What Constitutes Obedience?

Introduction

We’re gonna Wow, thank you. It has been a good morning. This morning we’re gonna be trying out a microphone fix that we had, so hopefully the entire stage will be open to us without crackling or popping or any other kind of noise. So if not, I will be standing here for the remainder of the morning. If you will open your Bibles quickly to the book of Hebrews, I’m gonna look at three passages very quickly, and then we’re gonna move forward into an old testament story, and it’ll slow down from there. If you look at beginning in Hebrews chapter three, if you look at Hebrews chapter 3, beginning in verse 12. Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 12 says, Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to, look closely, fall away from the living God.

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. There’s a popular doctrine today that goes like this. Once saved, always saved. Now, the people who believe this range in their denominational background and thought. But let me suggest to you that they have to dismiss the book of Hebrews to entertain that thought and have it be a scriptural idea. Look now at Hebrews chapter 6. In Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 12, he encouraged them not to fall away. That implies they were once with. You can’t fall from somewhere you are not. In Hebrews chapter 6, look at verse 3.

And this we will do if God permits. For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the Word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away to restore them again to repentance. Since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding them up to contempt. Now, I’m I read this passage because people might say, Well, those people were never saved. Those people who have fallen back into a life of sin and have rejected the church and rejected Christ, they weren’t actually saved to begin with. But look closely at verse 4.

It is impossible in whose case? Those who have been enlightened? Does that sound like someone who wasn’t actually saved? What about this? Who have tasted the heavenly gift, have shared in the Holy Spirit? How can a non-Christian, how can someone who has not devoted their life to Christ taste the goodness of the Word of God and the powers of the age to come, have shared in the Holy Spirit? I tell you, it is impossible to be a Christian and to not share in the Holy Spirit. Now look with me in Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 26. Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 26. For if we go on sinning deliberately, when? After receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidences of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified and has outraged the Spirit of grace? Who is he warning? If they go on sinning deliberately, those who had the knowledge of the truth. But look even closer. Look at verse 29, I think also serves this point. Reading 29 again. How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the one who has what? Trampled underfoot the Son of God and profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified and has outraged the Spirit of grace.

How can someone trample underfoot the blood of Christ that they’ve never taken a part of? If Christ only died for those who will be saved, as one doctrine goes, how does someone who is a sinner and they continue in their life of sin trample underfoot the blood of Christ? I suggest to you that too cannot happen. So we see three quick examples of how the Bible, and particularly the book of Hebrews, is clear. As Christians, we have a calling to stay with God. In fact, more than that, we have a purpose to live for him, to glorify that God. But that leaves us some important questions. And here’s a question for you. After reading Hebrews chapter 3, after reading Hebrews chapter 6 and reading Hebrews chapter 10.

What makes people fall away? If Hebrews chapter 6 is clear that those who have tasted, shared in the Holy Spirit, the goodness of the Word of God. If you have taken advantage of the heavenly gift, if you understand who God is at one point, what could pull you away? What could pull you from the very God that you have to believe in that is the only one who can grant you eternal life? What can make you fall? What can make you turn away? Look for me in 2 Kings chapter 5. We’re going to read an Old Testament story this morning. And I want you to examine the mindset of this character that many of us may be familiar with. In 2 Kings chapter 5, we run into someone who had a problem.

And in that problem, he was directed to a man of God who gave him a solution, but note what the problem is. We want to examine why do people fall away? Why, more importantly, in a bigger picture of the world today, do people not just obey? Here’s why. Look at 2 Kings chapter 5. Beginning in verse 1. Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman’s wife.

She said to her mistress, Would that my Lord were with the prophet who’s in Samaria? He would cure him of his leprosy. So Naaman went in and told his Lord, Thus and go. Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel, and the king of Syria said, Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. So who do we have here? We have a man of valor, a man who’s so important that verse 5 suggests us that the king of Syria was going to send him with a letter to the king of Israel. So Naaman’s going, What is his problem? He has a case of leprosy. He needs it to be solved. He needs a solution. He wants to be washed.

But note in verse 5, continuing, so he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy. When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, Am I God to kill and to make alive that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me. So now the king of Israel. He’s upset, isn’t he? Why is he upset? He thinks the king of Syria is setting him up a little bit.

