Church Service on January 21st, 2018

We trust that you have your bibles with you and in front of you we're going to be looking at some extended

passages this morning as we consider this subject.

Last Lord's Day we began to address

a small series as it were within this greater one that we've been in now since the summer, the ABCs of the

Christian life, chiefly on how we can follow Jesus Christ rightly.

That is the basics of the Christian life and in order to address these basics

certainly we have to address the three great spiritual foes with which we contend

and so we began to address these three great enemies with which the Christian engages

spiritual warfare in this fallen world and these enemies

are of course the fallen world with its values and ways of thinking.

Secondly our own sinful flesh which entices us to indulge in the things that

God has forbidden us and then thirdly the devil that malevolent

spirit with his minions that are at times subtly enticing us

and at times opening openly withstanding us but always accusing us before others

and accusing us to ourselves too.

He's the accuser of the brethren.

Now last week we introduced this first enemy the fallen world or rather worldliness we might call it

and the danger it poses to each of us and so last week we pointed out that the

term world the English word world is used in a variety of different ways with different nuances

in the holy scriptures but when we speak of the world as a spiritual enemy of the Christian

we're speaking of basically essentially the culture of the world the fallen world the culture of this

fallen world including the ideas thoughts thought processes values and

practices that are in opposition to the holy will of God.

Thinking as the fallen world thinks is natural to us back we would say as normal is the

normal way we think we're of the world so we think of as the world at least

that's how we're born when we're born into this world we were born as worldlings that's an

old English word where the puritans used but quite quite apt I think worldlings because we're

the world and so worldliness is natural and normal for

us worldly ways of thinking and valuing and evaluating things people events and

our own selves seem at first consideration to be right and true and many times even just.

People often justify themselves and what they think and what they do not because the word of God

teaches them that to think and do that way but because this is just to them natural this is the way the

world does things and oftentimes it's completely opposite to what God prescribes in his word

isn't it.

And so again the world which is the culture with its ideas values and practice of the world is opposed and

contrary to the way and will of the Lord.

This is set forth in the verse we read last week which is really the passage over you know connects

all of these matters of spiritual warfare together in which John the apostle wrote.

Do not love the world or the things of the world.

If anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in him.

Two diametrically ways of thinking valuing for

all that is in the world.

The lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes.

The pride of life is not of the father but is of the world and the world is passing away

and the lust of it.

But he who does the will of God abides forever.

The doing the will of God is someone who believes on Christ and attempts to

conform his thinking in life to Christ.

The ones who do the will of God they're not saved because they do the will of God but they're saved and

they they show forth.

They're saved because they do the will of God from the heart.

God of course put that desire within them and he enables them by the power of the Holy Spirit.

And so before we were Christians we were enemies of God.

We might not have known it but we were on the side of the world and we were opposed to God before

becoming Christians.

And during that time God was opposed to us two

enemies God and the fallen world.

Even at enmity with God there's such hostility between the two.

However when we were converted we changed allegiance.

Didn't we.

We're no longer on the world side.

We're on the side of God we we trust.

And so we change our allegiance and by God's grace we forsook the world we joined ourselves to the Lord.

And so when we're converted to Christ we were brought to side with his kingdom against the course of this world.

And so now we agree with God.

We are for God and we're opposed to the world before we were for the world opposed to the true God.

We now love the things we once hated.

Now we hate the things we once loved.

I mean a great transformation took place all due to the grace of God in the soul.

Paul wrote of this transference of allegiance that took place by God's grace through our

regeneration or new birth the sovereign work of God in bringing

life to sinners by the Holy Spirit.

And so he wrote in Ephesians 2 1 through 7.

And you he made alive these if he these Christians in the church at Ephesus they were.

They were dead in their sins and trespasses minding their own business unconcerned uncaring didn't know the true God

and God reached down as it were and caused them to come alive.

Spiritually speaking they were dead who were dead in trespasses and sins.

In which you once walked according to the course of this world there you have it.

We were once you know part of this world thought of the world believed as the world

valued things as the world values them.

