1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:08,300 you’re listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible, to contact us call 2 00:00:08,300 –> 00:00:18,020 us at 1-877-OPEN-365 or visit our website OpenTheBible.org. Lets get to the message. 3 00:00:18,020 –> 00:00:24,059 Here is Pastor Colin Now we’re following the story of Saul from 4 00:00:24,059 –> 00:00:27,959 the first Book of Samuel and we discovered last week as we made a start that he’s one 5 00:00:28,740 –> 00:00:34,540 this characters who is difficult for everybody else around him remember we saw last week 6 00:00:34,540 –> 00:00:40,759 that he made life absolutely miserable for David who followed him as king Saul was filled 7 00:00:40,759 –> 00:00:45,959 with bitter jealousy towards David, attacked him twice, hounded him for years so that David 8 00:00:45,959 –> 00:00:50,959 had to live on the run as a fugitive on more than one occasion David had the opportunity 9 00:00:50,959 –> 00:00:56,080 to take matters into his own hands but he refused to do so and when Saul died David 10 00:00:56,080 –> 00:01:04,279 wept and we described Saul last week as being a royal pain in the neck and yet David was 11 00:01:04,279 –> 00:01:10,599 loyal to him for 15 years and the question we are asking is very simply how did he do 12 00:01:10,599 –> 00:01:17,000 that and we are looking at this story for a very practical reason some of us have a 13 00:01:17,000 –> 00:01:27,339 Saul in our lives there may be a Saul at your work there may be a Saul in your home, Saul’s 14 00:01:27,339 –> 00:01:33,959 very interesting character he’s very self-confident but he has terrible judgment, he’s self-centered 15 00:01:33,959 –> 00:01:40,040 he’s easily threatened he’s temperamental volatile and unpredictable, he’s very little 16 00:01:40,919 –> 00:01:48,360 that he causes to people around him or her lives in a plastic world of self-deception 17 00:01:48,360 –> 00:01:53,199 insulated from everything else. And so we are trying to face up to this very practical 18 00:01:53,199 –> 00:01:59,320 question on these Sunday mornings, how do you deal with the difficult character. The 19 00:01:59,320 –> 00:02:05,760 person who makes life miserable for everybody else around them. And we’re remembering that 20 00:02:05,760 –> 00:02:12,759 Jesus specifically said to his disciples, you must love your enemies. And the very fact 21 00:02:13,720 –> 00:02:20,000 that he said that indicates that it is a normal thing that in the course of a Christian life, 22 00:02:20,000 –> 00:02:25,119 some people will come across your path who will be very difficult for you and God will 23 00:02:25,119 –> 00:02:30,960 allow it to be so. They may oppose you, they may show a sour spirit towards you, they may 24 00:02:31,000 –> 00:02:35,839 find all kinds of ways of making your life unpleasant and the question is how are you 25 00:02:35,839 –> 00:02:42,500 going to deal with them? Well we took our first step in forming a biblical answer to 26 00:02:42,500 –> 00:02:49,500 that question when we saw that loyalty understands providence. In other words, the difficult 27 00:02:50,880 –> 00:02:56,259 person in your life is not there by accident. In fact, if your a Christian the wonderful 28 00:02:56,339 –> 00:03:01,639 thing is that nothing in your life happens by accident. You’re not adrift on the sea 29 00:03:01,639 –> 00:03:07,339 of chance. The whole of your life is in the hands of a loving God. There may be bad things 30 00:03:07,339 –> 00:03:13,580 in your life but God works in the bad things as well as the good things to advance his 31 00:03:13,580 –> 00:03:19,080 own ultimate purpose for you which is not that you will have a pain free life, but you 32 00:03:19,080 –> 00:03:24,020 will increasingly reflect the beauty and the character of Jesus to the glory of God for 33 00:03:24,160 –> 00:03:26,139 all eternity. 34 00:03:26,139 –> 00:03:31,619 Now David recognized that God had anointed Saul. In other words, that Saul was there 35 00:03:31,619 –> 00:03:38,160 because God caused it to be so. Miserable fellow that Saul was, David at least could 36 00:03:38,160 –> 00:03:42,559 recognize that he was there in the purpose and the plan of God. And that even though 37 00:03:42,559 –> 00:03:49,059 he made life difficult for David, that Saul nonetheless could be part of God’s ultimate 38 00:03:49,059 –> 00:03:54,300 purpose – however painful – of shaping in David the character that he wanted to 39 00:03:54,300 –> 00:03:57,500 form for his own glory. 40 00:03:57,500 –> 00:04:03,300 And when you can see that Saul is, in your life, not there as a result of some chance 41 00:04:03,300 –> 00:04:09,419 or accident or a bad luck, but that actually God can use even this difficult character 42 00:04:09,419 –> 00:04:15,360 to be like his stone cutter in your life for His own glory, then you will come to the place 43 00:04:15,360 –> 00:04:20,119 of having a different attitude towards this difficult person. 44 00:04:20,119 –> 00:04:24,640 And so the first prayer with regards to the difficult person in my life must be, Lord 45 00:04:24,640 –> 00:04:28,260 show me what you would have me to learn. 46 00:04:28,260 –> 00:04:34,700 Bring about your purpose in me through this person’s presence in my life, and Lord use 47 00:04:34,700 –> 00:04:40,119 even this to advance Your eternal purpose for Your own glory.” 48 00:04:40,260 –> 00:04:46,279 you’ve grasped the providence of God, you will have the beginning of a different perspective 49 00:04:46,279 –> 00:04:48,399 on the Saul in your life. 50 00:04:48,399 –> 00:04:53,640 And that’s where we got to last week, and today we’re going to take a second step in 51 00:04:53,640 –> 00:04:58,320 answering this question of how to deal with this difficult person who God may allow in 52 00:04:58,320 –> 00:05:05,119 our life, and we’re going to look at it not from David’s reaction to Saul, but from Samuel, 53 00:05:05,119 –> 00:05:09,079 the prophet’s, dealing with this difficult man. 54 00:05:09,839 –> 00:05:14,519 See, the interesting thing about Saul is that he wasn’t just difficult 55 00:05:14,519 –> 00:05:16,160 for David. 56 00:05:16,160 –> 00:05:17,540 He was difficult for everybody. 57 00:05:17,540 –> 00:05:21,239 Now, there are some people like that, aren’t there? 58 00:05:21,239 –> 00:05:23,480 They’re difficult for their husband or for their wife. 59 00:05:23,480 –> 00:05:25,720 They’re difficult for their children. 