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KINGS | Week 5 | Full Service · Rewind

Rock Point Church

78 min

Pastor Brent Hatchett · May 15, 2023 · 4 min read · 78 min listen

The big idea

Worship isn't the thirty-minute song set — it's a lifestyle of giving God whatever He wants, no matter the cost.

In this message

The big idea
Point 1 of 6Worship is a lifestyle, not an activity
Point 2 of 6Saul gave God only part of what He asked

Point 3 of 6Saul's repentance was about being caught, not being sorry
Point 4 of 6David's sin with Bathsheba and Uriah was worse, yet his heart posture was right
Point 5 of 6God responded more gently to David because David was grieved for God's sake, not his own
Point 6 of 6The goal of life is to pursue obedience, not titles or purpose
Take it into your week
Transcript

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Scripture in this message

Romans 12:1
1 Samuel 15:1
1 Samuel 15:10
1 Samuel 15:26
Proverbs 4:23
2 Samuel 12

Rewind AI drafted the Big Idea and some point headings shown here from the sermon transcript. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

Pastor Brent Hatchett · May 15, 2023 · 78 min watch · 2 min read

KINGS | Week 5 | Full Service

In this message

Big Idea
Key points
Application

Scripture in this message

Romans 12:1
1 Samuel 15:1
1 Samuel 15:10
1 Samuel 15:26
Proverbs 4:23
2 Samuel 12

Big Idea Key points Application

Big Idea

Worship isn't the thirty-minute song set — it's a lifestyle of giving God whatever He wants, no matter the cost.

Real worship isn't an activity confined to a song set; it's a lifestyle of full obedience to God. Saul shows what it looks like to give God only some of what He wants and to repent merely because he got caught, while David shows what it looks like to be truly grieved before God and repent from the heart — both remind us that God desires obedience, not sacrifice.

Key points

1
1Worship is a lifestyle, not an activity
Pastor Brent opens with Romans 12:1, where Paul pleads with believers to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice, and says that's the true definition of worship. He warns that many Christians enjoy the thirty-minute worship set but live the rest of the week in a way that doesn't reflect the God they sing about, which is lip service, not worship.
2
2Saul gave God only part of what He asked
Working through 1 Samuel 15, Pastor Brent shows how God commanded Saul to completely destroy the Amalekites, but Saul spared King Agag and kept the best livestock for himself out of greed. He points out that God told Samuel He was sorry He ever made Saul king, because partial obedience grieved God.
3
3Saul's repentance was about being caught, not being sorry
Pastor Brent walks through Saul's excuses to Samuel and his eventual admission of sin, but notes Saul only wanted Samuel to worship with him publicly so it would look good in front of the elders. He compares this to catching his own son with a hidden snack and admitting the boy wasn't sorry he did it, only sorry he got caught.
4
4David's sin with Bathsheba and Uriah was worse, yet his heart posture was right
Pastor Brent retells how David stayed home from battle, saw Bathsheba, slept with her, and then had Uriah murdered to cover it up, calling David's actions worse than Saul's. He then reads Nathan's confrontation in 2 Samuel 12 and shows that God still pronounced real consequences on David's household.
5
5God responded more gently to David because David was grieved for God's sake, not his own
Pastor Brent contrasts Nathan's gentler tone with David after his confession versus God's harsher rejection of Saul, arguing the difference was posture of heart — David was concerned with how God felt, not how he looked. He points to Psalm 51 as evidence, where David begs for a clean heart and says God desires a broken spirit over sacrifice.
6
6The goal of life is to pursue obedience, not titles or purpose
Pastor Brent shares a personal story about his wife asking what if God never calls him to be a senior pastor, and realizing his real goal had quietly become chasing a title rather than obedience. He concludes that pursuing obedience daily, even if it costs you what you wanted, is what it means to truly worship God.

Application

Pastor Brent frames it as giving God whatever He wants — not some of you, all of you.

