And then so the title of the sermon this morning is denying reality is dangerous denying reality is dangerous
And we'll come back there to first Samuel in a minute really at the end of the sermon if you want to keep something
There but if you would go over to first Corinthians chapter number 13, excuse me first Corinthians 3 first Corinthians chapter number 3
I want to preach about this idea of
You know people who are when they are confronted with facts whether it be about the Bible or just reality in general
Or maybe even a situation that they find themselves in you know when people are confronted about facts concerning those things
Denying those facts can be a very dangerous things often when we're confronted with a reality sometimes
people are confronting us with that reality to warn us or they're trying to get us to
Heed some advice or admit some wrong and when we fail to do that
We're putting ourselves on very dangerous ground when we decide to just deny reality and just believe something
That is contrary to the truth. I'm here to tell you that that is dangerous. Denying reality is dangerous
In fact, even it can even get to a point
You know with some people that you would say this person is denying reality to the point where they're delusional
Where people can have these delusions about themselves and who they are or some circumstance to the point where even?
Psychiatrists and say this person is suffering from a mental illness because they're just so
obstinate and just so
Set in their ways and they're just so
Unwilling to admit that things are other than the way they say they are
They are delusional is what people would say. They have a false or unrealistic belief or opinion. It's false. People can show them
Facts they could show them things from the Bible they can clearly
Tell them the way it really is and they'll say no. No. No, that's not the case
That's living in denial and that is being delusional
Denying reality is dangerous in several different ways. We'll look at it very briefly this morning and obviously I can't cover
every way in which
Denying reality is going to you know pose some kind of a threat to you
But think about just broadly speaking when it comes to this idea about death, you know
Denying reality is about death is dangerous and people do that all the time in several different ways
You think about the person who thinks oh, I'm just gonna live forever. You know, I'm gonna have my whole life ahead of me
It doesn't really matter what I do. Like, you know, I'm six foot tall and bulletproof. I can just get away with anything
You know, that's a that's a dangerous
Ground to be on that's not reality, you know, we're all frail
Even the strongest of us could be cut down early in life. We could get a disease
We could get in some kind of an accident if we're careless and reckless and we're putting ourselves out there
Just thinking that nothing can harm us. I'm telling you you're treading on dangerous ground
That's dangerous ground to be on it's a denial of reality
You know, spiritually speaking people deny reality about death all the time. Don't they we talk to them all the time out soul-winning
Are you sure going to heaven? I don't know. Oh
Yeah, I'm going why well because I'm a good person. Well, that's not reality. No one's going to heaven because they're a good person
Hell is full of good people
Because all of sin it comes from the glory of God we understand that
Denying a reality about death is dangerous. I mean think about the atheist who denies the spiritual reality. They just want to you know
Contain, you know, I want to live it with a worldview that can only be explained through
You know some textbook that a man wrote to what they learned at some college or what some professor taught them
And you know what they spent tens of thousands of dollars to be indoctrinated with you know
They want to live with that reality and what they're doing is they're denying the spiritual reality
That there is a heaven that there is a hell that they are a sinner that there is a Savior and if they deny
Him they are going to pay for their own sins and they're gonna suffer eternal vengeance of hell fire. They're gonna experience death
For eternity in hell, they're gonna be cost cast in that lake of fire, which is the second death
The Bible says it is appointed unto a man wants to die
But after this the judgment that is a spiritual reality that people are deny of today
They deny that they say oh, I'm not gonna be judged. Yes, you are. That's what the Bible says
I have clear scripture that says after you die after it's appointed you to die and you will die
You will face God you will be judged and you will be found guilty before a holy God it cast headlong into hell fire
The Bible says there is a way which seemeth right unto a man
But the end thereof are the ways of death if that isn't, you know a delusional
Individual that the Bible is describing there. I don't know what is I mean, that's a perfect verse for this this morning sermon
That's a person who's denying reality. They say well this seems right to me. This is how I feel about a situation
It just logically this is how I explain it. This is my truth
They say this is the way it is for me
It seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death because there is only one truth
Jesus said I am the truth the way in the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me
And if people want to dream up some other way to heaven they can they can go ahead and live in that
You know, they're made up illusion
But that's not the spiritual reality that we all live in that there is a God that we are going to stand before and be judged
He says in 1st Corinthians chapter 3 look at verse 18. He said let no man deceive himself
You know the Bible said there's a way which seemeth right unto a man
You know people they live their lives and they just deceive themselves about reality
They deny things
For you know many different reasons
He said let no man deceive himself. This is something that's just inhuman nature
people don't want to admit to the fact that there is a hell the atheist wants to deny the truth of Scripture and
