Greg Laurie - Wasted Potential: The Story of King Saul (03/16/2018)
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Pastor Greg Laurie preaches from 1 Samuel 9 on "Wasted Potential," showing how Saul started strong with looks, charisma, and God's anointing but threw it all away through disobedience and pride. The key point hits hard: it's not just starting the race well that counts—it's finishing faithfully by obeying God fully, or you end up disqualified like Saul, who admitted, "I have played the fool and erred exceedingly."
The Danger of Wasted Potential
Tonight we are in 1 Samuel chapter 9. And the title of my message is "Wasted Potential." Let's pray together.
Now Father as we open Your word again. It is just so amazing how it speaks to every aspect of our life. The challenges that we face, the questions we have, they are all addressed right here in Scripture. And Lord, I think of all the potential in this room right now. I think of the potential of those that will listen to this message later on radio or hear it, watch it on the Internet. All that potential. And Lord, we don't want to waste that potential You have given to us. So speak to us as we open Your word. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
Everyday Choices That Shape Our Race
How many of you would like to eat? Raise up your hand. Would you like to eat? Okay. Wow. How many of you don't care about food at all? Raise your hand up. You don't really care about food. Really? Get out. That is weird. Seriously. Leave now. No, don't. But, well, look. You can set a clock by my stomach. I don't even have to look at my watch. I know when it is almost lunch time because my stomach starts growling. Honestly, I am hungry for lunch at ten o'clock. I am just hanging on, waiting for it to come. And, you know, so maybe my wife is making me lunch. Or maybe we will go out to lunch. And we will go to a restaurant we have been to before. And my wife always wants to see the menu. I say, Kathy, we come here all the time. Why do you want to see the menu? Well, I want to see what they are offering. It is the same thing they offered last time. And then she will ask the server a lot of questions. Meanwhile, my stomach is growling even more. I think, guys, we know what we want before we even sit down. You know, just put food on the plate and bring it quickly. That is what we want. But she likes to peruse the menu and think it over.
But just so you don't think I am Mr. Always Decisive, I have my moments of indecision as well. And it always seems to happen when I am in one of those drive-thru, take-out type restaurants, you know. And sometimes you don't know where the menu is. And it is right there where the speaker is. You are hoping there is sort of a preliminary menu. So you can decide. But some of these places, Taco Bell, it is right there at the speaker. And you get there. And oh, there are some new things. And I am like, oh, I don't know what to do. And then the voice comes over the speaker. "What do you want?" And then I am trying to order. And I sometimes can't understand what they are saying because the speaker seems to always be overdriving or something. And I, you know, I don't know what to do. I always have a line of people behind me. You know, those moments of indecision.
Well, these are not big issues—what you eat or if you order quickly enough. But then there is life. And every day when we get up we are faced with choices. Choices. Choices to do the right thing or the wrong thing. And no one is exempt from these choices. Now some of these choices have consequences. And some have far-reaching consequences. So we need to think very carefully about the choices we make. Because we make our choices and then our choices make us.
Running the Race of Life Well
On more than one occasion the Bible compares the Christian life to running a race. Paul writes in Philippians 3:13-14, "Dear friends, I am not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God through Christ is calling us to heaven." That is the key. Not just starting the race well, but finishing the race well. Paul's focus was on reaching the end of the race.
Things don't always turn out the way you think they will. If you know the race of life, we need to pace ourselves. We need to pace ourselves. You know, it doesn't matter if you hold first place for nine tenths of the race. If you can't finish it, you are out, baby. Okay? And when I ran track and field in high school, I was never a good long distance runner. I was better as a sprinter. Because I ran out of speed and energy quickly. And sometimes this happens in the Christian life. People are, you know, off the starting box with a bang, with a lot of passion, with a lot of zeal. And then they just sort of crash and burn. We have got to pace ourselves in the race of life. And we have to play by the rules. And if we don't play by the rules, we will be disqualified.
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, "Remember in a race everyone runs, but only one gets the prize. So run in a way that you will win. Athletes practice self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away. We are running for an eternal prize. So I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise I fear that after I preach to others, I myself should be disqualified." So Paul is saying, I don't want to be a hypocrite and disqualify myself. I want to play by God's rules.
God's Rules Can't Be Ignored
There's rules in life. There's rules to professional sports. We know that a number of athletes have been disqualified over the years because they use steroids. Carl Lewis won the gold in 1988 in the Olympics because Ben Johnson was disqualified for steroid use. And of course we all know about Lance Armstrong and all that he has faced because, as it turned out, he was doping for many years giving him an advantage in those races.
Now look. These are the rules. You don't have to play the game if you don't want to. But if you are going to play the game you play by the rules or you are disqualified. Same in baseball. You can't just make up the rules. You can't say, well I don't have to touch the bases if I don't want to. No. You have to touch every single base. That is how it is played. Those are the rules of the game. You agree to those rules.
And so in the same way God has given us rules in life. And of course they are found in the Scripture. We can't make up the rules as we go. We can't say, well you know I like this part in the Bible about God's love and mercy and forgiveness, but I really don't agree with this other part that speaks of denying myself and taking the cross. No. You take all of it. These are the rules God has given us. And it is a package deal if you will. So if you want to run this race of life you have to pace yourself. You have to play by the rules.
Saul: The Tragic Story of Squandered Gifts
Well that brings us to the story we are going to be looking at together. It is a story of a man who did not play by the rules. Like Samson who we looked at recently. He had more than it was needed really to succeed. He had tremendous potential, but he squandered it. His name is Saul. And this is his story.
The life of Saul, the first king of Israel, is an amazing one. It is really a study in contrast. In some ways he is big. In other ways he is very little. In some ways he is strikingly handsome. In other ways he is decidedly ugly. He is both a hero and a renegade. He began his life in victory and ended in humiliating defeat. He lost his character, his power, his crown, and his very life. And he stands as a warning that it is impossible to rebel against God and not have to ultimately face the consequences. Maybe not today. Maybe not next month. Maybe not even next year. But sooner or later you are going to have to face the music.
Chuck Swindoll in his book, Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Lives, makes a statement about Saul. "Saul's story reminds us that the impact of only one life, whether positive or negative, large or small, that it cannot be measured with accuracy until it has run its full course. Beware the temptation," writes Swindoll, "to form early opinions about certain individuals, especially those greatly gifted. Assume the best and be willing to give every benefit of doubt. But remember that the end of a life reveals more than the beginning." The end of a life reveals more than the beginning.
And in the end, here is how Saul summed up his life. He himself said, "I have played the fool and erred exceedingly." He lost his crown and his very life. Revelation 3:11 reminds us that we should hold fast to what we have, so no man would take our crown. But Saul did not hold fast to what he had, and his crown was taken. He was on a path, and he made the wrong decisions. He was in a race, and he was disqualified. And we are on that same path.
Israel Demands a King – And Gets What They Asked For
Now, as Saul begins, we have the nation Israel who wants a king. As it turned out, they were tired of being ruled by judges. We looked at some of those judges together. Gideon, Samson, Deborah was one too. And they had the prophets of the Lord, and the judges. And Israel didn't like this, because all the other nations had kings. And they wanted a king too. Like a bunch of spoiled little children. They said, how come all the other nations have kings and we don't? We want a king.
And God said, now come on now. I am ruling you, and I am guiding you. Yeah, whatever. We want a king like everybody else. And God said, are you sure? They said, we are sure. We want a king. And God said, all right. I'll give you a king. And he gave them what they asked for. Be careful. You might get what you really want in life. And sometimes you want something so bad. And the Lord might just give it to you.
This is why I don't believe in ordering God around in prayer. You know, sometimes people say, if you believe God wants you to have something, you just speak it into existence. Because faith is a force that we must muster. And we tell the Lord what it is we want. We just name what it is, and we claim it. You know, you grab it, and you gab it. And they treat God like some kind of a celestial bellboy or servant in heaven. When Jesus told us to address Him as our Father who art in heaven.
So here is what I do. I pray for what I believe is the will of God, but I always add this P.S. on my prayers. Lord, if this is outside of Your will, disregard what I am asking for. Because I have come to know through experience that Father knows best. And you are a smart person if you know that. I am not saying I am a smart person. I am. But I am not saying it. I am actually not. But God gave them what they wanted. They got their King. Psalm 106 says, He gave them the request, but sent leanness to their soul. What does that mean? New Living Translation puts it this way. He gave them what they asked for and He sent a plague along with it. You might get what you want, but it might not be as good as you hoped it would be.
Saul: The People's Choice King
Now in our next message we are going to look at Saul's replacement, King David. He is described as the man after God's own heart. If it is true that David is the man after God's own heart, then it is also true that Saul was the man after man's own heart. You have heard of the People's Choice Awards? That is what Saul was. He was the people's choice.
Now don't get me wrong. This guy had a lot of great qualities at first at least. In our culture today these are qualities that are celebrated. In today's terms Saul would be a rock star. A movie star. I mean he was charismatic. He was hot. He was so hot they sang songs about him on Israeli radio. Well they didn't have radio, but they actually had songs written about Saul that they would sing. One of them had the lyrics, Saul has slain his tens of thousands. And so he was a hero to the people. But he squandered his resources and opportunities and ultimately was disqualified.
