I direct your attention tonight to the book of 1 Samuel. It had been my intention to start chapter 4 tonight, but I was remiss and I was reminded last week at the close I didn't look at the last verse of chapter 3. And I felt pretty bad about not doing that. And then after I got to looking at it, I was thankful that I hadn't tried to deal with it because there's much more in this verse of scripture than I would have given credit for last Wednesday night. I'd like to start reading in verse 18 of this as we find Samuel. It's going to tell us that he's going to be growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Essentially, that's what it's going to say in the next verse.

But Samuel told him, told Eli every whit of what the Lord had shared with him there as he'd spent three times going to Eli. And finally, Eli told him to just listen and say, Lord, I'm here. I'm your servant. He hid nothing from him. That's a gospel preacher.

He said, it is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good. And it was interesting that that's the verse of scripture that we shared with Gary, and he said, I'd already been thinking about that verse of scripture when his son passed, because Eli's sons, it's not gonna be very long, and both of them are gonna be killed in battle. And it's just, let him, let the Lord do what seemeth him good.

And Samuel grew. and the Lord was with him. Verse 19, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. Everything that God gave to Samuel was the truth. Samuel declared the truth, and there's no reason that anybody would come along and say, uh-oh, because it was all of the Lord. And then in verse 20, we have a wonderful statement made about Samuel and the knowledge that God gave Israel. Saved or not, God gave Israel this message from Dan even to Beersheba. That's the boundaries of the property, the land that God gave to Israel when Joshua came into the land.

Knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord. What a statement is made here that they had that understanding. Some of them comprehended it and understood what a blessing it was to have a prophet of the Lord. And some of them understood that it was the prophet of the Lord, whether they liked it or not.

Well, we're going to go on then into verse 21. And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh. For the Lord revealed himself." What a statement is made here. As we found going back there just a little bit, it said that Samuel knew not the Lord, nor the word of the Lord. And the Lord revealed him.

That's the way every elect person is. They don't know anything and they haven't had anything revealed to them. They're just the same as everybody else. except they've been chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, and when they have Christ revealed to them and the understanding of the word, when the Lord shares with us in the Gospel of John that when God the Father teaches us, we come to the Lord. So if we've ever been taught anything of the Father, we will come to the Lord.

Samuel told, excuse me, going to the bottom, the Lord appeared again in Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord. Now last week, if I'd have brought anything about this, I would not have got to think about this word, word. And the translators put a non-capital letter there. I'm going to say it should have been capitalized. This is the true word of God that appeared unto Samuel. The Lord revealed himself to Samuel by the word of the Lord, capital word.

And we're gonna get to the New Testament and see where this is an ongoing blessing that God gave us in the New Testament about capitalizing, or the translators did at least, capitalizing in four or five places that very word that shares with us the very person of Jesus Christ the Lord.

He appeared unto him. It is probable in human form because the Lord appeared to a number of Old Testament saints in a human form. Now it was pre-incarnate and we know that after he came and was the incarnation of the Lord when the word was made flesh and dwelt among us, that that is going to be a permanent form that the Lord Jesus Christ will have throughout eternity. But in the Old Testament, we have him appearing as the angel of the Lord. We have him appearing as a warrior. We have him appearing, but it was so often we find that it was in a human form and he had done many times in the Old Testament with other saints. He'd done this. It was in this way he revealed his mind and will unto them. He came unto them. They did not have what we have. They did not have the written word. Now, that is such a blessing for us to have.

And the Lord gives His church the faith to believe the word of God. Whether other people, other commentaries, or friends tell us that's not right, God gives His church the faith to believe His word. By faith, we understand that the worlds were created by the Word of God. Capital, I think.

So he revealed himself unto them as the word of the Lord. He's the messenger of the covenant. He's the angel of the Lord. And he appears unto Samuel in a very special way here in this last verse of the book of 1 Samuel chapter 3. Now, there are other times that we find in the scriptures, in the Old Testament in particular, that we want to look a few verses up that would also been okay. And I'm going to go through my Bible and fix it, that it was a capital. Turn with me, if you would, to the book of the Psalm, Psalm 33. Now, Psalm 33 is quoted, I believe it's in Peter's message on the day of Pentecost. He brings up this Psalm. But let's go over here to Psalm 33 and verse 6, and we find in this passage of scripture, in this Psalm that God gave to the church.

The Bible, all of it, none of it was left out, is written to the church. Now, it was just the other day that I had a conversation with a friend of mine about that subject, and it struck me, even lost people, that are elect, it was written for. They're the only ones that are ever going to hear it. It's not the outside. It's only going to be the church, whether they're saved or whether they're lost. That's why the Bible was given. Here in the Psalm, Psalm 33, we notice here in Psalm 33 in verse six, these words, and excuse me. I had another verse in mind, where is it? Well, maybe we'll run on to it.

