The Expedience of Obedience Acts 5 How many happy and victorious Christians do you know? Second question: When you look in the mirror, do you see one of them? I love the song: Trust and Obey. It says, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” I want to talk to you about obedience today. Has God been speaking to you about something He wants you to do, but you haven’t done it yet? Has God been telling you that there’s some sin you need to confess? Has He been telling you that there’s some restitution you need to make? Is He telling you that there’s some gift you need to give? Is He telling you that you need to witness to someone? If you haven’t done those things God has laid on your heart, is it any wonder that you don’t have joy? Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. The Apostles had been witnessing, God had been moving, and Jesus has ascended after giving the Great Commission. Jesus went up, the Holy Spirit came down, the Apostles went out, the lost came in, and they turned the world right side up for Jesus. The Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Herodians were all upset with what the Apostles were doing. The high priest put them in jail for preaching the Gospel of Jesus, but an angel came that night and set them free. Even though they had been commanded by the authorities not to preach in the name of Jesus, there they are the next morning preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus. The news gets back to the high priest and he says, “I thought I told you to put those guys in jail!” They call them back before the counsel. Take a look at Acts 5:27-29. “And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.” Now look at verse 32. “And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.” Twice in this paragraph he mentions obedience. I want to speak to you about the expedience of obedience. The Christian railroad runs on two tracks…the old T & O Line….Trust and Obey. Here’s the first thing I want to lay on your heart. We should review the reasons for obedience. If you don’t have a good reason to obey, you probably won’t. First, obedience is a duty to be performed. He says, “We ought to obey.” Men were telling them to do one thing and God was telling them to do something else. It was a no-brainer for the Apostles. They said, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” If what man says contradicts what God says….do what God says. Does God have the right to command you? Of course, He does! God is a sovereign God. And we get into trouble anytime we don’t obey God. In I Samuel 15:22-23, God had told the king to do a particular thing, but the king substituted his own will for what God had told him to do. So the prophet Samuel rebukes the king and says in verse 22, “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For 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.” If you are disobedient to the Word of God, what you are doing is like witchcraft. Disobedience puts you on the same side of the fence as Satan. Disobedience to the will of God is what made the devil the devil in the first place. Before long, Saul, who had disobeyed the Lord, was consulting a witch. Not only is disobedience like witchcraft; it is iniquity. When you say, “Lord, not your will, but mine be done,” you’re clenching you puny fist in the face of God. Disobedience is a big deal to God! I know you’ll find this hard to believe, but there were times when my children disobeyed what I told them to do. I had to dust off their britches because of that. There were times when Becky would say, “That’s a small thing to be giving them a whipping for.” But I wasn’t giving them a whipping for the small thing; I was giving them a whipping for disobeying their father. If you disobey God in a small thing, that small thing becomes a big thing. God not only says that disobedience is iniquity and witchcraft; He says it’s idolatry. Why? An idol is anything you honor more, fear more, or serve more than God. If God wants you to do something and you don’t do it, it’s because you put something else before God. That’s idolatry. Obedience is a duty to be performed. Secondly, it is a debt to be paid. Jesus has done so much for us! Notice what Peter gives as his rational for obeying. Look at Acts 5:30-31. “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” Jesus suffered, bled and died for your sins. We sing: “…to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be, but drops of grief can ne’er repay the debt of love I owe. Here, Lord, I give myself away, tis all that I can do.” Take a good look at Calvary and then tell me you have a right to disobey! It is a duty to be performed, it is a debt to be paid, and it is a delight to be preferred. The will of God is not something you have to do; it’s something you get to do! When you learn to obey, you’ll know the joy other Christians are talking about. There’s no such thing as a happy, disobedient Christian. Look at Acts 5:41. “And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.” Obedience and rejoicing go together. It’s a lie straight out of Hell that doing the will of God makes you miserable. The Bible says, “His commandments are not grievous.” The reason some of you don’t obey the Lord is because you don’t trust Him. You will always have trouble taking commands from someone you don’t know. If you get to know the Lord, you’ll learn that His commandments are not grievous. Not only is obedience a delight to be preferred, it is a decision to be practiced. You have to decide to obey. God will allow you to disobey. Have you ever heard someone say, “God’s will is going to be done. If God wants it to happen, it’ll happen. If He doesn’t want it to happen, it won’t.” There’s a good Greek word for all of that: Baloney! God’s will is not always done. If God’s will was always done, then why did Jesus teach us to pray, “Thy kingdom come…Thy will be done…on earth as it is in heaven.” There are many things that happen that aren’t the will of God. God will allow you to disobey Him. That doesn’t diminish the sovereignty of God at all. God has given you a choice. You can choose to obey, or you can choose to disobey. Others will say, “God can do anything.” That’s not true. Let me give you a riddle. What is more powerful than God and more evil than Satan? What is it that rich people think they need, and poor people have plenty of? What is it that if you eat it you will die? The answer: NOTHING. Nothing is more powerful than God, nothing is more evil than Satan, rich people think they need nothing, and poor people have plenty of nothing, and if you eat nothing you will die. I can tell you six things God can’t do. Number 1, God can’t fail. Ephesians 1:11 says, “God worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.” Number 2, God can’t do evil. Titus 1:2 says, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” God can’t lie, or steal or do any evil, because He is a holy God. Number 3, God can’t be tempted. James 1:13-14 says, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.” You say, “I thought Jesus was tempted.” Jesus was tempted in His humanity, but not in His essence as Almighty God. Number 4, God can’t deny Himself. II Timothy 2:13 says, “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” Number 5, God can’t be unjust. That’s the reason for the cross. Romans 3:26 says, “To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” It is