So let's read about him now. We are introduced to him in 1 Samuel chapter 9 verse 1. Kish was a rich influential man from the tribe of Benjamin. He was a son of Abiel, grandson of Zeror, from the family of Bekereth of the clan of Aphia. His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel. Head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land.
One day Kish's donkeys strayed away and he told Saul, "Take a servant with you and go look for them." So Saul took one of his servants [and] traveled off of the hill country of Ephraim, the land of Shalashah, the Shalim area, the entire land of Benjamin, and they couldn't find the donkeys anywhere. Finally they entered the region of Zuph, and Saul said to his servant, "Let's go home. By now my father will be worried about us more than the donkeys." Worried more about us than about the donkeys. And so we will stop there.
What Made Saul Stand Out at First
And we learned quite a few things about the character and makeup of this man named Saul. Number one, he came from a good family. His father Kish was a well-known and influential man. Verse one, Kish was rich and influential. It wasn't a large tribe, but an influential and wealthy tribe. And I have to say that if you've come from a good family, be thankful for that. Especially if you've come from an intact family, where your mother and father stayed together.
How many of you came from a family where your mom and dad are still together? Raise up your hand. Okay, how many of you have come from families that are broken homes, divorced parents? Okay, well that's sadly more the rule today than the exception. And I think if you were raised in a home with a mom and dad there, that's something to really thank God for. Especially if they were godly people that took you to church with them and taught you to pray and study the Bible. What a wonderful legacy. I didn't have that legacy myself, but I've sought to provide it for my own family.
So he came from a good family. Number two, he was extremely good looking. Verse two says, His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel, head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land. You know, it's interesting. That was important back then, just like it is now. I've noticed People Magazine does not have a special issue they put out called, The Most Ordinary People. Or, The Least Attractive People in America. That would really be a drag to be on the cover of that, wouldn't it?
Someone calls you, "Hey, I have good news and bad news." What's the good news? The good news is, is you are on the cover of People Magazine. That's great. What's the bad news? Well, it's a special issue on the least attractive people in America. Yeah, that's not so great. No, they want to find those beautiful people. Those attractive people. If Saul were alive today, he would win People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive Award, for sure. He was the George Clooney, or the Brad Pitt of his day. I mean, he was a great looking guy, and taller than anyone else. So if you walked into a room, he was head and shoulders above everyone else. And man, he was strikingly handsome.
God Looks at the Heart, Not Just Appearance
That's very important to people today. It's important in entertainment. It's important in politics. You know, it's interesting when you go back a few years, when John Kennedy ran against Richard Nixon for the presidency. That was a very close election, by the way. And when they debated, those that listened to the debate on radio felt that Nixon won. But those that watched it by television felt Kennedy won. So it shows there was a little bit of a style over substance there, because people were enamored with the attractiveness of John Kennedy. He was our first really telegenic president that we ever had. And this is how it was back in biblical times. People were drawn to attractive people.
But I want you to know that that's not what God looks for in a person, which is very good news for most of us, right? Later on, when Saul was rejected from being the king, and Samuel went to find another man. He went to the house of Jesse, as directed. And David was in that home. But he hadn't made his way to David yet. So he was looking over the sons of Jesse, seven in total. They were the magnificent seven. Good-looking, strapping young men. And one of them was named Eliab. And he grabbed the attention of Samuel. Samuel thought, that's got to be the one God has chosen, because he's so attractive.
And God made this statement to Samuel in 1 Samuel 16. "Looks aren't everything. Don't be impressed with his looks and stature. I've already eliminated him. God judges His people differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face. God looks on the heart."
So here's Saul now. He's on an errand for his dad. The donkeys got loose. And he's sent to find the donkeys. Well, he's looking around. And he walks smack dab into the middle of the perfect will of God. He didn't know he was going to be in the will of God. He was just doing an errand for his dad, like a good son. And as it turns out, he was directed in the area where the prophet Samuel lived. And Samuel saw Saul. A little tongue twister there. And the Lord directed him that this is the man that I want to be the king over Israel. This is the one.
Faithful in Little Things Leads to Greater
And so in 1 Samuel 10:1, we read Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it over Saul's head, kissed him on the cheek, said, "I'm doing this because the Lord has appointed you to be the leader of His people, Israel." So what did we learn from this? We learned that Saul was faithful in the little things and God opened a great door for him. And that's what we need to do. I mean, if you want to be used by God, if you feel that one day the Lord might want you to be in ministry somewhere, here's my advice for you. Be faithful in little things. Do what you can do. Don't look for big things to do. Look for anything to do. Do the things that nobody else wants to do. And God says if you'll be faithful in the little things, He'll give you other things to do.
