Sermon Transcript

Good morning! My name is Tyler Holder, and I have the amazing privilege of being the Director of Adult Ministries here at Harvest. I would encourage you, if you have your Bibles, open them to the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 15. How many of you can look back on your youth and remember periods of disobedience? Parents—and everybody else—there was like a unanimous groan. Anybody else? The older we get, especially, there are moments when we can look back and see our disobedience. The amazing thing is, that’s amplified once you have children.

I have a four-and-a-half-year-old son, and the biggest trait of mine that Jax has is my disobedient trait. He’s awesome at it! Just amazing at it. Now, Jax, he’s a great boy—honestly, he is. He’s imaginative, he’s funny, he’s smart. He takes after his mother in those respects. But there are times when, above all else, I want Jax to hear and grasp what I’m asking him to do–not just because I’m his dad, but because I honestly have his best interests at heart. I’m not a fuddy-duddy; I have fun with him. We enjoy life together, but there are a lot of times when Jackson just disobeys.

The other night Jax did an amazing thing. I don’t know if you have kids, or if they have the ability to transform into anything. My son has this awesome ability to transform into Hawkeye. Does anybody know who Hawkeye is? Super good with a bow and arrow, apparently. Jax can also transform into the Hulk, or Captain America or Captain America/Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker—whatever he wants to, really.

The other night, I’m sitting in my room and I’d gotten ready for bed; Janelle and I were sitting there talking. We’d already tucked Jax in; he’s already had twenty books read to him. He’s come in and out about five times for water and the bathroom—you know, the whole gamut. We shut his door, we walked out of his room and we go to ours.

Then, all of the sudden, you hear this little pitter patter, then you hear a creak from the door. Then, like police busting through a drug house, Jax streams into our room—swhoosh!—out of nowhere. Because it’s not Jax! It’s Hawkeye! He’s got his bow and arrow; he skillfully nocks that arrow, pulls it back and raises it up to us, and at that moment, I need to just pause and let you in on a little family secret. Janelle has a special superpower, as most mothers do. If anything is thrown, falls or looked at—within a twenty-five foot radius of her—it levitates and hits her! So, multiple times a day, it’s Lifesavers or arrows or Nerf stars, basketballs, footballs, soccer balls—anything that’s round or obtuse, that can be picked up and thrown. Janelle gets hit all the time! It’s crazy. I can be standing next to her, and Jax can aim at me from three feet away and hit her. It’s phenomenal!

So, at ten or eleven o’clock at night, the last thing I want is for Jax to loose the suction-cup arrow and have it hit me in the eye, or like a soft spot in my ribcage—and all of a sudden I’m down for the count! So, Jax looks, he takes his arrow (he’s already nocked it, which is so skillful, he’s so good—Hawkeye at his best!) He pulls it up and he looks at me—and I look right back at him, like a deer in the headlights. I know I’m about to get hit! And you can tell…I don’t know if you’ve ever met my son; if you come over, chances are you’ll get hit by something…you can look at him and you know something’s going on in that little mind of his.

So he pulls up, and I say, “Jax, it’s time to go to bed. Do not hit me or your mother with that arrow!” What’s going on in his mind? “Dad said ‘him or mom.’” Pop! He lets it fly, hits our bed (praise the Lord!) and then he scoots back to his room!

Jax is creative—he’s awesome. He makes us laugh. He has brought more gray hair than I could have ever imagined (you don’t see it now, because I don’t have my beard, but it’s half-white at this point). But Jax is just a normal boy. He’s energetic; he hits the ground running. He’s creative. He lulls himself to sleep by recounting Star Wars—and he’s never seen the movie! He pushes boundaries, he makes us smile, he makes us laugh. And a lot of times, me, Janelle and Baby Girl just sit there in awe of what in the world he just said. It’s just amazing.

But, the other night when he ran into my room and shot that arrow, there was something a little bit deeper going on than just Jax loosing a suction-cup arrow. Something a little bit deeper than just transforming into Hawkeye. What he’s doing is, he’s showing me—and he’s showing Janelle—a characteristic, a trait. The trait of disobedience. I look at him, he looks back at me: “Jax, don’t…!” Fill in the blank. Now, he can shoot me with arrows all day long if he wants—as long as the sun’s up—but, man, when it’s nighttime, it’s time to obey, to listen, to put it down.