impossible for God to forgive without a sacrifice. When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane He prayed, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” But the silence from Heaven said, “No, that’s impossible.” Had there been some other way but the cross, God would have taken it rather than allow His holy Son to die on the cross. But by His very nature, God cannot overlook sin. Number 6, God cannot force loving obedience. God can’t make you love Him. Forced love is not love at all. God can’t force someone to receive a gift. He won’t force you to love or obey Him. But that doesn’t diminish His sovereignty. There are some things, because of God’s very nature, that He can’t do. It’s not that He’s limited in power….it’s that He can’t do those things because of His nature. You must choose to obey Him, but you can’t obey Him unless He enables you to obey Him. We love Him because He first loved us. To God, obedience is like breathing. Is breathing a gift of God? You’d better believe it is! God gives you lungs and air, but you can smother if you want to. Obedience is the gift of God, but God won’t force you to obey Him. Don’t shrug your shoulders and say, “If God wants it to happen, it’ll happen.” No! There is a decision to be practiced. You must say, “I will obey Him.” These are the compelling reasons for obedience. But we also need to recognize the requirements for obedience. First, your obedience must be informed obedience. How can you obey God if you don’t know what He wants you to do? These Apostles had a command from God. Acts 5:17-20 says, “Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation. And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.” It couldn’t be any plainer. They were told what to do. All true obedience is informed obedience. You must hear from God in order to obey God. Don’t just go out and do things because you want to do them and think that you’re living the Christian life. What God doesn’t initiate, God doesn’t appreciate! God will tell you what to do. God has not promised to bless any endeavor that He hasn’t commanded. Number 2, there must be intentional obedience. Doing right is not merely abstaining from doing wrong. It’s very obvious that these Apostles wanted to know the will of Christ. Have you reported for duty this morning? You say, “It’s not my fault. I don’t know what God wants me to do.” It is your fault. Proverbs 8:32-34 says, “Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gate, waiting at the posts of my doors.” Are you hearing God? Are you reporting for duty? Next, it must be immediate obedience. They said to these Apostles, “We told you not to preach or teach in His name.” But look at Acts 5:28-31. “Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” They said, “Don’t do it,” and bang! They’re doing it! They’re not waiting, they’re not thinking about it…..they’re practicing immediate obedience. Procrastination is a form of disobedience. “Be swift my soul to answer Him, be jubilant my feet.” The best time to do the will of God is when you are aware that He wants it done. Understanding can wait….obedience can’t. Psalm 119:60 says, “I made haste, and delayed not to keep Thy commandments.” “Ours is not to reason why, ours is not to make reply, ours is but to do or die.” When God puts a period on something, don’t you replace it with a question mark! Practice immediate obedience. Next, it must be inflexible obedience. No matter what it costs, you can’t compromise with obedience. These men knew that to obey could mean death. Acts 5:33 says, “When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.” These men were preaching with the cloud of a death sentence hanging over their heads. Selective obedience is not obedience at all. Next, it must be impassioned obedience. Do the will of God from your heart. These men were full of passion for the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you have a passion for the will of God? God forgive our lukewarm, half-hearted, indifferent obedience. If you’re going to serve Him, then serve Him with joy! Romans 6:17 says, “You have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered unto you.” I’ve talked to you about the reasons for obedience and the requirements for obedience; now let me talk to you about the rewards for obedience. “There’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.” When you obey, the Spirit will be received. Acts 5:32 says, “And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.” Do you want spiritual power in your life? God won’t give spiritual power to rebels. Why should God release His power in your life when you’re living in disobedience? God gives His Spirit to those who obey Him, because the Spirit is there to get God’s work done. God can’t trust some people with spiritual power. When you’re teaching your teenager how to drive, the first thing you show them is the brake. If they say, “ I’m not interested in the brake, that’s when you reach over and put the keys back in your pocket and say, ‘You’re not ready yet.’” You’ll never know the release of the Spirit until you know the restraint of the Spirit. God gives His Spirit to those who obey Him. If you don’t have spiritual power in your life, it’s because you’re living in disobedience. But not only is the Spirit received; joy is achieved. Acts 5:41 says, “And they departed from the presence of the counsel, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.” Joy comes when you obey the Lord. Disobedient Christians are not joyful Christians. I look out across the audience some Sunday mornings and some of you look like your driver’s license picture! When you obey, the Spirit is received, joy is achieved, and the Gospel is believed. Verse 42 says, “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” That’s what this church is to do…..to make Jesus known to our neighbors. God has given you a command to share Jesus Christ. So what’s the alternative to obeying that command? Disobedience! What’s the result of disobedience? The result is no spiritual power of joy in your life. But if you obey, will God bless your obedience? The very first thing you read in Chapter 6 is: “And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied.” There are enough people in this room to turn this city right side up for Jesus. The service of God is not in here; it’s out there! This is just the service station where you come to get your tank filled. I don’t care how faithfully you attend, how eloquently you teach, how beautifully you sing, how much you give, or how well you live: if you’re not sharing Jesus, you’re living in disobedience and you’re guilty of high treason against Heaven’s King! Has God been speaking to you? Remember, procrastination is a sin. Is God speaking to you about getting active in this church, or about giving some gift? Is there someone you need to make restitution with? Is there some act of kindness that you know you’re supposed to do? Then do it! Some of you need to be baptized, but you’ve never done it. The Bible says, “To him that knoweth to do good and doith it not, to him it is sin.” Obedience comes with believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Give your heart to Him and find the joy of obedience. His commandments are not grievous. Give your heart to Him today.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 00:30:28 +0000
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