Bible Text: 1 Samu\u00adel 15:22 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Like you and me | Samu\u00adel was a priest, pro\u00adphet and cap\u00adtain in Isra\u00adel about 3000 years ago. In his young years he lear\u00adned to lis\u00adten to and obey God. He expres\u00adsed his expe\u00adri\u00adence in the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing words to King Saul: \u00abTo obey him is very much bet\u00adter than to offer sacri\u00adfice, to lis\u00adten to him is bet\u00adter than the fat of rams\u00bb (1Samuel 15:22). What is a life of lis\u00adtening and obey\u00ading as oppo\u00adsed to a life of offe\u00adring sacrifices?<\/p>\n
\tWhat actions in your life could be sacri\u00adfices to make a dif\u00adfe\u00adrence with God? Bible Text: 1 Samu\u00adel 15:22 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Like you and me | Samu\u00adel was a priest, pro\u00adphet and cap\u00adtain in Isra\u00adel about 3000 years ago. In his young years he lear\u00adned to lis\u00adten to and obey God. He expres\u00adsed his expe\u00adri\u00adence with the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing words to King Saul: \u00abTo\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[63],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-wie-du-und-ich","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-2728","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"hentry","10":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nThe out\u00adstan\u00adding importance of hea\u00adring is alre\u00ada\u00addy a mira\u00adcle in purely bio\u00adlo\u00adgi\u00adcal terms: when the litt\u00adle cell bund\u00adle of a human being is seven or eight days old, the first begin\u00adnings of the ears alre\u00ada\u00addy appear \u2013 micro\u00adsco\u00adpi\u00adcal\u00adly small. At four and a half months, half\u00adway through pregnan\u00adcy, hea\u00adring is alre\u00ada\u00addy ful\u00adly deve\u00adlo\u00adped. It is the only part of our body that rea\u00adches its final size befo\u00adre birth. The bone that sur\u00adrounds the hea\u00adring organ \u2013 cal\u00adled the petrous bone \u2013 is by far the har\u00addest bone struc\u00adtu\u00adre in the human body. And when a per\u00adson dies, hea\u00adring is one of the last func\u00adtio\u00adning sys\u00adtems of the body. How pre\u00adcious hea\u00adring must be! Four\u00adteen times (!) in the Bible is the sen\u00adtence: \u00abHe who has ears, let him hear.\u00bb Hea\u00adring is match-decisi\u00adve in the Chris\u00adti\u00adan faith. It is the first door on the way to powerful breakth\u00adroughs in life. Samu\u00adel grapp\u00adled with this in his life. Two prot\u00adago\u00adnists of his time offer us illus\u00adtra\u00adti\u00adve lessons.
\nSaul brings sacrifices
\nThrough the pro\u00adphet Samu\u00adel, Saul was com\u00admis\u00adsio\u00adned by God to exe\u00adcu\u00adte the ban on the Ama\u00adle\u00adki\u00adtes. Saul actual\u00adly ful\u00adfil\u00adled this order quite well, per\u00adhaps too 99%, but he spared the king of the Ama\u00adle\u00adki\u00adtes and the best sheep and catt\u00adle. He did not do this for per\u00adso\u00adnal gain, but to sacri\u00adfice with them to the LORD<\/span> in Gil\u00adgal (1Samuel 15:21). Quite pious moti\u00adves! The reason for this action Saul explains to us hims\u00adelf right away: \u00ab[\u2026] I did not fol\u00adlow your ins\u00adtruc\u00adtions and the com\u00admand of the LORD<\/span>, becau\u00adse I was afraid of the peo\u00adp\u00adle and did what they asked\u00bb (1Samuel 15:24 NL<\/span>). Saul wan\u00adted to plea\u00adse the people.
\nBecau\u00adse we see the end of the sto\u00adry from the Bible and get deeper insight, we know that Saul was not obe\u00addient here and we find it bad. From the per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve of a con\u00adtem\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adry who could not see behind the sce\u00adnes, Saul\u2019s actions see\u00admed quite good and god\u00adly. Of cour\u00adse, he was not com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly obe\u00addient \u2013 but only in one per\u00adcent. At least he gave his one per cent dis\u00ado\u00adbe\u00addience a pious veneer. The best sheep and oxen are to be sacri\u00adfi\u00adced to the LORD<\/span>. That would be like eva\u00adding taxes to sup\u00adport a Chris\u00adti\u00adan project.
\nGod saw it dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly. For him, this dis\u00ado\u00adbe\u00addience was the last straw and he rejec\u00adted Saul as king over the peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel (1 Samu\u00adel 15:26). Samu\u00adel jus\u00adti\u00adfies this harsh decis\u00adi\u00adon: \u00abObey\u00ading him is much bet\u00adter than offe\u00adring a sacri\u00adfice, lis\u00adtening to him is bet\u00adter than the fat of rams\u00bb (1Samuel 15:22 NL<\/span>).