And, if we’re honest, a lot of times we live our lives walking a line between obedience and disobedience, don’t we? That’s why some of you get so many speeding tickets. Right? That’s why some of you get so frazzled when your kids rail against you. That’s why, for some of you, it’s such a struggle to go to work. Because every single day, you make a decision, “Will I obey?” or “Will I not?”

And the crazy thing is, when it comes to God’s Word, if we choose to disobey what God has shown us, then the result is always tragic! Test me on it! Read through the Old Testament; read through the New Testament. Over and over and over again, you see God give clear instruction to His people, and you see them willfully disobey. God always acts.

The last time we were together, we looked at 1 Samuel chapter 3, and a lot has happened between 1 Samuel chapter 3 and 1 Samuel chapter 15. Aside from Samuel getting older, a lot has happened. He’s still the nation’s prophet; he’s still there proclaiming God’s truth—His Word—over and over and over again. But, between chapters 3 and 15, we see Samuel anoint Saul as king over Israel.

Now—check this: that was in accord with the people’s wishes, not God’s command. And now, in chapter 15, we see Samuel approaching King Saul with a clear emphatic instruction. Look with me at 1 Samuel chapter 15, starting in verse 1: “And Samuel said to Saul, ‘The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’” [1 Samuel 15:1-3, ESV]

Let’s just hit “pause” for a second, because there’s a likelihood you have a question right now, and your question is, “Why would God say to not spare any of the Amalekites?” It sounds harsh, it sounds rough. But, what we don’t see is what happened in Deuteronomy chapter 25.

In Deuteronomy 25:17-19, we see the Israelites coming out of Egypt, and the Amalekites—who have continually been at war with the people of God—attack! Now, they didn’t attack like normal adversaries did back then. What they did was, they came around in the back and they attacked Israel’s women, their children, their feeble, their elderly. And, in that moment, God makes a promise. In Deuteronomy 25 (and, in the book of Numbers we see it again), God promises this: “Because of the wickedness of the Amalekites, I will wipe them off the face of the earth.”  Because of God’s judgment and His justice. Because He’s a holy God. And He’s passionate about His people!

So, in 1 Samuel 15, what we see is Saul getting an opportunity to fulfill a promise, in the Sovereignty of God. Look at verses 4 through 6: “So Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand men on foot, and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. Then Saul said to the Kenites, ‘Go, depart; go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.’ So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.”

The first thing that we see, here in 1 Samuel 15, is that if we are to pursue godly obedience, then we must listen to clear instruction. God gives Saul clear instruction. There’s no ambiguity. None! But, somehow, Saul misses it. Now, sometimes instructions can be hard to understand, right? Anybody else? Are you not an instruction reader? All the men, raise your hands, okay?

I can remember, early in our marriage, Janelle and I scrapped together a lot of money and we bought two things: we bought an entertainment system, and we bought a kitchen table and chairs. Now, we were so cheap that we didn’t pay somebody to put them together. Now I’ve learned—so, now I do that. But in this moment in our marriage, we’re putting it together. I’m looking [at her, like], “Babe, I got this! I’m going to show you my manliness, Let me show you what I can do.” So, there’s a two-inch piece of plywood and a three-inch screw (which clearly didn’t go, but I didn’t realize that at the time).

So, I started to put together the entertainment system—and I’m going, and I’m going and I’m going. And, I don’t know if you’re like me, but if it’s not going easily, what do you do? You go harder—or you get the drill—one of the two. So, I’m going, and all of the sudden I hear a pop! “What in the world?” And all of the sudden, there was a hole in the top of the entertainment system! Janelle comes out and she goes, “Really? Did you read the instructions?” My response was—what? “Instructions?! I got this, babe!” Definitely did not have it.

A couple of days later, I was putting together our kitchen table. Guess what happened? I hadn’t learned from my mistake yet! At that point, I was putting together the chairs, and I do the exact same thing—out goes the back of one of the chairs! Sometimes, instructions are hard to understand. So, if you need help with a home project, I’ll hold your flashlight—or give you moral support—whichever you need more of!

