[0:00] Here we do.
[0:15] Thank you.
[0:25] Amen. Good morning.
[1:08] I think some people's alarm clocks didn't quite get changed. But no doubt at some point in time they'll arrive when they've realised that they should have got up a bit earlier.
[1:19] But well done you for making sure that you put your clocks forward and that you're here. And the early bird gets the worm. And I don't know how we translate that spiritually.
[1:32] But hopefully it means there's a greater blessing because we're here on time to come and serve the Lord and worship him. Mother's Day of course as all of us are aware that can be a joyful day.
[1:44] It can be a sad day. It can be a difficult day even as well for some of us. But throughout God's plan of redemption, throughout his wonderful work of salvation in the Bible, we see that mothers have a very, very important role at specific times through the scriptures.
[2:03] Think of Sarah, the wife of Abraham, the mother of Isaac. Think of Rebecca, the wife of Jacob, the children that she bore.
[2:18] And of course Moses' mother who protected him when he was in the threat of death. And of course Samson's mother and many other mothers as well. And we're going to look at one mother a bit later on this morning.
[2:30] But Mary, Mary the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, she was someone who had that very vital role in God's work. Let's never forget that.
[2:41] And we're going to sing a hymn which really is her song, Mary's song, from when she realized what God was doing for her. From Luke in chapter 1 she said, My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.
[2:58] And our first hymn reflects that. It's 35. Tell out my soul the greatness of the Lord. Unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice. Let's stand and sing to the praise of our wonderful God.
[3:11] 35. Let's pray together. Let us all pray.
[3:22] We thank you, O Lord, on this very morning. We have a song to sing. We have a joyful message to proclaim. The Lord is our Saviour and our King.
[3:34] We thank you, O Lord, that even though this day is a lovely day, the sun is shining and that lifts our hearts. Yet there is nothing that can lift our hearts like the knowledge that we are children of the living God.
[3:47] That you are our Heavenly Father. That we are loved by you. And forgiven by you. And received by you. That we are blessed by you. That, Lord, you hear us when we pray.
[3:59] That you are with us wherever we go. That you never leave us nor forsake us. There's nothing, Lord, that can lift our hearts and our spirits than the work of your Holy Spirit in our hearts.
[4:10] That causes us to realize that Jesus is the one who died for me and rose again and lives forevermore. That causes us to realize that, O Lord, that we are those who are headed to a heavenly home.
[4:26] A place where the sun never sets. Because you, O Lord, our God, are its sun and its light, its warmth and its joy. We thank you, O Lord, that we are journeying and that we shall arrive at that glorious destination of being in your presence forevermore.
[4:44] And all the things, O Lord, of this world. All the things of this life which are painful and unpleasant and harmful and distressing. All the ugly things of this world. They won't be there in heaven.
[4:56] But everything will be beautiful. Everything will be perfect. Everything will be holy. And we shall be holy. We shall be changed and transformed. We shall be, O Lord, like you.
[5:07] Not God, but holy. Free of sin. Lord, without those things that weigh us down. That make us feel bad about ourselves. That show us again that we are men and women who need your grace and salvation.
[5:23] For, Lord, we shall sing of your grace and salvation throughout the days that we're in heaven. We shall rejoice and be glad in you. And nothing will impinge or impede our joy or our rejoicing.
[5:36] It will be full and it will be loud. We thank you, O Lord, that even as we gather this morning, we're able to enjoy just a snippet, as it were, of heaven.
[5:46] We're able to enjoy just a taster of all that is laid out for us there. We pray, O Lord, that this morning, indeed, that we may come before you with joy and thanksgiving.
[5:57] We may come before you with a real sense of what it means to be yours and you to be ours. Thank you that we can pray, our Father. You are our God.
[6:08] You are the one who has given yourself to us in your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. What a wonderful gift. And in one sense, that's what we want to do ourselves. We want to reciprocate that love this morning and give ourselves afresh to you and say, O Lord, I am yours.
[6:26] We are yours. Take us and work in us. Bless us, yes, Lord, but cause us to be like Mary of old and your saints throughout the ages, those who tell out the glorious good news of our God.
