Dilemma of Obedience
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Over the past few weeks, we have been taking a fresh look at the accounts in scripture concerning Christ’s coming.
The first week, we looked at Luke 1, and the angel appearing to Mary. In that account we saw the Dilemma of Saying ‘Yes’. Mary said ‘yes’ to the Lord, recognizing her position as the Lord’s servant, even though saying yes meant that in the short-term, she would likely have some very difficult days. She did know that eventually, God would work all things together for good, and that all people would later call her blessed. In the same way, we need to learn to say ‘yes’ to what the Lord wants from us, even though it may be difficult.
The next week, we were in Matthew 1, and the angel appearing to Joseph. The Dilemma of Derailment. Joseph knew what it was like to have his plans ‘derailed’. But we saw that Joseph responded well, because he had developed the character of seeking righteousness, and mercy. We learned that God’s plans may be different than what we planned, but they are so much better.
Then, we looked at Luke 2, and the Dilemma of Belief. Like the Innkeeper, and so many people of his day, we can sometimes wonder what God is doing. Is God really going to carry out his promises? Is He really working for us? Just as the promises concerning Jesus were fulfilled hundreds, and even thousands of years after God made the promises, God did follow through and do all that He said. We can trust Him.
Last week in the Dilemma of Joy, we talked about how sometimes we can be like the shepherds, wondering if we can really find and experience joy. Joy is not an emotion, but a character that takes pleasure in what God says about us, what God is doing in us, and what God does for us and others!
Today, we are finishing this series with the Dilemma of Obedience. The wise men were good examples of men who were obedient. Obedience is simply doing what an authority says. In this case, these men were obedient.
Let’s read the account of the wise men in Matthew 2:1-12.
Prayer
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem
and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.
“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
“ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
The magi faced a dilemma, obey Herod, or obey the Lord.
Let’s watch a brief dramatic interpretation of a magi, as we begin to consider this dilemma of obedience.
Video
Who were the magi?
Who were the magi?
Who were the magi, or wisemen? Where did they come from?
The wisemen would have been important officials in the eastern countries, possibly around the area of modern day countries Iraq and Iran. We see in book of Daniel that these men were educated. They studied all forms of knowledge and prophecy from the nations.
Why did the magi come?
Why did the magi come?
Daniel was a leader of the magi when he lived. He most likely shared with them the scriptures from the Lord, and the prophecies of the coming Messiah, the king of Israel who would establish a new kingdom over all the earth.
They also likely had a prophecy from Balaam. Balaam was from Pethor, a city near the Euphrates. He could have been a predecessor to the magi. In Numbers 24:17, Balaam prophesied this:
“I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the people of Sheth.
So, when they saw a special star appearing in the sky related to the stars associated with Israel, they came looking for this one that was prophesied.
While God prohibits His people from the worship of the stars, or the practices of astrology and seeking guidance in that way, (see Isaiah 47:13-15 and Jeremiah 10:1-2), God can use the stars He created to give a sign to people who seek after those things when He chooses to do so. In fact in the last days, God will again gives signs in the heavens for people to know He is bringing about what He has promised to do.
God gave these men a sign they were looking for, so that they might seek the Savior, the Messiah God promised! And so, they came!
That speaks to me of how merciful God is, that He is seeking to save all the lost in the world.
Instructions from Herod
Instructions from Herod
When they came, we find that they went to Jerusalem, the place where you might expect to find a king of the Jews. They asked, and Herod tried to find the answer for where this king might be born.
He found out from the chief priests and teachers of the law that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem.
So, he called the Magi back to let them know, and gave them specific instructions,
He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
So, the Magi went on their way, and saw the star go ahead of them. They were glad to be following the star, and found it stopping over the place Jesus was living.
Arrival in Bethlehem
Arrival in Bethlehem
Down through history, it has been understood that the wisemen were not in Bethlehem the night Jesus was born. Rather, they arrived sometime later. Notice here in Matthew, Jesus is staying in a home. Also, we see from the context of the passage, a little later in Matthew 2, that Jesus could have been up to 2 years of age.
They arrived, worshiped and presented their gifts to Jesus. Then, that night, came another set of instructions.
And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Two sets of Instructions...
Two sets of Instructions...
The magi faced a dilemma. Do they obey Herod, the earthly King who would send soldiers after them if he found out, or do they obey the Lord who told them what to do in a dream?
I believe they chose wisely.
The Bible is clear that we are to obey governing authorities. However, if God tells us something, He trumps all earthly authorities. And, Jesus also said,
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
They chose wisely to obey God, rather than Herod. And because of their choice, God has honored them in the scriptures down through the centuries!
What about me?
What about me?
This is an account with which we are familiar.
Who do I obey?
Who do I obey?
There are no end of rulers in our lives.