\nSaul redu\u00adced his rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God to the obser\u00advan\u00adce of ritu\u00adals, such as sacri\u00adfice. In addi\u00adti\u00adon, he did not take obe\u00addience so serious\u00adly in his ever\u00ady\u00adday life. For him, it was at least as important to look good befo\u00adre peo\u00adp\u00adle as befo\u00adre God. Rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God and ever\u00ady\u00adday life were two dif\u00adfe\u00adrent things for Saul. Sacri\u00adfice had the hig\u00adher value than obe\u00addience. It was not what God wanted.
\nDavid is obedient
\nLong after David was anoin\u00adted king by Samu\u00adel, he final\u00adly recei\u00adved the roy\u00adal crown offi\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly. The Phi\u00adlis\u00adti\u00adnes found out about this and imme\u00addia\u00adte\u00adly set up batt\u00adle in the plain of Refa\u00adim. David asked the LORD<\/span> if he should go against the Phi\u00adlis\u00adti\u00adnes and he would be vic\u00adto\u00adrious. On the \u00abGo\u00bb from God, David went against the Phi\u00adlis\u00adti\u00adnes and defea\u00adted them. He cal\u00adled the place of vic\u00adto\u00adry Baal-Pera\u00adzim (= Lord of breakth\u00adroughs) becau\u00adse it was the LORD<\/span> who had given the breakthrough.
\nThe Phi\u00adlis\u00adti\u00adnes had not had enough yet, so a short time later they lined up again on the same plain. Same place, same situa\u00adti\u00adon, same par\u00adties \u2013 the same in green\u2026 But not for David: he again asked the Lord what to do. And this time the Lord had come up with a dif\u00adfe\u00adrent tac\u00adtic. David also kept to this uncon\u00adven\u00adtio\u00adnal order. With his who\u00adle army he gave the Phi\u00adlis\u00adti\u00adnes a wide berth, wai\u00adted for the rust\u00adling in the Baka trees and then atta\u00adcked from behind. \u00abThen David did as the LORD<\/span> had com\u00adman\u00added him. And he atta\u00adcked the Phi\u00adlis\u00adti\u00adnes from Gibe\u00adon until one came to Gezer\u00bb (2 Samu\u00adel 5:25; Elb).
\nWhy was David a man after God\u2019s own heart? He lis\u00adten\u00aded to God and obey\u00aded. The Greek word for hear is akouo, and for obey is hypa\u00adkouo. Hypa\u00adkouo lite\u00adral\u00adly means to lis\u00adten upwards. David was one who lis\u00adten\u00aded upwards, in the sen\u00adse of Samu\u00adel, who a few years ear\u00adlier ans\u00adwe\u00adred God, \u00abSpeak, your ser\u00advant hears\u00bb (1 Samu\u00adel 3:10 NL<\/span>). David did as the Lord com\u00adman\u00added him. That\u2019s right; not only what, but also how the Lord com\u00adman\u00added! David\u2019s one hundred per\u00adcent obe\u00addience runs like a thread through his histo\u00adry. The rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God per\u00adme\u00ada\u00adted his ever\u00ady\u00adday life, it was not some\u00adthing addi\u00adtio\u00adnal. He lis\u00adten\u00aded and obey\u00aded. Obe\u00addience was more important to him than sacri\u00adfice. The rever\u00adence for God was grea\u00adter in David than the fear of man (cf. 2Samuel 6:20ff). The con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adon for this life of obe\u00addience was that the Spi\u00adrit of God had come upon David (1Samuel 16:13). Saul, howe\u00adver, had the same con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adons (1Samuel 10:10). Obvious\u00adly, the\u00adre is no auto\u00adma\u00adti\u00adci\u00adty. But, one thing is cer\u00adtain, if we want to hear God and expe\u00adri\u00adence breakth\u00adroughs, the Holy Spi\u00adrit is urgen\u00adtly nee\u00added. A per\u00adson is gifted with it when he opens the door of his heart when Jesus knocks. Are you alre\u00ada\u00addy living this rela\u00adti\u00adonship of trust with God?
\nAre you Saul or David?
\nDo you live your life as a Chris\u00adti\u00adan accor\u00adding to the Saul or David con\u00adcept? From the out\u00adside, both con\u00adcepts of faith look quite simi\u00adlar \u2013 per\u00adhaps even with slight advan\u00adta\u00adges for the Saul type. He impres\u00adses with many pious acti\u00advi\u00adties. His agen\u00adda is full of them. That is why he is dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to expose.
