Amen. The congregation, let's turn to First Samuel two. As we continue our study of First Samuel with God's help today, we'll finish the chapter for Samuel two. Our sermon text is verses 11 through 36. 1 Samuel 2, beginning at verse 11. Please pay attention now, this is the Word of God. 1 Samuel 2, beginning at verse 11. Then Elkanah went to his house at Ramah. But the child ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest. Now the sons of Eli were corrupt. the sons of Belial. They did not know the Lord. And the priest's custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged flesh hook in his hand while the meat was boiling. Then he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot, and the priest would take for himself all that the flesh hook brought up. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. Also, before they burned the fat, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who sacrificed, give meat for roasting to the priest, for he will not take boiled meat from you, but raw. And if the man said to him, they should really burn the fat first, then you may take as much as your heart desires. He would then answer him, No, but you must give it now. And if not, I will take it by force. Therefore, the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for men abhorred the offering of the Lord. But Samuel ministered before the Lord, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod. Moreover, his mother used to make him a little robe and bring it to him year by year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, the Lord give you descendants from this woman for the loan that was given to the Lord. then they would go to their own home. And the Lord visited Hannah so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the child Samuel grew before the Lord. Now, Eli was very old and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. So he said to them, Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. No, my sons, for it is not a good report that I hear. You make the Lord's people transgress. If one man sins against another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him? Nevertheless, they did not heed the voice of their father, because the Lord desired to kill them. And the child Samuel grew in stature and in favor both with the Lord and men. Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, Thus says the Lord, Did I not clearly reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house? Did I not choose him out of the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before me? And did I not give to the house of your Father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire? Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering, which I have commanded in My dwelling place? And honor your sons more than Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people? Therefore the Lord God of Israel says, I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before me forever. But now the Lord says, far be it from me. For those who honor me, I will honor and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. Behold the days are coming that I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father's house so that there will not be an old man in your house and you will see an enemy in my dwelling place despite all the good which God does for Israel and there shall not and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. But any of your men whom I do not cut off from my altar shall consume your eyes and grieve your heart. And all the descendants of your house shall die in the flower of their age. Now this shall be a sign to you that I will come upon your two sons on Haphni and Phinehas. In one day they shall die, both of them, Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed forever. And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread and say, please put me in one of the priestly positions that I may eat a piece of bread. Thus far, the reading of God's holy, inspired, infallible and inerrant word. Praise be to God. Now congregation, the main point of this text, our sermon text, is in verse 30, right? That's the main point of this passage. Look at verse 30. What does God say? For them that honor me, I will honor. And they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. That's the main point. God will honor those who honor Him. Those who walk according to God's ways and seek to please and honor and glorify Him by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will be honored, exalted, and blessed by our merciful God. But those who dishonor God will be brought down and will perish. Now, children, we live in a culture that does not honor God, right? A culture that does not honor God. For example, God's name is so dishonored, so disrespected in our land, that people use his name in vain, in the place of a swear word. Sometimes when people are surprised or shocked or disgusted, they say, oh my God. The God who gave us life and breath and everything, His name is dragged to the mud. And we've grown so accustomed to it that even as Christians, sometimes we might watch something on TV where the actors are blaspheming the name of God and it doesn't bother us. How far have we fallen as a culture, as a nation? But even as believers, our sensitivity has become so dull. God's name is dishonored in our land. Here's another example. Politicians in our land take the Lord's name in vain. For example, many politicians would take an oath for office by placing their hands on what? The Bible, right? While at the same time endorsing policies that are contrary to the Word of God. Politicians who would claim to be Christians even, and yet would promote evil abominations, like supporting the murder of babies in their mother's womb, or promoting wicked