:26:18.799 --> 00:26:26.640 I stopped the car and I thought to myself, there can't be a church out here in the middle of nowhere in the midst of West Virginia Hills. 00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:28.319 There just can't be a church up there. 00:26:28.480 --> 00:26:42.480 I shut the car off and I walked up through the brambles and the brush and the briars and got up there, Danny, and there was the neatest little wood, white wood frame church, and it had an old broken-down sign on it called Methodist Church. 00:26:42.799 --> 00:26:54.240 And I thought to myself, there was a time that almost every hill and every holler and every corner and every in every every cove, every village had a Methodist church in it. 00:26:54.480 --> 00:27:03.519 And I thought to myself, what happened to the churches in America as I looked at this little white wood frame church that shut down? 00:27:03.599 --> 00:27:07.440 I thought to myself, how many churches no longer survive? 00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:14.720 I walked into that church, and it was like something had happened in a moment, like Jesus came and caught them all. 00:27:14.799 --> 00:27:16.240 I opened the door up. 00:27:16.319 --> 00:27:31.759 There was dust everywhere, there was old gasoline lights hanging from the ceiling, an old pump organ on this side, a pulpit on the platform on this side, and a piano over here, and the pews were all there, and there was hymn books in the in the hymn, uh hymnals in the in the book racks. 00:27:31.839 --> 00:27:46.880 And I thought to myself, I just stood there for a moment, and and God spoke to my heart and said, Randy Spencer, if something doesn't happen in America, this is going to be the sign of churches all across this country where just simply people disappear. 00:27:47.119 --> 00:28:01.519 They just uh it was like I walked up there to that altar and I looked down at that they even had an old family Bible there, and I opened up that family Bible, and the words of the Samuel came to my mind. 00:28:01.680 --> 00:28:05.119 Ere the lamp of God went out in the house of the Lord. 00:28:05.359 --> 00:28:06.880 I stood there and wept. 00:28:06.960 --> 00:28:13.599 And I could almost, as I was standing there in front of that little church, I could almost hear the shouts of glory, the old time saints meeting in there. 00:28:13.839 --> 00:28:18.720 I could almost hear that pump organ rattling and the piano rattling and singing and praising God. 00:28:18.880 --> 00:28:20.720 I could almost hear the shouts of glory. 00:28:20.880 --> 00:28:35.519 I could almost see the horse and buggies drawing up through those old paths up there on Sunday, and when they'd bring chicken on the ground and bring their dinner that day, and they'd sit around all day long and fellowship and rejoice and have revivals, and people would get saved, and they'd walk them down to the creek and baptize them. 00:28:35.680 --> 00:28:41.279 I could almost feel it there, and I stood there and I said, God, never let our churches in America die like this. 00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:43.599 God, save the church. 00:28:43.920 --> 00:28:45.279 God help us. 00:28:46.240 --> 00:28:55.200 Well, what happened was the Philistines, not only did that all take place, but the final thing was, here we go. 00:28:55.519 --> 00:28:59.200 Final thing, the Philistines took the Ark of the Covenant. 00:28:59.680 --> 00:29:03.440 They thought to themselves, oh, you think your Ark of the Covenant's gonna save you? 00:29:03.759 --> 00:29:10.799 Man, you had we we chased them out of here, and they left so fast they left the golden box sitting in the middle of the battlefield. 00:29:11.039 --> 00:29:19.359 The Philistines said, Man, that would, that kind of gold box would look pretty good back in our house with uh Dagon, our God, and we'll put it back in our temple. 00:29:19.519 --> 00:29:20.960 So they loaded up that old box. 00:29:21.119 --> 00:29:25.200 They didn't know that inside that they didn't know inside that old box. 00:29:25.359 --> 00:29:28.000 They may have chased Israel out, but they didn't chase God out. 00:29:28.319 --> 00:29:34.000 And God had his power and anointing in that box right there, and God said, You touch this box and you're gonna die. 00:29:35.039 --> 00:29:41.519 The Philistines grabbed that box, carried it back, and put it in their temple, and oh what happened that night? 00:29:41.759 --> 00:29:44.480 Dag on the God, uh Dagmonit, yeah. 00:29:44.720 --> 00:29:47.039 I mean, he fell off that thing and smashed himself. 00:29:47.200 --> 00:29:52.319 He broke his arms off, and they came out the next morning and thought to themselves, what in the world happened to our God that's laying here? 00:29:52.400 --> 00:29:53.680 Just a torso is laying there. 00:29:53.759 --> 00:29:59.839 They grabbed it and set it back up on the pedestal the next day, and the next day they come out, and then it was smashed again. 00:29:59.920 --> 00:30:02.880 And God is saying, There's no God gonna stand before me. 00:30:03.039 --> 00:30:04.480 I'll not take second place. 00:30:04.559 --> 00:30:08.079 I am the God of God, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. 00:30:09.920 --> 00:30:16.240 Well, the Philistines were kind of getting the message at that point, and they thought to themselves, well, what are we gonna do with this old box? 00:30:16.480 --> 00:30:23.920 They took it out of that place there and just set it in the street or wherever, put it in someone's house, and all of a sudden God sent a plague to those people. 00:30:24.400 --> 00:30:26.400 Tumors hit their bodies. 00:30:28.640 --> 00:30:30.000 Hemorrhoids. 00:30:32.319 --> 00:30:34.880 Don't tell me God doesn't have a sense of humor. 00:30:35.839 --> 00:30:39.759 I mean, everyone in the Philistines started getting big old hemorrhoids. 00:30:39.920 --> 00:30:43.519 And the and the worst thing about it was they didn't even have preparation age. 00:30:45.440 --> 00:30:47.039 Tell them that's what the word says. 00:30:47.119 --> 00:30:47.759 They don't believe it. 00:30:48.000 --> 00:30:48.319 It is. 00:30:48.400 --> 00:30:51.359 I'm telling you, I know you laugh, but that's that's from the Bible. 00:30:51.519 --> 00:30:53.039 They got these hemorrhoids. 00:30:53.359 --> 00:30:54.799 You say, is that in the word? 00:30:55.039 --> 00:30:55.759 Yeah, it is. 00:30:55.920 --> 00:30:57.839 Go home and read the passage. 00:30:58.000 --> 00:31:00.319 They grip big tumors and hemorrhoids. 00:31:00.559 --> 00:31:03.519 And then, oh, I I they they won't believe this one. 00:31:03.920 --> 00:31:09.519 But when they when the when when the Philistines said, we need to get this thing out of here, someone get this thing back to Israel. 00:31:09.599 --> 00:31:17.119 We don't, we got it, we got all these problems on the lower acreage, and we need to get this, we need to get this ark out of here. 00:31:17.359 --> 00:31:19.599 And someone, someone uh takes it back. 00:31:19.680 --> 00:31:21.519 They tried shuffling it from city to city. 00:31:21.599 --> 00:31:33.119 They went to Goth, they went to Elkton or whatever it was, they shuffled the thing around to several different cities, and before they got rid of it, they went to Israel and said, please, please, take the box back. 00:31:33.279 --> 00:31:34.160 Take the box back. 00:31:34.240 --> 00:31:35.279 We don't want it anymore. 00:31:35.440 --> 00:31:38.000 I don't care what the gold is in there, just take it. 00:31:38.240 --> 00:31:40.799 Well, Israel said, You want us to take it back? 00:31:41.039 --> 00:31:48.000