Are You Content With Just A Little Sin?: A Little 6-Point Sermon on 1 Sam 13:1-23, Pt 1

Let us read the divine Word where it is powerful enough to change the hearts and minds of men,

1 Samuel 13:1-23 KJV

13 Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,

² Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in mount Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.
³ And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear.
⁴ And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel also was had in abomination with the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal.
⁵ And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven.
⁶ When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.
⁷ And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
⁸ And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.
⁹ And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering.
¹⁰ And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him.
¹¹ And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash;
¹² Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.
¹³ And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.
¹⁴ But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.
¹⁵ And Samuel arose, and gat him up from Gilgal unto Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred men.
¹⁶ And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present with them, abode in Gibeah of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.
¹⁷ And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned unto the way that leadeth to Ophrah, unto the land of Shual:
¹⁸ And another company turned the way to Bethhoron: and another company turned to the way of the border that looketh to the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
¹⁹ Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears:
²⁰ But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock.
²¹ Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads.
²² So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.
²³ And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the passage of Michmash.

 1.  We ought to be pleasing to God in all things that we do.  We should not choose a little sin.  We ought not to be happy or content with just a little sin.  We must be careful in what we view on TV, the newspaper, the Internet and what we see in the movie theater.  Are we viewing inappropriate things that are contrary to the moral law of God?  Entertainment must be wholly structured after the written Scriptures.  We should not be happy with a little amount of sin.  God does not see sin as little sin.  All sin is contrary to His holiness.  There is no sin that is small.  Rather sin involves infinite punishment.  He cannot tolerate sin and He has designed a divine program where we ought to repent.  Jesus does not invite people to repent.  Rather He commands people everywhere to repent.  Saul sinned foolishly, but doesn't it seem like a small sin after all?   Did God deal with Saul too harshly?  Saul never repent after he was rebuked.  I suggest to you that God did not deal with Saul too harshly.  Rather He deals with Saul as with a totally depraved sinner.  He will deal with all us according to the good and bad that we have done.  "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.  For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil." (Ecc. 12:13-14 ESV).    

2.  Saul was not somehow an innocent victim of God.  When we are chastened according to Fatherly displeasure (Hebrews 12:10), we ought to never view it as His justice that was due to the Cross of Jesus Christ.  All justice was divinely satisfied in Jesus Christ alone at His Cross (Jn 19:30).  Corrective judgment is there to conform us to the moral law of God and to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29).  However, it never adds to the Cross of Jesus Christ.  I think Saul did not have Jesus as his Redeemer.  Saul was not innocent in any regard because he was a sinner.  It is true that sinners are predestined to eternal life (Rom 8:29; Eph 1:5).  The Bible also says that God ordains all things (Eph 1:11), but it is true under God's invisible Hand that sinners have the freedom of will, not touching spiritual rebirth (because God holds the wills of all men in His Almighty Hand).  God controls the wills of men and He can stop sinners from sinning against Him (Genesis 20:6). He could haves stopped Saul from sinning.  Rather He chose to use it for Saul's destruction unto judgment (1 Chro 10:13).  There is no soul that does not sin (2 Chro 6:36) and even righteous men sin (Ecc 7:20).  No one should excuse sin.  It is a hyper-serious matter regarding sinners and their sin.  We must understand that if God does not punish sin on Jesus at His Cross, He will surely punish sin in eternal hell.  He will punish sin where the worm does not die and the fire not quenched (Mk 9:48).  Rather we ought to live a godly life unto mortification of the flesh through constant repentance toward God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Mk 1:15).  

3.  Are you showing fruits of mortification unto constant repentance through Jesus crucified?  Do you let some sin get by you?  Do you bring every sin possible before God's throne of mercy and grace?  It is true that we may miss some unknown sin.  However, we should always bring known sin before God's throne of abundant grace.  There is no sin that is greater than the propitiatory atonement of Jesus Christ.  You must come on God's terms not your terms.  Jesus declared and preached "REPENT OR PERISH" (Lk 13:1-3).  It is not that repentance saves you.  Many people in false religion repent to a false god.  Worshiping a false god will not save you (Jer 7:9).  Rather you must come through the slain Lamb of God (Rev 5:6).  Do not come before God explaining away our sin like Saul.  Do not come before God justifying yourself before God.  Do not come before God minimizing your sin.  Do not come before God rationalizing your sin.  None of these things will help you.  You must own up to your sin and be fully accountable for it.   After confession of sin in a clear manner, you must repent through Christ crucified.  He is the only way to receive forgiveness, cleansing and divine grace.  Little sin is not acceptable.  We see this in Saul's case.  Saul lost everything from this so-called "little sin."  For believers the Bible's teaching is summed up in the Westminster Confession in Chapter 11 under Justification:

