Sermon Cloud

Divine Truth from a Heart of Worship

1 Samuel 2:1-3

This passage is an outburst of worship from the heart of Hannah after pouring out her heart in private to God and God taking action upon Hannah’s request. It is packed with insight on the attributes of God.

Paul Washer says it is important to preach on the attributes of God because it contrasts the true nature and character of God with the God we’ve created.

Illustration:  “I’ll tell you right now, My god would not do such a thing.”

We live in a culture that when they don’t like what they read in the bible about God,

they come up with their own ideas about God.

Read 2 Timothy 4:1-4

Two elements of biblical worship are:

1. It has God as its object   2. It is founded upon truth

God is an inspiring God (v.1)

a. He inspires worship

     “My heart exults in the Lord…” Hannah’s joy was not in the child God had provided but in

      the Lord Himself. What does your heart exult in?

     In Acts 13:50-52 the disciples were being persecuted in Iconium for spreading the

     Gospel but the bible says “the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the

     Holy Spirit.”

b. He inspires hope/restoration

    “My horn is exalted in the Lord…” Horn symbolized strength. “Exalted” speaks of

     Hannah’s strength being increased. Hannah had received new strength.

    Read Isaiah 40:28-31

     Where was such strength found? “in the Lord”

c. He inspires confidence/boldness

    “My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies…” This was preceded by time spent with the

     Lord and seeing Him work.

“The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.”

Proverbs 28:1

The Holy Spirit really gives confidence/boldness:

Peter – After resurrection goes before the ruling religious authorities and says…

            Read Acts 2:22-23

Stephen – Read Acts 7:51-53

Paul

Moses – goes to Pharaoh, says I’ve got a word form God for you…“Let My people go”

Jeremiah – God had him stand outside the temple and tell people coming in

                 “you’re wasting your time.”

God is an incomparable God (v.2)

‘Holy’ – He is set apart

‘Besides You’ – uniqueness

 Read Isaiah 40:18-26

‘Rock’ – strength, stability, steadfastness, dependability, unchanging

illustration: A few years back, marketing of Chevy trucks:

                   “Like a rock” – communicating these trucks are tough/dependable

God is an informed God (v.3) a discerning God

“For the Lord is a God of knowledge”

 God is omniscient – omni, science. He is all knowledgeable; all knowing

“...His understanding is inscrutable.”

Isaiah 40:28b

You can never say to God, “you just don’t understand”.

God heard all the taunts spoken by Peninah to Hannah and He also heard Hannah’s prayer

from her heart.

“By Him actions are weighed”

Daniel Chapter 5 King Belshazzar blatantly defies God by taking wine that is in vessels placed in the temple of God and giving them to his wives and concubines to drink. While drinking a hand comes and writes a message on the wall and freaks him out. Daniel is summoned to interpret the writing and one of the things it says is…

“TEKEL” – you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient

Daniel 5:27

“All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the Lord weighs the motives.”

Proverbs 16:2

“If you say, ‘See, we did not know this’, does He not consider it who weighs the

hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render

to man according to His work?”

Proverbs 24:12

“All things are laid bare before Him with whom we have to do.”