Turn to 1 Samuel 15. 1 Samuel 15. We are going to use several different
portions of Scripture tonight. I titled this message, Things
That Are Better. Things That Are Better. I had
a young man come to the shop This past week or last week,
he filled out an application. He had about three different
jobs, and I noticed on his application it said the reason for leaving
was better pay, better opportunity. It was always better. Those things
which are really better for us, I thought about this, we find
them in the Word of God. That's where we find the things
that are better, and I want us to look at several scriptures
tonight as we look at this. In 1 Samuel 15, Samuel anointed Saul to be king
over Israel, and one of his first duties was to destroy Amalek. And he told him, he said, you
go and destroy Amalek. Do not spare anyone. You kill every man, every woman,
every infant, every ox, every sheep, everything about Amalek,
you destroy it, utterly destroy it. Well, they go and they fight
against Amalek. And Saul did not do what the
Lord said. He kept the best of the sheep. It says there in verse 9. He
kept the best. But Saul, it says, but Saul and
the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and the oxen,
and the fattlings, and the lambs, and all that was good. They destroyed. They destroyed them not, but
they destroyed everything that was bad and refuse, something
that was going to hinder them. Something they didn't want to
drag home. They destroyed that. But that's
not what God said. God said you destroy everything
that belongs to Amalek. And then Samuel comes and Saul
runs out to meet him. And he says in verse 13, and
Samuel came to Saul and Saul said to him, Blessed be thou
of the Lord. I have performed the commandment
of the Lord. No, you didn't. No, you didn't. You performed your will. That's
exactly what Saul did. He performed his will in this
battle, not the Lord's will. He kept, and Samuel said, he
said, what means this bleeding of the sheep in mine ears and
the lowering of the ox which I hear? And Saul said, they brought
them from the Amalekites for the people spared. For the people
spared? I thought you was a king. Boy, men just pass the buck,
don't they? Adam said, the woman you gave me. That's so sinful. That's so sinful. He said, the people spared the
best of the sheep and the oxen to sacrifice. We're going to
sacrifice this to God. Now he's going to make it look
good. Turn us into a religious thing and make it look like they
took the best and they're going to sacrifice it to God. No, they
kept it for themselves. That's what they did. But to
get on down through this, I want you to look in verse 22. And Samuel said, hath the Lord
a great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices? Is this what
delights the Lord? To take the best of the sheep
and the oxen and to sacrifice that to Him? Does that please
Him more than obedience? Saul, the Lord would have been
much more pleased with your obedience. than your disobedience. You hath the Lord a great delight
in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the
Lord. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken
than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of
witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity in idolatry. He's saying here, it's better
to obey than disobey. It's better to obey than have
to offer up a sacrifice. Much better. You see, disobedience
brought sin into this world. That's what brought sin into
this world. And that's what made us sinners, rebellion. Disobedience. Disobedience is in direct opposition
to the will of God. Saul was in direct opposition
to God's will. It didn't matter what he offered.
God was not going to accept his offering. His heart was far from
him. He was in total disobedience. It's better. It's better. Obedience
is better than sacrifice because God is more glorified and self
is more denied. Wouldn't it have been much better
if he had just obeyed God? Obedience to the will of God
and the gospel of God is better than perishing under the wrath
of God. A whole lot better. Now, turn over to Psalm 37. Psalm 37. We're just going to
go through the Scriptures here tonight and look at some of these
things. In Psalm 37, in verse 16, a little that a righteous man hath is
better than the riches of many wicked. Men and women who are
made righteous in the Lord Jesus Christ usually don't have much
of this world's goods. They really don't. You know,
we are such a blessed people. We don't see what, you go to
Mexico and those places, you know, we're blessed in this country.
But God's people usually don't have a whole lot of this world's
good. And you know what? That's better. That's better. No matter how
little my possessions may be, it's better that I have Christ
and all that's in Christ than all the riches this world can
afford. Much better. Much better. I say this. Thank God. Give thanks to God if He has
given you a little understanding of who He is. If He's given you
a little understanding of who the Lord Jesus Christ is. If
He's given you a little understanding of who you are. Thank God for
that. That's far better, that understanding. That understanding is far better
than all the riches of this world put together. Far better. You cannot put a price on that. Your little is better than their
much. Your little is better than their
much, for God gave it to you, and it glorifies Him. And then
it's better to know where my little comes from. It's better
to know where my little comes from than having a lot and thinking,
I've got it myself. It's better to know that. Oh,
it's better to know that. Then he says in Psalm 84.10,
or in Psalm 84.10, he says, for a day in thy courts is better than
a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper
in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness."