60 00:05:25,720 –> 00:05:27,600 They’re difficult at work. 61 00:05:27,600 –> 00:05:28,899 They’re difficult at school. 62 00:05:28,899 –> 00:05:30,559 They’re difficult in the church. 63 00:05:30,559 –> 00:05:38,440 Usually, they have a very low level of awareness of how much trouble they cause everyone else. 64 00:05:38,500 –> 00:05:41,959 But they bring pain into the lives of everybody around them. 65 00:05:41,959 –> 00:05:44,000 Now, that’s how it was with Saul. 66 00:05:44,000 –> 00:05:47,619 So I invite you to turn your Bible to 1 Samuel and chapter 15. 67 00:05:47,619 –> 00:05:53,839 We’re going to follow the story today of how Samuel dealt with this man. 68 00:05:53,839 –> 00:05:57,920 Now, we’re beginning at the start of the chapter, verse 1. 69 00:05:57,920 –> 00:06:01,920 Notice there, Samuel said to Saul, I am the one that the Lord sent to anoint you king 70 00:06:01,920 –> 00:06:07,799 over his people Israel, so listen now to the message from the Lord. 71 00:06:08,380 –> 00:06:14,200 Now, remember that Samuel was a prophet, and that meant that God spoke to him directly. 72 00:06:14,200 –> 00:06:19,739 So a very special thing, possibly God even spoke to him audibly, but there was a direct 73 00:06:19,739 –> 00:06:27,339 communication of God to the prophets that enabled them to know the very Word of God. 74 00:06:27,339 –> 00:06:31,920 And notice verse 2, this is what the Lord Almighty says. 75 00:06:32,920 –> 00:06:39,959 I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they 76 00:06:39,959 –> 00:06:42,899 came up from Israel.” 77 00:06:42,899 –> 00:06:52,480 And Samuel goes on to describe this very drastic judgment that God is now about to pour out 78 00:06:52,480 –> 00:07:00,380 on this whole community of the Amalekites who God is sending Saul specifically, we are 79 00:07:01,380 –> 00:07:05,679 wage war on until they are wiped out. 80 00:07:05,679 –> 00:07:11,200 Now this is something that is actually quite unusual in the Old Testament, and it’s important 81 00:07:11,200 –> 00:07:14,019 for us to understand what is happening. 82 00:07:14,019 –> 00:07:21,019 The first thing to say is that the Amalekites were really the Al-qaeda of the Old Testament. 83 00:07:21,739 –> 00:07:28,059 Now use the phrase very carefully, they were in fact a marauding tribal group, who from 84 00:07:28,059 –> 00:07:35,059 generation to generation had launched unprovoked attacks on innocent people of all kinds of 85 00:07:35,420 –> 00:07:41,619 races. The Jews were just one. An attack was launched on them when they came out of Egypt, 86 00:07:41,619 –> 00:07:47,140 it’s described in Exodus chapter 17 and referred to specifically again in Deuteronomy chapter 87 00:07:47,140 –> 00:07:51,720 25. But it wasn’t just the Jews that suffered in this way, in fact if you look at Chapter 88 00:07:51,720 –> 00:07:57,440 30 of 1 Samuel you’ll see that the Amalekites are launching an attack into Philistine territory 89 00:07:57,899 –> 00:08:04,899 also. Now God had been very patient with the Amalekites. Their violence and their plundering 90 00:08:05,119 –> 00:08:11,679 had gone on generation after generation, but now God had determined that the time had come 91 00:08:11,679 –> 00:08:18,359 when he would draw a line and he was bringing an end to the activity of this entire community 92 00:08:18,359 –> 00:08:24,500 and Saul was being sent as the agent of God’s judgment, indeed later Samuel speaks of him 93 00:08:24,579 –> 00:08:30,899 being the one who carries out the fierce wrath of God towards the Amalekites. 94 00:08:30,899 –> 00:08:37,900 And that was incidentally why, of course, the army were not allowed to keep any plunder 95 00:08:38,119 –> 00:08:45,119 because this was not, as other wars, for territorial gain or for territorial defense. This was 96 00:08:45,539 –> 00:08:51,020 a war in which, at the express commandment of God, they were to deal with what had been 97 00:08:51,020 –> 00:08:56,739 a centuries-old problem that God had announced was now to be brought to an end. 98 00:08:56,739 –> 00:09:02,140 Now, there are only a very few times in the Bible when anything like this happens. And 99 00:09:02,140 –> 00:09:09,119 when it does, it’s always important. Remember the first occasion when God wiped out an entire 100 00:09:09,119 –> 00:09:14,619 community, and that was the Flood. God did that. You remember that he allowed sin to 101 00:09:14,619 –> 00:09:20,419 develop to a certain point, and then he wiped out an entire generation, saving only one 102 00:09:20,419 –> 00:09:27,039 family. He cut back the multiplication of evil within the world in this way. It was 103 00:09:27,039 –> 00:09:30,859 a merciful thing that he did. You remember that God did the same thing 104 00:09:30,859 –> 00:09:37,919 with Sodom and Gomorrah. The level of evil had got to such a point in these two particular 105 00:09:37,919 –> 00:09:43,080 communities that God actually serve notice on the rest of the world as he wiped them 106 00:09:43,400 –> 00:09:47,979 out. God did that. God did that, thirdly, in relation to a group 107 00:09:47,979 –> 00:09:53,460 called the Amorites. God speaks about them. You’ll find it in Genesis chapter 15 and 108 00:09:53,460 –> 00:09:58,799 verse 16, way back in the time of Abraham. God said he would one day deal with the Amorites 109 00:09:58,799 –> 00:10:04,419 who were cultivating a whole culture of rebellion against God. But God waited a long, long time 110 00:10:04,419 –> 00:10:11,419 before he did. In fact, God says to Abraham, the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached 111 00:10:12,260 –> 00:10:18,900 its full measure, and he allowed them to remain where they were, cultivating this rebellion 112 00:10:18,900 –> 00:10:23,140 against God in all of its horrors that we won’t go into describing right now. And God 113 00:10:23,140 –> 00:10:30,140 allowed it to go on and on and on for 400 years. And then in the time of Joshua, he 114 00:10:30,479 –> 00:10:36,239 said, Joshua, you go in and these people are now under the judgment of God. And that is 115 00:10:36,239 –> 00:10:43,239 the story that is behind the very drastic scenes when Joshua invaded the land in the 116 00:10:43,580 –> 00:10:46,539 book that bears his name. 117 00:10:46,539 –> 00:10:53,539 Now the same thing was happening with regards to this terrorist community, the Amalekites, 118 00:10:54,039 –> 00:11:01,039 who for so long and towards so many people had brought nothing but violence and despair. 