But we know that’s not the case. And while that would be a worthy study, for today’s lesson, let’s keep reading. Verse 8. But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel. So Daman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean. There it is. Brothers and sisters, do you see that? Read with me again, verse 10. And Elisha sent a messenger to him saying, What?

Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean. Now we read in our Bibles consistently from the Old Testament and especially in the New Testament, how God has promised us salvation. God has promised us we can be washed, we can be justified, we can be sanctified. God has promised he wants us in heaven with him. In fact, we can even call ourselves sons of God. Do you want it? Do you want to be called a child of God this morning? It certainly is a great blessing. But God is also like Elisha did with this man. God has given us things we must do. Now, if you think that this man deserved his leprosy to be cured because he dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, you are mistaken.

This was an act of faith. This would be a choice by Elisha to cure this man. It was something that he could did not deserve, something he could not do on his own with power. But with the man of God, with the power of God it could be. But notice his reaction in verse eleven. You would think this would be great. It would be grand. He could have his leprosy fetched, but Naaman in verse eleven was angry and went away, saying, Behold, I thought he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Farpar, the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel?

Could I not wash in them and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. But his servants came here and said to him, My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you. Will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, wash and be clean? So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. Here we have a story of a man with an issue. This man had an issue, he went to someone who had a problem, he sought it out. Notice with me, first of all, I’m gonna make some general points before moving forward with why do people not obey this morning?

He had a problem and he was willing to seek out. He was willing to travel, he was willing to do for help. He wanted his problem taken care of, he knew who he could go to, at least it was suggested, who he could turn to for his problem. And he went there and he gets the solution, but what does verse 11 say? He was angry. How does he leave? Does the text tell us? In a rage. What’s the deal? What is his problem? We think about that all the time. We think, how can the Israelites be so stubborn all those years, all those times God saved them? How could they not just stop worshiping idolatry? How could they not stop participating in that? Why do they worship idols?

1. He Simply Didn’t Want To: Disagreeing With the Command

Why do they keep sinning against each other? Why do the wealthy oppress the poor? Why do they keep doing that? We look outside at the world today and we say, How can they not just see? God has offered something great. 2 Kings chapter 5 reveals to us something important. And it’s that sometimes we allow our minds to keep us from the simple call of God. I want to point out three things this morning, three ways in which sometimes we fall away or choose to not obey the very God that we seek and we say that we want more than anything. And the first one, it’s very clear from verse 11, look with me there again, is that he simply didn’t want to. He disagreed with the command.

Why? He had his reasons. But when we consider the man of God telling him something, verse Naaman’s opinion, we say, come on, man, just do it. Look at verse 11. But Naaman was angry and went away saying, notice he’s smart enough to have another reason. He doesn’t just say, well, that doesn’t work for me. He says, Behold, I thought he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord as God and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. What was the thought process here? The thought process was he’s going to do it just in this way that I imagined. Do we sometimes struggle with that with God? We think, I’m going to obey him, but I thought, I thought I thought he would do this for me.

I thought if I trusted an all-powerful God who loves me and tells me that I don’t need to be anxious, and Jesus makes that clear in Matthew chapter 6, that he will provide for me. I will be taken care of. Life will be good. That’s not what God promises. God promises to take care of us. God promises to maintain us, to sustain us. We are called to a life of sacrifice, and that sacrifice is in the form of total submission and obedience to that God. And the point is, Naaman frankly didn’t like the way it was being done. In fact, he had a reason. He said, Do you know what? To him, washing in the Jordan, being dipped in that dirty water, that didn’t make any sense.

In fact, that made so little sense that can’t be right. Now, notice something that Naaman doesn’t say, but it is strongly implied that Elisha, the very man of God, didn’t know what he was talking about. Realize with me this morning, when we suggest something about God or God’s ways, or we say we shouldn’t have to follow this law or do this thing or submit to these people. What we are saying, whether you say it out loud or your actions speak it for you as God, you don’t make sense there. I will correct it for you. Do you realize how foolish that is? To think that we know better or that God somehow messed up in his commandment to us? We’ll see, there’s some other ways of disobeying commands, but this is a key one because sometimes we just don’t want to do what’s right.