behaviors and lifestyles like sodomy. Do you know what God thinks about homosexuality? Listen to the Bible. Listen to Leviticus chapter 20 verse 13. Leviticus 20 verse 13, if a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. That's what God thinks about sodomy. And yet our government celebrates such wickedness. How can we as a nation, as a society, expect any blessings from God when He is dishonored in our land every day? If our nation refuses to repent and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, it will face the righteous judgment and holy wrath of God. Because God says in our sermon text, doesn't he? Verse 30, for those who honor me, I will honor. But those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. And that's why we here at this church and other Bible-believing churches, what do we do? We call sinners to repentance and faith in Jesus, because that's the only path of blessing. Our nation's problems can never be fixed by a political party. Our nation needs the Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel is the only hope for our land and for all the nations. A society that does not love the Lord Jesus Christ will be damned, will be judged by God. Right? Because that's what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 16 verse 22. Listen to this. If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema. The word anathema means let him be damned. Let him have the curse and the wrath of God. If any man does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema. And then Paul says, maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back, and he's coming back in wrath and fury to judge the nations, to judge the living and the dead. And congregation, yes, Jesus is mild and gentle and compassionate, but Jesus is also filled with wrath. It would be a foolishness to underestimate the wrath of the Lamb on the last day. Jesus Christ is coming back to judge the living and the dead. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. This is why we preach the gospel. This is why we call sinners to repent and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not too late for you, as long as you're breathing, right? If you trust in Jesus, you will be saved. If a nation turns from the wickedness of its ways and turns to the Lord, that nation will receive blessings from God as well. This is why we preach Jesus and Him crucified. In Christ alone are found blessings from God. Outside of the Lord Jesus Christ, there's nothing but judgment and wrath. And congregation, now listen to this. Let me tell you that the greater judgment and greater punishment is reserved for those who claim to be followers of the Lord Jesus Christ and yet dishonor him in their life and their affections. Look, we expect the culture around us to be wicked, right? We expect unbelievers to live as unbelievers, right? But what about those who claim to be followers of Christ and yet live like devils. What about those churches, so-called churches who claim to follow Christ but in reality are synagogues of Satan? What about those who say with their lips, I love you Jesus, but their hearts are far from Him? They will be judged with greater severity. This is a simple principle, isn't it? The greater light you have, the more accountable you are to that light. The more exposed you are to the gospel, the greater will be your punishment if you reject the truth, right? Well, congregation, this morning God calls you to honor him. He calls you to love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity of heart. Kiss the son lest he be angry and you perish in the way for his wrath is kindled, but a little. Blessed. are all they who put their trust in Him. Blessed are those who take refuge in the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen? The theme of our sermon this morning is this. The triune God calls you to honor and obey Him through the Lord Jesus Christ because He is worthy of worship and praise. The triune God calls you, congregation, from His Word to honor, love Him, and honor Him through the Lord Jesus Christ because he alone is worthy of worship and praise. And as we consider that main idea, that main theme of this passage, I will honor those who honor me. We'll look at four headings as we work our way through our sermon text. Firstly, wicked priests. Secondly, faithful God. Thirdly, righteous judge. And fourthly, Christ, our merciful savior. Those will be our four headings. So firstly, Let's consider our first heading, the wicked priests. Now as we come to the second half of this chapter, last Lord's Day, we considered Hannah's prayer as she rejoiced in the Lord, as she looked to the Messiah and His reign, and as she trusted in Christ alone for her salvation. Now as we shift from Hannah's prayer in verse 11 through the end of the chapter, we see a stark contrast. between the devotion and love of Hannah and Samuel toward the Lord and the wickedness of Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. Now, congregation, listen to this. It's evil when God is dishonored in our society, right? But it's even worse when God is dishonored in the church, right? It's one thing for God to be dishonored by unbelievers. It's another thing for God to be dishonored by those who claim to be his people. Especially the priests, the ministers. Look at verse 11. And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house, and the child Samuel did minister unto Jehovah before Eli the priest. So Hannah was a humble, godly woman who trusted in the Lord, and her son Samuel would also trust in the Lord, and he would be called to serve him all the days of his life in chapter 3. But in contrast to these godly examples of piety, we meet two priests, sons of Eli, who although were exposed to the light of the gospel, right? They