119 00:11:01,479 –> 00:11:07,840 Now these events are very unusual in the Bible but for that very reason they are also very 120 00:11:07,840 –> 00:11:14,840 significant and important. They remind us that God who has made the heaven and the earth 121 00:11:15,179 –> 00:11:22,179 has set a day for judgment. And in these few occasions interspersed in history, God actually 122 00:11:23,359 –> 00:11:29,679 reveals that he will not allow the evil in the world to go on forever. He allows it to 123 00:11:29,700 –> 00:11:36,700 go for a certain time and to a certain point but then he will usher in the day of his judgment. 124 00:11:38,440 –> 00:11:44,320 And these incidents point us forward to the day when God himself directly will bring judgment 125 00:11:44,320 –> 00:11:51,320 to men and women, the living and the dead, young and old, rich and poor. This is not 126 00:11:52,820 –> 00:11:57,359 of course a message that our world wants to hear but it is the truth that God has revealed 127 00:11:57,359 –> 00:12:02,080 to us and we should be thankful for it. There is a God in heaven who will bring all evil 128 00:12:02,080 –> 00:12:07,500 to an end. And he will either bring that evil to an end in some cases by bringing people 129 00:12:07,500 –> 00:12:12,520 to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, or in other cases he will bring it 130 00:12:12,520 –> 00:12:19,520 to an end in the judgment on the last day. But he will deal with sin and with evil. It 131 00:12:20,320 –> 00:12:27,320 will not ultimately stand. He has placed an eternal curse upon it. Sin and iniquity. 132 00:12:27,440 –> 00:12:33,479 Iniquity will be no more. Now that is the unusual context of the story in 1 Samuel and 133 00:12:33,479 –> 00:12:40,099 chapter 15, and Saul is commissioned specifically through the prophet by God, to raise an army 134 00:12:40,099 –> 00:12:46,559 and to wage war to the end on the Amalekites. Now you can understand why the army would 135 00:12:46,559 –> 00:12:51,440 be unhappy with this by the way, because it would have been traditional for an army when 136 00:12:51,440 –> 00:12:56,239 waging war to bring back the plunder. But God specifically is telling them here that 137 00:12:56,239 –> 00:13:00,260 there’s to be no material gain for them in this war. They’re to get nothing out of it 138 00:13:00,260 –> 00:13:07,239 except they are to do what God has commanded them to do. So Saul takes his army and the 139 00:13:07,239 –> 00:13:11,479 army are evidently somewhat unhappy that they’re not allowed to keep the plunder. So Saul says, 140 00:13:11,479 –> 00:13:19,599 well, yeah, okay, let’s just keep the plunder. And God has specifically said that Agag, the 141 00:13:19,599 –> 00:13:24,140 king of the Amalekites, was to be put to the sword, but it occurred to Saul that it would 142 00:13:24,280 –> 00:13:29,580 rather good publicity if he could bring Agag back. I mean, nothing quite like having a 143 00:13:29,580 –> 00:13:34,520 king in your dungeon and bringing him out on parade days and things. So he decided that 144 00:13:34,520 –> 00:13:41,520 that’s what he would do. Not only that, the limited obedience of Saul is illustrated if 145 00:13:42,780 –> 00:13:47,020 you just turn over a few chapters to 1 Samuel chapter 30, and who do you find within a very 146 00:13:47,020 –> 00:13:51,700 few years launching more attacks, taking more women and children hostage, and burning more 147 00:13:51,780 –> 00:13:58,780 towns and villages but the Amalekites? Because the king thought he knew better than what 148 00:13:59,640 –> 00:14:05,840 God told him to do. Now that’s the story. Let’s now look at it more closely together, 149 00:14:05,840 –> 00:14:12,840 taking it up in verse 10 of 1 Samuel 15. The word of the Lord came to Samuel, �I am grieved 150 00:14:14,020 –> 00:14:21,020 that I have made Saul king because he has turned away from me and has not carried a 151 00:14:21,799 –> 00:14:28,799 out my instructions.� Then notice verse 11, �When Samuel heard what Saul had done, 152 00:14:28,960 –> 00:14:35,960 Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.� Now I’m not surprised 153 00:14:40,500 –> 00:14:45,840 that Samuel had a completely sleepless night when he heard about Saul’s disobedience and 154 00:14:45,840 –> 00:14:52,280 unfaithfulness to the commission that was given to him. This was a great tragedy. What 155 00:14:52,280 –> 00:14:56,320 is the community of God’s people to do if it finds itself in a situation where it’s 156 00:14:56,320 –> 00:15:03,320 own leaders will not be faithful to the Word of God? It’s a tragedy. But there was a bigger 157 00:15:03,400 –> 00:15:10,400 reason why Samuel was troubled that night, because he knew that God was calling him in 158 00:15:11,400 –> 00:15:18,400 the morning to go and look Saul straight in the eye and confront him about his own sin. 159 00:15:20,840 –> 00:15:27,760 If you’ve ever been in the position where you have had to confront someone about a secret 160 00:15:27,760 –> 00:15:34,760 sin that has now become exposed, and you now know about it, you will know why Samuel couldn’t 161 00:15:35,599 –> 00:15:42,599 sleep all night just thinking about the difficult thing that he had to do the next day. It is 162 00:15:43,520 –> 00:15:50,400 the hardest thing in all of the world to do. To face up to someone you love and care and 163 00:15:50,400 –> 00:15:56,119 have prayed for, when you’ve discovered that there has been some fundamental unfaithfulness 164 00:15:56,119 –> 00:16:01,239 in their life and speak the truth to them. But I want to tell you from the Bible today 165 00:16:01,299 –> 00:16:08,320 that that is part of loyalty. Loyalty understands providence, but loyalty also speaks the truth. 166 00:16:12,080 –> 00:16:17,059 Being loyal to the soul in your life does not mean being a doormat. It does not mean 167 00:16:17,059 –> 00:16:24,059 that you kind of turn a blind eye and let him or her carry on irrespective. God revealed 168 00:16:24,359 –> 00:16:28,359 the truth to Samuel, and Samuel knew that the following morning, he would need to meet 169 00:16:28,400 –> 00:16:33,760 this man, who he prayed for, anointed, and loved, and supported for years. And now he 170 00:16:33,760 –> 00:16:40,140 had to confront him with the painful truth. It’s one of the hardest things this man ever 171 00:16:40,140 –> 00:16:47,119 had to do, and he struggled all night just thinking about. 