And we once walked according to the course of this world according to the Prince of the power of the air that would be the devil the

spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience that would be non -christians among whom also we all once

conducted ourselves and the lusts of our flesh were no better than they.

We're certainly different than they but we're no better than they fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the

mind and were by nature children of wrath.

It was in our nature it was natural to be worldly because we were worldlings.

But God who is rich in mercy see he took action he took it he stepped in.

But God who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us.

And that's a covenant love from eternity for his people whom he purposed to redeem.

And the reason is is he in eternity before creation he looked he looked upon the

ones that he purposed to save and he saw them as in union with his eternal son.

And because he loves his eternal son with an everlasting love he loves those that are in his son

by election with an everlasting love and he purposed he would save them.

God who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us even when we were dead and

trespasses and sins made us alive together with Christ by grace you saved

and raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

That means we're enthroned with King Jesus that in the ages to come he might show the

exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus through eternity we're going to be learning

more and more appreciating more and more the grace of God

through which God dealt with us.

By the way in the passage we just read in Ephesians 2 notice he links these three foes together just as John did

in 1st John 2 15 through 17.

Paul wrote of the world but he also wrote of the flesh and the devil and I put those in italics.

I didn't embolden the second and third aspects but all three are there just as we saw in 1st John 2 15

through 17 all in the same context.

There's an interaction and cooperation between these three forces opposed to us the world and the flesh and the

devil.

In fact we might refer to them as a spiritual axis of power against us with

which we are at spiritual war.

And therefore there was a time when we sided with the enemy as it were.

But we thank God that our allegiance switched to our Lord's side when God in his grace caused us to be born

again everything changed.

However though our hearts allegiance to the world and though it is our resolve no longer to

embrace the world in its ways worldliness still resonates with us with

you and with me to a degree with every Christian

and so with every Christian there are still present of course sinful desires within us.

Paul could write it's sin that dwells within me we're plagued with this sin principle that's still within us.

And so because we're still influenced by the world when we think assess matters make decisions we're often unwittingly

overtaken by the world and we remain conformed to the world even as Christians we don't want to be.

But we don't know any better as it were because again we're born into

this world.

This is the way we naturally think makes sense to us.

Well that sounds reasonable.

We're kind of like Lot living in Sodom.

On the one hand his righteous soul was greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked he was grieved

every day by what he saw and heard there on the streets of Sodom that righteous man

lived among them day after day he was tormenting his righteous soul over the lawless deeds that he saw and heard.

That resonates doesn't it?

Nevertheless the values attitudes and actions within the world of Sodom to which Lot was exposed daily influenced his

thinking his desires his values his actions resulting in moral compromise on

his part spiritual insensitivity and great loss to himself and his family.

And it does it with us too.

And so depending on how well we apprehend what worldliness is to the degree that we've surrendered ourselves to its

thinking in ways to the level of our understanding informed and reinforced by the Word of God we'll continue to

be confused and in error in identifying and turning away from worldliness

in our lives because of the great danger the world poses

to us and because each of us carries with us in our thinking a measure of worldliness every one of us we need

constant instruction and reinforcement from the scriptures continual application of the truth of the

Word of God to our lives in order to shape and direct our thinking and practice.

We read the verse last week that addresses this Romans 12 1 and 2 Paul

writing to Christians.

I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice

holy acceptable to God which is your reasonable service or ministry and do

not be conformed to this world.

And the Greek construction is a little unusual here.

What he's saying is stop being conformed to the world.

He's writing to them.

You're already conformed to the world stop it but be transformed by the renewing of

your mind that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

And you might recall last week I advocated that spiritual warfare contrary to some of these crazies out here

find a demon under every rock spiritual warfare is primarily in our in our understanding of truth

truth of the Word of God confronting and correcting error in which we are immersed within this

world.

And so as we shape our thinking by the Word of God which involves not only informing our minds but also correcting

our errant thinking and reasoning we're better able to see the world from God's perspective and that's what we desire.

