Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Trust and Obey Pt.2

Let's turn back to the book of Joshua. We want to pick up on that passage we were looking at this morning. It's so vital for each of us to grasp this concept of habitual obedience-not only a spirit of submission, subjection, but a delight, really, in doing the will of God, knowing that His ways are greater than our ways. That's the thing that we have to realize as we're dealing with this topic of obedience. Don't approach it from the perspective of, "Well, I can find a formula here, and if I obey and I can get X number of hours or decisions in order, then God will bless me." We're not talking about that; we're talking about the realization of the natural tendency of our hearts to be rebels. We want to do what we want to do when we want to do it, how we want to do it. Does anybody know what I'm talking about? That's who we are. So, when we're talking about obedience, we're not talking about just coming under the rules. We're talking about desiring a heart of obedience to where we can come and let Jesus be the Lord of our life, and not ourselves governing as long as we think maybe it's acceptable unto God, and then bowing our knee when we get "that look" You know, the father's look. You know how kids want to kind of do their thing, and they'll goof off and slap each other upside the head. They're doing stuff they know they shouldn't be doing-until Dad looks at them-the natural tendency to fool around. Well, it has greater consequences, doesn't it, in our adult lives? Let's stop for just a moment and realize what the original sin was. The original sin was nothing more than disobedience: Eve not doing what she was told to do, Adam not doing what he was told to do. Each of them believing that they had everything under control and not realizing the consequences. They thought, "Surely it can't have that grave of a consequence for me just to do this one thing, because it sounds like a good opportunity here. I can eat this fruit; my eyes will be opened. I'll become as God and I'll be able to help Him out a little more." God's not looking for you to come to greater understanding, to put your perspective into the formula and help God out. God wants one thing from us: "Do what you're told." Amen? We don't like that, do we? When young people come to you or someone else and they say, "Well, I just think..." Listen, I don't want to hear what you think. Do what you're told. How many of you like that? Anybody here like that? How many of you think that you should have some input into this situation? "I mean, after all, it affects my life and...." It's not about you; it's about the lordship of Jesus Christ.

It's vitally important. We're going to approach it from that perspective somewhat this evening. Joshua, Chapter 1, again let's go back and look at these passages. We'll read through these fairly quickly. As God is speaking to Joshua and He's encouraging him in the victories that he's going to begin to experience, He's telling Joshua that these victories are inevitable. "But you've got to understand one thing; there are prerequisites that have to be established before I can bless you." When you read Deuteronomy, you can see in Deuteronomy 28, there's blessings and there's cursing-to the obedient, the blessings of God; to the disobedient, the rebellious the self-willed, the curse. God resists the proud but He gives grace to the humble, or the obedient; those that will bow our knees, those that don't think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, those that are looking to do the will of God. He says to Joshua, There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."

We have that great promise that we talked about this morning. If we believe that God loves us, if we believe that it's His intention to do us good all the days of our life, if we believe that every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights, if we believe that it's our Father's good pleasure to give us the kingdom, then why can't we just obey the principles that He set for us to walk in? What's so hard about this, just doing what you're told? In all of our lives He tells us very simply, "Don't forsake the assembling of yourselves together." What is the problem that so many people have with that? Don't forsake the assembling of yourselves together. We've learned over the years as a people here, most of us are fairly disciplined. How many of you approach times when you'd rather not come to this gathering? Let me see your hands. Okay. You notice mine was first. But we come because we do what? We obey. It's the principles that God's established. It's for our good and He says, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is...and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25). The more that we approach that day of the Lord-the judgment of God-the more we have to gather together. Many of us are going to justify why we cannot be here, and we'll come up with different reasons. "Well, I don't feel well." You went to work, didn't you? You felt well enough to go down and watch the ball game. You can sit in here and be sick just as well as at home. Amen? The only point I'm making here is not to get into some kind of condemnation. The point I'm making is obedience. We do what we want to do. Whatever we put value on is what we do obtain. I'll say it another way. Every one of us knows how to get our way. Don't we? We keep manipulating, and whatever it takes to achieve that goal or to get that prize, that treasure, whatever it is, that thing that we just have to have.

But God's saying to us here, "Wait a minute. Make Me your source. I will not fail you, I will not forsake you. Cast your care upon Me. Understand this: I care for you." Do you believe that tonight? God cares for you, He cares about you. And that's why He can say, "Don't be fearful about anything. Don't be anxious about anything, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (Philippians 4:6). So, we come and we make our petitions before Father, and we know He answers anything that we ask in Jesus' name according to His will. We rest in that and we know, then, that all of these things will be added to us.

