Sunday, December 1, 2019 am
HOW CAN WE DISOBEY GOD?
If
you were to ask, “Is it possible to disobey God”, the majority would
answer, “Yes.” But if you
asked them HOW we disobey God, the variety of answers likely would be
much more diverse. There are
those who look at their lives and think they are good enough because we
haven’t committed the “big sins” such as murder, stealing, committing
adultery, etc. (or whatever THEY define as good).
They live decent and honest lives, which is probably true by a
worldly standard. They
THINK they are going to heaven but see religion or following the Bible
as unimportant.
AND, even among professed Christians, we find many who believe they are
obeying God, but when you take a deeper look, you begin to wander if
they really do. They may not
do the bad things, but are they doing everything they are supposed to be
doing?
But
when it comes to obeying God, is that enough?
Exactly how can we disobey God?
Let us take a few moments this morning to talk about how can we
disobey God?
a.
Commanded to obey.
A basic study of the Bible reveals God demands obedience.
And it is much more than what we THINK it should be.
Hebrews 5:9 tells us that Jesus became the author of all who obey
Him!
Matthew 7:21-23 – Jesus noted it is not enough to simply say, “Lord,
Lord”, but we must do the will of the Father.
1 Peter 1:22, Peter spoke of purifying your souls through obeying the
truth…
b.
Consequences when we do
NOT obey – Mark 16:16 warns us that he who does not believe is
condemned.
2 Thessalonians 1:8 speaks of God’s vengeance poured out on those who do
not obey the gospel.
Romans 10:16 in a text dealing with our salvation, Paul notes, “But they
have not all obeyed the gospel”.
1 Peter 4:17 speaks of the judgment that will come on those who have not
obeyed the gospel.
a.
We can do what is
forbidden.
i.
This is much of what we
think of when we consider the commandments of God.
The “You shall not” commands. The
Bible is filled with examples of this.
Romans 13:9 emphasizes many of the commandments we should NOT do –
commit adultery, steal, kill, etc.
But then there are other passages such as 1 Corinthians 6:18 which tells
us to flee “sexual immorality” or fornication.
It is actually a prohibitive command – Paul is saying, “Do not
commit fornication, in fact RUN FROM IT!”
ii.
Adam and Eve -
The fall of man was a result of this.
Genesis 2:16-17 – they were NOT to eat of the tree of knowledge
of good and evil. Eve, then
Adam disobeyed – Genesis 3:6-7.
iii.
Lot’s wife -
Luke 17:32, Jesus said, “Remember Lot’s wife” -
While Jesus was warning of
judgment to come at a time unknown, He warned them to learn from Lot’s
wife. She was destroyed as
the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were being destroyed.
Recall, as Lot and his family were put out of the city, Genesis
19:17 tells us they were warned to escape and “do not look behind you
nor stay anywhere in the plain”
Genesis 19:26 notes that she looked back and became a pillar of
salt.
iv.
God has set a standard
that He expects us to follow.
When He tells us to NOT do something, we need to take that
seriously.
b.
We can fail to do what
is commanded
–
i.
Luke 12:41-47 – Jesus
taught the parable of the faithful steward.
A steward entrusted with one’s household while the master was
away. Jesus noted, “Blessed
is that servant whom his master will find doing when he comes.”
He will be rewarded.
BUT, notice vs. 45-47 – when a servant knows his master is delaying and
abuses others, he will be punished.
The servant who did not prepare will be beaten.
ii.
We are clearly commanded
to obey the gospel. There
are things God tells us we MUST do – Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, etc.
iii.
Christians are called
upon to remain faithful until death – Revelation 2:10, etc.
To refuse to do what God says is just as bad as doing what God
does NOT say to do. Titus 2:14
speaks of being zealous for good works – this is a positive instruction.
Are we zealous for good works?
iv.
James 4:17 - to him who
knows to do good and does not do it.
We call this sins of omission.
v.