172 00:16:47,119 –> 00:16:48,679 When I follow the story with me, 173 00:16:48,679 –> 00:16:54,520 verse 12, early the next morning Samuel got up and went to meet with Saul. But he’s told 174 00:16:54,719 –> 00:16:59,640 that Saul has gone to Mount Carmel and that he’s set up, would you believe, a monument 175 00:16:59,640 –> 00:17:04,119 in his own honor and that he’s turned and he’s gone down to Gilgal. So this is not a 176 00:17:04,119 –> 00:17:10,800 very encouraging start. Samuel must have hoped that Saul would have some awareness of his 177 00:17:10,800 –> 00:17:17,800 sin, some conscience that at least would have subdued him. But far from that, having directly 178 00:17:18,560 –> 00:17:24,880 disobeyed the clearly revealed commandment of God, this man feels good about himself. 179 00:17:24,880 –> 00:17:30,660 So good about himself that he thinks this is the time to erect a monument in his own 180 00:17:30,660 –> 00:17:37,660 honor. So Samuel pursues him and eventually catches up with him at Gilgal, verse 13. Saul 181 00:17:39,459 –> 00:17:46,459 takes the initiative and comes out and greets him. Look at this, the Lord bless you he said, 182 00:17:48,260 –> 00:17:55,260 yes. I have carried out the Lord’s instructions. This is, my goodness, he is so polite you 183 00:17:56,199 –> 00:18:03,199 wouldn’t think the butter would melt in his mouth. But the plane fact is that he is using 184 00:18:03,579 –> 00:18:10,579 a lot of spiritual language to cover up his direct disobedience to God. I have to tell 185 00:18:11,359 –> 00:18:17,599 you, looking back over 20 years, that some of the most high sounding spiritual language 186 00:18:17,599 –> 00:18:24,199 I’ve ever heard has come from the mouth of those who have been trying to hide the most 187 00:18:24,199 –> 00:18:31,199 despicable sins. I have to tell you that’s true. It happens. And it’s exactly what was 188 00:18:31,520 –> 00:18:37,800 going on here. But of course Samuel knew that Saul was lying 189 00:18:37,800 –> 00:18:43,219 through his teeth, because God had already revealed the truth. It was exposed to the 190 00:18:43,219 –> 00:18:49,020 prophet. So Samuel looks Saul straight in the eye and 191 00:18:49,020 –> 00:18:54,800 says to him, verse 14, What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? He’s referring of course 192 00:18:54,800 –> 00:18:59,500 to the sheep that the army had kept for plunder under Saul’s leadership, and they’re bleeding 193 00:18:59,500 –> 00:19:04,280 away at the time when Saul says, I’ve carried out the Lord’s instruction. What is the meaning 194 00:19:04,280 –> 00:19:11,280 of this bleating in my ears? Now notice that when Samuel confronts Saul 195 00:19:12,219 –> 00:19:19,219 with the truth, Saul immediately has a cover story, and any of you who have been involved 196 00:19:19,699 –> 00:19:25,920 in a situation where there’s had to be a confrontation like this, will know that this is not entirely 197 00:19:25,920 –> 00:19:32,920 unusual. Look at Saul’s cover story verse 15. First he tries to blame the soldiers. 198 00:19:33,660 –> 00:19:39,959 The soldiers brought them in from the Amalekites, verse 15. This is marvelous. Oh, the soldiers 199 00:19:40,239 –> 00:19:46,959 did it. It’s nothing to do with me, I’m just the commander-in-chief. And then notice how 200 00:19:46,959 –> 00:19:53,959 he introduces a spiritual motive. Oh, they kept the best of the cattle to sacrifice to 201 00:19:54,060 –> 00:19:59,619 the Lord your God, he says. By the way, did you notice that phrase, the Lord your God? 202 00:19:59,619 –> 00:20:06,619 There’s a whole world in that. Not my God, not our God, Samuel. Your God, your God. 203 00:20:07,280 –> 00:20:14,219 But you see what he wants to do? Well it’s somebody else’s responsibility, and anyway, 204 00:20:14,219 –> 00:20:20,540 it was all done with a good intention. It is rather like someone saying, well, it wasn’t 205 00:20:20,540 –> 00:20:26,280 me that took the money, it was my assistant who did it, and of course the reason that 206 00:20:26,280 –> 00:20:33,280 it was done was we wanted to give it to the church. Some difference that would make. 207 00:20:33,800 –> 00:20:40,800 So, here is a man who has directly disobeyed the clear commandment of God, but he’s talked 208 00:20:42,180 –> 00:20:48,260 himself into thinking that he didn’t do anything wrong and anyway what happened was 209 00:20:48,260 –> 00:20:55,260 all for a good cause. Here’s my question. What do you do when the soul in your life 210 00:20:56,099 –> 00:21:03,099 deceives you? What do you do when someone in accounts starts massaging the numbers to 211 00:21:07,000 –> 00:21:14,000 make things look different from what they really are? What do you do when your spouse 212 00:21:14,579 –> 00:21:19,839 or your son or your daughter starts spinning you a story about where they were or what 213 00:21:19,859 –> 00:21:26,859 we’re doing last night that you know isn’t true? What does loyalty mean when the salt 214 00:21:30,459 –> 00:21:37,459 in your life starts spinning you a pack of lies? Is it loyal to say, oh let’s say no 215 00:21:40,599 –> 00:21:47,599 more about it? No, loyalty speaks the truth. Loyalty speaks the truth. Do you know that 216 00:21:50,079 –> 00:21:57,079 loyalty recognizes the spiritual danger of a man or a woman who’s lying to themselves? 217 00:21:58,260 –> 00:22:05,260 Loyalty cares enough to confront and if we don’t have the courage to do that in a situation 218 00:22:06,239 –> 00:22:13,239 like this, we don’t understand what the bible means by loyalty or what it means by love. 219 00:22:14,239 –> 00:22:20,500 So look with me at how the confrontation progresses because Samuel handles it very skillfully. 220 00:22:20,500 –> 00:22:26,839 Notice that his primary aim is to show Saul the seriousness of his actions. Saul is going 221 00:22:26,839 –> 00:22:32,680 on with his cover story verse 16, Samuel just says to him stop, no stop, and he doesn’t 222 00:22:32,680 –> 00:22:38,040 get into all of the little details about the animals. He goes right to the heart of the 223 00:22:38,040 –> 00:22:46,859 issue and number one he identifies the sins that are involved. Look at what he says, verse 224 00:22:46,859 –> 00:22:51,699 23, he talks about rebellion and he talks about arrogance. 