That's what's what that's what wisdom is in the scriptures biblically defined

seeing the word seeing the world from God's perspective that's wisdom.

If there's a difference in the word understanding wisdom and understanding are often linked together in Proverbs understanding would be the

practical application of that wisdom.

Wisdom is seeing things from God's perspective and understanding is knowing how to apply it

in your daily life.

Well if we do so we will then by the grace given to us by the Holy Spirit and able to live for

God and before God in this world in a better way than we have in the past.

We began last Lord's Day to address some specific manifestations of worldly thinking and their

correctives.

There are major principles in the Holy Scriptures that tend to run counter to the world that is sinful

worldly thinking and you can identify these so we set forth in our notes last week

last week two principles of the Word of God that run counter to the spirit of the world.

We didn't really have a lot of time take a lot of time or effort to we didn't have the time to

delineate these in detail but they're pretty they're set pretty forth clearly in the notes from last week but

the first principle is that of living under human authority which is

something we don't naturally do you have to train kids to obey don't you it doesn't come

naturally to them that's just again because we're worldly and so we

asserted that it's the will of God that each of us humbly serve and obey human authorities that God has placed over us

whether it be in the family the workplace the church

or in the political arena.

And then the second principle that we just barely addressed was the importance of denying self and personal rights but

we addressed this earlier in the series in some detail and so it's not necessary that we'd go over that to

any degree at this time we've covered that pretty thoroughly in the past.

Well today let's consider another principle set forth in the Word of God that's contrary to spirit of the fallen world which which we live

and this principle is we're which ought to be pretty obvious to us who've got any

kind of spiritual sense.

We're not to give chief regard to the outward appearance of people rather we are to value highly

godly character and holiness and others.

I say that we should understand this but really many times professing Christians do not.

I have one illustration personally I don't like to stand up here and talk about myself but when you know we talk about these things and

you know I've got a few years now under my belt and I remember things and when we were in Germany

and you people here you know we're looking for a pastor.

We were looking for a church and you think it's hard finding a pastor.

You try and find a church that you want to go on pastor and there was a

large evangelical church in Anchorage Alaska and it looked it looked like a nice gig if I can

use that carnal word ran about 1 ,500 and they were pretty interested in my resume

and I got through the process pretty far.

They never once asked me one thing I believed about the Holy Scriptures.

They never had a doctrinal question one but they wanted a videotape of me

and my family to see if we would fit.

I mean so that's so beautifully illustrates this this problem of

people looking on the outside rather than the inside.

They wanted to see how what kind of presence we would have from the pulpit in their church and

apparently we didn't pass the mustard because that brought an end to it which I'm happy for.

So anyway here's the principle that we are not to give chief regard to our appearance of people but rather

we're to value highly godly character and holiness and others.

We ought to look at one another's brothers and sisters in Christ and and think well of one another

because of the because of the Christian life and fellowship that

we enjoy in one another not giving any credence to how a person looks how old a

person is how young a person is what their outside interests may be how rich they are that's a terrible

sin or how poor they are.

But rather we ought to value people because they're rich in faith and they love Christ

and that's how we ought to regard one another.

There is a example of course in the scriptures that illustrate this spirit of worldliness.

I think in a very clear way we live in a world enamored by the image

what appears to be attractive and winsome but whereas man looks on the surface of things

on the outward appearance God is concerned about the inward spiritual condition of a person.

And we'll mention 1st Samuel 16 7 several times for the Lord does not see as

man sees for man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart

and he gave that within a context where everybody was looking at the outside appearance.

And so we can consider any number of places in the scriptures to substantiate this principle.

But we've chosen the story in which we read of God's choice for the king of Israel to

be King David rather than King Saul who had been the people's choice.

And so let's turn to 1st Samuel 16 and we want to read the story there.

I trust you have your Bibles.

1st Samuel 16 1 through 13 and I think I'm reading from the New King James version here if I recall

rightly 1st Samuel 16 1 through 13.

Now the Lord said to Samuel how long will you mourn for Saul.

He was the present king seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel.

Fill your horn with oil and go.