He says, "You've got to understand there's going to be a war so be thou strong and very courageous." And then He tells us how that courage is going to be arrived at. Courage is really the fruit of, or the consequence of, faith. Faith is what allows us to go against the natural circumstances and be at peace in it. Faith is what supplies spiritual courage. Be very courageous. He says, "Here's how you arrive at that." Verse 8, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." And we were talking about that need of, day and night, meditating upon the Word, muttering the Word, speaking the Word to yourself, encouraging yourself with the promises of God, encouraging others around you with the promises of God. Have you made that part of your place in the body of Christ, just going around and speaking encouragement to one another? We need courage. Courage comes from encouragement, people speaking into our lives. "God's for you; nobody can be against you. What things soever you desire when you pray, believe that you receive them and you shall have them. Don't be weary in well doing, for in due season we're going to reap if we don't faint, praise God!" Don't you like to hear those things? We need to go around and be encouraged and speak the promises of God. It builds courage up in us so that we can keep and do all of the commandments of God, so that we won't be tempted to move to the right hand or to the left. And we need that, all of us, in our lives. We need those spiritual pep talks, don't we, of God being for us? Praise God!

We're called to that, and God is speaking to Joshua here and he's telling him, "You're going to get that encouragement from the Word. You're going to get it by muttering it day and night. Meditate upon it day and night, then shall your way be made prosperous and then you're going to have good success. But you're going to have to do it. You're going to have to keep these commandments." Now, we talked about Joshua a little bit this morning and we saw the heart that was in him. This young man that went up on the mountain, when it was burning with the presence of God, when His voice thundered and everyone else feared and backed off, Joshua went right on up into the midst of that thing. Be very courageous. Be ready to step out into the realm of the unknown. You see, nobody knew the presence of God. Nobody knew what that was all about. But Joshua knew that it was of God. Joshua-now here's where obedience comes in, and this is one of the things I wanted to emphasize tonight-Joshua not only experienced the presence of God, but he believed what Moses had to tell him about God when he hadn't yet experienced. Let me say it again. He was a follower of those who through faith and patience were inheriting the promises. Let me say it to you again. He didn't think he knew everything that he needed to know; he was teachable. He walked in that realm of obedience which is so vital in our lives today; so many of us miss that.

Turn over to the eleventh chapter of Joshua, for just a moment, and listen to the impact that this Scripture has to those of us who are wanting to walk in obedience, those of us that are looking for the wisdom of God-As you're turning, listen; don't miss what I'm saying-Those of us that desire to hear the Word of the Lord and realize that it doesn't always come and is not limited to our perspective, our specific perception. What am I saying? God speaks to you through other people. How teachable are you? How obedient are you to the Word of God when you hear it? Not other people's opinions, not other people's educated guesses, "Thus saith the Lord." When someone comes to you and says, "You can't do that; you can't make that decision." Why? "Because thus saith the Lord." Now, none of us would blatantly-well some of us might-but most of us would not blatantly say something like this. Go up to one of our friends and go, "You know, I've got this great business opportunity and the only way I'm going to be able to pull this thing off is for the next six months I'm not going to tithe. I'm going to take that money and invest it in this business deal and I'm going to make a bundle and then I'll really have something to give to the Lord." Would any of you let that slide in a friend's life? You can't! Now, this is so obvious, this is a no-brainer! But, what we would do, then, is we would respond, "You can't do that." "Well, why? Because doesn't the Bible say that I could actually borrow that from the Lord and pay back 20 percent?" God doesn't say, "Borrow His tithe and pay back 20 percent." He said, "Because you robbed from Me, this is a consequence. This is a fine." He didn't make it as an investment process. Amen? It's punishment. See it for what it is in its context. It's that disobedience does not go without consequence. That's what it's all about. It's not something that we can pick and choose when we feel like it; but the Scripture says, in fact, honor the Lord with the first fruits of your increase. Amen? It's not paying my tithe, it's honoring God. Now, we're not going to be talking about tithing tonight or those areas, but it's something that's so tangible, it's something that's so simple to get the principle down. We'd be able to speak to them very easily and say, "You can't do that. The Bible says, "...prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it" (Malachi 3:10). You're trusting in your own wisdom; you're trusting in man's methods. God's your source. Amen? Do you understand what Malachi says? If you do that, you're going to be cursed, and now you've gone to the world as your source. God can't bless you. The body of Christ can't bless you, because the biblical principle is, ‘How can I bless what God has cursed?' See, I can't help you out. If you're robbing from God, I can't help you out, because I can't bless what God's cursed."