This is a psalmist here saying, I'd rather be a doorkeeper than
to dwell in the tents of the wicked and all that they have. and true worship of God and communion
with God is better than a thousand days or years or ages spent in
this world and all the pleasures of this world. Just a day. Just
a day. Wait till you get there, we'll
see. Wait till we get there, we'll see. Just a day. Just a
day in His presence is better than a thousand days of all that
we've ever enjoyed on this earth. I've enjoyed some things along
the way, but just a day in his presence, he says, just a day
in his presence is better than a thousand. Take all the time
he spent in this world in pleasures, and they cannot be compared with
one day in the presence of God Almighty. Can't. And this day is a special day.
Because it's with God. Have you ever spent a special
day with your family? You know, there's something about
being a grandparent. You just appreciate it after you've raised
your children and they're gone and it just seemed like it went
like that. There's just something about those little grandkids.
I don't know if it's just where you're older and you've slowed
down a little bit, but you enjoy them more. And it's just a special
day to have those grandkids. A special day. And it's just
a special day to really, truly be able to be in worship and
communion with God, even here. Not just when we get there, here.
When we are able to come into this place, and for a little
while, to put aside the cares of this life, and for a little
while, enjoy some worship together of our Father. That's better. Better than all the days I've
had out there. Psalm 118. Psalm 118, verse 8. It is better to trust in the
Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in
the Lord than to put confidence in princes. It's better to trust
and hope and look to the Lord Jesus Christ every day for guidance,
for wisdom, for protection, for all of our spiritual needs, wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. It's better to
look to Him than to all the leaders of the world. What leader has
ever been in this world? Really worth looking to. Scripture
says no man is saved by a multitude. If a man is saved, he is saved
by God. It's better to trust in the Lord.
To trust Him. One word. One word from Him would
fell all my enemies. It would. Just one word from
Him. When our Lord cast out devils,
He would just speak the word and it would be gone. Speak a
word, and my daughter be healed." Just a word from Him. Just a
word. Oh, it's better to trust Him
and lean on Him. It's better to do that than to
trust, He says, even the princes, men of power, men of honor. They really don't have anything
other than what God's given them. Oh, it's better. It has a better
end. Trusting Christ, listen, trusting
the Lord Jesus Christ has a better end. Trusting men to protect
us has a bad end. If we're going through all these
presidential things, they're going to fix this thing. I'm
just going to trust the Lord that it's going to turn out all
right. For every one of His sheep, I promise you, it's going to
turn out all right. It has a better end. Trusting
Him has a better end than trusting all men together. Our God will
deliver everyone who trusts Him. Everyone who puts their confidence
in Him, their trust in Him, their hope in Him, they'll not be put
to shame, He says. They'll not be put to shame.
Now, Proverbs chapter 8. I could have written and written
and written on this. Proverbs chapter 8, verse 11, for wisdom is better
than rubies, and all the things that may be desired are not to
be compared to it. Now listen, Christ, the Lord
Jesus Christ, who is made unto us wisdom. He's made unto us wisdom is to
be desired above all things, all riches, all worldly possessions,
all things. He's to be desired. Set your
affection on things above, for Christ sits at God's right hand.
Nothing that we can desire, now listen, nothing that we can desire
can bring us forgiveness. If you're guilty, you know what
that means. You know how good that is. Nothing that we can
desire can bring us rest. A better job, I promise you,
a better job making more money will not bring rest. The rich
man's riches, Solomon said, will not let him sleep. It will not
bring rest. It will not bring peace. I'm
talking about that real inward peace that comes from God. It
will not bring peace. Nothing that we can desire apart
from Christ can bring these things. It cannot bring joy. But Christ,
the Lord Jesus Christ, gives us all these things. Forgiveness,
rest, peace, joy. Everything else will fail. But
he won't. He will not fail his people.
And without this wisdom, without this wisdom, right here, Christ,
the wisdom of God, without this wisdom, you'll lose your rubies. Sooner or later, you'll lose
them. Sooner or later, you'll lose them. That rich man lifted
up his eyes and says, in hell, beneath torments. He lost all
his rubies. because his desire was not Christ
and his wisdom was not Christ. Christ is to be desired more
than silver or gold. For what he gives, what he gives
cannot be bought with silver or gold. Eternal life. That's real. That's real. Sometimes I have to sit around
at the house and my study, and I just sit back and I think,
and I think about this. This is real. I mean, it just
hits me. Sometimes it hits me stronger
than at other times. Christ is real. There's a real man sitting
at God's right hand. Eternity is real. Salvation is
real. Forgiveness is real. And I tell
you, just a thought of that just is sobering. Sobering. It's real. Well, what I'm talking
about tonight and what we have here in the Word of God, what
we have in Christ is real. And it's better. It's better. Proverbs 15. Proverbs 15. Look in verse 16 and 17. Better? is little with the fear of the
Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith. Better is
a dinner of herbs where love is, where the love of God is,
than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. Once again, it's better
to have little of this world and serve God faithfully in fear. Respect all. than to have the
great treasures of this world and nothing but trouble. And
really, the greater the treasures are in this world, I'm telling
you, the greater they are, the more trouble they bring. The more trouble they bring.
