Useless Justification Used

“Useless Justification Used”
1 Samuel 15:9-28
Introduction:
A mother was helping her son with his spelling. They came to ’conscious’ and ’conscience’ and she asked him if he knew the difference. "Sure. ’Conscious’ is when you are aware of something and ’conscience’ is when you wish you weren’t."
I have a file on my computer where I store anecdotes and stories that I may want to use somewhere down the road. What I need is a searchable database, but that would take time to set up, so I just have it in a Word document. I was searching my file for keywords for a story that would relate to this message. I typed in “integrity” and the computer told me that “integrity” was not found. I typed in “responsibility” and the computer told me “Responsibility” was not found. Then I realized, that is the problem: Integrity and responsibility aren’t found! They are lacking in our society just as they are lacking in my document.
This morning we consider Israel’s first king, King Saul. God gave Saul specific instructions, and King Saul disobeyed God. When the prophet Samuel reprimanded Saul for his disobedience, he used several excuses that are still used today to try to justify his actions. The excuses didn’t work for King Saul, and they won’t work for us either. God calls us to be holy, to be people of integrity who take personal responsibility for our actions. God is more concerned with our character than our comfort. Chuck Swindoll wrote, “Character is the moral, ethical, and spiritual undergirding that rests on truth, that reinforces a life in stressful times, and resists all temptations to compromise.” Proverbs 22:1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches
This morning, we are going to notice 4 Useless Justification Used by Saul and people today.

I. RELATIVE OBEDIENCE-
King Saul was partially obedient to God’s command, but what is the other side?
He was disobedient. He didn’t surrender himself to the command of God
v. 9 tells us that Saul and the people spared the king and the best of the livestock
Anything that was vile and garbage, that they utterly destroyed
Saul was practicing obedience when it was easy, when there was no sacrifice or cost involved
They only kept what would be valuable and destroyed what they didn’t want anyway
Still today, people are trying to satisfy God with half-measures
It is a precarious balancing act that requires constant attention and doesn’t satisfy God
We try to sell God on the notion that He should be pleased we obeyed in some matters
We expect Him to appreciate that we have obeyed Him when it was convenient
King Saul rationalized in his mind that it would be a tragic waste to destroy good livestock
And people today make concessions for why it isn’t necessary to be fully obedient
Like the couple who is having inappropriate sexual relationship, but they are engaged
Or the employee who steals from the job because they can afford it and haven’t done right by me
A morality based on situational ethics that vary by the moment
That excuse was useless for King Saul, and there is no point in our using it either

II. REHEARSED OBSTRUCTIONS-
We live in the age of spin, but it isn’