Look with me in 1 John chapter 2. Turn way over towards the end of your New Testament in 1 John chapter 2. I think we undersell something sometimes, and that is sin. In 1 John chapter 2 and verse 15, we’re told, do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh, and the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. Sometimes sin is fun. Can I reason with you this morning, please?

I want you to think really hard about this. Something we sell poorly, I think, in the church sometimes. At least I might be guilty of this. We say we should not love the world as if that’s just something so common and so easy that we should just do it. Great. Preacher Greg said, we don’t love the world. I’m gonna go out this week and I’m not gonna love anything of the world. Notice the verbs in that passage. Desires, desires, the pride of life. It is something we want. It is something fun. If you have committed sin, I understand not all sin is fun. I understand not all sin even has good consequences. All of it does not and ultimately have good consequences. But even in the short term, some of it is not enjoyable.

But I got to be honest with you. If you really think about it, if you truly wrap your mind around sin and what Satan offers you, he does offer you pleasure sometimes. We are kidding ourselves if we say otherwise. Realize the enemy we are fighting. We are fighting our minds that say, I want to do this. Why? Because we want to transgress the law? Why? Because it’s silly, but we want to do it anyway? No. Because we want it. You want to get out of the consequences. So you lie. You want to do something that your flesh so desires that God has said you can’t because it allures you. It draws you in. You even start thinking how it makes sense, just like Naaman did. Naaman didn’t just say he didn’t want it.

He said, I thought it would be like this. We need to make sure we know what God has said so that we can compare with what God has said. But let us not be deceived. Satan comes to us sometimes, if not oftentimes, with things we want. Are you smart enough? Are you reasonable enough to recognize that that temptation is coming? And that you should stand with God. But there’s another type of even, another type of disagreement. And that’s in directly saying, What did God say to do for us? In a positive way. What are we to do? Look with me in Acts chapter 2. If you will look with me in Acts chapter 2 and verse 38. In Acts chapter 2 and verse 38, as well as Acts chapter 22 and verse 16.

You know where I’m going with this now, hopefully. We read about baptism. In Acts chapter 2 and verse 38, and Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ. Why? For the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now you know what’s interesting, in the parallel to Naaman’s story is this is a pretty good parallel. Naaman says, Why would I dip myself in the water? That’s silly. That’s ludicrous. That doesn’t appeal to me. And you know what we have today? What type of disagreement we have? Well, baptism, other passages talk about free gift, John 3.16, which we’ll examine momentarily. That just talks about belief. So what happens? I’ve never seen more controversy over Greek words in our world today than over the passages about baptism.

Have you? Acts chapter 2 and verse 38, they say the Greek’s a little bit off. It messes with our understanding. Acts chapter 22 and verse 16, if the grammar was actually put correctly, if the syntax was in its proper order, we wouldn’t understand that as rise and be baptized and wash away your sins. It would read differently. You see, when we don’t agree with something, you can find logic that says, I don’t want to do that, and so it’s wrong. And you can believe and you can build yourself up, you can read your own material, and you can believe whatever you want to believe. But I tell you, no matter what, if you look at your Bible, Acts chapter 2 and verse 38, it says, Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins.

Brothers and sisters, that is not changing. It stands because God’s word stands. God’s word is final. And it’s almost strange sometimes what scenarios we try to invent in our minds, what type of trapping of God we try to come up with to say, I shouldn’t do that because of this situation. Talked about this a little bit last week. I shouldn’t have to be baptized. Because, well, what if someone believed in God and they were on their way to the baptistry and they were struck down and killed? That proves it, doesn’t it? No other thinking would the exception prove the rule, except flawed thinking, except illogical, wrong conclusions. We need to make sure that we do what God says, whether it makes sense to us or not, because we should study the mind of God and know that his ways are higher than our ways.

2. Distracted From the Truth

His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, so we submit to them and trust that he does know better than we do. If not, we are living in disagreement. And do you really want to go into the day of judgment having disagreed with the Lord your God? But there’s a second type of reason that we sometimes don’t obey. And if you look back at 2 Kings chapter 5, you understand that Naaman was so focused on being cured that he was distracted from actually being cured. Now, if you’re thinking that doesn’t make a lick of sense, Greg, allow me to explain. He wanted his leprosy cured, right? So when he goes to get his leprosy cured, you would think all he wants is to be fixed. He wants his flesh to be cleaned, to be renewed.

