Obedience

Introduction

Attention Getter:

Do you know what Obedience is?

What if I told you you’ve got it wrong?

About four years ago, although I thought I was being obedient, I found myself in a very uncomfortable situation, due to my disobedience. It started as my wife and I were returning home from a wonderful weekend of prayer and worship, quietly driving along, lost in our own thoughts. All of a sudden she turns herself in her seat as much as she can to look at me. With stiff body language and a stern look on her face she said, “OK, I just have to know!!!” Then silence, an uncomfortable silence, with that all too familiar look that says, “Hellooo, I’m waiting for an acknowledgement that your heard me!” Yeah those of you who are married know exactly what I’m talking about. Now mind you, we are in the middle of nowhere in central Montana, and at that moment, I would rather get out of the car and walk the next 80 miles home than sit in the seat of that vehicle. Which was rapidly becoming a pressure cooker. So, with all the confidence I could muster, I glanced over at her and asked the anticipated question, “Uh, OK, what do you want to know?” Then she asked the question that highlighted my disobedience. It felt like a gut punch, sucking all the air out of my body and leaving me unable to breath.

You see the question involved something God had been calling me to do for 12 years and I had never told anyone.

My poor wife, at this point does not know the impact that question had on me, nor does she know that she, in her obedience, has been injected into my 12 year long disobedience with God. So, when I asked her “why do you ask?” She thought I was mad at her, but made it very clear she felt God prompting her to ask me that question. Now, not only do I feel like all the air has been sucked out of my existence, but God, not sparing the rod, begins beating me about the head and shoulders with it. Lord, I still say that was just short of child abuse. Yeah I definitely deserved it. When I told her about my 12 years of running from His calling it set in motion God’s plan for us through my becoming obedient.

We claim to know what obedience is, but for people so sure about something, how can we get it so wrong, so often?

We truly have a hard time being obedient to God whether we want to admit it or not. There is always some excuse why we can’t do something, or there is some part of our life we are unwilling to give up to do what God wants.

Sometimes when God asks us to do something, it takes time for it to develop and we get angry with God right? God, you asked me to do this, how come it’s not working or not happening?

Our society has become such an instant gratification society that we forget everything happens on God’s time not ours.

I get it we all struggle with obedience because, we don’t have enough time, we don’t like the other people involved so we aren’t going to be part of something with them, and quite honestly that’s in the middle of duck season and I’m not coming out of that duck blind... even for the rapture.

Proposition:

Today, we will discover how to be obedient, even in the most difficult tasks, just by learning three lessons of faith.

Lesson#1: Faith surrenders all to God.

We might think we know what it means to surrender all to God, but I want you to place yourself in this man’s shoes as we cover his story about surrendering everything in faith.

In Genesis chapter 22 God is speaking to Abraham and

Genesis 22:2 NASB95

2 He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”

Abraham turned pale, felt sick, he must have felt like all life just left his body. Isaac was his entire existence, his promised miracle son from God, the one designated to be his “seed!!!”

Did God revoke His promise?

Was this a rational demand from God?

Surging with emotion Abraham must have desperately wanted to talk to someone about this.

But who Sarah?

How could he tell Sarah?

If he did, surely, Sarah would have dissuaded him from carrying out this horrible, irrational demand.

Not even those of us who have lost a child could begin to understand the impact of God’s command, to offer a son as a “burnt offering!” It makes one’s blood runs cold, the demand is inconceivable.

Everything in Abraham died, except his obedience.

The agony lasted for three days, and when they arrived, Abraham made Isaac carry the wood for his own sacrifice.

Genesis 22:6 NASB95

6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together.

Abraham then builds the alter, puts the wood on it, and finally his bound son Isaac on top of the alter and the wood.

Genesis 22:10 NASB95

10 Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

Hand trembling, heart broken, tears streaming down his face, feeling completely empty inside, Abraham raised the knife “to slay his son.”

