1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,500 Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton, the official podcast of Cross Christian Fellowship 2 00:00:07,500 --> 00:00:13,720 Route 66 in the heart of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Burton is the lead pastor. 3 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:15,720 We're glad you're here. 4 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:17,920 Hey everybody, Pastor Burton here. 5 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:19,280 Welcome back to the sanctuary. 6 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:21,080 It's great to have you all with us. 7 00:00:21,080 --> 00:00:26,600 And if it's your first time joining us, let me just take a moment to say welcome. 8 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:34,720 So last time we started talking about ego, our pride, and how because of it, we become 9 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:36,720 our own idol, right? 10 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:37,720 We do. 11 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:38,720 We become our own idol. 12 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:39,720 It becomes all about me. 13 00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:44,000 We tell Jesus to hop in the back seat and just sit there and be quiet and enjoy the 14 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:45,000 ride. 15 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:49,560 And essentially what happens is we're doing this is we're trying to take him on a joyride 16 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:51,920 to hell and he's not going to abide by it. 17 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:55,360 He's not just going to sit there and be like, okay, it's cool. 18 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:56,360 No. 19 00:00:56,360 --> 00:01:02,080 Even when someone tells us that we're doing the wrong thing, that we're making something 20 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:07,080 about ourselves, we're being selfish, we don't listen. 21 00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:10,480 Instead we go on the attack. 22 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:17,920 We tell them all the ways that they're wrong and justify our own actions. 23 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:20,440 We try to act as though it's all right. 24 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:23,240 We're treating people like dirt. 25 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:29,520 And it's because even though we want to say it's between us and God, the fact of the matter 26 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:38,480 is, it's really just about us and our want to be in the limelight. 27 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:41,600 With that said, we're going to hop back in here really quick. 28 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:47,280 So when we do this, we're just like Saul when he lied about the full outcome of the battle 29 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:48,920 that he was in. 30 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:55,040 When he lied about sparing Agag and then the reason why all this livestock and plunder 31 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:57,360 was taken. 32 00:01:57,360 --> 00:01:59,960 So let's pick back up where we left off. 33 00:01:59,960 --> 00:02:06,400 Let's go back to 1 Samuel chapter 15 and we're going to start off right where we left off 34 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:11,740 in verses 16 through 19. 35 00:02:11,740 --> 00:02:22,760 The word says, stop exclaim Samuel, let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night. 36 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:30,520 Tell me he replied, Samuel continued, although you once considered yourself unimportant, 37 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:34,800 haven't you become the leader of the tribes of Israel? 38 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:44,240 The Lord anointed you king over Israel and then sent you on a mission and said, go and 39 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:54,680 completely destroy the sinful Amalekites, fight against them until you have annihilated 40 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:56,240 them. 41 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:59,080 So why didn't you obey the Lord? 42 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:08,520 Why did you rush on the plunder and do what was evil in the Lord's sight? 43 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:11,320 Enough! 44 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:12,580 Samuel's had enough. 45 00:03:12,580 --> 00:03:14,740 He's no dummy. 46 00:03:14,740 --> 00:03:19,480 He knows what's going on. 47 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:21,740 Think about it, he's in direct contact with the Lord. 48 00:03:21,740 --> 00:03:25,680 He's hearing it straight from him. 49 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:29,960 Not only that, but he can hear and he can see the animals and everything. 50 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:30,960 He's not a dummy. 51 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:39,280 Like I said, he's no pushover and he's not about to stand by idly and let Saul hide behind 52 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:40,720 his own rhetoric. 53 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:41,720 He's calling him out. 54 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:48,060 He's calling out his sin and he's pointing out the fact that Saul has been put into a 55 00:03:48,060 --> 00:03:54,800 position of leadership and that it's gone to his head. 56 00:03:54,800 --> 00:04:01,240 He's allowed his pride to take over and his ego to run unchecked. 