G.R.O.W.T.H: Obeying

Intro:

Matthew 5:17-19

Matthew 5:19 NLT

19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Today, I want to continue the series we started last week entitled, [G.R.O.W.T.H]. Each week we will look at an aspect of our growth in God. The subject of today’s message is, [Obeying].

Throughout history, feuds, disagreements, and wars have always existed, going all the way back to the beginning.

Cain and Abel

Israel and Egypt

David and Goliath

Even in modern history, nations and people have sided against each other:

The Colonies and Great Britain

Cowboys and Indians

The Hatfields and McCoys

The Allied Forces against the Axis Powers

I love to read history and watch documentaries on historic events. Overtime, people can look back and see the validity or discrepancy in each side’s arguments.

Moving from history to today, who in this room knows about feuds, disagreements, or arguments? Who had any this week? What about on the way to church this morning?

Disagreements seem inevitable. But there is one thing I have learned about opposition, it is important to never underestimate the other side.

If we were to go back Jerusalem in the times of Christ, we would find a group of people who feuded, disagreed, and fought with Jesus.

They were known as the religious leaders, specifically, the Pharisees. From the outside looking in, they were smarter, wiser, and better than the carpenter’s Son from Galilee.

Wherever we find them, they are trying to get Jesus into a disagreement. They attempt to trap Him with His words. They propose ridiculous riddles to stump Him, so that they might prove their superiority.

The Pharisees came into power between the Old and New Testaments. After the Malachi’s last prophecy, there was silence from heaven until John the Baptist begin to speak.

With the absence of God’s spoken word the Pharisees were one of the religious groups that came into power.

By the time Jesus walked the earth, they divided the Law, that is the Old Testament, into 613 commandments: 248 commands, the dos, and 365 prohibitions, the don’ts.

The Pharisees were arrogant, working to divide God’s people into the haves and the have nots. They thought they had God’s plan figured out in its entirety.

If they would lead Israel into a realm of purity and perfection, then and only then, would God send the Messiah. While they were in power, God’s people did not grow spiritually or strong.

By the time of Christ, God’s people were an anemic group, focusing on the perfection of their sacrifices. Everything became ritual and routine.

Then Jesus came on the scene. Everything He did infuriated the Pharisees. To stop Him, they accused Him of attempting to abolish the Law of God.

But Jesus explained, I came to fulfill the law. And the Pharisees in their perceived intellect and wisdom knew there way was the only way.

However, Jesus came to show a new way: the religious elite may think they are the most important, but ANYONE who obeys God’s law is considered great in the Kingdom.

Notice the prerequisite to being great in God’s eyes: obedience. To obey is to keep the commandments, to walk in, to follow, to listen, or to serve God.

The Pharisees focused on outward sacrifices. They wanted everyone to see what THEY offered God.

Jesus understood something about sacrifices of the Old Testament. When humanity sinned, God instituted the method of sacrificing an animal to cover people’s sins.

They replaced obedience to God’s word with shallow expressions of sacrifice that meant little.

They exchanged what God wanted for what made them feel better.

However, Jesus focused on inward obedience. He was not interested in prideful displays of sacrifice that really didn’t cost them anything.

Instead, He looked for people who would OBEY Him, for with obedience comes the blessings of God.

As we look at Spiritual Growth, we must remember, there is no reference to someone in scripture who opted out of Spiritual Growth and remained faithful to the Lord.

Therefore, we must GROW in God, and that includes reaching out to Him, even when we feel like we are shrinking, as we studied in the life of Thomas.

Today, I want to look at two individuals. One was disobedient and the other was obedient.

One replaced adherence to God’s word with irreverent and insignificant sacrifices.

The other listened to Jesus’s call and obeyed the Lord’s commands.

These two people are King Saul and the disciple Matthew. I have two points, [Careless Disobedience] and [Careful Obedience].

1. Careless Disobedience

1 Samuel 15:1-3

After over 380 years of a cycle of obedience and disobedience, Israel called out to God for a king. Though it was not His plan, He allowed Israel to have a king: Saul.

Saul was not the picture of obedience. He selectively followed God when it was convenient. God finally had enough after He gave Saul specific instructions as to what he should do in battle.