Paul told me one time, you know, Paul Thacker, we were in business
together. He said, John, it's not so hard making money as keeping
it. He said, it's not. He said, it's not so hard making
it, it's just trying to keep it. Because you have so many
things coming after you. I don't know how many phone calls
we've had just in the last several days for donations. And it just
goes on week after week after week. Oh, he says, it's better. Better is little. You have little? Well, if you have Christ, you
don't have little. You have all that God has. But the little that we have here
in this life, if we have little, he said, it's better with the
fear of the Lord, the awe and reverence of God. And only a
saved man has that. That's not natural to natural
men. It's better than the great treasures
and trouble they're with. This fear of the Lord shows an
understanding of who God is. It shows an understanding of
who He is. This is a lesson taught by God. This fear comes not naturally. It comes by divine work of God
Almighty. To truly, truly fear Him. To stand in awe of Him. It's
the work of God. And it's better, he says here,
it's better to have nothing but herbs to eat. Nothing but herbs
to eat where the love of God is. And to eat steaks, to eat
high on the hog. And hatred. Sit around a table
where there, you may have a real feast on that table, but hatred around that table in the
heart. He said it's much better to eat where you just have some
herbs. You just have some herbs, but you have the love of God.
Shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Spirit. It's better
that the meat of the gospel the love of Christ be shed in
your heart than to have meat on the table. Now, turn over
to Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes chapter four. Ecclesiastes chapter four, verse
six. Better is a handful with quietness. I tell you, we need to take these
verses down Go over them from time to time. Better is a handful
with quietness than both hands full with travail and vexation
of spirit. If God gives you a handful of
things of this life and you are enabled to enjoy them with quietness,
oh, be thankful. He just gives you a handful and
you can really enjoy it with quietness. Don't stick out your
other hand. Don't stick out your other hand.
and bring upon yourselves vexation of spirit and prevail." Just
be content with what's in that one hand He's given you, with
quietness. Be content, our Lord said, with
such things as you have. That's what Paul said over in
Philippians. Godliness with contentment is
great gain. Listen to this. I read this somewhere.
I don't remember where I read it, but I wrote it down. Use
your free hand to distribute from the forehand to those that
are in need. Just use that free hand. Instead
of trying to get both hands full, use that free hand to distribute
from that full hand to those that are in need. Now, Ecclesiastes
7. A good name? People don't think
a whole lot about their name, do they? I'm talking about natural
men. You watch their conducts. They don't give much attention
to that. But a good name is better than precious ointment and the
day of death than the day of one's birth. A good name is better to be had
than all riches or titles. It's better. It's better to give
up riches if it's going to destroy your name as a believer. It's
better to give it up. It's better to have a good name
than to have all the riches or titles that this world can give
you. Just let them go. Let them have
their riches. Let them have their title. We'll
take that good name that the Lord has given us. Son of God. Son of God. And why is it better? Because this good name comes
from God. It's a new name. It's a new name. Unlike that old name we were
born with, it's a new name. As I said, now are we the sons
of God. Now! It's hard to conceive that,
isn't it? It's hard to conceive that right
now I am a son of God. That's hard to conceive. But it is so. It's so. And your name! is written in
the Lamb's Book of Life. That new name, that good name,
is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. And it's better to be
known for acts of kindness. What do you want to be known
for? You and I are going to be known for something when we die. There'll be a crowd, maybe not
a crowd, but there'll be some people there anyway. And they're
going to know you for something. But it's better to be known for
acts of kindness and love that are the fruit of the Spirit than
to be known for wickedness and stinginess or even being successful. It's to be known for just kindness.