were in the temple. They were exposed to the truth of God's Word. What did they do? They turned their backs on God and they dishonored Him. So look at verse 12. Now in verse 12, if you're using the New King James Version for example, it would say, now the sons of Eli were corrupt. But literally the Hebrew says, the sons of Eli were sons of Belial. The sons of Belial. That's what the original says. That's how the King James Version renders it as well. The sons of Eli were the sons of Belial. Think about that description. Think about it. Now, let me ask you children in verse 12. Who are we talking about? The sons of Eli were sons of Belial. Who are these? These are priests, right? We're not talking about uncircumcised Philistines. We're not talking about pagans. We're talking about pastors, for crying out loud. And how are they described? They are the sons of Belial. They are the sons of the devil. Wicked and worthless men. And then notice the second part of that verse. They knew not the Lord. What a chilling description. These were ministers who were called to serve the Lord and point His people to His word. They were entrusted with the oracles of God. They were supposed to be examples of piety and godliness before the people. And yet they did not know the Lord. These were wicked, unconverted men. They did not know the Lord. They did not love the Lord. It's possible to be a pastor and be unconverted. You understand that, right? Not everyone who says I'm a Christian is a Christian. There are those who say with their lips, I follow Jesus, but in their hearts, they hate him and they love the devil. These men were supposed to be the priests of God, but they sold their souls to the devil. They were the sons of Belial. God's word tells us. They were the children of the devil. In their ministry, they made a mockery of God. They made a mockery of the worship of God. Imagine congregation, imagine coming to church on a Sunday morning and be robbed by the pastor of that church. Imagine showing up at church to worship God and have the pastor steal from you and extort money from you. That's what they were doing. These wicked priests were robbing those who brought offerings to the Lord in the temple, at the center of worship, where God's name is supposed to be honored. As people showed up, these priests would prey upon them and steal from them and extort people, the vulnerable and the weak. Look at the description in verse 13 onwards, look at it. And the priest's custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged flesh hook in his hand while the meat was boiling, and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot, and the priest would take for himself all that the flesh hook brought up. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. Verse 15, also before they burned the fat, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who sacrificed, give meat for roasting to the priest, for he will not take boiled meat from you, but raw. And if the man said to him, they should really burn the fat first, then you may take as much as your heart desires, he would then answer him, no, but you must give it now. And if not, You see the last part of verse 16? If not, what? I'll take it by force. These priests were mafia people. They were threatening the worshipers. If you don't give me the food that I want, I will take it by force. Can you imagine the corruption and the wickedness that was going on in the temple? These were priests. But they were acting as thieves and robbers. They demanded their own portion before the Lord's portion. And instead of burning the fat of the sacrifice, they took it for themselves. Now, according to Leviticus 3, verse 16, the fat was the portion to be offered to the Lord. Listen to Leviticus 3, verse 16. And the priest shall burn the fat And the priest shall burn them upon the altar. It is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savor. All the fat is the Lord's. But instead of obeying the Lord's command, they took whatever portion from the sacrifice that they wanted for themselves. Kids, they would just walk up to the offering, and they put their fork into the meat that's being cooked, and whatever they wanted, the fad, the nicer pieces, they took for themselves. Such disregard, such contempt toward the Lord. They dishonored God. instead of honoring Him. They had no love for the Lord. They were not concerned for the glory of God, but they were concerned with satisfying their lusts. Their God was not Jehovah. Their God was their own bellies. And not only were they hungry for food, they were also lustful men who promoted sexual immorality in the temple. Look at verse 22, verse 22. According to verse 22, they were lying with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. Can you imagine how wicked that is? In the church! They were stealing, they were robbing people. And they were promoting sexual immorality, such wicked behavior. Now, congregation, there is a clear parallel with these two priests, the sons of Eli and the prosperity preachers of our day, right? And that's a parallel that's easy to see. But there's another one that I'll share in just a moment that is a bit more tricky or might be more discreet. But just like the sons of Eli who were thieves and robbers, the prosperity preachers of our day would also extort money from people to get rich themselves, right? That's what the prosperity preachers do. They pray on the weak and the vulnerable all in the name of Christ. how wicked and evil these health, wealth, and prosperity preachers are. They're wolves in sheep's clothing. They're not ministers of Christ, but they're the sons of Belial. But do you know who else resembles these two men, the sons of Eli? The pastor who refuses to preach the word of God. A pastor who's supposed to be