The Reason I Don’t Have To Obey God (Part 2)

Introduction

Well, the rock of my heart is a great song. And I love Psalm 73. And I think it definitely would have worked with this lesson. But I’ve just worn out that psalm over the last few years. And so it’s not a part of this lesson, Daniel, but what wonderful sentiments are there when we’re struggling with so the challenges of life. I highly recommend it to be read on a regular basis. We’re going to continue tonight talking about trust. I’m not going to go over everything we talked about this morning. Sometimes I will give a recap if I’m doing this one part one, part two thing on Sunday night, give you a recap, not going to do that. You can go if you met several of you were not here this morning.

I realize that. But you can listen to it online. It’ll be there shortly. It’s already there. It’s already not right now, but it’s already there online for you to listen to. And that was sort of the lead-in to the practical part of this that I wanted to talk about tonight. Trust is critical. It’s where our walk with God began. And yet, as we suggested this morning, that trust may not always be a constant in our lives. It has to be cultivated and maintained. And trust is where people fail who leave the Lord and who quit walking in his ways.

And so, do you believe that as we sung this songs tonight, more holiness give me that the Lord is listening to that he’s going to respond to that he’s going to help me in my walk to cultivate those qualities that we sing about. Is he going to lead you home to glory? As we sing about in the rock of my heart. You need to have a greater confidence about that. Are we truly, if indeed we are the people of God, and I believe we are? Then we need to have a confidence and trust in that, especially as we sing those types of things to God and to one another. And so trust is very critical in our walk with God. And we looked at that this morning from several passages, Psalm 25.

1. Exempt Because of What Someone Else Did

And of course, the book of Habakkuk. So, if we’re not going to trust, what are going to be the reasons for my disobedience? Now, Daniel’s already thrown me a curve here because this morning, this morning’s sermon. Okay, that wasn’t supposed to be there. Here we go. I think this is right. Okay. Did I do it? I might have messed it up. Alright. Reasons why I don’t, if this first, yeah, this is it. A lot of folks would claim some kind of exemption and think that they don’t need to obey God because somebody else did something that made doing right impossible or well nigh impossible. I’m exempt from what the scripture says in this particular area because of what someone else did. Now, if that’s going to be your approach, your excuse for not obeying God, I’m here to tell you tonight that when we transgress the law of God, oftentimes, sometimes other people are involved in that decision, in that choice.

Other people contribute to my failings at times. And that’s why there’s warnings about that in Scripture. I had to limit the number that I use. And of course, probably the most common is the one that we always dangle out in front of our young people. Be not deceived. Bad company corrupts good morals. 1 Corinthians 15, 33, because that warning is given about the influences that come into our lives, that they can lead us to make wrong decisions in regard to moral behavior. There it is. One passage is all I need to demonstrate that others contribute. But there are some more significant passages that illustrate this truth for us. In fact, I could just use the book of Galatians tonight. Even with some stalwarts of the faith, some stalwarts in trust, like Cephas, who is withstood, who is Peter, who is withstood to the face by Paul because he stood condemned.

Now here is the man who introduced the gospel to Cornelius, who would be the first Gentile convert to Christ. And yet, he is now refusing to eat with the Gentiles. He’s holding himself aloof because he fears the party of the circumcision, the Jews that had come and influenced him, and the rest of the Jews joined in him and his hypocrisy. Even Barnabas, another stalwart of the faith. Even Barnabas is carried away by their hypocrisy. By all implications of Scripture, Peter and Barnabas recover from this spirituality. But I use this illustration to prove here are two godly men, stalwarts of the faith, not just young people, who perhaps have a little less experience and wisdom as those who are older. Here is Peter and Barnabas. Who have been carried away by the influence of the other Jews that have come.

And Paul doesn’t give Peter a pass because he was influenced by others. He withstood him to the face. He allowed himself to be influenced. And really, the whole book of Galatians deals with the influences that are affecting God’s people. He tells the churches of Galatia. That’s not just a single congregation, but several congregations of the Lord’s people who have come under the influence of false teaching. Who has bewitched you? Oh foolish Galatians. Always love that statement in Galatians 3 and verse 1. You have come under someone else’s spell. He’s not really implying that there’s some magic, but it’s like the working of magic that they have allowed themselves to come under the spell of this person or persons. And he’ll bear his judgment, whomever he is, Paul says in Galatians chapter 5.

