Obedience Is Better Sermon

Obedience Is Better

Big Idea: Obedience to God is the highest form of Worship

I want you to help me with the message today. Look at the person on your right and say “Obedience Is Better”. Look at the person on your left and say “Obedience Is Better”. When I raise my hand I want you to say “Obedience Is Better”.

Alright. We’re starting to get the hang of it.

Intro: Growing up in a church where worship was works.

I grew up in church. Literally… I mean, I spent the majority of my childhood in church or serving for the church. I went to church Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, Saturday for door to door evangelism, and during the week sometimes for conferences and revivals.

On Saturday mornings we would load up in the church bus and canvas neighborhoods knocking on hundreds of doors sharing the Gospel. Then I would go with my dad to another neighborhood and look for kids that we could bring to church on the bus the following day.

This was not a bad experience for me, it taught me many things that I still value today, but one of the things it lacked was an emphasis on personal obedience to God. I grew up thinking that if I did the right things then I would be good with God, and if I did the wrong things then I would be considered a hypocrite. If I hadn’t had the parent I had then I would have grown up not knowing what it meant to have a healthy relationship with God and follow Him with personal obedience.

What I want us to see tonight is that obedience to God is better than just being a good kid and doing the right things for God.

(Raise hand) “Obedience is better”)

Background: Samuel and Saul

There was a guy in the Bible that messed up big time. Have you ever messed up big time?

The people of Israel were demanding that someone be appointed king to rule over them. God answers their request and appoints Samuel to choose the first king of Israel. (1 Samuel 8:22) God led Samuel to a man named Saul.

Saul was an unlikely guy from an unlikely tribe who through God’s leading was picked as the first king of Israel. In the beginning his humility and devotion to God enabled him to serve the Israelites well and God allowed him to win numerous battles.

Later in the story we see that his pride took over which ultimately led to his demise. We see that God gave Saul very specific instructions as it related to his next battle. He was commanded to destroy everything in 1 Samuel 15:3; and then in v.9 we read where Saul took it upon himself and chose to disobey God.

We’re going to pick it up at this part of the story where Samuel confronts Saul regarding his disobedience.

Passage: 1 Samuel 15:13-23 (NLT)

13 When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully. “May the Lord bless you,” he said. “I have carried out the Lord’s command!” 14 “Then what is all the bleating of sheep and goats and the lowing of cattle I hear?” Samuel demanded. 15 “It’s true that the army spared the best of the sheep, goats, and cattle,” Saul admitted. “But they are going to sacrifice them to the Lord your God. We have destroyed everything else.” 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! Listen to what the Lord told me last night!” “What did he tell you?” Saul asked. 17 And Samuel told him, “Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The Lord has anointed you king of Israel. 18 And the Lord sent you on a mission and told you, ‘Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all dead.’ 19 Why haven’t you obeyed the Lord? Why did you rush for the plunder and do what was evil in the Lord’s sight?” 20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul insisted. “I carried out the mission he gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else. 21 Then my troops brought in the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and plunder to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” 22 But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. 23 Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”

Pray:

CIT: Samuel is reprimanding Saul for not obeying what God had told him to do.

3 Main Principles From This Story:

1. Obedience is Better Than Success

   1. V. 13-14 Saul believed he was successful.
      1. 13 When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully. “May the Lord bless you,” he said. “I have carried out the Lord’s command!” 14 “Then what is all the bleating of sheep and goats and the lowing of cattle I hear?” Samuel demanded.
   2. Up to this point there wasn’t a battle he hadn’t won, to Saul life couldn’t get much better.
   3. Questions: What is success to you? When you’re walking the halls at school or chillin with your homies, what does success look like to you?
      1. Being popular
      2. Fitting in with the cool kids
      3. Winning in sports
      4. Being the smartest person in school
   4. We measure success by something tangible, God’s measure of success is different, He measures our success by our obedience.
   5. Obedience removes the comparison game.
      1. When our focus is on obedience to God then it doesn’t matter what success looks like to everyone else, we’re following the leadership of our God!
      2. God is less concerned with our earthly success, He is looking for our complete and total obedience.

2. Obedience is Better Than Service

   1. V. 20-21 Saul rationalized his disobedience.

      1. 20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul insisted. “I carried out the mission he gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else. 21 Then my troops brought in the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and plunder to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”

         2. Self-serving works is not a substitute for personal obedience.

      2. Question: You may be doing all the “right things”, but are you being obedient to what God is calling you to do?

         3. We obey not out of obligation or guilt, but we obey out of a love relationship with the Father.
      3. “Mom and Dad want me to behave this way, so I do.”
      4. “I’m just trying to be a good person.”
      5. These are all well and good, but they aren’t going to stick for the long haul! This is not God’s best for your life!
      6. It’s not about works; it’s about a relationship.
         1. “A Christian life that is works based ALWAYS leads to guilt, but a Christian life that is relationship based always leads to grace!” (Let me say that again)
         2. Illustration: As a father I want my children to obey out of Trust and Love not Guilt and Obligation.

3. Obedience is Better Than Sacrifice

   1. V. 22-23 Saul believed his sacrifice was enough.

      1. 22 But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. 23 Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”
         2. Our obedience to God is worship. We don’t go to worship, our lives are worship through obedience to God.
         3. Illust: Blindfold

Back to the Big Idea: Obedience to God is the highest form of Worship. Matthew 7 says that those that obey the word of the Lord are like the man that builds his house on the rock.

3 Walking Points:

1. Obedience is not easy.

   1. Don’t hear what I’m not saying… obedience does not mean comfort. In fact, in some ways you can expect opposition.
   2. It’s better to obey; it’s not easy to obey.

2. Connection determines direction

   1. Saul disobeyed God because he listened to the people. V. 24 says “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.”
   2. Don’t sacrifice God’s call on your life because of the influence of your peers.

3. Partial obedience is disobedience

   1. Obedience is not based on your circumstances.
   2. You don’t rationalize your obedience.

Questions:

• What’s one thing that as we’ve been talking about obedience is God calling you to let go?
• Are the good works you do out of obligation or a result of your relationship with the Father?
• Do I trust that my Heavenly Father has my best interest at heart?