0:00 You have your bibles at bible study? I hope so. Let's hear those pages slip to first Samuel chapter 15. As we conclude this chapter, I'm sure you would agree that this chapter was worthy to be divided in in different parts. It's just too dense and it would be an injustice to rush through it just for the sake of conquering a chapter a week.
0:26 And we could even make this into four parts really, but we will condense it to three as we come now to verse 16. This is where we left off and we're gonna revisit verse 16 so we have some context as we continue in this chapter. As you remember, Samuel the prophet has confronted Saul the king and there is now an exchange of words concerning and surrounding the great rebellion of Saul against the command, the clear instruction from God about the Amalekites being eradicated because of their great sin in the past. And what we already learned is that when Samuel confronts and questions the king, we're convinced, I'm sure, that Saul has already proven his pride and his lack of spirituality solely on the response of the confrontation given by this prophet. And here's what you're gonna learn tonight, here's what we're all gonna learn, it's only gonna get worse.
1:24 It's only gonna go very very bad from here. There's gonna be no hope. There's gonna be no sense of change. It's just going to be a nosedive into into a place of no return really. And so as we come, let's read again in verse 16 the last words from our last Bible study before we move forward.
1:46 Then Samuel said to Saul, stop. I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night. And he said to him, speak. Remember, this already proves that not only can Saul not obey a great command, he can't obey a small command. Right?
2:05 He says stop implying, hey, zip it. No more. No more excuses. Let me tell you what God told me. And what does he do?
2:13 Okay, speak. I just told you not to talk. I just told you stop talking. He couldn't help it. But now look what happens when Samuel continues to give the word of the Lord.
2:25 And Samuel said, though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel and the Lord sent you on a mission and said, go devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites and fight against them until they are consumed. Notice he said the sinners, the Amalekites. God wasn't calling for ethnic cleansing. God didn't call for the Amalekites to be destroyed because they were Amalekites.
2:50 God called for the Amalekites to be destroyed because they were sinners. 19, why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the soil spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord? And Saul said to Samuel, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me.
3:09 I brought Agag the king of Amalek and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. Verse 17. The ESV words it differently than other word for word translations. Who here has the New King James? Who here has the King James?
3:25 Who here has the NASB? Who here has the ESV? So So majority have ESV. This is where I think the ESV does a disservice and there's reasoning why they did it this way. And perhaps the ESV, which I'm reading from, is attempting to say the same thing as other word for word translations, but I think they made it a little bit more difficult to grasp.
3:45 What's the difference between how the ESV puts it and the other translations that you might have? It says here, though you are little in your own eyes, and King James would say When I was little in my eyes. Past tense. Right? New King James?
3:59 When you were little in your own eyes. That makes a big difference, doesn't it? So he's he's reminding Saul, at one point you did have a lowly, humble, honest view and evaluation about yourself, but that is a far distance to where you are today, right here in this moment. And so he's calling out the great pride in Saul's heart. And not only that, he's contrasting to the humility that was there at one point when Samuel and Saul first met, but that was something of the past.
4:35 Listen, we remember how we were introduced to this man. Saul was the one who who couldn't even fathom that he was a candidate to be a king. When Samuel first approached him, Saul said, are you sure you got the right guy? Do you know which tribe I'm from? Do you do you know who I am the least among my people?
4:51 Are you sure you have the right person? And even when Samuel calls out the nation to come forward so that this king could be highlighted and ordained publicly, where do we find Saul? Hiding among the baggage. He doesn't even want the spotlight. They had to drag the man out.
5:11 But from there we learned that when his son destroyed a Gerasene of the Philistines, he wants the praise for it. And in the same chapter when he thinks he destroys the Amalekites, he doesn't build an altar like Moses does and say, the Lord is my banner when he destroyed the Amalekites. He builds a monument to himself, so that generations could remember what Saul had done for the nation of Israel. And so you know what Samuel is doing? He is highlighting the root cause for the series of gross disobedience that is being demonstrated by this king.
5:46 And you know what it is? It starts with a little p. Pride. Pride. And there's many things you and I can learn from this man, but here's thing here's one thing we can take out of it.
6:00 It's possible for a genuinely humble, meek person to later on down the road be infected with pride. I want you to think about the most humble person that you know. And if you're thinking of yourself that's How are people gonna know I'm humble if I don't tell them? Right? I want you to genuinely think about the most humble person you might know and I want you to realize that Saul is an object lesson that even such a person can be infected with arrogance.
6:31 We are all susceptible to it. We are all potential victims of it. Now, I'm not saying that to set you up for discouragement, I'm saying that it's possible and it requires a great protection of our hearts. Because even a humble farmer boy like Saul became this pompous, arrogant fool that led to his own demise. Now here's my question at bible study tonight.
6:54 How did it happen? How did he go from point a to point b? Why this great chasm? It's as though we read of two different people. What do you think happened to this man for him to come to this point?
7:05 Such a low spiritual condition as this. Do you have any idea? So there is a lack of spirituality even from the beginning. That's a wonderful observation. I'm sure that plays a part in it.
7:30 Yes. That's actually the foundation. He really didn't have a serious relationship with God. He didn't even have a basic knowledge of spiritual things, which is true. Anything else.
7:40 That's a foundational thing. So that's the that's the the entrance into this possibility. But what else happened to this man? What was his experience that led him to this point? Any idea?
7:56 How do men become proud? His position. His authority. His title. The recognition.
8:09 Sure. And I think that is the next thing that allowed him to experience something else, which I believe is the concrete reason why we have this man in this spiritual condition. Based on his position, based on his title, based on the publicity that he had, I believe Saul tasted something and he got hooked. I believe he he was exposed to something and he became addicted. You know what it was?
8:34 Praise. Praise. I believe at one point, maybe even beyond what we read here, there was just a series of things that happened that fame naturally brings, and that is the praise of man. It magnetizes the praise and the criticism, but if you're doing a good job, the praise of man. And I think what happened with Saul, and I'm gonna prove it in a moment here, is that he tasted what it's like to be admired and acknowledged and talked about, and it infected him.
9:04 Because praise, if not carefully dealt with, can birth and nurture pride. Praise can birth and then nurture pride. And I think that's what happened. In fact, there's an important proverb concerning praise in Proverbs twenty seven twenty one. The crucible for silver and the furnace is for gold, But what?