Make Jesus Lord, not just savior
Stop settling for accepting Jesus as the one who died for your sins while refusing to let Him direct your daily choices; make Him Lord over your whole life this week.
Repent because you're grieved, not because you're caught
Examine whether your sorrow over sin is really concern for how it affects God's heart, like David, rather than embarrassment at being exposed, like Saul.
Give God all of you, not some of you
Look at the areas you've been holding back from God's instruction and choose full obedience instead of partial compliance.
Pursue obedience instead of purpose or position
Let go of chasing titles or outcomes you've decided are 'God's plan' and instead commit daily to doing exactly what God asks, trusting purpose will follow.
Come to the altar and respond
If this message named something in you, come forward during the song — whether to repent, to surrender fully, or for the first time to receive Jesus as savior and Lord.

Take it into your week

Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

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Scripture in this message

From the transcript
“Look at what Paul writes in Romans twelve:one, he says this, And so dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you. Y'all, Paul is begging, please, baby, please”
Read the whole chapter →
From the transcript
“Check this out. First Samuel chapter 15 beginning at verse number one, here's what it says. One day Samuel said to Saul, it was the Lord Saul who told me to anoint you as king of his people Israel”
From the transcript
“Look at what God has to say about Saul. Verse 10, then the Lord said to Samuel, I am sorry that I ever made Saul king for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command”
From the transcript
“Rest of the text goes on to say this, beginning at verse number 26. But Samuel replied, I will not go back with you since you have rejected the Lord's command. He has rejected you as king of Israel”
From the transcript
“Because he failed to guard his heart. Proverbs four twenty three, above all else, guard your heart for it will determine the course of your life”
From the transcript
“we're getting ready to read second Samuel chapter 12. God is about to send one of his best preachers and prophets. It's a man by the name of Nathan”
From the transcript
“Second Samuel chapter 12, beginning at verse number one. Here's what it says. So the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story. David, there were two men in a certain town”
From the transcript
“Watch what David says in verse five. David was furious. As surely as the Lord lives, he vowed, any man who would do such a thing deserves to die”
From the transcript
“Look at God's response to David when David repents. Verse 13, here's what it says. Then David confessed to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan replied, Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won't die for this sin”
Paraphrase of the transcript
I'm a read one more passage of scripture for you. It's found in Psalms 51. I'm a read the entire thing because I want you to hear these words. Many scholars believe that David writes these words in Psalms 51 after he messes up.

Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

7-day devotional

A personal reading plan from this message — scripture, reflection, and prayer for each day.

Sign in to track your progress through this devotional.

Day 1

Pastor Brent opened with a question that can quietly unsettle a comfortable faith: Is worship something you do on Sunday, or something you are the rest of the week? Paul's answer in Romans 12:1 is striking — he calls the offering of your whole body, your whole life, your "true and proper worship" (ESV). Not a performance. Not attendance. A living sacrifice. The image is intentionally jarring. A sacrifice in the ancient world was costly and complete. You didn't hold back the best part and offer the rest. Paul is saying that God is after that same kind of totality from you — not just your Sunday morning, but your Monday commute, your Tuesday decisions, your Friday night, all of it. What makes this invitation so personal is that Paul doesn't frame it as a rule. He frames it as a response — "in view of God's mercy." Everything God is asking comes after everything He has already given. That changes the posture entirely. This week's devotional grows out of that single idea: worship is a way of living, and it starts with honestly asking whether the life you're living outside of church reflects the God you sing about inside it.

For reflection

If someone followed you through your average Tuesday, what picture of worship would they see?

Pray

Pray for honest eyes to see the gap, if any, between your Sunday worship and your weekday life.