And I'm sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite for I provided myself

a king among his sons.

Samuel said how can I go.

If Saul hears it he'll kill me.

But the Lord said take a heifer with you and say I've come to sacrifice to the Lord.

And then invite Jesse to the sacrifice and I will show you what you shall do and you shall anoint for me the

one I named to you be one of Jesse's sons.

So Samuel did what the Lord said went to Bethlehem and the elders of the town trembled at his

coming and they asked do you come peace peaceably.

He had some authority didn't he.

And he said peaceably I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.

Sanctify yourselves.

Come with me to the sacrifice.

And then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

So it was when they came he looked at Eliab.

This would have been the oldest son.

Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.

See he was looking at the outside.

Wasn't he.

This is natural for us.

This is worldly.

Who presents the best image.

That's basically what we have any longer in the political arena.

Isn't it who has the best image that they can project to

persuade any number of voters to vote for them.

No more substance.

You don't hear a whole lot of substance.

It's all the image.

But the Lord said to Samuel do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature because I refused him.

And then here's the verse we quoted earlier.

For the Lord does not see as man sees.

For man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.

And so Jesse called Abinadab made him pass before Samuel and he said neither has the Lord chosen

this one.

And Jesse made Shammah pass by.

And he said neither is the Lord chosen this one.

And thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel.

And Samuel said to Jesse the Lord has not chosen these.

Samuel said to Jesse are all the young men here.

And he said well there remains yet the youngest.

And there he is keeping the sheep.

And Samuel said to Jesse send and bring him for we will not sit down till he comes here.

And so he sent brought him in.

Now he was ruddy.

That means he was red with bright eyes and good looking.

And the Lord said arise anoint him for this is the one.

And then Samuel took the horn of oil anointed him in the midst of his brothers.

There is an allusion to Christ right being anointed above his brethren when he was made king declared

to be king.

And the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.

So Samuel arose and went to went to Ramah.

And so God told the prophet Samuel that he had rejected Saul as king of Israel.

He told Samuel that one of the sons of Jesse of Bethlehem would be the new king.

Samuel was to go to Bethlehem anoint the man of God's choosing.

But after Samuel arrived he went through the seven sons and assumed

immediately that the oldest one probably was the one.

Samuel assumed it would be the oldest probably the wisest perhaps in his estimation

maybe the largest.

It was the oldest son I don't know.

But none of the seven sons would become the king of Israel.

It was the youngest on the eighth son David that God had chosen.

And so he wasn't wasn't even there.

Apparently his dad didn't even think it necessary to call him.

He was least one likely one to arise to this position.

And we tend to be a Samuel when he first came into the house of Jesse and his sons.

God had to tell Samuel with respect to Jesse's firstborn look not on his countenance.

Don't look at his appearance or the height of a stature because I have refused him.

You see as it was with Samuel who was a godly man.

It is with us.

It is natural for us to value the appearance of things above the true nature and character of things.

This is the way we tend to think.

This is the way we go through each day perhaps giving favor to things because they appear

at a shallow and casual and superficial assessment.

Yeah that's right.

That's good obviously.

But this is worldliness and we must resist it.

This is how Israel first brought trouble upon itself with regard to their present condition reflected.

That's reflected in this passage.

This is how and why they chose King Saul.

They looked on the outside rather than a man of character to become their king

the people of Israel.

He rejected God as king.

The Bible presents God as king throughout all of history since the creation.

God is king over his creation.

And he manifested his kingship to Israel especially and particularly.

And he used judges to rule over his people Israel.

But they didn't see God.

They saw the judges and some of them were pretty flawed Samson.

They wanted a king they could see rather than God as their king whom they could not see.

They wanted a king like the other nations to lead them and so they demanded of Samuel that he give them such a man.

And so we read of the people's choice.

In 1st Samuel 9 1 through 3 there was a man of Benjamin whose name was

Kish the son of Abiel the son of Zeror the son of Bekarath the son

of Aphia a Benjamite a mighty man of power.

And he had a choice and handsome son whose name was Saul.

