First Wednesday
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The Appearance of Obedience:
The Appearance of Obedience:
I want to welcome you tonight to our First First Wednesday service.
I can’t tell you how excited I am to see what God is going to do as we continue to come together on the First Wednesday of each month. I truly believe that along with our Saturday morning prayer, that our First Wednesday service is going to become the Catalyst for all that God is going to do in and through our church in the days and weeks to come.
With that said, one of the things that’s going to make this service unique and important, is that each month, along with seeking the Lord, we are going to focus on a specific theme and spiritual direction for our church and for our personal lives.
A theme and direction that I believe is going too equip and prepare us for the work that God wants to do in and through us.
You may recall our theme last month was “I won’t stop now”. With the focus being our continued commitment to pray and seek the Lord.
Tonight however, we’re going to focus in on a theme that I think is imperative if we truly want to see the Lord continue to work in and through our church. A theme that I think most people would say they are committed too, but that doesn’t always play out in our lives.
So, what’s the theme? It’s the theme of obedience.
And when I say obedience, I’m talking about our willingness to obey the Lord when it comes to His commands, His desires, and His will for our lives.
Now you might be thinking, “Ok pastor, that sounds great. But I think I’m already pretty committed to obedience. I mean if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be at First Wednesday Prayer.”
And I get that. But what I’d like to challenge you with tonight, is that while most of us would probably say we are committed to obedience, the truth is, what we’re really committed to is sacrifice.
And what I mean by that, is when it comes to or relationship with God, we are committed to a set of disciplines, rules, and obligations that give the appearance of obedience, but the truth is, they are just our sacrificial attempts to display our commitment to God.
Let me give you a few examples of what I’m talking about.
For some, it’s the ritual of church attendance. A ritual that on the surface displays the appearance of obedience. The appearance of living a life pleasing to God. The appearance of making God a priority in your life.
For others, it’s the discipline of a daily quiet time where they read the Bible and pray. A discipline that displays the appearance of obedience. A discipline that displays the appearance of a deeper level of spiritual commitment. A discipline that displays a deeper devotion.
And then for some, it’s the obligation of serving in some sort of ministry capacity. An obligation that gives the appearance of a whole hearted commitment. An obligation that gives the appearance of caring for the spiritual welfare of others. An obligation that gives the appearance of a desire to serve.
And please hear me, by using these examples, I’m not saying that these things aren’t important or that those who engage in them aren’t sincere. What I’m saying is that many times we equate these acts as acts of obedience when in all a reality they are acts of sacrifice that give the appearance of obedience.
Because yes, we need to be in church. And yes we need to be committed to prayer and reading the Word. And yes, we need to be committed to serving others. But our commitment needs to go beyond that to something much deeper. For us to truly be in a right relationship with God, we must also be committed to obedience. Because at the end of the day, that’s what God is looking for.
We see an example of this in 1 Samuel 15 as God, through the prophet Samuel, gives the newly appointed King, a man named Saul, a mission. Listen to how Samuel describes the mission:
1 And Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt.
In this passage God references a group of people called the Amalekites. A nation that strongly opposed Israel when God brought them out of Egypt and into the Promise Land. And in referencing this nation and giving Saul this mission, God is very specific on what He wants Saul to do to the Amalekites. How specific? Listen to this:
3 Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”
God basically says to Saul, “I want you to wipe them off the planet. Kill everything that breathes and destroy everything associated with them.”
Pretty severe and specific, right?
But it’s what God wants done. This is His command to Saul.
So, what does Saul do with God’s command? Let’s find out, verse 4:
4 So Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand men on foot, and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. 6 Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart; go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7 And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword.
So, based on what we just read, it appears that Saul did exactly what the Lord commanded him to do. That following this command Saul destroyed the Amalekites. Or did he? Because I don’t know if you caught it, but somebody is still alive. Whose alive? His name is Agag, and he’s the king of the Amalekites. Which means, while it appears that Saul was obedient, he wasn’t fully obedient. In fact, not only is Agag still alive, but not everything was devoted to destruction. Because listen to what the writer goes on to tell us:
9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.
The writer says that Saul didn’t destroy everything. In fact, he only destroyed what he thought was worthless, and he kept for himself and the people what he thought was valuable and good.
So, while he had the appearance of obedience, he’s actually committed an act of disobedience towards God.
So, how does God respond to Saul’s disobedience? Let’s find out:
10 The word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night.
The writer says that God now regrets He’s made Samuel king. Why? Because Saul has turned from not following his commandments.
But it gets worse. Because not only is God upset with Saul, but Saul is initially unwilling to own up to what he’s done. Because listen to what happens next:
13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.”
The writer says after hearing from God concerning Saul’s disobedience, Samuel goes to Saul, and the first thing that Saul says to Samuel when he sees him is, “Praise be to God. I have fulfilled his commandment.”
Which then leads Samuel to say:
14 And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?”
In other words, “Is that right Saul? Ok. Well, if that’s the case, then why do I hear the sounds of a bunch of animals that are supposed to be dead?”
Caught red handed, right?
But Saul’s not ready to fess up yet. Because listen to what he says next:
15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.”
Two things I want you to notice about what Saul just said here.
First, he says, “They have brought them from the Amalekites...”
Do you know what Saul is doing there? He’s removing himself from the equation. He’s shifting the blame. He’s blaming the people. In fact he says, “…for the people spare the best of the sheep and of the oxen...”
So, that’s the first thing I want you to notice. Saul’s unwilling to own his sin.
The second thing I want you to notice is why he says they spared them. Look again at what he says:
“…for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.”
