Saul And The Spirit Of God Series

David Platt – Why we need the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of God. Opening

Video Illustration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6DtRmyx1bA

David Platt on the importance of the Holy Spirit in the church today!

Series: Never Seen Before in 2024 – Understanding the importance of the Spirit of God for our lives. We must be connected and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

The life of King Saul teaches us that obedience to God’s Word is better than just sacrifice in worship to God. 1 Samuel 15:22-23:

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.

23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,

and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,

he has rejected you as king.”

The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), 1 Sa 15:22–23.

Thesis: The Holy Spirit is active in the empowering of God’s people to lead. He wants to comfort us, lead us, guide us, direct us, teach us and empower u to do what God wants done. He wants us to be “Christ like” and “do the work of the Kingdom” in the here and now. The Lord wants obedience to His word not just worship from us.

I have seen to many people crash and burn because they not do not obey the Word of the Lord in their life or ministry – they worship God in services but disobey His Word – they remind me of Saul – thinking they have obeyed God because they worship him in their own way but instead our story today shows how they are deceiving themselves because they have not obeyed God.

Tag line: A Spiritless Christian will produce a Spiritless Church! A Spirit less Christian is powerless and will produce a powerless Spiritless Church. A Spiritless Christian has a Spiritless soul which craves a connection to the Holy Spirit. A person even though gifted – talented but without the Holy Spirit of God will fail in being and doing what God wants them to do!

Key Verses:

John 14:15-18:

15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

Jesus promised not to abandon us so He sent us the Holy Spirit – who cares for our soul and spirits.

The Holy Spirit played an active role in the Old Testament with the judges, the prophets, the priests and even the Kings of Israel. The Holy Spirit of God empowered these people’s lives and ministry. We need to look at these people’s lives to see what the Holy Spirit did for them. What His role was in their lives. How He impacted them and even corrected them. How he empowered them for certain tasks supernaturally. How He directed and guided them in battle. We need to learn how they managed or yielded to the Holy Spirit. We need to learn what to do and what not to do as the Holy Spirit empowers us in our day.

Sermon: King Saul and The Spirit of God

Scripture Texts: Let me remind you of how King Saul started out his reign as king for the Israelites and God:

Saul receives the Holy Spirit as he is anointed by Samuel as the first King of Israel:

1 Samuel 10:9-11:

9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. 10 When they arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying. 11 When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”

Saul started out in connection with the Spirit of God, but he soon became arrogant, prideful, fearful and disobeyed God’s instructions for offering up sacrifices for God and for His favor. You cannot do what you want in the worship of God and then expect God to answer your prayers and accept your sacrifice for favor. Saul started becoming deceived by his own ego and pride.

Saul offers up Sacrifice without Samuel or by God’s instruction: When we do what we want to disobey God’s Word.