Study Notes

1.     Character is doing what God said because he is right (1 Samuel 15:1)

A.    Rebellion – (1) Opposition to one in authority or dominance, (2) To oppose or disobey one in authority or control (3) opposing or taking arms against a government or ruler

1.      We don’t like to look at our disobedience as rebellion

2.      We don’t like to look at our rebellion as if we are against God (Matt 12:30)

a.      We like to think that we can do little to nothing that God says, but be saved and not be against him

3.      If God’s right (and He is) and you rebel against him then you’re wrong and not a person of character

B.     1-The first thing Samuel told Saul was to hear and do what God said

1.      God and His word are right and when you do what God says you’re doing what’s right – That’s character

2.      Hearken – To hear, to listen, and to obey---Character’s not just hearing, it’s not just listening it’s doing

2.     Rebellion is present when knowing what’s right you chose to do what’s wrong (1 Samuel 15:3)

A.    Rebellion consists of finding out what’s right, and then doing wrong; You’re rebelling against what you know is right

1.      Deuteronomy 9:23-THEN. WHEN? After hearing what the Lord said you knowing what was right rebelled

2.      Daniel 9:5-Knowing God’s precepts and judgments they departed from them

B.     Character is the exact opposite of rebellion because character, knowing what’s right, does right

1.      If it doesn’t make sense, if we don’t want to do it, knowing what’s right people of character do right

C.    When you know in your spirit what’s right don’t ever violate that

1.      It’s a serious character flaw to know what’s right in your heart and not do it – THAT’S REBELLION

a.      But there’s something about a person of character who knows what’s right and they don’t feel like doing right, they don’t want to do right, it’s going to cost them to do right, it’s going to be hard to do what’s right, and they stand up and do what’s right; THAT IS WHAT MOVES HEAVEN IN THE EARTH AND CAUSES POWER TO SHOW UP

2.      Knowing what’s right I refuse to chose to do what’s wrong

D.    People lie to themselves and other about what they know

1.      Joshua 22:22 – God knows what you know and whether or not you are rebelling

3.     In rebellion people always set their own standard; Saul decided to set his own standard (1 Samuel 15:8-9)

A.    God said utterly destroy ALL that they have and don’t spare any of them

1.      Saul decided to spare the King, to destroy every thing that was vile and refuse, but keep all that was good

B.     Rebellious people do whatever they think is right and good; They do it their way (Isaiah 65:2)

1.      In all rebellion, you decided that something else was right and okay

a.      Rebellious people set their own standard, they are a law unto themselves, and rebellion is the results (That’s Saul)

b.      EX: We know the word says that, but we just feel like this is okay too

2.      Translations

a.      NEB – Who went their evil way, following their own devices

b.      MOF – I have stretched my hands, all day, to unruly rebels, who lead a life corrupt, pleasing themselves

c.      KNOX – Outstretched these hands of mine, all day long, to a nation of rebels, straying this way and that as the mood takes them openly defying me

d.      TAY – But my own people have rebelled; they follow their own evil paths and thoughts

e.      MSG – I reached out day after day to a people who turned their backs on me, People who make wrong turns, who insist on doing things their own way.

f.       NCV – All day long I stood ready to accept people who turned against me, but the way they continue to live is not good; they do anything they want to do.

g.      CEV – All day long I have reached out to stubborn and sinful people going their own way.

3.      They’re going in a way that’s not God so it’s not good or right

a.      8-9-This wasn’t God’s way it was Saul’s way

b.      Proverbs 14:12, 16:25 – There’s a way that seems right, but that way needs to be checked with the way that is right

4.      People fall into this and they think, “Well I got a special relationship with God and that’s why I don’t have to do what His word says.”  They try to justify their disobedience to God with the idea that they have a special relationship.

a.      You can’t feel in your spirit that doing something that differs from the written word is okay

C.    People of character don’t try to set the standard, they live up to the standard that’s been set

1.      People of character don’t take their feelings, thoughts, or opinions into account once they know the standard

a.      “We just feel” and “I think” aren’t synonymous with people of character

4.     One major things you’ll find in rebellion is that people who rebel take the word of God lightly (1 Samuel 15:13-15)

A.    People who rebel always take the word of God lightly

1.      Saul must have thought it was no big deal that they didn’t do exactly what God said.  He must have thought that doing what God said wasn’t going to make much of a difference in his life?  He must have thought that his anointing wasn’t on the line, he must of thought his calling wasn’t on the line, he must thought that his life wasn’t on the line?

2.      One area the church has continued to fail in is they take the word of God lightly and the fail to connect what they do and don’t do from the Word and what they get in life. 

B.     We have to honor and respect God’s word and we cannot continue to take his word lightly because it will lead to rebellion

1.      Do not take the Word of God lightly; when God speaks it’s no light thing

a.      When God, the Lord, the creator of ends of the Earth, Your Heavenly Father and commander and chief shows the willingness to speak to you that’s not something that you should take lightly

2.      When people take the word of God lightly that’s a lack of respect, reverence, and honor towards His precious Word

a.      The Word of is given by inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16)

b.      Proverbs 13:13 – We are to honor and respect the Word of God

c.      1 Samuel 3:1 – The Word of God is precious – Valuable, prized, weighty, precious, rare, splendid, influential

d.      Psalm 119:161-162 – He stood in awe of his word

e.      One mistake many people make is they think that a person preaching is just a man talking (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

3.      We’ve taken the word of God lightly and made it an optional thing. 

a.      It’s almost like “Oh we know what his written word said.  Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Give us something prophetic.” 

b.      In the minds of a lot of believers the written word has become insufficient.