[6:39] We ask these things as we ask your blessing and help in our time together now. For we ask them all in and through the name of Jesus Christ, your Son. Amen.
[6:52] That was one of the ones I first learned to sing when I was a Christian back in the 80s, I think. So, yes, we used to clap then. So, forgive me for that. Just got carried away then.
[7:03] A bit of the Pentecostal came out. Now, let's be... Right. Let's read God's Word. Let's read God's Word. We're in 1 Samuel.
[7:14] 1 Samuel and chapter 2, but we're actually going to just give ourselves a bit of background and begin in 1 Samuel chapter 1. That's page 272. Page 272.
[7:33] We're going to pick up from the very first 24 and read on to verse 11 of chapter 2. Just to remind you of the background.
[7:45] Most of you will know it. Hannah is the mother of Samuel. She was unable to have children for a very long time. Then she prayed and the Lord gave her Samuel. And she promised that she would give Samuel back to the Lord to serve the Lord.
[7:59] And this is what happens afterwards. After he was weaned, verse 24, that's Samuel. So, he's a young boy, still a young child. She took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, nephah of flower and a skin of wine, brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh.
[8:18] When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli. And she said to him, Pardon me, my Lord. As surely as you live, I'm the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord.
[8:31] I prayed for this child. And the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he shall be given over to the Lord.
[8:42] And he worshipped the Lord there. Then Hannah prayed and said, My heart rejoices in the Lord. In the Lord my horn is lifted high.
[8:53] The horn is a symbol of strength. My mouth boasts over my enemies. For I delight in your deliverance. There is no one holy like the Lord.
[9:04] There is no one besides you. There is no rock like our God. Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance. For the Lord is a God who knows.
[9:17] And by him deeds are weighed. The bows of the warriors are broken. But those who stumbled are armed with strength. Those who are full hire themselves out for food.
[9:30] But those who are hungry are hungry no more. She who was barren has borne seven children. But she who has many sons pines away.
[9:41] The Lord brings death. And makes alive. He brings down to the grave. And he raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth.
[9:53] He humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust. And lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them with princes. And makes them inherit a throne of honor.
[10:05] For the foundations of the earth are the lords. On them he has set the world. He will guard the feet of his faithful servants. But the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.
[10:18] It is not by strength that one prevails. Those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.
[10:30] He will give strength to his king. And exalt the horn of his anointed. Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. But the boy ministered before the Lord.
[10:41] Under Eli the priest. Well let's open our Bibles together to 1 Samuel.
[10:52] Chapter 2. That's page 272. To this amazing prayer. This amazing song. Really this psalm. Of this lady Hannah.
[11:09] Page 272. Page 272. I wonder what sort of television you enjoy watching. Television producers now are very careful about having their target audience for specific programs.
[11:27] And they try to make sure that every age group, every gender, every background, every part of the country is catered for. And so of course there's children's TV.
[11:40] And again that's broken down into preschool and sort of primary school and then young adults and so on. And of course there's programs especially targeted for mothers.
[11:53] Mother's Day. And for women in general I think. But mums especially sometimes are about parenting and other things like that. And one particular program I think or genre of program that's particularly aimed at ladies is the makeover program.
[12:11] Isn't it? Where always it's a woman who isn't looking in her prime. Put it that way. Not like all of you of course. Not looking at her best.
[12:21] And she's taken away and she's given this incredible transformation. So all of her clothes, her wardrobe is thrown out. She's given a whole new wardrobe of clothes which make her look slimmer or whatever it may be.
[12:37] Then her hair is cut and shaped and dyed and all that sort of thing. And her makeup is done. And sometimes depending on the lady she may have to have dental treatment and work. And maybe even a little bit of cosmetic surgery applied ultimately in the end of this great process.
[12:53] Which may be weeks or months. She's sort of wheeled out as someone who looks rejuvenated on the outside. She's completely transformed. And sometimes they have a gathering of the family and they'll go, Oh, you look wonderful and marvelous and so on.
