The Cost of Keeping What's Best | Bro. Alex Mason

Hallelujah. Oh, he is good.

He is greatly to be praised. Oh, for he alone is worthy.

Christ the Lord. Amen.

Amen. It is good to be in the House of

God tonight. It is good to not be stressed

out about what on earth is going on as I was this morning.

I knew it would work out, but doesn't mean that it wasn't.

It was not fun for me. But we got it all figured out.

We had a good time with it. And I do, I do love those

moments of of it's the intimacy of the moments.

And I love the even if it's unexpected, I love that very

much so. And so it does not bother me to

look over at pastor and I tell him from the corner that I

can't, we don't, I can't fix it right now.

And he looks at me and he's like, and I'm like, all right,

all right. So I come back around here.

So, so absolutely love and appreciate them.

You can go ahead and turn in your Bibles to Second Chronicles

2 Chronicles 7:14

7, verse 14. We read a couple passages of

Scripture before before you're seated and appreciate all your

love and support appreciate pastor and his wife for their

support. My wife and I and love our young

people, love this church. And as, as he was making a joke

about it was this and then that. I, I told, I told some people

about how this weekend it was kind of all encompassed because

as a teacher, all of my second quarter grades were due on

Friday. And that's great and that's

dandy. And I had been, I had been

having something in the works in the back of my mind, but I

hadn't sat down and, and fleshed it out completely.

And, and on Friday, as as event coordinator for the student

ministries, I went up to Muncie, IN, which is about 3 1/2 hours,

and had a meeting, came back down because we don't have

school on Fridays. So I had to make sure grades

were done on Thursday night so I could go on Friday.

And then Saturday I studied. And now we're here.

And so it is what it is. And he gets the glory for it

anyways. Amen, Amen, Amen.

Second Chronicles 7, verse 14 and Eury, it says, If my people,

2 Chronicles 7:14

which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and

pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then

will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will

heal their land. If you turn over to First Samuel

15, Now first Samuel 15, verse one, First Samuel 15 and verse

one states, Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to

anoint thee to be king over his people over Israel.

Now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the

Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts.

I remember that which Amalek did to Israel.

Now he how he laid wait for him in the way when he came up from

Egypt. Verse 3 states, Now go and smite

Amalek and utterly destroy, destroy all that they have and

spare them not, but slay both man and woman, infant and

suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

And verse 8 jumping down the Verse 8 says, But Saul and the

people spared a gag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and

all the fatlings and of the lambs and all that was good and

would not utterly destroy them. But everything that was vile and

refuse that they utterly destroyed they destroyed

utterly. Tonight I have a simple title, I

hope simple message for you. I would like to title this the

cost of keeping what's best. The cost of keeping what's best.

If you set down your Bibles. Help me pray tonight.

Lord, I ask you just to move in this place.

Lord, your glory would shine, Lord out poor Lord of your

spirit, Lord upon your people. Lord, you would anoint my lips

and play. Lord, Your word would come

forth. Lord, it would not be my words,

but it would be you. You don't touch your people or

prepare hearts and minds as a planting ground for your word.

Lord will not fail to thank you and praise you in Jesus mighty

name that we pray and everyone said in Jesus name, Amen and

Amen. You may be seated tonight.

The cost of keeping what's best before we're introduced to Saul

in the Bible, in the Old Testament, the Israelites are

demanding a king. They are demanding a king.

And I don't know about in your Bible, but in certain in some of

my Bibles that I have at home, they have sections and they're

kind of divided off in this first Samuel chapter 8 in

1 Samuel 8 · chapter mention

particular is divided into thirds.

And the first heading is Israel's demand for a king.

All right, easy enough. But then the second heading is

Samuel warns Israel, he's warning them what they are

asking of God. They are what they are going to

get if they get a king over Israel.

And then the third and final section of chapter 8 is Israel

repeats the demand for a king. And so they were very, very

adamant that we need a king over Israel.

And so even though Samuel warned the man of God warned, they

still repeated the demand for a king.

And so at the start of of first Samuel Chapter 9, we are

1 Samuel 9 · chapter mention

introduced to Saul as we know it.

He was he was from the tribe of Benjamin and he is small and

seemingly insignificant tribe. And Chapter 9 verses one starts

out and it says there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was

Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, and the son of

Bekaroth, the son of A a Faye Benjamite, a mighty man of

power. And he had a son whose name was

saw a choice young man and a goodly.