And there was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel.

He was tall too for his shoulders were upward.

He was taller than any of the people.

And now the donkeys of Kish Saul's father were lost and Kish said to his son Saul please take one of the servants with you.

Arise go and look for the donkeys.

Saul was tall and handsome.

He was impressive and strong.

So the men.

So the people naturally looked to this man with high regard.

He would be one who had illicit respect from them they would follow him.

The problem is is as they began to follow him he would fail to lead them rightly.

He's not the kind of guy that you would want to follow.

And so the selection had been by the people rather than by the war.

They were real excited about the future when they got him as king.

But right from the beginning however there was something wrong.

There was something missing in Saul's character and it came to surface when a crisis

arose.

And this is where it's often discern discern and detected.

There's something wrong here when a crisis arises the man or

woman of God will arise and show forth himself or herself.

This is reflected in 1st Samuel 13 5 through 10.

It tells the story.

And the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel 30 ,000 chariots 6 ,000 horsemen and people as

the sand which is on the seashore and multitude.

That's a crisis.

And they came up and encamped it in Michmash to the east of Beth Avon.

When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger for the people were distressed and the people hid in caves and thickets and rocks

and holes and in pits and some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan of the land of Gad and Hilliard.

The people were scattering and this put fear of course in King Saul.

As for Saul he was still in Gilgal and all the people followed him trembling.

And then he waited seven days according to the time set by Samuel.

But Samuel did not come to Gilgal and the people were scattered from him.

So Saul said bring the burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.

And he offered the burnt offering.

Now it happened as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering that Samuel came and Saul went out to meet him that he

might greet him.

So the time came when Israel's enemies gathered and the people were frightened and distressed.

They began to run for the hills.

God had given instruction to Saul through Samuel.

You wait until Samuel arrives and then he will sacrifice just before going to battle.

This would result of course in the blessing of God upon Israel's enemies.

But Saul did not obey God.

He took matters into his own hands as he saw his people fleeing everybody trembling.

And so he did something in clear direct violation of the will of God.

He took and assumed the role of a priest.

He was no priest.

He was not from the tribal Levi and he made sacrifices.

Samuel was a priest.

Saul wasn't and so he sinned greatly.

When he took this he took it upon himself and it was the fear of man that drove him to do

this and no doubt he justified himself.

He even tried to justify himself in front of Samuel.

It didn't fly though and so Saul himself performed the sacrifice something only priest was to do.

And this incurred God's judgment upon him so that God rejected Saul as king.

And so we read in verses 11 and 12.

Samuel said what have you done.

And that's always the question a parent should ask a child a son or daughter what have you done.

Get them to confess it drag it out of them.

And Saul said when I saw the people were scattered from me and they you did not come within the days

appointed and that the Philistines gathered together at Mcmatch.

Then I said the Lord the Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal and I have not made supplication to the Lord.

Therefore I felt compelled.

I had to do it anybody would at my place and offered a burnt offering.

And so Saul although impressive to the people outwardly was inwardly an unstable coward.

He was a worldly pragmatist.

He was not a man of faith and so when the pressure was turned up he would do his will rather than

God's will.

He was a worldly man.

He was not a man after God's own heart the one who would obey God regardless of the appearance of things

and the circumstances in which he found himself.

Saul's religion was one of externals and convenience.

He lacked a true inward drive to honor and obey God.

But because the people also valued most outward appearance they did not look to the qualifications of his character when they

wanted him to be king.

And we are not to be like them.

We are certainly not to be like King Saul.

It is the will of God that we resist pretense but rather we are to be true genuine Christians

sincerely zealous to believe and obey God and all things at all times.

That's what we ought to be looking for in others.

And that's what we ought to desire for ourselves because no

matter what comes we're not compromising.

We're going to do what's right and true.

And that's what each of us are called to do.

So what was primarily motivating Saul's decisions and actions.

Well the answer is Saul was more concerned about what the people thought of him than what God thought about him.

The fear of man drove him.

We may deal with an entire portion of a message on the fear of man and the

fear of God.