[13:07] And we can see that this transformation has brought her happiness. Beaming smile. She's so happy with how she now looks. Happiness is what we're searching for.
[13:21] Everybody it seems is searching for. And it's not just that particular TV program. But there's many others as well. They all seem to be with the same end in view to bring some happiness.
[13:33] So you have a restoration of a house being rebuilt and transformed. And the family in it are so happy. We have people who teach us how we can save money.
[13:44] And transform the way that we shop. And again the result is we're happy. Programs to teach us how we can lose that unwanted fat and weight and all those other things. And the end result again is that we are happy.
[13:56] We're told again and again it's we can be happy. But certainly when you meet Hannah in chapter 2 of Samuel.
[14:06] If you weren't to read chapter 1. If you just read chapter 2. You'd see a woman who is happy. My heart rejoices. And she really is a transformed woman from the woman we know in chapter 1.
[14:19] In chapter 1 it seems to be this poor woman who goes around and she's always crying. Whenever you meet her she's weeping and crying. Verse 7 of chapter 1. Her rival provoked her till she wept and she wouldn't eat.
[14:34] Hannah her husband asked why are you weeping? Later on she goes in verse 7. She speaks and she's praying. She talks about her misery.
[14:45] That she has before the Lord. And she weeps verse 10 bitterly. And now look at her. Look at her in chapter 1 and verse of chapter 2.
[14:56] My heart rejoices. And her whole song isn't it? Is a song of rejoicing and joy. She's clearly we might say a happy woman. She's been transformed.
[15:08] And the reason for a transformation we may ask. Well because she was childless. She's a childless. Which was not only. Is not only a difficult thing for families and parents to deal with today.
[15:22] But particularly in her day was a reason for her to be thought of as being unloved by God. It was a shameful thing for her not to be able to bear children.
[15:33] Her husband sadly and foolishly. Even though he married Hannah first. He took a second wife when Hannah couldn't have children. And that wife Pechenar was a rather nasty piece of work.
[15:45] And she had lots of children. And she kept ridiculing Hannah and saying how awful she was. And terrible. Look at all my children. And so on. And now after she prayed God has answered her prayer.
[15:55] And she has a son. But is that the whole story? Is it simply because she's got a son from the Lord that she is happy? Is it simply rejoicing in the fact that her situation has outwardly changed?
[16:14] If that was so then we could say she is happy. Because happiness depends on happenings. When all is going our way we are generally happy people aren't we?
[16:26] When everything is sort of going the way it should be. When we are feeling healthy and well. And we have got money in the bank. And all those sort of things. And the sun is shining today. Well we are generally happy people.
[16:38] As soon as the circumstances begin to change. As soon as things become difficult. As soon as things become hard. Or we find the bills are outweighing the income.
[16:48] Or we are feeling unwell. Happiness disappears. It's a fleeting thing. Lord Byron was a very famous poet.
[17:00] In fact a very famous character in English history. And he spent all his life looking for pleasure and happiness. And he did all sorts of very unsavory things. On his last birthday he wrote this.
[17:13] A man who pursued happiness. My days are in the yellow leaf. The flowers and the fruits of life are gone. The worm, the canker and grief are mine alone.
[17:26] He was only 25 when he wrote that. And he died later that year. Happiness. There is something more substantial to Hannah.
[17:38] To her rejoicing than the gift of Samuel. Remember as well that as we just read before. She's actually now. Though she's had Samuel. And she's weaned him. She's now given him back to the Lord.
[17:49] She isn't actually going to see him now. Apart from one day a year. For the rest of her life. So she hasn't got him at home. She hasn't as if she's got this child.
[17:59] And kept him. She's given him to the Lord. As she promised that she would. So that he might serve him. See Hannah as you read that wonderful song.
[18:11] Doesn't even mention Samuel does it? Her song doesn't mention the Lord. The Lord's gift to her. It's all about God. So she rejoices not in the gift.
[18:23] But in the giver of the gift. My heart rejoices in the Lord. Her words sort of pre-echo. If I can put it that way. The words of Paul.
[18:34] Later on a thousand or more years. When he writes to Philippian Christians. And on two occasions says to them. Rejoice in the Lord. And again he says.