But while he’s going to bear his judgment for his influencing you, he says, you’ve been hindered. Oh, yes, someone has influenced you alright. He says, but you, allowing yourself to be hindered, have fallen from grace. You were running well. Who hindered you? And so that’s sufficient, I think, to make the point that sometimes our failings are influenced by others. And they’ll bear their responsibility in that contribution. I’m not giving them a pass tonight. Like the Pharisees who go about on land and sea to make one proselyte. And they make him twice as much a son of hell as themselves. They’ve come under the influence of the Pharisees, they become like the Pharisees, but they’re missing the essence of real religion. Your righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5.

And the blind follow the blind, and both fall into the ditch, Matthew 15 and verse 14. Again, the passages we could use to illustrate this point are many.

It’s been demonstrated in your marriage. You ever had a conflict with your spouse where the argument intensified a little bit? And you know what a spouse can do. A spouse knows your weaknesses. A spouse knows what to say that can hurt you the worst. And sometimes it can resort to that. How many times do you think in husband and wife spats that sin is committed where the other spouse contributed? Well, how many times, right? Of course it happens. And so, what are you going to say on the day of judgment? Well, I’m okay. I’m okay with this outburst of anger or this evil word that I have said, or evil thing that I have said to my spouse, I’m exempt because they pushed all my butts.

We don’t get an accept card for that. Or, you know, my spouse isn’t giving me enough attention, so I can seek attention somewhere else. I can have a liaison. I can have a social media encounter that goes beyond the bounds of propriety. I can view the other sex inappropriately clad. How’s that for saying it? On the internet. Because I’m not getting sufficient attention. And again, if they were giving me sufficient attention, perhaps I would not be so tempted in this particular area. If they were a better spouse, I might not be so tempted in this particular area. And so, you see, they’re contributing to my acting. How do we get a pass?

For that. What text of scripture would suggest that we get a pass? What about 1 Peter 3? What about the woman who has an unbelieving husband? You know that’s going to be difficult. And yet she’s not given a pass on righteous conduct. In fact, all the more she needs to be displaying the kind of example that can win him for Christ. And I can again tell you about a host of circumstances that occur, and I hope none of these happen to any of the families in our audience tonight, but they are very real things that happen in the world.

You say, for better or for worse, and one of the worst things happens in sickness and in health, and the hell is deprived from a spouse. Dealing with a chronic issue of failing health, dealing with the loss of limb or some kind of injury that takes away from them physically what they were before. And so, what are you going to say before God? This is a very difficult circumstance, and I’m not getting what I need, so I can do this. Okay. Now I’ll tell you what the I can suggest. But that’s part of the problem in all of this. That we are focused on ourselves. And that’s usually the truth of the matter. Instead of adopting a posture of service, we instead bow at the shrine of serve me.

I get to set aside God’s instruction for me because of the evil of another. You know, after all, that person who’s driving in that car was extremely rude. And so therefore I get to make a hand gesture in return. Or I get to shout an expletive because it makes me feel better. You see, it’s because it’s him. He did it. But I’m exempt from responsibility because of the failing of another. Do you know how many people so reason about disobedience to God?

Most people who are disobedient to God. Reason this way. It’s not my fault. You see, because I am a victim. Get out of responsibility free card. Any one of those. I am a victim. Why do people play the victim card? People play the victim card because it evokes sympathy from people. You’re in pain. I get it. I understand. And we should have empathy for those who have been victimized by whatever extent that others have victimized them. But listen. Injustice in our world is real. And some of it’s coming to your doorstep. But I just got to tell young people, you better get real with that right now. It’ll make your life a lot better down the road. Injustice is coming to your doorstep. I don’t know how much or to what extent, but you’re going to have some of it to deal with.

The Apostle Paul did. And so will we. So when you see yourselves, when we see ourselves not in line with what the scripture teaches in this particular matter, whether it be lust or angry words, or whatever the case might be. Yes, others may have contributed to the conduct, but you don’t get the victim card. We are responsible for our own conduct. And so as I called this the reasons for why I don’t have to obey God, really, I almost call it just the reason why. And talked about almost exclusively this idea of being a victim. You should feel sorry for me because I’ve been a victim in this particular circumstance. And perhaps it’s not what someone else has done, but it usually is. Perhaps it’s just the awful circumstances that I’m now called upon to endure.