He was to eliminate all of the Amalekites, adults, children, and livestock. At first that seems harsh, but the Amalekites were a constant threat and problem to God’s people, dating back to their exit from Egypt.

Therefore, He planned to spare Israel future suffering by removing every part of them. Their attacks against Israel did not go unnoticed. So God planned to work on Israel’s behalf.

The prophet Samuel told Saul God’s plan and Saul agreed, that is until it was time to go into battle. Then once they defeated the Amalekites he captured the king, Agag.

One would think he would kill him, following strategic battle plans, but Saul carelessly disobeyed God.

1 Samuel 15:9-11

He traded obedience for what was appealing. He looked at the livestock, the cattle, and decided he knew more than God. But God took notice.

He regretted making Saul king why? Because Saul did not OBEY God’s command.

Therefore, Samuel went to confront Saul. When the king saw the prophet he proudly announced, I have performed the commandment of the Lord.

When Samuel heard the bleating of the sheep and goats, and the lowing of the cattle, he questioned Saul.

Instead of owning his disobedience, he shifted blame and attempted to spiritualize his foolishness. He explained, “oh, the people wanted to keep them to SACRIFICE for God.”

Is that why they kept them?

No way, they saw money those animals, they knew what they could bring at the sale barn. Samuel called him out and Saul still did not understand.

Finally Samuel explained: God regrets making you king because you perpetually commit evil. Like a child he defended his disobedience.

He went as far as to say, I DID OBEY, but the people wanted to make a sacrifice. In other words, Saul traded obedience for disobedience under the guise of making a “sacrifice.” Surely that would fool God, right?

1 Samuel 15:22-23

Samuel asked, what pleases God? He wants people to OBEY more than SACRIFICE. Had Saul obeyed God, the Lord would have worked through Saul’s faults and made him a great king.

Instead, God proclaimed judgment and revoked Saul’s leadership as king over Israel.

To hear “to obey is better than sacrifice” seems a little odd. Especially concerning the intensity of the sacrifices required of those in the Old Testament.

However, Samuel shows us something about the Lord: He is more interested in a heart that wants to obey and follow Him than a mind that tries to rationalize how we can please Him and have our own way too.

Throughout the Old Testament, God continued to share this message through His prophets. There we many other kings whose lives were marked by disobedience, but they thought they could get a pass because of their sacrifices.

Hosea 6:6 NKJV

6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

How does obedience connect with mercy?

If we careless disobey God, judgment will follow. But when we determine in our hearts to follow God and obey Him, He will shower us with mercy and grace.

They Pharisees acted like Saul, they exchanged true obedience for sacrifices that meant little, but appeased their conscience. But if we are to grow in God, we need...

2. Careful Obedience

Matthew 9:9-10

We looked at the problems of disobedience, but what happens when someone obeys God?

Obedience is a means whereby God can bless us. Also, obedience shows our love for God.

The scene in Matthew 9 is in the town of Capernaum. Jesus spent a lot of time there. A man named Matthew also lived there. He was a tax collector.

Everyone despised him because he worked for the Romans to take money from the Jews. One day, Jesus stopped, turned around, and walked to the tax booth.

Imagine the excitement of the people around. They probably thought He would chew him out and belittle him. That is what the Pharisees would have done.

Instead, Jesus looked to him and said, FOLLOW ME. Matthew carefully listened, obeyed, and followed Jesus. Soon after, Matthew invited Jesus over to his house to meet his friends, who were also tax collectors and sinners.

The Pharisees had enough.

Matthew 9:11-12

Notice their ways, instead of going to Jesus, they went to the disciples and questioned them, why does your teacher eat with such scum?

Jesus answered for them with an explanation that showed the true nature of the Pharisees. They perceived themselves as healthy, but they looked at Matthew as a sick and sin-filled person.

They made perfect sacrifices. They boasted of their faithfulness to follow the Law. They told everyone how much better they were because they refused to do what was prohibited.

But listen to Jesus’s words.

Matthew 9:13

Go and learn what this means was highly offensive. The Pharisees had the scriptures of the Old Testament committed to memory. They were highly educated, but they missed the point.

Because of Matthew’s obedience, Jesus extended mercy.

This would have offended the Pharisees. By calling them righteous, He was pointing out that they weren’t as righteous as they thought.