Day 2

Saul's story is the kind that makes you squirm because it's so recognizable. God gave him a clear command — destroy everything belonging to the Amalekites. Saul obeyed most of it. He kept the best livestock, the finest animals, technically for a good reason: to sacrifice them to God. It sounds almost reasonable until Samuel shows up and says, "What is all this bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle I hear?" Partial obedience has a sound, apparently. What's painfully honest about this passage is that Saul wasn't openly rebellious. He thought he was being religious. He was going to use the spoils for worship. But God's word through Samuel cuts right through the logic: "What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to His voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice." The sin wasn't irreverence — it was substitution. Saul replaced what God actually wanted with something that looked holy but came from his own agenda. The sermon's challenge lands here: it's possible to be consistently present in worship spaces while quietly keeping the best of yourself off the altar. The question isn't whether you show up — it's whether you hold back.

For reflection

Is there an area of your life where you've offered God something that looks like obedience but is really a substitute for what He's actually asking?

Pray

Pray for the courage to name the area where partial obedience has felt like enough.

Day 3

When Saul finally admits his sin, it sounds like confession. "I have sinned." But the very next sentence reveals what he's actually worried about: "Please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel." The repentance lasted exactly one verse. What follows is a man scrambling to protect his reputation, not grieve his offense. Pastor Brent drew a sharp and important line here — the difference between genuine repentance and image management. Saul wasn't broken over how God felt. He was afraid of how he looked. That distinction matters deeply, because it means two people can use the exact same words — "I have sinned" — and mean entirely different things. One is oriented toward God; the other is oriented toward the crowd. Hollow repentance tends to show up when consequences arrive, not when the heart softens. It asks, "What will this cost me?" rather than "How did this grieve You?" This is worth sitting with, not as a way to audit your own sincerity into paralysis, but as an honest question: When you've said sorry to God, what were you most concerned about — His heart, or your standing?

For reflection

Think of a recent moment of confession or regret — were you more concerned with how God felt, or with what others thought of you?

Pray

Pray for the kind of repentance that is oriented toward God's heart rather than your own comfort or reputation.

Day 4

What Nathan did was quietly brilliant and entirely gracious. He didn't confront David with an accusation — he told him a story. A rich man with many flocks steals the one beloved lamb of a poor man. David's fury at the injustice was immediate and genuine. "That man deserves to die!" Then Nathan said four words that have echoed through centuries: "You are the man." What's remarkable is what David didn't do next. He didn't deflect, minimize, negotiate, or protect his title. He simply said, "I have sinned against the Lord." After months of cover-up — after deceit, manipulation, and the arranged death of Uriah — the walls came down in one moment. Pastor Brent noted that David's sins were, in many ways, far worse than Saul's. And yet God's response was different, not because David was better, but because his repentance was real. He wasn't sorry because Nathan had the evidence. He was broken because he finally saw what he'd done against God. This is the narrow and honest path that Psalm 51 would be written from — not performance, not damage control, but genuine grief over an offense against a God he loved.

For reflection

When you think about the things you've done that have hurt your relationship with God, does your sorrow tend to be more about consequences or about His heart?

Pray

Pray for a heart that is moved by how God feels, not only by what failure costs you.

Day 5

"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." Solomon wrote that. David needed to hear it. Pastor Brent pointed out something worth slowing down on: David's catastrophic failure didn't start on the rooftop. It started long before, in a slow drift, in unchecked desires, in moments where he stayed when he should have gone, looked when he should have turned away. The man described as someone after God's own heart arrived at adultery and murder through a series of smaller, quieter surrenders. That's what makes Proverbs 4:23 so urgent. The heart isn't just the seat of your feelings — it is the source of your direction. What you allow in, what you dwell on, what you feed your attention with shapes who you're becoming, often without your conscious awareness. Guarding the heart isn't a posture of fear; it's a posture of intention. It means asking, honestly and regularly, what am I giving my attention to? What am I letting settle into the places I don't show anyone? A lifestyle of worship isn't sustained by willpower — it's sustained by vigilance at the level of the heart.

For reflection

What is one thing you've been consistently feeding your attention that might be pulling your heart's direction away from God?

Pray

Pray for awareness of what your heart is absorbing daily, and for wisdom to guard it with intention.