2 Peter 2:20-21 – warns
against turning away from the holy commandment delivered to them.
c.
We can add to or take away from God’s word
i.
Both the Old Law and New
Law warn against adding to
or taking away from God’s commands.
Deuteronomy 4:2, Revelation 22:18-19.
ii.
From early on we find
that God has always been specific about not only what we are to do (and
not to do), but HOW to do those things.
When God gives specific instructions, He expects them to be
followed EXACTLY as stated.
iii.
God Gave Noah very
specific instructions about how to build the ark – Genesis 6:14-16.
Did He expect Noah to totally obey God?
Yes! We know he did –
Genesis 6:22
iv.
The second recorded sin,
Cain murdering his brother Abel, was a result of a failure to follow
God’s very specific instructions.
God accepted Abel’s offering and rejected Cain’s – Genesis 4:3-5.
Clearly God had given some sort of instructions.
v.
2 John 9 - the word
transgress means to go beyond.
Thus John is warning us to not go beyond the boundaries that God
has set.
vi.
That is why we do not
use instrumental music in our worship (Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16);
Why we must assemble on the first day of the week (Hebrews 10:25, Acts
20:7), we partake of the Lord’s Supper on that day, etc.
vii.
How many today want to
do MOST of what God says, but there are certain commands they ignore?
I know God said not to do this, BUT…;
Or I will do everything He asks of me EXCEPT…;
Etc. That is the
attitude of many. But we
learn from scripture that true obedience is when we do ALL that He
commands – cf. James 2:10-11.
How many churches today FAIL to proclaim the “whole counsel of God” lest
they offend some. What they
teach may be truth, but is it the WHOLE truth?
viii.
The only way to ensure
that God is pleased with what we do and HOW we do it, is to follow His
pattern to the best of our ability.
d.
We can substitute what
He has told us to do
i.
Associated with the
previous point dealing with authority, we find a specific consideration.
We must be careful to respect the way God says to do something.
ii.
Cain, offered a
sacrifice to God – but it was a substitute for what He had said to do
and thus he was rejected (Genesis 4:5).
iii.
Numbers 10:1-3 – Nadab
and Abihu offered a substitute fire (called strange or profane) and were
burned to death on the spot.
God’s warning, we must be regarded as holy when we come near Him.
iv.
Today, we find many
seeking to substitute HOW God says to do things.
For example: They substitute instrumental worship and
entertainment, for the singing God has commanded (1 Corinthians 14:15).
Others substitute the way God has
given the church to do its work by substituting human institutions to do
the work. There are many
problems with this.
e.
When we act in doubt
i.
Romans 14:22-23 is clear
that in whatever we do, we need to be sure of it.
IF you doubt whether or not something is acceptable, DON’T do it!
It may not be wrong within itself, but because you are unsure – it is
wrong for you to do it.
ii.
This is a safety measure
that ensures you are not trespassing God’s boundaries.
iii.
Far too many engage in
activities they are uncertain about.
When one says, “I know that God’s word says…, BUT I THINK He will
accept me, because He knows my heart.”
Do you want to risk your eternity on something you are not sure about?
Don’t do it!
a.
If you have never obeyed
the gospel, and you are of accountable age, you HAVE disobeyed God –
Romans 3:23. You need to
become a Christian. That is
the ONLY way to have your sins forgive – Acts 4:12 – it is only through
Jesus that we find forgiveness (cf.
John 14:6).
How do we do this? Acts
22:16, Galatians 3:27, etc.
b.
But even as a child of
God, you are expected to remain faithful.
Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22, Hebrews 4:1, Since a promise
remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest we come short of it.
Hebrews 10:26ff warn of the one persisting to live a life of sin as a
Christian – the sacrifice of the Lord is no longer working for you.
You NEED to take care of it.
If as a child of God you have disobeyed God, repent (Acts 8:22), confess
to God and pray (1 John 1:9).
He will take you back, but you must stop disobeying Him.
Will you?