[18:45] Rejoice in the Lord. Always. I will say it again. Rejoice. That's why Philippians is often considered. The joyful letter. Joy.
[18:57] As it is expressed. In the praise of Hannah. Is uniquely the possession. Of the believer. It's a joy that can never be known.
[19:08] To those who've never enjoyed. The Lord. And rejoiced in him. It's a work of God's. Wonderful spirit. Within our hearts. That's why Paul.
[19:18] When he speaks in Galatians 5. He talks about the fruit of the spirit. The outworking. The overflow of the spirit. Faith. And love. Sorry. Love.
[19:29] And joy. Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Gentleness. Faithfulness. Self-control. Hannah. Shines out here.
[19:41] As a real believer. In the Lord God. A woman. Of living. Faith. It was from that faith. That she came to God.
[19:52] First of all. With that. Heartfelt prayer. Where she pleaded. And asked of God. Looking to him. It was because of her faith in the Lord. That she was able to give Samuel. Back to him.
[20:03] As a sacrifice. A thank offering. And it's. Because of her faith. That she now is overflowing. With joy. In the Lord. It's because.
[20:14] Of whom she has put our faith in. And because of who he is. That she has. Joy. Joy. Joy. Joy. Is never found. Apart.
[20:27] From faith. Faith. And joy. Always. Go together. You see. If we have faith. As some people claim to have.
[20:37] Or a belief. Or a religion. But we haven't joy. Then faith is simply. A cold. Intellectual. Acceptance. Of certain things. That we believe to be true.
[20:48] And if we have. Joy. Without faith. Then that joy. Is a shallow. Self-absorbed. Pleasure. Which like the seed.
[20:59] We're told of. In Jesus parable. Fell on the rocky soil. Springing up quickly. But withering. As soon as difficulties. Come. The true believer.
[21:10] The Christian. The one who. Rejoices in the Lord. Has faith. And joy. And has joy. And faith. That's what.
[21:22] Should characterize. You and I dear friends. As believers. Those who've been born again. Of the Holy Spirit. A joy that finds. Its source. And finds its.
[21:33] Ongoing strength. In celebrating. God. For who he is. And for what. He has done. And that's what we see here.
[21:44] Hannah rejoicing. Firstly in the Lord. In who he is. And secondly. Delighting in what he has. Done. So what is it that she believes.
[21:55] What is it that she has faith in. Concerning the Lord. That has brought her such a joy. Such a transformation. What is it that we must believe.
[22:12] That we may know that rejoicing. Even in all circumstances. Well first of all of course. She rejoices. In the Lord.
[22:24] And in two. We might play. Attributes of God. Two characteristics of God. Two unique things. That belong only. To God. And to no one else. So what is it about him.
[22:36] That makes him such a joy. To those. Who know him. First of all there in verse two. The holiness. Of God. There is no one.
[22:48] Holy. Like. The Lord. That's something that's. Said again and again. Throughout the Bible. From beginning to end. The holiness of God. Whenever you read about God.
[22:59] It's almost certain. That at some point. That person. Who meets with God. Will. Will see. Or be revealed. Or understand. That God is. Holy. In Isaiah chapter six.
[23:10] Isaiah the prophet. Has this wonderful. Picture. Where he looks into heaven. And there he sees the. Angels of God. And what are they doing. We're told. Day and night. They're calling to one another.
[23:22] Holy. Holy. Holy. Is the Lord. Almighty. John has the same. Picture of heaven. As he looks into it. In Revelation. Holiness.
[23:33] Is the. Foremost. That the jewel. As it were. In all of God's. Characteristics. It's the thing. That sets him apart. That distinguishes him. From every other. Person.
[23:46] And it's what he wants us. To see. In him. Most of all. Because it's his most. Attractive. Quality. If I can put it that way. All of his qualities are.
[23:56] But holiness. Is his most attractive. His most beautiful. His most lovely. In Leviticus. In chapter ten. Moses speaks. To Aaron. He says. This is what the Lord. Spoke of.