2. The Awful Circumstances I'm Called Upon to Endure

For example, the spouse that becomes a paraphylegic. And I, again, I wouldn’t wish that circumstance upon anyone. But if they’re alive and they’re your spouse, you have obligations. That’s just what life has dealt you. And someone says, but nobody has suffered like this. Nobody has suffered like I have.

Did you? Wouldn’t that be horrible? If that was one of your loved ones that have been on that train and died this week. Oh, some of us have experienced deaths in our family. And some very horrific circumstances. And some have suffered more than others. I wish we could take a poll, and everybody could have their own list of suffering, and we could declare you are the greatest sufferer in the group. You’re right up there with Job in the book of Job. And the amount of suffering that you’ve had. Or, you know, I think it’s somebody who suffered in the New Testament. It’s just a story, but Jesus told a story about Lazarus and the rich man. And Lazarus, whose body was covered with sores. And was hungry.

He longed for the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. But ultimately, he finds himself in Abraham’s bosom. And listen. We’re not presently facing martyrdom. I don’t know how bad our circumstances are. I mean, let’s get a perspective about our circumstances. What if we were facing as a congregation the prospect of martyrdom for what we believed? Fear for our lives. Some of our men could be dragged, drug away tonight, prosecuted, maybe even put to death. Boy, that would put a new light on things, wouldn’t it? We might not have trouble filling this building. I hope we would. But imagine, and that’s what some Christians face in the first century. I mean, the church in Smyrna is warned that kind of persecution is coming their way.

Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Isn’t that a statement? In Revelation 2 and verse 10. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison. There’s not only the threat of it coming, it’s coming. That you may be tested. Well, there you go. Okay, I have some, I have some difficult circumstances. Perhaps this is for my testing. Will I respond in trust or not? And you will have tribulation ten days. And I like that part of it because however long this situation goes on, whatever the circumstances are where I feel like I’m the victim here. However long they are, it’s a definite period of time. I know it’s definite because your time here is definite.

Ultimately, it will conclude whatever it is. And then this be faithful unto death. And I will give you the crown of life. That’s our whole point to that. Trust. Be faithful unto death, even if it means you die is really the idea here. It’s not just be faithful all the way to the end of your life. It’s saying, be faithful even if you are put to death. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life. It will have been worth whatever you have to expend. Perhaps we’re so focused and riveted on ourselves that we lack a proper perspective. In regard to material things, as Paul is telling Timothy, if you have food and covering, therewith to be content. I mean, if that’s all you had is food and covering, that for us in this culture, that’d be a little challenging.

Just food and covering, that’s all you have. If you have that, be content, he says.

And he says, this we brought nothing into this world and is certain we’ll take nothing out. Or as Job said in his suffering, naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I am returning. There. Or in Ecclesiastes chapter 9, man does not know his time. He is suddenly caught in a net like a fish. Or a bird in a snare or a trap. I mean, this is time and chance happens to all. And it’s not the righteous don’t get an exempt card from terrible circumstances. Yet when we find ourselves in this circumstance and we want to skirt responsibility, God’s law, well, the Lord, the Lord understands. The Lord understands your suffering. But he doesn’t understand to the extent that you get the exempt card. He is here to help.

We have a sympathizing high priest, the book of Hebrews tells us. And furthermore, we have our brothers and sisters in Christ who are doing what they can. They have circumstances of their own. Let me tell you this. When brethren come to your aid to assist you, and they will, understand that they have lies too, and they have burdens too, that they are also trying to bear. And yet sometimes in the local church, it’s like everybody should be dropping everything to come to my assistance. Well, why don’t you drop everything and come to their assistance? See, we’re sharing. This is a sharing thing. Where we try to help each other with burdens. And yes, some do have more burdens than others. But ultimately, even as brethren try to share, there’s only so much that they can do in bearing one another’s burdens.

And so ultimately he says in verse 5 of Galatians 6, everyone shall bear his own load. Ultimately, whatever it is, the load that’s in your life, you must bear up under it. No circumstance, no matter how painful and difficult to endure ever justifies disobedience. Instead, we should trust God all the more.

