Ashamed At His Coming?

A friend recently told me about a website called One Place.com where you can go to hear hundreds of different messages from all different radio programs. So I decided to check it out. I came across a preacher named Dr. John Barnett. I had never heard of him before but the title of his message intrigued my interest. With all the turbulent times we are in for with the incoming president, I think most of us believe we are living in the end. No one knows when Christ will come back, but the one thing I know for sure is that I wanta be ready to face Him. This message was entitled "Ashamed at His Coming? Part 1" (you can listen to it here). These are my notes from the message.

Ashamed at His coming... Part 1 - John Barnett

1 Samuel 13 – Saul (man after mans own heart, the mistakes Saul made)


If you want to be sure you’re life will amount to nothing then:

• Neglect the Lords leadership in your life, vv1-7.Saul neglected to let the Lord lead. And He underestimated the power of His enemies. Positive side - Galatians 5, Ephesians 4-5 and Colossians 3.

• Get impatience and use your impatience as a justification to do your own thing, v8. We excuse our wrong behavior. Positive side – The fruit of the spirit, yielding to the Holy Spirit in my life. I should have an immeasurable amount of growing patience.

• Neglect your primary responsibility, v22. Positive side. In every responsibility were entrusted with we have the option to embrace it and fulfill it or to neglect it and be irresponsible and self centered.

• Get out of touch with what God is doing around you, 14:2-3. Saul was out of touch with what God was doing in His surrounding.

• Get your anger and pride to rule, vv24. James 1 & 3 (tongue). If you want to waste your life allow your anger and pride to rule your life so that you say and do things that disable, hurt and harm those around you. The Lord tells us, we’re gonna give an account for every idle word. Our worlds can either come from a fountain prompted by the Holy Spirit, or from a heart of bitterness. It’s our choice.

• Be unacquainted with the way God wants us to life our lives, 15:1-3. Saul ignored clear and direct statements about what God wanted Him to do. Positive side: Stop always worry about what God did reveal to us yet, and get busy with what we know He’s already called us to do. Psalm 119:18 “Open my eyes God that I many understand.”

• Pick and choose what God clearly tells you to do so that you offer God selective and partial obedience, v8. Anything less than full obedience, God considers disobedience.

• Hold on to the best and nicest parts of what God hates and has asked you to destroy and keep them for yourself, v9. James 4:4, friendship with the world, leads to being an enemy of God. Galatians 5, Ephesians 4 and Colossians 3.

• Only give God what you don’t want anyways and is worthless to you, v9. It’s easy to obey God when we don’t like those things anyways. But are we willing to obey God even when it means sacrificing something we enjoy? Positive side: Matt.16:24-27 (whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but if you give your life to God you will gain it, and not shrink away from Him at His coming).

• Honor yourself before others, v12. Matt. 23, Jesus hardest criticisms were towards the religious leaders who thought they were above everyone else. Positives side: James 4:10, Colossians 3:12 (if we humble ourselves it is than that God can use us).

• Be deceptive about the true condition of our spiritual life by making false claims about your dedication, v13. How many of us stand in church on Sundays and sing hymns, just mouthing the words, yet not being willing to live them out in our personal lives. Be aware wear you stand in your relationship with Christ.

• Blame others for your own personal failures, v15. Whoever confesses his sins and forsakes them will find mercy and prosper.

Ending Note:
Avoid what Saul did...but more than that.... I need to be active in my pursuit of obedience to Christ so that my relationship with Him will grow and I will not be ashamed at His coming. 1 John 2:28 – "Abide in Him so that we will not shrink away at His coming".