225 00:22:51,699 –> 00:22:57,119 Saul, you’ve given me all this spin about your good intentions and wanting to offer 226 00:22:57,119 –> 00:23:00,880 sacrifices to God and armies that don’t want to kill animals, and all the rest of it. Let’s 227 00:23:00,939 –> 00:23:07,459 cut to the chase, the problem here is very simple. You have rebelled against the plain 228 00:23:07,459 –> 00:23:12,500 commandment of God, and the reason you have done that, is because you’ve acted out of 229 00:23:12,500 –> 00:23:17,500 pride and arrogance in your heart, that’s the reality, that’s the truth, and however 230 00:23:17,500 –> 00:23:26,819 painful, it’s got to be said. You can’t help Saul by protecting him from 231 00:23:27,000 –> 00:23:33,880 the truth. You can’t help Saul by protecting him from the truth. And, you know, it’s one 232 00:23:33,880 –> 00:23:40,000 of the fundamental spiritual realities that a man or a woman can’t move on until they 233 00:23:40,000 –> 00:23:45,380 learn to name their own sins. It’s not enough you see, for Samuel to go 234 00:23:45,380 –> 00:23:52,380 and say, well Saul, you’ve done wrong here. No, he names the wrong. This is the issue. 235 00:23:52,719 –> 00:23:59,719 It’s rebellion. It’s arrogance. That’s what we’ve got to deal with here. That’s 236 00:24:00,780 –> 00:24:04,979 the root of it all. Now, notice, secondly, he not only names the 237 00:24:04,979 –> 00:24:11,640 sin — that’s very important in this kind of situation — secondly, he shows the scale 238 00:24:11,640 –> 00:24:18,640 of the sin. Now, he names the sin because Saul’s first instinct will be to deny it. 239 00:24:19,640 –> 00:24:24,040 He’s done nothing wrong. So, his sin has to be named. 240 00:24:24,040 –> 00:24:29,219 But notice, secondly, that Saul’s other instinct, when his sin is named, will be to 241 00:24:29,219 –> 00:24:36,219 minimize its significance. He’ll want to say, well, now, Samuel, there 242 00:24:36,219 –> 00:24:43,219 we go. It’s a bit of rebellion, is it? A bit of arrogance? 243 00:24:43,459 –> 00:24:48,160 What’s the big deal? Lighten up. 244 00:24:48,160 –> 00:24:54,160 We’re all boys around here. You know that spirit? 245 00:24:54,160 –> 00:25:02,719 Don’t make such a big thing of it. Doesn’t matter that much. 246 00:25:02,719 –> 00:25:09,219 Now, for that reason, as Samuel says, let me give you a sense 247 00:25:09,219 –> 00:25:16,660 of what we’re talking about here – that rebellion is like divination 248 00:25:16,660 –> 00:25:23,119 and arrogance is like idolatry. Why did he pick these two? 249 00:25:23,119 –> 00:25:25,859 You study the laws of the Old Testament and the punishments that 250 00:25:25,859 –> 00:25:28,880 were attached to them. There were relatively few that had the death 251 00:25:28,880 –> 00:25:34,439 penalty. But if I tell you that divination had the death penalty 252 00:25:34,439 –> 00:25:38,540 and idolatry had the death penalty, you’ll understand the significance 253 00:25:38,660 –> 00:25:39,819 of what Samuel was saying. 254 00:25:41,920 –> 00:25:43,699 So you can’t blow this off. 255 00:25:46,420 –> 00:25:49,479 What you’ve done here, what we’re talking about, 256 00:25:49,479 –> 00:25:52,579 is the kind of sin that leads to death. That’s what it’s like. 257 00:25:55,800 –> 00:25:59,300 And if you’re ever going to move forward, you need not just to be able 258 00:25:59,300 –> 00:26:04,040 to recognize and name what your sin is, you need to start to come 259 00:26:04,040 –> 00:26:07,780 to terms with the scale and the seriousness of it because if a man 260 00:26:07,780 –> 00:26:11,140 or a woman can’t come to terms with the scale of their sin, 261 00:26:11,140 –> 00:26:13,540 they will never enter into what the Bible calls repentance. 262 00:26:15,300 –> 00:26:21,099 All they’ll do is blow it off and try and get on to the next thing, 263 00:26:21,099 –> 00:26:25,979 and it happens. Notice the third thing that Saul does, 264 00:26:25,979 –> 00:26:30,819 he announces the consequences. Verse 23, sin 265 00:26:30,819 –> 00:26:35,380 always of course brings consequences, and here they were for Saul 266 00:26:35,380 –> 00:26:37,640 in his situation. Because you have rejected 267 00:26:37,640 –> 00:26:41,760 the Lord, verse 23, he has rejected you as king. 268 00:26:43,000 –> 00:26:44,900 Now, it’s important to understand what this meant. 269 00:26:44,900 –> 00:26:47,180 Because, of course, Saul had already been told, 270 00:26:47,180 –> 00:26:50,699 if you look in chapter 13 and verse 14 that his line, 271 00:26:50,699 –> 00:26:52,760 his descendant would not continue on the throne. 272 00:26:54,219 –> 00:26:58,459 So the new thing that is being said here is really 273 00:26:58,459 –> 00:27:01,140 explained more fully in chapter 16 and verse 14, 274 00:27:01,140 –> 00:27:04,160 where we’re told that the Spirit of the Lord departed 275 00:27:04,160 –> 00:27:09,160 from Saul, and he continued to be king until the day 276 00:27:09,839 –> 00:27:13,400 he died, but the tragedy of it was that God’s Spirit 277 00:27:13,400 –> 00:27:17,959 departed from him, so God’s people found themselves 278 00:27:17,959 –> 00:27:21,640 for years under the leadership of a man from whom 279 00:27:21,640 –> 00:27:23,479 the Spirit of God had departed. 280 00:27:24,599 –> 00:27:25,959 Can you imagine a bigger disaster 281 00:27:25,959 –> 00:27:27,520 for the people of God than that? 282 00:27:30,680 –> 00:27:33,780 And, you see, that is the problem for some churches today. 283 00:27:34,819 –> 00:27:35,640 Right? 284 00:27:37,979 –> 00:27:39,859 Position has been retained when it should not 285 00:27:39,859 –> 00:27:43,800 have been retained, and life goes on 286 00:27:43,800 –> 00:27:46,180 with the departure of the blessing of God. 287 00:27:48,439 –> 00:27:49,280 Tragic. 288 00:27:52,199 –> 00:27:55,239 Now, what’s most interesting is that Saul has no idea 289 00:27:55,239 –> 00:27:58,280 of the significance of what’s going on here. 290 00:27:58,280 –> 00:27:59,699 In fact, the only thing that he is bothered about 291 00:27:59,699 –> 00:28:01,599 is whether he can retain his position. 292 00:28:02,599 –> 00:28:04,979 Verse 24, notice that he admits that he sinned, 293 00:28:04,979 –> 00:28:07,959 although even there, you notice that he slips in 294 00:28:07,959 –> 00:28:10,160 an excuse about being afraid of the people, 295 00:28:11,040 –> 00:28:13,280 and then, the one thing he’s really concerned about 296 00:28:13,280 –> 00:28:16,780 is will Samuel come and appear with him 297 00:28:16,780 –> 00:28:20,280 in public at worship, and that’s what he wants. 298 00:28:20,280 –> 00:28:22,760 Samuel, will you just come and stand beside me 299 00:28:22,760 –> 00:28:24,260 in the pulpit, and put your hand on me, 300 00:28:24,260 –> 00:28:27,239 and then everyone will know that it’s all okay. 301 00:28:27,239 –> 00:28:28,680 It’s all he’s bothered about. 