C.    People of character respect and honor God’s word and they carry out what he said to the detail doing exactly what He said

1.      Genesis 6:1-22 – Noah carried out exactly what he said

5.     In rebellion you’ll find lying and self-deception (1 Samuel 15:20)

A.    The difference between deception and self-deception is that in self deception you’re lying to yourself

1.      Saul knew he didn’t do what the Lord told him to do (He wouldn’t have spoke like this V15, if he didn’t know what they did was wrong)

B.     Isaiah 30:8-11

1.      9-Rebellious people are liars; They lie to other people, but they also lie to themselves

a.      They are lying to themselves that what they are doing is right when they know it’s wrong

b.      They’re trying to justify doing something they know is wrong by lying to themselves about it being right

2.      9-10-Rebellious people aren’t interested in hearing the Word of God or the right things

a.      The rebellious people of low character don’t want the truth

1)      EX: Lie to us, tell us how good we are, tell us things that please our flesh

b.      Rebellious people are more interested in hearing lies that make them feel good that support their rebellion, then truth that may hurt a little bit

1)      It’s spiritual immaturity desiring spiritual candy that taste good, rather than the nutritious truth of God’s word that feeds your spirit

c.      Rebellious people will not receive truth instruction of God’s Word; They are hard hearted people (1 Sam 15:17-21)

1)      23-If you lie to yourself long enough about your rebellion, then stubbornness will manifest

3.      13-THIS INIQUITY--- This doing wrong --- will be as a wall breaking

a.      Then most people blame it on God when their walk breaks and the enemy gets them

b.      Don’t blame God, he told you what was right to do and you didn’t do it

1)      All this could have been stopped if you wouldn’t have rebelled

C.    People of character are people of truth; the speak the truth and seek the truth

1.      Rebellious people don’t want the truth because it reveals to them that they need to change and they don’t want to change

2.      People of character want the truth straight because their desire is to be just like the Master

6.     In rebellion you’ll find a refusal to accept responsibility (1 Samuel 15:21)

A.    Saul gathers the people together, but there’s no record of him telling them what God had told him

1.      SEPT – Saul assembled the people and reviewed them at Galgal

2.      MOF – Saul summoned the troops, mustering them at Telem

3.      I’m sure he discussed the battle plan with his army, but there’s no record of him mentioning what God said

a.      If he would have mentioned it and gave the people an order they would have obeyed

B.     Saul said, “THEY have brought them from the Amaliekites: for THE PEOPLE spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord your God; and the rest WE have utterly destroyed.”

1.      When it comes to sparing things that God said don’t spare it was THEY and THE PEOPLE, but when it comes to destroying things it’s WE

2.      Saul tried to blame the people instead of just stepping up to the plate and accepting responsibility

3.      Genesis 3:12 – Adam blamed his wife and he blamed God

C.    People of character step up the plate and don’t blame others or make excuses

7.     In rebellion you’ll always find fear (1 Samuel 15:24)

A.    People who rebel are afraid that if they do what God says they’re going to miss out on something

1.      1 John 5:3 – They think there is loss associated with obeying God

2.      Mark 10:17 – The rich young ruler was afraid if he obeyed and followed Jesus he would lose out on something

3.      Matthew 25:25 – He was afraid of losing what he had

B.     If the blessings come from obeying God and the curse comes from not why would a person not obey God? 

1.      It’s fear that if they obey God they’ll miss out on something

C.    Character and fear don’t go together.  People of character aren’t afraid of doing what’s right.

1.      Character people don’t care what the cost is for doing right.  They’re always ready to pay the price. 

8.     Rebellion will cost you anointing and power (1 Samuel 15:23)  

A.    23-Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft

1.      As believers if we saw somebody in witchcraft we’d be appalled, but the Word is telling me that rebellion is just like witchcraft

B.     Saul rejected the Word and it cost him his anointing

1.      What greater anointing has the church missed out on because of rebellion?

C.    To rebel or not to rebel?

1.      Num 20:24, 27:14 – Rebellion kept Aaron and Moses from the promise land

2.      1 Samuel 12:14 – Good is in store for people of character who don’t rebel

3.      Isaiah 1:19-20 – The rewards of character and the result of rebellion

9.     It doesn’t matter how rebellious you’ve been, there’s loving-kindness available, and God will forgive you and wash your sins away (Psalm 107:9-15)

10.  2 keys to not rebelling 1) Set your heart on what’s right 2) Be steadfast (Ps 78:8)

A.    The rebellious have not set their heart on what is right

1.      You got to fix your heart on what is right and that’s the word of God

2.      We got to set our hearts that we’re going to obey God

3.      You got to make a decision of quality that this word is final authority in my life and I don’t conform this Word to fit my lifestyle, I conform my lifestyle to fit this word

B.     The rebellious are not steadfast

1.      They’re not steadfast because they haven’t set their heart

a.      If you don’t set you heart on day one, you want be steadfast on day 31

2.      No matter how hard it gets people of character are firm, reliable, and lasting