A Poll years ago said people are impressively religious on the surface, and the poll went on to reveal that 3 out of 4 people surveyed “do not connect religion with their judgements of right and wrong. Obedience to God is a problem, but it’s not new to our age People have always resisted God and the demands of His will for their lives. Looking back in the Old Testament we find such a case of resist. read vs 1-3
1 Samuel 15:1-3 (NKJV)
15 Samuel also said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”
The armies of Israel were to be used by God to destroy a whole nation of idolatrous people. How obedient was King Saul read vs 9
1 Samuel 15:9 (NKJV)
9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.
Despite God’s clear instructions for these people to be utterly destroyed they did what they thought was best. When Saul and his armies returned home God sent Samuel to challenge the king for his actions.
1 Samuel 15:16-20 (NKJV)
16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Be quiet! And I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”
And he said to him, “Speak on.”
17 So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel? 18 Now the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?”
20 And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites
Saul’s reply fell upon deaf ears, it was weak. He did not do what the Lord had told him to do. Then he shifts the blame!
1 Samuel 15:21-23 (NKJV)
21 But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” 22 So Samuel said:
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
He also has rejected you from being king.”
Wait a Minute!! Didn’t Saul almost do all that he was commanded to do?
Did he not destroy 95 % of the Amalekite’s and all of their possessions? After all wasn’t the original command from God a little harsh.
Sometimes we claim not to understand the doctrines or commandments of Christ when in reality we simply don’t understand obedience.
1 John 2:15-17 (NKJV)
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Problems of carelessness, indifference, Luke warmness all exist because Christians look at the matters of faithfulness and claim a faulty understanding of the details just as Saul did! If I can justify my actions to myself or if I can get away with them I’m okay, see where that got Saul! Just having a kind disposition toward God does not pass as being obedient.
A survey of Discipleship Journal readers ranked areas of greatest spiritual challenge to them:
1. Materialism
2. Pride
3. Self-centeredness
4. Laziness
5. (Tie) Anger/Bitterness
5. (Tie) Sexual lust
6. Envy
7. Gluttony
8. Lying
Survey respondents noted temptations were more potent when…
they had neglected their time with God (81 percent)
and when they were physically tired (57 percent).
Resisting temptation was accomplished by prayer (84 percent), avoiding compromising
situations (76 percent), Bible study (66 percent), and being accountable to someone (52 percent). (Discipleship Journal, 11-12/92)
The Bible says:
Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!’
The obedience God wants must be one that is complete and faithful, not perfect. It is not our choice or option what or how we choose to obey. When God speaks to us through His word, we must will our lives into compliance with His will.
Many times we do God’s will so long as we see the sense of it and agree with it, yet we feel free to change it around a little to suit our lives ignoring His commands, just like King Saul. God wants our obedience to be done with a cheerful heart. We all understand the difference between a child’s grudging obedience and an obedience of a mature love. When we demonstrate a mature love to God’s commands there is no door that can’t be opened, no Gulf that can’t be breached and there is no problem or crisis or hopeless situation that will keep us from Him.
(There’s a wonderful little legend about a man who was lost and wandering in the desert, dying of thirst. As he wandered in that terribly hot desert, he stumbled upon a ramshackle, dilapidated shack. There wasn’t much to it, but, at least, it would provide a little bit of shade and respite for him. So he stumbled into that shack and was enjoying the shade for a moment.
He was looking around when he noticed about fifteen feet away from him a rickety, rusty old pump. His eyes brightened, and he thought, "I wonder." He staggered over to the pump and grabbed hold of the handle. He began to work that pump up and down, but nothing came out. He fell back to the ground, and as he fell, his hand landed on something. He looked over and saw it was an old jug covered with dirt and filth. He took the jug, and it felt like there was something in it ... sand, for all he knew. He began to wipe off what appeared to be a label or a note. He brushed away the dirt and began to make it out. It said: "You have to prime the pump with all the water in the jug. P.S. Be sure to fill the jug again before you leave."
Wow! Suddenly, he was faced with this life-or-death decision. I mean, here’s the sure thing. Here’s a jug with some water. At least, if he drank that, he could live a little while longer. But if, indeed, it was true, he would have access to flowing, fresh, cool water ... as much as he could possibly want. He pondered that decision for a few moments. Could he really trust that set of instructions that was no telling how old? He decided to go for it. He popped the cork. Sure enough, it was almost full of water. He walked over to the pump, poured it all into the pump, and grabbed hold of the handle. He began to work that pump again ... squeak, squeak, squeak. Nothing came out. Squeak, squeak, squeak. Suddenly, there appeared a trickle of water. Squeak, squeak, squeak. It grew into a larger stream of water. Squeak, squeak, squeak. Suddenly, it was gushing all the cool, flowing, wonderful water he could possibly want.
He filled the jug and drank it. He filled it and drank it again. He was marvelously refreshed. Then he remembered the note. He filled the jug again, put the cork back in place, and added his own little note to it: "Believe me, it really works. You have to give it all away to get it back.")
Obedient faith is just like that, it really works, however we must be willing to do exactly what God says, before we receive and enjoy God’s wonderful gift of salvation.
In a world of loose morals Satan provides many rationalizations for improper behavior.
Wrong doing is always wrong despite our efforts to excuse our actions.
Wrong is wrong even if you don’t get caught!
Proverbs 15:3 (NKJV)
3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Keeping watch on the evil and the good.
Wrong is wrong even if others are doing worse things.
Wrong is wrong even if it doesn’t bother your conscience.
Galatians 6:7-8 (NKJV)
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
There is no right way to do a wrong thing!
Have you ever tried to Bargain with God?
By trying to find loopholes?
By obeying Him in the easy things?
By passing up His hard instructions, are you at a cross road in your life?
By highlighting the promises of God, but overlooking the sayings that require tough decisions?
Charles Stanley put it this way: Obedience to God is defined as doing:
What He says
How He says
All He says, and anything less than this is disobedience.
I urge you to think right now about God’s love for you, and regardless of what we have said or done know that he is a loving, merciful and forgiving God.
Matthew 7:7-8 (NKJV)
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Let us heed God’s clear instructions for us.
Let us not shift the blame when we are wrong!
Have you heard the word?
Do you believe it?
Do you have a faith and a desire for obedience strong enough to turn away from the world?
Are you at a crossroad wondering which way to turn?
Repent of a sin filled life , and be baptized having those sins washed away!
