Pastor Erick Aguilar’s sermon was entitled “The Heart Before the Gift.” He read about Joshua and the Israelite army were to

”March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this

for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns

in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city

seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear

them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army

give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse….”

Joshua 6:3-5 (NIV)

Those instructions seem ludicrous to us so imagine how they sounded to Joshua and the mighty army of God. They were to march silently for six days around the city walls. Do those directions empower an army before it launches into a battle against its rival? God’s plans are higher than man’s plans. Pastor Erick’s Paramount Point was Worship is a weapon that must be coupled with obedience.

Why do we worship? We worship first and foremost because we have an innate desire to adore Him who created us. “Yet God made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 We want to know our Creator. We want to know who He is and how He functions. Every human has a sense of our smallness in contrast to His grandeur and power. He is beyond our imagination, and yet we want to know Him. That is why we worship.

Additionally, obedience is costly. Pastor Erick cited the life of King Saul. The Lord had directed him to kill all the Amalekites and their livestock. However, Saul saw some livestock he valued and saved the livestock and the king of the Amalekites. When Samuel the prophet confronted King Saul and his disobedience, Saul justified his behavior and stated that he had obeyed the Lord. Saul was in denial. “But Samuel replied, ’What is more pleasing to the Lord; your burnt offers and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice?’” 1 Samuel 15:22

Saul wanted what he wanted including God’s approval of his disobedience. “When we put our words in God’s mouth, we are in danger,” emphasized Pastor Erick. Saul was more interested in what he wanted instead of what God instructed.

Pastor Erick repeated Pastor Greg Hendrick’s words,”Failing the instructions means succeeding in destruction.” Saul continued in his path of disobedience and even went so far as to erect a monument to himself. Obedience quickly becomes disobedience when the assignment has changed.

Read the full sermon here: https://www.faithchapelsd.com/post/th...