I don't know we'll think we'll consider it.

First Samuel 15 tells the account.

Now this is a longer account but I think it's very valuable that we read the Word of God

as it as it plays out before us the narrative of Scripture.

The way the Scriptures tell a story is just absolutely amazing.

Marvelous.

Samuel also said to Saul we're in first Samuel 15 1 the Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people over Israel

now therefore heed the voice of the words of the Lord.

Thus says the Lord of hosts I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel how he ambushed him on the way when he came up

from Egypt.

So now go and attack Amalek utterly destroy all that they have.

Do not spare them but kill both man and woman infant and nursing child.

These are hard words ox and sheep camel and donkey.

So Saul gathered his people together numbered them in to Laam 200 ,000 foot soldiers 10

,000 men of Judah.

Saul came to a city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley.

And then Saul said to the Kenites go depart get down from among the Amalekites lest I destroy you with them.

They had a previous treaty with the Kenites for you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when

they came out of Egypt.

So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites and Saul attacked the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to

shore which is east of Egypt.

He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

But Saul and the people spared Agag that would be the king and the best of the sheep the oxen the

fatlings the lambs all it was good and were unwilling to utterly destroy them but

everything despised and worthless that they utterly destroyed.

They didn't have trouble killing people but they didn't want to kill the animals they wanted them for themselves.

Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel saying I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king for he has turned back from

following me and has not performed my commandments.

And it grieved Samuel he cried out to the Lord all night.

So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul it was told Samuel saying Saul went to Carmel

and indeed he set up a monument for himself and he was going he has gone

on around passed by and gone down to Gilgal.

Then Samuel went to Saul, Saul said to him blessed are you of the Lord.

I perform the commandment of the Lord so Saul's boasting of his obedience.

I love this statement of Samuel.

What then is this bleeding of the sheep in my ears and lowing of the oxen.

I hear you obeyed the Lord.

What's this.

I hear Saul says they have brought them from the Amalekites where the people spared the

best of the sheep and the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God.

The rest we have utterly destroyed.

He justifies himself.

Samuel said to Saul be quiet and I'll tell you what the Lord said to me last night.

He said to him speak on.

So Samuel said when you were little in your own eyes were you not head of the tribes of Israel.

Did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel.

And now the Lord sent you on a mission and said go utterly destroy 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 swoop down on the spoil and do evil in the sight of the Lord.

Saul said to Samuel but I have obeyed the voice of the Lord and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me brought back

Agag king of Amalek and I've utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

But the people took the plunder sheep and oxen the best of the things which should have

been utterly destroyed to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal wasn't my fault.

It was the people that did it.

So the time had arrived that God determined to judge the nation of Amalek for their sins and God would use

Israel as his instrument of judgment.

Now again we read those passages and we kind of cringe when we do understandably.

And yet it was the manifestation of the judgment of God in history.

But you think that's bad.

Wait till Jesus returns.

Then it's going to be really really something to behold.

Right.

God's judgment is true.

And so King Saul initiated his command.

But he obeyed God only in a measure only to a degree really according to his own determination rather than

God's will.

And so God through Samuel informed him of the consequences.

God told Samuel go confront Saul and he did.

And yet Saul claimed that he was obedient.

I followed the Lord.

What then is this bleeding of the sheep in my ears.

The loyalty of oxen.

I hear the people did it can't help but think of you know that in the Garden of

Eden you know Adam what have you done.

It was that woman you gave me.

She's the one who led me to do it.

And then the woman it's that that serpent over there that deceived me.

You know the result of sin is we don't take responsibility do we.

But we've always got you know some some situation some reason to

justify our own failure.

And so did Saul.

And so his response didn't pass the smell test with Samuel, Samuel responded why didn't you obey

the voice of the Lord.

Why did you swoop on the spoil and do what is evil in the sight of the Lord.

And yet Saul continued to justify himself.

I have obeyed the voice of the Lord.

I've gone on the mission which you sent me.

It was the people who took the spoil.

