May 14
1 Sam 15:1-16:23 | PS 110:1-7 | Prov 15:8-10 | John 8:1-20
Would Jesus be welcome in your church? Before you answer that, let’s say Jesus walked in and boldly stated how the traditions, rituals, theological positions of your particular church or denomination were false, would He still be welcomed? Sin is an archery term which means to miss the mark. Many churches, denominations, and individuals have missed the mark decades and even centuries ago, and over time we have simply built upon these wrong choices. Just stop for a moment and realize the vast differences between denominations, we can’t all be right, and truth be told there is probably a lot of wrong in most congregations. Thus the importance of the entirety of God’s Word. All of our acts done in the name of religion, these don’t impress God. He is not fooled. When King Saul lied and stated that he kept the best of the livestock from the Amalekites, despite being told not to, in order to sacrifice them to God. We read the response from God through Samuel in 1 Samuel 15:22-23, “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. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols…”. No, we don’t burn animals any longer, but many pray ritualistically, “have to go to church”, are proud of what they give in the way of tithes, etc.
How we soften language to excuse ourselves. Partial obedience is disobedience. A half-truth is a lie. Saul thought he did enough, but we read God’s verdict in 1 Samuel 15:10-11, “Then the Lord said to Samuel,“I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command.” Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard this that he cried out to the Lord all night.” We must never forget that God sees beyond our externals. When Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, it was revolutionary in that He turned the law into more than external obedience. He made it internal as well. God had to remind Samuel of this in 1 Samuel 16:6-7, when anointing the next king of Israel, “When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Another thing to notice is the last time God actually used His finger to write was when He wrote the Ten Commandments and gave them to Moses. Now over a century later we see the finger of God writing again in John 8:6, “They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger.” The leaders felt their sins went unnoticed, hidden below the surface, but Jesus pointed to what no one else could see, and we see the result in 8:7-9, “They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman.“ Jesus concluded by telling the woman caught in adultery in 8:11, “Go and sin no more”. We need to keep an honest relationship with the Lord. Yes, we are all sinners but we should feel the weight of these sins, not simply gloss over them. We read in Proverbs 15:8, “The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but he delights in the prayers of the upright”. Thank you Lord for your mercy and grace, without which we would all be without hope.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: