Glen Bond
Aug. 19, 2007
Picayune MS

Subject : What excuse are you using?



1 Samuel 15:1-23

Saul is told specifically what to do. vs. 3
saul did not do it. vs. 9

You have been told specifically what to do. 
 Seek the Lord
 Forsake all.
 Repent - turn from your wicked ways.
 Come and reason together.
 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ

You haven't done it.
Like Saul, You have not did what the Lord has commanded you to do.
You have rejected the word of the Lord. 
And, like Saul, the Lord has rejected you.
He has not saved you.

If we look at Saul, we see that he excused his actions.

1 Samuel 15:13 
 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD. 

He started off in complete denial of the facts. He said : "I have performed the commandment of the LORD."
He was in a sense boasting of what he had done.
I think that he was trying to convince himself.

You that are not saved, Will you also deny the facts and say "I have sought the Lord"?
Will you say "I have came and reasoned with the Lord"?
Will you say "I have turned from my wicked ways."?
Will you say "I have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ"?
   have you forsaken all?

I know that you want to say that you have done at least one of these things.
But look at Saul, he did at least one of the things that the Lord commanded him.

Yet he said : "I have performed the commandment of the LORD."

Are you also like Saul? Are you trying to convince yourself?
Are you thinking that you have done what the Lord has commanded you?
If you had done what he commanded you, - you would be saved.

Then look at vs. 20
15:20 
 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 

Saul insists that he has done what he was commanded. Yet his own words condemn him. He said "I have brought Agag the king..." He was told to destroy all.
Are you sitting here tonight still saying "I have obeyed the voice of the LORD"?
You may deny it, but you are.
you are still trying to justify yourself in what you are doing.

I want to tell you tonight, STOP IT!
Stop saying "I am seeking the Lord"
Stop saying "I want to be saved"
Stop saying "I am trying to come to the Lord"
Stop saying "I have reasoned with him".

Start believing what Gods word says:
Ye will not come to me - This means that you don't want to come to him.
The carnal mind is enmity toward God - This means that you hate God.
You don't want to come to him.

When you reason with God, here is what you say, not with your lips but in your heart:
"Lord draw me to thee and save me, but don't do it today I'm busy having fun."
This is the natural heart.
You are not getting honest with the Lord.

You must get honest and you must come to him.

Look at the prodigal son in Luke chapt. 15 vs. 11
Luke 15:11
11   And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12   And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13   And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14   And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15   And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16   And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17   And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18   I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19   And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20   And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21   And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22   But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23   And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24   For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.


You are like the son who has gone away from your father.
you are in a far country.
and before the Lord touches your heart, you are blind and selfrighteous. You, like Saul, think that you are doing right. You will argue that you have done what is necessary for salvation.
Your money is all gone, you have only the husks to eat.
You will stay in this state (broke and hungry) until the Lord deals with you and you "come to yourself" vs 17.

When you come to yourself, then you see that you are spiritualy bankrupt, you see that you have been feeding on husks. There is no spiritual food in these husks, and sooner or later you will die spiritually and go to a devils Hell.

As long as you keep on making excuses and saying, like Saul, "I have performed the commandment of the LORD." You will continue to eat of the husks.

But when you come to yourself, you will see that there is nothing here that has any value at all.
This Earth will pass away, only those in Christ will endure.

when you come to yourself you will see that there is no hope where you are.
You MUST get to Christ. You will leave all. You will forsake all that is dear to you and flee to Christ.

You will come to him KNOWING that you have nothing that he wants.
You will come just as you are. Smelling of the hog pen.
You will leave your pride in the hog pen, a proud person will never come to the father and beg.
A proud person would come and say "father since I am your son you should give me a place to stay"
But this man left his pride and comes as an unworthy person. He admits that the father owes him nothing.

And look what happens, as soon as the Father sees repentance in the son, he runs to him, accepts him, gives him all that is needed in this life. food, clothing, a place to stay.


Mat. 6:33   But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.