Samuel said basically nonsense that's not going to fly.

And so Samuel said has the Lord as great delight and burnt offerings and sacrifices.

And as in obeying the voice of the Lord behold to obey is better than sacrifice.

Classic statement.

You know embolden that underline that God would have us obey rather than

somehow try and make up for it after the fact justifying ourself

thinking that somehow we're paying off God by some sacrifice.

And then he states for rebellion is the sin of witchcraft.

It's that evil and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.

When you're stubborn son or daughter you're stubborn toward your parents.

When you or I are stubborn toward you know the authorities God has placed over us

we are committing as a sin of iniquity and idolatry

is what the scriptures say.

Because you've rejected the word of the Lord.

He's rejected you from being king.

And so finally after it was too late and Saul knew his fate he regretted the consequences of actions.

But his true heart comes forward.

We won't take the time to read.

But basically he says to Samuel before you leave won't you commend me in the eyes of the people so

that I'll you know I'll be respected by them appreciated by them.

He was concerned about the people and how they valued him rather than his concern being for

God and how God whether or not God approved of him.

Saul would have been a king governed by poles in today's world.

If they were available he would cast himself into whatever role the moment seemed to dictate in order to impress the people and

secure their approval.

He would be religious perhaps if that's what would gain the approval of the people.

And he would.

He would allow the people to sin without rebuking them.

If that's what they wanted he wouldn't stop them.

He was no leader but rather he would encourage them in their rebellion.

To Saul the image was dominant for the people of Israel.

The image was dominant.

How he looked how he appeared.

His personality was winsome and engaging and people looked at him

with regard.

I can't help but think of Hollywood today many times sports are elevated

in a very unhealthy manner because man tends to look at those things right.

They don't look at character.

But in times of crises true character will be revealed.

God looks on the inward heart of a person value in his devotion and is resolved to obey.

In contrast to the world's way of assessing people God looks on the inward heart

condition.

And this is why God chose David as king even though he was the youngest the least

likely to assume the role of King the least likely perhaps in the minds of the people.

God said this is a man who is after my own heart.

In other words he knew that David would rule over Israel according to the will of God.

David would not rule the people according to his own will but he would see his position as king as

a responsibility to govern the people as God's will would have him do.

Saul was not that way David was and so the Lord chose David

to be king over Israel.

And of course he brought great blessing to the people and blessing to the Lord and then of course

blessing to himself.

Let's drop down to page 8.

We just have to close in just a couple minutes here but I want to point out certainly the example of the Lord Jesus.

Because David of course is a type of the Lord Jesus, Jesus is the anti -type.

The Old Testament type is Jesus.

We certainly have the example of the Lord Jesus as one to admire and emulate.

In contrast to King Saul the Lord Jesus sought to avoid outward show and personal

fame.

He never sought it.

Did he in fact when they wanted to make him king at the end of John chapter 6 he

thought I can't have this.

And so he began to preach them the doctrine of election and sovereign grace.

And that scattered the crowd.

He only had his 12 disciples left and they were tempted to leave him.

He would not seek personal fame or credit.

The Lord Jesus refused the devil's temptation in the wilderness.

When the devil offered him I'll give you all the kingdoms of the world if you should bow down and worship me.

He refused to do it.

The prophets foretold this aspect of our Lord's holy nature in Isaiah 53.

He had no form or comeliness that we should look at him.

Probably a reference to his appearance on the cross but maybe it describes our Lord's

physical appearance.

If you looked at him he wouldn't necessarily stand out as a very significant or

important person.

That's what he said.

What he did on how he looked.

He was no beauty that we should desire him.

He was despised rejected by men.

A man of sorrows acquainted with grief and as one from whom men hide their faces he was a spy.

We esteemed him not is what the Prophet says.

And this is how the Jews.

Of course the majority of Jews did not esteem Jesus.

The Lord spoke the truth in whatever place or whatever situation he encountered.

And even as an enemies acknowledged this by the way for

the record if you ever want to put a verse on my headstone I found it.

It was said of John the Baptist.

John did no sign.