And also we read in 1 Samuel 10 that the Spirit of God came upon Saul and that he prophesied with the prophets. That meant that God spoke through Saul and also we're told that God gave to him a new heart. So everything was going Saul's way. If this was a race, he was out of those blocks with a bang. So far, so good.
Saul's First Big Test and Victory
But now the first test comes in his life. Some questioned the choice of Saul. Do you really think he's the best guy to be the king? But Saul ignored them and just went about his business. The Lord had not told him to do anything in particular. Samuel just comes along and says, you're the next king of Israel and goes back to his house. And Saul's like, great, what do I do now? Who's going to believe me when I tell him I'm supposed to be the king?
So to his credit, he just goes back to his responsibilities, which included plowing a field. You know, I have found often that when I'm not sure what I should do, I should just go back to the last thing God directed me to do. You know, sometimes you say, what is God's will for me? Well, what did He tell you to do last? Well, just go back and do that right now. And you'll find often when you're engaged in service to the Lord, He'll tell you what the next thing is.
You know, when Jesus called people, they were always busy. Not sitting idly. When Elijah called Elisha, Elisha was out plowing a field. When Jesus called His disciples, they were out fishing for fish. When they were called to fish for men. Just do what is in front of you. That's all Saul was doing. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
Now a real villain enters the narrative. His name is Nahash, and he's the leader of the Ammonite army. And he comes in a siege against the Jews. And the Jews don't want to fight this guy. And they say, look, let's sign a peace agreement. Let's be friends. Can't we all get along? And Nahash, this wicked king, says, yeah, I'll tell you what, I'll sign a peace agreement, but here are my conditions. Every one of you has to gouge out your right eye. Does that sound reasonable? Surprisingly, Israel says, can we get back to you on that? Give us seven days, and if we don't come up with a solution, we'll gouge out the eye. You know, we always have an extra. It's no problem. What were they thinking? This is insane.
So they're under siege with this threat against them. Meanwhile, old Saul is just out plowing away in his field. And someone comes along and says, did you hear about this guy Nahash? He's laid siege against Israel. And he said he's going to kill them. And the only way he'll sign a peace agreement is if they gouge out their right eye. Saul said, what? And Saul was royally ticked off. And he said, I'll tell you what, this is not going to stand. You tell them, help is on the way. And he goes out and rallies an army of 330,000 troops, and he comes against Nahash and destroys them. Boom. Israel has a new hero. And his name is Saul.
Man, you wish the story stopped right there. But one of the things I love about the Bible is its honesty. It will show us all the twists and turns, all the good things, as well as the bad things that people did. So he had a great beginning. Things were going well.
The Warning from Samuel to Obey
And now the prophet Samuel reaffirms Saul as the king. And in 1 Samuel 12, he says to the Israelites in verse 13, "Here's the king you wanted. Here's the king you asked for. God has let you have your own way. He's given you a king. If you fear God and worship and obey Him and don't rebel against what He says, if you will follow God, all will be well with you. God will save you. But if you don't obey and rebel against the Lord, this king will not be able to help you."
So now everyone agrees because they saw how heroic and wonderful Saul was. What great qualities. Good looking. Charismatic. Humble. Faithful in the little things. Courageous when he needed to be. Great leader. And he could have been a great king. But unfortunately, things did not go as they could have. He was told what he should do. The people were told what they should do. And that's true of life. God says, all right, now here is the way to do it. If you do it, it will go well. If you don't do it this way, it won't go well.
I mean, I think of all the marriages that I have seen fall apart. Very few of them needed to fall apart. Now there are times when one mate in a marriage will sabotage a relationship and walk away and there is really not a lot the other person can do. That does happen. But I must say, rarely. When people come to me and tell me whether marriage has fallen apart and how horrible their husband or wife is, here is what I always remind myself. There is always two sides to the story. And then when I get them both in together and hear the other side, it is like, oh, you kind of left a few of those details out, didn't you?
And I have found in most marriages that are facing conflict, they could be resolved if people would simply do what the Bible says and not read the other person's mail. Let me explain. God has told husbands what to do and God has told wives what to do. Wives don't need to be reminding the husband what the Bible says to them and husbands don't need to be doing the same to their wife. Just read your mail, shut up, and do your part. And watch what will happen.
