The Cost of Disobedience

The Cost of Disobedience

Text: Isaiah 55:5–6

6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, Call ye upon him while he is near:

Introduction:

* I want to convey a truth to you from the Word of God this morning.

* This truth is that you should obey the Word of God right now, while you have the opportunity, because the day is coming in which it will be too late to obey.

* Our great need this morning to not deceive ourselves into thinking God will never turn his back on us.

Example:

I. Saul fails to obey the Word of the Lord:

* As we look at the man Saul, we will learn that Saul has no respect or fear for the World of God.

* When we put those two words together this morning, respect and fear, we come up with the reverence. Saul has no reverence for the Word of God.

* As we go we will see that this lack of reverence for the Word of God will become the downfall of this man Saul King of Israel.

* In 1 Samuel 15:26 we read: “And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord”

* In I Samuel 15 we will see Saul, who has disobeyed the Word of the Lord attempting to offer a sacrifice to the Lord.

* Instead of God being pleased with the sacrifice of Saul, God is angered.

* As a pastor I have watched as young people who have sat in this church and heard the Word of God, go out and live contrary to the Word of God which they have heard.

* Sometimes I can’t help but wonder if they think that God is just kidding! They act like God doesn’t really mean all that, that’s just preaching!

* Now those same young people are dealing with great problems in their lives because they have no respect for the Word of God!

* The thing that really amazes me, is that these same young people, will come to me or my wife and want us to give them advice and pray for them.

* They want help, yet they want to hang on to whatever they are doing is against the Word of God! They want to remain in whatever it is they are doing that is contrary to God’s Word, but they want God to help them.

* Many people “want their cake and eat it to.” My friend you can’t have it both ways. You can’t listen to the Word of God and then go out and live contrary to what you have heard!

* These young people are in a state of rebellion against the Word of God, but yet they want God to be on call for them in case their plans don’t work out.

* If you are living contrary to the Word of God this morning don’t think that because you still come to church, or read your Bible, or still pray that everything is going to be alright!

* Just because you are doing a few things that appear to be service for God, doesn’t mean God is going to give you a pass on refusing to obey the Word of God.

Proverbs 15:7–8 (KJV 1900)

8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: But the prayer of the upright is his delight.

* The word abomination means disgusting. When we try to cozy up to God in prayer or service while we are living in disobedience to His Word, it is utterly disgusting to God!

* We will go now to look at just one such a person in the Bible. King Saul.

1 Samuel 15:10–28 (KJV 1900)

10 Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, 11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night. * Samuel loved Saul. He prayed and asked God to have mercy on Saul, but God did not answer his prayer!

* As a pastor I observe those in the church who I know have no respect for God’s Word. I know what is going to take place in their life as a result of being disobedient to the Word of God. * I hurt for them, I pray for them, but as long as they rebel against God’s word, I can do nothing for them. I can identify with the prophet Samuel this morning.

12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal. 13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord. 14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

* Saul ran out to the prophet Samuel and said blessed be the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord!

* I see and hear people every day that know I am a preacher. When they see me they will talk about praying and how much God has helped them, but I know the way they live.

* These folks don’t fool me for a minute, but more importantly, they don’t fool God either!

* They would like for me to think they are religious! They would like for me to everything is ok with them, but I’m not stupid, I know the way they live. And so does God. 15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. * Saul had only partly obeyed the Word of God. Many Christians do just the same as Saul. They have picked out a few things from the Word of God that they are willing to obey, but disobey concerning those things that they judge not necessary.

* For instance, the World of God says In Hebrews 10:25

25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

* Some people are perfectly willing to go to church when they see fit, but they reserve the right to pick and choose when they will go to church.

* I we were to obey the Word of God in Hebrews 10:25, unless we were hindered by sickness, or work, we would be in church for every scheduled service. Sunday Morning, Sunday Night, and Wednesday night for Bible study and prayer.

16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. 17 And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel? 18 And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. 19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord? 20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal. * I want to make a note here. Saul said “but the people.”

* I think Saul is telling the truth here. I think that Saul really did fear the people. Saul, like many Christians today, was fine with obeying the Word of God until he came up against the pressure of people.

* I have seen young people in our church who didn’t have a problem obeying the Word of God as long as they were surrounded by other Christians.

* As soon as they gained friends and other acquaintances outside the church, or began to listen to family members, who have no reverence for the Word of God, they began to become more rebellious toward the Word of God.

* Saul’s problem was that he feared the people more than he feared the Word of God. This is also the problem that many Christians have today, and it leads to a broken and destroyed life as we will see as we look at the life of Saul.

22 And Samuel said,

Hath 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 hearken than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king. 24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. 25 Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord. 26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. 27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent. 28 And Samuel said unto him, The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.

II. God will no longer speak to Saul: 1 Samuel 28:3–19

Proverbs 28:9 (KJV 1900)

9 He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer shall be abomination.

* Isaiah 55:5–6 says the following words: 6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, Call ye upon him while he is near.

* I think of Esau who had not respect for the things of God, when he realized that he had missed the blessing of God, wept, the Bible says with great tears but found no place of repentance.

* You see, there is the danger of being too late to obey the Word of God.

* I think of the rich man who woke up in hell, being in torments from the flames, asked for someone to go and warn his brothers so that they might not go to the same place.

* Take the warning of Samuel this morning, if we fail to obey the Word of God, it is too late.

* I think of the young girl who has been warned about sex before marriage, who now is a single mother working at McDonalds, * living in poverty, her dreams of marrying her prince charming- dreams of a beautiful wedding, dreams of having a loving husband and a wonderful family- dreams of a good career and owning her own home-

* Dreams all smashed because she had no reverence for the Word of God!

* My friend sometimes it is too late to go back and obey!

* We have before us now the perfect example of how when we reject God’s Word God will hide his face from us.

* Saul, unable to hear from God, desperately seeks God guidance:

3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. 4 And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa. 5 And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. 6 And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. * Saul could see the Philistines spread across the valleys ready to destroy Israel.

* Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.

* Saul had waited too late to obey the Word of God!

* Oh my friend, don’t let this be you!

Hebrews 10:26–29 (KJV 1900)

26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

* Saul can’t get any help from God because God has turned his face away from.

* What does Saul do? He turns to the world and the Devil for help!

* Saul goes to a woman with a familiar spirit and there God performs a miracle like no other in all of the Bible.

7 Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at En-dor. 8 And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee. 9 And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die? 10 And Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing. 11 Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. 12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. 13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. 14 And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.

15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. 16 Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? 17 And the Lord hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David: 18 Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day. 19 Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.

* We leave this scene with the pitiful figure of Saul, forsaken by God, lying on the floor. It was too late to repent.

20 Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.

III. The pitiful end result of Saul’s Disobedience:

1 Chronicles 10:7–14 (KJV 1900)

7 And when all the men of Israel that were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, then they forsook their cities, and fled: and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. 8 And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen in mount Gilboa. 9 And when they had stripped him, they took his head, and his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry tidings unto their idols, and to the people. 10 And they put his armour in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon. 11 And when all Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 They arose, all the valiant men, and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days. 13 So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it; 14 And inquired not of the Lord: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.

Conclusion:

* Are you really obedient to the Word of God, or have you like Saul deceived yourself into thinking that because you pray and go to church one and a while you have obeyed the Word of God?