Government
Bosses
We know from how Jesus handled a question about paying taxes, and his other teachings in the gospels, as well as what God tells us in Romans 13, and 1 Peter, that we are to respect and obey those in authority over us.
Let’s look at the 1 Peter passage. 1 Peter 2:13-17.
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority,
or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.
For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.
Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.
Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.
We do need to obey those in governing authority over us. We need to follow the laws, and honor them for their positions. We do this respectfully out of obedience to God! I like verses 15 and 16 which point out that we are doing this as God’s slaves.
1 Peter addresses bosses in verse 18.
We do need to submit to authorities.
And there is one other principle which the scriptures teach us. We obey until they tell us to do something contrary to what God says. At that point, we still honor and respect them, as we obey God.
We see a great example of this in Acts when the Apostles are on trial before the Jewish leaders, who commanded them to no longer preach and teach in Jesus’ name. Peter and John responded this way...
But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges!
They then went on to obey the Lord and keep preaching in His name. For this, they were tried again. And once again they said,
Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!
There will be a time when we will come to the dilemma of obedience. Will we obey others or will we obey God?
Actually, we face this dilemma every single day.
You see, we don’t only have government officials, and bosses that tell us what to do, do we? There are others that we obey, that we may not think of as ones that we obey. However, the scriptures lists them, so let’s think about them.
To get an idea who they may be, let’s read Ephesians 2:1-3.
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
Do you see who the other authorities in our lives are?
The World
The Spiritual Rulers
Our Flesh
The World
The World
We also have a culture at large. We have peers. We have friends and family. That would all include what the Bible refers to as the world.
The Spiritual Rulers
The Spiritual Rulers
There is also a spiritual realm that we do not give much thought to in our Western mindset. But the spiritual realm is real, and Satan and his demons are at work. They are also rulers of this world, and they are trying to get us to follow their ways of rebellion against the Lord.
So we have governing officials, bosses, the world, the spiritual forces of this world, all calling for our allegiance. They all call for us to obey them. And, there is one more that wants our obedience…
Our own Flesh
Our own Flesh
Our own flesh with its passions and desires.
Our own flesh wants the things of the world. Our own passions and desires long for the same things the world is telling us to strive for, and pursue. Our own passions and desires want to get whatever we think will give us pleasure in the moment, rather than what God says we need for true life!
In what ways do we obey the world, the spiritual rulers and our own flesh?
In what ways do we obey the world, the spiritual rulers and our own flesh?
This is a question we each need to take time to consider. There are so many ways, and so many forms this can take in our lives.
How can we know? Well, the more time we spend in the word of God, the more we will see them.
Let me share with you a few that I experience.
Attention
Attention
It is our own passions and desires what want us to pursue getting attention from others. We go after that attention in different ways. Some do it through the way they dress, wanting to use their body to gain attention. Some do it through the way we act—acting in a way that makes us the center of attention. Some do it through the pursuit of position.
What does God say? Seek His glory! First, seek for Him to be glorified.
Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.
Then, remember that God wants to glorify you! He wants to reward and praise you as you seek what would glorify you in Christ!
One verse where we find both of these concepts of glorifying Him, and being glorified by Him in in 2 Thess 1:12.
We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Instead of seeking attention and glory from others, let’s seek to glorify the Lord in our dress, our actions and our positions, that He then may turn around and glorify us in Him for our obedience to Him!
Possessions
Possessions
It is our own passions and desires that make us fall into the trap of just needing a little bit more. We think that if we only had certain things, we will find happiness and contentment.
What does God say?
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Let’s Obey Him rather than the world, the devil and our own passions and desires and start seeking His Kingdom and righteousness rather than our own bank accounts and toys.
Gratification
Gratification
There are many forms of entertainment which our passions and desires think will give us pleasure. The world and the spiritual forces of darkness certainly want to push and indulge these.
There are many passages which speak of these things. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 6.
Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men
nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
These are activities and things which we use to find pleasure. Now God wants us to find pleasure in righteousness. He wants to give us pure pleasure which does not have any of the guilt, shame, or damaging effects of pursuing pleasure in these ways.
Conclusion:
Homework:
Read Matthew 2:1-12. How do you think the Magi might have felt pressure to obey Herod rather than God? Because they obeyed God, how have they been honored through the centuries? Obedience does have its rewards, doesn’t it?
Read 2 Thessalonians 1:12. How will Jesus be glorified in us? You may want to read the whole chapter. How will be be glorified in Him? What verses can you find that speak to us being glorified in Him?
Read Ephesians 2:1-10. In this passage, where to you see the world, the devil and the flesh? What was our relationship to these things? What did that bring us? What did God do? Why? How did God save us? What did God save us to do? Go back to the old way of living?
Read either Ephesians, or 1 Peter over the next couple weeks. What things stick out to you as things you need to stop obeying from the world, the spiritual forces and/or your own passions and desires? What things do you need to obey from the Lord?