Day 6

Psalm 51 is what genuine, costly repentance sounds like when it becomes prayer. David wrote it after Nathan's confrontation, and there is not a single word in it about consequences, about reputation, or about what David might lose. Every line is oriented toward God. "Have mercy on me, O God… wash me clean from my guilt… create in me a clean heart, O God… make me willing to obey You." That last phrase is worth sitting with. David wasn't just confessing what he'd done — he was asking God to change what he wanted to do. That's a deeper ask. It's the difference between behavior modification and genuine transformation. Pastor Brent held this psalm up as a picture of what a lifestyle-of-worship response to failure actually looks like. Not a quick sorry followed by moving on. Not guilt that spirals. But an honest, unhurried conversation with God about what is true — what you've done, who He is, what you need from Him, and a willingness to be made new. This is available to you today, regardless of what this week has held. You don't have to clean yourself up before you bring it to Him.

For reflection

What would it look like for you to pray Psalm 51 honestly, not as a formula, but as a real conversation with God right now?

Pray

Pray using the words and spirit of Psalm 51 — bringing what is honest, not what sounds right.

Day 7

You've spent a week with one sermon's invitation: stop treating worship as a Sunday event and start offering your whole life. That's not a small ask. Saul showed us what it costs to hold back — not just a kingdom, but the intimacy with God that genuine surrender makes possible. David showed us that failure isn't final when your heart is truly oriented toward God. Psalm 51 showed us what it looks like to come back with nothing but honesty. And Romans 12:1 holds it all together — the posture of a living sacrifice, which is your true and proper worship. Pastor Brent named the daily practice plainly: tell God, "I will give You whatever You want." Your time, your ambitions, your titles, the things you've worked to build and the things you quietly hope no one asks you about. That kind of surrender isn't a moment — it's a direction, chosen again each day. And when obedience becomes your pursuit, something quietly remarkable happens: purpose follows. Not because you chased it, but because you were in the right place, walking with the right Person. The goal, as the sermon closed, is simple and weighty — to one day hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

For reflection

Looking back at this week, what is one concrete thing you sense God asking you to surrender or obey — and what would it look like to say yes today?

Pray

Pray and tell God, simply and honestly, what you are willing to give Him — and ask Him to make you willing where you're not yet.

Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

Small-group discussion guide

For leading a group conversation about this message.

Open

This message draws a striking contrast between two kings and asks a question worth sitting with together: what does it actually look like to worship God with your whole life, not just your Sunday mornings?

Discussion questions

1
In Romans 12:1, Paul describes offering our bodies as a 'living and holy sacrifice' as our 'true worship.' What do you think Paul means by that phrase, and how does it expand or challenge the way people typically think about worship?
2
In 1 Samuel 15, Saul keeps the best livestock even though God's command was clear — and then insists he did obey. What does his response reveal about the difference between partial obedience and full obedience?
3
When Saul finally admits wrongdoing in 1 Samuel 15:24-30, his immediate concern is that the elders not see him disgraced. Pastor Brent contrasted that with repentance that is genuinely concerned with how God feels. What's the difference between those two kinds of repentance, and why does that difference matter?
4
David's failures in 2 Samuel 12 were serious — yet God's response to David was markedly different from His response to Saul. Based on what the message said, what do you think accounted for that difference?
5
Psalm 51 is David's prayer after Nathan confronts him. What does that prayer suggest about what a 'lifestyle of worship' response to failure looks like, rather than a performance-recovery response?
6
Pastor Brent challenged us to consider whether our Monday-through-Saturday lives reflect the God we sing about on Sundays. What are some practical ways a community like ours could help one another close that gap — not just as individuals but together?

Pray together

A clean heart and a genuine willingness to offer God whatever He asks — in the room, and through the week ahead

Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

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KINGS

Week 5 · 6 messages

Where these passages are preached

Romans 12 1 Samuel 15 Proverbs 4 2 Samuel 12

Explore related topics

Genuine Repentance Living Sacrifice Lordship of Christ Saul and David Total Obedience

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