He was a kind, well, that was a kind man. That was a gentle
man. That was a meek man. Peaceful
man. That's the fruit of the Spirit. When your name is mentioned,
how are you thought of? How are you thought of? And the day of a believer's death is better than the day he was
born into this world. That's subtle. That's subtle. You know, the day of a believer's
death is this. It's a death to sin. You don't even have the presence
of it anymore. It's death to Satan. You'll never be bothered
by him again. It's death to this world. It's
death to the lust of this flesh. The day of his death is better
than the day he came into this world because these things are
gone. These things that bother us,
trouble us, break our hearts and cause us to stumble and fall
will all be over. That's a better day, don't you
think? That's a better day. and what he's receiving. At the
day of death, what the believer is receiving is far better than
what he's leaving. Far better. Paul said, for me
to live is Christ, and to die is pure gain. It's just pure
gain. And it's better to go to the
house of mourning than the house of feasting, for that's the end
of all men. People don't want to face death,
do they? They don't want to talk about it. People in general,
they don't want to talk about it, don't want to deal with it.
But the living, he said, the living will lay it to heart.
The living, it's better to go to the house of mourning than
to go to the house of feasting, for that's the end of all men.
And the living, who's the living? Those whom God has given life
to. Those who are being made alive
in Christ. When you go to a funeral, you know what the end of all
men is. If that man believed on Christ,
he's with the Lord. If he didn't, as a tree falls,
so shall it lie. Eternal punishment. It's better to know godly sorrow
over sin than to laugh my way to judgment. It's better. Truth is better than a lie. I
was somebody, and I thank God that He sent that man along almost
30 years ago, that told me the truth. I told Henry one time,
I'm glad you told me the truth. It's better to know a truth than
the lie. Henry said one time in a message,
hell is truth realized too late. It's better to face the truth
about myself, my sin, and the end of all these things now than
at the judgment. Much better. He said the heart of the wise
is in the house of the morning. He knows his daily sins. He knows
his downfall. He knows them. But the fool,
his heart doesn't want to leave his foolish ways. It wants to
find pleasure in shame. But the heart of the wise bows
before the Lord, mourns over his sins, seeks mercy, seeks
forgiveness. And he does it daily. Daily. Oh, it says it's better to hear
the rebuke of the wise. And I tell you this, it's better
to hear the rebuke of the gospel wise than to hear the song of
another gospel and be put to sleep. It's better, he said there
in verse 5, to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to
hear the song of fools. To hear another gospel, of which
Paul said is not another, and just be lulled to sleep. And better is the end of a thing
than the beginning of it. The end of a believer's life
is better than its beginning. And the patient in spirit, those
who are waiting on the coming of the Lord, is better than the
proud in spirit who wait on no one but themselves. Oh, he says
it's better. Then he says over here in Ecclesiastes
9.4. For to him that is joined to all
the living, there's hope. There's hope as long as a man
is alive. For a living dog is better than a dead lion. And
I thought of this, I thought of that Gentile woman, and the
Lord called her a dog. And those dead Pharisees, self-righteous
Pharisees, which I think here represents this dead lion, They
were the ones who ruled and reigned in Israel. He said, it's better
to be a living dog. It's better to be a living Gentile
dog. Now, is this not so? Now, listen.
That gets to eat the crumbs which fall from the master's table.
And to be a dead Pharisee and not get anything but trouble. To be somebody without God is
worse than to be a nobody with God. Far worse. Then in Mark chapter 9, I'll
read this to hurry up. In Mark 9, verse 43, he says,
It's better to enter into life halt and maim than to be made
whole and go to hell. It's better if God breaks you
than to leave you alone and that you feel good about yourself
and perish. It's better if God makes you mourn over sin and
brings you to His feet than to leave you alone, feeling all
comfortable with myself and then perish afterwards. I read this, better to have one
eye that sees than two eyes that don't, one ear that hears than
two that don't, one leg that works than two that don't. Better be healed inwardly toward
God than outwardly and forget God. Better. But to sum it all
up, things that are better, that
which makes all things better is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Apart from Him, nothing is better. Apart from the Lord Jesus Christ,
nothing is better. He's our hope. We have a better
hope in Him. We have a better covenant in
Him, that covenant of grace, compared to that old covenant.
He's a better sacrifice. Hebrews just tells us that Christ
is better. We have a better resurrection
in Him. But last of all, Paul said this,
and I close. Paul said, I am in a strait betwixt
two. Have you ever been there? Have
you ever just been caught in between something you don't know
which? Just kind of torn between two? Pulled both directions?
Paul said, I am in a strait betwixt two. And here's my strait. Here it is. Having a desire to
depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Far better. To leave this life, this world
of sin, and be with Jesus Christ is far better, he says, than
to stay. Is it? It is. It is. To awake with His
likeness is far better than to keep my likeness. A whole lot
better. And although we weep for those
who have gone on before us, We know that they have it better. They have it better. But we have a better day coming.
We have a better day coming. Well, I've just touched on a
few things tonight. Things that are better. Okay,
Mike.