Turn Your Back

• Samuel meets Saul. Saul is told what to do, how to do it, is filled and built up and told to go.
• If you’re going to be useful to God, there are some basic boxes that have to be checked.
• Look at v 9-10 9 So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel,
• He turns away from Samuel, God gives him a new heart, the signs come to pass, He meets prophets, the spirit of God comes upon him and he himself prophesies among them.
• Powerful powerful stuff that happens in his life. He’s being empowered to become king
• You need empowerment to be able to live this life.
• None of that would have happened if he hadn’t turned his back on Samuel. The talking time was over. It was now the doing time.
• He had to go and do what he was supposed to do, but turned his back- changed his direction- turned the way that he was going- started going in a new direction
• Are you willing to turn your back? Are you willing to do what it takes to be used by God?

1. To turn your back You must be filled with the Holy Spirit

• 1 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: “Is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander over His inheritance?
• This was the beginning of Saul’s transformation. Oil was the symbol of the Holy Spirit and when the anointing of a priest/king was to happen, the oil was the symbol of the HS being upon them
• Big guys in the Bible were always filled. Acts 4:8 Peter, Filled with the Spirit Acts 13:9 Paul, filled with the spirit Luke 4:1 Jesus, full of the spirit
• Exodus 28-30 Outlines Oil and priests and consecration. This is the moment for Saul. Its not just an oil bath, it is a baptism of the Holy Spirit upon him.
• Saul couldn’t serve God, do what he was supposed to do without the Holy Spirit
• King Nebuchanezzer in the OT said of Daniel that he had the Holy Spirit. Its Seen!

• What does it mean to you?
• Are you filled with the Holy Spirit? This is the most important component of your spiritual success. Salvation is the first part of your experience of Faith, but you must be filled!
• John 3:5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
• Its how we live! Ephesians 5:18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
• It’s a promise! Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
• Father- Repentance Son- Forgiveness Holy Spirit- Indwelling
• Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
• I thes 5:19 Do not Quench the Spirit
• Galatians 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
• The calling of God comes from outside, not inside. There will always be confirmation outside
• Samuel was doing what God told him to do, not what Saul asked him to do

• Here’s the issue- many people have made an agreement to follow Jesus, have repented from their sin, but they haven’t had a ‘moment’ With the holy Spirit.
• We’re not going to go into the specifics right now- but the truth is that you’ll know when you receive it, you’ll know if you have it, and you’ll know if you don’t.
• If you ask the Father for it, he will give it to you. If you seek for it you will find it.
• But you must ask for it. You need it to live in this world. If you don’t have the spirit you wont make it
• Getting donuts in college- vw bus out of gas in downtown seattle at 7am
• Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
• If you have glaring inadequacies in an area, you should question what you are filled with

1. You must be changed

• You cannot do anything without being changed
• 6 Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.
• Meet a group of prophets, the spirit of the Lord will come upon you, you will prophesy and be turned into another man
• This is such a critical part of this story. Saul, as we was, did not have what it took to do what he was being asked to do. He needed to be changed
• Who he was wasn’t what it was going to take to get him to where he needed to be- it was going ot take a BIG change in who he was- and only God could do it.
• God is in the changing business! Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
• God changes things and changes people! Psalm 102:25-27. Changes names, abram Abraham, Isaac to Israel He changes

• What does it mean to you
• You will be of no use to God if you do not allow him to change you. His spirit does it, but you have to allow it. If God doesn’t progressively change us- then why do we preach?
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
• A big issue in Christianity is that people come to God with a set of demands and ways
• They don’t want to change- they want to hold on to their own life and their own ways
• I remember meeting a man who attended church. He would say he was a Christian. In passing one day he says to me “I can’t stand these ‘born again’ Christians, I was already born once”
• John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
• That man fell into grievous grievous sin. Cost him his wife, kids, job, everything. Destroyed.
• His pride wouldn’t allow him to believe that he needed the born again experience.
• Romans 8:9-10 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
• 2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
• If you have the same desires, the same attitude, the same habits, the same direction in your life, I question if you’ve been saved. If you’ve been changed
• Pastor Butcher in Army v When I met him. He was a serious gangster. Now he doesn’t even talk about it. He gives out flowers, smiles and hugs people. You wouldn’t even know.

But to be filled and be changed?

1. You must be obedient v 7-8

• You can’t expect that if the HS anoints you that you’re going to be changed if you’re not going to be obedient to all that God is asking you to do
• Many people want the power of the HS. Some people want to be changed, but MOST people wont be obedient
• They figure they don’t want to have to do the action to make the things happen
• 7 And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you. 8 You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days
• Saul needed some signs, the guys, the bread, the music, the prophesying.
• But he had to GO “you shall go down” and as he went he should ‘do as the occasion demands.
• If Saul never went down. He would never see the signs. He would have never been changed

• What does it mean to you?
• If you’re going to live your life in disobedience, don’t expect to be used by God or be changed by him
• I’ve been pastoring for 15 years and in those years I have seen, and continue to see people who never change
• Been hanging around for a long time, but refuse to be obedient and are always surprised with the outcomes of their life
• John 14:15 If you love Me, keep My commandments
• 1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
• Psalm 119:30 I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgments I have laid before me.
• Typically, when a pastor or a person from a church starts to talk about obedience, people will say ‘legalism’ ‘legalism’.
• Here’s what legalism is- putting an unbiblical yoke of bondage on someone that isn’t biblical and ensuring them they are saved because of the action
• Example: show up to 6am prayer every day if you want to go to heaven- not in Bible
• But when I tell you that you need to forgive, love, serve, give, fellowship, pray, and become a disciple of Jesus- that’s not legalism- that’s called Christianity!
• Encouraging obedience to God isn’t legalism- Legalism is disfellowshipping someone who doesn’t adhere to the unbiblical standard
• You shouldn’t be challenging me talking obedience- you should be asking yourself, why don’t I want to be obedient?