We're talking about the fruit of obedience and the consequences of disobedience. We're talking about how simple it is just to do what you're told. Now, in this particular hypothetical that we're looking at, the person can respond one of two ways. "Praise God! Yeah, you're right, man. Thank you. I've been under pressure" or, "I'm really dealing with covetousness," or whatever might be in their heart. If you're a good friend, they might just really bare their heart and share it with you and you can say, "Well look, man, here's the biblical principles, here's how we get blessed: ‘Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom...' (Luke 6:38)." Amen? That's the principle of God. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).

Now, that's not what we're talking about tonight, but what we're looking at is that aspect of obedience and the person saying, "You're right." But the moment they start to try to justify and say, "Well yeah, but...." And they want to bring in all of these things that make them be exceptions, then like parents many times, we look to our children, we look to our friends and say, "Look, let me simplify this for you: Just do what you're told." And that makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck, and, "Dear God, who do you think you are to tell me what to do?" "I want to tell you who I am. I'm your friend. I'm representing your Friend who sticks closer than a brother. Faithful are the wounds of a friend. That's who I am. Do you want to know who I am? I'm your mother. And I'm telling you this is how it's going to be. Do you want to know who I am? I'm your husband; that's who I am." And in all of these cases we're representing God. Amen? We're speaking the Word of the Lord into the lives of these other individuals. The fact is, pride and rebellion make it so hard for many of us to receive the Word of the Lord from the body of Christ, "Because, you see, I'm special; I only take it from the Head." Now, you're lying against everything that God says in the Scriptures about body ministry, and iron sharpening iron, and friends lifting up the hands of the weary that are hanging down, and all of the other biblical principles. Your problem is you have way too much confidence in your perception, and we need to begin to learn through the spirit of humility, to receive instruction and do what we're told.

Let me give you another illustration, because we don't like that. How many of you don't like that, truthfully? Let me see your hands. You don't like people doing that? You just don't like people saying, "Do what you're told." All of you should have raised your hands, because it's the truth. Some of us are more disciplined. Some of us have cultivated that desire to receive instruction. Instruction is a way of life, the Scripture says. So let me give you another illustration. Here's how it is. Now, with kids it's interesting. Some of us, as children, are a little kinder than others and a little more considerate. And then there's others. And Dad says, "Go tell Junior to turn the television down." So what do we do as a representative? We go busting in there and go, "Turn the television down!" Especially if we're younger brother telling the older brother, "Turn the TV down." What's the first response from the older brother going to be? "Mind your own business! Shut up! Come over here so I can slap you!" Whatever it is, that's usually the first natural response, because that's who we are. "You can't do that; that's robbing from God." "Shut up! It's none of your business! Come over and let me slap you!" It's the same thing; we're just adults talking about a different subject. Now the representative realizes maybe we need to put a little bite to this thing. How many of you have heard this? "Dad said!" Now that changes the whole thing, right? Now some of us will get bold enough to say, "I don't care what Dad said." And then Dad from the other room says, "I heard that!" Zoom, turn the TV down and hide. Right? That's who we are. It starts out down there. It doesn't have to be taught, it's born into you.

What is not naturally in you, what has to be cultivated, is obedience, is humility, and is the awareness that, as the body, when a brother or sister is speaking into your life, they're only doing what they're required to do, what Father has commanded them to do. We just finished that whole process of Ephesians, of light reproving darkness. If we're going to walk in the light, as children of light, we have to speak into one another's lives. It's our role. How ready are you to hear it? You see, that's what made Joshua a different kind of a man. You don't have to read a whole lot about Joshua to realize this was a bad dude. Joshua could have made it on his own. This dude was an overachiever. He was a bad dude, but he let God take these things in his life and sanctify them for the glory of God. And listen to Joshua, Chapter 11. I just really love this passage. Verse 15, "As the Lord commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, [I like that don't you? Now watch look at the next phrase] and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses."

