Dynamic Character | Obedience is better than Sacrifice
Message Recap
You are a LEADER
Proactive vs. Patient
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[I Samuel 9:21]
Saul replied, “But I’m only from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my family is the least important of all the families of that tribe! Why are you talking like this to me?”
[I Samuel 10:21-22]
But when they looked for him, he had disappeared! 22 So they asked the Lord, “Where is he?” And the Lord replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.”
[I Samuel 13:11-12]
but Samuel said, “What is this you have done?” Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. 12 So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the Lord’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.”
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I saw an imminent threat
I said I’m afraid & I’m alone
I felt compelled to take matters into my own hands.
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[Romans 8:31]
…If God is for us, who can be against us?
[Romans 8:11]
The spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in you
[Romans 8:28]
All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose
[I John 4:4]
greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
[Philippians 4:13]
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
[Isaiah 40:31]
…they who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength
[Matthew 19:26]
with God all things are possible.
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What is your MOUTH saying to your EYES?
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[I Samuel 13:13]
“How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
2 chapters later…
[I Samuel 15:3]
Now go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation…
[I Samuel 15:7-9]
Then Saul slaughtered the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, east of Egypt. 8 He captured Agag, the Amalekite king, but completely destroyed everyone else. 9 Saul and his men spared Agag’s life and kept the best of the sheep and goats, the cattle, the fat calves, and the lambs—everything, in fact, that appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor quality.
[I Samuel 15:12]
Early the next morning Samuel went to find Saul. Someone told him, “Saul went to the town of Carmel to set up a monument to himself; then he went on to Gilgal.”
[I Samuel 15:15]
“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.”
[I Samuel 15:17]
And Samuel told him, “Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel?
[I Samuel 15:22]
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…”
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What is your current assignment?
What does it mean to follow all the way through?
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[Colossians 3:23-24]
Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ
.__________
Discussion Questions
-How would you define a healthy leader?
-Is leadership something you’re born with or something that can be learned?
-Are you naturally wired toward patient or proactive?
-In what situations do you tend “lean on your own understanding”?
-What is your current assignment?
-What does it mean to follow all the way through?