Well, my case is different. You know, I need to break this to you. It probably isn't. It might be, for you to do, men and women, you'd be surprised at how your marriage could turn around. But we'll say, well, I don't agree with this or I don't want to live that way. And well, you're going to reap the consequences. And this is the same for Israel. God said, here's how to do it. Do it my way.
How Saul Began to Unravel
And then when you're single, you need to wait on the Lord. And you need to wait on the Lord for the right person. Don't rush it. Keep your eyes wide open before marriage and half shut afterwards. I think Benjamin Franklin said that. Old Ben was pretty smart. But a lot of times our eyes are half closed before marriage and wide open afterwards. But we need to go into that relationship looking for a godly person. Find someone that's more godly than you are. Don't even entertain the thought of getting romantically involved with a non-believer. But you know, I don't agree with that and I want to do it my way. Okay, you can do it your way. And then you can face the consequences.
So, God has told us how to live. Well, following this burst of glory, Saul's life inexplicably begins to unravel. He became a victim of himself. Full of impatience, pride, rebellion, jealousy, and even attempted murder. Over a period of years, he would be transformed from the great leader to a paranoid tyrant eventually committing suicide. He didn't want to play by God's rules anymore. Thus, he was disqualified and removed.
And the first step that led to his decline happened in a situation with the Philistines, another enemy of Israel. They were surrounded by these enemies and the Lord told Saul to wait for the prophet Samuel to show up and bring an offering before the Lord and they would call on God for help and the Lord would tell them what to do.
And Saul was thinking, what do I need to wait around for Samuel for? I'm the stinking king, okay? I can do this offering myself. Well, actually, that wasn't true. That was the role of the priest or the prophet, not of the king. But Saul grew impatient. And so he went ahead and brought the offering on his own because he wanted an answer. And around that time, Samuel shows up.
So we are in 1 Samuel chapter 13 now. And we are looking at verse 11. 1 Samuel 13. Samuel comes to Saul. And he says to him, "What is this that you have done?" He is talking about the offering Saul brought. Saul replied, "Well I saw my men scattering from me and you didn't arrive when you said you would. And the Philistines are at Michmash waiting for battle. They are ready to march against us and I hadn't even asked for the Lord's help. So I felt obliged to offer the Lord a burnt offering before you came."
Sounds pretty good. Samuel says, "How foolish. You disobeyed the command of the Lord your God. Had you obeyed, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your dynasty must end for the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart. The Lord has already chosen him to be king over His people. For you have not obeyed the Lord's command."
Little Disobedience Leads to Big Consequences
Now at first blush, this seems a little overkill on God's part. I mean, what's the big deal? Come on. Okay, so he brought the offering before the prophet showed up. A small thing, right? But listen. God looks on the heart. And God sees things that we don't see. And God could already see that Saul's heart had churned away. Saul's sin may seem insignificant to us, but who are we to say something is small if it's a big deal to God? Who are we to say, well, that doesn't matter, but wait. God said it matters. And if God says it matters, it matters.
But we'll say, well, I don't know. What's wrong with having a little fun? And, you know, what's wrong with a little partying? Or a few drinks? Or a little flirting? Or a small white lie? I love the way that we always minimize it. You know, a little partying or a small white lie. I'll know when to stop. But listen, sin is sin. And here's what God knows. Little sins always lead to big sins. Most people don't go and commit the big sins. It starts with little sins that build up to it.
I read about some guy. I don't know what is wrong with him. But he holds the world record for kissing venomous snakes. His name is Shahimi Abdul Hamid age 33 and he kissed a king cobra 51 times. I had to see the video to believe this. And here's this cobra. Very venomous snake. In front of this guy and the cobra is sort of bobbing around and this guy kind of moves around and he kisses the cobra on the head. The cobra is really mad. You know, he is like, you know, and the guy keeps kissing and I think, why is he doing this? Why do you want to hold a world record for something like this? And we will be that way too. I, you know, I can handle this. It will never bite me. It will never get me. And then one day that little kiss proves to be your undoing. It becomes the kiss of death.
Saul's Final Rejection and Tragic End
Now what happens to Saul after this even gets worse. He was commanded by God to go settle accounts with an old enemy, the Amalekites. And he was told to completely destroy them. Instead, Saul partially obeyed. And so then they have this battle. He defeats them in battle. He was told to wipe them out. But he didn't do that. And he kept some things for himself.
Now we are at the end of the line with King Saul. For 1 Samuel 15, verse 22. Here is what Samuel says to him. "What is more pleasing to the Lord? Your burnt offerings and sacrifice or your obedience to His voice? Obedience is better than sacrifice. Listening to Him better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as bad as the sin of witchcraft. And stubbornness is as bad as worshipping idols. So you have rejected the word of the Lord and God has rejected you from being king."
