Heart Over Hype: The Rebellious King

Use this curriculum to help you further engage with the sermon, the scriptures, and each other. Allow the Holy Spirit to bring things up to encourage and guide you so that you are always growing in your faith. If the Spirit leads you away from these questions and into conversation and prayer that encourages and points you to Jesus, go for it.

scripture

Read the following scriptures together: 1 Samuel 28:3-25.

overview

Samuel’s death is recorded in chapter 25, but the author reminds us of his death in this week’s chapter to illustrate how spiritually desperate Saul becomes as the fear of the Philistines takes over. We have watched Saul move from devotion to God, to leaning on Samuel’s spirituality and wisdom, to turning to his own thoughts and desires. Because Saul stopped pursuing God and godly practices, God is silent and this leaves Saul gripped with fear. 

question 1

Some people rely on the spirituality of their parents, other family members, or their Church leadership and believe that being close to them helps them to be close to God. What are the indicators that we might be relying on someone else’s spirituality rather than pursuing our own relationship with God? 

discussion

Read 1 John 1:9. Because of God’s silence and his own desperation, Saul goes against his own law and seeks out a medium looking for answers. He has hit an all-time low. This is what happens when we walk away from God and the wisdom he promises to those who follow him. God has given us access to so much through his Holy Spirit, we need only to learn these promises, pick them up, and apply them. One of the most important promises is that of repentance – not just a one-time confession, but a daily cleansing of our hearts and minds. When we repent daily, we are forgiven and moved back into right relationship with God. If only Saul had felt genuine sorrow for his life’s choices and repented before God, he might have had a different ending to his life. 

question 2

Some of us have a hard time believing that we are truly forgiven and walk around with guilt, which can lead to depression and even separation from God – the very opposite of what repentance promises. Others of us have grown up in the church and may not have had a dramatic “coming to Jesus” moment, which can make it difficult to feel like forgiveness is a part of your story. Whatever your background, do you have a hard time believing that you are fully forgiven?

The lesson we can learn from this chapter is that in moments of anxiety, waiting, or unanswered prayers, we need to avoid the temptation to look for quick fixes or self-reliance outside of God and learn to trust his timing over our own. Our rebellion often takes hold when we aren’t patient with God’s timing and we take matters into our own hands. Then, when things don’t work out, we can get upset with God and ask why. In life, God is more interested in refining our character than he is in giving us everything we ask for. When our lives reflect Jesus, we start to reflect him to an unbelieving world, and this can be an opening for us to share the gospel message. 

question 3

Prior to developing your own faith or in times of apathy, have you recalled someone whose faith and character seemed so joyous and bright that it made you curious as to why? Did you ever ask them?

weekly application

Since it’s November and the month of giving thanks, be sure to thank God for the gift of forgiveness and practice daily repentance.