V. God does continue to forgive the sins of those that are justified;[14] and although they can never fall from the state of justification,[15] yet they may, by their sins, fall under God's fatherly displeasure, and not have the light of His countenance restored unto them, until they humble themselves, confess their sins, beg pardon, and renew their faith and repentance.[16]

4.  John MacArthur author of the article Total Forgiveness and the Confession of Sin wrote, "The aim of confession [of sin] then is not to erase consequences, it’s to restore joy. And then the consequences are what they are. Your sins have consequences. They’re rocks thrown in the pond and the ripples go and they touch every shore. But God does promise when you’ve confessed and repented that He will show you lovingkindness and compassion because you are His eternal child… Your justification is settled forever. Don’t cover your sin, confess it. That’s what true Christians do. You’ve been bathed that you need continually to have your feet washed as they get dirty walking in your fallenness. If you don’t confess, you’ll be chastened. If you do confess, you may never be able to change the consequences but because you're God’s child He’ll come to you in compassion and lovingkindness and minister to you."  We are radically corrupt and totally depraved sinners (Ps 53ff: Rom 3ff).  We commit actual transgressions that violate God's moral law.  We cannot live up to the moral law perfectly (Jn 7:19), because we are by nature abominable violators of God's holiness (Job 15:16).  

5.  If there is sin, there is a crisis.  If we sin, we must cry out to God for pardon.  God will bring sweet deliverance for His people.  Deliverance is not some hidden knowledge.  Rather spiritual deliverance is through the atoning Cross of Jesus Christ.  We must understand that God is a covenant keeping God.  God's people must recognize their sins by God's Spirit and call upon a holy God.  We must have a genuine conviction of sin because of God's holy Word.  We must have broken hearts before a holy God. 
For the divine Word declares,"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Ps. 51:17 ESV).   We must surrender our hearts to God by His design.  It means having a soft heart before God and being directed by the Spirit and the Word to confess sin.  If God's people repent, He will restore the covenant and through forgiveness, heal His people.  God will never cast away His people.  For Scripture says, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out" (Jn 6:37 NASB).  The Word also says He will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), because Jesus was forsaken at His Cross (Ps. 22:1) in our behalf (Jn 10:11).  God remains faithful even when we are faithless (2 Tim. 2:13).  The preservation of God's people does not depend on the sinner's performance.  Rather it is the obedience of faith in the matchless person and work of Jesus Christ (Rom 1:5; 16:26).

6.  Spiritual salvation is not based on the sinner's personal goodness.  The sinner has no personal goodness, because the written Word says no one is good and no one is righteous (Rom 3ff).  He saves us for the glory of God's great name according to the Word alone.   He saves us for our own good and for His ultimate glory unto mercy and divine grace through His divine Son.   He will do whatever it takes to save His people.  Everyone goes through a providential process before they are saved.  The process is foreordained by God but it does not save us; it is something we must go through (2 Tim 2:10).  No process saves anyone; Jesus alone saved us in His person and work in His life and death alone apprehended by faith alone.   He saves us and keeps us close to His beloved heart and enclosed in His beloved arms.  God loves His people because He loves His Son.  There is nothing in all the universe that can separate us from the love of God (Rom 8ff).  He saves us for His glory alone unto mercy.  However, there are some He leaves in their sin unto His perfect justice.  We ought to not be like the ancient nation of Israel and forget our Lord.  Do not forget the Lord and turn aside to deep sin.  The Lord makes a people unto Himself according to His divine name!  The nature of sin is totally destructive.  We must have God's intervention through His Spirit in spiritual rebirth.  Those who do not know God may experience the beginning work of the Spirit in blessed self-despair.  That is, a sinner by the Spirit and Word's effective power understands that he or she cannot save themselves.   In passing, we will pick up tomorrow on the matter with Saul.