But yet that’s not what Naaman was caught up on. Well, that’s again, verse 11 revealed to us. He was caught up in the how, not the what. We as Christians must make sure we do not get distracted from truth. Let’s concentrate on the what, not the how. The how will come if we accept the what. We need to elevate Jesus Christ as Lord and recognize without him baptism, faith, belief, the sinner’s prayer, none of that works. Jesus is our salvation. Without him, we have nothing. We need to make sure that we keep our minds on that which is good, on the ultimate goal, which is eternity with God. When you look at Naaman, and in verse 11, he’s talking. Do you want to just scream at him?

Just do it. What are you thinking? You can be cured of your leprosy. Just get in the water. Give it a try. And yet he didn’t. He was too concerned with the method of his cleansing that he would not be cleansed. The method to his cure of leprosy was there. All he had to do was do it. And he didn’t. And so when we examine the question of why do people just not obey? Why do we sometimes fall away? Why do Christians sometimes fall away? Because sometimes we get distracted from the truth. The truth is we are not saved by keeping laws. We are saved through Jesus Christ. But that implies necessary obedience to him, submission to his word. Naaman sought out the man of God.

He went to him, but he didn’t obey him. What good did that do him? I tell you, none. It did nothing for him until he obeyed what the man of God conveyed to him. Sometimes we’re distracted in a couple ways. I think there’s three ways we’re distracted. One of those is being scared of some issues. Sometimes we get scared of talking about things like modesty. And we don’t like to talk about things like divorce and remarriage because it’s divisive and people get their feelings hurt and it’s messy, sticky situations. And you know what? Let’s just avoid it. Let’s just stick with the love of God. Let’s just stick with those things that we know. Everyone will say lying is wrong. We can preach about murder, murder is wrong.

What about when you start preaching about things that stomp on people’s toes? What about when your life has to change? What about when I’m reading my Bible daily and I say, that’s not how I am? That’s not me. I need to change. We get scared of issues, and because of that, we get distracted from the truth. The truth is the Bible. We need to obey the entire will of God, not just the parts that we agree with or we find convenient. And that leads to a second train of thought is those who are distorting the truth a little bit and so are distracted. Look with me in John chapter 3. In John chapter 3 and verse 16. Hope you know this. John chapter 3 and verse 16.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. And people say, Aha! If you just believe, you will have everlasting life. Yes. Believing is important. In fact, can I tell you this morning? We should not discount John 3.16 one bit. Believing is crucial to your faith. After all, would any of this make sense if you did not believe? But what about the doctrine we open up with? Once saved, always saved. Those are biblical thoughts behind that. But we get distracted because we elevate one verse like a John 3.16, and we say, that’s it. I’m going to put this above all the other passages of Scripture. Do you see how that’s a problem?

Do you see how when you take out, you distort the will of God that you have distracted from the whole truth that we are to be obedient to? One more issue. Sometimes we get distracted on issues even of the same kind. I’m not quite sure why. Perhaps it’s just because it’s what’s on our mind. But talking about sexuality. First Corinthians chapter 6. Most of us are pretty well versed in knowing that homosexuality is condemned. But can I ask you a question? Have we allowed the homosexual fight to so overcome our pulpits that we kind of have let cohabitation slip by? May I suggest to you that cohabitation, divorce and remarriage in an ungodly way is just as unscriptural and just as eternally damning as homosexual marriages.

Brothers and sisters, if a man and woman who are not married live together, that is sin. If a man and man are practicing homosexuality, that is sin. If a man and a woman are divorced and are not doing it in light of God’s laws, that is sin. We need to stand up for all of what the Bible says, not just some, not just a part, but the entirety of the will of God. Let us not be distracted. Sins do not get to pass by the wayside because they make us feel more comfortable. Or we can address that in an easier way. Let’s stand up for what Jesus stood out against. Expose the lights of darkness. We can be distracted from the truth because frankly it’s easier, or frankly, it takes less thought to come up here and to say homosexuals shouldn’t live together.