By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. It would not be inconsistent to put a capital W here in this passage of scripture that we find mentions to us that the whole heavens and the earth were made by the word of the Lord, and we go over to the New Testament and find out that it was by the Lord Jesus Christ that all of the heavens and the earth were made. In the book of the Psalms... Oh. Please forgive me. Psalm 2. I knew I had it written down here somewhere. Psalm 2 and verse 2. Psalm 2.

And verse two, the kings of the earth set themselves and rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying. Now in just a moment, we're gonna look up some verses of scripture that share with us a different translation for that word anointed.

This is the same word that we're gonna find Daniel using that is Messiah. So he's talking about the Messiah in this verse of scripture. It was against the Lord and against his anointed. This is the word of the Lord. This is the personified word of God that we're looking at in this verse of scripture.

All right, let's back up again just a little bit here in Psalm 107. In Psalm 107, as we look at this passage of scripture, we see again that the Lord provided for us throughout the Old Testament, as we read it in retrospect, the same passages of scripture that eventually the Old Testament saints were going to get to read in their language, Hebrew and later in Greek. But in Psalm 107, verse 14, we read this.

He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and break their bands asunder. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. For he had broken the gates of brass and cut down the bars of iron asunder. In this, he's using figurative language to explain what he does for the church in the salvation that he gives to us. Fools, because of their transgression and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Their soul abhorred all manner of meat, and they drew near into the gates of death.

When they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distress. Verse 20, he sent his word and healed them. Now, the word that he gives through the word of God is a healing, but the word, the Lord Jesus that we're going to find, he is the healing. He has healing in his wings. healing in his leaves.

So there it says, he said his word. Now, all of the distress that we read there in the previous verses, we could have said, well, that's about those guys over there. And then he brings it back to us guys over here, the church, the elect. This is what he does for us. He's dealing with some really characters, big characters all the way through here.

And they cry unto the Lord in their trouble and he saved them out of their distresses, verse 19. He sent His Word and healed them and delivered them from their distresses. And that's exactly what God does when He saves His people. He sends His Word, the Lord Jesus. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for the wonderful works of the children of men.

Moving just a little further in the Psalms, if you'd travel with me to the Psalm 147. Psalm 147, as we think about the word of the Lord appeared unto Samuel, as he appeared unto Moses, as he appeared unto Joshua, as he appeared unto Jacob, as he appeared unto the saints of old, to Abraham. It was this word that appeared unto him and Ur of the Chaldees called him out, the God of the word. Here in Psalm 147 and there in verse 12, we read this.

Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem. Praise thy God, O Zion, for he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates and hath blessed thy children within thee. He maketh peace in all thy borders and filleth thee with the finest of wheat. He sendeth forth his commandment upon the earth, his word runneth very swiftly. How active and how fast we read about the Lord doing his business when he comes to do it. The word, his word runneth swiftly.

And also in verse 18 of that, He sendeth out his word and melteth them. And then in verse 19, he showeth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. Now it is very possible that in those instances that we find that this personification of God, the representative of God, the word of God, would appear unto them as he has unto his people today. As he appeared unto Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus, as he appears unto every one of his people, it is him, this word, this word of God, that is revealed unto the church.

And we find In the book of Isaiah, that wonderful passage of scripture about Isaiah 55, where it talks about the Word will not return unto Him void. You know, we, I so often just thought, well, when we give the Word, it's not going to return unto Him void.

But His Word is not going to return unto Him void either, the Son of God. He did not return unto him void in the resurrection. He did not return unto him void in the ascension. And he's sitting down at the right hand of the Father in glory right now as we read about that in the scriptures. So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth, it shall not return unto him void.

Everything that Christ did, the Messiah did, Old Testament Messiah, New Testament Christ, everything He did, everything He's doing, and everything that He shall do, It will not be for naught. It will be for His purpose, for His glory, and for the glory of the Godhead, and for the good of the church. So that Word that appeared unto Samuel is the same Word that appears unto everybody that God ever saves. He's gonna bring that Word, Christ, to them.

So shall my word be that goeth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void. Throughout the Old Testament, there was knowledge revealed of God that the Messiah was coming. You know, as I like what Brother Henry had to say about the Old Testament, someone's coming. Well, the Old Testament is a declaration. The Messiah is coming.

I am convinced that Eve thought she had the Messiah when she said, I've gotten a man child from the Lord. Well, it didn't turn out that way. So often in many generations, it didn't turn out that way, but it turned out the right way at the proper time. And we find that Daniel was given that information by the angel Gabriel. And it's interesting that Gabriel means man of God.