But everything he said of him was true.

I thought that's good.

John did no miracle.

The Lord Jesus was never self -serving.

He always sought to do his father's will.

No temptation could persuade him to take another course to compromising convictions or principles.

Our Lord illustrated demonstrated every quality of holy character in all that he said and did.

And it was all internal.

Wasn't it.

They came out in the way he treated people regarded people and the

Lord blessed him.

But the Lord not only demonstrated those qualities in his own life.

He asserted these qualities must be in you and me as Christians.

The Lord said you know to to those he said to the

Pharisees who pretended to be religious or thought themselves religious or partially obedient.

I say to you that unless your righteousness he's talking to his disciples.

Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

You cannot have salvation unless you have righteousness that surpasses the righteousness of the

Pharisees and scribes now that used to trouble me and commonly people think how can

my righteousness exceed the righteous of the Pharisees.

That must be righteousness imputed to me through faith alone.

Now he's talking about practical righteousness here.

Unless your lives characterized or characterized by righteousness it

exceeds the Pharisees and scribes.

You're not going to heaven.

What do you mean by that.

Well the problem with the Pharisees and scribes is that it was only outward external a show.

It wasn't inward inwardly they were self -righteous.

They were arrogant judgmental condemning.

If your righteousness doesn't exceed that you don't have salvation.

God is concerned about inward righteousness a humble a

humility before the Lord.

We're to be as children.

We're to recognize our ignorance and our need for instruction and guidance and our

dependence upon the Lord.

Inward qualities not outward show.

Anybody can put on an outward show and appear to most people to be a pretty good Christian.

Again I could go into stories but I we don't have time.

We need to close.

Lastly bottom page 9.

Just a few practical responses that we may have toward this principle.

First let us avoid the worldliness of being impressed by the appearance of people.

Again think of the commercials on TV and Hollywood

and all that's presented is all outward.

Isn't it all appearance all physical as it were.

Talent wealth education position of power.

People are enamored by it.

They roll out the red carpet for them.

Second let us be busy developing our inner lives and let us manifest that true inner life in outward

action for God is looking upon our hearts.

He cares about our attitudes and and our thought processes because

one day he's going to judge us every one of us.

Paul writes in Romans about he's going to judge us according to the secret things of the heart.

It's all going to be exposed one day.

It'll either validate the fact that we're true believers or it will invalidate our claim mere

hypocrites.

Scriptures tell us this.

Third let us not be pretentious.

Don't put on a show of religion and do not be impressed by a show from others.

Look for what is real in others will humility tenderness

a heart for God an appreciation for the things of God for the truth

of God's Word.

Fourth let us always be mindful that again one day the truth of our hearts condition will be made known just

as Saul's character came to be known at a time of crisis.

Each one of us will face a crisis.

Won't we and our true character will show forth.

Fifth let us value and emulate people for their character for their lover God and his glory.

And last let us not use worldly means in an effort to further the cause of Christ in the world.

We all know what what we could do to gather a crowd.

But then what do you have.

You got a crowd.

Oh we want reality.

Don't we Lord Jesus said he you know he came and he came to to sift the people

like a like a farmer sifts his his his wheat separating the grain from the chaff.

And there's some people think that they've good.

They've done a great work of God when they've got the whole heaps and piles of the stuff you know on the threshing floor.

But the Lord is concerned about that which is true and and refined and

real.

And so he uses you know the threshing floor.

Difficulty and hardship comes into the life of individual life of the church and in this way he

shakes out the true from the false.

And that which remains will will be will be there because the grace of God have been operative

in them.

Amen.

And may that be true of each of us both as individual Christians and also may that be true of us as a church.

Let's pray father thank you for your word.

Help us our Lord not to be worldly but help us Lord to think according to

your word.

For we know Lord that this will guide us rightly in the way we should go.

Forgive us of our sin our Lord.

Forgive us of our superficial ways our spirit of worldliness.

Help us our Lord to conform ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior in his name.

We pray.

Amen.

Well let's stand and we'll sing what hymn.