Never has history recorded such obedience, save that demonstrated on the Cross.

Now we all know God provided the sacrifice for Isaac here, but Abraham did not know what God’s plan was.

Yet, in his faith he knew somehow God would fulfill all the promises designated for Isaac.

I think Abraham knew if he carried out this demand, God would accept the responsibility in Abraham’s faithful obedience.

As Andrew Murray once said “God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him.”

—Andrew Murray

In order to wholly yield to God we must obey God.

Lesson #2: Faith obeys God

Abraham, full of agony and despair, not only obeys God’s command, but he gets an early start!

Genesis 22:3 NASB95

3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

Can you imagine?

OK God, you want me to sacrifice my son?

Great! Better set my alarm for 4 am and get an early start cause its a long three day journey.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I know that wouldn’t have been my reaction! I’m sleeping in till noon, drinking a pot of coffee, and somehow realizing it’s too late to get started today, oh well maybe tomorrow.

But Abraham, full of faith, and in complete obedience, does not hesitate to obey God’s command, fully believing God will provide and be faithful to His promises.

How could Abraham be so faithful, knowing he was commanded to sacrifice the one designated by God as his “seed?”

Abraham never wavered in his obedience, and when the Lord did provide the substitutionary lamb Abraham sacrificed it obediently.

Then,

Genesis 22:14 NASB95

14 Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.”

Has God asked you to do something but you’re holding back because it will cost you something?

Maybe it’s your valuable time, or you will not be able to participate in one of your hobbies, or you’ll miss the usual weekly get together with your friends, you know the one, everybody gets together and complains about everything under the sun.

You might even disguise it as a Bible study.

Well stop it! because it all belongs to God anyway, your time, He created it, your money, your house, He provided those, your life, He gave it to you!

He owns it all! And guess what? He expects you to use it for His purposes, not yours!!

James tells us:

James 2:20 NASB95

20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

Faith without works is useless.

We are even told how we are supposed to work for God.

Paul tells us in Ephesians.

Ephesians 4:1–6 ESV

1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

When God asks you to do something, surrender all to Him, with all humility, patience, and a love for one another, that’s eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit.

Now I’m sure you probably don’t have as big of an issue with patience as I do.

Lesson #3: Faith is patiently waiting on the Lord to provide.

Abraham spent three agonizing days walking to the place of sacrifice, hoping, looking, waiting for God to provide a substitute sacrifice for Isaac.

By now I would be a complete and udder wreck, in the middle of a nervous breakdown.

But not Abraham, miraculously, upon reaching the destination, and still no substitute sacrifice provided, Abraham’s faith is not deterred in the slightest.

Genesis 22:5 NASB95

5 Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.”

He’s completely lost his mind right? I mean he completely expects, without a doubt, to return to his servants with Isaac by his side. The one I remind you he is sacrificing as a “burnt offering” there will be nothing left but a pile of ashes.

After Abraham and Isaac have walked away from the servants

Genesis 22:7 ESV

7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”

Isaac is looking around and says wait a minute something’s not right here.

Genesis 22:8 ESV

8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

Even in the face of Isaac asking heart wrenching questions, Abraham still stands firm in his faith that God will provide a sacrificial lamb in place of Isaac.

I don’t know how much anxiety Abraham was dealing with through this. I know my anxiety would be through the roof, but one thing is certain.

Abraham was patient in waiting on the Lord to provide, and his faith did not waver, even in the uncertainty of the situation.

Genesis 22:10–12 NASB95

10 Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

Patient to the very last breath. Think about it if God would have blinked, or the angel would have sneezed, Isaac would have been dead.

God’s perfect timing stopped Abraham, and in his faithful obedience, not withholding anything from God, and patiently waiting for God to provide, he lifts his eyes and sees the substitute sacrifice.

Genesis 22:13 NASB95

13 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.