\nI will now try to descri\u00adbe the life of a Chris\u00adti\u00adan \u2013 I will call him Saul, who lives in this sys\u00adtem: For a Saul, sacri\u00adfice comes befo\u00adre obe\u00addience. Sacri\u00adfice means com\u00admit\u00adting a reli\u00adgious act to gain God\u2019s favour. This reli\u00adgious act can be par\u00adti\u00adci\u00adpa\u00adti\u00adon in the con\u00adgre\u00adga\u00adti\u00adon, atten\u00adding church ser\u00advices, dona\u00adting, rea\u00adding the Bible, pray\u00ader, dea\u00adcon\u00adry \u2013 just ever\u00ady\u00adthing that one does as a Chris\u00adti\u00adan. Pro\u00advo\u00adking mira\u00adcles, for exam\u00adp\u00adle by pray\u00ading for the sick, can also be a sacri\u00adfice. One then belie\u00adves that one only has to plead cor\u00adrect\u00adly and fer\u00advent\u00adly enough. In the end, howe\u00adver, one only wants to achie\u00adve breakth\u00adroughs on one\u2019s own.
\nThe impul\u00adse for a sacri\u00adfice does not come from God, but ari\u00adses from habit, reli\u00adgious socia\u00adli\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon (one knows what one does or does not do as a Chris\u00adti\u00adan), a guil\u00adty con\u00adsci\u00adence or a lon\u00adging for God. So man takes the initia\u00adti\u00adve and wants to achie\u00adve some\u00adthing with God with basi\u00adcal\u00adly good things. In this way, howe\u00adver, faith in Jesus Christ beco\u00admes a religion.
\nIn the life of a Saul, the\u00adre is a split bet\u00adween faith and ever\u00ady\u00adday life. The rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God is an addi\u00adtio\u00adnal pro\u00adgram\u00adme to the other are\u00adas of life. It may be throug\u00adhout that this pro\u00adgram\u00adme is quite inten\u00adse and time-con\u00adsum\u00ading, Saul has a high stan\u00adding in the com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty as a result. The pro\u00adblem is that faith is redu\u00adced to the obser\u00advan\u00adce of ritu\u00adals (sacri\u00adfices) and has litt\u00adle or not\u00adhing to do with ever\u00ady\u00adday life. Like, for exam\u00adp\u00adle, the weekly visit to the sau\u00adna on Satur\u00adday evening. Nevert\u00adhel\u00adess, Saul lives his ever\u00ady\u00adday life, on the who\u00adle, quite Chris\u00adti\u00adan. The\u00adre is a good chan\u00adce that he does not take things very serious\u00adly in the last per\u00adcen\u00adta\u00adges and tole\u00adra\u00adtes things in life that he knows very well are not in accordance with God\u2019s will. Becau\u00adse he wants to plea\u00adse peo\u00adp\u00adle, the influence of their voice on his life is stron\u00adger than the voice of God.
\nSaul will hard\u00adly noti\u00adce when God with\u00addraws from his life, becau\u00adse he does not depend on God\u2019s spea\u00adking at all. His pro\u00adgram\u00adme works well wit\u00adhout God. He expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces faith in Jesus Christ as rather bor\u00ading, well-beha\u00adved, rather exhaus\u00adting and not very vic\u00adto\u00adrious. Deep in his heart he feels an unquen\u00adched lon\u00adging for adven\u00adture, chall\u00adenge, joy, peace and victory.
\n
\nThe David type is com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly dif\u00adfe\u00adrent: the the\u00adme of his life is hypa\u00adkouo. He is an upward lis\u00adte\u00adner. A David knows that obe\u00addience is much bet\u00adter than sacri\u00adfice. Jesus sacri\u00adfi\u00adced hims\u00adelf for us on the cross \u2013 vica\u00adrious\u00adly, we have been freed from sacri\u00adfice once and for all! It is no lon\u00adger pos\u00adsi\u00adble to earn even a litt\u00adle some\u00adthing from God through our own actions. In view of this fact, the\u00adre is now only one true and pro\u00adper ser\u00advice that is plea\u00adsing to God, name\u00adly, \u00abcom\u00admit your who\u00adle lives to God. Let it be a living and holy sacri\u00adfice \u2013 a sacri\u00adfice in which God delights\u00bb (Romans 12:1 NL<\/span>). No acts of sacri\u00adfice, but devo\u00adti\u00adon is cal\u00adled for. This means giving all your own desi\u00adres, goals and ide\u00adas to God and obey\u00ading Him wholeheartedly.