3. A Distortion of the Truth: False Teaching

I’m suggesting to you, man and woman without marriage should not be living and sleeping together. It is just as wrong and just as sinful for a boy and a girl to be sleeping together outside of marriage as it is homosexuality. It is just as wrong for people to be dressing immodestly and indecently. It’s just as wrong to do all of these things that we kind sometimes kind of forget because we’re so charged up about America’s political issues. Let’s preach the whole truth and focus on what God wants us to. And one final thought this morning is there’s a distortion of the issue sometimes. Sometimes you just play out, get false teaching. If you think about Naaman, again, we made this point very clear. What did he do?

He pointed out cleaner waters. Wouldn’t these be better? In fact, I will take what you are saying, Elisha, and I will dip myself, but why don’t I do it over here? I understand what you say, I take that and raise you one. I will dip myself seven times in cleaner waters. How about that? The fact is, sometimes in our world today, we think like that, and there are people who are false teaching with concepts just like those. Look with me in Matthew chapter 7. I want to make this point very clear before making a final point. In Matthew chapter 7, beginning in verse 15, Jesus says, Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits.

Are grapes gathered from thornbrushes or figs from thistles? So every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. What does verse 19 say? Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. False prophets will be known by their fruit. False prophets will be punished. Do you understand this morning that false prophets, I could read a litany of scriptures? False prophets are a tremendous danger. When you teach something that’s contrary to the word of God, that is so vile and so wrong, you may drag people out with you away from the very arms of the loving God whom you’re claiming to serve. False teachers will be punished. False teachers will be punished severely. Can I be clear this morning?

False teachers are wrong. Amen. False teachers are wrong, amen. Amen? So when we have our doctrine that goes around today that says, as long as you take on the name of Christ, you’re okay. Choose the church of your choice. I’m here to tell you this morning, that is not true. That is not true. Jesus built one church, he established one body. That is what is there for us to take. Do you want to take advantage of the church or not? That is your decision. But there is only one. And so when someone comes up to me and tells me or tells you that as long as you take on the name of Christ, it’s all okay. That’s wrong, because there’s only three situations that can come from that type of confrontation.

One, if someone comes up to me and tells me that, the first scenario is I’m wrong. Which means I am the living exception to the rule. Because I’m here to tell you I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior. And I am teaching that not everyone who takes on the name of Christ in whatever denominational form that we say is acceptable today is true. You have to be part of the one body that Christ authorizes. Although God can save whom he wishes, the point is we read from the scriptures, if you do what he says, you will be saved. So when someone says, anyone who takes on the name of Christ will be saved, I’m there. I’m telling you, not every Catholic or Mormon or Baptist or member or anything will be saved.

Those who do the will of the Father will be saved. So either I’m the living exception to the rule, or number two, I am wrong, and I’m a false teacher, but yet I’ll be saved anyway. Do you see that? If anyone who takes on the name of Christ and it’s okay, and I’m teaching something that you’re not teaching, somebody’s teaching truth. In fact, I’m teaching the exact opposite of what I are. You are saying everyone will be saved. I am saying not everyone will be saved. Okay? So I am a false teacher that you are suggesting through your logic I can be saved in. That logic falls flat, but there’s a third possibility.

Conclusion

And that’s that Jesus is right. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. But he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. There is one body. There is one truth. There’s one gospel. One Lord, one God and Father of all. Who will you seek today? Not be given in to false teaching. Don’t be distracted from truth. Don’t just disagree with it and cast it aside. And most assuredly, don’t distort the truth or choose to put it aside by truth and do not sell it. Will you pray with me? Our dear God and our most gracious Heavenly Father. We pray to you, recognizing that sometimes we do fall short. We do fall into sin. And we are so thankful to you that you sent your son Jesus to come to this earth, living in the constraints of our form.

And he died, being crucified on the cross, shedding his blood as the sacrifice for our sins. Help us to always remember that we are seeking to live as children of you, that great offer you have given to us. Give us the courage, the conviction, the strength and perseverance to continue to get through life’s trials, to continue to seek you, and to always put your will first, second, and third in our lives. Help us to praise you in a manner pleasing in your sight. Help us to worship you in a way that is also pleasing to you. Forgive us of our sins and please keep us finally. Help us to have focused minds as we go into Bible class and to have focused mind as we worship you again under the 11 o’clock hour.

It’s in your Son’s name we do pray. Amen. We’re now dismissed to Bible class.