a minister of Christ and who would not preach the word. Pastors who preach themselves or who entertain the congregation instead of expositing the word of the Lord. They're stealing from the people and they're robbing from God. They're trying to dishonor the Lord because the job of a pastor is not to be an entertainer or a clown, but to be an under shepherd, to give people the word of the Lord. Pastors and elders are called by God to shepherd the flock entrusted to them by pointing them to the Lord, feeding them with the green pastures of the Word of God. And if a pastor refuses to do that, he has become disqualified from the office. Do you understand that? And so as an application for you, congregation, when you come to church on the Lord's Day, what should be your expectation? Your expectation should not be to be entertained, but to be sanctified with the word of the Lord. Your expectation, your longing should be to hear the word of God. Who cares what is the opinion of the pastor or what he likes or the funny stories he might have to share? Who cares? We need Jesus, not the eloquence of a man. A sermon is not a TED talk or a self-help motivational speech. Boys and girls, men and women need to hear the word of God. We need Jesus. Not entertainment. And so let me plead with you, congregation, before we move on. Have this longing in your hearts. Have this expectation in your hearts every Lord's Day as you come to church, as you sit under the preaching of the Word. I want Jesus. I want to see Jesus. I don't want to hear about how I can help myself or how whatever. I don't want to just feel good. I want to see my all-sufficient Savior so I can run to Him. every day for help. I need Christ. As I said earlier, don't come to be entertained but to be sanctified. Come as beggars in need of grace and long to be satisfied with Jesus, your all-sufficient Savior, who alone is mighty to save and to keep you to the end. Amen? Sadly, even Eli, the dad, the man of God, failed to discipline his sons and put an end to their wickedness. You know what he should have done? He should have exercised ecclesiastical discipline, right? He was a priest. He should have put an end to this wickedness that was going on in the temple. But he didn't. He didn't love his sons because he failed to discipline them. He let them follow their lusts. Look at verse 27. Then a man of God, another prophet, came to Eli and said to him, thus says the Lord, did I not clearly reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house? Did I not choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest? to offer upon my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? And did I not give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire? Now look at verse 29. Why do you kick at my sacrifice and my offering, which I have commanded in my dwelling place? Listen to this now, verse 29. And why do you honor your sons, what? More than me. Eli honored his sons more than honoring Jehovah. And therefore, he did not discipline them. He did not put an end to the wickedness that was going on in the church. Why do you honor your sons more than me? To make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel, my people. Now, congregation, these were dark days, right? As I said earlier, it's one thing for the culture to be wicked and dark. Shouldn't the church be the light in the midst of the dark world? The darker the society, the brighter the light of the gospel should shine from the church, right? It's one thing to live in a dark culture. It's another thing to have wickedness practice in the visible church. And yet, there is hope. And I want you to see this congregation. In the midst of such darkness, spiritually, God had preserved his church. There was a true church. Amen? There were true worshipers who worshiped God according to His word. There were people who honored the Lord, even in this wicked generation. God had preserved His church. And this brings us to our second heading, faithful God. congregation, even though they were wicked priests, God remains faithful and he keeps his church. And so what do we see in this chapter? In the midst of such darkness and corruption, there were believers, there were worshipers saved by grace who loved the Lord and glorified him. People like Elkanah, people like Hannah, Samuel. These were true worshippers. These were part of the true church who looked to the Lord for their salvation and worshipped him in spirit and truth. Congregation, this should encourage us greatly because the church of the Lord Jesus Christ will never perish. Even in dark times, God will always keep his church. There will always be true worshipers worshiping the one true God. God's worship will continue because God will keep his people. Let me show you that in the text. Look at verse 19. But Samuel, ministered before the Lord, even as a child wearing a linen ephod. Moreover, his mother used to make him a little robe and bring it to him. How often? Year by year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. Do you see that? Do you see this godly family who would regularly and diligently come to the temple Even though the priests were wicked, there were true worshipers who would come to the temple to worship the Lord and who would not participate in the wickedness that was going on. These were the true believers, even in the midst of darkness. Verse 20, and Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, The Lord give you descendants from this woman for the loan that was given to the Lord. And then they would go to their own home. Now look at verse 21. And the Lord visited Hannah so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the child Samuel grew before the Lord. And the child Samuel, verse 26, grew in stature and in favor both with the Lord and