Royals Week 4- Obedience

WHAT? What are we talking about today?

Who in here is terrible at following instructions?

But even those of us who are the worst at following instructions are probably not as bad as this guy.

VIDEO | A Clip from "Not Listening to Directions Prank" (The Daily Dropout)

Okay, obviously this guy is doing this on purpose, but this is still hard to watch. I'm not sure what's worse — being terrible at listening to directions, or not asking for directions at all.

Atlanta Car Show pic

STORY | Talk about a time you didn't think you needed instructions.

Before GoogleMaps was around, getting lost was easy for me.

Around 20 years ago, my buddies and I went to this massive car show in Atlanta.

We stayed all weekend and saw a lot of amazing cars that we couldn’t afford...

But I had to drive separate from the rest of them because my work week started on Sunday nights and I had to get back home.

I should have bought a map.... BUTTT I asked my buddy Adam which interstate would get me home.

IT WASN’T THE ONE HE TOLD ME.

I drove south for about 90 miles until I saw a “Welcome to South Carolina” sign.

Which would have been fine had I lived in South Carolina.

Problem was, I lived in TN!

SO I called my brother-in-law Andy, who is from GA, he told me how to get home, and I broke speed laws in a few different states to try getting to work on time.

I was about 30 mins late...

There are a lot of reasons we might decide not to follow instructions. Maybe . . .

We're really confident we can handle it alone. Or we can't find the instruction manual. Or the instructions are confusing. Or we think we can find a better or easier way. Sometimes we can manage without the instructions. But a lot of the time, we realize following those instructions would have helped us avoid some big consequences.

SO WHAT? Why does it matter to God and to us?

OBJECT LESSON | The Crown

INSTRUCTIONS: As you teach about the history of the kings of Israel, pick up the crowns as you talk about the kings they each represent. When you begin talking about Jesus, unveil the crown of thorns and hold it as you talk about Him.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE KINGS

For the last few weeks, we've talked about some of the ways the biblical kings (and wannabe kings) of Israel tried and failed to follow God's instructions and then faced consequences. But there's a bigger picture I want to talk about today. The fact that Israel had kings at all is evidence that kings aren't the only ones who have a hard time following God's instructions. To show you this bigger picture, we need to go back in time about 3,000 years. Back then, the nation of Israel didn't have a king. And it was in chaos.

For a long time, Israel didn't have one official human ruler because it was supposed to be led by God. God spoke to the Israelites through leaders, prophets, and judges, but Israel could never seem to follow God's instructions. They were constantly disobeying, fighting with, and rebelling against God. Eventually, the Israelites decided they knew better than God did and demanded a king. They wanted a human leader to rule them, just like all the other nations had. God never wanted Israel to be ruled by kings because God was supposed to be its King! God eventually gave the Israelites what they asked for, but warned it would not turn out well. First, there was King Saul. Then King David (and the wannabe king Absalom). Then King Solomon. Dozens of kings came after them. But kings, just like the rest of us, ignore God's instructions. They . . .

Get greedy and power-hungry. Use their power to harm others. Rebel against God's plans. Are only human, no matter how good or wise they seem to be.

SCRIPTURE | II Samuel 7:8-13

King David really tried his best to honor God with his reign. (Well, after all the Bathsheba and Uriah stuff.) He tried to guide and protect Israel, administer justice, and help the nation stay close to God. He even had a plan to get God to literally show up on earth and live alongside the people of Israel. But God's plans were different — and much bigger.

God promised to do something amazing. One day, God vowed to take one of David's descendants and make him the king of everything. This king would . . .

Protect God's people forever. Defeat Israel's enemies forever. End injustice forever. Allow God to be present with them forever. This King would be the perfect King, able to follow God's instructions like the kings before Him never could. But the King God was promising was not the king Israel was envisioning.

SCRIPTURE | John 6:50-66

2,000 years ago, this King finally showed up. But He didn't appear draped in fancy robes, or sitting on a throne, or commanding armies. He wasn't born into wealth or power. He was born to an unmarried teenage girl, in a cave, alongside some animals. She named Him Jesus, and only a few people recognized Him as the King that was promised. As Jesus got older, He began teaching about God, performing miracles, and showing us a new way to love God and others. He drew crowds who were eager to hear what He had to say. Some people even began to wonder if He would someday become the King God had promised and rule Israel.

But then He said this . . . INSTRUCTIONS: Read John 6:51-66

John 6:51–66 NIV

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.” From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

Wait. What? Bread. Flesh. Blood. What is going on?

Jesus used a lot of metaphors when He taught, and this is one of those times. So pretend you're in English class for a second and remember that a metaphor is an illustration that makes a point by comparing two things you wouldn't necessarily pair together. When Jesus says He's the bread of life, He means that, just like food is necessary for physical life, He is necessary for eternal life. He's talking about His broken body and poured-out blood because Jesus knew He was soon going to be killed. When He says people must eat His flesh and drink His blood, He's calling us to accept the gift He is going to offer us through His death. There's a lot of reasons why this really scared and confused a lot of His followers. Not only did it sound like a horror movie, but it was confusing — why was He talking about death? God's promised King should be talking about taking the throne, not dying. Jesus' instructions were confusing, but instead of listening, asking more questions, or trusting Jesus, many of just . . . gave up and stopped following Him. But Jesus knew what He was doing. He needed us to understand He wasn't the kind of King we were expecting because God's Kingdom is unlike anything the world has ever seen.

It's not about power. It's about humility. It's not about defeating your enemies. It's about loving them. It's not about dominance. It's about sacrifice. It's not about being served. It's about serving. That's why Jesus died, hanging on a cross, wearing a crown of thorns, beneath a sign that mockingly said, "King of the Jews." He died to usher in God's new Kingdom. Jesus knew people wouldn't understand. He knew people would walk away. But He also knew those who did stay close to Him during His arrest, death, and resurrection would be able to see God fulfill that promise to David and do something brand new. King Jesus redefined "royalty." Under His reign . . .

There is peace. There is hope. There is love. And God is always near. Now, I'll be honest. If you're following Jesus, it's not always going to be easy. Just like those people who walked away from Jesus, sometimes it will be difficult to trust where He's leading you. But it will be worth it. So when following God's instructions are difficult, or scary, or confusing, don't give up. Our King can be trusted. When obedience is difficult, stay close to Jesus.

OBEDIENCE CAN BE DIFFICULT

Following Jesus and His teachings really can be difficult sometimes. While obeying human rulers can be difficult because we don't always trust them or their leadership, obeying Jesus' can be difficult because He asks us to do things that are so different from what we want to do.

OBEDIENCE IS A COMMITMENT

Commitment is hard for a lot of us, but that's exactly what Jesus challenges us to do. When Jesus challenges us to follow Him, He doesn't mean, "Say you believe in me once and then hardly think about it again." He's challenging us to fully commit to following in His footsteps and letting God change everything about our lives. OBEDIENCE SHOWS LOVE

Loving God is about so much more than our feelings. It's a choice we can make (or not make). When Jesus tells us to follow Him, He's asking us to show we love Him, just like He loves us. Throughout Scripture, you can see Jesus saying that if we love Him, we should follow His instructions. OBEDIENCE REVEALS OUR HEART

Obeying Jesus shouldn't be about what we "should" do or "have to" do, but about what "get to" do. Remember, He's not like normal kings. King Jesus doesn't just want your blind obedience — He cares about your heart. Obeying Jesus isn't a to-do list. It's an adventure. It will sometimes not be easy, but Jesus told us He wouldn't leave us alone on the journey.