Title: Who Would You Please?
Memorize: The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. Proverbs 29:25 (Nkjv)
Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 15:18-30 (Nkjv)
18 Now the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’
19 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?”
20 And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
21 But the people took of 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.”
22 So Samuel said: “Has 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 heed than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.
25 Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord.”
26 But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.”
27 And as Samuel turned around to go away, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore.
28 So Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.
29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent.”
30 Then he said, “I have sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God.”
Message:
Many years ago, I went to minister at a three-day programme. I had preached on faith and other topics and many souls had been saved.
Then, I told the pastor that I would like to preach on restitution on the last day.
To my surprise, the pastor pleaded with me not to do so.
He tagged it ‘hard teaching and said that some of the people that had gathered would leave because of it.
I told him that I did not care about a big congregation heading for hell.
I also told him that what mattered most to me was preparing the people to go to heaven. I will not please men and displease God.
My dear child, I want you to have this mindset.
Many teenagers are in the wrong company today because they want to ‘feel among’.
Many have truncated their destinies just because they cared about what the ‘big boys and girls’ in the school think or say about them.
Beloved, be like Daniel who refused to live like the Babylonians and was later found to be ten times better than them.
Copy the three Hebrew boys who would rather displease the king than the King of kings.
Stand for the truth at all times, even if it will make you lose favour with men.
Prayer Point:
Would you rather displease God and please men?
HYMN 5 – JESUS, MY LORD, MY GOD, MY ALL
1. Jesus, my Lord, my God, my all,
Hear me, blest Saviour, when I call;
Hear me, and from Thy dwelling place
Pour down the riches of Thy grace;
CHORUS
Jesus, my Lord, I Thee adore;
Oh make me love Thee more and more.
2. Jesus, too late I Thee have sought;
How can I love Thee as I ought?
And how extol Thy matchless fame,
The glorious beauty of Thy name?
3. Jesus, what didst Thou find in me,
That Thou hast dealt so lovingly?
How great the joy that Thou hast brought
So far exceeding hope or thought!
4. Jesus, of Thee shall be my song,
To Thee my heart and soul belong;
All that I have or am is Thine,
And Thou, blest Saviour, Thou art mine.
Bible In One Year 1 Samuel 17:1-18:4 John 8:21-30
AUTHORS: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
PASTOR MRS FOLU ADEBOYE