Even among you know God's people even among saved individuals Bible believing Christians who have been born again
Even we can even when it comes to the things of God can can read the Bible hear the preaching of the Word of God
And just say well, that's that's just not how I see it. I
Don't believe that
Well, you know what you're deceiving yourself
Because if we have chapter and verse
You know that we have a concrete reality that is not you know, it's not objective. It's not subjected to your opinion
It's not subjective to your feelings, you know
And if you want to deny that then you know what you're doing the complete opposite of 1st Corinthians chapter 3 you're deceiving yourself
You're not deceiving anybody else. You're the only person that's deceived and look it's something that we can do to ourselves
You know, we're warned and we'll see here in a minute
We're warned many times throughout Scripture
to not and to let no man deceive us that there are many Antichrist even now in the world that have gone out and that
Are going to try and deceive us
Until Christ returns, but you know what there is always that external threat of deception, but you know what?
There's also an eternal one. There's one that comes from within it is possible for a man to say
Well, this seems right to me and end up what deceiving himself
And saying well, I know what's the Bible says about this subject
I know it's what the Bible says about that subject, but that's just not how I feel
He says if any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world
And that's a lot of times what we'll do we'll bring the world's philosophy and say well
Let me let me see how I can match this up at the Bible. It's not going to match
And usually what the world gets right you'll find in Scripture anyway
Usually what the world does the right way there whether they know it or not
They're basing it off biblical principles sometimes outright biblical
doctrines
He says if any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world
Well, I know how the world operates let him become a fool that he may be wise
Wise how do you become a fool and become wise?
You stop saying well, it seems right to me. Oh
this is how I think it should be you stop saying that you say you know what my
My upbringing the things that I inherited for my parents and the education system and the values and the philosophies that have been pushed upon
Me you know they're foolish. They're foolish. They're false. They don't line up with Scripture, and that's when you say you know what now
I can actually become wise according to God's wisdom and not according to the world
But if we drag this worldly philosophy if we drag our old man
And we have our own way which seems right unto us we drag that into the Christian life and try to put you know a
Round hole excuse me a round peg into a square hole
It's it's not going to work and the end thereof is going to be death in one way shape or form
We're going to suffer
The Bible says in verse 19 the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God
You know those that and in terms of this you know spiritual reality those that are denying reality about death
You know they are in very dangerous ground if you would go to first John chapter 1 first John chapter number 1
You know the night the atheist just outright denies the spiritual reality that we all live in
the spiritual reality that the Bible clearly teaches
They mock at it, and they scoff at it
But what about those that just trust in their own works we run across that too
Might even be good people
You know they're also deceiving themselves
The Bible says in Proverbs 16 verse 25
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death you say preacher
You're repeating yourself. No the Bible is repeating itself
Within two chapters the Bible reiterates this thought that there is a way which seemeth right unto a man
But the end thereof are the ways of death
You know obviously everything the Bible says every command every instruction every verse every word is important
But when the Bible is repeating itself you know we ought to take heed to that
You have to say wait a minute
There's real consequences when I just do what I think is right and not according to the Word of God
The Bible says that I have you go to first John chapter 1 look at verse 8
It says if we have no sin if we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves
So here's this idea of self-deception. Here's this idea of again of somebody who denies reality and says well
I'm not that bad of a person I
Mean I know we all sin, but I've done more good than that. I haven't killed anybody
You know I I haven't murdered or raped or committed adultery. I haven't kidnapped anyone. I don't even steal and
This is the spiritual bar that the world raises this is and look those are all good things to do
Let's not start killing and stealing and everything else
By all means have that bar, but understand that that is not the bar that's not the bar
But understand that that is not the bar that God holds up the righteousness that we have to have is the righteousness of Christ
That's why the Bible says for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God all have come short
I don't care how
Moral and good and righteous your life has been it's far. It's it's far short of God's righteousness
It will never
Measure up
He's saying look if we say we have no sin. Well. I'm not that bad. We deceived ourselves
And people deceive themselves all the time out there, so I believe there's a God
I believe he's holy, but I also believe that I'm good enough to go to heaven on my own merit
You're deceiving yourself. You're denying reality, and it's dangerous
It says if we we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us
So that's a very broad way in which people deny reality
And we would apply that you know to the to the world in general to the lost out there
Be it the atheist or the person who's just relying in their own goodness their own works in order to earn themselves
A passage into heaven, but what about within God's people? What about when we bring it home to the saved?