So I think there's something more than just an angel appearing unto Daniel, and the same angel appeared unto Zachariah, and the same angel appeared unto Mary, and every time that angel appeared that's recorded in the scripture, he spoke of the Messiah. He is the Messiah, clearly taught. Let's turn over there to the book of Daniel chapter nine and verse 25, as he brings out the subject of the Messiah as the Christ, as the word that we find. In Daniel chapter nine, verse 25, We read him using this and the translators gave us the word Messiah in this passage of scripture.

Now the same word that is used here is used in many other places and it is translated anointed. Christ truly is the anointed one. But that word is sometimes used with regard to kings, prophets, and priests, that they were anointed of God. But the true prophet, the true priest, and the true king was truly anointed of God, the Christ, the Messiah. Daniel chapter 9, verse 25, we read these words. And this, Daniel is receiving information from the angel Gabriel.

Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to restore to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks and three score and two weeks. I think the same thing is true about trying to figure out that timeline is the same we would have the problem of trying to build an ark from the description that's in the Bible. It was never intended for us to build another ark, and it was never intended for us to make a great big controversy over when the Lord would come.

He came at the appointed time, and those people understood it. All right, so we have the Messiah, the Prince, and then in verse 26, it tells us what the Messiah, the Prince would do. After three score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off. So the Messiah is going to come, the Messiah is going to be cut off, and as we read in the scriptures, he was buried according to his word. He was there for three days and three nights according to his word, capital if you want to, And he rose out of the tomb the third day, according to his word. The Messiah did exactly what he intended to do.

They came against the Lord's anointed, as we read there in Psalm 2. And if you would turn with me to the book of Psalm 89. In Psalm 89, the same word is used here. Psalm 89 in verse 51. Psalm 89 in verse 51, as we go back to the book of the Psalms, And we look at a couple other verses here with regard to this word, this Messiah, this anointed, they're all the self same person. And every aspect has some great glory for the church, some aspect of deliverance, some aspect of salvation is held up in each of these. In Psalm 89, Psalm 89 and verse 51. Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O Lord, wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thy Messiah, thy anointed. thy word, they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed."

And we follow this through the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ while he was upon this earth for three and a half years. After he came to John and was baptized and began his personal ministry on this earth, he was dogged almost every step he went. He was found contradicted by almost every word he spoke. And so the Lord truly represents him.

In the book of 1 Samuel 2, we find that he will exalt the horn of his anointed. So he's going to be exalted above all. The New Testament, in reference to the Old Testament, shares with us two times that they understood, some of those folks understood what Messiah meant, and that is gonna mean Messiah of the Old Testament is going to be Christ in the New Testament. One of them is a Hebrew word, one of them is a Greek word, but the person is the same. And if you would travel with me over to the book of John chapter four, In the book of John chapter 4, we read here about a woman, a Samaritan woman.

Now, where she got this information? Was it at school? Was she taught this at home? Where did she get this information? Because at this time, she has no knowledge of what salvation is, and she does not know who the Savior is. She's going to know the Messiah, but here in the book of John, travel with me to the New Testament, to the book of John, and on purpose, the Lord Jesus Christ is speaking to a woman of Samaria.

We've commented on this, I've heard preachers comment on this, I've heard teachers comment on this, where it says he must, needs, go through Samaria. Well, there wasn't a trip that he took that he didn't need to do that because that was the purpose that he had. John chapter four, in verse 25, we read these words that the woman at the well, a Samaritan woman, shared. John chapter four, verse 25.

John 4, verse 25, and the woman said unto him, I know that Messiah's cometh, which is called Christ. And she knew this from a physical standpoint before she ever knew the Messiah. This had been taught her. She said there, I know that the Messiah cometh, which is called Christ. When he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus said unto her in the very next verse, I that speak unto thee am. He revealed unto her that He is the Messiah, He is the Christ, and He is the Word of God. What a revelation, same revelation that Samuel received. Just to plug in for this.

And in John chapter one, John chapter one, if you'd turn there with me, John chapter one, and verse 41, John 1, verse 41. In John 1, verse 41, we read here about Andrew finding his brother, Simon. He first findeth his own brother, Simon, and saith unto him, Forgive me for the technicality problem. We're about to lose our battery. In the book of John, chapter one, verse 41, he first findeth his own brother, Simon, and saith unto him, we have found the Messiah, which is being interpreted the Christ.