Other times, instructions are easy to understand, but, for some reason, they’re hard to follow. I know, for me, over and over again I look into God’s Word and I see clear instructions that are difficult for me to follow. I see God declaring to me that I should hide His Word in my heart that I might not sin against Him. I see Him telling me that a young man can keep his way pure by living according to His Word. I see Him saying over and over again, “Do not let the Word of the Lord depart from your mouth, but meditate it on it day and night.” Those are easy instructions, but—can I be honest?—it’s hard for me to do that! It’s hard for me to maintain a disciplined time with the Lord!

It got to the point, about two or three months ago, that I sat down with a dear friend of mine here at Harvest. We started to talk, and we started to work things out, and it turns out—he’s struggling with the same thing I am. Both of us desire a passionate, exciting time with the Lord. Do you know what we did? We sat down together and we became accountable to one another. Why? Because that’s an easy instruction that’s hard to follow, and I need that accountability. I need those reminders to recalibrate myself and align with what God has clearly given instructions to do. Now, that’s just me. What about you? What clear instruction has God given you over the past seven days?

If you were here seven days ago, husbands heard clear instruction from God’s Word. You are to cherish and nourish your wife! How are you doing? If you were here on Wednesday morning—men—at our Bible study, we heard clear instruction that we should embrace servant-leadership. Men—how are you doing with that? Ladies, if you come to our Bible studies on Wednesday night or Thursday morning, then you heard clear instruction that you should put on the shield of faith. Our collegiate community, last Sunday night, gathered together and heard clear instruction that they should flee sexual immorality. Our students, on Wednesday night, gathered together—junior high and senior high—and heard clear instruction on how they should have an effective, meaningful time with the Lord. We hear clear instructions each and every week. But do we do them? How are you doing at following clear instructions? They’re easy to understand, but they’re hard to implement.

Look at 1 Samuel 15:7-12, “And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.

            “The word of the Lord came to Samuel: ‘I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.’ And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night. And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, ‘Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for [who?] himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.’”

Not only should we listen to clear instruction, but we have to understand that we won’t be satisfied with partial obedience. If we are to pursue godly obedience, then we will not be satisfied with partial obedience. If 1 Samuel 15 stopped at verse 7, then you and I would be singing a different song about Saul. If all we knew was that Saul defeated the Amalekites, then you and I would be rejoicing and praising that—yet again—another champion, another hero of the faith, listened to what God declared, and obeyed. But instead, what we see is Saul being enticed and giving in to sinful inclinations.

In verse 9, we see the temptation to partial obedience. Look at verse 9: “But Saul and the people spared Agag…” Praise the Lord that’s not a popular name! If you have a son named Agag, I’m sorry! “…And the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.” Understand that the temptation to partial obedience comes when we start to turn from a vertical perspective to that of a horizontal.

Here’s what happened: Saul and the people of Israel saw the plenty of the Amalekites, and they decided that God had made a mistake in declaring that they should destroy everything. They decided it. God didn’t. They thought they knew what was best—and they followed their desires. So, instead of having a vertical response to God, they turn horizontally, and they begin to see the fattened calves. They begin to see the plenty, and they realize—they could have that if they don’t kill it.

The temptation that we steer our own ships is still present today. The temptation that we know better than God is still present and haunts us today. That temptation is to hear God’s clear command, and yet to think that what we are pursuing is better than what He has set apart for us.

We’ve heard that we should love and cherish our wives, but we think that sexual immorality—and giving in to sin—is better. We’ve heard that we should have integrity, but we think that giving in to cheating and lying is better and easier. We’ve heard that we should raise and shepherd our children well, but we think that pursuing promotion and worldly gain and fame is better. We do it time and time and time again. We still are afflicted by the temptation to partial obedience. Partial obedience is dangerous, though.

When we look at Scripture, when we look at the Bible, and we read convicting Scriptures—do you partially obey? When you’re convicted over sin, do you glance over it and keep going? Are you disobedient to your parents, teenagers, college students? Parents, how does your heart feel when your child is disobedient? Think how much more God is pained when His children are disobedient.

In verse 10, we see an amazing thing. We see that, “The word of the Lord came [again] to Samuel…”  much like it did in chapter 3. We see that Samuel is still a champion for God. We see that Samuel is still communicating, and in tune, and obeying and listening to the Lord. And then, in verse 11, an amazing statement is made by the Lord. Look at it: “I…” rejoice? No. Am super-excited? No. What’s the word?–“regret…” That word is only used one other time in the Old Testament. Do you know where? You guys know where! [If you immediately thought] Genesis 6, you’re right. If I had a gift, I’d give it to you.