He compared them to Saul, they exchanged what God was all about, mercy, for arrogant and selfishness.

It intrigues me that when Mark and Luke tell this story, they did not call him Matthew, but Levi. This tells us a lot about Matthew’s fall in life.

With the name Levi, we know he was part of the tribe of Levi. The Levites were responsible for the sacrifices in the temple. We do not know how or when, Perhaps he grew tired of the stringent religious culture created by the Pharisees.

Whatever the reason, he left his “religion”, made the decision to forsake the temple and take advantage of his fellow people by collecting taxes.

He is the last person the Pharisees would have ever accepted. He forsook his responsibility of making proper sacrifices. And when Jesus invited him to become a disciple, it was too much for them to hand.

BUT Jesus showed His full plan, He wants people who will OBEY, for Obedience provides a way for God to extend Mercy.

Anyone can make a sacrifice, but not mean it in their hearts.

But no one can obey God, unless their heart is seeking Him.

Though Levi/Matthew forsook earthly sacrifices, he obeyed Jesus, and that obedience allowed him to experience the mercy of God.

Close:

Jesus made it very clear to the Pharisees, whoever OBEYS God’s law is called great in the Kingdom of God.

I mentioned in my introduction about historic disagreements and wars. I like to read authors opinions on what would have happened if the losing side had won.

For instance, how would the world be today is we lost the Revolutionary War. Of course, we could never know, but it is interesting to me.

As I studied the differences between the Pharisees and Jesus, I wondered, how would it be if the Pharisees had won the arguments and their vision for the world would have succeeded.

Without Jesus, we would live in religious system where people were judged by what they could offer God.

Those with a lot would outweigh those with little.

Those who are highly educated would outrank those who were biblically illiterate.

Those with power and position would shun those who they deemed insignificant.

We would live our lives trying to sacrifice and do enough to please God. Thankfully Jesus won the argument and the ultimate battle.

For God has created a path whereby followers of Christ can GROW in Him, but it requires obedience to Him. He does not care about our past, our mistakes, or our failures.

Instead, He sees the potential and calls to us like He did Matthew, FOLLOW ME. We have to decide, will we carefully obey Him?

For when we do, blessing will come. When we do not, He has not choice but to limit opportunities for His help.

But what is another reason Jesus emphasized obedience over sacrifice?

Jesus knew that sacrifices were never meant to become a permanent fixture in the lives of God’s people. He understood sacrifices were merely temporary substitutions for people sin.

When they made a sacrifice, it would not be long before they would have to make another. Therefore, God had a plan, to send a Sacrifice that would die once and for all.

Hebrews 10:11–17 NKJV

11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. 15 But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, 16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” 17 then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

Without Jesus shedding His blood, we would be in a habitual cycle of attempting to make sacrifices to appease the judgment of God.

The cycle of sin would continue and we would never really grow in God. BUT, thanks be to God, Jesus is the ULTIMATE sacrifice. When He died on the cross, the Lamb of God laid down His life for us.

Now, we have access to the Father. He issues a call to each of us, COME FOLLOW ME. And when we carefully obey Him, He will bless us and help us.

Remember, anyone who obeys God’s commands/laws is the greatest in the Kingdom.

What are the greatest commandments?

Love the Lord God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and

Love our neighbor as ourselves.

When we obey this, God extends His mercy, forgiving our sins, helping us grow in Him.

So we must NEVER become so religious and ritualistic that we exchange and genuine relationship with God for religious sacrifices that mean nothing to us.

Without obedience, prayer, praise, reading our bible, coming to church, paying our tithe and giving our offering seems like a sacrifice.

And if we do not obey God we can boast about our prayers, praise, knowledge of scripture, and seeming generosity.

BUT, when we obey God, He extends His mercy. With His mercy in our minds, and the new heart He gives us, we will WANT to pray, praise, read the Word, come to God’s house, and give to Him.

Obedience changes everything. And when we obey Him, He will help us GROW in Him, and I promise the blessings of God will begin to flow.

So we have a choice, will we be like Saul and the Pharisees? Will we exchange obedience for menial sacrifices that merely appease our conscience?

Or will we give our ALL to Jesus, accept His sacrifice and obey His word? If we will, I promise, He will pour out His mercy and bless us in ways we cannot fathom.