And there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier

person than he. From his shoulders and upward he

was higher than any of the people.

So it's saying Saul look good, right.

We we talk about us all looked he looked favorable.

He seemed fit for for the job and and God sent Saul to Samuel.

And in first Samuel 19 and 16 even states, God is talking and

says, tomorrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the

land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my

people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the

Philistines. For I have looked upon my people

because their cry is come unto me.

And so we have been introduced to Saul now and in Chapter 9, it

would seem as though based off of what we have so far that that

he would be coming from the tribe of Benjamin, seemingly

small that that he would be maybe humble and maybe have a

little bit of humility comes from small beginnings, if you

will. And and God chose him.

There is no doubt about that. And he told Samuel, I'm going to

send tomorrow this man and you are going to anoint him.

And but when God chose him to king, and in the beginning of

chapter 10, Saul anointed Saul to be king.

And in the beginning of that Saul chosen, but Saul was sort

of reluctant, if you will, in, in in first Samuel 10 and verse

20 through 22. And it says when Samuel had

caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of

Benjamin was taken. And when when he had caused the

tribe of Benjamin to come nearby their families, the family of

Matri was taken and saw the son of Kish was taken.

And when they sought him, he could not be found.

Therefore they inquired of the Lord further if the man should

be yet come thither. And the Lord said, Behold, he

hath hid himself among the stuff.

Some, some commentaries state that the stuff was some sort of

like baggage. During his coronation.

He was, he was hiding amongst some things and and he was he

was slow to accept this kingship.

He was still not processing this again, seemingly would be

beneficial, seemingly would be. This man seems humble.

He seems to have a heart of humility.

Maybe from the outside looking in and and then from the

appearance of Saul, it would look that he looks of good

stature and that he would be fit.

But he hid among the baggage and after his coronation at first

Saul showed great potential. In first Samuel 11 he he rallied

the people to defeat the Ammonites in saving the city of

Jabesh Gilead. And in first Samuel 11 verse

six, he even says the Spirit of God name upon Saul when he when

he heard those tidings and his anger was kindled greatly after

this victory against the Ammonites, his kingship was

solidified, if you will, and he was publicly affirmed as king.

But there were cracks in once humble Saul's character that

began to show as time went on as he struggled to obey God fully.

In First Samuel 13, we see he faced the Philistines and his

army was filled with fear. And instead of waiting for

Samuel to offer sacrifice as instructed, Saul decided to take

minors into his own hands. He'll offer the sacrifices.

The man of God doesn't have to offer it.

I'll offer the sacrifices. And he violated God's command.

It even says in First Samuel 1313, it says, And Samuel said

unto Saul, 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, would

the Lord, have established thy Kingdom upon Israel forever, but

now thy Kingdom them 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 what that which the Lord commanded

thee. He's saying I'm I want to find a

man after my own heart because you you are not following after

after what God asked. That's God is looking for

someone after his own heart. And this this was Saul's first

major act of disobedience, revealing this tendency, if you

will, to rely on his his own his own judgment and and rather than

trusting God's timing and plan. And by the time we have reached

First Samuel 15 in our reading in our opening text, Saul has

had multiple opportunities to prove himself, to prove his

faithfulness to God. But his pattern of disobedience

thus continues instead. And the problem here is in first

Samuel 15, we have saw we have saw at a very pivotal moment in

his kingship, right, because God is asking to find a man after

his own heart because of the way Saul is.

But but God is trying to be merciful.

And and I see this in the scripture at in our opening

reading, chapter 15 verse one, Samuel's talking to him and

said, I have anointed the king. That's not when he's anointing

him. He's reminding Saul why he

anointed him and it was for God. It was for God's people.

And, and he God gave a clear command through Samuel in the

beginning of chapter 15 to utterly destroy the Amalekites,

leave nothing alive, nothing, nothing breathing.

It wasn't just a suggestion. It was tied to God's greater

purpose and justice. And the Amalekites had this long

history of opposing God's people and, and their continued

existence represented rebellion against God's sovereignty.

And so Saul, instead of fully obeying, chose to spare King

Agagon and keep what he considered and the people

considered the best of the sheep and the best of the cattle.

And, and on the surface, it might have seemed noble of, of

Saul. It might have seemed noble or

strategic even, or, or a logical decision.