It's not like when we get saved all of a sudden everything we believe just instantly lines up with the Bible
Or that we'll ever find ourselves in some kind of a position where you know we're just going to deny reality about a situation
You know one way in which people do this even among God's peoples they begin to deny reality about doctrine
You know the world denies reality about death, but God's people a lot of times
They could start to deny reality about the doctrines of the Bible
they'll hear preaching out of the Word of God and say well, I just don't think and I just don't feel and
what they'll start to do is they'll set start to develop a way which seemeth right unto them and
They'll start to deny what the scripture clearly teaches
Jesus answered and said that and this is John 7 my doctrine is not mine
But his that sent me if any man will do his will he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God or whether
I speak of myself. You know there is a will that God has for us. There is doctrine that God wants us to adhere to
And we can't just deny reality about doctrine
We can't just teach things that are false just because it's more convenient and
People teach a lot of false things today
Don't aren't there is there a lot of false teaching out there even under the umbrella of what's called Christendom today. I
Mean so many different churches and so many different denominations. You know we would cut say oh, that's a Christian Church
You know just be a time when the Catholics would say oh, I'm not Christian. I'm Catholic, but now even they're saying oh, I'm Christian
Now do they teach some false doctrine you bet they do and they're not the only ones
You know the Mormons would say oh, I'm I'm Christian
You know what they do they teach false doctrine of course the Jehovah's Witnesses say oh, yeah, we're Christian
We believe the Bible do they not teach a lot of false doctrine of course they do and even in
Independent and I'm not saying you know just because we're Baptist. We never preach anything. That's wrong. We don't have some things that are wrong
Believe me. It's out there. We have error no one's perfect
You know
But we strive to be biblical in our teaching as any sincere child of God ought to and not sit there and deny
reality about doctrine it's dangerous I
Mean think about even amongst independent fundamental Baptist. There's this thing called the pre-trib rapture you might have heard of it
I've been post-trib for so long. I forget there's even a thing called pre-trib
You know but for a long time. That's what I believed
I wasn't really sure why I believed it was just because that's what the pastor believed
And he never really taught me why I should believe it because it's kind of hard to teach from the Bible
Well the Bible says after the tribulation
He would go over to Matthew chapter 15 Matthew chapter number 15
You know that's that's a big deception. That's out there today. Well. It's so dangerous about that
What's so dangerous about people just believing that Jesus could come at any moment before?
The end of the service this morning Jesus could be here you better get saved today
It's look makes for good preaching and maybe I could scare some people down the aisle to get saved
But it's not biblical
Well, what's so dangerous about it? What's so bad?