Saul admits, "Yes, I have sinned. I have disobeyed your instructions and the Lord's command. For I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded." He is making excuses. Samuel comes to him. Okay, did you do what God said? Yes, I did. Did you destroy all the livestock? Yes, I did. What's that? What's what? I don't know. What's that? Why do I hear the bleating of sheep in the background? You are lying through your teeth, Saul. And now you are rejected. The party is over. And God wants you to obey Him.
Listen, God is more interested in our actions than our words. Jesus said, "You are My friends if you do whatsoever I command you." You know, He said, "whatsoever I command you." Not whatsoever you find easy or whatsoever is convenient or whatsoever is popular or even whatsoever you personally agree with. Jesus said, "You are My friend if you do whatsoever I command you."
You know there are people that call themselves our friends. But sometimes they don't behave as friends. You find out they have been talking behind your back. Or you tell them a secret. And they post it on their Facebook page and tweet it to the universe. And everybody knows your secret. Or even worse they tell outright lies about you. Now when you confront them they say they are sorry. And maybe they even shed a few tears and ask you to forgive them. And maybe they go out and buy you a nice gift. Maybe a very expensive gift to sort of compensate for the wrong that they have done. But really when it is all said and done you don't want some gift. Well you might take the gift too. But really what you want is for them to behave as a true friend and not betray you.
But there is people like this with God. They will go out and blatantly sin and say well I will make it up to God. I will give more in the offering. I will sing louder at church. I will go to a midweek Bible study. You know what God would say? I don't want that from you. Obedience is better than sacrifice. You want to show me you really love me. Just do what I say.
Did you know that there can come a point where our worship offered to God can actually be offensive to Him? In Amos 5:23 God says, "Away with your hymns of praise. They are only noise in my ears. I don't want to listen to your music no matter how lovely it is." Here is what God is saying. Don't sing anymore. Don't pray anymore. Don't talk about me anymore. Just obey me. Show me you love me by your actions. That is what God is saying to Saul. Look, you know, your great tears of sadness, they don't mean anything. You need to just do what God tells you to do and obey Him.
Well things just went from bad to worse to Saul. And as you read his story, after David is identified as his replacement, his mission in life is to destroy David. And he hunts him down like a wild dog. Makes life miserable for David. And he is so frustrated after the prophet Samuel dies that King Saul goes to a witch seeking help. And ultimately Saul dies on the battlefield. Well actually he commits suicide. And it is just tragic that a life with so much promise and so much potential could end like this.
Yeah, he could say he had sinned, but that was not enough. Pharaoh said he sinned too. After Moses did all those miracles, Pharaoh said, "Oh man, you are right man. I have sinned." But he never really changed his behavior. And he ended up throwing his life away.
Again, what did he say of himself after being shown mercy by David on one occasion? He said in 1 Samuel 26:21, "I have played the fool and erred exceedingly." You know, that sounds quite proper, doesn't it? I have played the fool and erred exceedingly. Sounds very British. You don't even know what they are saying. I am sorry, I have erred exceedingly. Let's put it in the vernacular. I was a complete idiot and I wasted my life. That is really what he was saying. That could have been put on his tombstone. I was a complete idiot. And I wasted my life.
Lessons from Saul's Failure – How Not to Play the Fool
If you were going to sum your life up, if you could write the inscription on your own tombstone, what would you like to write? There is a man named John Starkweather. And on his tombstone were these words. Here is where, friend, Starkweather lies. Nobody laughs. Nobody cries. Where he goes. How he fares. Nobody knows. Nobody cares. That is pretty sad.
Here is the inscription on the tombstone of Henry Edsel Smith. Born 1913. Died 1942. Looked up an elevator shaft to see if the car was on the way down. It was. I am not making these up. In a Georgia cemetery were these words. I told you I was sick.
So Saul could write, "I played the fool and I erred exceedingly." How do we play the fool or behave like an idiot? Number one, you play the fool when you disobey God even in the smallest matters. Again, you play the fool or act like an idiot. Whatever you prefer. When you disobey God even in the smallest matters. Spiritual decline is gradual. Saul's failure was not immediate. At first he was humble. But pride soon set in. And then came envy. And he took matters into his own hands and made it worse. So again, we need to obey God in everything he tells us to do.
Number two, you play the fool when you attempt to justify the wrong you've done. Again, you play the fool or you act like an idiot when you attempt to justify the wrong that you have done. On more than one occasion, Saul blamed others for what he had done wrong. He wouldn't own up to his own sin.