Is that the spirit you want tonight? Don't you want that heart in you? It's so easy to contrast with 1 Samuel 15. Let's go over there for just a moment. Take that verse; let it sink into your spirit, then turn over to 1 Samuel for just a moment. 1 Samuel 15, you'll see that it's the story about Saul sent to destroy Amalek, and so now you know what I'm saying when talk about contrasting it. And God's commandment is, through Samuel, "I want them utterly destroyed," verse 3, "Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. [And so they set out, verse 9] But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them..." And God saw it. And He sees every one of our acts of disobedience, of having a better idea, of unteachableness, of the inability to follow instructions. "Yeah, but you see, I'm pretty important and I'm pretty smart and I have a pretty high position." The dude is king! Let me tell you something: Kings do what prophets tell them. A prophet is just a representative of the voice of God, no authority or power of their own, just speaking what God spoke. No pretence of thinking that there's some merit in who they are, just representing God, and because of that you don't have a reputation to uphold. Oh, there's natural tendencies. You can read over in Chapters 11 and 12 where Samuel is dealing with the fact that the people were choosing and wanting to have a king and rejecting God. Samuel himself felt rejected, and he had to deal with that, but he said, "I'm going to pray for you; how can I help but pray for you? You're the people of God." God vindicated Samuel-remember?-with a great thunder and it scared all the people and they said, "Dear God, Samuel, pray for us." And he said, "How can I help but pray for you? You're the people of God." But Samuel was jealous for God's glory. People wanted to live like other nations and they rejected God and took a king. Samuel said, "It's going to cost you."

In the preceding chapter, here, we realize that the thing that brought this failure of Saul is found back two chapters earlier. Turn back, if you would, for just a moment. When the prophet had spoken and he said, "You go and wait and tarry for me and I'll be there in seven days." They had just experienced a great victory, supernaturally, that God had shown Himself mighty on their behalf. And the Philistines, then, counterattacked and came back and had them so outnumbered that in the natural there appeared to be no hope. And the people trembled and they were hiding in caves and in rocks and they were beginning to scatter. And Saul saw the people scattering, verse 8 says, so he waited as long as he naturally thought it was wise to wait and then he offered up an offering. And as soon as he had offered this burnt offering, Samuel appeared and he said, "What have you done?" And Saul said, "I had to do something. The people were scattered [verse 11] you didn't come when you said you were going to come. And so I forced myself-it's not what I wanted to do, this isn't who I really am; I went contrary to my nature and I forced myself to usurp and to break the ordinance of Numbers 18:7, that said only the priest can offer up sacrifices to God-and I forced myself to be disobedient." And Samuel said, "You have done foolishly, you have not been obedient and so the kingdom will not continue," verse 14. It was inevitable.

Now, how many of us think we can make decisions against God's methods and still stay king, still prosper? "God will understand." The moment you try to usurp, the moment you refuse to hear the Word of God-the voice of the Lord, the principles of God, the standards of the Word of God-and try to do it some other way, God will cut you off. He'll curse you with a curse. Saul can't make the right decision here under this pressure. It's not in him. This is a decision, here, that has a lot of pressure on it, just like that one he just failed in. What are you proven in? See, David said, "I can't go in Saul's armor, I've not been proven with that." What's the question I'm asking you? Are you a proven child of obedience? Is your track record doing what you're told? "Well, I don't really feel like going to prayer. I don't really feel like going to worship service. I don't really feel like going to men's breakfast. I don't really feel like taking this time and shutting down what I had planned for my own personal preferences and making sure that my children are being trained up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, loving my wife. I don't want to mess with all the hassles and, ‘Why?' and whining and stuff, so I just let them do what they want to do." And we could go back and deal with any area of this broken order in our lives. It just so happens that we speak toward the responsibility of the men, you're the head of the house. Ultimately, you are going to answer for the order of your home. It's very important that we understand if we don't obey now, if we don't do what we're told now, as the undershepherd, if we don't bring our homes and our own personal lives into discipline, if we don't require those under our charge and those that are around us to be doers of the Word of God and not hearers only, if we don't reprove and bring light, then we're bringing that curse on ourselves; we're keeping ourselves weak, we're not proven to where God can bless us.

