Obedience Part 2

Freedom through Submission

We most certainly need Him more, don’t we? We need Him more than anything else! The question we all have to ask ourselves is, “Are we seeking Him?” Are you? Above all else, we need Him! He is our hope, our joy, and our peace.

One of the leading arguments against Christianity, against God Himself, is I don’t like all the rules. I don’t want to be told how to live my life. We don’t like authority do we. Some more than others. I know folks whose life mission is to break the rules, if nothing else just to break them. We face this from the very moment we can start to process thought as a child. All of us live in a world of “have to’s” don’t we? But it’s not just a moral argument. It’s societal and economical as well. We have to pay bills. We have to pay taxes. We have to go to work or school. We have to go to that reunion with folks we haven’t seen in 10 plus years and act like we are enjoying ourselves, no… well, maybe that one’s just me? Just kidding. Our lives are full of “have to’s” that are, at the very least, inconveniences. They can, however, bring high levels of stress and can weigh us down, consuming every waking moment of our lives.

What we have to understand is that God, infinitely more than anyone else, knows whats best for us. As both a child and a parent, I am fully aware of this. My parents did not tell me or teach me what to do because they were lording over my life; as young people that’s what we think, don’t we? No! It’s because they know, to the best of their ability, what’s best for me. 9 times out of 10 it’s because they’ve been there done that.

But, I believe, if we look in God’s Word this morning, we will see that to live in obedience to God is more than just a list of “have to’s.” It’s more than just rules to follow. It is life! It is freedom! Freedom from stress and anxiety. Freedom from an empty and wayward existence. Because of God’s love, demonstrated to us through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, we “get to” and are “blessed by” fully submitting to His perfect authority.

Let us pray

Maybe mention ESV and the use of “brothers.” To be an effective communicator I must first remember that not everyone thinks like me.

Open your bibles to…

Galatians 5:13–26 ESV

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

We have to be aware that there is a clear juxtaposition or contrast between living according to the flesh and living according to the Spirit. It is a conscious effort, a choice, whether we walk in step with the Holy Spirit or our flesh. It is that choice that I want us to zero in on this morning.

Joshua 24:14–15 ESV

14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Just before this, Joshua gathers all of the tribes of Israel together and God speaks to them through Joshua.

Tell the story of how Joshua declares all that the Lord had done for the Jewish people.

Verse 14 says to serve Him in sincerity and in faithfulness. This is to be obedient. We are called to fully submit to God.

Story of Esther leading up to scripture...

Esther 4:12–14 ESV

12 And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. 13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

“For such a time as this” is a widely used scripture but too often is used out of context. To remove this verse out of context is to remove the true power of the text. This is not the feel good verse as it is often thought but rather it is part of a larger rebuke from Mordecai and is truly powerful for you and me. Like Esther, we too can become reluctant or unwilling to be who God has called us to be out of fear. It is not a coincidence that we find ourselves in this place at this time in history. We were made for a time such as now and a place such as here. Choose, this day, whom you will serve!

Mordecai knew that God’s will was to, yet again, deliver the Jews. God’s will will come to completion with or without us. But He invites us to submit to His perfect will. To His perfect authority. This is the “get to” from our message title.

John 3:14–15 ESV

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

Now wait… did Jesus just compare Himself to a snake? You know you’re asking the question.

Numbers 21:7–9 ESV

7 And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

Is that not incredible!?! Yet again we see how scripture is woven together from the very beginning to the very end. You see here in Numbers, it’s simply pointing to Jesus but was not a permanent fix. God was saying because I love despite your sin and your turning away from me, here’s a way out. But I am going to send another WAY. The Way the Truth and the Life. He will lead you out of the darkness and He will lead you into the eternal light of God.

So just like Israel found themselves in the wilderness, more than once, we too have been in the wilderness. Some of you listening to this message may be in the wilderness right now. But just like Israel, God never, not once abandoned His people. And, He will never abandon you!

But we must never abandon God. There may be times in your life where you scream, “God where are you?!?!” Remember, God wasn’t mentioned once in Esther. But He was there and He was in control the whole time. We must walk in obedience. Submitting to His authority and to His perfect will. Trading the truth for a lie leads us deeper into the wilderness. Trading the truth for a lie leads to destruction. Trading the truth for a lie leads to death.

So many people, so many churches, so many denominations have traded in the truth for a lie. They walk in disobedience. But it is a choice. All of us, at this very moment have a choice. We can choose to do it our way. We can choose to follow the world, giving into a worldly culture. We can choose to live a lie rather than stand for truth. Or, because of Jesus, you can stand firm on the foundation of Christ declaring to the world, “As for me a my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Could it be that you are here for such a time as this?

Let us pray