Number three, you play the fool when you forget how you finish means more than how you start. Again, you play the fool or act like an idiot when you forget that how you finish means more than how you start. A good beginning does not guarantee a good ending. Happy endings are the results of good choices. You don't really know who the Saul's are until much later in life. So we'll look at certain people and say, oh man, they've done such a great job. Well, we'll see. We'll see. Let's see how it ends up. And then we'll know for sure.
Because you know, there's a lot of surprises in life, aren't there? There are people that aren't doing so well that right now, but all of a sudden, man, they make a comeback in life. I mean, who was doing better than Judas Iscariot? You know, Judas Iscariot. I mean, when Jesus said, one of you is going to betray me, if Judas was as obvious as we may think he was, everyone would have pointed in unison at him and said, it's him, isn't it? But no one suspected Judas. Why? Because Judas seemed to be a compassionate guy. On one occasion when that woman anointed the feet of Jesus with that expensive perfume, Judas seemed indignant and said, well, this could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Whoa! Isn't that nice? But the Bible tells us he said this because he was in charge of the money and was stealing it. But it sounded good. He seemed like a great guy. But in the end, who betrays Jesus? Judas.
Now let's compare him to Nicodemus. We read about him in John 3. He comes to Jesus at night. They have this conversation. Jesus tells them he must be born again. We don't know what happened to Nicodemus. He just sort of disappears from the narrative until the end. After Jesus is crucified, who shows up to get the body of Jesus? Nicodemus. So earlier it looks like Judas is the hero and Nicodemus, why he probably isn't even a believer. In the end, Nicodemus is the guy that stands up for Christ. And Judas is the guy that betrays him. See, things change in life. The outcomes are not always what we think they will be.
So I don't know where you are in this race of life. Some of you are just starting. Some of you are at the midway point. Some of you are in the last laps. We naturally assume when we are young we are starting. And when we are old we are finishing. And that is a pretty safe thing to assume. But you don't know when your life will end, you see. You don't know when your race will end. It may end sooner than you have planned. That is why you always want to run well. Start running well now.
Well Saul did not do that. And his life was destroyed. Number four, you play the fool when you allow hatred to control your life instead of love. His jealousy destroyed him. He became a paranoid tyrant. He thought everyone was out to get him. When in reality he was self-destructing. Don't let that happen to you. You start getting bitter. Bitter? Party of one? Someone else succeeds and you are angry. Well why did they get that promotion? I should have gotten the promotion. Why did they get to have that nice thing? I should have the nice thing. You know it is just like, why don't you be thankful for what God has given you? And why don't you stop allowing your life to be consumed by jealousy and envy? Because there is always going to be someone that has more than you, and there will be people that have less than you. But just be content with what God has given you.
But some people become obsessed by these things. They want to be the top dog. They want to be the king. They always want to be the most popular, the cutest, the most handsome, the fastest, the richest, the whatever. You know what? It is not going to stay that way. And so when other people succeed are you going to allow jealousy to overtake you? That is what happened to Saul. And he played the fool and wasted his tremendous potential.
I read about the 2006 Chicago Marathon. There was a Kenyan, Robert Cheruiyot, or I am probably mispronouncing his name, who barely won. He ran a race lasting two hours, seven minutes, and thirty-five seconds. At the last few feet before the finish line Robert slipped and fell. But according to race referee Pat Savage he said luckily for him he slipped forward. So he collapsed. But fortunately he collapsed in the right direction. And he won the race. If he had collapsed in the wrong direction he would have lost. So we want to slip forward.
A New Beginning – God Gives Second Chances
Look here is the bottom line. We are all going to mess up in this Christian life. Okay? We are going to have our missteps. We are going to say the wrong thing. We are going to do the wrong thing. There is a difference between that and living in a pattern of sin. And when we sin and when we stumble and when we fall short, if we will go to God and say, "I am sorry. Forgive me." And learn from our mistakes. Then we can fail forward. What does that mean? It means learn from the wrongs you have done and hopefully don't do them again. Fail forward.
But if you go out there and make the same mistakes over and over again then you are a fool. And maybe as you are hearing this message you are thinking, well I have messed up in life. I have done things I regret. I think I have kind of played the fool. I have wasted my potential. Well let us just say that is true. Now what? Now what?
Well now is the time for a new beginning. Because it is never too late to say, "I am sorry God. And I want to get back in the race of life. I am sorry for that bad decision. Now I want to change it. I am sorry for those wrong things that I have done. Now I want to make up for them. Lord forgive me. Give me another chance." We serve a God of second chances. And third chances. And fourth chances. And on it goes.