men. And so what do we see here? Elkanah and Hannah continue to come to the Lord's house to worship God, and we see their son Samuel growing in wisdom and stature before the Lord and with men. And notice also how God blessed Hannah, right? Hannah's desire was to have a man-child. But after Samuel was born, what did Hannah do? She dedicated and devoted him to the Lord, right? As a faithful godly woman. Now, I want you to see something. You can't out-give God. Did you hear me? You can never out give God. If you honor the Lord, if you pursue His kingdom, all these things shall be added unto you. God will take care of you. And that's what we see in Hannah's life. Hannah devoted her son to the Lord. What did God give? What did God do? He opened her womb so that she would have more sons and daughters. Hannah was a blessed woman. Why? Because she honored the Lord. God honors those who honor Him. God is a generous God. He loves to provide for His children. Instead of looking at ourselves, we need to pursue the Lord. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. That's what happened to Hannah. She bore three sons and two daughters. Now remember, congregation, the best place to be in is in obedience to God's word, right? I don't know. I don't care. I don't care, meaning it doesn't matter what situation you might be in. I care for you. But it doesn't matter what situation you might be in. It doesn't matter what trials you're going through. If you are obeying the word of God, you're in the best place. You're in the safest place. It's in obedience to God that you're safe. When you obey God, you can expect His blessings to come upon you, His protection to come upon you. But if you do not obey Him and honor Him, you're in trouble. But if you honor Him, if you obey Him, even when you suffer, even when you have trials, God is with you. He will comfort you. He will take care of you. Be encouraged. By that, the Lord gave Hannah more than she could have asked or imagined. Now, look at verse 21. End of verse 21. The child Samuel grew before the Lord. That's an amazing verse, isn't it? Notice what it says. Now, where was Samuel this whole time? In the temple, right? with those two wicked men, right? Have you ever wondered how come Samuel was preserved from that wickedness? Did you ever wonder? I mean, the parents left Samuel in the temple, but there were these wicked men. And yet, how is it that Samuel was preserved from this wickedness in this ungodly environment? How is it that Samuel Remain godly. You know why? Verse 21, he grew before who? Before the Lord. You see that? Which means this, God protected Samuel. from harm. God protected Samuel from those evil men and their influence. God preserved Samuel and kept him pure so that he would continue to grow before the Lord in wisdom and stature in favor both with the Lord and with men. Dads and moms, I gotta tell you this. Isn't that encouraging for us as we think about our children in this wicked world? God is able and faithful to keep our children from this evil and wicked generation as well. If you If you expose your children to the light of the gospel, if you faithfully discipline them and nurture them in the fear and the admonition of the Lord, the Lord will protect your children. Like he did Samuel, who was in the temple. He was a little boy, vulnerable. Those men could have taken advantage of Samuel, right? Those men could have harmed Samuel, but the Lord protected that little boy who grew before the Lord. Dads and moms, don't be like Eli, who wouldn't discipline his children. If you love your children, discipline them lovingly, with compassion, with patience. Raise them before the Lord. The Lord is able to keep our sons and our daughters safe. Amen. That is so encouraging. Bring your children to church and lead them by example. Teach your children to love the ways of the Lord. Encourage them to follow Jesus. Sanctify the Lord's day and teach them to honor the Lord's day, to honor God. Teach your children this principle. Son, daughter, the Lord honors those who honor him. If you honor the Lord, He will sustain you. He will bless you. But if you dishonor Him, you're foolish! Don't lean on your own understanding. Trust in the Lord. Acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He will establish your paths. More than anything, son, daughter, I want you to be godly. I want you to be a godly man, a godly woman, devoted to the Lord. That's what I want from you. and dads and moms, be committed. to teaching your children the word of the Lord. Teach them to love and treasure the word of God. This is how our little ones are saved ordinarily. This is how God saves sinners. Through faithful parents, teaching the subsequent generation the ways of the Lord, seeing the children grow in a covenant community. This is how the Lord saves our children ordinarily. Be encouraged. Congregation, this is how our children grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord is faithful to preserve his church. The Lord is faithful to keep his people in the one true faith to the end. The Lord provided for his church a faithful servant, Samuel, who points us to a greater Samuel, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah. who is greater than Samuel, and who will judge righteously. And that brings us to our brief third heading, the righteous judge. Now notice congregation. God cannot be mocked, right? It is utter foolishness to dishonor God because he will judge. He is a just judge. God cannot be mocked. You don't mess with him. He is a consuming fire, as the New Testament tells us. He will do perfect justice. Those who reject him will be judged and punished, and the Lord will destroy all his enemies, and he will be glorified among his people. And so the Lord sends to Eli, a man of God, a