[24:07] When he said. Among those. Who approach me. I will show myself. Holy. In the sight of all people. I will be. Honored. It's hard for us.
[24:19] To grasp. Holiness. It's a sort of. A fluid word. It's not a word. We use. Very often. It's not a word. That appears. In our conversation. Rightly so. In one sense.
[24:29] Because the only person. That we can attribute. Holiness to. Is God. God. The only person. Who owns holiness. Every single one of us. Is unholy. We are without holiness.
[24:42] Because we are marred. And disfigured. Because we are imperfect. Because we. Are sinful. Holiness can be described.
[24:52] As God's. Absolutely. Flawless. Perfection. So Hannah says. There is no one.
[25:03] Holy. Like. The Lord. There is no one. Besides you. Or like you. Who compares with you. No comparisons. Between God.
[25:14] No equals. Nothing in the universe. Comes close. To this astonishing. Beauty. Which is. The beauty. Of God's.
[25:25] Holiness. We try to. Try to. Bring it down. If I could. Try to. Emphasize it. In some natural way. It's almost impossible. The closest we could get. Is to. To an artist.
[25:36] As it were. As he looks out. Over a beautiful. Landscape. Or seascape. Or a view. And he. And he's. He's just caught up. With the loveliness. Of it. Of the beauty of it. Because he sees it.
[25:51] As unique. And perfect. Is that how you see God? Is that what you think of God?
[26:03] Do you think of him. In that sort of way? Do you think of him. As being someone. Who is utterly. Beautiful. Utterly. Lovely.
[26:14] Because there's nothing. In him. To spoil him. Or to mar him. Isn't that. Isn't that the. The very opposite. Of what we find. Even with the people. That we love. In our families. Even the people.
[26:25] That we. We are so. Delighted with. And enjoy. The reality is. Our joy in them. It has certain. Hiccups. Along the way. Because whether they.
[26:35] Want to or not. Ultimately. They let us down. Ultimately. They fail us. Ultimately. Their sinfulness. Comes out. Their selfishness. Their greed. Whatever. It can't help. But be there. But not with God.
[26:49] And the wonderful thing is this. The more that we know God. The more we will see him as holy. The more that we get. We know him. The more we'll see him as lovely. The more we'll enjoy him. And delight in him. And rejoice in him.
[27:01] That's the great sadness. That's the great grief. Isn't it. Of the world in which we live. That men and women. Are not told of. Or shown. Or spoken of. The holiness of God.
[27:13] They speak about God. In all sorts of different ways. They'll use all sorts of adjectives. To describe God. And descriptions. Some of them very unpleasant. And wrong. And wicked. And evil.
[27:24] And even when they do. Often those. Those descriptions of God. Are weak. How often do we hear. God is holy. In him. There's nothing impure.
[27:35] Nothing wrong. Imagine such a person. Now. Of course. The trouble is. That when we meet people. Who think they're perfect. They are a pain in the neck.
[27:47] Aren't they? When we meet people. Who think that they. Know everything. Or they do everything right. Or they've got all the answers. They're unbearable. That's because they're proud.
[28:00] That's because they love to flaunt. What they think. Makes them better than you. That's not the same with God. God wants us to. Be enraptured.
[28:11] With the beauty of his holiness. He wants us to be. Absolutely. Delighted. With what we see in him. Because everything that we see in him. As we shall see.
[28:23] Later on. Is for our good. It is a blessing to us. It's a Lord beautiful to you.
[28:34] You see. The beauty we have in our world. Is always as I've said. Spoilt isn't it. The beauty that we have in our world.
[28:45] Fades. The most beautiful. Model. The most beautiful. Or handsome young man. Whoever they may be. Ultimately. These. These people with their. Chiseled features.
[28:55] And their. And their. And their fantastic figures. They all become rather wrinkly. And podgy. And. Whatever. Some of us. We were good looking.
[29:05] Weren't we? Once. Now. We're not as good as we once were. But that's the trouble. With earthly beauty. But what does. What do we learn here?
[29:16] We see here. There is none holy like you. The Lord. There is no one besides you. There is no rock. Like our God. In other words. We see that. God is not only holy.
