WHEN YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE OBEYING

WHEN YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE OBEYING

1 Peter 1:17–23

Today we begin a new series called Walk the Talk.

For the next four weeks, we are going to talk about something that sounds simple but is often difficult: living what we say we believe.

It is one thing to know the right thing.

It is another thing to do the right thing.

It is one thing to talk about following Jesus on Sunday morning. It is another thing to follow Jesus when we are tired, frustrated, disappointed, tempted, or angry.

Following Jesus comes down to decisions—sometimes split-second decisions.

Will I tell the truth or bend it?

Will I forgive or hold on to the hurt?

Will I control my temper or let my anger take control?

Will I obey God or do what feels easiest in the moment?

That is where integrity is formed.

Integrity is not built only in the big decisions everyone sees. Integrity is built through the small decisions we make when no one is watching.

The word we are going to hear throughout this series is obedience.

Obedience is not a popular word. We like words such as grace, love, freedom, and blessing. But Jesus also talked about obedience.

Jesus said:

“If you love me, keep my commands.”

Obedience does not earn God’s love. Obedience is our response to God’s love.

But let’s be honest: there are times when we simply do not feel like obeying.

There are mornings when we do not feel patient.

There are moments when we do not feel forgiving.

There are situations when telling the truth may cost us something.

There are days when we know what God wants us to do, but we would rather do something else.

What do we do when we do not feel like obeying?

Peter gives us three truths to remember.

1. REMEMBER WHO YOU LIVE BEFORE

Peter writes:

“Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.”

Peter reminds us that we live every moment of our lives before God.

God sees what other people never see.

He hears the words we say in private.

He knows the motives behind our actions.

He knows when we are serving because we love people and when we are serving because we want people to notice us.

He knows when we are being honest and when we are telling just enough of the truth to protect ourselves.

We may fool other people. We may even fool ourselves. But we never fool God.

Peter says that God judges each person’s work impartially.

That means God does not play favorites.

When I was a child, we sometimes played the Quiet Game at school. One student would stand in front of the classroom and choose whoever was being the quietest.

The problem was that everyone was being quiet.

So how did the student choose?

Usually, they chose one of their friends.

Then that friend would choose another friend. Before long, the same little group kept choosing one another.

The game was not based on who was actually the quietest. It was based on who you liked.

Sometimes we imagine that God works that way.

We think God will overlook our disobedience because we attend church, know the right words, or have been Christians for a long time.

But God does not grade on favoritism.

God loves us completely, but he also takes our obedience seriously.

Peter says we should live in “reverent fear.”

That does not mean we spend our lives terrified that God is waiting for us to make a mistake.

It means we have a deep respect for who God is.

An electrician has a healthy respect for electricity.

He is not afraid to enter a house with electricity. He uses it every day. He understands its benefits. But he also knows that electricity must be treated seriously.

Electricity does not care whether you are an experienced electrician or someone changing an outlet for the first time. If you ignore the danger and grab a live wire, you will feel the consequences.

A healthy respect changes how you handle it.

In the same way, reverence for God changes how we live.

God is our loving Father, but he is also holy.

His commands are not suggestions.

His wisdom is not one opinion among many.

When God tells us to forgive, he means it.

When God tells us to tell the truth, he means it.

When God tells us to love our enemies, control our anger, care for the vulnerable, and remain faithful, he means it.

We do not obey God merely because we are afraid something bad will happen if we do not. We obey because we trust that God knows what is good.

God’s commands are not given to keep us from life. They are given to lead us into life.

Every act of disobedience eventually carries a cost.

A lie damages trust.

Uncontrolled anger wounds people we love.

Bitterness poisons our hearts.

Pride keeps us from admitting when we are wrong.

Secret sin slowly hardens us.

We may not experience the consequences immediately, but sin always takes us somewhere we never intended to go.

Obedience also produces something in us.

Telling the truth strengthens our character.

Forgiving someone frees our heart from bitterness.

Showing mercy reflects the heart of Jesus.

Remaining faithful teaches us to trust God when obedience is difficult.

When you do not feel like obeying, remember who you live before.

You live before a Father who loves you, sees you, and knows what is best for you.