In Genesis chapter 6, right before the flood, God looked—and He said one thing: “I regret that I made humanity!” He’s pained; He hurts. And what we see is, God possessing that same grief, that same regret, because of Saul’s rejection of His clear commands. Nothing short of strict obedience to the Lord’s instructions is acceptable. Anything less produces grief in Heaven and pain and loss on earth.

But, when we see God grieve, it gives us hope. Why? Because it shows us that our God is not absent; our God is not a killjoy; our God is not emotionless. The fact that God is grieved, that He’s regretful, shows us that God cares for His creation; He desires our good. He’s given us clear instructions to that end, and when we disobey and choose to partially—or not—fulfill anything He has told us, God is grieved. He’s grieved!

And, when we choose partial obedience, it leads to inflated pride. Look at 1 Samuel 15:12: “And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, ‘Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.’” After an amazing victory, what’s Saul’s first response? Pride. He doesn’t set up a monument to the Lord, he doesn’t offer a sacrifice to God. He doesn’t rejoice in what God has just delivered them from. What does he do? He elevates himself, and he sets up a monument to himself.

When we choose to disobey God’s clear instruction, pride is not far behind! Why? Because when we choose to disobey God’s clear instruction, we’re telling God that we know better than He does. And, who wouldn’t be prideful if that was true? But the reality is, we don’t. Have you ever been tempted to elevate yourself above what God has told you? Have you ever been tempted with an inflated sense of pride? If you are, my prayer and my hope is that you would pursue humility instead.

Look at verse 13: “And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, ‘Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.’ And Samuel said, ‘What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?’” I feel like, to that verse of Scripture we can add something. We can add, “Hmm. Hmm! What then is all this sound of things you should have killed?”—is really what Samuel’s really saying to Saul.

Saul said, “Hmmph!” (another thing we could add in). “Saul said, ‘They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.’ Then Samuel said to Saul, ‘Stop!” Don’t do it! Let me interject, because you’re acting the fool! “I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night.’ And he said to him, ‘Speak.’ 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.” Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the 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. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 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.’” I love irony—and just sarcasm—in the Bible. Maybe I’m the only one. But in this moment, when we read verses 13-15, it’s Samuel going, “Are you really going to tell me that you just did everything the Lord told you to do? I hear sheep bleating and oxen oxen-ing…” or whatever sound oxen make! Somebody tell me after!

It’s kind of like when I look at my kids and they have a mouthful of chocolate. And I say, “Jax, did you just eat the chocolate I told you not to?” And he gives you that slimy chocolate smile—do you know what I’m talking about? It starts to drip out his mouth: “No!” “But I’m looking at your mouth!” And then he immediately blames Baby Girl. It’s a beautiful thing. Samuel was doing that same thing to Saul. He’s saying, “I hear the sheep bleating, I hear the oxen lowing. Over and over again I see that you are not truthful in what you’ve told me.”

In fact, in two sentences, Saul contradicts himself. In verse 13, he declares that he’s performed the commandment of the Lord, and then in verse 15, he shirks back and he says, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.”

Hear me: when we disobey God’s clear instruction, we have a tendency to rationalize and cover our sin—just like Saul. My first response when somebody comes to me and says, “Tyler, you just sinned against me!” is not to say, “You’re right. I’m sorry! Will you forgive me?” My first response is to rationalize: “Well, it really wasn’t my fault!” My first response is to cover. “I didn’t mean it that way!”

It’s phrased in other ways, throughout life: “It’s not my fault I cheated. That test was right in front of me. What do you expect?” “It’s not my fault I looked at pornography. Culture bombards me every day! And I’m just a man, anyway.” “It’s not my fault I went ballistic on my children. Have you met them?” I’ve said that! “It’s not my fault…” Fill in the blank. It’s always someone else. And Saul models this throughout 1 Samuel 15.

In fact, Saul makes four different rationalizations in just this portion of the chapter. In verse 13, he tells us that he has performed the commandment of the Lord; he is using what God has told him to try and cover and rationalize his sin. In verse 15, he says the people did it. In verse 20, he blatantly lies, and in verse 21, he shifts the blame. These rationalizations, though, are not unique to Saul. They’re still present today.