57 00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:03,440 Really it's just running amok. 58 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:10,560 He's calling out that God sent him on a mission with a specific set of instructions and he 59 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:13,880 failed to complete the mission. 60 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:20,640 He's now putting him, Johnny, on the spot and asking him, why? 61 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:21,640 Why did you do that? 62 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:23,040 You were on a mission from God. 63 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:26,880 It kind of sounds like the Blues Brothers here, doesn't it? 64 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:31,560 Unfortunately it didn't have the happy ending. 65 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:36,040 It's like when we start to get into it with somebody and they don't actually want to listen 66 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:42,200 to what you're saying because you're not saying the things that they want you to. 67 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:47,120 Instead they start to turn it back to how they're right. 68 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:50,720 Instead of acknowledging their own sin. 69 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:53,320 Acknowledging the fact that they messed up. 70 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:56,280 Oh dude, sorry, yeah, you're right. 71 00:04:56,280 --> 00:04:58,240 I messed up. 72 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:00,600 That's what we're about to see here. 73 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:05,480 Going back into our reading of 1 Samuel chapter 15, we're going to go back into verses 20 74 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:11,240 through 23 now and the word says, but I did obey the Lord, Saul answered. 75 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:14,360 I went on the mission the Lord gave me. 76 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:23,320 I brought back King Agag of Amalek and I completely destroyed the Amalekites. 77 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:30,400 The troops took sheep, goats, and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was set apart 78 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:36,520 for destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God at Gilgal. 79 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:46,080 Good Samuel said, Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? 80 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:51,280 Look, to obey is better than sacrifice. 81 00:05:51,280 --> 00:05:55,760 To pay attention is better than the fat of rams. 82 00:05:55,760 --> 00:06:03,840 For rebellion is like the sin of divination and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. 83 00:06:03,840 --> 00:06:13,480 Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king. 84 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:18,080 Saul is not mincing words here, is he? 85 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:23,040 And he's not lying about it, is he? 86 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:25,040 Well yes, he is. 87 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:26,280 He's absolutely doing that. 88 00:06:26,280 --> 00:06:27,480 He's still lying. 89 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:30,400 He's still bought into his own nonsense. 90 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:34,400 He admits, yes, he had a mission. 91 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:37,800 Okay, so he has that part right? 92 00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:39,240 And then what happens? 93 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:46,740 He tries to justify what he authorized to happen as if it's right. 94 00:06:46,740 --> 00:06:51,200 Because even though it's not what should have happened, he's playing it to the tune of, 95 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:56,160 oh you know it's okay because he ends justifying the means, as long as it gets done, right? 96 00:06:56,160 --> 00:07:07,320 Acting as if the intent was always about God and not serving his own selfish means. 97 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:09,380 His ego is in the way. 98 00:07:09,380 --> 00:07:12,920 And if we're honest with ourselves, we all do this. 99 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:14,600 We all do the same thing. 100 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:16,600 We take shortcuts. 101 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:20,140 We twist things. 102 00:07:20,140 --> 00:07:24,380 We refuse to listen to what we're being told. 103 00:07:24,380 --> 00:07:32,480 We just wait to hear what we want to hear and then try to justify our own selfishness. 104 00:07:32,480 --> 00:07:36,400 And we like to say things like, oh I'm conferring with God. 105 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:39,560 Oh, I'm taking this to God in my way. 106 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:43,080 Oh, I know how to do this for my God. 107 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:49,220 Just some of the small number of answers we've already built up in our little toolbox and 108 00:07:49,220 --> 00:07:52,280 have ready to dispense when we need them. 109 00:07:52,280 --> 00:08:02,720 But what is actually happening here, what you're doing, you have to ask yourself a few questions. 