9:32 And a man is tested by his praise. The crucible is for silver. The furnace for gold. And a man, a man's heart, his spiritual position and posture is tested by something so powerful, so fiery, so revealing, and it's something called praise. What does that proverb mean?
9:56 Well, the same way that raw materials, the the quality of those materials are defined and exposed by heat, is the same way that the quality or the condition of someone's heart is exposed by the fire of praise. When praise comes a man's way, all that person needs is just a small dose of honesty for them to realize what's really in their hearts. I hope that makes sense. Your heart responds in a certain way when praise comes on any level. You you look absolutely gorgeous today.
10:34 Something erupts in your heart. Brother, you're one of the best I don't think I've ever heard anybody of you since I've read Spurgeon stuff. Something happens to your heart. When praise comes, especially when it's a series of things that come your way, it begins to really expose and unveil what is there. That's what this proverb is saying.
10:55 And what's there isn't the issue, it's what you do with what's exposed by praise. And somebody who commented on this verse said something so beautiful and so important. They said a vain man seeks it concerning praise. A vain man seeks it, weak men are inflated by it, and wise men disregard it. Vain men seek it, weak men are puffed up by it, and wise men disregard it.
11:29 Like water off a duck's back doesn't do anything to them. So when people come to you and they praise your spiritual gift, what happens? What what begins to happen? If that continually comes, you know what can happen to some people? They begin to believe that they're irreplaceable.
11:50 And they begin to believe that the kingdom of God cannot really function to its full potential apart from them or their local church. When somebody speaks about your beauty, what happens? Or your good looks? Whatever. What what happens?
12:06 Do you do you put more energy and focus on your physical appearance and and at the same time neglect what God calls you to focus on? That's your character and your spiritual walk. When you realize that there are people who love you and adore you and cherish you, does that promote an attitude where you you take advantage of such people or do you respond in a way in which you long to give back that sacrificial love and meet their love with the same level, if not more love, back to them? Do you see what happens? What happens to my heart?
12:40 What happens to my thought processes? Praise reveals it, as this proverb says. And listen, praise can either feed the pride in us or it can give us another reason to come before God and acknowledge him as the author of anything good in us. The praise of man can cause us to praise God even more and be humbled more in his presence or it can puff us up. And what happened with Saul is, unfortunately, he became so attracted and magnetized and so addicted to this thing, that it created a monster out of the man.
13:19 And Saul no longer saw himself as small in his own eyes because people told him that he was not a small person. People told him, you're the biggest deal that we've had since the prophets, since the judges rather. You're the biggest deal man. You're the first king of Israel. Look what you've done.
13:33 Look at all the accomplishments. And because men were telling him how big he was, he saw himself as big. But there's another Saul, who was known as Paul in the New Testament, who had a complete opposite view of himself. In fact, he called himself the chief of sinners. He said, I'm the least of all the apostles, not just least of the apostles, I am unworthy to be called an apostle.
13:57 And he wasn't blowing smoke. He actually meant it by the spirit. I really believe that I don't deserve to be an apostle. How did such a man operate with such humility? And if you were here last Sunday, you know one of the secrets and it's found in first Corinthians four three.
14:15 Remember what Saul was told by Samuel. Though you were little in your own eyes at one point. Now look what Paul of the New Testament said about himself. But with me, it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I don't even judge myself.
14:36 You wanna know one of the secrets to this man's humility? He considered it a very small thing of what men said about him whether it was positive or negative. The flattering comments of his fans or the hissing criticism of his opponents did not sway the man. That doesn't mean that he was not open to criticism in a constructive way. What it does mean is, he did not allow what people said determine his obedience.
15:06 He could care less how people evaluated the quality of his ministry or the motive of his ministry. He says, I don't even judge myself. I don't sit there and continually examine myself in a way in which I want to find the deepest motives in the quarters of my soul. He goes on to say, God is ultimately gonna judge me. He does scan his conscience, he does examine his motives, yes, but not to the point where he destroys himself.
15:29 He says, God is gonna judge me. So who are you? You put on your pants with one leg at a time just like me. Who are you? And that's the secret of this man's humility.
15:43 He could say, it's a very small thing of what men say to me and that had a huge role in him seeing himself as a small thing. He could say I'm the least of the apostles. He could say, the kingdom of God is gonna function just fine without me. When I die, the thing isn't gonna stop. It's gonna move forward.
15:59 And that's because of the secret, as we're gonna learn with this man, the secret of being content with Christ's smile alone. And Saul unfortunately didn't have that. And so we read here as we continue, as we're gonna find out this man became a monster because he did not have this discipline in his life. But what does he say here in verse 18, and the Lord sent you on a mission and said, go devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed. Now look at this.
16:32 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the soil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord? Listen, he reminds him of the clarity and the plainness of this command. God said destroy everything and you didn't do it. But look at this.
16:46 This is so important. Not only does he highlight the fact that he disobeyed, he actually underlines the eagerness to disobey. He actually reveals and exposes the great desire to sin against God for his selfish ambition. How do you know that? With what phrase in there?
17:07 If you can see it, point it out. What did he say? Exactly. Why did you pounce? You know, that language doesn't denote somebody that's hesitant to to break God's word.
17:21 That shows great excitement. That shows that shows I have no problem doing this. In fact, I really want to do this. In fact, do you remember the same phrase being used in chapter 14? Remember when Saul made an oath that no one could eat until a certain time?
17:39 And what did that do to the men? They became so exhausted, so tired, so weak, that when they gather the spoil of the enemies, what did they do? First Samuel fourteen thirty two. All you gotta do is flip a page. Look at verse 32 of chapter 14.
17:55 The people pounced on the spoil and took sheep and oxen and calves and slaughtered them on the ground and the people ate them with the blood. So you can imagine the imagery of these men that pounced physically to satisfy their hunger, because they were starved by a foolish oath. And likewise, Saul himself with the same phrase being used, I believe is trying to illustrate, he himself had this tenacious appetite to not satisfy physical hunger, but to satisfy his lust. His sin, his own ambition. It was just as violent and just as aggressive as those men who hadn't eaten for so long, and would rather eat an animal while it was still mooing and bang, so that they can eat and be satisfied in that moment.
18:49 That's what is being said here concerning Saul's desire to sin. You know what's so sad about that? When he made that oath, a man made oath, a man made command. Do you realize how zealous he was? Remember how remember how zealous and committed he was to his own oath?
