I’d like to begin by telling you a little story about something that happened to me this week. I took the minivan in for an oil change at the Chrysler dealer. I was sitting in the waiting room, which was empty except for me and one other man. I was a little bored, so I struck up a conversation. And after a while, the topic of President’s Day came up. He thought it was a shame that instead of celebrating Lincoln’s birthday and Washington’s birthday like we used to, we now just have one generic holiday for all the Presidents. He went on to say that he considered Lincoln to be a great man, one of the greatest men in American history; perhaps even the greatest man in history, period. In fact, he even said that he tried to live his life according to the teachings and example of Abraham Lincoln.
Well, now, this piqued my curiosity. I’d heard of Confucians, and Buddhists. But I’d never met a "Linconian," a disciple of Abraham Lincoln. I didn’t even know there was such a thing. So I inquired a little further:
* Are there others like you? (I asked) "Oh yes, there’s a group of about 40 here on the West Side; we meet once a week on Friday evening (that’s the day Lincoln was shot). Our leader is a man with a Master’s degree in American History. Every week, he reads a selection from Lincoln’s writings, and then he gives a talk explaining what it means, and suggesting ways we can apply it to our lives. And of course, February 12th, Lincoln’s birthday, is a big holiday for us. We have parties, and exchange gifts, and sing Civil War songs. Sometimes, one of us dresses up like Lincoln in a beard and top hat, and he gives out presents to the kids. It’s a lot of fun.
* That’s fascinating! So you must study Lincoln’s life and writings? "Well, not exactly. I do own a leather bound copy of Lincoln’s complete works -- his speeches, his writings, his letters. It’s beautiful. I have it displayed on a table by our front door, so when anyone comes in the house, they can see that I’m a follower of Abraham Lincoln. I also own several biographies of Lincoln. One of these days I really do plan to read them. I just haven’t had the time yet."
* But how can you be a disciple of Lincoln if you don’t read what he wrote? "Well, it’s mostly common-sense stuff, really. ’Do unto others,’ the golden rule, be nice to people, free the slaves, that kind of thing. And besides, I listen to a half-hour speech on Lincoln every Friday.
* I see. So how does being a follower of Lincoln affects your life? "Well, like I said, I go to a meeting every Friday. I celebrate Lincoln’s birthday once a year. I own a leather-bound edition of his writings and speeches. Oh, and most of my friends are also Linconians."
* So when you get together with your friends, you talk about Lincoln’s life and how to live out his teachings? "Oh, no. That stuff’s for Fridays, when we go to the meetings. No, we just talk about sports, politics, our families. The same things everybody else talks about."
I think that’s enough. As you’ve probably guessed, this conversation never really happened. It was just a figment of my imagination. But it would be ridiculous, wouldn’t it, for someone to claim to be a follower of Abraham Lincoln, and yet not study his writings, and not be familiar with the events of his life. You might reasonably doubt the depth of someone’s devotion to our sixteenth president, if they had never heard of the Gettysburg address, or the Emancipation Proclamation, or Ford’s Theater. You would expect that if a person claimed to be a disciple of Lincoln’s, it would have an affect on how they lived, beyond just attending a meeting once a week.
Of course the application is obvious. If you are a Christian, if you are truly a follower of Jesus Christ, it will affect much more of your life than just your Sunday mornings. Because following Christ isn’t a hobby, like stamp collecting, or fly fishing, or building model airplanes. It’s a way of life. It’s a way of life that makes us different than the world around us. And it’s a way of life that requires the development of regular spiritual habits.
Today is the last installment in our series on "Seeking God". As you may remember, these messages were inspired by a challenge that I laid before the congregation on December 31st. I encouraged each of you to make one New Year’s resolution for 2001, that this year you would seek to know Jesus Christ more deeply than ever before; that this year, you would seek to draw closer to Him, and experience His presence and activity in your life, more intensely than ever before. Throughout this series of messages, my goal has been to give you practical steps to carry out that resolution; spiritual habits that will help you draw near to God.
But before we get to the fifth and final spiritual habit, I’d like to review briefly the key verses which assure us that our journey of faith will be successful. Because we have the promises of God Himself that our efforts to know Him will not be in vain.
"And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks." -- Luke 11:9-10 (NLT)
"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." -- Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)
God can be known. He desires that we know Him, and experience Him, and fellowship with Him. But we have to seek, and ask, and look, and knock -- not halfheartedly, but with perseverance and dedication. Then, and only then, will we reap the reward of an intimate fellowship with Christ. Do you want that? Are you willing to pay the price to know God? Then let’s look at what His Word says about the spiritual habit of "Obedience".
"If you love me, you will obey what I command. . . Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. . . . If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. " -- John 14:15, 21, 23-24 (NIV)
"We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, ’I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar. . . " -- 1 John 2:3-4 (NIV)
Very simply, our obedience to Christ reveals the extent of our love for Christ. His words could not be clearer: "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching." "He who does not love me will not obey my teaching." If you truly love Jesus Christ, you will live your life according to his teachings. You will follow his example. You will obey his commands. You will do what he says to do, and avoid what he says to avoid. In short, you will submit your will to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
At this point, you may be saying, "Well, that doesn’t sound too difficult. I’m not a saint, but I think I do an OK job of obeying Christ’s commands." Not so fast. Remember, Jesus is talking about all of his commands. He’s not just talking about the big "Thou Shalt Not’s". It’s not as if all you have to do is avoid a few of the major sins, like adultery, and murder, and theft. Jesus is also talking about the "Thou Shalt’s". You see, the teachings of Christ are a comprehensive guide to life, they include everything from husband and wife relationships, to how we should treat our enemies (hopefully those aren’t the same thing). They include what our attitude should be toward our government. They cover how we should manage our money. They tell us about forgiving one another. They instruct leaders how to lead and followers how to follow. Let me ask you: Do you really know what it means to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, as Christ commands us? Do you really understand what it means to love your neighbor as yourself?