Now we know him as Jesus Christ. I think Brother Wayne Boyd shared with me yesterday that like 430 times is the word Christ alone used in the New Testament. And it is, he uses it two or three times. Christ uses the word several times, two or three times, that there would be false Christs. But essentially, when we run into the word Christ in the New Testament, we're talking about the Lord Jesus Christ.

So the Messiah, the promised one, the one that was promised from eternity past, what was that? The son must die, therefore Abel, or excuse me, Adam must fall. Someone said that and I thought, well, that's interesting. He must die. Christ must die. Adam must fall.

All right, so we look at this, we find out that there has been this common word used throughout the Old Testament with regard to the promised one that's coming, and he's the one that appeared unto Samuel there in our text passage of Scripture. Now, this word, word, is used in the New Testament, and it very clearly identifies who he's speaking about, and you know where we're going next. First verse of John.

John 1.1.

If you'd turn with me to John 1.1, we read in that passage of scripture, these words, with regard to the Messiah, with regard to Christ, and with regard to that word that appeared unto Samuel in the Old Testament. The same word that appeared unto all the saints in the Old Testament, the same word that appears unto all the saints in the New Testament. This is the word that appeared unto Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus, and without him nobody is saved. With him, all his elect will be saved. He doesn't mess around. He doesn't go fishing. He goes saving.

So this is what we read about. John 1, 1, in the beginning. Now this goes all the way back before the foundation of the world. I like what the old folks said, the old preachers, old eternity. In the beginning was the word, capital. Now this word is logos. And I had a picture here drawn. I was going to draw some pictures and show them and I decided probably I better not. But we can see pictures of the golden arches and we instantly recognize what that is talking about. It's a logo. It's a representation of the real and the swoosh. You know what that's about.

Nike. And there's, I looked up, there's a hundred different recognizable logos that companies have used. Well, I went down through some of them and I don't buy those products. So it didn't hit me. But that's a very important thing is to have a logo, a company, a recognizable logo. Now we're going to be dealing with a recognizable logos. Now this logos, which the word logo comes from, this is a representative of someone. He is a representative. He is in the flesh representative of someone. He is representing God.

Now I can write out on a piece of paper 26 letters and we know them as our alphabet. And every one of those letters we learn over time represent different sounds. And all of those letters used together in some form or another represent every sound that you and I can make. Now they're just representatives of the word or of the sound. The sound is what we're looking at.

The same is true about numbers. It's easier to say with a symbol, a one, than to spell it out and they get pretty large. So we just use numerals to express or to represent things that we want to say. Well, I wanted to say all that to say this, God gives the leadership in this.

The Logos is a representative of God Almighty. This identifies Jesus as the Logos, the Word made flesh, serving as the visible embodiment or representative of God the Father on earth. This man, Christ Jesus the Lord, is the visible embodiment or representative of God on the earth. And it's no wonder that we read in the book of the Acts that there's none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved because there's only one representative for God, one Logos. and He is the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

All right, let's notice here in John 1, 1, in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. How important that is, and the translators did us a favor and capitalized those words, the words that are there. In John 1 and verse 14, We have the same word used with regard to the Lord Jesus Christ as the Logos, as the representative of God. It's no wonder it is said, Jesus said, I come to do thy will, O God.

He is the representative. If anybody wants to talk to God, they must go through his ambassador, the Logos, the Lord Jesus Christ. No way around him. He has the assignment given to him in the covenant of grace as the only manner, only means, that we can ever converse with the Father. We must go through the Logos, through the Son. He is the ambassador. He is the representative, if you please. In John 1, 14, it says, the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

This is who appeared unto Samuel, and the reason that he appeared unto Samuel is he's the only representative of the Godhead that has anything to say on this earth that can come to pass. Now, he may call a prophet, he may call a priest, and he gives them a ministry, but they can go no further than the word that he gives them. That is all. This one is the true full representative of God the Father on this earth.

Now in 1 John, we find John again was used by the Holy Spirit to share with us this representation. 1 John 1, verse one, he brings out a great statement about how he was able to even touch this word. He saw him, he looked upon him with his eyes, he heard him with his ears, and he touched him. That's how blessed this word is. That which was from the beginning, John 1, 1, that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have held, the word of life.

John tells us here so clearly that he was permitted to lay his head on his bosom. and recognizing him as the representative of God on this earth. The only representative of God on this earth in that capacity. And finally, if you turn with me over to the book of Revelation chapter 19, we have this word used one more time.

And again, it is capitalized and shares with us the meaning of logos. He is the representative of God on this earth. He's the one, Jesus is identified as the Logos or the word capitalized. He is the Logo of God. He is the Logos. He was made flesh and he's serving as the visible embodiment or representative of God the Father on earth.