We'll find ourselves in this same situation that Saul's in right now in Chapter 15. Now he's moved by his own wisdom and what he thinks would be best. "Surely God didn't mean kill them all. Look at this, this stuff's some good stuff; this can be used for God. This worldly wisdom could really build something for God. This tainted income, this blood money, can be used for the glory of God that I gained by lying and manipulating and worldly methods. It gives us something to offer up to God." Obedience is better than sacrifice. Amen? He doesn't need your help, He doesn't need your input, your better ideas; He wants you to do what you're told. There is no improvement of how to represent the kingdom of God. You can't improve upon it. The twenty-first century and all of our methodology, technology, is not an improvement on the power of this gospel message. Very quickly, I'm getting bogged down too much, let's just contrast this. Remember, Joshua did it, he left nothing undone of all that he was commanded. How many of you think, "Well I did most of it, you know; it won't hurt to forget this one. It won't hurt to add this one little thing to it; It won't hurt to leave that one little thing out." That's not the spirit Joshua had. It can't be the spirit we have. It's unacceptable to God.

The Scripture goes on and Samuel comes and confronts him. We all know the story. Isn't this sad? Verse 11, every time I read this, it just-when you want Father's approval, when you want to hear, "Well done," and we read back what he had just done in the previous chapter, and then here now disobedient again, he wouldn't destroy them as God had spoken. And the word of the Lord came unto Samuel, saying, "It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king..." "It really repents me that I called them to that task. I really am grieved that I brought those two together for marriage. I'm really grieved that I gave them those children. I'm really grieved that I blessed them with that job, because they've forgotten Me." This is powerful. "They've turned back from following Me and haven't done what I ordained them to do from the foundations of the world. Not fulfilling what I've called them to do and to be, but it's consumed on their own appetites and lusts and justified by every type of excuse imaginable." And those that are around and watch this happen do the same thing that Samuel did. It says it grieved him and he cried all night. Oh beloved, when you look around and you see lives that are being destroyed because they think they know better, destroyed because they think they can lower the standard of God's Word and it be acceptable, "Because everybody's doing it." That's not who we are. That's not what God called us to be.

We know the story that comes from here. This is where we get ourselves into trouble. Samuel goes to talk to Saul and he says, "Saul, what's going on here?" Verse 13, "And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord... [Just like a little kid. Did you clean your room? "Yes." By whose standard? You see, when I ask you, "Did you clean your room?" I'm not asking from your perception; I'm asking from my standard. Don't answer me by your perception. Did you do your homework? "Yes." You see, we need to train our children right now. Don't answer me "Yes" based on your perception; you know what's required of you, you know what I'm requiring of you. When I ask you "Did you do your homework?" I'm asking you according to the Word of the Lord, the standard of God. Saul, at this time, was so conditioned to disobey and justify his position that he initiated the statement,] I have performed the commandment of the Lord. And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears... [Of course, people that live in disobedience always blame it on everybody else.] And Saul said, They have brought them... ["they" the people. See verse 15, "they," next phrase, the people] spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed...[By the way, if you'll read Deuteronomy 13 you'll see that these were not acceptable to God. God wouldn't have accepted them anyway. There's a problem here. Verse 17,] When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head ... [The Lord used you mightily to destroy His enemies. Verse 19,] Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil... [So covetous, so concerned about yourself, your personal gain, your personal ease, your reputation, whatever it is. Why couldn't you just do what you were told? But] I have obeyed..." Verse 20.

Isn't that tragic? If your light be darkness, how great is that darkness. When we want to say, "I've obeyed. I've done what I was told. Do you run into that with your children periodically? "I obeyed; I did my work, I cleaned my room." And you go in there and it resembles Hiroshima. And they want to stand on their position, their perception. But when the man of God stands before you, and when I say "Man of God," I'm not just talking Prophet Samuel, I'm talking Dad, I'm talking Mom, I'm talking whoever it is that's speaking as the oracle of God at that moment, the Word of the Lord; and even, us as parents, if it's our child. Because the Scripture says, "Even a child can lead us." Amen? I've shared with you many times in my life, years ago, we might be doing something and my kids would say, "But Dad, didn't you say that the Bible taught this?" It's like, "Amen, that's what we're going to do." And, you see, I might have had a liberty that what we were about to do I could have done very freely. In their innocence and in their position at that time this was something they saw as a clear biblical principle. So, what do you do? You say, "Amen." You don't try to demand your rights or in any way minimize absolute total childlike faith, innocent faith and obedience. Dear God, I wish we all still had it. Amen?