302 00:28:28,800 –> 00:28:32,839 In contrast, by the way, to David, 303 00:28:34,280 –> 00:28:35,880 who at the very thought that God’s blessing 304 00:28:35,880 –> 00:28:37,479 might be taken from him, said, 305 00:28:37,479 –> 00:28:40,760 do not let your Holy Spirit be taken from me. 306 00:28:42,239 –> 00:28:44,680 All the difference in the world between these two. 307 00:28:46,540 –> 00:28:48,359 I don’t think there’s any sign of repentance 308 00:28:48,359 –> 00:28:50,319 of a true sort, here, at all, 309 00:28:50,319 –> 00:28:51,479 and I think that that’s borne out 310 00:28:51,479 –> 00:28:53,079 by the remainder of Saul’s life 311 00:28:53,079 –> 00:28:55,400 that shows him to continue down the same reckless path 312 00:28:55,400 –> 00:28:56,660 for the rest of his days. 313 00:28:56,660 –> 00:28:58,619 Now, there’s only one thing that’s on this man’s mind, 314 00:28:59,239 –> 00:29:00,300 and it’s not repentance and it’s not 315 00:29:00,300 –> 00:29:02,140 finding the restored blessing of God. 316 00:29:02,140 –> 00:29:04,380 It’s simply that he won’t lose face. 317 00:29:05,400 –> 00:29:09,359 Verse 30, Samuel, honor me before the elders. 318 00:29:10,319 –> 00:29:12,099 or don’t let me lose face before the elders, 319 00:29:12,099 –> 00:29:13,140 whatever happens. 320 00:29:14,479 –> 00:29:15,859 Just find the easiest way 321 00:29:15,859 –> 00:29:17,680 of getting back to business as usual. 322 00:29:19,439 –> 00:29:21,099 Now, a man who is more concerned 323 00:29:21,099 –> 00:29:23,859 about losing face in front of other people 324 00:29:23,859 –> 00:29:24,859 than he is concerned about losing 325 00:29:24,859 –> 00:29:27,439 the blessing of God upon his life 326 00:29:27,500 –> 00:29:28,560 is a man who’s never understood 327 00:29:28,560 –> 00:29:29,939 the Christian faith at all. 328 00:29:32,900 –> 00:29:35,640 The way you respond at these critical moments 329 00:29:35,640 –> 00:29:37,739 where the discipline of God might come into your life 330 00:29:37,739 –> 00:29:40,540 actually is one of the most revealing things about you. 331 00:29:42,020 –> 00:29:44,280 God sends the prophet Nathan to David 332 00:29:44,280 –> 00:29:47,060 and it turns his life around as he responds to the Word. 333 00:29:48,140 –> 00:29:50,719 God sends the prophet Samuel to Saul 334 00:29:52,540 –> 00:29:54,719 and the man has no idea as to the significance 335 00:29:54,719 –> 00:29:56,180 of the Word that he’s hearing. 336 00:29:58,439 –> 00:30:00,359 That’s why on the last day, 337 00:30:01,719 –> 00:30:05,140 I expect to see Adam in heaven, don’t you? 338 00:30:06,160 –> 00:30:08,119 I expect without a shadow of a doubt 339 00:30:08,119 –> 00:30:11,880 to see Abraham and Isaac and old Twisted Jacob. 340 00:30:11,880 –> 00:30:13,300 So twisted for years. 341 00:30:15,439 –> 00:30:16,280 I expect to see David. 342 00:30:16,280 –> 00:30:17,359 I expect to see Solomon. 343 00:30:17,359 –> 00:30:20,439 I do not expect to see Saul. 344 00:30:23,199 –> 00:30:24,640 I expect to see Abel. 345 00:30:24,760 –> 00:30:26,339 I expect to see Judson. 346 00:30:26,339 –> 00:30:27,920 I do not expect to see Cain. 347 00:30:29,359 –> 00:30:30,380 Remember the story of Cain? 348 00:30:30,380 –> 00:30:34,439 God did not look on his offering with favor, 349 00:30:34,439 –> 00:30:36,780 but said to him, quite clearly in Genesis 4, 350 00:30:36,780 –> 00:30:39,339 if you do what’s right now, Cain, you can be accepted. 351 00:30:39,339 –> 00:30:40,579 This is a critical moment. 352 00:30:40,579 –> 00:30:42,520 Your sin has been exposed. 353 00:30:42,520 –> 00:30:44,160 You’re under the discipline of God. 354 00:30:44,160 –> 00:30:46,959 But if you will do what’s right, you can be accepted. 355 00:30:47,839 –> 00:30:48,880 And what did Cain do? 356 00:30:50,079 –> 00:30:51,119 He just got angry. 357 00:30:51,119 –> 00:30:53,119 Just got angry! 358 00:30:55,479 –> 00:31:00,479 And God said to him, sin is crouching at the door, 359 00:31:00,640 –> 00:31:02,979 and there are some critical moments in our lives 360 00:31:02,979 –> 00:31:05,060 when we are confronted with the truth. 361 00:31:05,060 –> 00:31:07,239 When we either respond to the mercy of God 362 00:31:07,239 –> 00:31:09,939 and it will be wonderfully restoring for us, 363 00:31:12,780 –> 00:31:15,479 or else we’ll just get angry. 364 00:31:17,500 –> 00:31:19,459 And we’ll career down a reckless path 365 00:31:21,479 –> 00:31:22,800 to ultimate destruction. 366 00:31:25,239 –> 00:31:27,099 It’s a warning of the story of Saul. 367 00:31:28,599 –> 00:31:31,180 One of the most sobering stories in all of the Bible. 368 00:31:35,560 –> 00:31:39,520 Now, God speaking the truth is part of his loyalty to you. 369 00:31:41,619 –> 00:31:43,500 See, God will never allow his children 370 00:31:43,500 –> 00:31:46,180 to remain walking in disobedience. 371 00:31:47,619 –> 00:31:50,140 And however disturbing it is, 372 00:31:50,160 –> 00:31:55,160 God will speak the truth to bring you to your senses 373 00:31:55,599 –> 00:31:59,140 in order that you may embrace his mercy as David did. 374 00:32:01,119 –> 00:32:03,739 Saul and Cain are there as warnings to us. 375 00:32:07,239 –> 00:32:12,239 The mark of God’s sheep is that they hear his voice. 376 00:32:14,119 –> 00:32:16,520 A person who doesn’t hear the truth 377 00:32:17,079 –> 00:32:20,280 is in a very, very dangerous position. 378 00:32:22,160 –> 00:32:25,180 One illustration to apply and then we’re through. 379 00:32:27,260 –> 00:32:31,520 All of our family are very sound sleepers 380 00:32:32,500 –> 00:32:33,339 and I have to tell you 381 00:32:33,339 –> 00:32:36,359 that that means that we are heavily dependent 382 00:32:36,359 –> 00:32:38,599 on alarm clocks. 383 00:32:38,599 –> 00:32:40,260 I know that this story will return 384 00:32:40,260 –> 00:32:43,219 to haunt me for years to come but nonetheless, 385 00:32:43,260 –> 00:32:47,020 I’ve told it in two services, so I’ll tell it again now. 386 00:32:47,020 –> 00:32:51,060 Karen and I have three alarm clocks in our room. 387 00:32:52,060 –> 00:32:55,119 They are usually set several minutes apart. 388 00:32:55,119 –> 00:32:57,959 The first wakens us with music. 389 00:32:57,959 –> 00:32:59,319 It’s really quite gentle. 390 00:32:59,319 –> 00:33:01,199 The problem is it’s so gentle 391 00:33:01,199 –> 00:33:03,300 that we often go back after sleep. 392 00:33:04,800 –> 00:33:07,780 The second one is more disturbing. 