Lordship: Salute Or Dilute Series

LORDSHIP: SALUTE OR DILUTE

1 SAMUEL 15:1-26

1 SAMUEL 15:22 BUT SAMUEL REPLIED: "DOES THE LORD DELIGHT IN BURNT OFFERINGS AND SACRIFICES AS MUCH AS IN OBEYING THE VOICE OF THE LORD? TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE, AND TO HEED IS BETTER THAN THE FAT OF RAMS.

INTRODUCTION: WHEN WE BEGAN THIS SERIES A FEW WEEKS AGO (PRE IAN), WE BEGAN LOOKING AT WHY JESUS SHOULD BE LORD OF OUR LIFE – LORDSHIP. WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF LORDSHIP, WE WILL DO ONE OF TWO THINGS; WE WILL EITHER SALUTE LORDSHIP FOR WHAT IT IS – GOD’S FULL RIGHT AND CONTROL OF OUR LIVES, OR DILUTE LORDSHIP – CIRCUMVENTING OUR OBEDIENCE TO GOD AND HIS POSITION AS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR.

LAST TIME, WE LOOK AT LORDSHIP FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF OWNERSHIP. GOD OWNS ME; BOTH IN CREATION AND IN REDEMPTION. SO, IF GOD IS THE OWNER, THEN WE SHOULD BE EMBRACING HIM AS THE ONE WHO HAS FULL CONTROL OVER OUR LIFE

KEY THOUGHT: SACRIFICE IS NEVER A REPLACEMENT FOR SURRENDER.

I. SETTING THE STAGE

a. SAUL IS KING OF ISRAEL AND SAMUEL IS THE PROPHET

b. SAUL HAS BEEN ORDERED BY GOD TO BATTLE AND UTTERLY DETROY THE AMALEKITES

i. “UTTERLY DESTROY” THIS WORD CARRIES WITH IT THE MEANING OF SOMETHING BEING DEDICATED TO GOD, AND THEN BANNED BY GOD FOR DESTRUCTION BECAUSE OF THE POTENTIAL TO DRAW PEOPLE AWAY FROM GOD.

c. SAUL’S ORDERS ARE CLEAR. WHAT WE WILL SEE, IS THAT SAUL WILL NOT FOLLOW GOD’S EDICTS IN THE MANNER PRESCRIBED, BUT WILL FOLLOW THEM IN THE WAY HE THINKS IS BEST.

II. OUR BIGGEST BATTLE IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD AND HENCE LORDSHIP

a. US!

b. THINGS WE KNOW ABOUT SIN

i. ITS MAIN FUNCTION IS TO SEPARATE US FROM GOD

ii. IT IS BENT IS TOWARDS DARKNESS – AWAY FROM GOD

iii. LEFT WITHOUT CHECK IT LEADS TO ETERNAL SEPARATION FROM GOD – WE CALL THAT HELL.

iv. AS A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST, SIN:

1. DESTROYS ARE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD

2. MINIMIZES OUR REWARDS IN HEAVEN

3. BRINGS THE CHASTISEMENT OF GOD IN OUR DAILY LIVES

WHEN SAUL STEPS OUT OF THE DIRECTION OF GOD WITH THE AMALEKITES, HE SET IN MOTION A SERIES OF HIS OWN ACTIONS THAT LED TO GOD’S ACTION TOWARDS SAUL

III. THE ACTIONS OF SAUL THAT REVEAL HIS DISOBEDIENCE TO GOD

a. SAUL WAS DECEPTIVE

1 SAMUEL 15:10-13 THEN THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO SAMUEL: 11 "I AM GRIEVED THAT I HAVE MADE SAUL KING, BECAUSE HE HAS TURNED AWAY FROM ME AND HAS NOT CARRIED OUT MY INSTRUCTIONS." SAMUEL WAS TROUBLED, AND HE CRIED OUT TO THE LORD ALL THAT NIGHT. 12 EARLY IN THE MORNING SAMUEL GOT UP AND WENT TO MEET SAUL, BUT HE WAS TOLD, "SAUL HAS GONE TO CARMEL. THERE HE HAS SET UP A MONUMENT IN HIS OWN HONOR AND HAS TURNED AND GONE ON DOWN TO GILGAL." 13 WHEN SAMUEL REACHED HIM, SAUL SAID, "THE LORD BLESS YOU! I HAVE CARRIED OUT THE LORD'S INSTRUCTIONS."

i. GOD SAYS THAT HE IS GRIEVED OR IN THE KJV, REPENTETH THAT HE MADE SAW KING

1. THIS WORD CARIES WITH IT THE THOUGH OF “A CHANGE OF ADMINISTRATION”

2. THIS IS NOT MEANT TO INDICATE ANY SIN ON GOD’S PART, BUT A CHANGE OF DIRECTION – ONE THAT WOULD SEE SAUL REMOVED AS KING

ii. SAUL SEEKS TO OUTRIGHT DECEIVE SAMUEL

1. BLESS YOU SAMUEL

2. I DID WHAT GOD TOLD ME TO DO

3. JAMES 1:22 DO NOT MERELY LISTEN TO THE WORD, AND SO DECEIVE YOURSELVES. DO WHAT IT SAYS.

a. WHAT SAUL DID HERE WAS REPLACE WHAT HE SHOULD HAVE DONE WITH WHAT HE ACTUALLY DID

b. HE DID NOT OBEY GOD, BUT TELLS SAMUEL THAT HE DID

c. “REPEAT A LIE OFTEN ENOUGH AND IT BECOMES THE TRUTH”, IS A LAW OF PROPAGANDA OFTEN ATTRIBUTED TO THE NAZI JOSEPH GOEBBELS.

4. IN 1 JOHN CHAPTER ONE, WE CAN SEE THIS DECEPTION PLAYED OUT AS JOHN SPEAKS THREE TIMES ABOUT SAYING ONE THING AND DOING ANOTHER

a. FIRST WE LIE TO OTHERS

b. SECOND WE LIE TO OURSELVES

c. THIRD WE LIE TO GOD

SAMUEL CONFRONTS SAUL IN VERSE 14 WITH THE BLEATING OF THE SHEEP AND SAUL CHANGES HIS TUNE

b. SAUL MAKES EXCUSES FOR HIS DISOBEDIENCE

1 SAMUEL 15:14-19 BUT SAMUEL SAID, "WHAT THEN IS THIS BLEATING OF SHEEP IN MY EARS? WHAT IS THIS LOWING OF CATTLE THAT I HEAR?" 15 SAUL ANSWERED, "THE SOLDIERS BROUGHT THEM FROM THE AMALEKITES; THEY SPARED THE BEST OF THE SHEEP AND CATTLE TO SACRIFICE TO THE LORD YOUR GOD, BUT WE TOTALLY DESTROYED THE REST."

16 "STOP!" SAMUEL SAID TO SAUL. "LET ME TELL YOU WHAT THE LORD SAID TO ME LAST NIGHT." "TELL ME," SAUL REPLIED.

17 SAMUEL SAID, "ALTHOUGH YOU WERE ONCE SMALL IN YOUR OWN EYES, DID YOU NOT BECOME THE HEAD OF THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL? THE LORD ANOINTED YOU KING OVER ISRAEL. 18 AND HE SENT YOU ON A MISSION, SAYING, 'GO AND COMPLETELY DESTROY THOSE WICKED PEOPLE, THE AMALEKITES; MAKE WAR ON THEM UNTIL YOU HAVE WIPED THEM OUT.' 19 WHY DID YOU NOT OBEY THE LORD? WHY DID YOU POUNCE ON THE PLUNDER AND DO EVIL IN THE EYES OF THE LORD?"