19:06 He was willing to kill his own son for breaking it by putting a little honey in his mouth. If only he had that same devotion to God's command. He didn't and it speaks of how men are so much more passionate about tradition than they are about the word of God. So this person here, Psalm, God is highlighting the heartbreaking reality of not just the sin, the energy behind the sin. The passion behind the sin.
19:38 You know what that says? It says something about God's deep awareness of a human heart. Listen very carefully. We think that God sees the way man sees. Oh, if you only knew how well studied God is of each of our hearts, and guess what?
19:52 He doesn't get a headache by how much he knows. It's effortless to him. And this is what we learned here. Saul was just exposed. The degree of his desire was revealed by the prophet.
20:05 Now, what does that mean? That means this, that God doesn't just look at the motive, listen, of our righteous deeds as we heard last Sunday. God will evaluate and disclose the purposes of man's heart when they do right. Why did you do it? Why did you serve me?
20:21 Why did you become a pastor? Why did you sing that note? Why did you come up on the platform on Friday night? Why? Why do you give?
20:29 Why do you go out and why do you do it? God will also reveal the motive and the degree of desire behind evil deeds as well. That's a fascinating thing. So it's not just the sin, he will actually look at the meditations before the sin. He will actually bring into calculation the warnings that he gave before you sinned.
20:53 The knowledge of truth that you had before you committed the sin. All these ingredients will be will be at that court case one day. Here's an example. Go to Genesis 20. Here's a man who was a king, Abimelech.
21:07 And Abimelech took Abraham's wife. Remember? He took Abraham's wife to be his wife. And in Genesis 20, God comes to him in a dream and he you know what he says? What you don't want to hear from God.
21:21 You're a dead man. You're a dead man because who you have with you is not your wife. She's a married woman. And look what it says in Genesis 20 verse five. Abimelech responds to God.
21:36 Did he not himself say to me she is my sister speaking about Abraham? And she herself said he is my brother? In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands, I have done this. Then God said to him in the dream, yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart. And it was I who kept you from sinning against me, therefore, I did not let you touch her.
22:01 Here's one king who is supposed to stand for righteousness because he had the word of God and instead God calls him out. God calls him out for the lack of innocence and the eagerness to sin. And then here's another king back in Genesis 20 who did wrong, but God could testify, you did this out of ignorance. I'm not gonna hold this against you. What does this have to do with us today?
22:29 I'll tell you what it means. That in part, if you wanna know what God will consider when he evaluates our lives, here's one thing that perhaps we don't consider. Just like we don't think he considers the motive and the reason and the the thoughts and the Do you realize that every person who is exposed to truth will be judged by the level of truth that we've been exposed to? You know, when people boast about how much Bible knowledge they have, I would say to those people be very careful. Or people who are excited and happy to be sitting under any kind of teaching that is sound and deep and consistent and faithful to the Bible.
23:10 Why would you boast in that thing unless of course you are ready to obey whatever is revealed to you? So people who who claim they have all these these books and these systematic theologies and all that, listen, that's a scary thing. That's a scary thing because God is not gonna praise me of what I study and how much I know. He's gonna ask me with what you've known, what have you done with it? Here's proof, John twelve forty eight.
23:40 Jesus says, I did not come into this world to judge the world, but this world has a judge. This world has a judge. Do you wanna know what the judge is gonna be at the end? Here's what it's gonna be. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge.
23:54 The word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. Think about that. The one who rejects Christ will be judged by the fact that they have received the gospel whether it's one time or a thousand times. Do you know there are people who sit in church week after week? The gospel is preached week after week and they still haven't given up their lives?
24:17 Do you think that God is not gonna consider every single sermon on that final day? I'm sure he will because he says he will. The word, the word that you've heard, the word that you've heard over and over, the word that you heard even while you're on Instagram, the preacher was preaching his heart out. Everything that you are exposed to will be your judge at the end of the day. And I believe also those who aren't in Christ, though they will not be judged in the sense of condemnation for all eternity, God will ask based on the revelation we receive.
24:51 You still couldn't forgive after all the times you heard about forgiveness? You still couldn't get a prayer life after all the times, all the different insights on prayer and you still couldn't pray? You see? And so as much as it's a riveting thing, it's an exciting thing. It isn't if you don't have the ambition to obey.
25:11 That's just one thing. I I looked at that and I said, Lord, you know me, Like, you know man way more than I thought you did. You you looked at Saul and you didn't just say, Saul, you you sin by not obeying. You you pounced on it. You were so eager to do it.
25:29 That shows that how despicable this sin really was. So we come down in verse 20 of first Samuel 15. Now Saul finally responds to Samuel the prophet. And look what he says, and Saul said to Samuel, as much as I love this study on Samuel and Saul, Saul is something else. I have obeyed the voice of the Lord.
25:52 Like, he is adamant. He is like, you're not gonna convince me otherwise. I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction.
26:09 This is shocking to say the least. And look, this is what happens when somebody is in pride. When somebody is so arrogant, they become so self deceived that they start saying stuff like this. Notice what he does. Samuel reminds him, you did not destroy all the Amalekites.
26:29 That's the basis for this confrontation. And look how he answered, I have obeyed. I have obeyed what God said and that's destroy all the Amalekites. And look, I have brought Agag the king. And then he goes, I have destroyed all the Amalekites.
26:44 Very simple equation. If you destroyed all the Amalekites, why is Agag here? If you said that you got rid of all the Amalekites, then why is one Amalekite right here, right now? You're saying how can such a man be so so convinced because that's what pride does. And this is a very strong example of what can happen to someone who persists in their sin and refuses to repent.
27:12 You know what happens? You begin to come to the place where not only do you see your disobedience as not being wrong, like this isn't wrong, you actually begin to believe that it's approved by God. And look, not only do you believe that this is actually approved by God, you then go on a quest to convince others of the same. Sound familiar? Sound familiar to the agendas of our day.
27:41 Not only is this not wrong, it's actually beautiful, it's love, it's right, it's pure. And here, we wanna convince you to believe the same. We don't need you righteous. You know why people do that? Because they want people's approval to quiet the guilt in their conscience.
28:05 That's why they do that. And so, what is Saul doing? What sinners do today. You know what sinners do today? They think two plus two is five, they're convinced of it and they want you to believe two plus two is five.