So patient was Abraham and so faithful in his obedience, knowing God would provide the sacrifice, that Abraham named the place “the LORD will provide.”

slight pause

The story has been told of a man who was crossing a desert in the days of the pioneers. He ran into trouble and was dying of thirst when he spotted a pump near an abandoned shack. He had no water to prime the pump, but he noticed a jug of water near the pump with a note attached. It read: “There is just enough water in this jug to prime the pump, but not if you drink some first. This well has never gone dry, even in the worst of times. Pour the water in the top of the pump and pump the handle quickly. After you have had a drink, refill this jug for the next man who comes along.”

What would the man dying of thirst do? To follow the instructions and prime the pump without first taking a drink would be an exercise of the kind of belief the Bible speaks of.

Biblical belief requires that one stake his life on the truth of the promise. If the man follows the instructions, he takes the chance of pouring out all the water and getting none to drink if the pump fails. So he must trust that the message is right. He must act in belief, without first receiving, and must trust in the truth of the promise.

God promises us that in our faithful obedience he will provide a fruitful life beyond measure.

Has God been calling you to do something that you are avoiding?

Is there a ministry He has given you that will cost you something you don’t want to surrender or give up?

Maybe it’s helping out here in the church with children’s ministry or worship or youth group.

Maybe He has given you a new ministry to start in the church or maybe it’s a ministry outside the walls of the church.

God is calling you to do something, and to not get an early start is disobedience, even if you don’t know how it will work, or how to put everything in place, you just need to start and at the right time God will provide what you need.

Look at what James has to say:

James 2:21–22 NASB95

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;

Faith was perfected.

One thing I can promise you. If you are not involved in a ministry or doing something to further God’s kingdom, then you are not being obedient to God.

James 2:14 NASB95

14 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?

James 2:17 NASB95

17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

If you don’t know what God wants you to do, or not sure what gift God gave you to use, you need to get on your knees and start praying for God to reveal it to you.

If you are a Christian, if you have saving faith, then you are called to some ministry to further God’s kingdom and you need to get involved.

Conclusion

We can all discover how to have obedience like Abraham if we just learn these three lessons of faith.

Lesson #1: Faith surrenders all to God

Lesson #2: Faith obeys God

Lesson #3: Faith is patiently waiting on the Lord to provide.

What’s holding you back?

You feel like God is calling you to do something outside your comfort zone? That’s good because that’s where God does His best work.

You not sure how to get it started? Come talk to the pastor or one of the elders. We can maybe help guide you in a direction.

You see, God is calling you to do some work for Him and He doesn’t want just part of you to do it part way. He expects all of you to do it completely full of faith. The same faith as Abraham.

What are you waiting for? Get started and see where God leads you.

And if things don’t happen immediately don’t lose faith, be patient, God will provide everything you need, when it is God’s time.

I challenge you to get in God’s word every day, spend time in prayer, and ask God to show you what ministry He has for you. Then be quiet and listen for His voice.

If you hear nothing, repeat daily, until you know what ministry He has for you. Then continue to pray daily for His guidance and direction in that ministry.

When you know what ministry it is don’t wait. Get an early start and give God all of you.

Then patiently wait and see how God provides and works through you in ways you could never imagine possible.

We are not saved by works, we are saved by faith through God’s grace. But if we have a saving faith God calls us to do His work and in our obedience we do what God asks of us.

Through all of this it comes down to one thing. Are you going to be obedient or are you going to ignore what God has for you in disobedience?

I will give you one last thing to ponder from the words of James.

James 2:26 NASB95

26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Prayer

Lord I pray that we will seek your will in our lives. That we are sensitive to the Holy Spirit and hear your calling. Give us a heart to pursue our ministry in humility, and a love for one another that is eager for the unity of the Spirit. Help us set our differences aside and be united as one body to work through the Gospel for your kingdom. As I pray this something Dwight Moody once said comes to mind, “the Lord gives His people perpetual joy when they walk in obedience to Him.” May we all walk in perpetual joy in our obedience as we serve each other and ultimately you Father. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, amen.