[29:26] But we see that God is faithful. Unchanging. That the theological word is immutable. He's always the same.
[29:39] He's constant. And therefore our delight and enjoyment of him is constant. Again. In the reality of what is marriage. You start off and you're starry eyed.
[29:51] And oh this young man. He can do no wrong. He opens the door for you. And he takes the chair for you to sit in. And he takes the serviette. And he lays it across your life. Oh he's overflowing with good manners.
[30:03] And so on. And then you find out after a year or two. He picks his nose. And he snores in bed. And he's not quite the star. It's not quite so starry eyed is it?
[30:16] God isn't like that. God is always beautiful. And that's why heaven will be such a wonderfully marvelous. Eternally marvelous. Eternally joyful place.
[30:27] Because we shall spend all of eternity. Gazing upon the beauty and the loveliness and the holiness of God. And it will never change. And we might say well that's rather boring isn't it?
[30:39] That's going to be so boring. But it's quite the opposite. Think about it. Think about those times in your life. When you've had just a touch of something of joy. And you've been.
[30:49] It may just be an experience. And just been. Oh this is. I wish this could last forever. And of course it doesn't. It's over in a moment. Or a few moments.
[31:00] Or whatever it may be. And it's gone. Not with God. He is our rock. It's going to be for eternity. But it's not just in heaven we enjoy that. It's now as well. And that beauty.
[31:17] That holiness that we enjoy. We can enjoy in every circumstance of our lives. Because though they change. If the focus of our joy is God.
[31:28] He doesn't change. Do you see why it is that sometimes we are up and down. In the circumstances of life. And we're sort of on this roller coaster. And things are well. And then things are bad.
[31:38] And then things are well. And we're sort of. We're in love with God. And then we're struggling in our faith. Because our focus is not on him. It's on our circumstances. But think about people like Paul and Silas.
[31:52] They're in the Philippian jail. In Acts chapter 16. It's the middle of the night. They've just been beaten. Within an inch of their lives. They've been locked up in terrible painful stocks.
[32:05] And they are in the darkest. Dankest. Most unpleasant hole. In the whole. The world. What are they doing?
[32:15] They're weeping. And moaning. And complaining. Of course they're not. What we're told. They're praying. And singing hymns. To God. Because the focus of their joy.
[32:28] The focus of their delight. The focus of their lives. Is the Lord. He hasn't changed. Yes. Yes. Their backs are bleeding. Yes. They're in some discomfort and pain. Yes. Things are looking. In one sense.
[32:38] In the situation. As hopeless. But God hasn't changed. And so. His loveliness. And his beauty. And their joy. Hasn't changed.
[32:51] That's Hannah. She's lifted her face up. Before it was downcast. Before she was just looking at her situation. And her problems. And her difficulties.
[33:01] Before. It was so unremitting. The sorrow she had in her heart. But as she lifted up. Her face to the Lord. Joy came flooding in. And that's.
[33:12] That's certainly. Isn't it. Why. The writer of the Hebrews. Tells us. Again and again. That we're to fix our eyes on Jesus. To look to him. Who he is.
[33:25] But of course. That's only. A part. Of our joy. Our joy. Is not only in the very person of God. In the very character. The nature of God. The loveliness of God.
[33:35] But of course. For Hannah. And for each one of us. That. That. Those attributes of God. God. Produce actions. So he's unique in his. In his attributes.
[33:46] He's unique in his actions. Who God is. Determines what he does. Just like us as well. If we're greedy.
[33:56] Then. We act in greedy ways. If. If we're selfish. We act selfishly. If we're thoughtful. We act thinking. Thinkingly. And so on. If we're sensitive. We act sensitively. But God's works.
[34:09] Just like himself. Are unique. Unlike anything on earth. And so she comes on. She talks about. People.
[34:20] Really just being quiet. Don't keep talking so proudly. We love to boast. Men and women. Love to boast. About what they can do. Look at. Listen to this.
[34:30] And then she brings out. From verses four. And following. These amazing. Transformations. That God does. Because he's unlike. Anyone else. He does things.