In fact, the area of my own life where I rationalize the most is in my relationship with my wife. She’s longsuffering, she’s amazing, she’s beautiful, she’s great. She lives with me, so she has to be all those things, especially longsuffering. And there are moments when I sin against my wife, and she looks at me and says, “Babe, that wasn’t right!” My first response has never been, “You’re right, sweetheart. I’m sorry!” My first response is normally, “No, no, nah, you misheard. Wait, wait, wait—I didn’t mean it like that. Sweetie, you don’t understand, but we guys have…” That’s normally my first response, when it should be, “I’m sorry. Forgive me.” We rationalize all of the time.

Maybe you’re not like me. Maybe that’s not the place where it shows up most in your life, but I guarantee you, that you—at some level—are trapped in the rationalization of disobedience. What are you rationalizing and covering? The beautiful thing about the gospel, though, is that it gives us the opportunity to seek forgiveness and reconciliation. You don’t have to stay in disobedience. I hope, this morning, that you’ll realize that you’ve been rationalizing—at some level—something of disobedience, and that you’ll repent and run back to the Lord.

Look at 1 Samuel 15:18: “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.’” Saul was given a specific mission from the Lord, and Saul missed it. He missed it because he began to rationalize and cover sin. Likewise, God has given us clear instructions and a clear mission—hasn’t He? I got so excited when I was reading through 1 Samuel 15 this week: “How awesome is this correlation here!” God gives Saul a mission. Has He not also given us a mission? The mission to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. He’s given us a mission, but oftentimes we miss that mission because we rationalize away our fervency to complete it. Or we become overwhelmed by it. Or we don’t know how to do it well, so we don’t do it at all! Let me ask you: How are you doing with your mission? If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, you have a mission–the mission of the Great Commission, to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth—starting with where you are. How are you doing?

Is Michiana different because Harvest Bible Chapel is here? Is your neighborhood affected because you’re a believer in Jesus Christ? Do your neighbors know you have a mission? Do your children know you have a mission? How are we doing at fulfilling the mission that God has given us? Be encouraged, though. Be encouraged by the fact that God has deemed us worthy of this mission! Be encouraged and challenged that we have opportunities to be on mission in our everyday lives, and seek to fulfill the mission of this Great Commission in your families, your friends, your neighborhoods, your workplaces–wherever you may go! Don’t miss the mission.

Look at 1 Samuel 15:22 and 23: “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 king.’”

The last aspect of—if we are to pursue godly obedience, then we must  understand that we will not substitute religious sacrifice in place of obedience. God desires obedience to the mission He has given us to fulfill, but our natural tendency—much like Saul—is to sacrifice and substitute religious sacrifice in place of obedience. Notice what Saul does: he immediately devotes to destruction everything that is worthless and defiled, thinking that will pacify God. Then, he takes all of what’s best of the Amalekites with him. And, until he’s caught, he doesn’t plan on doing anything but benefitting from that.

And then, when he’s caught, he makes this statement: “I’m going to sacrifice some of the best to God!” You and I have a natural tendency to fill the space of obedience with religious sacrifice. Saul’s perspective was that—regardless of what God commanded Him to do—it would be okay, because he was going to sacrifice—and pacify God anyway. In our own culture, in our own time, in our own day we make different statements. Hopefully you didn’t bring a fattened calf this morning. But we bring other things, don’t we? We choose religious sacrifice of our time, or wealth, our money. We serve here beyond our measure, and we still live lives of disobedience!

Hear me say: the greatest sacrifice you can give can never, ever satisfy God. That’s why He desires your obedience, not your sacrifice. He desires your simple obedience to what God commanded, not the greatest sacrifice you can give. Why? Because the greatest sacrifice has already been given—through Christ—and nothing you can give matches it. He doesn’t desire that you give more money, more time, more effort in lieu of obedience. He desires simple obedience to what we know God is asking for—and that’s far greater than the greatest sacrifice.

There was a man in the early twentieth century named Watchman Nee. Watchmen Nee wrote a few different books, one of them being The Normal Christian Life. It’s an excellent book. If you’ve never heard of Watchman Nee, let me encourage you to check that book out. A larger one is something he wrote called the Spiritual Man. In that book, he makes this amazing statement, that “God looks neither at the aggregate of fat nor at the number of burnt offerings but solely at the sum of obedience to Him.”