110 00:08:02,720 --> 00:08:06,280 What you're doing, is it what was actually asked of you? 111 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:10,620 Is how you're doing something what's actually expected of you? 112 00:08:10,620 --> 00:08:19,320 Are you actually trying to do something for the team and for God or is it just about you? 113 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:26,960 Wouldn't you agree that we all benefit from putting less of ourselves into the equation 114 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:29,880 and more of God? 115 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:32,960 Less of me and more of the team? 116 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:39,280 Instead of trying to take things over and do things in our own way, actually doing things 117 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:45,840 the way God has laid it out and told us to do them. 118 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:46,840 It's hard though. 119 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:47,840 It is. 120 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:48,840 It's hard. 121 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:51,400 I'll give you an example. 122 00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:52,400 I love my wife. 123 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:53,400 I do. 124 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:55,800 I love her dearly. 125 00:08:55,800 --> 00:09:02,480 We can all agree if you've been able to make it to our live church services and everything, 126 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:04,280 because I know on the stream it's not so hot. 127 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:09,760 But if you've ever heard her perform, she is a fantastic musician. 128 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:12,000 Absolutely wonderful. 129 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:20,000 However, when it comes to sitting down together and putting together a set list, even if it's 130 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:25,440 just something that we want to play together, not even necessarily a church, let me tell 131 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:32,760 you what, we will both butt heads over what we're putting together and we both get in 132 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:36,060 the way of what God is trying to do. 133 00:09:36,060 --> 00:09:42,840 Instead of working together, much like everybody else that get into a little argument, we step 134 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:50,840 on each other's feet and it becomes a sparring match, instead of working together and having 135 00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:53,660 a beautiful dance together. 136 00:09:53,660 --> 00:10:00,400 The outcome when we do these things is that we're both hurt and we're both upset with 137 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:03,060 each other for a while. 138 00:10:03,060 --> 00:10:08,040 And that's how every argument goes, whether it's with your friends or family, that's 139 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:14,520 just the way, even at work, this is the way that it goes. 140 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:21,200 The reality of it is, is that even though we all like to think of ourselves as a Samuel, 141 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:25,760 we're really more like Saul. 142 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:31,520 Or this might hurt if you're familiar with this, because we're going to take a look at 143 00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:35,560 it, we're a lot like Nebuchadnezzar. 144 00:10:35,560 --> 00:10:38,840 Let's take a quick look at him, let me refresh your memory on him. 145 00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:42,960 Let's turn to Daniel chapter 5 verses 19 through 21. 146 00:10:42,960 --> 00:10:49,720 So Daniel chapter 5 verses 19 through 21, and the word tells us, because of the greatness 147 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:57,620 he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages were terrified and fearful of him. 148 00:10:57,620 --> 00:11:02,360 He killed anyone he wanted and kept alive anyone he wanted. 149 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:06,680 He exalted anyone he wanted and humbled anyone he wanted. 150 00:11:06,680 --> 00:11:17,760 But when his heart was exalted and his spirit became arrogant, he was deposed from his royal 151 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:21,680 throne and his glory was taken from him. 152 00:11:21,680 --> 00:11:27,000 He was driven away from the people, his mind was like an animal's. 153 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:34,840 He lived with the wild donkeys, he was fed grass like cattle, and his body was drenched 154 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:43,700 with dew from the sky, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is ruler over human 155 00:11:43,700 --> 00:11:49,880 kingdoms and sets anyone he wants over them. 156 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:55,440 Here's the thing, we all get caught up in ourselves and what ends up happening is we 157 00:11:55,440 --> 00:11:58,080 begin challenging God's authority. 158 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:02,920 We become rebellious, we become arrogant, and instead of focusing on the cross, we turn 159 00:12:02,920 --> 00:12:10,100 inwards and we think we know better than anyone else, including him. 160 00:12:10,100 --> 00:12:19,180 Our lives begin to reflect an image of I love me instead of all love to he. 161 00:12:19,180 --> 00:12:23,440 People don't react well to this. 162 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:25,240 They start shutting down. 163 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:27,880 They start turning away. 164 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:35,400 They'll deal with you because they have to, not because they want to. 165 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:39,480 And we all, every single one of us, needs to take notice. 166 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:46,160 You need to take notice because when it happens to you, it's a sign that you're doing things 167 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:48,200 wrong. 