[34:41] Which are unlike. Anyone else. So. The warrior. With his bow. Is broken. But the stumbling man. Is armed with strength.
[34:51] Well that's the other way around. Surely the sort of. The stumbling. And weak person. Is the one who's going to be. Defeated and broken. And the warrior. With his bow. Is the one who's going to be. Victorious. No. God turns it around.
[35:03] He transforms itself. Those who are full. Or rich. We might say. Suddenly they're transformed. Their riches. And their full bellies. And their comfortable lives.
[35:14] Are transformed. And they have to. Actually work. Just to get enough food. To eat each day. And then of course. She gets very personal. Doesn't she? Though.
[35:25] She who was barren. Has born seven sons. She hasn't born seven sons yet. But she was barren. And now she started a family. And yet. Here's the one. The woman who had all those sons.
[35:36] And yet. She pines away. She may have had all those sons. But they didn't care for her. Or love her. Or look after her. As they should have done. So having all those sons. Was no blessing.
[35:47] God transforms situations. Don't you see. In each one of those there. And this is so vitally important.
[35:59] For us to grasp. Because it's something that runs all the way through scripture. God is the God. Of the written off. Okay.
[36:10] God is the God. For the weak. God is the God. For the hungry. God is the God. For the barren. God is the God. Who is able. And does. Again and again. Take that which is nothing.
[36:21] And make it something. That's all of Paul's. Preaching isn't it? In 1 Corinthians. When he talks about. God has chosen. The weak things of this world. And the foolish things of the world. And the things that are not.
[36:32] To bring glory. And honor. And praise to his name. Look at yourself. Look at.
[36:44] The church. We've got nothing. We've got no accomplishments. Or achievements to bring. We've got nothing to look at. And say. Look how great we are. What an amazing bunch of people we are.
[36:56] What an incredible person. And I can truly understand. Why God would want to. Save me. And work through me. No. God is the God who takes. The sinful.
[37:09] The rebellious. The weak. The helpless. And turns them. And transforms them. To be. Conquerors.
[37:20] Isn't that what Paul says? We are more than conquerors. Through him who loved us. Conquerors. Victors. Not because we feel like it. Not because we are great in and of ourselves.
[37:31] But because of God. And that's again. As I say. Something you see all the way through scripture. Think of like Joseph. The youngest son. Of Jacob. He's sold by his brothers.
[37:42] Into slavery. He's falsely accused. He's thrown into prison. In one day he's a prisoner. The next day he's the prime minister. What?
[37:54] Only God can do that. Think of David. That boy who out on the hills. All his brothers. Just despised him. He was alone. Nobody knew anything about him. One day.
[38:07] He's a nobody. The next day. He's the greatest warrior. And hero. Of the country. And within a short time. He's the king. Think of Paul. Yes. An intelligent. Incredibly.
[38:20] Brainy man. A religious man. A hard man. A persecutor. A man who hated Jesus. And the church of Jesus Christ. Who did. What happens.
[38:30] Within a day. He becomes a loving. Gentle. Apostle. And blessing to the church. How can these things take place? How can we explain them naturally? We can't.
[38:41] They are supernatural works of God. That's exactly what he does with us dear friends. Do never. Never.
[38:51] Never. Never. Write yourself off. Never ever say. Well that's it. I can't do the things.
[39:02] That others can do. Never ever put yourself in that place. That says. Look you know. I'm just a nobody in the church. Or I'm just a nobody in this community. I've got nothing to bring.
[39:13] That is absolute. Absolutely true. Except for the fact. That if you have Christ. You have all the riches and resources of heaven. At your disposal. Except if you have Christ.
[39:24] And you are a son of the living God. And everything that God is doing. In your life and mine dear friends. The good and the bad. The difficult and the easy.
[39:35] Is under his sovereign purpose and hand. To bring transformation. This is hard isn't it for us. Except when we remember. That God is holy and perfect.
[39:46] The Lord brings death. And makes alive. He brings down to the grave. And he raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth. He humbles and he exalts.
[39:59] That's hard for us. Well he's half of it's hard for us. The other half is easy. Yes we can appreciate God exalts. And God raises up. And God sends wealth.