Well, I don't know it isn't there something in the Bible about how there's gonna be this Antichrist that comes first
You know this false messiah, and if you've got all of these people looking for their imminent return of Jesus
They might be deceived by him especially those who are not saved
And I don't have time to develop all that obviously that's a whole sermon in and of itself. That's just one example
I'm bringing up though
Where people want to start denying reality about doctrines even God's people and it look it sets people up to fail
It's that's a it puts people on dangerous ground because denying reality is dangerous for the unsaved and for the saved
when people begin to teach false things what they're doing whether they realize it or not when they deny reality and they deny a
Reality about doctrine what they're doing is they're deceiving other people
And look we as preachers and God's people we are not at liberty to go beyond the bounds of Scripture
You know, I obviously we can get out and pick preach our opinion
we can preach those things as long as we're making it understood that this is my opinion and
Everyone in this room knows I certainly have preached my opinion
You know, but I've made that I feel like I do a good job of making sure people understand. Hey, this is my opinion
This is how I this is not if you don't agree with me, you know
You're somehow in sin or anything like that. You might be wrong, but
You know, maybe I'm wrong, you know, maybe I shouldn't be so quick to deny reality either
But the point is this is that we are not at liberty as God's people to just go beyond what the scripture teaches if you're
There in Matthew 15 verse 4 it says for God command commanded saying honor thy father and thy mother. Of course
This is Jesus reproving the Pharisees and he's saying that the Bible says in verse 4 that God said
Commanded saying honor thy father and mother he that curses father mother let him die the death
But ye say whosoever shall say to his father or his mother it is a gift by whatsoever. Thou may mightest be profited by me
And honor not his father his mother shall be free
He's saying look God said clearly in the scripture that if you don't honor your father your mother or you curse your father mother
Let him die the death
He said that's what God commanded
But ye say ye Pharisees
Ye teach what the traditions of men you say something other than that you have your opinion and you're denying
Doctrine and you're putting people on very dangerous ground
Ye say that if you yeah
You shall be free and you have made verse 6 the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition
And look even
Christians even Baptists are guilty of this
Of getting up and just preaching their tradition just saying well and look there's nothing wrong with tradition
Obviously, there's things that we do. There's things that we practice. We don't really have any, you know, necessarily clear scripture on why we do those things
But we're also by doing certain traditions, you know, we're not violating clear scripture either. That's where you draw the line
When what I'm teaching like the Pharisees here with my opinion with my the way which seems right on to me is clearly violating a
Command of God now I've crossed the line and now I'm you know, I'm I'm on dangerous ground and I'm trying to bring everybody else
with me
Jesus went on said in verse 7 you hypocrites
Well did Isaiah prophesy of you saying this people draw nigh unto me with their mouth and on earth me with their lips
But their heart is far from me
But in vain they do worship me doing what teaching for doctrines the commandments of men
See, this is something we have to be very careful about in our Christian life
To not you know when it comes this idea of denying reality about doctrine
We can't just start preaching and teaching, you know, the doctrines of men for the commandments of God
You can't say well, this is what I believe therefore you have to do this. Well, this is what the church did
This is what my parents did. This is what I'm gonna do
Why let's just cuz that's what we do. Well, I got a Bible here. It says it's wrong. You should quit doing that
Well, I'm gonna keep doing it. Anyway, you're on dangerous ground denying a reality
And look some traditions obviously are fine to do
But if someone can come to us and say look what you're doing is wrong
You know, we need to get on and they can show us from the Bible
We need to get on you know that on that program on the Bible's program
And this is something we got to keep in mind because you know people
This is just human nature. People just tend to just do things just because that's what they've always done
It reminds me that that illustration I heard a long time ago
I don't know if I ever shared it
But there was this young couple they got married and and he's sitting down for dinner and he's watching his wife his new wife
Prepare the the meal and she takes the ham and she cuts off both ends and she sticks it in the pan and puts it in
The oven says, oh, that's weird. I don't know why she just cut off all that
Both ends of that meat, you know, she just got rid of it
And he didn't think anything of it. It's just oh, I guess that's just the way she does it then he was over at her mother's house
And he's watching his mother-in-law prepare that ham and mom cut off both ends and put it in the pan and stuck in the oven
No, well, that's weird
Wonder why she does that
So he asked her and so, you know, I noticed your daughter does that why are you doing that?