393 00:33:08,680 –> 00:33:10,060 It’s there, of course, 394 00:33:10,060 –> 00:33:13,680 in case the first one has not done the job. 395 00:33:14,859 –> 00:33:17,619 The third one, I have to tell you, 396 00:33:17,619 –> 00:33:19,560 could serve as a tornado warning. 397 00:33:21,459 –> 00:33:25,459 It is so painful, I can’t tell you, it is awful. 398 00:33:25,459 –> 00:33:28,939 We have it for the simple reason that, painful though it is, 399 00:33:28,939 –> 00:33:30,660 it is actually better than 400 00:33:30,660 –> 00:33:33,680 having the entire family being late. 401 00:33:34,619 –> 00:33:39,040 Now, I have to tell you that we have on occasion, 402 00:33:39,040 –> 00:33:42,680 and I want to emphasize this word, on occasion, 403 00:33:43,839 –> 00:33:47,219 but we have, on occasion, slept through all three. 404 00:33:49,800 –> 00:33:52,560 And I’ll tell you how it’s done, it’s actually very easy. 405 00:33:52,560 –> 00:33:53,719 All you have to do 406 00:33:55,420 –> 00:34:00,420 is when each one goes off, you reach out a slumbering arm, 407 00:34:00,900 –> 00:34:05,300 and you press the little button on the top. 408 00:34:07,380 –> 00:34:08,620 Now think of it this way. 409 00:34:09,919 –> 00:34:14,919 God uses three alarm clocks to waken up His people 410 00:34:16,179 –> 00:34:17,139 in their sins. 411 00:34:18,600 –> 00:34:22,939 The first one is very gentle, really very gentle. 412 00:34:22,939 –> 00:34:25,040 It’s the work of the Holy Spirit 413 00:34:25,040 –> 00:34:28,159 through the Word in your conscience. 414 00:34:29,000 –> 00:34:31,500 Now the problem that for some of us 415 00:34:31,500 –> 00:34:34,540 is that we switch that one off. 416 00:34:34,540 –> 00:34:36,800 Very simple we’re not actually in the word. 417 00:34:36,800 –> 00:34:38,000 So it’s a long time actually 418 00:34:38,000 –> 00:34:39,739 since we actually sat down personally 419 00:34:39,739 –> 00:34:42,600 and opened the Bible and asked God to speak to us 420 00:34:42,600 –> 00:34:44,179 through it and show us ourselves. 421 00:34:44,179 –> 00:34:46,080 Very long time probably can’t even remember 422 00:34:46,080 –> 00:34:48,540 when we last did what the Bible tells us to do 423 00:34:48,540 –> 00:34:52,520 to examine ourselves and see whether we are in the faith. 424 00:34:52,520 –> 00:34:54,120 We’re here in the service obviously 425 00:34:54,120 –> 00:34:57,020 and for some of us we’ve got used to the idea 426 00:34:57,659 –> 00:35:00,800 of somehow switching off to the Word of God 427 00:35:00,800 –> 00:35:04,260 as it comes to us and we’re here but we don’t hear 428 00:35:04,260 –> 00:35:06,500 we go out for lunch afterwards. 429 00:35:08,520 –> 00:35:11,379 And nothing strikes into our souls 430 00:35:11,379 –> 00:35:12,879 so it’s just become our habit. 431 00:35:14,620 –> 00:35:17,500 The gentle alarm clock we don’t hear anymore. 432 00:35:22,340 –> 00:35:24,159 When that happens you shouldn’t be surprised 433 00:35:24,159 –> 00:35:26,639 if God sets off the second alarm. 434 00:35:26,800 –> 00:35:27,620 And you say, what’s that? 435 00:35:27,620 –> 00:35:30,800 Well, the second alarm was when God sent Samuel to Saul 436 00:35:31,699 –> 00:35:32,979 or Nathan to David. 437 00:35:34,040 –> 00:35:36,760 If you’ve slept through God’s first gentle alarm 438 00:35:36,760 –> 00:35:39,739 the word and the Spirit operating in your conscience 439 00:35:39,739 –> 00:35:41,120 if you’re not hearing that, 440 00:35:41,120 –> 00:35:44,360 please be very grateful for the second alarm. 441 00:35:44,360 –> 00:35:47,199 I mean if the second alarm doesn’t go off where are you? 442 00:35:48,679 –> 00:35:52,959 If God sets someone who will speak the truth to you 443 00:35:52,959 –> 00:35:55,040 you should be profoundly thankful for that. 444 00:35:55,100 –> 00:35:57,040 Don’t get angry about it. 445 00:35:57,040 –> 00:35:59,800 What would happen if God left you sleeping 446 00:35:59,800 –> 00:36:01,580 in an unchanged sin. 447 00:36:03,820 –> 00:36:05,879 God will most likely, by the way, 448 00:36:05,879 –> 00:36:09,159 send someone who’s near to you 449 00:36:09,159 –> 00:36:10,679 as he did with Samuel and Saul. 450 00:36:11,540 –> 00:36:13,260 Someone who cares for you. 451 00:36:14,239 –> 00:36:18,179 It may be your mother, it may be your father, 452 00:36:18,179 –> 00:36:20,239 it may be your husband, it may be your wife, 453 00:36:20,239 –> 00:36:21,800 it may be a member of your small group, 454 00:36:21,800 –> 00:36:24,659 it may be an accountability partner, it may be a pastor, 455 00:36:25,360 –> 00:36:26,260 but it will be in all likelihood 456 00:36:26,260 –> 00:36:27,679 someone who cares for you. 457 00:36:27,679 –> 00:36:30,659 Someone who loves you, and someone who prays for you. 458 00:36:31,639 –> 00:36:35,100 But if God sends such a person in his providence 459 00:36:35,100 –> 00:36:36,860 to speak to you about something 460 00:36:36,860 –> 00:36:38,899 that needs to change in your life, 461 00:36:38,899 –> 00:36:41,320 realize this is the second alarm. 462 00:36:42,419 –> 00:36:44,060 And please, whatever you do, 463 00:36:44,060 –> 00:36:46,979 don’t reach out and put that one off. 464 00:36:50,199 –> 00:36:51,620 You know, a man who won’t listen to his wife 465 00:36:51,620 –> 00:36:53,219 who speaks the truth, 466 00:36:53,239 –> 00:36:54,979 who won’t listen to a friend who says, 467 00:36:54,979 –> 00:36:58,479 you know, you need to be doing something about this. 468 00:36:58,479 –> 00:36:59,520 That’s folly. 469 00:37:02,340 –> 00:37:06,100 It’s the mercy of God that he’s sending a louder alarm 470 00:37:06,100 –> 00:37:07,899 through a person who cares enough 471 00:37:07,899 –> 00:37:10,060 and has enough loyalty to you to speak. 472 00:37:10,060 –> 00:37:12,120 Why would you get angry about that? 473 00:37:16,959 –> 00:37:20,100 Tragedy is that Saul paid no attention, 474 00:37:20,100 –> 00:37:22,360 so of course he ended up with the disturbance 475 00:37:22,399 –> 00:37:23,540 of the third alarm. 476 00:37:23,540 –> 00:37:24,659 You say what’s that? 477 00:37:28,100 –> 00:37:29,659 Disaster on the battlefield. 478 00:37:32,080 –> 00:37:33,479 Samuel says later in the book, 479 00:37:33,479 –> 00:37:36,040 that’s exactly what God allowed him to go into. 480 00:37:36,959 –> 00:37:38,080 Same thing happened to Pharaoh 481 00:37:38,080 –> 00:37:39,879 when he wouldn’t listen to the word 482 00:37:39,879 –> 00:37:41,600 directly spoken to him through Moses, 483 00:37:41,600 –> 00:37:43,239 you remember what followed there? 484 00:37:44,120 –> 00:37:45,320 All kinds of plagues. 