28:18 And if you don't believe two plus two is five, then you're a bigot. And you're holier than thou and you're narrow minded and you're dinosaur age living. And so Samuel is listening to this man trying to justify and there's contradiction all over it. You know, it's amazing when we used to evangelize consistently on the streets back in Canada, when you just ask people their beliefs, like we wouldn't just hammer it in people's throats, we would just ask them their beliefs. Let them talk long enough and they contradict themselves so much.
28:53 So many of them contradicted themselves that when they begin to explain what's really in their hearts and they try to systematize it and explain it, they fumbled over their own words and they're like, well and then you just point out the obvious inconsistencies and and they blush. You didn't have to even say anything. Here's a sinner who's contradicting himself. Because you forsake the fear of the Lord. When you forsake the fear of the Lord, you forsake wisdom.
29:16 When you forsake wisdom, you inherit confusion. And so this person here, it's a sad thing to see it among those who claim to know the Lord, but it should not be a surprising thing amongst those who don't know the Lord. What is he trying to do? Again, he's trying to downplay the seriousness of his sin. He's trying to buy time and buy arguments so that Samuel could see that this is not so severe as he presented it to be.
29:46 And I remember watching, I'm sure you, many of you in here, you've watched Ray Comfort's videos when he street evangelizes and you see it I'm sure. You you're gonna know what I'm talking about if you've watched his encounters with people on the street. He'll ask people. He'll go through the law. Have you lied before?
30:01 Yes. What do you call somebody who tells lies? And if they're honest enough, they'll say, I'm a liar. Right? How many lies have you told in your life?
30:09 I can't even count. Well, what do you call somebody who tells lies? A liar. But there are moments where people can't even come to terms with that. When that question is asked, they won't say a liar.
30:18 You know what they'll say? You've probably heard it, a human. I'm a human like anybody else. Have you ever looked at a woman with lust? Jesus says if you do so even in your thoughts, you've committed adultery.
30:31 Have you ever done it? And you know what people answer with sometimes? Everybody does it. Everybody does it. They they can't come to terms that they have actually sinned against God.
30:40 They're either willing to normalize it or call others into account so that they're less guilty. And that's what this man is doing, trying to downplay the seriousness of this. He wants to seem like it is actually still obedience. But look at verse 19. How does God see it?
30:59 The last part. Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord? See, what Saul thought was not a big deal. What Saul actually thought was obedience was actually wicked and evil in God's sight. And the job of Christians, let me help you tonight.
31:17 The job of Christians is that you and I should say it the way God said it. Yes, in his wisdom. Yes, in love. But we are not helping people as they are doing what Saul is doing, trying to convince even the church that their sin is not that big of a deal. Why?
31:35 Because if they win at that, then they can remain in their state of sin without any conviction. The voice of truth in this generation is the believer who proclaims the word of God as it is. And if we don't say the way God says it, then we are only helping people remain in their condition without Christ. Samuel was a prophet. He didn't downplay it.
31:57 In fact, he highlighted it for what it was. This is evil. It's wicked. It's an abomination. And what is Saul doing?
32:06 What the world is trying to do? Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey.
32:08 Hey. They're trying to deflate the language, trying to put a different color on it. So what happens? Well he continues to talk. Verse 21.
32:22 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal. We've seen this before. Here is Saul hammering at this idea that the spoil that was supposed to be destroyed was actually sanctified, if I can use that word, set apart as a sacrifice to God. So again, he's trying to point at the end justifying the means. Hey, hey, it's a sacrifice to God.
32:52 That's why we have it. And he keeps going to the sacrifice thing over and over. So Samuel is gonna stop and he's gonna now attack this idea of sacrifice and it's gonna be an incredible lesson not just for this king, but for every person who wants to know what God values in their lives once they come into Christ. And this is one of the most famous passages of all the Bible. Many people know how to quote this by heart.
33:17 You've said it before I'm sure. Verse 22, and Samuel said, has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being the king.
33:49 You wanna talk about sacrifice? You wanna try to justify your disobedience with sacrifice? Let me remind you what God values more than sacrifice. Obedience. Now, don't misinterpret the word sacrifice with the idea of a sacrificial lifestyle.
34:08 What does he mean by sacrifice? Exactly. The sacrificial system. The ritual worship. The formalities that God ordained for the nation of Israel to appropriately relate, praise, and even cover their sin when they did fall into sin.
34:25 This is speaking about when he's saying sacrifice, he's speaking about the ceremonial acts that were given to this nation. That helps us understand what this is saying then. What he's saying is, obedience is greater than outward religious rituality. This is incredibly important for so many people who have been deceived that God is impressed by something of outward worth and even some kind of offering that you give to him. Let me put it this way, ceremonial devotion.
34:59 Listen, never ever ever substitutes the simplicity of obeying God as he reveals in the word. Never There's no other substitute for a life of obedience. It's not that God is downplaying the law because the sacrificial system was God's law. What he's doing here is he is exposing the self deceiving schemes of man that if I just give God these outward things, he will look over and bypass the sin that I'm holding on to my life. The very thing that grieves the spirit of God and breaks God's heart, I can hold on to this because look at the things that I'm doing in this area and Sam is saying, you don't understand who God is.
35:41 You don't know who God is. You interpret the God of the Bible the way the pagans relate to God. That they can sin, but as long as they perform a certain duty for a certain amount of time, they can get from God what they want. Wrong. Doesn't matter how much sermons a preacher preaches if he has secret sin in his life.
36:04 Doesn't matter how many it doesn't matter how many hundreds of thousands of people he preaches to, if he's holding on to something that grieves the Holy Spirit. I don't care if you are ranked the top giver every single year in a church or ministry. If you are living in sin, not $1 counts in God's eyes. It doesn't matter what kind of service you give, it doesn't matter volunteer hours, it doesn't matter how many countries you travel to, it doesn't matter what kind of sacrifice you give to God if you are trying to hold on to something deliberately that God says should not belong in your life. Obedience is greater than sacrifice.
36:40 And that's what he's trying to tell this man. And you might impress people with that outward sacrificial life, but it will never win God's heart. Man is man is so easily impressed by what people do. I remember having a man come who is not born again. He was from a traditional background.
36:59 And he was trying to he was trying to impress me that he gave so much money to his church that they put his name on one of the bricks in the church. Wonderful. What's your life? See, for people that's like that's like the pinnacle of, look, I'm being honored because of what I've done for this. God doesn't care that your name is on a brick at a church.