But you have to admit your sin. Don't make excuses for it like Saul. Don't blame other people for it like Saul. Don't end horribly like Saul. Learn from your past and have a fresh start as you recommit your life to the Lord. And you can do that right now.
Maybe you have sinned in some capacity. Maybe you have done something you know is wrong as a Christian. But there might be some of you here that have never asked God to forgive you of your sin. And you have never asked Jesus Christ to come and live inside of you. You see the bottom line is every one of us have sinned. The Bible says we have all fallen short of God's glory. We have all broken God's commandments. There is not one righteous person on earth.
But the good news is, is 2,000 years ago God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to live a perfect life. Then to go to the cross and die in our place. Now if we will turn from our sin and put our faith in Jesus, God will forgive us and put His righteousness into our spiritual account. This is called justification. Where you will have the righteousness of Christ in your life. Not based on what you have done, but based on what He has done for you.
But you must ask God to forgive you and ask Jesus to come into your life and He will do that right now. And if you have not done that I will give you an opportunity to pray and ask Christ into your life. And then you will know with certainty that when you die you will go to heaven. Then you will know with certainty that when Christ comes back again, and He could come in our lifetime, You will be ready to meet Him. Then you will know your life is right with God. And you can lay your head on your pillow tonight without guilt, without all those regrets, without all that remorse, and you can just say, "I am forgiven." And tomorrow is a new day to serve the Lord.
And maybe some of you have fallen away from the Lord. You need to come back to Him. Here is an opportunity to do that as we close in prayer.
Let's all bow our heads if you would please. Father, thank You for Your Word. And as we look at Saul, it is just such a sad life, but it is a true story and it is a warning. And I pray for any here that may not know You yet. They do not have that hope of heaven. They do not have that certainty that their sin is forgiven. They are still living in guilt. They are still living in misery. But that can change for them if they will turn from their sin and put their faith in Jesus. Help them to do that now we pray.
Now while our heads are bowed, and our eyes are closed, and we are praying together. How many of you would say tonight, Greg, pray for me. I want Jesus Christ to come into my life. I want Him to forgive me of my sin. I want to know that when I die, I will go to heaven. I want that second chance in life you have been talking about. Pray for me. If you want Christ to come into your life, if you want Him to forgive you of your sin, if you want to go to heaven when you die, would you lift your hand up right now and let me pray for you wherever you are. Just lift your hand up where I can see it. God bless you. God bless you there in the back. Wherever you are, lift your hand up. I'll pray for you tonight. God bless you. God bless you. Anybody else? Lift your hand up where I can see it, please. God bless you. Amen. God bless you too. God bless you in the very back there. God bless. Anybody else? If you haven't raised your hand yet, lift it now if you would, please. I'll pray for you. God bless you.
While our heads are still bowed, maybe some of you would say, You know what? I've been playing the fool. And I'm really living in a backslidden state. And I'm just sick and tired of being sick and tired. And I don't want to live this way anymore. I want to get out of this no man's land of compromise. And I want to recommit my life to Christ. I don't want to waste my potential like Saul did. I need to make a recommitment to Jesus tonight. If that's your desire, would you lift your hand up and let me pray for you. You need to come back to the Lord. God bless you. Anybody else? Raise your hand up if you would. God bless you.
All right. God bless all of you. Now, while our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed, I want all of you that just raise your hand saying that you either want to make a commitment or a recommitment to Jesus, I want you to stand to your feet right now. And I'm going to lead you in a prayer. Just stand up. All of you that lifted your hand to pray. That's right. Stand up. God bless you. Just stand to your feet. Stand up. Don't be embarrassed. You're among friends and family here. Stand up. By the way, others are standing. You won't be the only one. You want to make this commitment to Jesus. You raise your hand during that last prayer. Or you want to make this commitment but you didn't raise your hand. Stand up now. Let me pray for you and with you. Anybody else? Stand now. God bless you that are standing.
One final moment. You want to make this commitment or recommitment to Christ. Stand to your feet. Anybody else? God bless you. One last moment. If you are going to stand, stand now. Anybody else? Alright. God bless all of you standing.
Now I want you that are standing, if you would, to pray this prayer out loud after me. And in this prayer you are asking God to forgive you of your sin. Again, as I pray, pray this out loud after me. Pray this after me, right where you stand.
Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I have broken Your commandments. I have fallen short of Your standards. But You died on the cross for all of my sin. And I am sorry for my sin. And I repent of it tonight. And I ask You to forgive me. Be my Savior. Be my Lord. Be my God. Be my friend. I choose to follow You Jesus. From this moment forward. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.