168 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:56,720 And as much as we as people don't like when we start seeing this arrogance, neither does 169 00:12:56,720 --> 00:12:58,640 God. 170 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:03,920 And whether you want to admit it or not, it does impact your relationship with him, just 171 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:08,040 like it did with Saul. 172 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:17,720 To be a child of God, we have to turn to him and allow for him to rule over our lives fully, 173 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:20,040 completely. 174 00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:28,440 We have to take ourselves out of that equation and make it all about him, which is what Saul 175 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:31,360 is being reminded of. 176 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:35,920 It's the same lesson that Nebuchadnezzar had to learn. 177 00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:41,480 The ends don't always justify the means. 178 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:50,320 Throughout the Bible, we are told repeatedly, repeatedly, that it is better to be obedient 179 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:55,720 to God than to sacrifice. 180 00:13:55,720 --> 00:14:01,520 We like to pray and use it as a bartering tool, saying things like, God, I'll change 181 00:14:01,520 --> 00:14:03,560 this and I'll do that. 182 00:14:03,560 --> 00:14:07,440 But if you'll just take care of this one thing for me. 183 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:11,640 We like to think of it like a barter tool or a trade-off, you know, that whole, you 184 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:13,360 rub my back, I'll rub yours. 185 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:16,720 But it doesn't work that way. 186 00:14:16,720 --> 00:14:17,960 That's being selfish. 187 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:22,720 Our selfish nature is what separates us from God. 188 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:29,680 When we become rebellious, an arrogant idolatry of ourselves takes over. 189 00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:32,040 Sin. 190 00:14:32,040 --> 00:14:33,600 The idolatry of ourselves. 191 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:34,600 We're self-worshipping. 192 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:44,320 Sin, as we're told in Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Micah. 193 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:51,720 Sins are worthy of being put to death. 194 00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:54,880 As many people remind you, the cost of sin is death. 195 00:14:54,880 --> 00:14:59,280 The wages of sin is death. 196 00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:02,160 Let's turn back to 1 Samuel, chapter 15. 197 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:08,040 1 Samuel 15, verses 24 through 25, the word tells us. 198 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:12,000 Saul answered Samuel, I have sinned. 199 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:18,080 I have transgressed the Lord's command and your words, because I was afraid of the people. 200 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:20,920 I obeyed them. 201 00:15:20,920 --> 00:15:29,280 Now therefore, please forgive my sin and return with me so I can worship the Lord. 202 00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:32,400 We see Saul's already in bargaining mode here. 203 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:37,240 Like a small child that starts screaming, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. 204 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:43,480 When they themselves have gone too far and they find themselves about to be punished. 205 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:49,960 Continuing on from verse 26, Samuel replied to Saul, I will not return with you because 206 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:52,720 you rejected the word of the Lord. 207 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:57,200 The Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel. 208 00:15:57,200 --> 00:16:03,080 When Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed the corner of his robe and it tore. 209 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:08,160 Samuel said to him, the Lord has torn the kingship of Israel away from you today and 210 00:16:08,160 --> 00:16:13,000 has given it to your neighbor who is better than you. 211 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:20,400 Furthermore, the eternal one of Israel does not lie or change his mind, for he is not 212 00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:25,160 man who changes his mind. 213 00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:28,240 Saul's time of excuses has come to an end. 214 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:30,560 It's time to pay the piper. 215 00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:33,320 Nobody is buying his lies and nonsense anymore. 216 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:36,400 And it's the same for us. 217 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:42,760 When we try to put ourselves in a position to be in control of the universe, that we 218 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:48,480 speak the words and the universe will provide anything just because we demand it, like we're 219 00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:54,160 little gods walking the earth and anything and everything that we want is at our fingertips. 220 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:59,240 We're no different. 221 00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:03,920 At some point, we're all going to have to show the hands we've been dealt. 222 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:09,160 We're going to have to push to a breaking point. 