And so he goes on and speaks along these lines. Saul says, "I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me...But the people [verse 21, the circumstances, my boss, my wife, my children, my family]... Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? [Verse 22] Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken [to listen, do what you're told, is what we can say here] than the fat of rams. [Now watch:] For rebellion [don't take your disobedience as just another opinion. "Well, this is my opinion." You don't get an opinion. You're not your own. You're bought with a price. We're talking about making decisions contrary to the Word of God. We're talking about simplistic obedience as little children, doing what you're told. You don't have an opinion. There is no input. Don't call it just your perception. Listen to what God calls it] rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king."

I was just having to talk with a man just recently along these particular lines, concerning situations; and the statement was, "There's just kind of a natural stubbornness in this other person." And I said, "That stubbornness is not just a character trait; stubbornness is not just someone wanting to have some input. Stubbornness is, (What's it say?) as sin and idolatry." Call it what it is. "Well, their tendency is to be a little headstrong." "You're a rebel. You're an idolater. You're worshiping yourself. You're worshiping your own perspective." Can I simplify it again? Do what you're told. Just do what you're told. "Well, if I just do what I'm told isn't somebody going to take advantage of me? I'm not ever going to be able to get ahead." What kind of a Father do you think you have? Didn't He just say He would never forsake you, that He would never fail you? Didn't He say that if you seek His kingdom first everything else will be added to you? Didn't He say that if He's for you nobody can be against you? You see, the real problem here is we don't have any faith. We don't trust God. We don't believe that God loves us. You want to know the real deal? We don't believe in God. "...for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Hebrews 11:6). Amen?

Well, we're kind of making disobedience a little bigger deal here aren't we? Yes, because this is what it's all about. It's rebellion. It's idolatry. It's as the sin of witchcraft. It's self exaltation. It's the original sin. "You mean, we're just supposed to fall in line and stand at attention and do what we're told?" Yes! That's the very Greek word that used when it talks about spiritual overseers. It says obey those that have the rule over you. That word "rule" means to stand before you as a sergeant or as an officer and give you commands. "Right face!" "Well, why do we have to turn right? How far are we going to go? When are we going to get there? What's the temperature outside? Can I bring my raincoat?" We're a mess! Grumble, whine, grumble. Even our carnal parents knew it growing up, but we're too smart for that now. We think everybody should have an opinion. Remember what you were told when as a kid? "When I want to hear from you, I'll yank your chain." Dad looked at you said, "You got an opinion?" "Well, yeah." "Well keep it to yourself. Do what you're told." We've lost that. We glory in our individualism today. We boast in it. We think we have a right to it. And this absolute obedience, ranking under, falling in line to God's methodology-now you'll understand as you know more about Father and about the family and the kingdom, that it isn't as regimented and it's not caustic and it's not in anyway restrictive, this body that we live in and this family that we're part of and this army that we march in. It doesn't express itself that way, but internally it has to be that same spirit. And yet everything in us and everything in our society leans toward every man doing what's right in his own eyes. Over evaluates their own perception, opinion and abilities, thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think instead of soberly and discreetly, realizing that God has given to every one of us the measure of faith. We live by faith. Without faith it's impossible to please God. Without living beyond your own perception, your own opinions, your own understanding and your own abilities, you cannot please God. When you limit yourselves to those things and can't walk in faith-can't walk above your understanding, your perception, your contribution, but just resting in God-without that you can't please Him. This is what He's calling us to and it grieved the heart of God that He had called Saul, and he's rejected.

"And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed ... I feared the people, and obeyed their voice... [instead of God's; that's the truth] pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord. And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: [I can't be associated with you anymore. God's done with you.] for thou hast rejected the word [I can't bless what God's cursed. "Could you at least then..." Verse 30. See where his heart is? The repentance sounded great didn't it? Didn't those words sound good? Here's his heart. We heard his mouth, we heard his words; now, let's look at his heart: "Well then could you] yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people..." "Couldn't you just come and give me enough credibility where everybody will think I'm at least okay?" What a tragic thing. So, we realize what's in us, what's in man. It's so foreign for us to come and rank under, and walk in absolute obedience; but Jesus says, "Don't call me Lord and not keep my commandments." Jesus says that "Those that do the will of my Father they are My brother and sister and mother." So that's the standard that God set before us. That's what we've been called to do. That's how we are to live our lives.