But Peter gives us another reason to obey.

2. REMEMBER WHAT JESUS PAID TO REDEEM YOU

Peter writes:

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

Our obedience does not save us.

We cannot perform our way into a relationship with God.

We cannot become good enough to erase our sins.

We cannot attend enough church services, give enough money, help enough people, or say enough prayers to earn salvation.

If salvation depended on our goodness, none of us would qualify.

The Bible says:

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

That includes every one of us.

We have all done things we regret.

We have said things we wish we could take back.

We have ignored things God told us to do.

We have hurt others, chosen selfishness, and fallen short of God’s standard.

The question is not whether we have sinned.

The question is: What can be done about our sin?

Peter says that we have been redeemed.

The word redeemed carries the idea of being released through the payment of a price. It was often used to describe someone being purchased out of slavery.

We were enslaved to sin.

We could not free ourselves.

We needed someone to pay the price for our freedom.

Peter tells us that the price was not silver or gold.

God did not reach into heaven’s treasury and send something he could easily replace.

The price of our redemption was the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

Jesus took our sin to the cross.

He accepted the judgment we deserved.

He died the death we should have died.

He paid a debt we could never pay.

That changes the way we understand obedience.

We do not obey Jesus so that he will redeem us.

We obey because he has redeemed us.

We do not obey so that God will accept us.

Through Christ, God has already welcomed us.

We do not obey in order to purchase forgiveness.

Jesus purchased our forgiveness with his own blood.

Grace does not make obedience unnecessary. Grace makes obedience possible.

Suppose someone risked his life to rescue you from a burning building. You were unconscious and unable to save yourself. He carried you through the smoke, down the stairs, and out the door.

You would never look at that person and say, “What have you ever done for me?”

His sacrifice would change the way you saw him.

His sacrifice would produce gratitude.

That is what the cross does.

Whenever we begin to think that obedience is asking too much, we need to look again at the cross.

Jesus did not offer us cheap grace.

Our forgiveness cost him everything.

When temptation says, “It doesn’t matter,” the cross says, “It mattered enough for Jesus to die.”

When pride says, “I will live my own way,” the cross reminds us that we belong to the One who gave himself for us.

When bitterness says, “I will never forgive,” the cross reminds us how much we have been forgiven.

Christian obedience is not an attempt to repay Jesus. We could never repay him.

It is our grateful response to his mercy.

There are times when I do not feel like obeying. In those moments, I need to remember that Jesus did not allow his feelings to determine his faithfulness.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus knew the suffering that awaited him. He prayed:

“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.”

Jesus did not pretend the cross would be easy.

But then he prayed:

“Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Jesus obeyed the Father when obedience was painful.

He went to the cross because he loved the Father—and because he loved us.

When you do not feel like obeying, remember what Jesus paid to redeem you.

Peter gives us one more truth.

3. REMEMBER WHO GOD IS MAKING YOU

Peter writes:

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.”

Obedience does more than change what we do.

Over time, obedience changes who we are becoming.

Every decision moves us in a direction.

Every time we tell the truth, we become more truthful.

Every time we practice patience, we become more patient.

Every time we show mercy, we become more merciful.

Every time we choose humility over pride, we become more like Jesus.

The opposite is also true.

Every time we excuse a lie, lying becomes easier.

Every time we feed our anger, anger gains more control.

Every time we hold on to bitterness, our heart becomes harder.

Every time we compromise, the next compromise becomes easier.

We are always becoming someone.

The question is: Who are we becoming?

There are two theological words that help us understand what God is doing in our lives: justification and sanctification.

Justification happens when we place our faith in Jesus Christ.

God forgives our sins and declares us righteous—not because of what we have done, but because of what Jesus has done for us.

Sanctification is the lifelong process of God making us more like Jesus.

Justification changes our standing before God.

Sanctification changes our character.

Justification happens when we trust Christ.

Sanctification continues throughout our lives.

God loves us exactly as we are, but he loves us too much to leave us as we are.

He is shaping us.

He is correcting us.

He is removing things that do not look like Jesus and developing qualities that reflect the heart of Jesus.

Peter connects obedience with love.

