Ned Brown - 10-22-2023 // Selective Hearing; Bleating Sheep and Lowing Oxen

In 1 Samuel 15, the Lord instructs King Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites, "for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt." (1 Samuel 15:2 NKJV).  This included destroying all people and all livestock.  When Samuel joined Saul following the victory, the king boasted of his faithfulness to do all that the Lord had commanded.  But as Samuel approached the camp, he asked, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" (1 Samuel 15:14 NKJV).

Clearly Saul had not fully obeyed the Lord's command.  This begs the question, was Saul a believer?  Will Saul be in heaven?  This leads to an even greater question, can a person be a believer in Jesus Christ and yet disobey the Lord?

Join us for today's lesson as we examine this question.  We further examine the questions,

• How does one become a Christian?
• What role does obedience play in the life of a believer?
• What impact does disobedience have on the believer?
• What security is there for the believer?

Thank you for listening to today's lesson.  We pray that as we examine these questions together that you will also be encouraged in your walk with the Lord, imperfect though it may be, because we have a sure and certain hope in Jesus Christ.