Dear Christian friends:

Our worst sins are not sins of sex, adultery, breaking the 6th Commandment, "Thou shalt not murder." Our worst sin is against the 1st Commandment, "Thou shalt not have any other gods before God." That is why God put it first, because it is the most important. If we kept that commandment we would also keep the other nine commandments.

We always have other gods. No not idols like ignorant people, but we trust ourselves or money and all earthly things like we should trust and love God.

We do not realize how strong and wise and wonderful God is good. If we did, we would trust Him and not money and things.

On the mount Jesus showed his full glory to Peter, James and John. (Matthew 17:1-3) In a flash they saw how wrong and wicked they had been. They thought God was like man or less than man.

God shows His glory to us today by storm and flood, thunder and lightening. Why? That we may see how dumb and wicked we are to trust in ourselves or in money and things. That we may fear about our sins and confess and look to Him for mercy and salvation.

In our text God showed His glory to Israel one day so His minister Samuel could say to them fear not, but fear the Lord.

On this Sunday, Transfiguration Sunday we read how Jesus showed His glory on the mountain to the three disciples. They feared. He said to them, "Fear not, but fear God." So from our text let us consider that theme:


Always before God was their King and God ruled His people, Israel through a judge. God talked to the judge and then the judge talked to the people to let them know God's will. Now the people were fed up with that.

Samuel was their judge. They said, "We want a king like the other nations have. So God said to Samuel, "All right let them have a king, but they will be sorry. The king will make them pay heavy taxes to support his riches and extra fine life.

He will take some of their land and their sons and make them become his soldiers and his servants. Then they will cry and complain and be sorry." Samuel told them this. But they said, "We don't care we want a king like the other nations have."

So Samuel let them have a king and Saul became the first king of Israel. But Samuel wanted them to see their sin in that they wanted a king. They were in danger of rejecting God and having another god, a king. He said," I will prove to you that your wickedness is great. It is harvest time. It never rains during this season of the year. I will pray to God to let rain and thunder and lightening come today. The sun is now shining, the sky is blue, but in a few minutes God will send dark clouds, thunder and lightening and rain and you will know that you have done very badly because you want a king."

So Samuel prayed to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day. All the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. And all the people said unto Samuel, "Pray for us to the Lord your God, that we die not for we have added unto our sins this evil, to ask us a king."

So Samuel said to the people, Fear not, you have done all this wickedness; that is right: you now have a king like the other nations but don't trust in the king and his wisdom or in his soldiers they are vain and cannot save. You trust in the Lord although you have king.

Fear not, about your sin. God still loves you and forgives you. He will not forsake His people. Fear not, but Fear the Lord. God says this also to you and me today.

We like Israel often become tired and fed up with God's way. We think church is not important and we don't go regularly and eagerly. We don't give our money to support the church and missions we think that is not very important.

We want to be like many other people in the world who do not believe in Jesus. We think a new car is more important, a new house and fine clothes and furniture. We want to be and do like the world and trust in money and kings and soldiers and governments and planes.

We refuse to bring our 10% for God's work, but we pay plenty for taxes and we can have police and judges and soldiers and war. We do not let our sons be ministers and missionaries, but we let them be police and soldiers.

Then sometimes God lets us have great trouble and we see how foolish and wicked our hearts are. By floods and earthquakes and tornadoes; by war and sickness God proves to us how vain all earthly things are. Think of a snow storm. After ten or twenty inches of snow what good is a car or a plane or a soldier. With snow God can bury us and make us very weak and helpless.

By the snow and the floods, by the thunder and lightening by earthquakes and tornado's God shows to us His great power and glory and how weak and helpless we are with all our money, cars, planes and beautiful houses. Compared with God all these things are like toys and junk. But we buy them and want them and love them and trust them and make them our gods, all these junk things.

We spend our ten percent, God's money, for junk and then we can't bring our offering to church. We should like, Israel here in our lesson, be afraid and fear God. We should confess our sins.

Then God will say to us fear not, yes, you have done all this great wickedness, but the Lord loves you and forgives you in Jesus. He will not forsake you. Only now fear the Lord. That means love him and trust in Him for protection, food and all that you need.

Samuel said to Israel, "God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way: Only fear the Lord, and serve Him truly with all your heart: for consider how great things He hath done for you."

Yes, you and I here in America have lots of junk things, more than other countries and we have much temptation to make these our gods. Use your junk. Keep your house and your car, and your money. But don't use them for sin to show off or to pet and love. Trust God use your junk to help people and to do God's work.

Samuel said to Israel, "If you still do wickedly ye shall be consumed both you and your king." I say to you if you still do wickedly and trust and love your junk you too will be destroyed both you and your junk. Your junk and your king can't save you if you do not believe in God and respect Him.

Amen.