485 00:37:47,760 –> 00:37:49,239 And no one’s ever suggesting 486 00:37:49,239 –> 00:37:51,159 that everything that goes wrong in person’s life 487 00:37:51,159 –> 00:37:52,600 is somehow the discipline of God. 488 00:37:52,600 –> 00:37:55,459 But you can be sure that if a man or a woman 489 00:37:55,459 –> 00:37:58,280 refuses consistently to listen to what God’s saying, 490 00:37:58,280 –> 00:38:00,419 He will sound the third alarm. 491 00:38:00,419 –> 00:38:02,360 And painful and disturbing though it is, 492 00:38:02,360 –> 00:38:04,479 His direct discipline is better 493 00:38:04,479 –> 00:38:06,719 than you go on sleeping in your sin. 494 00:38:09,479 –> 00:38:11,560 For the person who does that 495 00:38:13,320 –> 00:38:16,219 is left only to the fearful judgment 496 00:38:16,219 –> 00:38:19,100 of falling into the hand of God. 497 00:38:22,100 –> 00:38:24,840 And I want to suggest in this very last minute 498 00:38:24,840 –> 00:38:29,360 that for some of us, 499 00:38:29,360 –> 00:38:34,360 the first alarm is ringing gently right now. 500 00:38:36,760 –> 00:38:39,100 Where the word of God has been preached to you, 501 00:38:40,659 –> 00:38:43,139 and the Holy Spirit is at work, 502 00:38:43,139 –> 00:38:44,479 and in your own conscience, 503 00:38:44,479 –> 00:38:46,840 He’s applying it to something that 504 00:38:46,840 –> 00:38:48,159 probably no one else knows about, 505 00:38:48,159 –> 00:38:50,239 but you know about and He knows about, 506 00:38:50,320 –> 00:38:52,120 and it’s been there and it’s hidden 507 00:38:52,120 –> 00:38:54,320 and it needs to be put right. 508 00:38:57,219 –> 00:38:58,479 And if that’s what’s happening 509 00:38:58,479 –> 00:39:00,040 in this very moment right now, 510 00:39:00,040 –> 00:39:01,760 that is what God is doing, 511 00:39:01,760 –> 00:39:03,159 I plead with you, 512 00:39:03,159 –> 00:39:05,719 don’t, as it were, put your finger out 513 00:39:05,719 –> 00:39:07,459 and shut off the alarm. 514 00:39:13,300 –> 00:39:15,800 That’s the road to spiritual disaster. 515 00:39:16,560 –> 00:39:18,860 That’s the road to people like Saul 516 00:39:18,860 –> 00:39:20,639 who never change 517 00:39:23,120 –> 00:39:25,000 and who end their lives 518 00:39:28,260 –> 00:39:30,600 in the lostness 519 00:39:31,600 –> 00:39:34,239 of those who’ve become stone deaf 520 00:39:35,820 –> 00:39:38,560 to the voice of the Spirit of God. 521 00:39:42,020 –> 00:39:43,300 I don’t know if I’ve ever preached 522 00:39:43,300 –> 00:39:47,320 I don’t know if I’ve ever preached 523 00:39:47,320 –> 00:39:49,780 a more important message for some. 524 00:39:51,260 –> 00:39:54,379 But today, if you hear God’s voice, 525 00:39:55,179 –> 00:39:58,379 do not harden 526 00:39:58,379 –> 00:40:00,000 your heart. 527 00:40:00,639 –> 00:40:03,040 It’s his mercy 528 00:40:03,040 –> 00:40:06,300 that doesn’t want to leave you 529 00:40:06,300 –> 00:40:08,300 covered up 530 00:40:08,699 –> 00:40:10,719 where you are. 531 00:40:14,199 –> 00:40:16,159 Let’s stand, we’re going to pray together 532 00:40:16,159 –> 00:40:18,320 and then our service will close. 533 00:40:25,560 –> 00:40:27,719 If God is speaking to you 534 00:40:27,719 –> 00:40:29,699 and he’s nailing 535 00:40:29,699 –> 00:40:32,439 the sin that is hidden, 536 00:40:32,860 –> 00:40:35,199 he’s identifying it 537 00:40:35,199 –> 00:40:37,179 and you know it, 538 00:40:37,780 –> 00:40:40,020 don’t minimize it. 539 00:40:41,020 –> 00:40:44,320 And whatever the consequences are going to be 540 00:40:44,320 –> 00:40:48,219 of confessing and of taking steps to restitution, 541 00:40:48,219 –> 00:40:50,719 whatever that’s going to mean, 542 00:40:52,159 –> 00:40:55,320 it’s far better than that you remain asleep. 543 00:40:57,840 –> 00:41:00,419 May you take this all through your life and into your death. 544 00:41:06,239 –> 00:41:08,580 Lord, we’re so grateful that you’re a merciful God. 545 00:41:10,179 –> 00:41:14,919 We’re so grateful that your mercy is offered to people 546 00:41:18,239 –> 00:41:20,760 in situations of the most appalling disobedience. 547 00:41:23,360 –> 00:41:24,679 We’re grateful for your loyalty 548 00:41:24,679 –> 00:41:26,320 that speaks the truth to us. 549 00:41:29,639 –> 00:41:32,459 We’re praying right now that there will be nobody 550 00:41:32,459 –> 00:41:34,939 in this sanctuary who responds like Kane 551 00:41:34,939 –> 00:41:36,159 by just getting angry, 552 00:41:36,860 –> 00:41:40,959 or like Saul by just saying how can I get out of this 553 00:41:40,959 –> 00:41:42,439 and move on to the next thing. 554 00:41:45,560 –> 00:41:47,919 For they will respond with the spirit of a David 555 00:41:48,840 –> 00:41:53,840 who hearing the alarm cries out in genuine repentance 556 00:41:55,840 –> 00:41:57,739 and becomes a new and a different man. 557 00:41:59,959 –> 00:42:01,939 Some of us, Lord, are going into situations 558 00:42:01,939 –> 00:42:04,739 where we’re going to have to take the role of a Samuel. 559 00:42:04,739 –> 00:42:07,840 There’s a Saul in our life and we need to be honest 560 00:42:07,840 –> 00:42:09,139 and we’re going to have to go through the pain 561 00:42:09,139 –> 00:42:10,100 of a confrontation. 562 00:42:10,100 –> 00:42:11,159 Help us, we pray. 563 00:42:13,379 –> 00:42:16,120 And make us, we ask, a community of believers 564 00:42:16,120 –> 00:42:19,219 in which those who have been caught in sin 565 00:42:19,219 –> 00:42:23,340 can be gently and wonderfully restored 566 00:42:24,780 –> 00:42:27,399 so that the mercy that reaches out to us in the gospel 567 00:42:27,399 –> 00:42:29,139 may be wonderfully found 568 00:42:30,040 –> 00:42:32,239 in the darkest of secrets 569 00:42:33,439 –> 00:42:35,280 and in the most heinous of crimes. 570 00:42:37,699 –> 00:42:39,040 Lord, hear our prayers. 571 00:42:39,899 –> 00:42:44,000 And send us out with a renewed sense of the dignity, 572 00:42:44,000 –> 00:42:45,679 the wonder, and the awesomeness 573 00:42:45,679 –> 00:42:48,340 of what it means to be your servants and your people. 574 00:42:49,419 –> 00:42:51,500 And may your blessing be upon us. 575 00:42:52,659 –> 00:42:56,820 For Jesus’ sake and God’s people together said, amen. 576 00:42:57,600 –> 00:42:58,840 You’ve been listening to a sermon 577 00:42:58,840 –> 00:43:01,219 with Pastor Colin Smith of Open The Bible. 578 00:43:01,219 –> 00:43:06,219 To contact us, call us at 1-877-OPEN365 579 00:43:06,719 –> 00:43:09,820 or visit our website, openthebible.org.