37:22 God cares if your name is in the book of life. And for the believer, I'm telling you, man, you see it when you you see it. You see I love you, so I'm gonna say this. You see it. People just go into routine mode.
37:38 They're hollow. They're dead. They're lukewarm. They probably have sin in their lives, but they've convinced themselves as long as I show up, I'm present, I put some coins in the bucket, I sing a couple songs half heartedly, God is satisfied, pastor won't bother me and I'm okay. You're dead.
37:58 And you don't even recognize it. Obedience is greater than sacrifice. So get out of this idea that sacrifice pleases God and impresses man. It might impress man, but if you wanna win God's heart, go back to the basics. And then he goes on to say, for rebellion is as the sin of divination and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.
38:27 King James would say that rebellion is as the sin of what? Witchcraft. You wanna talk about seeing as God sees. Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and presumption or stubbornness is the same thing as idolatry? Why is God equating those things?
38:50 Why is he comparing? Why is he saying it's on the same level? Because God wants us to see and feel. Let me put it this way. If you're if you're not even saved in well, maybe if you're not saved you would say this is okay.
39:01 But if you're truly saved in this place, would you even ever entertain the thought of performing witchcraft? Would you ever entertain the thought of coming before a thing made in an image that represents some kind of false God and bowing before to putting fruit at its feet? Would you ever even enter is that even a temptation to you? Or is it abhorrent to you that you would go and sneak off somewhere in some weird place and perform some kind of new age practice, though you know what the word of God says. Or that you would come into a temple and worship You would never.
39:35 That is disgusting to you, I hope. And so what is he saying here? The same way you would feel about witchcraft and idolatry is the same way you should feel about disobeying any clear command given by God. But why witchcraft and idolatry? Here's a question for all of us.
39:54 Why is this deliberate disobedience the same thing as witchcraft? God is very specific with his wording. He's not He's giving specific analogy here. He's giving specific comparison. Why witchcraft?
40:10 Same root. Same root, which is the which is what? Rebellion. Sure. That is one answer.
40:15 It is the same root. Witchcraft is rebellion. Disobedience is rebellion. Let me put it this way, give me a facet of what witchcraft is. What do people do when they do witchcraft?
40:30 When they practice divination? Not just worship Satan. Not just worship Satan. What are they doing? Why are they doing it?
40:38 Seeking power. K. They're seeking something and not just power. Power is one thing, so those aren't wrong answers. But mainly what people are doing is seeking guidance, direction, wisdom, leading.
40:54 Here's proof of that. In Isaiah eight nineteen, God through the prophet condemns the people who were going after a different source other than him. And he says in Isaiah eight nineteen, and when they say to inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? Do you see what he's saying?
41:23 When you go to these people, what you're trying to do is is you're trying to seek guidance and direction, comfort, and wisdom from a different spiritual and foreign source other than God as revealed in the word. Because that's what he says in verse 20. Look what he says in verse 20. He says what? To the testimony to the law.
41:43 He says, go to the word of God. And he says, if they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn or no light. So here is the essence of witchcraft, rejecting God's instruction and seeking some other source to help you in life and to help analyze and evaluate and give you some kind of direction in a certain matter. So that's the essence of rebellion or rather witchcraft and that's what rebellion is, because that's what Saul did though, it wasn't direct witchcraft. What did he do?
42:16 When he came to seeing the spoil, instead of trusting in what God had revealed, kill all these animals, he either sought his own wisdom or received somebody else's wisdom to say, why waste all these animals? You can make them and sacrifice unto God. And so it's the same rebellion. Witchcraft seeks a different source for wisdom, guidance, and leading and then you trust in that wisdom instead of God's word and disobedience to God's command is the same idea. Either inspired from your own thoughts or from other people's insights and you're trusting in what you think is right or what other people say should be done instead of trusting what God said.
42:57 So it's the same as witchcraft. That's what God is saying. When we choose to disobey God, oftentimes what we're saying to God is, God, I don't believe what you say about this. I don't believe it's as dangerous as you say it is. I don't believe it's as harmful as you say it is.
43:14 I don't believe I'll be in trouble as much as you think I'll be in trouble. I'm gonna do this my way. This will be beneficial to me. This will be helpful to me. This will satisfy me.
43:24 And God says, you're no different than the person who goes to a witch, who asks for help and guidance and believe in that witch's help and guidance instead of trusting my word. Then he says, stubbornness is like idolatry. Why is disobedience like idolatry? Well, let's do the same thing with witchcraft. Give me the essence of obedience.
43:46 Not what obedience is, but what does obedience prove to God and to others? When I obey God, what am I proving to God and what am I displaying before others? Trust, what else? What else? Love.
44:00 Jesus said, if you love me, you obey my commandments. What I'm telling to God when I say I will obey you and I do, I'm saying I love you. I love you Lord. I love you and that's why I'm motivated to do what you call me to do. And you're showing to other people, I love God.
44:15 That's why I've set my life apart to serve him. I don't care if you do or not. I love God. So if obedience displays love, and if obedience really love is the essence of it, then when I obey something or someone else above God, what am I saying? I love this or me or him or her more than you God.
44:45 And that is the essence of idolatry. Even if you're the person you're listening to. Do you see? It's amazing. This shows us the weightiness, how much more weighty sin is in God's eyes than man's eyes.
45:01 It's like witchcraft and it's like you worshiping an idol. Why? Because when I say I'm gonna obey what my boyfriend says, I'm gonna obey what my boss says, I'm gonna obey what my thoughts say, what I'm saying, whether I acknowledge it or not is, I love my boyfriend girlfriend, I love my boss, I love this person, I love myself more than I love God and that's why God says stubbornness or presumption is like idolatry. That that must have been a punch to the gut for Saul. Well, let's find out if it was.
45:39 Verse 24. Saul said to Samuel, I I have sinned finally, man. I have sinned for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord. Beautiful. And your words, wow.
45:59 Because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. Sounds noble? Sounds like this man finally broke? Sounds like a worthy confession or is it? Do we have reason to be suspicious?
46:16 Why at this point did he say I have sinned? You might say because of this astounding revelation that Samuel brought that obedience is greater than sacrifice and his whole defensive sacrifice crumbled. Maybe, but I doubt it because you see later on how he argues his thought. You know what I think happened for Samuel? Or rather for Saul to come to this point?