prophet, to bring to him the word of the Lord. and confronts him. Now, as an illustration, think about Numbers 3 and the two sons of Aaron. What were their names? Nadab and Abihu. What did they do? They were supposed to be the priests before the Lord and worship Him according to His word. But what did they do? They tried to do things their way and dishonor the Lord by offering a strange fire. How did the Lord respond? The Lord consumed them by fire. God will not be mocked. Don't mock God. Honor him. He alone is worthy of worship and praise. He will not leave unpunished those who belittle him or belittle and defile his worship. And so the Lord announces to Eli that he would judge his two sons and destroy them. Look at verse 30. Verse 30, therefore the Lord God of Israel says, I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before me forever. But now the Lord says, far be it from me. For those who honor me, I will honor. And those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. Verse 31. Behold, the days are coming that I will cut off your arm and the arm of your house so that there will not be an old man in your house and you will see An enemy in my dwelling place despised all the good which God does for Israel and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. But any of your men whom I do not cut off from mine altar shall consume your eyes and grieve your heart. In other words, your Children will be wicked and I will remove them from the priesthood and all the descendants of your house shall die in the flower of their age. Now this shall be assigned to you. that will come upon your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas, in one day they will both die, both of them." Look at verse 25 now verse 25 is terrifying. I want you to see this verse 25 nevertheless. They did not heed the voice of their father referring to the two men of the two sons of Eli because what the Lord desired to kill them. You see that. The two sons of Eli kept on hardening their hearts. They kept on suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. And they came to a point of no return so that God decided to give them over to their wickedness. And then they would not listen to wise counseling because the Lord had given them over to their own lusts. Just like the Lord gave Pharaoh over to his folly, here the Lord judges these wicked priests. They persisted in their rebellion to such an extent that they were given over. We see that in Romans 1, right? The way God judges the wicked is by giving them over to their own lusts. God is not the author of sin. He's righteous and holy. But when a sinner continues to resist Him like Pharaoh, like these two sons of Eli, they come to a point where God in divine judgment gives them what their hearts desire. The evil and the wickedness. They're given over. And God withholds His grace from them. So that they follow after their own folly all the way to hell. Remember, God will honor those who honor him, but those who despise him will be brought down and likely esteemed. So what does God say to Eli? God promises Eli in his just judgment that he would remove Eli's household from the priesthood, that he would cut off Eli's line And I love verse 35, and we'll get there in just a moment. And God will raise what? A faithful priest, right? The congregation in 1 Kings chapter 2, as you see how God's judgment is fulfilled, The last descendant of Eli was Abiathar or Abiathar. And Abiathar in 1st Kings 2 is kicked out of the ministry. He's removed from being a priest and he's replaced by another priest, a more faithful priest, Zadok, a descendant of Aaron from a different line. God fulfilled his word. He removed Eli's line from priesthood. As an application for all of us congregation, God is serious about His holiness, right? God is serious. He is holy. And therefore, don't dishonor Him. repent and trust in him the safest place for you to be in is in christ embracing him as lord and savior that's the safest place to be in don't postpone your repentance like the sons of eli who didn't care about the word of the Lord and kept on resisting him and suppressing the truth and unrighteousness. Don't do that. Don't postpone your repentance. Repent today. Don't say, I'll get right with God tomorrow. I will repent tomorrow. No, no. Submit to the Lord today and follow him. by the grace of God, run to the Lord Jesus Christ, who saves us from our sins. And that brings us to our final heading, Christ our merciful Savior. I want you to see Christ in 1 Samuel 2, because without Christ we have no hope. But I want you to see congregation as we work our way through 1 Samuel. Jesus Christ is the theme of 1st Samuel. He's the sum and the substance of all scriptures. He is our only comfort in life and in death. So look at verse 35. Even in the midst of judgment, God gives the good news of the gospel. And I want you to see this. Verse 35. Then I will raise up for myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in my heart and what is in my mind. I will build him a sure house and he shall walk before my anointed forever. See, congregation, ultimately, God is going to remove the entire Aaronic priesthood, the priesthood of Aaron. And God will establish the only perfect and faithful high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, after the order of Melchizedek. God will raise a faithful priest, which is ultimately answered in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is priest not after the order of Aaron, but of Melchizedek. God will raise up a faithful priest greater than Samuel, greater than Aaron, greater than all the priests after the order of Aaron, a priest who shall do according to the word of God, who shall please and glorify God. You see how this chapter is crying out for Jesus? How this