223 00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:14,880 Sadly, we often don't realize it. 224 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:20,480 But the time comes when we have to put things right. 225 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:25,600 Saul is learning here, as should we all. 226 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:29,360 There is a time of reckoning for each and every single one of us. 227 00:17:29,360 --> 00:17:31,560 I'm going to share an illustration. 228 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:36,560 I'm sure some of you may have heard this before. 229 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:38,120 So there's a little boy. 230 00:17:38,120 --> 00:17:40,160 He had quite the temper. 231 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:41,160 He was hot. 232 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:42,160 He was quick to anger. 233 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:46,760 He'd get mad, turn of a dime. 234 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:51,120 His dad took him out one day, walked up to the fence, gave him a bag of nails and a hammer 235 00:17:51,120 --> 00:18:01,880 and told him every time he lost his temper, he needed to hammer a nail into the fence. 236 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:06,560 Now the first day came and that boy, he was hot. 237 00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:12,040 He nailed in over 30 nails that day. 238 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:19,640 Now as time went on, he found it was easier and easier to control his temper than to drive 239 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:25,240 those nails into this hard fence. 240 00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:30,480 And finally the day came and the boy didn't lose his temper at all. 241 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:31,480 Not once. 242 00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:32,480 He was throwing. 243 00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:33,480 He was ecstatic. 244 00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:37,040 So he goes and he grabs his father and he says, hey, guess what? 245 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:40,320 I didn't lose my temper today. 246 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:44,760 I didn't have to put in a single nail. 247 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:53,440 So the father walked out now and he stood there with his son looking at the fence and 248 00:18:53,440 --> 00:19:02,020 he tells the boy, now for every day that goes by and you're able to control your temper, 249 00:19:02,020 --> 00:19:05,760 you can take out a nail. 250 00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:16,480 Days passed, weeks, got into months and finally the boy came and tells his father, hey, all 251 00:19:16,480 --> 00:19:17,480 the nails are gone. 252 00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:19,000 I got every single one of them out. 253 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:24,120 I've been able to control my temper that long now. 254 00:19:24,120 --> 00:19:29,600 So the father went out, led his boy to the fence, took a look at it. 255 00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:30,600 Let's see here. 256 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:33,600 Well, you've done well. 257 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:39,960 You've done really good son, but I want you to take a look at all the holes in that fence. 258 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:46,280 The fence is never going to be the same as it once was. 259 00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:53,720 When you say things and you do things in anger, they leave a scar and holes just like what 260 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:56,400 you see before you. 261 00:19:56,400 --> 00:19:59,800 You can take a knife and you can stick it into a person and you can take it right back 262 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:01,280 out. 263 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:12,200 And it doesn't matter how many times you apologize, the wound is still going to be there. 264 00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:18,920 And a verbal wound is just as bad as a physical one. 265 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:24,760 Now much like this child, our egos, they lead us to do and say things to others. 266 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:29,920 We do and say things to people we love and to people we should love. 267 00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:35,480 We put up fences and walls of division without even realizing it and we cause a tremendous 268 00:20:35,480 --> 00:20:38,240 amount of hurt. 269 00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:44,920 Now the damage can be mended. 270 00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:47,360 Through Christ it can absolutely be mended. 271 00:20:47,360 --> 00:20:55,040 However, it cannot be fully undone. 272 00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:59,760 God wasn't rejecting Saul as a person. 273 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:03,840 He was only rejecting him as King. 274 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:09,440 He could have gone back in repentance and looked for forgiveness, just like we all can, 275 00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:13,840 and in doing so, Saul would have mended his relationship with God. 276 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:18,240 However, at this point, it was too late to get the kingdom back. 277 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:23,080 The damage was done. 278 00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:29,320 And like him, when we carry on and we're following our ego and we're feeding it with our wants, 279 00:21:29,320 --> 00:21:38,040 instead of God's, when we do the same damage that Saul did, we burn our bridge with God. 280 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:40,040 We absolutely do. 281 00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:44,480 And eventually, it's going to give out. 282 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:49,180 Now we can go back in repentance. 