You know, Saul's trying to prove his, his great, his great

kingship and prove, you know, taking King Agag as as a

prisoner, if you will, is better than killing him, obviously,

because shows some superiority and, and, but after all,

wouldn't sacrificing the best animals, wouldn't that be

pleasing unto God? Wouldn't wouldn't sacrificing

the best be pleasing? Wouldn't, wouldn't sparing the

king to demonstrate his Saul's power and to and mercy?

But it wasn't about Saul's power.

It was about God's power. To Saul, his actions felt right.

However, the issue wasn't just what Saul did, it was why he did

it. Saul's decision revealed his

deeper struggle, if you will. He he He trusted his reasoning

over God's command. He trusted his decision making

over God's commandment. He prioritized his judgment over

obedience to God. And that's where the problem

lied. Truly God, Saul thought he could

improve on God's. He believed that he had the

right to decide what parts of God's plan and command were

worth following in and what could be flexible.

But really, Saul's partial obedience was outright

disobedience. Instead, John 14 and verse 15

says If you love me, keep my commandments.

Obedience to God isn't just about following orders like a

mindless robot. It's an expression of love and

it's an expression of trust. Our obedience is not about a

command like yes Sir, it is about love and trust unto God

and knowing that He has the best interest in mine.

When we choose to obey, we acknowledge that God's wisdom is

infinitely greater than our own. Saul's decision to keep what he

thought was best for the from the Amalekites wasn't just about

livestock or or power. It was a statement that his way

was better than God's way. And when he got done, he I could

seesaw. I could seesaw when he got done,

he's standing there, he feels he's got his chest all puffed

out and he's just thinking, man, I am so smart.

Why didn't God think of this? Why didn't God think of this?

But that's not the point. That wasn't why God intended.

That's not what God intended. Saul intended to show his power,

not God's power. Proverbs 3 verse 5 says trust in

Proverbs 3:5

the Lord with all thine heart and lean not and to thine own

understanding in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall

direct thy paths. Saul failed to do what the

writer of Proverbs is stating to us and warning us.

He he leaned onto his own understanding.

He convinced himself, if you will, that keeping the best

animals for sacrifice would honor God and and keeping and

sparing a gag would honor God somehow.

But it wasn't about honoring God.

It was about honoring Saul. It was about the man in the

mirror. The truth is God isn't looking

for us to improve the plan or the command.

He isn't looking for us to improve the Word.

He is looking for us to trust and obey.

Saul missed the bigger picture here.

He missed. He missed the bigger picture.

What God commanded him wasn't just about the Amalekites.

It was about reshaping Saul's heart to trust and demonstrating

God's sovereignty. I believe the reason that Samuel

talked to him at the beginning of chapter 15, before he gave

the command and reminded, reminded him why he was anointed

was it was an opportunity to see if Saul would actually do what

God intended to have be done. But he did not do so.

Even though he was given the warning, even though he was, he

was told This is why I anointed you, Saul.

Remember when I anointed you? This is why instead, by sparing

a gag and sparing the best livestock, Saul not only

disobeyed, but put in motion consequences that he could not

foresee. What Saul could not foresee What

would happen if he spared a gag? By sparing him, Saul not only

failed to fulfill God's command, but he set the stage for a

generational conflict that would endanger the survival of God's

people as we know it in the Old Testament.

And it may have seemed insignificant at the time to

spare Agag and in the moment, though.

Though the Bible doesn't record specifics of Agag's lineage, it

is clear that the sentence survived and and it left a

thread of the Amalekite blood and influence throughout history

that eventually resurfaced generations later by the then by

the name of Haman. Fast forwarding several 100

years in the Persian Empire during the reign of of King

Xerxes. Esther three and one states

after these things did King Abaharis promote Haman the son

of Hamidatha the Agagite, and advance him and set his seat

above all the Princess that were with him.

Haman was a descendant of a gag and his rise to power brought

with it a deep hatred for the Jewish people.

This wasn't just a political or personal thing, it was a

spiritual and generational thing.

It was a grudge that was lingering, the consequences that

were lingering from Saul's failure to obey God.

Haman's hatred for the Jews was so intense that it wasn't enough

just to seek vengeance against Mordecai who who is the Jewish

man who refused to bow to him. Haman wanted more even states

that in in Esther 3 and verse 5. When Haman saw that Mordecai

bowed not nor did him reverence. Then was Haman full of wrath,

and he thought scorn to lay his hands upon Mordecai alone, for

they had showed him the people of Mordecai.

Wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were

throughout the whole Kingdom of Habassuras, and even the people

of Mordecai. Haman's plan was about

annihilation. It wasn't about just taking care

of Mordecai. He was going out for blood of

the all of the Jews. The story of Haman shows us the

ripple effect of disobedience. What Saul thought was minor

issue or a minor change in course.

Sparing one man seemed seemed OK at the time, but became a

generational disaster. If Saul had obeyed God

completely, Haman would never have been born and the Jewish

people would have been spared this great threat at that time.

And when? When we keep what God asks us to

destroy, the cost is far greater than we can imagine in our

mortal minds. We might think like Saul.

That's sparing something that seems best.

It won't harm anyone. It's not going to harm anyone.

In Saul's case, sparing a gag almost led to the annihilation

of the entire Jewish race as we know it.

Then Saul had this opportunity. He had an opportunity to be

king. He had been given mercy by God

and he was trust. He was he was had an opportunity

to be a king that trusted and obeyed God.

He had the opportunity. But instead he let his pride and

he let his reasoning cloud his judgement.

Saul's obed disobedience cost him not only his kingship, but

instead in the motion those events he said in motion those

events that almost destructed God's people and to due to this

disobedience of Saul, God found a new king, a king that was

after his own heart, a new king to annoy.

When the Philistines are against the Israelites later in in first

Samuel, Goliath continues to challenge in the and, and

challenge and mock them and mock God's people and mock God.

And David would not stand for it.

Goliath and the Philistines were speaking against God and God's

people and that was unacceptable to David.

So what did David do? As we know the well first he

realized that the fight was not his own, but it was the Lord's.

He told Goliath, he told Goliath that I come in the name of the

Lord and the Lord will deliver you into my hands.

So we already have a man after God's own heart.

He he's already, he's already fulfilling a part of this

kingshiply duties by by giving the fight unto God instead of

trying to do it on his own. And what did he do?

He grabbed a stone. No, he didn't grab a stone.

He grabbed 5 stones. He didn't just grab 5 stones for

no reason. He grabbed 5 stones because

David was trusting in God and prepared to not only kill

Goliath, but Goliath had four brothers and he was prepared.

He didn't need a command from God to defend against oppressors

like Goliath in the Philistines. He didn't need a command like

like Saul did. Saul needed a command, but David

was like, I cannot stand for this.

This is against God. I cannot stand for this.

I'm going to grab 5 stones because Goliath has four

brothers and God is faithful to take all of them out.

He knew that if they were against God and his and his

people, then they had to go. It wasn't enough to just grab

one stone. He was prepared to take them all

out. If we take a page from David's

book instead of Shaw, when we When there is something in your

life that comes up against you that is against God, don't pick

up just one stone. You better pick up enough to

wipe out the rest that is coming to you.

It's not just enough to take out one thing in your life.

You have to be prepared for the thing that will try to take its

place. David gave the fight to the Lord

and it wasn't. He wasn't in the business of

just capturing Goliath. He was in the business of

annihilation. He was in the business of taking

care of business. He was in the business as as

Saul did a gag. He captured David once.

Once Dave Goliath was knocked down.

It wasn't just enough for him to be knocked down and knocked out.

It was not enough. He grabbed the Goliath sword and

he cut off his head because this is not going to fly.

I am not going to allow you to to live and go on and then maybe

come back again with your problems and and go against

God's people. Once you knock down what is in

your life that is coming against God, you better be prepared to

kill it. You may have been anointed as

Saul was and you may have been called, but you if you decide

you live your life like Saul and you keep what you think is best

in your life and and when you really, really what you kept

ended up being a hindrance to your walk, a hindrance to your

call, don't be surprised. Don't be surprised if you choose

to live like Saul and God finds a David to fulfill what was

originally meant to be done through you.

When God asks us to release something, he sees the bigger

picture that we cannot see. He sees the future consequences

of our decisions. In Sauls case, Isaiah 55 and

verse 8 says, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither

are my your ways my way, saith the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways

higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

This is why obedience matters. Even when we think we know

what's best, God's thoughts are higher.

Jesus says in Luke 9 and verse 23 it says, And he said unto

them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself,

and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose in.

But whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same will shall

save it. Letting go of what we think is

best and trusting in God's plan may feel like a loss at times.

It may feel like a loss in the moment, but it leads to life, it

leads to freedom and it leads to blessing.

Obeying God's command leads to life and it spares us from from

future dangers like like in this case of agog.

It would have saved them from future dangers of Haman and and

God would have been spared have having to deal.