She's I don't know. That's what my mother always did said. Oh, okay
and then you know another
Family gathering comes and grandma's there and grandma's making a hand this time and you know
She cuts off both ends and puts it in the oven. He says haha. I'm gonna figure out why they're doing this a strange tradition
That's how we did in my house. So he goes to grandma says, you know, I noticed, you know
Your granddaughter and your daughter both do that. They cut the hams off the ends off the ham and stick in the oven
Why they do that? She says well I do it so it fits in the pan
And it's just that's the idea that just people just do that and it's just that's the idea
Do things because that's just what they've been taught. They don't have any reason
You know grandma's doing it because it makes sense. Well, that's the only pan I got
It's the only way i'm gonna get it to fit in there
Then mom comes along and says well, that's the way mom did it
She's got plenty of room in the pan bought herself a brand new pan
Well that you just cut the ends off
And it's a silly story. But look this is the way people operate. This is how they do things
And look obviously that's not harming anyone you're wasting a little ham if you're doing that
But you know in a lot of traditions we might have we might just do just cause and they don't harm anything
But when it doesn't make sense
When someone comes and says look that doesn't make any sense. In fact, it's wrong. In fact, it's sin
In fact, you're teaching for doctrines the commandments of men
You know, that's what we need to say. Well, I gotta change
Because you're at that point, you know, you're deceiving people
You were putting them on dangerous ground and what is the danger of just taking liberties and just preaching your opinion as
as commandment
It's that you're on you're condemning others
You're condemning others
When you say well, this is the way we do it and if anybody doesn't do it this way then you know
uh, you know then they can just you know
Nuts with them
You know, they they can just go take a long walk off a short pier. I don't know choose your idiom
You know, they condemn other people
Look at verse one in matthew 15, this is what made jesus so upset
Then came jesus came to jesus scribes and Pharisees which were of jerusalem saying why do thy disciples transgress the?
transgress the tradition of the elders
Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders
For they wash not their hands when they eat bread
And what are they doing when they're saying look if you're not doing things the way we do them
You're transgressing our tradition
What are they doing? They're condemning people they're condemning innocent people
This is dangerous. This is the dangerous ground of just denying reality
Whether it's about doctrine or some situation when you just sit there and you're you know
You're obstinate and stiff-necked and hard-hearted and just not willing to admit you're wrong
You you could end up in some situations, you know, actually condemning people unjustly
That's what's going on in this story
And we saw how it went for them. I mean jesus kind of parked it there and called them some names
You know jesus got a little anti-semitic there, I guess
Now here, you know again, let me clarify expressing an opinion
And insisting that others share that opinion are two different things
You say well, wait a minute preacher. I've heard you get up there and I've heard you express your opinion from the pulpit
And yes, I have
And I have some very strong opinions about some things like no i'm just kidding
You all know what it is
It's several different things
But I you know, i've never gotten up and said, you know according to second opinions
And taught it as a commandment i've never gotten i'm saying no in the book of hezekiah it says
And try to add to the word of god i've never said that
And you know if people have ever wondered is that his opinion, you know
I don't think people really do wonder when it's my opinion. I think it's pretty obvious
If I haven't clarified it clarified it, you know, it's pretty obvious
So there's something wrong with an expressing an opinion to somebody
It's when we begin to insist that everybody else opinion lines up with us when we have our own perception of how things ought to be
When we say this is the way reality is this is the way it has to be and everybody else has to line up
You know and even and admittedly I know i've gotten up and preached things that you know, we're wrong
At the time it's like it's not like I set out to do that and so i'm gonna get up there and preach some some error
I'm gonna see if I can't wade out into the waters of heresy in this sermon
That's now what you know, that's not my goal
You know, but i'm flawed, you know newsflash i've shared a lot of you
You know, i'm not perfect
You know, i'm learning the bible too i'm growing as a christian too
Maybe i've been taught wrong things in the past. Maybe i've
Been a stiff neck and not allowed myself to be correct in the past, you know
I've gotten up and preached things. I know that we're wrong and i've you know later had you know
Either somebody come to me privately or even had you know a preacher get up and not let he was targeting me
But you know preach something that actually corrected me on something that I believed
And if it hasn't at least the very at the very, you know, if it hasn't at least uh, excuse me