3. Is the Bible Really From God?

It doesn’t feel temporary. But if the stories of the Bible don’t tell us anything else, they certainly tell us it is all very temporary. Can’t you see that? Whatever the circumstance is, the right answer is always trust, not disobedience. Well, you know, I hear what you’re saying, but I’m not really sure how much confidence I have in what the word is telling me. That’s usually where people resort after they’ve tried all other escapes with responsibility. So now if we can cast some suspicion on the word of God, then we get an exempt card that way. Well, is the Bible really from God? Again, this comes back to an issue of our trust. I just got to tell you, I’m not gonna help you out here because my confidence in Scripture grows by every passing year.

The more I study it, the more I am amazed at its author. And I am convinced that this is the message from the one who is responsible for all life. And he asked me to embrace this message on the basis of faith. That we walk by faith. And so that’s not going to mean that he’s going to reveal himself to me in some kind of audible fashion and say, oh, by the way, yes, my word is true. He’s not going to whisper to you and wake you up in the middle of the night and talk to you and tell you that. He has given you sufficient evidence. We’re not going to walk outside this building, and there’s going to be a great big flashing sign in the sky that says, You are my people, I love you.

That’s not going to be there. We walk by faith and not by sight. And by the way, if we walk out there and that sign’s there, I’ll say I was wrong. But I have never, it’s not that God can’t do that. But it’s about faith. It’s about trust. In fact, not only is the Bible reliable, it’s the thing that’s reliable when everyone and everyone else, everything else isn’t. And the God behind the book is reliable to see us through trouble. And I can just say, there are people in this audience who have gone through some horrific things, some who are going through difficult, very difficult things right now, and some have gone through them and gotten to the better other side of things. And the Lord saw you through.

4. Things in This Book That Are Seemingly Very Hard

And again, if it’s never rectified in this life, Lazarus, Luke 16. There’s Abraham’s bosom. There’s paradise to come for the righteous. Okay, so I can’t really go backward out that the Bible is not reliable, but okay, so it is God’s word, but I gotta say there’s some things we’re being told to do in this book that are that are seemingly very hard.

Well, there are passages that suggest that these things are in our best interest, that they’re not burdensome, commandments of God are not burdensome, 1 John chapter 5 and verse 3. And so perhaps it’s our perspective that’s askew when we start to think this is too hard. I realize our circle, our culture is strongly pushing us and persuading us against righteousness. I understand that.

Throughout history, throughout time. And people in less than ideal circumstances accomplish the Lord’s will for their lives. Just look at the end of Hebrews chapter 11. And the great hall of faith. There’s some glorious moments. They conquered kingdoms, they performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, and I’m thinking Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They escaped the edge of the sword. From weakness were made strong. They became mighty in war and put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. But that’s not where it stops. Other people of faith, well, they were tortured. In order that they might obtain a better resurrection. Others experienced mockings and scourgings, chains and imprisonment. I don’t know about your circumstances.

Mine haven’t gotten that difficult yet. They were stoned. I’ve never seen a brother in Christ stoned. Have you? They were sawn in two. I know I’ve never seen that. Okay, they were tempted. They were put to death with a sword. Haven’t seen that. They went about in sheepskins, in goat skins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated. And I love the parenthetical expression here. Men of whom the world was not worthy. And that’s who we are when we persevere in the midst of trial and challenges. When we hurt, when we’re pained, and we trust God anyway, we become men and women of whom the world is not worthy. Though we wander in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. Can you imagine? People of faith living like that.

Some did. And they gained approval through their trust. Be reminded as you trudge through the challenges of your exalted position. Can I take you quickly to 2 Timothy chapter 2? I was looking at this week, and something dawned on me about this text. This is the story of the Bible. In just a few verses. Mark this and look at it this week. 2 Timothy chapter 2, after he says, Remember Jesus Christ in verse 8. Look at this. He goes, For which I suffer hardship, even to imprisonment as a criminal. But the word of God is not imprisoned. There’s an interesting birth tense there. But I’m not going to take the time to explain fully, but what it’s saying is that the word of God has not been imprisoned here in the past, or here, or here, or here, implying it has never been in prison.