chapter is screaming, we need a better priest. We need a better priest and we need a better king. Now, I want you to see a dilemma that is raised in this chapter and is answered in Christ alone. Look at verse 10 of this chapter. In verse 10, what does Hannah say? Where is Hannah's hope? In the Lord's king. Do you see that? Verse 10. Did I get that right? Is that verse 10? Where Hannah says, Hannah prays for the Lord's King to be exalted, for the horn of the Messiah to be exalted. Right? So Hannah is praying for a righteous king who will judge righteously. And in that, Hannah puts her hope. And in verse 35, God promises to raise who? A priest, a faithful priest. So here's the dilemma. How could there be a perfect king and a perfect priest? These two offices, can these two offices ever merge? And the answer the scripture gives is yes. These two offices of prophet and of priest and king are merged in who? Jesus, our priest king. Jesus Christ is that righteous king in whom Hannah trusted in verse 10. And Jesus Christ is that faithful priest that God promised in verse 35. The two offices of king and priest merge in Christ Jesus, the priest king. In fact, only in the Messiah, we find those three offices. He's our prophet, he's our priest, and he is our king who came into the world to save sinners. Just as God chose Aaron, God will choose and raise up a better priest. In Psalm 110, as we sang earlier, Psalm 110 speaks about these two offices. Verse one says, Jehovah said to my Adonai, sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Messiah is gonna be a king who would reign with the father in perfect authority and righteousness. And this Messiah is God himself because David calls him what? My Lord. And then later in Psalm 110, in verse 4, listen to this. And the Lord hath sworn and will not repent. Thou art a priest forever. after the order of Melchizedek. This king is also a priest forever. That's the answer. That's the hope of 1 Samuel 2. That's the hope of Hannah. It's to Jesus that Samuel points. the king and the priest. So listen to Hebrews 4 with that background. Hebrews 4 says, verse 14, seeing then that we have a high priest, a great high priest that is passed into the heavens. Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession, for we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. And then listen to Hebrews 10, verses 10 through 14. By the witch, will by the by the which will were sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oft times the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. But this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool." Do you hear? Jesus made one sacrifice. And then Psalm 110, expecting all his enemies to be made his footstool, for by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Congregation, Jesus Christ is the priest king, the only redeemer of God's elect, the only mediator before God and men. And so as I conclude, The main point of our sermon text is God honors those who honor him. Now listen to the words of the Lord Jesus who said this, whoever does not honor the son does not honor him who sent him, right? The only way you can honor God and please Him and glorify Him is through the Priest-King, the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the only way that you can honor God. If you refuse to honor and worship Jesus, you do not honor God. You will perish. But if you embrace Christ as your Lord and Savior, God is honored and He is pleased. Because it's only through Jesus that we have communion with God. It's only in Christ that our sins are forgiven. Because Jesus died for our sins. Listen, not only is He the high priest, He's also the sacrifice. He offered himself in our place to satisfy divine justice and was buried and on the third day rose again from the dead. The salvation of sinners is by faith in Christ alone. Honor God by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ and submitting to His Lordship. Repent and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Cast yourselves at the mercy of Jesus, our prophet, priest, and king. Blessed are you if you take refuge in Him. Look to Jesus and trust in Him. Amen. Let's pray. We thank you for your word. Help us to honor you. Help us to live our lives for your glory, to humble ourselves and look to you through faith in Christ our Lord. Father, we thank you that you have indeed raised up a faithful priest, the one who never sinned, A perfect, sinless priest who offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins and through whom we are reconciled to you, our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh Father, I pray, we pray that our congregation would trust upon Christ alone for salvation, that we would look to Him that we would run to him, that we would not trust in our own understanding, but rely upon our all-sufficient Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We also pray that you would use our church to be a blessing to our communities, and that through our church, the sweet fragrance of the gospel would rise and spread around us. Lord, we long to see the conversion of sinners. We long to see more and more lives transformed through the ministry of your word. And so Father, we pray that you would grant us faithfulness, fruitfulness and faithfulness. As you granted fruitfulness to barren Hannah, we too a long desire to grow in faithfulness to your word and bear fruit. Please help us, help us for we look to Christ in whom we have all the blessings in the heavenly places. Help us to honor you with our lives. we thank you that you exalt those who humble themselves before you we look to you as we come now to the Lord's table help us to come in a worthy manner not trusting in ourselves but trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ who alone is my