He says that obedience to the truth enables us to love one another deeply from the heart.

We sometimes separate holiness from love.

We imagine that holiness means following a list of rules, while love means being kind to people.

Peter brings them together.

The more God transforms our character, the more capable we become of loving other people well.

Why does that matter?

Because our disobedience rarely affects only us.

When we lose our temper, someone else feels the heat.

When we speak carelessly, someone else carries the wound.

When we refuse to forgive, the bitterness spreads into our relationships.

When we choose selfishness, someone else is neglected.

But our obedience also affects others.

When we listen patiently, someone feels valued.

When we speak with kindness, someone receives encouragement.

When we forgive, a relationship has an opportunity to heal.

When we serve without needing recognition, someone experiences the love of Jesus.

Your obedience is never only about you.

The people in your home need you to become more like Jesus.

The people in your church need you to become more like Jesus.

Your coworkers, neighbors, and friends need to see the love of Jesus through you.

They do not need us merely to talk about Jesus.

They need to encounter his patience, kindness, truth, grace, and mercy through the way we live.

Pressure has a way of revealing what is inside us.

If you squeeze a tube of toothpaste, toothpaste comes out. The pressure does not create what comes out. It simply reveals what was already inside.

Life squeezes us.

Someone says something hurtful.

A plan falls apart.

We are running late.

The children are not cooperating.

A coworker gets on our nerves.

We are tired, stressed, or disappointed.

In those moments, what is inside us comes out.

That is why God is not merely trying to improve our behavior. He is transforming our hearts.

He wants the love of Jesus to become so deeply formed in us that, when life applies pressure, Jesus is what comes out.

Peter says:

“Love one another deeply, from the heart.”

Not superficially.

Not only when it is convenient.

Not only when people agree with us.

Not only when they treat us well.

Love one another deeply.

That kind of love does not happen accidentally. It grows as we surrender to God and obey his truth.

When you face that split-second decision, temptation will whisper:

“It is not a big deal.”

“No one will know.”

“You deserve this.”

“You can always ask for forgiveness later.”

But the Holy Spirit reminds us:

“This decision is shaping you.”

“This decision affects the people around you.”

“This decision is an opportunity to become more like Jesus.”

Sometimes we treat small acts of disobedience as if they do not matter.

But losing our temper is not harmless when it wounds someone we love.

A cutting remark is not insignificant when someone carries those words for years.

A hidden compromise is not inconsequential when it slowly pulls our heart away from God.

And a small act of obedience is never wasted.

A gentle answer matters.

A truthful word matters.

A quiet act of kindness matters.

A decision to forgive matters.

A choice to remain faithful when nobody sees matters.

Every act of obedience places another brick in the character God is building in you.

When you do not feel like obeying, remember who God is making you.

CONCLUSION

There will be times when we do not feel like doing the right thing.

There will be moments when obedience feels inconvenient.

There will be times when obedience is painful.

There will be times when everything inside us wants to choose the easy way instead of God’s way.

In those moments, remember these three truths:

Remember who you live before.

You live before a holy and loving Father who sees you, knows you, and desires what is best for you.

Remember what Jesus paid to redeem you.

You were not redeemed with silver or gold. You were redeemed through the precious blood of Jesus.

Remember who God is making you.

Every act of obedience is forming the character of Christ in you and increasing your ability to love others deeply.

The Christian life is not about pretending we always feel like obeying.

It is about trusting God enough to obey him even when we do not feel like it.

Maybe you are facing one of those decisions right now.

You know what God wants you to do.

You know you need to tell the truth.

You know you need to forgive someone.

You know you need to apologize.

You know you need to let go of something.

You know you need to take a step of faith.

The question is not whether you feel like doing it.

The question is whether you trust the One who is asking you to do it.

Jesus did not wait for us to become worthy before he loved us.

He loved us while we were still sinners.

He went to the cross.

He paid the price.

He rose from the grave.

And now he calls us to follow him.

Walking the talk begins with one decision at a time.

One moment of surrender.

One act of obedience.

One simple prayer:

“Lord, I may not feel like obeying, but I trust you. Help me take the next faithful step.”