Now, join me over in the book of Revelation chapter 19, verse 11. Revelation chapter 19 and verse 11, and we read these words, and I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and he that sat upon him was called faithful and true, and it doesn't take us long to figure out who that is. And the translators helped us out, didn't they? They capitalized it.

And you will not know who this is unless it's been revealed to you. And in righteousness he does judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire. His head were many crowns. He had a name written which no man knew but he himself. He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood.

And his name is called the Word of God, the Logos of God, the representative of God, the ambassador for God. God the Son is the ambassador for the Godhead on this earth. The armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, wide and clean, and out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, which is the word of God, that with it he should smite the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God, and he had and he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords."

So here we have the word of God described in such glorious words here in the book of Revelation by John as the Holy Spirit gave him the words to write. And he writes about the one who has identified in his being as the visible embodiment of the representative or representative of God.

Now turn with me to Hebrews chapter one, verses one through three. Hebrews chapter one, verses one through three. And here we have in these three short verses, we have this encapsulated with what Jesus, who Jesus is, and what he did. He is the absolute representative of God, only representative of God on the face of the earth. Here in the book of Hebrews, chapter one, verses one, two, and three, God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. And one of those prophets that spoke about him is Samuel. He's called Samuel the prophet. hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he hath made the world."

Now notice verse three. This is an explanation of that great logos. The logo of God is here. Who be in the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person. and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, the express image of his person."

You know, Jesus told his disciple one time, he said, the disciple said something, he says, show us the father. And Jesus said, you've been with me a long time, don't you know the father? Now, you know, a lot of preachers would run that disciple down for not knowing the answer to the question. But you know, everything must be revealed. Jesus is not bringing it up to make fun of him. He's bringing it up on our behalf that we will ask the same question unless it's revealed. And the revelation is that Jesus said, if you have seen me, you have seen the Father, I am the logos.

I am the representative. His word is my word. His character is my character. His work is my work. Everything is in such close unity. The plan is the Father chose, the Son is going to die for, and the Holy Spirit is going to go find and regenerate the express image of his person. As he told that disciple, if you've seen me, you have seen the Father. How could that be? He is serving as the visible embodiment or representative of God the Father on earth. The same that appeared unto Samuel, the word of the Lord.

Now there's a couple other verses, Colossians 1.18. Would you turn there with me? Colossians chapter one, verse 18. Couple verses in the book of Colossians, and we've got a couple minutes and we'll wrap this up. Colossians chapter one. Verse 18 and 19, read this with me.

As we think about the Logos, the Christ, the Word, the Messiah, all of those names wrapped up in one person, and this is who appeared in the Old Testament to God's people and appeared unto them in the New Testament. It was him who appeared unto Zacharias. It was him who appeared unto Mary, it was him that appeared unto Daniel in the Old Testament. He is the head, verse 18 of Colossians chapter one, he is the head of the church who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, and in all things he might have the preeminence.

For please the Father that in him should all fullness dwell. Have He made peace through the blood of the cross by Him to reconcile all things to Himself that by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. And then in chapter two of the same book, Colossians chapter two, verse nine, read this with me. Colossians chapter two and verse nine. It says here, in Him dwelleth the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

If you ever want to deal with God, you must deal with the representative. If you ever want to hear God, you must hear the representative. If you ever want salvation, you must deal with his savior. There is no way that we can ever deal with God alone. We must deal with the logos. We must deal with the word. We must deal with the one that God sent down to this earth. to deal with us.

And that's who appeared in the creation of the heavens and the earth. It was by the Word of His mouth, by the Word of God, that He created the heavens and the earth. He came to do the father's will. He said, I came to do the father's will. That's his job. He's a representative. He came in his father's name. That's his job. He's the logos. He represents him.

And if you have seen me, you have seen the father. Every aspect about him, every characteristic and every attribute that the father has is in me. So you've been so long with me and you don't know the father? Let me tell you, he said, if you know me, if you've seen me, you've seen the father.

And so this young man, probably 18 years old, Samuel, He was spoken to there in the Old Testament. And let's just close by reading that verse of scripture one more time over in the book of 1 Samuel chapter 3, last verse. 1 Samuel chapter 3, the last verse. It says, And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by Jesus Christ the Lord, by the word of the Lord.

That's who was revealed to him, probably in a human form, a pre-incarnate human form. But He appeared to him, revealed Himself to him, and from this time forward, we're going to see that what verse 20 says, or verse 20, He is going to be established as the prophet in the Old Testament, the prophet of God, the representative of God, but never the logo or the logos. So we'll stop there tonight. Just keep in mind everything that Christ is. He is the fullness of the Godhead bodily.