[40:09] But if God is perfect. Perfect. Which he is. And holy and good. And everything he does. Which he is. Then we can rejoice in him.
[40:20] And find our joy in him. On both sides of the coin. In both occasions. And what gives us great peace and joy. Is this.
[40:30] That in a world. Of confusion. In a world of insecurity. In a world. Where everybody bases their. Foundations upon chance.
[40:41] And luck. And fate. We can trust in. An almighty. Sovereign. God. This world is not.
[40:55] As it appears. Running amok. Like a. Like a. A car. Whose handbrake is broken. And it's rolling down the hill. To utter disaster. We have a God.
[41:07] Who is. Unlike any other. And that is not just in the world events. But in the events of our lives too. Isn't it lovely.
[41:20] The poetry. Of verse 8. Because that really is a wonderful. Picture of what it means to be saved. To be a Christian. He raises up the poor from the dust.
[41:32] Lifts the needy from the ash heap. We are in the ashes of our sin. We are poor. In spirit. We have nothing to bring. To God.
[41:42] To make him accept us. Or love us. Or delight in us. We have got nothing to bring. We have only got our sin. We have only got the empty ashes. As it were.
[41:53] Of our lives. And our failings. But what does he do? He lifts the needy. He raises the poor. He seats them with princes. And makes them inherit.
[42:04] A throne. Of honor. We are children of the king. Princes and princesses. Inheritors of a glorious kingdom.
[42:16] kingdom. Where we shall reign with him. Forever. And ever. Paul says the same thing really. In Romans and chapter 8.
[42:26] He says this. The spirit. The Holy Spirit himself. Testifies with our spirit. That we are God's children. And if we are children.
[42:37] Then we are heirs. Heirs of God. And co-heirs with Christ. If indeed we suffer. And share in his sufferings. In order that we may also share. In his glory.
[42:48] Glory. Now we are not to walk around. With our heads held high. And looking down on noses. At people. But dear friends. You and I are royalty.
[42:59] We are children of the king. We are the richest people on earth. The most wealthy. We are those who have. The very. We are related to.
[43:13] The most important. And glorious monarch. Over all the earth. Why on earth should we feel. Or look down. Or think small.
[43:28] Christ is. All in all. And the wonderful truth is this as well. As Hannah goes on to say. It's the Lord who keeps us.
[43:42] Verse 9. He will guard the feet of his faithful servants. Wherever you go in life. The Lord will guard your feet. If you are his. Then you can never be lost.
[43:53] If Christ is your savior. And God is your God. Then you shall never fall. He will keep you. He'll keep you until that day. That day. Which is like a day.
[44:04] When the most high will thunder from heaven. Verse 10. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. That day is coming. Can't be escaped. It can't be put off.
[44:15] It can't be. It can't be held back. Christ is coming. The one true king. To judge the living and the dead. He is the one who is the king spoken of at the end of verse 10.
[44:27] He is the one whose horn is exalted. Remember he's the anointed. That's what the Messiah means. The anointed. He should be lifted up. His strength should be lifted up for everyone to see. Do you know these things to be true?
[44:53] Are you certain and sure that this is your God? Then the joy that is Hannah's is your joy. It's the joy that we have dear friends.
[45:06] In a world of happiness hunters. Our joy is in a God. Who sought us. Who hunted for us.
[45:20] Found us. As the hymn writer puts it. Solid joys. And lasting treasures. None but Zion's children.
[45:32] No. Let's sing together our final hymn. It's a hymn of praise and thanksgiving to our God. Come people of the risen king.
[45:43] It's on the sheet. Hopefully you've got one of the sheets there. Come people of the risen king who delight to bring him praise. Come all and tune your hearts to sing to the morning star of grace.
[45:55] Rejoice. Rejoice. Let every tongue rejoice. Though the fig tree does not bud.
[46:11] And there are no grapes on the vines. Though the olive crop fails. And the fields produce no food. Though there are no sheep in the sheep fold.
[46:22] And no cattle in the stalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God my Savior. Amen.