Sermon Tone Analysis

Obedience and Sacrifice

Lets consider the idea of Obedience and Sacrifice…

If I were to ask you to define the two, what would you say the are?

What is obedience?

What is sacrifice?

What does God desire?

Why?

Lets look at

Now verse 9 is where we really see it all begin…

That is what we are going to talk about this evening,.

we are going to talk a little while about obedience and sacrifice that what it all means in relation to our walk and fellowship with the Lord our God.

That is what we are going to talk about this evening,.

we are going to talk a little while about obedience and sacrifice that what it all means in relation to our walk and fellowship with the Lord our God.

Now here is something I want you to consider, I believe these two items, obedience and sacrifice go hand and in hand… and you cannot have one without the other truly.

But to do one without the other, brings failure.

Obedience versus Sacrifice

Obedience versus Sacrifice

We are all aware of the impact that prayer has on our lives, and we enjoy doing it because we know it moves God to open doors.

But has it occurred to you that obedience has a vital influence on when we pray?

It is very easy to pray, but when God is telling you to do something, you must do it with all joy.

In verse 15 it says: “Then while it is still called today, if you would hear His voice and when you hear it, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion [in the desert, when the people provoked and irritated and embittered God against them]”.

So in other words, when you can feel yourself being convicted that God is speaking to you about something; maybe it could me to tell your neighbor that Jesus loves them, or allowing an elderly person to sit on your seat, or being kind to the one who hurt you recently.

There are different ways in which we can obey God, however we should not just obey because we want a blessing for ourselves, but that we can also be a blessing onto others who are struggling with obedience.

Obedience versus Sacrifice

verse 22 says: “Samuel said: Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord?

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams”.

Why do you think it is important to obey relative to sacrifice?

One of the reasons why obedience will always be chosen as significant is because when we obey, we are respecting Gods commands, and letting Him have His way in our lives.

Also, obedience is the response of someone who is in a relationship of trust with God.

Think of the disciples when Jesus told them to go here or there and they went and they were blessed as they followed his leading…

Obedience is better than sacrifice because we are letting God be God and staying in our proper place in Him; the place of dependence and surrender to His goodness.

Many in ritualistic based religions offer sacrifices in the hopes of gaining favor from their pagan god.

They think if they offer a sacrifice, they are putting that god in a place where it must pay them back.

There are people who tell me I paid my tithes preacher, ..wow, you didn’t pay them, you are not buying anything.

You give your tithe in obedience to his command.

Question: "Why is obedience better than sacrifice?"

So when we desire specific blessings, we also need to be conscious of God’s voice, so that it may be well with us.

When you can feel God speaking to you, do not harden your heart.

Yes it may be uncomfortable at first, but the more you obey, the better it will be for you, and those around you will see a difference.

Report this ad

Abraham and Isaac

In reference to (the whole chapter; read when it is convenient for you please) when we read the story of Abraham and his son Isaac, you can see that Abraham was truly a man who obeyed Gods voice.

God told him to kill his only Son.

He was terrified, yet he still obeyed Gods voice.

Isaac did not know what Abraham was doing, but the pain that Abraham must have been going through was too much for words.

We can see that, despite being in a position of killing someone you love, God ‘tested’ him to see if Abraham would obey the voice of the Lord.

And He did, that is when as soon as Abraham held the knife in his hand, God called “Abraham, put down your sword”.

Not only that, but it also tested Abraham’s Faith in God which he did pass successfully.

So what had the Lord commanded Saul to do?

This kind of obedience (as a response to divine love) always leads to intimacy and dependence.

This is why obedience is better than sacrifice.

📷

Prayer for Obedience

God I thank you for leading me, and I pray that Your strength and wisdom will constantly be with me as I make decisions that follow Your path.

Help me to put Your Word to the test in my life so that my obedience will be a blessing to everyone who sees You working in me.

Lord, help me to stay focused on You so the obstacles that come up won’t seem impossible to overcome.

I know all things are possible through You, and I thank You for the privilege of doing any small task that brings You glory.

Let my name be forgotten, Lord, and Yours be remembered.

Amen.

God bless you all.

Answer: In , Saul chose to keep the Amalekite king Agag alive and took the plunder from the battle rather than destroy everything as God had commanded.

When Samuel confronted him, Saul said, “I did obey the Lord. . . .

I went on the mission the Lord assigned me.

I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king.

The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal” ().

Question: "Why is obedience better than sacrifice?"

Answer: In , Saul chose to keep the Amalekite king Agag alive and took the plunder from the battle rather than destroy everything as God had commanded.

When Samuel confronted him, Saul said, “I did obey the Lord. . . .

I went on the mission the Lord assigned me.

I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king.

The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal” ().

Samuel answered in , “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices / as much as in obeying the Lord?

/ To obey is better than sacrifice.”

Why is obedience better than sacrifice?

Two answers are given.

The first answer is offered in Samuel’s response: “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” ().

Saul’s disobedience was an act of rebellion, iniquity (sin), and idolatry.

Two answers are given.

The first answer is offered in Samuel’s response: “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” ().

Saul’s disobedience was an act of rebellion, iniquity (sin), and idolatry.

The second answer is offered in Saul’s confession.

He said, “I have sinned.

I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions.

I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them” ().

Saul admitted that his sacrifice was a transgression (sin) and was against God’s command.

It was the result of seeking the approval of people.

Putting it all together, we see several reasons why obedience to God is better than making sacrifices or offerings to Him:

1) disobedience is an act of rebellion,

2) disobedience is sinful,

3) disobedience is a form of idolatry,

4) disobedience disrespects God’s Word, and

5) disobedience is based on looking good to other people rather than to God.

Still today, in our human attempts to look good in serving God, there is the temptation to perform certain religious duties rather than to truly obey God.

Even good activities, such as giving money to charity, attending church services, or praying in public, are not as important to God as obeying His commands.

Jesus criticized the teachers of His time for similar practices.

notes three religious activities—fasting, public prayer, and giving to those in need—

that people often use to look good in front of other people rather than to honor God.

As in , the problem is not the offerings but the disobedience of God’s commands and the desire for approval of people rather than the approval of God.

Obey and do what is right, their is the best sacrifice.