If it hasn't changed my mind completely on something i've taught, you know
Maybe it's at least gotten me to consider the fact that maybe I am wrong about something I believe
Hopefully that's all making sense
But what I don't want to be is somebody who just says well I preached that once
And that's what I said, you know, two three four years ago. And since I preached it, you know, I just I can't ever be wrong
Look I've listened to sermons in my past and I've preached past well that wasn't right
whoops
I've heard other people get up and preach something and say well, I guess I was wrong about that
But you know, that's what I preach so i'm just gonna dig in my heels and that's it
What would I be doing at that point? I'd be denying reality
When I'm when someone says what you said what you did is wrong here's why
You can either admit that you're wrong or deny reality and stay wrong
And look this go to john 8
This is something that we need to understand because of the fact that when people begin to deny reality, they're deceiving other people
They're deceiving themselves
And what is deception? It's a form of lying
It's a form of lying
That's what it means to lie to somebody to deceive them
Tell them something that's false and hoping that they'll believe it and go along with it
You know, that's demonic
You know denying reality is dangerous when it comes to death denying reality is dangerous when it comes to doctrine denying reality is demonic
It's demonic because it's a form of lying either to oneself or others. You're there in john 8 look at verse 44
This is just this is jesus again just loving on on the jews there year of your father the devil
And the lust of your father ye will do he was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth
Because there is no truth in him when he speaketh a lie. He speaketh of his own
For he is a liar and the father of it
You know god which promised that the eternal life when the from when the world began cannot lie
God can't lie according to it. Where did lying come from? It came from satan. That's why it says that he is the father of it
And look i'm not saying, you know, if you're in denial about something you're being stiff-necked that you're some kind of
You know demoniac that you're possessed and you're some kind of wicked reprobate. What i'm saying is this is that
You are perpetuating something
That is of the devil
But we're denying reality we're being like satan because what we're doing is we're lying
Well, i'm not lying to anybody else. Yeah, but even if you're lying yourself, you're still lying
You know and one way this really shows that because a lot of no one's going to just admit that they
You know just straight up are lying
A lot of people don't even realize what they're saying is false
Look if there is a situation
Where two people are having a dispute about the facts of the matter one person is right and one person is wrong
And and if people are going to dig in their heels then you know what then somebody's lying
But somebody's saying nope, this is the way it is and that's not reality that's lying. That's deception. It's denying reality and it's demonic
And you see, you know and again
Most people understand that that's why they're they're not just going to come out and say yeah i'm lying
They're just going to come out and say yeah, you know, i'm a liar
They're just won't admit they're wrong, you know
Not because they're trying to deceive somebody but because they're too proud and just too stubborn to admit they're wrong
And whatever your reason for denying reality might be whether it's
You know, uh, whatever it might be, you know at the end of the day it's it's demonic but at the end of the day
It's stubbornness
When we just get stiff necked and hard-hearted and go back to first samuel 15, it'll be a short one this morning
first samuel chapter number 15
You know, we see an example of that and we read it this morning to kind of get the context here
I mean this is what people do they they do
Like saul did in this story
where they're told explicitly
Very clear instructions the word of god is preached
The man of god tells them this is the way it is. This is the way it has to be don't do anything different
And then they then they just conjure up the reasons why they could do whatever they want
And say wait, you can't sacrifice until I show up
Well, you know, it was getting late samuel you were you were dragging your feet and the people pressured me and I just committed sacrifice
You know and we went and we saved the best of the sheep and we saved the best of
Agag alive it was the people that wanted it
And samuel doesn't go okay. Well, I guess you know that makes sense, you know, I know I gave you very clear instruction, but you know
No, he gets rebuked for it
Because what's really going on in saul's heart is that he's stubborn
And he and and fortunately after he gets rebuked, you know
We won't take the time to look at he does admit that he sinned and some people can't even do that
The bible says in proverbs 29, and I know we all know this he that being often reproved hardeneth
His neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy
When people are coming to you and saying what you're doing is wrong what you're doing is wrong
What you're doing is wrong when you're being often reproved
And you're saying no, it's not wrong. No, it's not wrong and denying reality and denying reality and being stubborn and