46:36 The last part of verse 23. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king. The moment he realized that he now forfeited his throne is when he ejected from his plan that didn't work of trying to convince him that it's for sacrifice and began through some false contrition prove that he was actually guilty so that he can hold on to his position. So imagine, you're no longer gonna be king. It's done.
47:09 And Saul's eyes widened and his face became white and he goes, I've sinned, I've sinned, I've sinned, I've sinned, I've sinned. I I've broken the commandment of the Lord. He's now scared that he's gonna lose where his identity was, where his purpose was, where his his life source came from. You're gonna take that from me? Okay.
47:27 I've sinned. I've done wrong. It was too late. It was too late. But also through this confession, what you and I see is the motive, another reason why we see this man continually disobeying God from chapter 13 to this moment.
47:46 Because because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. That's a true sentiment. That's not that's not a distraction. That's actually what he felt and realized. So this theory that we said earlier that perhaps Saul tasted of the praise of man and he became addicted to it to the point where it determined his obedience to God, that's no longer theory.
48:05 That's true. I feared the people and I obeyed their voice. So this is how it played out of what Saul is saying is true. The people said, look at this look at these animals. King Saul, are we really gonna get rid of we can sacrifice us and who knows what else they said.
48:22 And instead of the king being a king, in order to win the hearts of his people, he was willing to break God's heart and say, let's do it. It's fine. Let's let's let's do it. And I'll convince Samuel that it's for sacrifice. Okay, fine.
48:36 If I can win the popular vote, if I can win your admiration and your praise for me, then let it be. No wonder the Bible says in Proverbs that the fear of man lays a snare. It's a trap. It's a trap, man. When you determine your life, when you determine your obedience based on what people say about you or what they might do to you, you will not go very far in God.
49:02 The most dangerous man to the kingdom of darkness. You wanna know who the most dangerous man is? I'm sure you have different opinions. Let me give you one. The most dangerous man to the kingdom of darkness is a man who fears God alone.
49:13 And the most dangerous type of people to the kingdom of light are those who share that fear for other things. The most dangerous man to the kingdom of darkness is a man who fears God alone. But the most dangerous men to the advancement of the kingdom of light are those who share that fear with other things or other people. And that's proven here with this man. He cared about what men said about him.
49:40 He maybe even cared about what they would do to him or about his reputation or his position. And he couldn't advance in God because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. Now look what he says here in verse 25. Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me that I may bow before the Lord. And Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with you for you have rejected the word of the Lord and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.
50:08 Now this sounds harsh. Here's Saul saying, look, I I've confessed. Please pardon my sin, but can you do something? Can you return with me? Can you make sure that when we walk back, when we walk back to the people they will see you walking with me and and we can worship God together?
50:28 Now you're thinking, Samuel, why would you reject such an offer? Here's a man who clearly seems like he has confessed his sin and he actually wants to go worship God and you're gonna say, no. You're gonna say, no. I'm not gonna go and worship with you. What is he doing here?
50:43 Why is he doing this? You wanna know why? Because Samuel knows that Saul doesn't wanna go back to worship God. Samuel knows that his presence with Saul is not so that God could be blessed by their presence as they worship him together. You want to know why?
51:00 Go down to verse 30. Look what Saul says later on. Then he being Saul said, I have sinned yet honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel and return with me that I may bow before the Lord your God. That's why you want Samuel to come with you. So that when you step on the public platform again, people would see the popular prophet Samuel standing with King Saul.
51:31 Nothing's wrong. He approves of him. Everything is dandy. Look how godly Saul is because Samuel is still a close acquaintance to him. That's all Saul was concerned about, the honor of men.
51:44 Even at the expense of having a man of God by his side knowing that he rejected him. So you know what what Samuel is trying to avoid here? Playing politics. Saul wants to play politics. Saul wants to be known as the popular man, just like what politicians do today.
52:04 They surround themselves with celebrities and different people so that the general public can say, oh, if that person's with that, then that person should be like this. And Saul's trying to do that with with this prophet. But here's the thing, men of God don't play politics in church. They don't play politics. And if you want to play politics with those who fear God and God alone, you're setting yourself up for embarrassment.
52:32 You're setting yourself up for some shame. Some people they treat and handle the church politically and not spiritually. That's a dangerous game to play. And Saul is gonna get a rude awakening about that very soon. So let's go back to verse 27.
52:51 Samuel said, I'm not going back with you. It's done, man. You're it's finished. You're no longer king. As Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of his robe and it tore.
53:07 I want you to picture this. Okay? This is being described for a sermon I don't know if Samuel had a flowing garment or he had a more fit kind of outfit on. Regardless, this is describing aggressiveness and even violence. Samuel says, it's done man.
53:25 God gave you the word. You're no longer king. You're rejected. And he walks away. And when he walks away, the man grabs him.
53:37 I don't know where he grabbed him, perhaps even from the collar, and so violently pulled him back that he actually ripped his outfit. And again, this shows the kind of leader that Saul was. He was a manipulator. He was abusive with his power. If you didn't get it his way, he would hurt you if you stood in his way.
54:00 And here's the thing, Saul really believed that he can control his fate, God's kingdom, his future. And there are leaders who think like that today. If I just show myself strong enough, if I just intimidate people enough, if I make people afraid of me, then I can get what I want and we can go with my agenda no matter what. Here's what Saul failed to realize. He wasn't in control, God was.
54:27 And no matter who he was bullying and ripping and whatever he was doing, Saul was in the hand of God. And that's the lesson he's gonna learn here from Samuel because look what Samuel said. Verse 28, and Samuel said to him, the Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you. So you ripped my outfit. But let me tell you, what you just did is what God is gonna do to you.
54:53 Has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours. Now look at this, this stings. Ouch. Who's better than you? Who's better than you?
55:06 And so you can imagine what what sparked in his mind and you can now realize, at least in part, why he saw David as a threat. Who's better than you. Better than what? Skill, ability, looks? No.
55:18 Better than this, that he fears God and you don't. He loves God and you don't. He worships God and you don't. You know, this whole scenario proves that Saul wasn't a worshiper. Remember, one of the contrast between Saul and David?
55:32 David was what? He was a worshiper. He worshiped. And in the one place where we see a perhaps an indication that Saul worships, even the worship was a pretense. It was all a setup just for him to be honored.
55:44 The guy didn't have a worship. He didn't have a worship life. He didn't have a heart of adoration towards God. He tore the robe. He tore his garment and Samuel says something very interesting.
55:57 He says, look very carefully, the Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you when? When? This day. Why is that interesting? Did Saul occupy the throne after this day?
56:16 Yeah. For many years he did. Many many years, Saul was still king of Israel, but Samuel said, this day. It didn't happen this day. How do we explain that?
56:32 Here's what A. W. Pink said, that a person, an institution, a corporate company is often rejected by God secretly, a while before the solemn fact is evidence outwardly. God often rejects a man, a ministry, a church, a ministry organization, whatever secretly long before it becomes evidence outwardly. Saul was rejected as king this day, but he was still sitting on the throne.
57:05 Put it this way, Saul was fired as of this day, but he was technically still working. It's a scary thought. Let's put it in the context of preaching. Imagine God rejecting a man and he was still preaching for twenty years from that moment of rejection. Isn't that a terrifying thought?
57:25 Doesn't that make you wanna cling to the feet of Jesus? Lord, please. This day, it didn't happen immediately. So what happens? Look at verse 30.
57:40 He says, I've sent yet honor me now. And in verse 31, so Samuel turned back after Saul and Saul bowed before the Lord. So Samuel actually goes with him. Did did Saul get what he wanted? Well look, if you really want to live for the honor of men, you'll get it.
57:54 That will be a reward. Jesus said that about praying, Jesus said that about fasting, Jesus said that about giving. If you really want honor, then that's your reward. Saul really wanted honor, then here's your reward, honor. But look, Saul, Saul is gonna get a shock of his life.
58:10 Samuel didn't go with Saul to give him what he wanted. So you can imagine there's this private confrontation and Saul's just whining, just come with me please, look. Okay, I'm rejected, whatever. But come with me so that people can know that everything's okay and that you honor me and that God still honor me since you represent God. Samuel keeps his mouth shut.
58:34 I don't know how he did it, maybe he said and this giddy king goes, okay, you're gonna come with me, and they walk back together. And you think that Samuel is gonna put on this facade, but what he's gonna do is actually expose Saul further. Why? Look at verse 32. Then Samuel said, bring here to me Agag, the king of the Amalekites.
59:00 Let me do what Saul wouldn't do. And Agag came to him cheerfully. Agag said, surely the bitterness of death has passed. So here's this guy probably tied up and he's got this grin on his face like, oh, so I'm not gonna be killed. And he was probably arrogant and smug about it.
59:19 And it's really a reflection of the attitude of the sinner in this world too. They think that just because judgment is delayed that judgment will pass. No. If God doesn't judge a man today, all he's doing is heaping up all the judgment for one day. And any silence from God concerning a man's sin, a nation's sin, all that is is God's grace calling a man to repentance before it's too late.
59:45 But you have many people like Ecclesiastes says, because judgment is not immediate, they continue in their sin. So I wanna tell you tonight, there's some people that I don't know, maybe you know Christ, maybe you don't, but let me remind you something. God's silence in your life as you sin against God is not his approval. Don't confuse his silence as his approval. It's his grace.
1:00:10 And from time to time he'll use moments like this where he'll get your attention to help you realize the silence of God in your life as you continue in your ways and try to quiet your conscience, that's not God saying green light, it's fine. That's God saying turn before it's too late. And this Agag here coming cheerfully, oh surely judgment has passed. And Samuel, who everybody criticized was an old man by the way. What do we read here?
1:00:36 And Samuel in verse 33 said, as your sword has made woman childless, so he's highlighting the grossness of his sin, So shall your mother be childless among women and Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord in Gilgal. And I'm sure Saul was watching and all the troops around were watching and I wonder what went through this king's mind as this prophet did what he would not do. He hacked the man to pieces. Notice the wording, hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord. Before the Lord, that's what's very important.
1:01:18 Samuel wasn't obeying God in this moment to try to impress the soldiers of how spiritual he was. Samuel wasn't killing this king so that he can spite Saul and try to make him feel in a certain way. Samuel's pure motive in this moment was that he was obeying his God. If only Saul had the same motive as this prophet. If only he had performed his duty and his task as though he was doing it before the Lord, but he didn't.
1:01:47 And here's the contrast, Samuel did it before God as though blinders came over him. It doesn't matter about the hundreds of troops. It doesn't matter about King Saul. All this is right now is me obeying God. That's a man of God who does everything as though he does it in the presence of God, for God.
1:02:05 Great strides of accomplishments and advancements can be made when men live before God and God alone. And that's what he does here. And here's what's interesting, you and I might think that this is the end. Samuel cleaned up the mess that Saul left, and now, the end, the Amalekites are finished, but you have to realize that the consequence of Saul's disobedience lives beyond the fact that he lost his position as a king. And all you have to do I want to just show you two examples of that.
1:02:37 One in the next book and one in a book that you might not consider. Go to second Samuel one as we close. Second Samuel one, we learn that Saul dies And a young man from the camp of Israel, or at least came from the camp of Israel, finds David and he wants to inform him that Saul and Jonathan have been killed or they have died. And as he's giving him the news, I want you to see, David says, where did you come from? How do you know this?
1:03:15 And then we read here in verse six, and the young man who told him said, by chance I happen to be on Mount Gilboa. And there was Saul leaning on his spear. Remember, that's what Saul did. Right? He wanted to commit suicide so he plants his sword in the ground and he tries to fall upon it so that he can kill himself.
1:03:32 Saul was leaning on his spear and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. And when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me and I answered, here I am. And he said to me, who are you? And I answered, I am an Amalekite. I wonder what Saul thought.
1:03:52 I am an Amalekite. And he said to me, stand beside me and kill me for anguish has seized me and yet my life still lingers. If the Amalekites are a picture of anything, it's a picture of sin. When God says kill the sin and you don't kill the sin, realize that as exemplified by this, sin will find a way to kill you. If you do not take care of the sin that God tells you to take care of and you don't take desperate measures, you think this is desperate?
1:04:23 New Testament, Jesus says, if your eye does something, gouge it out. If your hand causes you sin, cut it off. He's not promoting amputation, self amputation. What he's promoting is severe and desperate measures to make sure that sin no longer lives in you and through you. If you don't kill that sin that God has been telling you to kill, like Samuel, and second Samuel is proving, that sin will find a way to eventually kill you.