283 00:21:49,180 --> 00:21:50,320 We can absolutely go back. 284 00:21:50,320 --> 00:21:52,160 We can repent and we can seek forgiveness. 285 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:55,720 And that bridge, it can be mended. 286 00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:57,480 It can be built up. 287 00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:03,960 It might even get to a point where it can hold the same weight or even improved on so 288 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:06,760 it holds even more. 289 00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:16,280 However, how much better would it have been and how much faster would it have been built 290 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:24,540 up if that time hadn't been wasted and that damage wasn't done in the first place? 291 00:22:24,540 --> 00:22:32,160 That time and hurt that caused things never to come into fruition. 292 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:35,200 Instead, something else had to be built. 293 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:40,880 Let's finish our last few verses here. 294 00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:49,120 First Samuel 15 verses 30-34, the word tells us, Saul said, I have sinned. 295 00:22:49,120 --> 00:22:55,120 Please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel. 296 00:22:55,120 --> 00:22:59,760 Come back with me so I can bow and worship to the Lord your God. 297 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:04,680 Then Samuel went back following Saul and Saul bowed down to the Lord. 298 00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:09,080 Samuel said, bring me King Agag of Amalek. 299 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:17,120 Agag came to him trembling for he thought, certainly the bitterness of death has come. 300 00:23:17,120 --> 00:23:25,240 Samuel declared, as your sword has made women childless, so your mother will be childless 301 00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:27,280 among women. 302 00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:33,600 And he hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord at Gilgal. 303 00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:39,580 Samuel went to Rhema and Saul went up to his home in Gabea of Saul. 304 00:23:39,580 --> 00:23:45,600 Even to the day of his death, Samuel never saw Saul again. 305 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:52,400 Samuel mourned for Saul and the Lord regretted he had made Saul king over Israel. 306 00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:57,640 In the last few verses of this chapter, Saul finally does what he should have done in the 307 00:23:57,640 --> 00:24:01,120 first place, but at great cost. 308 00:24:01,120 --> 00:24:05,640 He was so concerned about saving face, so concerned about what others thought of him, 309 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:11,640 so concerned about his reputation, so concerned about the legacy he would be leaving, that 310 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:17,160 he sacrificed his relationship with God. 311 00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:21,480 Now he finally realized it and mended what he could. 312 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:24,880 He even asked Samuel to go with him to worship God. 313 00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:30,320 And this in itself though, this was a sign to the people that the relationship with God 314 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:33,280 needs to be first. 315 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:39,520 Not only that, but if Samuel had refused like he was starting to, then it's likely that 316 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:43,560 the people would have lost what little confidence they still had in Saul. 317 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:48,000 So he was desperately clinging to what he had. 318 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:55,300 I implore you, don't wait to get to this point of desperation in your own life. 319 00:24:55,300 --> 00:25:00,440 Don't let the ego running rampant in your life take this kind of control. 320 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:04,760 Step back and evaluate all the things that you're seeing, all the things that you're 321 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:05,760 doing. 322 00:25:05,760 --> 00:25:09,280 And stop lying to yourself about it. 323 00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:11,280 Be honest. 324 00:25:11,280 --> 00:25:17,280 Ask God to take off your blinders and to help you to recognize the places you've fallen 325 00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:24,560 short, to help you mend what can be mended, and start following Him again. 326 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:29,400 We're all prodigal sons and daughters, you can come back. 327 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:35,600 Remember that everything on this earth is for God and about God and His Kingdom. 328 00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:41,400 But He made the ultimate sacrifice for each and every single one of us so that we can 329 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:51,240 repent and rejoin Him in relationships as friends and family, not be sent away as an 330 00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:55,520 unknown stranger. 331 00:25:55,520 --> 00:26:01,360 Remember as you leave today, you are loved and you are blessed. 332 00:26:01,360 --> 00:26:30,500 So go and be the church.