Hardening your neck the bible says that you shall suddenly be destroyed
It's like people are just they're just they're you know in a car
They're just driving as fast as they can straight towards a cliff and everybody in the car is going cliff
Cliff there's a cliff stop. See all the signs
Slow down, you see the barrier up there. Nope, not a cliff
Cars can't fly. Yes, they can
We're gonna die. No, we will we got airbags that's you're denying reality
And again, that's a real basic silly example, but you know
You can apply that that's I mean, this is the same mentality that people have or just sit there and deny reality about a situation
They are what suddenly destroyed
You know eventually gonna go right through that barrier
Sailing off into the open air and crash and every one of the cars can be like I told you so
I told you so
After they're, you know pick, you know scooping their brains up off the floor or whatever
When they're, you know suddenly destroyed
That's why denying reality is dangerous
Look at first samuel chapter 15 verse 22, it's demonic
It's stubbornness and samuel said hath the lord as great delight and burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the lord
You know, what god really wants out of us more than anything is obedience
He just want he says I just want you to do what I told you to do
That's what I want. That's what god wants
Yeah, I know I disobeyed god, but you know, i've made this great big sacrifice. I did all these great things that that that
You know looks so good
Yeah, but that's not what I told you to do
That's what god wants is obedience, you know, that's all that parents, you know
Obviously parents want a lot of things for their children, but you know, what really
Blesses a parent, you know the a parent's heart is when their children just do what they're told
I mean we say it all the time and hopefully as parents because i'm sure nobody's kids in this room are perfect
I'm sure we've all uttered those words do what your mother told you to do
Do what I said
Do what your father said?
Don't have some other idea because oh, I think this is better. It doesn't matter
Obedience is what is needed
Because look, you know when you're not obeying what are you doing you're rebelling
Well is rebellion that bad? I mean rebellion is kind of cool, right?
I don't look I don't know who all the who all the rebels are in hollywood today, but you know
Wasn't there that movie rebel without a cause?
You know james dean wasn't he just like the coolest guy didn't he like make like two movies and then die in early death?
and
You know, well there you get there you go glorifying rebellion
I never saw it. I don't even know what it's about. But I mean this tight it's on the title
Rebel without a cause rebel. Oh rebellion is so cool
And what is rebellion it's hardening your neck it's stiffening your your neck hardening your heart
It's saying i'm not going to do what i'm told
That is rebellion. It's stubbornness
What does it lead to sudden destruction?
The bible says in verse 23 for rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft look that is strong language
The bible says suffer not a witch to live
And this is this is samuel saying this to king saul
Over the fact that he made sacrifices
Over the fact that he didn't kill utterly destroy the malachites over the fact that he didn't do what he was told
It wasn't even that he went and built some false god and and you know, just did some abominable thing
The problem is is he didn't do what he was told
It's rebellion and look that's what denying reality is it's rebellion
You know people can be shown in a situation where they're wrong they can be shown why they're wrong how they're wrong
And and it's like you are the textbook definition
Of this sin
What you're doing is it's textbook. It's it's the dictionary definition of what you're doing
They'll say no. No, it's different because because you know this and that situation and if i've done this differently
You know, they have all these reasons why they're not wrong. But what they really are is they're still wrong
They're just stubborn about it and they're rebels
And this is something that could creep into every single one of our lives
Where we just have a clear command a clear scripture a clear directive given to us by some authority
And we just say well, I just have better ideas. Well, you know what it's rebellion and it's witchcraft. It's as the sin of witchcraft
He says rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as an iniquity and idolatry
And he's saying and this isn't samuel's opinion about the matter. So I was like, let me tell you what I think
This is what god thinks about it
This is what god thinks about rebellion, this is what god thinks about stubbornness
He thinks it's like the sin of witchcraft. He thinks stubbornness is as the as iniquity and idolatry
Now correct me if i'm wrong, but idolatry is pretty up high on on the list of things that god hates
I mean it's like that, you know, uh, that was not making any graven image
That's like number two number three
So, you know next time we want to just deny reality and think well I know better or i'm not that way
Or we have some explanation of why that doesn't apply to us
We might want to think about this passage
Because i'm telling you it irritates god, I mean we read the story this morning
God says samuel says god's taking the kingdom from you. Is that right?