Peter's answer to those that were persecuting them and saying, "You can no longer preach in the name of Jesus." He said, "We ought to obey God rather than man." How quick are you to obey? How ready are you to listen to the voice of God through those that are around you? In Discipleship Training, when one of the other students says, "Hey, we shouldn't do that." "Oh shut up; keep it to yourself." Don't you understand who just spoke to you? Don't count common your brothers and sisters. I'm talking about spiritual brothers and sisters; I'm talking about natural brothers and sisters. Ladies, when your husbands make a declaration, don't be whining and trying to twist this thing around to get your way. Do you understand who just spoke to you? That was God. "Yeah, but my husband's an idiot, and if we leave it up to him we'll all be bankrupt and broke; we'll be out in the streets." Well, if he's that stupid, what position are you in? You married him. But that's not the point; he's not in charge. "I will never fail you. I will never forsake you. I will not leave you comfortless." Amen? If that rebel starts trying to take you different directions, if he's requiring anything that's not according to the Word of God, you don't have to obey that. We're talking about biblical principles. If they won't bow their knee, God will take them out. Now, I hope none of you wives are sitting there going, "Praise God I never thought about that. Your will be done, Lord. Kill that rebel." No, win them with your chaste conversation. Amen?

There are biblical principles, standards for all of this. We're seeking the good of everybody around us, not their destruction, not the quick fix so our life could be easier, but what's good for that person. What will bring the image of Jesus into their lives? What is it that in this situation is reproving and purifying me? What am I supposed to learn in this? How can I become more obedient? That's the word of the Lord to us. Aren't you looking forward to hearing, "Well done," and not, "It grieves me that I called them." Is God boasting in your obedience tonight? "What do you think about my servant Job?" You think, "I hope He doesn't boast in me too much." What is it that you think brings many of the trials in your life? Because God's bragging on you and the devil's trying to destroy you. He's trying to dishonor God. And all the devil does by putting more pressure on you is squeeze out the great fruit of obedience, and it glorifies God and ascends as a sweet smelling savor, and God's glorified in your choice of Him and His Word over circumstances. That's what our trials are for. When we begin to perceive it in that way, it brings glory and honor to Father.

Father, we're asking that You would be glorified in our obedience, that it would ascend to you as the offering of the fat of rams the burnt offering of the bullock, the worship, the praise, the glory to Your name. That's what our obedience is. Every time we choose Your Word, every time we choose to obey, every time we submit to those that are in authority, You're worshiped, You're praised. A sweet smelling savor ascends into the heavens. Just as the utterance that came forth tonight, in the mundane things, in just the everyday choices to fulfill our role, God's glorified. So many of us want to stand up and preach to thousands or see some spectacular miracle. You want to show a miracle? Obey those that are in authority over you. There's probably no greater miracle to indicate the resurrection of Jesus than a man willfully subordinating himself. It's not natural, it's supernatural. Do you have that spirit of Joshua? Are we truly of the household of faith and not forgetful hearers, but doers of the Word of God? That's what brings glory to Him. "Not my will, Thy will be done."

As Gary plays for us, the brethren come. We're going to take a few minutes to sit at the Lord's feet in remembrance of Him with the bread and the wine, and just fellowship with Father for just a moment. It's so unnatural. Everything around us says, "Get yours. Get it while you can get it. Stand up for your rights. Don't let anybody take advantage of you. If you don't watch out for yourself, nobody else is going to watch out for you." That's a lie; God's watching out for you. If God's for you, nobody can be against you. It's impossible to be defeated. You see, these emblems are not only a token of the Lord's death, but ours. We don't have any business taking communion if we're not purposing to obey, because this is all about recognizing His lordship in remembrance until He comes. The declaration: "Not my will, Thy will be done," that's what we're publicly professing as we partake of these. So, don't eat or drink unworthily. Don't eat or drink not discerning the body of Christ, recognizing what was purchased, your deliverance from the power of sin. Don't partake, because you know what this blood and this broken body has done? It's made us one with the body of Christ so that we together could represent who Jesus is and what He has done. If you fail to recognize that, if you will not allow yourself to be put into the body, to be corrected by the body, to strengthen the body, then you'll be eating and drinking to yourself judgment. When you eat and drink of these tonight you're saying, "I'm going to do my part to see Jesus glorified." If you can do that in faith, then partake. Examine yourself and partake. Let's serve. We'll hold the emblems and we'll all partake together. "For The Lord is Holy"

Hallelujah! Just worship Him together. Unique Lord and worthy of our praise. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise and honor to you, Jesus. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus.

