Mars Hill Fellowship

MESSAGE |

The Necessity of Being on One Accord

SERIES |

Ask

SCRIPTURE |

1 Samuel 3:1-19

SPEAKER |

Pastor Joseph Ardayfio

KEY THEME |

I.  In 1 Samuel 3, God raises Samuel to be a righteous judge for Israel who will bring the people back to being on one accord with God.

II. When we speak of being on one accord in the body of Christ, what does it look like?

1. This Sunday was Pentecost Sunday – commemorating 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ and 10 days after Jesus’ post-resurrection ascension to Heaven. On the Day of Pentecost, the people gathered in the upper room experienced what it meant to be on ‘one accord.’
1. Acts 2:1 tells us - When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place
2. Being on one accord means unity. Ephesians 4:4 tells us “There is one body and one Spirit—⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

III. The first clue that the nation of Israel was not on one accord with God is described in verse two of 1 Samuel 3.

1. Eli’s eyes—and by extension his spiritual insight—were “so weak that he could barely see.”
2. We can compare the positioning of Eli, who was lying down in his usual place vs. Samuel who was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.
3. When people are not on one accord with God, they operate according to their own accord. Each person does what is right in their own eyes, neglecting the spiritual unity that is at stake.
4. God warned Eli of the danger of living on his own accord in 1 Samuel 2.
1. “Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’  But now the LORD declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.”

IV. God reminded Eli that He was looking for a faithful priest who would do according to what was in God’s heart and mind. Since Eli was not on one accord with God, it was going to cost not only himself, but even generations to come.

V. Eli did not realize that God had already chosen Samuel to bring the nation of Israel back to God. Samuel was called, but He still had to go through the process of learning God’s voice for himself.

VI. In this narrative, we often focus on how Samuel answered the call of the Lord, but we also see that Eli missed the Lord’s call. It wasn’t until the third time that Eli realized that something bigger than himself was taking place. Fortunately for Samuel, it was an opportunity to personally know the Lord’s voice.

1. Three times, the Lord calls Samuel.  On the fourth call, Eli instructed Samuel how to answer the Lord’s call. ¹⁰ The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”  Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 

VII. If the story, ended at verse 10, we could say what an awesome experience - Eli finally understands what is taking place; Samuel finally recognizes God’s voice; Samuel gets to ask the Lord to speak to him. What a divine encounter. But the divine encounter includes the responsibility to listen to the Lord’s answer and ultimately, for Samuel to obey the Lord’s answer.

1. The Lord told Samuel that He was going to do something great – and Samuel was a part of that plan. But Samuel would have to stay on one accord with God in order to bring the plans to completion.
2. Being on one accord is bigger than a feeling, but it is a place of obedience in which the deciding factor becomes whether our actions will line up with the Lord’s motivation. Will our choices be in accord with God’s heart and mind?
3. Samuel passed this test of faithfulness by remaining on one accord with God, even when it became difficult. He informed Eli what the Lord said about the judgment of his household. Because of Samuel’s obedience, “The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.” (1 Samuel 3:19)