Following the teachings of Christ involves conforming every area of our lives to him. It requires submitting every relationship, every attitude, every word, every thought, every action to him. It involves our whole lives, not just a few specific things that we do or don’t do. Listen to Peter:
"As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." -- 1 Peter 1:14-16 (NIV)
"In all you do." That’s why, in John chapter 14, Jesus says that it’s those who "have" his commands and obey them who love him. It’s not enough just to do the things we already know about. If that were true, then the safest thing would be to remain as ignorant as possible. In fact, it would be best never to read the Bible or listen to a sermon. Then the list of things God requires of us would be as short as possible. But that’s not the way it works. In order to love Christ, we have to first "have" his commands; we have to know them; and so we have to read and study and learn, in order to understand what it is he desires of us. And then we have to do it. You can’t do what Christ commands unless you first know what he commands.
Does this mean that God expects us to serve and obey Him in our own strength, as if the power to obey came from within ourselves? By no means! Just as Christ gives us his commands, he also gives us his strength, through the Holy Spirit, to carry them out.
"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." -- Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV)
Yes, we have to work, we have to obey. But as we do, it is God who is at work in us, giving us both the will to obey, and the power to obey; as He accomplishes His good purposes in us and through us.
But not only does our obedience reveal the depth of our love for Christ, it also strengthens our love and deepends our fellowship with him. As we follow, and submit, and obey, we are drawing closer and closer to our Savior.
"Someone told him, ’Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.’ He replied to him, ’Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ Pointing to his disciples, he said, ’Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’" -- Matthew 12:47-50 (NIV)
"He replied, ’My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.’" -- Luke 8:21 (NIV)
What is Jesus saying here? Is he rejecting his own flesh and blood? No. What he means is this: that his relationship with those who obey his commands will be closer even than the relationship between a mother and her son, closer even than the relationship between blood brothers. The most intimate human connections pale in comparison with the love and fellowship Jesus will have with those who faithfully follow his teachings. Remember again what he said in John chapter 14:
"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. . . . We will come to him and make our home with him." -- John 14:21, 23 (NIV)
"Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them." -- 1 John 3:24 (NIV)
These verses promise that if we follow Christ’s teachings, as an expression of our love for him, we will have fellowship with Him. He will "show himself" to us (NAS), "disclose" himself; NLT, "reveal" himself). We will come to know him, because we will see him as he really is.
Does Jesus Christ seem distant to you? When you pray, does it seem as if you’re speaking with someone right there in the room with you, or does it seem like you’re writing a letter to someone far away? Perhaps what’s needed in your relationship with Christ is simply to follow his commands. Perhaps the lack of intimacy between you and God is simply due to a lack of obedience.
I need to make one last point. Over the course of this series, we’ve talked about the spiritual habits of Bible reading, prayer, service, and giving. But none of those have any value in and of themselves. They value they do have is as a means of expressing our love for God, and in helping to draw our hearts to God. The same is true of obedience. God doesn’t need our obedience. He doesn’t need our service. He can manage the universe quite nicely without any help from us.
"This is what the LORD says: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?" declares the LORD. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word." -- Isaiah 66:1-2 (NIV)
God made us; he made this world and everything in it. As Hebrews says, "He upholds all things by the word of His power". Our obedience supplies nothing that God lacks. What He wants from you is your heart. What he wants from you is your devotion. What he wants from you is your love; love that trusts, love that believes, love that follows, love that obeys.
That’s what the Pharisees forgot. Please don’t be a Pharisee. Please don’t go away from here thinking that what God wants from you is just following the rules. That is a deadly error. The Pharisees were extremely scrupulous in keeping the Old Testament law. They were so careful to tithe that they even gave ten percent of their spices, "mint, and dill, and cummin". They were fanatical about how many steps they were allowed to take on a Sabbath day. They always made sure that they washed their hands in the religiously correct manner before they ate a meal. In every respect, their law-keeping was blameless. But it wasn’t done out of love. It was done out of self-righteousness; it was done in a vain attempt to merit God’s favor. And so it had no value whatsoever. As Jesus says:
"For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." -- Matthew 5:20 (NIV)
Paul, before his conversion, had been a Pharisee. What does he say about it?
"If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ." -- Philippians 3:4-7 (NIV)
God does desire our obedience. But what He wants is not rule-keeping for its own sake, or rule-keeping as an attempt to measure up to His standards. We can’t, we don’t have to. God offers forgiveness and eternal life freely, without cost, to all who will trust in Christ for salvation. What He wants from us is our love, and our obedience is simply how we show that love. Will you determine today to seek Christ, and to know Christ, by giving him your love and obedience?
(For an .rtf file of this and other sermons, see www.journeychurchonline.org/messages.htm)