In all the mundane things, just be prayerful and be ready to hear that voice and obey. We set course, nothing wrong with that. We purpose in our hearts, but the Lord orders and directs our paths. So as you set out on your journey don't say, "I'm going to do this." Say, "If the Lord wills this is my plan for tomorrow." Now, don't make that a religious phrase. You hear people saying all the time, "The Lord willing, the Lord willing." And may really mean it, but live that way. "I don't know what tomorrow's going to bring, but here's what my intentions are, and if the Lord wills it will go that way, but not my will God's will be done." Are you that habitually flexible? Are you easy to be guided as He guides us with His eye, the Scripture says? All He has to do is look at us and we go that direction. "You make plans, but I don't know better." I don't know. Here's my intention, but whenever God has something better, that's the way I'm going. Whatever your plans and meetings are-Just simple things-and you don't always know why. I had made plans, provisions everything in order to be in Rockingham this weekend. The Lord wouldn't let me go. I just felt that I needed to be here at home. I'm not aware of anything of any great consequence that's taken place. I don't have to have any confirmation or know anything. I just know one thing. I obeyed. I did what I heard the Lord say and it doesn't have to be vindicated by something that comes up and I go, "Okay, well now I know. Well, Lord I guess that confirms You were right." He's always right! And He doesn't have to tell me why. I just do what I'm told. It becomes a habit. There's just no question when God speaks, that's what you do. When that becomes our lifestyle, when it becomes so habitual, life becomes easier. The pressure's off, all of the anxiety is off, and we're able to be free, then, to follow the mandate of God's purposes. Isn't it good to be free? Isn't it a rest to be out from under the pressure of having to make the right decisions? We get to make no decisions. Praise God! Keep it before Father as acceptable.

My body broken for you, My blood shed, for without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. The innocent sacrifice, the propitiation, God's satisfied. Praise God! He looks on us tonight as His children, holy and acceptable. We look at ourselves and say, "Man, what a mess." And God looks at us and says, "What do you think about my kids down there? Doing a pretty good job, aren't they?" If we look at it through our eyes, we're just a bunch of goofs-up. God sees the end of this thing. We are victorious in Jesus. We are a people purchased and ordered for victory. Praise God! The righteousness of God in Jesus Christ! He was made sin with our sin that we might be made righteous with His righteousness. We stand before Him tonight justified, sanctified and we will soon be glorified. Praise God! Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Let's stand before Him tonight. He's going to finish the work if you don't faint. And Father, in remembrance of that promise that You're going to finish this work, it's been satisfied in this broken body and by this shed blood, we are accepted in the beloved. With that in our remembrance and with thanksgiving in our hearts and rejoicing, Lord, we receive-with thanksgiving and in remembrance of Him-this bread and this blood in Jesus' name. Amen. Let's partake of the bread together. Hallelujah! I can never partake of this cup without being overwhelmed by what it caused in the heart of God. It's not about us. It's for His glory and His good pleasure that He's chosen us and blessed us. While we were sinners He died for us and calls us His sons. Praise God. And Father, we just say, "Thank You in Jesus' name." Amen. Let's partake together. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Thank You, Jesus. We're so thankful, Lord. We are so thankful. Just take a moment and thank Him tonight for what He's doing in your life, what He's purchased by His blood, the glory that's brought to His name by the work that's taking place in us. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Father, bring us to that place of simplistic obedience, Father, habitual obedience. Father, not that we would be restrained or constrained, but, Father that we would willingly put ourselves under, to find our place that would bring glory to You. Thank You, Father.

Somehow tonight, I so desire that we as a people could see that what's become so common and so acceptable among us is such a great offence to God. And how quickly we can speak and say, "Oh that's none of your business." Or as the young kids might, "Oh shut up." When someone's bringing us the light, when someone's bringing us the truth, when someone's showing us how we can rank under and stay in line, that we would so easily blow it off thinking that we have a right to-so offensive to God-as Jesus so willingly obeyed, the Captain of our salvation, learning obedience by the things that He endured; choosing against His own desire, His own good, His own comfort, to fulfill the heart and the purpose of God, to reconcile us back to Himself. Our obedience is about revealing God's order, His eternal purposes for our good. Make it real we ask, Father, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Turn to somebody and say, "Obedience is better than sacrifice." Go in peace. God's love go with you.

Back to Top | Audio   |   Purchase Audio   |   Bible Teachings   |   Print