The people of God would have been spared to deal with the the

Haman and and him coming against God's people and Luke 11 in 28

even says but he said yeah, rather blessed are they that

hear the word of God and keep it.

Saul was told by Samuel, the man of God a command and he did not

keep the word of God. The blessing is in obedience.

When we obey God to the fullest to the Max, we avoid the long

term cost. We avoid the long term cost that

may ripple throughout our lives. Obedience.

Our disobedience might not seem like a big deal today, but in

the long run it could be the difference between heaven or

hell. It could impact not only our

eternity, but impact the ones around us that we have influence

over. It could impact just as Saul's

decision gave birth to an enemy like Haman, our decisions to

hold on the things that have not of God can give the enemy

foothold in our lives. Jesus made it clear Matthew 7

and 21. It says not everyone that saith

in the name Lord, Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of

heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in

heaven. The stakes are eternal.

It's not just about avoiding the immediate consequences.

It's not just it's, it's about securing your place.

It's about staying the course of the straight and the narrow.

When we try to keep what we deem is best or what we try to to off

put and say, well, it's not as important or that's not a

doctrinal issue. That's not a heaven or hell

issue. That's my favorite when we try

to do that and when God asked you to let go of something and

obey His will, your choice can affect your relationship.

It can affect your relationship forever, whether positively or

negatively. The thing we have to ask

ourselves, ladies and gentlemen, is are you keeping something

that you deem is best that does not align with God?

Is it something that could cost us possibly our eternity?

If it's in the Word of God and it is spelled out in black and

white, then I would dare say you definitely need to go back into

the Word and dig into that a little more.

If it's something that is a hard issue, you need to dig back into

the word. If it's a pride issue, you need

to sacrifice yourself and take up your cross and deny yourself

because if we keep these things that we think and we hold dear,

at times it could cost everything.

What are you letting live? What are you letting live?

In Second Chronicles 714 and then our opening opening

passage, God promises healing and restoration.

Those that humble themselves pray and turn from disobedience

so that turning requires us to actually let go of of things.

So let go of our ideas of what what we would determine as as

best and fully surrender to his will and to kill what God, what

comes between US and God. You have to be ready to take it

on. You have to be ready to kill it.

It's not enough to just knock it down.

You could knock it down and it won't bother you for a week,

maybe two weeks. And what does it do?

It rears its ugly head again. It comes back.

You have to be ready to kill it. No.

No turning back. No turning back.

What are we letting live? I wonder tonight if we could

stand tonight in this place as the music comes.

Saul's disobedience brought Haman into the world.

But your disobedience could bring destruction in your life

and and those around you. The cost of keep keeping what

seems best is far too high. Ladies and gentlemen, it is far

too high. We have a choice, we have an

opportunity to choose life. We have an opportunity to choose

God above all else. And and through that, if we, if

we feel like God is speaking to something that that is we're

holding on to, that is hindering us, that is hurting us from

continuing on in our walk with God.

I encourage you to come forward and I encourage you to come

forward and pray and asking God to give us strength to release

what He has asked you to let go of.

Trust in His plan, trusting that it is far greater, far greater

than anything we could imagine it could be.

The difference between heaven or hell is the best, the best.

The self-proclaimed best that Saul kept did him no good in the

long run. It did him nothing it did not.

Obeying today could choose life and life more abundantly,

abundantly above all we could ask of all we could think.

Oh God, I ask you just to move in this place.

Oh that we could come and lay it down at the altar.

What we deemed as best in our life, what we have kept and held

on to probably for too long. Lord, I want to give it unto you

that our, our life would be a living sacrifice unto you, that

we would follow after you and, and your word and what it deems

as best instead of what we self-proclaimed to be right and

what we self-proclaimed to be justice.

God, I ask you just to move. Lord, anything that you have

impressed in on me that I would let go of, that I would not only

knock it down, but I would be prepared to kill it.

I would be prepared to take it out completely.

God, you are the magnificent author and creator and finisher

of our faith. Lord, I want to give you my

everything, but I cannot do that.

If I try to hold on to things, hold on.

The things that are weighing me down, hold on the things that

are holding me back from finishing the word, from

finishing and going another level, going rooted deeper into

you, rooted deeper into the word.

Rooted deeper to where I could be a better witness to my

family. I could be a better witness to

those at my workplace around. I could not hold on to things

that are against your word and I could seek your face and

allowing you to move in this place and in me.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.