Do you know what Saul is saying here? He’s saying, “Samuel, we spared them for God. We spared them so we could make sacrifices to Him. Because Samuel, isn’t that what God wants? He wants us to make sacrifices and worship Him.”
But Samuel’s not buying it, because listen to what Samuel says next:
16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.”
At this point Samuel has had enough of Saul’s excuses, and so he tells Saul that He has a word from God for him. What’s the word? Let’s find out:
17 And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?”
The word from God is a reminder and a question. The reminder to Saul is that the only reasons he’s king is because God has made him king. And as king, God gave him a simple command. To go and to utterly destroy the Amalekites.
And the question from God is, “Why did you not obey me Saul? Why did you take the spoil and do what was evil?”
Pretty straightforward question, right? So, how does Saul respond? Listen to what the writer says:
20 And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”
Notice what the writer says. Even when confronted by God, Saul continues to deny his disobedience and point to his lame excuse for sparing the king and the animals as he says, “God we spared them for you.”
And it’s at this point that Samuel makes a revolutionary statement. Listen to what he says:
22 And Samuel said,
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to listen than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has also rejected you from being king.”
In this statement Samuel reveals what God is really looking for from Saul, and it’s not his sacrifices. What is it? What God wants is his obedience. What God wants is for Saul to do what He’s asked. Because to do anything besides that is sin. It’s rebellion. It’s a presumption that God would rather you bribe him with sacrifices than be obedient to His Word.
And it so bothers God that Saul has failed to be obedient that God now rejects him as King.
So, at this point, a great question would be, “What is this saying to us?”
What it’s saying is, God wants the same thing from us. That while he appreciates our church attendance. And while He appreciates our devotion. And that while He’s glad we are willing to serve. What He really wants from us is our obedience. Our willingness to be true to His Word. To do what He commands. And to not make excuses when we’re not.
Here’s my concern church. That in our effort to be right with God through our devotion and service, that we would forget what God really wants is our obedience.
You might say, “What kind of obedience?”
Obedience that goes beyond Sunday appearance. Obedience that goes beyond these 4 walls. Obedience that is lived in front of your children as you treat your spouse with love and respect. Obedience that displays itself in your work place as you behave and talk differently than those around you. Obedience that is willing to pin point areas of your life that aren’t honoring to God. Obedience that is willing to kill and destroy what is evil within you. Obedience that brings you in alignment with God’s Word.
That’s the kind of obedience I’m talking about.
You see, the challenge for a lot of Christians is that we are good at displaying obedience through our sacrifice, but not so good at actually obeying, as like Saul, we pick and choose what we want to obey. As we make excuses for allowing sinful habits and behaviors into our life. As we continue to sin while at the same time pointing to the sacrifices we are making for God.
And to that God says, “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice...”
In other words, God says, “Instead of flouting your church attendance, I’d rather you act like a Christian. Instead of ritualistically reading your Bible, I’d rather you actually do what it says. Instead of going out of your way to show me what a committed volunteer you are, I’d rather you go out of your way to do what I’ve asked you to do.
Do you see what I mean? While our sacrifices are great, what God wants more than anything from us is our obedience. Our commitment to do what He says and live in a way that truly honors Him.
So, how do we do that? We do it by putting disobedience to death. Because while Saul wasn’t willing to do that, Samuel was. Because listen to what Samuel does next:
32 Then Samuel said, “Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him cheerfully. Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.” 33 And Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.
Pretty gruesome, I know. But that’s the point. Because if you want to get rid of disobedience, you have to be willing to go to great extremes. You have to be willing to cut and hack it out of your life. Because until the disobedience has been dealt with, it’s going to be very difficult for God to work in and through your life.
In fact, for Saul, because he was so unwilling to deal with his disobedience, God rejected him as king, and he anointed someone else to take his place.
Who did he replace him with? His name was David. A man that the Bible says was a man after God’s own heart. Which translated means, he was a man who was committed to obeying the heart of God.
MCF, more than anything I want our church to be a church that God works in and through. But for that to happen, we have to be a church and a people that is not only committed to making sacrifices, but more importantly is committed to obedience.
But, for that to happen, we’re going to have to cut some disobedience out. Because the truth is, we all have areas of disobedience in our life.
That being said, over the next several minutes, in your prayer time I”d like you to consider the following question, prayer focus, and challenge. Let’s start with the question.
Question - What areas of disobedience are present in your life? Areas of disobedience that you know are wrong. Areas you know aren’t pleasing to God. Areas that you’ve maybe even justified somehow because of the many sacrifices you’ve made for God.
This then leads us to the prayer focus:
Because maybe you’re not sure what some of those areas of disobedience are. And so maybe that would be a great question to ask God. For the next few moments to ask Him, “God what areas of my life are not pleasing to you? What is it you’ve asked me to do, but I’m not doing it? What have I justified in my life that isn’t justifiable?”
Which then leads to the challenge. Because once you’ve identified the disobedience, the next question then is, “What are you going to do about it?”
My suggestion would be that you first repent. To ask the Lord to forgive you. To commit to going a different direction.
And then from there, to do whatever it takes to get that disobedience out of your life. To even go to drastic measures if necessary in order to cut it and hack it out of your life.
So, as the worship team comes, I want you to find a place to get alone with God, and yourself some tough questions, listen to what God says, and be committed to do whatever it takes to bring your life into alignment and obedience with Him.
And after a time of prayer, we’ll come back for some worship and a closing prayer.
So, find your place of prayer, and let’s go to work.