1 Samuel 7

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 18:1-3
• Hymn — Praise the Lord, Ye Heavens Adore Him
• Prayer of Invocation
• Corporate Confession of Sin
• Assurance of Pardon — Psalm 103:8-10
• Scripture Reading — Acts 1:1-26
• Pastoral Prayer
• Hymn — Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
• Offering
• Hymn — Amazing Grace
• Sermon
• Hymn — The Solid Rock
• Benediction — Romans 15:5-6
• Doxology

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Sermon Title: Repentance That Brings Restoration

Scripture: 1 Samuel 7:1-17

I. Repentance That Brings Restoration Turns to a Prophet

A. Samuel returns as the prophet of the Lord in 1 Samuel 7:3, calling Israel to put away foreign gods and serve the Lord only

1. What comes between lamentation (v. 2) and full repentance (v. 4) is the word of the Lord through the prophet
2. Samuel's word is a word of promise and assurance: "He will deliver you" — no "maybe," but certainty of mercy for those who turn

B. Repentance requires ears open to hear the word of promise

1. Israel's ears were opened through God's discipline — defeat, loss of the ark, judgment at Beth-shemesh
2. Like a parent saying "look at me when I'm speaking to you," God uses discipline to turn his children's faces toward him
3. The response God seeks is that of 1 Samuel 3: "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening"

C. Jesus Christ is the last and final prophet — the Word made flesh (John 1; Hebrews 1)

1. His word of promise: those who are sorrowful over sin and turn from it will be saved and restored to fellowship with God
2. Martin Luther's first of the 95 Theses: when Christ said "repent," he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance
3. Repentance is not a once-for-all event at conversion but a lifelong turning — from sorrow over sin to endeavoring after new obedience

II. Repentance That Brings Restoration Turns to a Priest

A. Samuel functions as priest in 1 Samuel 7:5-9, interceding for the people with prayer accompanied by sacrifice

1. Israel pours out water and fasts (v. 6) — a water libation, unique in Scripture, symbolizing that Yahweh alone is their life source
2. Samuel offers a nursing lamb as a burnt offering while crying out to the Lord (v. 9); the Lord answered

B. Prayer and atonement go hand in hand in priestly ministry

1. The puritan Thomas Watson: "Prayer as it comes from the saint is weak and languid, but when the arrow of a saint's prayer is put into the bow of Christ's intercession, it pierces the throne of grace"
2. Christ still bears the nail marks of his sacrifice and presents them before the Father as he intercedes — his atoning work is confirmed: "It is finished"

C. Christ is the great and final High Priest interceding at the right hand of the Father

1. Illustration: speaking through a translator in Trujillo, Peru — no longer stuttering but speaking boldly and clearly; so too, our feeble prayers reach the Father clearly through Christ our interpreter
2. Repentance is a recognition that Christ, not we ourselves, is our intercessor; we can come boldly and confidently before the Father through him

III. Repentance That Brings Restoration Turns to a King

A. Chapter 7 portrays Yahweh as Israel's conquering king

1. In the ancient Near East, a subjugated nation would cry out to a greater king; when he conquered their enemy, they would bow the knee to him as their king — this is the pattern here
2. Yahweh "thunders" against the Philistines (v. 10) — language that evokes Baal, the Canaanite thunder-god, but it is Yahweh, not Baal, who wins the victory

B. The contrast between chapter 4 and chapter 7 centers on repentance

1. In chapter 4, Israel used the ark as a lucky charm and was defeated at a place already called Ebenezer ("stone of help") — yet Yahweh was not their stone of help there
2. In chapter 7, Israel comes in genuine repentance, recognizing Yahweh alone as their life source — and now he truly becomes their Ebenezer

C. Jesus Christ is our Ebenezer — the stone of help and conquering king

1. 1 Peter 2:6 (quoting Isaiah 28:16): "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame"
2. He is a stone of help only for those who turn to him in humility and recognition of sin; for those who treat him as a "get out of jail free card" while living in unrepentance, he becomes a stone of offense that crushes rather than helps

D. Summary: repentance that brings restoration is a turning from sin to our Prophet, Priest, and King — Jesus Christ