1:04:51 That might not be tomorrow, it might not be next week, but I'm telling you many of the things that people are doing today will kill their marriage twenty years from now. Many of the habits that you have today will kill the legacy that you could have had with your children because instead of promoting righteousness, you're promoting some kind of sin that was only discipled into your children. So it seems harmless now. It seems like you're in control over the Amalekites. It seems like you have Agag tied up.
1:05:22 Listen, if you don't kill it, it will find a way to kill you. But the repercussions of Saul's disobedience don't just come to his personal harm. I want you to think about a book that you have read, I'm sure. The book of Esther. And Esther is an incredible book for many reasons, but I want you to understand something about Esther.
1:05:42 There was a troublemaker in that book. He was the theme villain of that book. Tell me his name. Good. Haman.
1:05:48 Haman was so against the Jews that were exiled in his land. He was so angry because Mordecai, who was a Jew, refused to pay homage to him that he convinced the king to set up a law that on a particular day, the Jews would be eradicated from the land. That they would be slaughtered and genocide would be performed. Now here's what's interesting about Haman. That that's an ugly figure just on the surface level, but it's not until you come to chapter three that you read something interesting about Haman.
1:06:19 Esther three verse one, we read, and these things king Ahasuerus promoted Haman who? Who? The Agagite. Descendant of who? King Agag of the Amalekites.
1:06:45 So Saul's disobedience didn't just lead to his own death. Saul's disobedience actually caused trouble for an exiled people in the book of Esther, many years from his lifetime. You see why God was serious when he said kill all the Amalekites? You think God is just a little too intense? Do you think God just wants to show something of himself though he's not really serious?
1:07:16 Or do you think God really means it when he tells us to do things as severe as he told Saul? The Agagite shows up and causes much trouble, but it's by God's grace that they're able to avoid it. So as we come back to first Samuel 15, we read the final two verses. He kills Agag in verse 34, then Samuel went to Ramah and Saul went up to the house in Gibeah of Saul. And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul and the Lord regretted that he made Saul king over Israel.
1:07:51 What a sad ending to this chapter. Not only did Saul forfeit his throne, he destroyed this relationship with Samuel. He didn't just lose his position. He lost godly fellowship. He lost his mentor.
1:08:07 He lost someone that had hope in him, that poured into him, that gave him many chances. From this moment on, Saul and Samuel would never see each other again. And look at the heart posture of Samuel. He grieved over Saul. There was pain in his heart.
1:08:27 So as much as he saw a man that was very confrontational, who called it out as it was, like we learned last week, he went with pain in his heart. He wasn't self righteous. He wasn't He didn't have his nose elevated above. No. He went with pain.
1:08:40 In fact, next week you're gonna discover that God is actually gonna tell him enough is enough. It's time to move on and there's so much to learn from that. The past three weeks, brothers and sisters, you and I have learned a lot about the realm of obedience. A lot. Here's the thing that I wanna say.
1:09:05 Sin cost very much. When we hold on to sin and we try to convince ourselves and others and God that we can hold on to this sin, there is price to pay that is far beyond we can imagine. And the opposite is true. When we choose to obey and we might stumble and we will very likely stumble as we obey, the rewards are beyond our imagination. The blessings are beyond what we can think of.
1:09:33 The things that will occur from one single life that is devoted to him, who takes God's word seriously can have generational consequences. And so remember that. Don't forget that. Never forget what God has given us in his word concerning Saul. This was the turning point for this man.
1:09:52 And unfortunately today, there is such a a hesitancy to preach on sin and the severity of sin and we wonder why we're in the mess that we're in in our generation. You think the celebrities are gonna preach on sin? You think our politicians are gonna preach on sin? Who's gonna be the voice that's gonna speak out and diagnose sin for what it is? Has to be the church.
1:10:14 Has to be not just the pastor, but the believers who show it through their lives. Saul forfeited This is what sin will cost you. It forfeited his calling, it forfeited his relationships with people, and even cost him his own life. I'm not talking about making mistakes. I'm not talking about sin that catches us by surprise.
1:10:39 I'm talking about thinking that God wants sacrifice more than obedience. He wants obedience. For his glory, never forget this, that my joy may be fulfilled in you. There's a joy to know in obedience that cannot be compared to any thrills that sin can offer. Are you a Christian tonight?
1:11:03 Do you believe on Jesus Christ? Are you born again? Is your heart transformed by the gospel? Do you have a living vibrant fellowship with the Lord because you know that you've put your trust in him? If not, this is your chance to give your life to him.
1:11:20 Hey, Christian. Are you now, at one point, you've lived in obedience, but now you replace obedience with sacrifice? And you think that as long as I just give God these outward things that he'll be happy? You know how miserable you are tonight, don't you? You know how miserable you are tonight.
1:11:39 But for some reason, you've tricked yourself into thinking that I can just live like this and it's fine. You know how miserable you are. And I'll tell you why most Christians are miserable because they live in that principle. Sacrifice is what God wants and not obedience. Flip it around.
1:11:54 Obedience is greater than sacrifice, not just in God's you, but for the sake of the joy of your heart. Let's pray. And tonight, we can excel from a very serious chapter in the Bible. It is a dark chapter, but we're gonna see some light as a new figure is gonna be introduced to us by the name of David. Oh, we've been studying a man and his failures and his rebellion and his pride, but we're gonna discover a man, a young man, who had a heart of worship and who moved the heart of God.
1:12:47 Father, we thank you for these past three weeks in chapter 15. We pray, Lord, that it would not fail to do a work in our hearts. We pray, Lord, that it would promote a new sense of eagerness to hack anything that you tell us to destroy in our hearts. We ask, oh God, that we would be a people that would be convinced daily that obedience is ultimately what you long for and it is ultimately not what we need so that we can know true joy and sustenance in this life. Father, we ask in Jesus' name that in this place, whatever sacrifice of praise we give unto you, it would come from a heart that is obedient.
1:13:27 It would not come from a heart that's disobedient, But Lord, let sacrifice flow from the place of surrender. We ask, oh God, that in this house, you would revive our hearts in the fear of the Lord. You would revive our hearts in the love of God. You would revive our hearts in the place of living this life solely for whatever you say we should do. We give you honor and all the praise as we sing to you now in Jesus name.