The word of God can all you can’t put a chain on it. And the word of God, molding our hearts and lives, there is no power on earth that can stop that. This is the story of the Bible. For this reason I endure all things. That sums up the lesson tonight. For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus, and with it eternal glory. It is a trustworthy statement. If we died with him, it’s trustworthy. It’s reliable. If we died with him, we shall live with him. If we endure, we shall reign with him. We deny him, he’ll also deny us. And he’s going to be faithful. You can count on that.

5. I Think Grace Is Going to Come to Me

Paul says, that’s the story of the Bible. Well, I don’t know. There’s this particular matter. I think grace is going to come to me. I think grace. God’s grace is amazing. We hear about that all the time. Perhaps, as someone told me even this week, it is more extensive than we think. Well, let me just caution you here. Whatever grace does for us, there’s still this. We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ to receive in our body the things that we are done. The things that we have done, whether they are good or bad. And I would just suggest don’t whittle too much on God’s end of the stick. We’re going to stand before God in judgment to receive the things done in our body.

Our behavior’s going to matter. Instead of focusing on what God might or might not do in regard to grace, but I want to suggest you it’s really not about grace anyway. Grace has already been extended to everyone through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Now, whether we embrace the provision of the grace is another story. But once we have, God has done the grace part already. Really, what we’re talking about is mercy. To whom will God dole out his mercy? And I want God to be merciful. He’s going to have to be merciful with any of us that he saves. Not that we’re continuing in sin. We can’t do that.

But none of us will have merited our salvation. 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 10 says, Be diligent to make your calling and election sure. That is, to demonstrate that you are indeed the chosen and called of God. You need to be diligent about that. I can’t be, I can’t be thinking all the time, well, perhaps God’s going to cover this mistake, and I don’t really have to repent, really. That’s a dangerous road. You don’t need to go down that road. What assurance do you have in Scripture about that? There’s this one little area in my life that I’m holding out on God. I’m not going to give effort to overcome it. And that’s what we do. This particular thing is hard for me. And perhaps God will just in his mercy cover this.

How much effort are you really giving to the defeat of that problem? Are you really being diligent to make your calling and election sure? Again, I don’t know exactly how this is going to pan out on the day of judgment. Paul prays for the household of Anesaphoris, or on a Siparis is better said, in 2 Timothy chapter 1, that mercy might be on him and his house. I like that. I don’t know to what extent God will dole out his mercy in the end, but that’s his business, and I know what he has instructed me to do. And not to lightwash my sin. Or to suggest that, well, God’s just going to have to fix that because I’m not going to. I know sometimes things are a struggle.

But we have promise of God’s assistance. I particularly like that top picture. Because that’s how you feel sometimes. Completely submerged and drowning.

And that’s where Peter was when he was walking on the water. Lord save. But we have help. If you’re struggling in obedience, may I may I suggest this? Talk to God about that struggle.

Talk to him about that struggle. And he will assist you. Your brethren can help you. Confess your faults one to another. And the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Let’s pray for one another that we might be healed, he says in James chapter 5 and verse 16. Be careful that we don’t give sufficient effort in the battle against temptation because we’re going to rely on God’s mercy. That’s God’s business. Our business is to trust. Our business is to walk in faith.

Conclusion

Ben Franklin once said, He that is good at making excuses is seldom good for anything else. And I know you’ve heard this one. Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure. And I bet you didn’t know that Stephen King weighed in on this. I guess we always find excuses to keep on with our bad habits. Don’t stop making excuses.

If you violate the will of God, yeah, you’re a victim. You’re a victim of the evil one. But the Lord has equipped us to overcome. And he has promised to help us to overcome. And by God’s help and his mercy, faith can prevail. This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. How strong, how vibrant is your trust. Is God really the rock of our hearts? And if he’s not been the rock of your heart.

In regard to what you will encounter in life, you need him to be the rock of your heart. You need him there to deal with your problem of sin if you’ve not done it. If there is sin on your account, you need the Lord’s forgiveness. And we want to assist you tonight to put him on, put the Lord on in baptism if you’re ready to do that. If you’re in this audience and you’ve wandered away, your trust has grown weak. Can we help you in some way? Strengthen your trust and confidence in the Lord and his will. Can we help you in some way to sin so?