When it comes to obedience, you and I are on equal playing fields before the Lord. Nobody is elevated. God doesn’t look at position. God desires obedience above sacrifice. Time and time again we see that evidenced throughout Scripture. He desires obedience. He wants your heart more than He wants your treasure; He wants your heart more than He wants your service. He wants you to obey.

In verse 23, we see what our obedience is rooted in. Look at verse 23: “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 king.” Saul is rejected from being king because he rejects God’s Word. Therefore, the counter of that is, if we obey the Word of God—then what? God’s going to desire that. He’s going to appreciate and love obedience more than sacrifice over and over and over again.

Our obedience to God’s Word means four different things. Our obedience to God’s Word means that we trust God’s Word—that we trust what it says. Not only do we trust God’s Word but, two, we take action from God’s Word. Far be it from me to have you sit, this morning, and hear God’s Word, and not be challenged to action. God’s Word requires action! Our obedience to God’s Word means we that have communion with God and His Word. Just as I took a step, and was honest with a fellow brother in the Lord, and said, “I need help; I need accountability!”—we must have communion with God. And, finally, we must be devoted to God’s Word. Our obedience is rooted in the Word of God! It’s rooted in it. We must trust it and take action; we must have communion with Him in His Word, and be devoted to God’s Word.

So, this morning, as we look at 1 Samuel 15, we have a choice to make. It’s an awesome choice! We can choose to obey—or we can choose to disobey. We can choose to live a life of obedience honoring of the Lord, or we can choose to walk our own way–yet again–and hope something changes.

Chances are, you are one of three types of people here this morning: One, you may have come to Harvest this morning, choosing the 9:45 service hoping to blend into the crowd. And you honestly don’t know the Word of the Lord, nor what it commands. For me to say, “God’s Word commands you to do something,” you just shrug your shoulders: “I’ve never understood or known what God’s Word is.” That doesn’t give you a pass. God desires—He pleads—He desires, He calls you to hear His Word, to repent of your sins, to place your faith in Christ and to believe. He wants, more than anything, for you to obey His Word—initially in calling you to salvation.

The second type of people here today are those who, just like Saul, know the Word of the Lord. You know it! You read it, you devour it, you know it—but you choose to disobey. My heart beats for you—because I’m there more oftentimes than I would like to be. You hear God’s Word, but you choose to be disobedient. God’s calling you, He’s calling me, to repent of our sinfulness and to return to our true love—Christ. Please don’t let the Word of God fall on deaf ears anymore! Please open your ears to what God is speaking through His Word. Hear what God is saying, and act! Don’t be like Saul!

And the last group here this morning are those who have heard the Word of the Lord, and you do what it says. Amazing! Fantastic! That’s such an amazing place to be. But understand this—the reason you are doing what God’s Word says is only through the power of the Holy Spirit, not of your own doing. Don’t become complacent. And let me challenge you to grab somebody and bring them with you. Because to turn from a heart of disobedience to a heart of obedience, we need help! We need men and women who are obeying God’s Word to come alongside us and say, “I see where you are; let me help take you to where you are desiring to be, in a life of obedience.”

So, where are you this morning? Which person are you? Have you never heard the Word of the Lord—and right now, it doesn’t make any sense? God’s calling you to repent of your sins and place your faith and trust in Christ alone for salvation. Remember, His sacrifice is the greatest sacrifice, and only through Christ are we able to obey God this morning.

Or, are you that person who has been living in disobedience? You know the Word of the Lord, but you have chosen to disobey. Would you repent this morning? Would you lay that burden at the altar? Come pray with your spouse, come pray with your children, come pray with an elder or pastor.

Or, maybe you’re somebody who’s passionate about God’s Word. You listen and obey. Who can you bring? Who can you take along on the journey with you? I guarantee you, there are men and women in this room that desire somebody to come alongside them this day and ask, “Would you walk with me? Will you walk with me in obedience? Will you help me be accountable?”

This morning, that’s our challenge: Will we listen to clear instruction? Will we be dissatisfied with partial obedience? Will we commit to not rationalizing and covering our sins? Will we desire obedience above religious sacrifice? Will you listen and obey God’s Word? As we pray and sing, I hope you’ll respond.