He's taking the kingdom from you. He's taking the kingdom from you. He's taking the kingdom from you. He's taking the kingdom from you
Samuel says god's taking the kingdom from you and he's going to give it to somebody else
He's going to give it to a man after his own heart
Being a stubborn stiff-necked and hard-hearted person irritates god in fact, you know, that's putting it lightly
I I would go so far as it just it makes god mad go to galatians six. We'll close there galatians chapter number six
The bible says the fear of the lord is to hate evil
Well, yeah, I hate evil
Okay, well it goes on and lists some of the things you ought to hate then if you hate evil
You would hate what pride
and arrogance
And the evil way and the forward mouth do I hate?
He's saying the fear of the lord is to hate evil
and then
He goes on and says because god hates evil pride and arrogance in the evil way in the forward mouth. Do I hate?
You know, he understood what evil is
Arrogancy and pride
Look, that's where rebellion and stubbornness and denying reality and self-deception come from from pride and arrogance
When people can't admit that they're wrong when they're clearly confronted by the facts
It's because they're proud arrogant people
You ever known anybody who's just never wrong
How would you describe that person proud and arrogant
Do you really want to spend time with people like that
People are just they're always correcting you they're always telling you why you're wrong, but you're never wrong
That's pride and arrogance he folks and he says look god hates the evil way I hate therefore I hate pride and arrogance
Look at galatians chapter 6 verse 3 the bible says in galatians chapter 6 verse 3 if a man
Think himself to be something when he is nothing he deceiveth himself
There is this idea again of people deceiving themselves people who are denying reality
about some situation
Maybe about some doctrine
Just some reality
Whatever it is
They sit there and they deceive themselves
And I know I've pointed out but isn't it interesting that it says he deceiveth
Everybody?
No, he deceives himself
Samuel wasn't deceived by Saul he saw the situation
He saw the situation for what it was
He walked right up and said what meaneth, you know, the bleeding of the of the you know, the sheep in my ears
Why is agag here?
You have not, you know fulfilled the commandment of the lord. He just saw the situation said well you're wrong
And then Saul's like well, no, no this that the other thing the only person you're deceiving Saul is yourself
Well, no, I i'm not that way, you know, i'm i'm this way i'm something
You know, I I believe that this is the way it is and you know
What the only person you're deceiving is you everybody else around is going?
You're wrong
The only person that's deceived is himself everybody else says you're just proud you're just arrogant you're just stubborn
You're just stiff-necked. Everybody else can see it except you
Because pride has a way of just blinding people to reality
And what they end up doing through their pride through their arrogance is they start to think that they're right and everybody else is wrong
And at the end of the day, you know what it's so infuriating to others is that it's insulting to the intelligence of the rest of us
I mean think about what you're saying. Well, i'm right and everybody else is wrong
What you're really saying is i'm smarter and everybody else is an idiot
It's insulting, you know what the bible says you're deceiving yourself and
You're actually the arrogant one. You're actually the one that's full of pride and stubbornness
You're the one who's denying reality
Look, this is important sermon this morning because of the fact that you know, we're all going to be wrong
About things in life. We all are we're all going to make mistakes
Whether it's just about life in general, we're going to have preconceived ideas
We're going to adopt philosophies that are unbiblical
That maybe even are sinful, you know, we're gonna we're gonna at some point
We're all going to be wrong probably more than once in our life
And if you don't think that's the case, i'll tell you you're wrong right now
If you're sitting there thinking well not me i've got it all figured out you're wrong
Right now and if you're not willing to admit that right now, you know what you're proud and you're out of your mind
You're proud and you're arrogant and you're stubborn
We're all going to be wrong about things
So you might as well just start admitting it now I don't have a problem with people being wrong
Because then i'd have a problem with myself
I don't have a problem with people being wrong if they can admit that they're wrong
But what what I can't stand is when people are clearly wrong about a situation. They're clearly wrong about a doctrine
They're clearly in the wrong. They're shown why they just won't admit it
I want nothing to do with people like that
Nothing because they're on dangerous ground. They're going to condemn others. They're going to condemn themselves
It's like I just don't want to be collateral damage in your life
As you just you know, just go through life just never being wrong
Because denying reality is dangerous. Let's go and pray