\nIn con\u00adtrast to sacri\u00adfice, the impul\u00adse for obe\u00addience always comes from God. He is the agent, the sub\u00adject. Man is the object. David can only be obe\u00addient becau\u00adse God acts or speaks. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, obe\u00addience is not a con\u00adtra\u00addic\u00adtion to grace, but a com\u00adpo\u00adnent of it. So ever\u00ady\u00adthing comes from God; the orders, the con\u00adcre\u00adte work ins\u00adtruc\u00adtions and also the power to car\u00adry them out. Obe\u00addience is the door to a life in the flow of grace! \u00abThen David did as the LORD<\/span> com\u00adman\u00added him\u2026\u00bb (2Samuel 5:25 Elb). For God, how we do some\u00adthing is more important than what we do.
\nIn the life of a David, the\u00adre is no split\u00adting of ever\u00ady\u00adday life and faith. Ever\u00ady\u00adday life is per\u00adme\u00ada\u00adted and encom\u00adpas\u00adsed by the rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God. King David pur\u00adsued one goal during his reign: he wan\u00adted to bring the Ark of the Coven\u00adant to the capi\u00adtal and build a house the\u00adre for God. God belongs in the cent\u00adre, the rela\u00adti\u00adonship with him should be the start\u00ading point and goal of our who\u00adle life. If God were to with\u00addraw from his life for even one day, it would not go unno\u00adti\u00adced. For wit\u00adhout God, a David is not capa\u00adble of acting; he would not know when, how and what to do. The rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God is like the oxy\u00adgen of life for him. David was not per\u00adfect, some\u00adti\u00admes he fai\u00adled and God had to inter\u00adve\u00adne (2Samuel 11+12; 24). The\u00adre we have a gre\u00adat advan\u00adta\u00adge, we are allo\u00adwed to make mista\u00adkes and we don\u2019t even have to bear the punish\u00adment our\u00adsel\u00adves! Jesus did this for us.
\nOnly tho\u00adse who respect God and are in awe of Him will lis\u00adten upwards. Someone once said: \u00abYou will ser\u00adve what you fear. If you fear God, you will ser\u00adve Him. If you fear man, you will ser\u00adve man. You have to choo\u00adse.\u00bb David cho\u00adse the fear of God.
\nFor a David, life with God is one adven\u00adture, no two days are the same, becau\u00adse the\u00adre are no auto\u00adma\u00adtisms (same place, same situa\u00adti\u00adon, same par\u00adties \u2260 same tac\u00adtics!!!). Some\u00adti\u00admes a David will also have to fol\u00adlow uncon\u00adven\u00adtio\u00adnal paths that are not unders\u00adtood by fel\u00adlow Chris\u00adti\u00adans, and often Davids are not reco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00aded in their con\u00adgre\u00adga\u00adti\u00adons as peo\u00adp\u00adle after God\u2019s own heart. His ever\u00ady\u00adday life is full of breakth\u00adroughs that the Lord crea\u00adtes (Baal-Pera\u00adzim). In obe\u00addience he lives a life much grea\u00adter than himself.
\nThe linch\u00adpin of living in obe\u00addience and thus in God\u2019s grace is lis\u00adtening. David not only hears, but he also obeys. He lis\u00adtens upwards becau\u00adse he sees hims\u00adelf as a ser\u00advant of God. A hea\u00adrer can only be one who makes a habit of spen\u00adding non-func\u00adtion\u00adal time with God. This means sim\u00adply sit\u00adting on the lap of the hea\u00adven\u00adly Father and beco\u00adming quiet, wit\u00adhout impres\u00adsing God with it and wai\u00adting for a result. (Other\u00adwi\u00adse it would be ano\u00adther sacri\u00adfice!) The Psalms bear wit\u00adness to how David sim\u00adply shared his ever\u00ady\u00adday life, his vic\u00adto\u00adries and defeats, his ela\u00adti\u00adons and depres\u00adsi\u00adons, with God.
\n
\nIt is worth beco\u00adming more and more of a David. On the sur\u00adface, it is the chal\u00adlen\u00adging path, but it is the one that God is on. It is the path of grace and the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre ulti\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly the much easier path; and only pep\u00adpe\u00adred with exci\u00adting adven\u00adtures and many spi\u00adri\u00adtu\u00adal breakthroughs.
\n
\n
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups<\/p>\n
\n\tAre the\u00adre things in your life that you tole\u00adra\u00adte even though you know they are not right befo\u00adre God?
\n\t\u00abIf you fear God, you will ser\u00adve Him. If you fear man, you will ser\u00adve man.\u00bb How do you expe\u00adri\u00adence this in your life?
\n\tIma\u00adgi\u00adne God with\u00addra\u00adwing from your life. How long would it take you to rea\u00adli\u00adse it?
\n\tWhat does lis\u00adtening upwards mean to you? What does that look like in practice?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"