Title: Faith in Obedience
Contents
faith in obedience
(July 2009.08.02.) (1 Samuel 15:22~24) (Hymns 549 - My Lord, As You Will)
God's thoughts are always beautiful, and God's commands are always just.
And man is a creature of God.
People who are God's creatures should enjoy and obey God's will.
From the time God created man - I sometimes think that it would be great if man had been made to obey God's will unconditionally.
*If Eve and Adam were about to eat the forbidden fruit - how would it have been if God had prevented them from opening their mouths? Think about it.
However, God did not make humans into mindless robot humans who obeyed unconditionally.
*To be able to obey or to disobey - He gave man a free choice.
From the beginning, He clearly taught the conditions that if you obey you will be blessed and if you disobey you will be punished.
Dear saints worshiping here today - I pray that you will be blessed by obeying God well.
1. A person who lives according to his own thoughts.
If you obey God well, you will be blessed. Unfortunately, there are too many people who live according to their own thoughts rather than obey God.
King Saul, the first king of Israel, was also a man who lived according to his own thoughts rather than obeying God's will.
In the war with Amalek, whom God hates, God commanded to destroy all of Amalek without leaving any. - But Saul - turned away from God's Word and did what he thought.
(15:9) - "Saul and the people left Agag and his sheep and cattle, the best, the fat and the lamb, and all that is good, and did not like to destroy them, but destroyed all that were worthless and insignificant."
*God's command was to kill everyone. *My idea was to keep the good things.
When God's command and his thoughts are different - Saul forsook God's command and did what he thought.
What is the result?
(15:23) - “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as the sin of worshiping idols. For you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king.”
*Disobeying the Word of God is a sin like divination and idolatry.
* Those who forsake the Word of God will be rejected by God.
Let go of the foolishness of living according to your own thoughts - please obey God with joy.
2. People who follow public opinion.
King Saul, who disobeyed the word of God with his own thoughts ahead of him, makes excuses after being rebuked by the prophet.
(15:21) - "But the people said, 'They have brought up sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God from Gilgal, the best of all they ought to destroy.'"
(15:24) - "Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned. I have disobeyed the commandments of the LORD and your words, because I was afraid of the people and obeyed them."
*I am not alone in breaking God's command. *The people also have different ideas from God's commands. *If you ignore the public opinion, it is difficult to govern the people - so I followed the people's opinion - and make excuses. - Are public opinion more important than the Word of God? Are public opinion more important than God?
*The first high priest, Aarondo - He was rebuked by God for making idols according to the public opinion.
*Pilate killed Jesus because of the public opinion - Could an excuse that it was because of public opinion be justified?
Don't be a follower just because everyone else is like that - I want you to become believers who only follow God.
(Joshua 24:15) - “If it does not seem good to you to serve the Lord, choose today whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the river or the gods of the Amorites in the land where you live. The house will serve the Lord.” - We must imitate Joshua's strong faith.
“Even if all the people forsake God I and my family will only serve God” The people who heard this promised to follow and serve only God.
Do not be afraid of public opinion, do not be swayed by the majority - I hope you will become obedient believers who only follow God
3. One who obeys his conscience.
Some people are quite conscientious. Of course, it is better to be conscientious than unscrupulous. - But conscience is not always right. - Conscience is really only one's own thoughts.
Judas Iscariot sold Jesus. After I sold Jesus, I felt remorse. So while I was tormented by the fact that I had sinned - I couldn't resist the rebuke of my conscience and committed suicide.
Judas was conscientious - but his conscience was not at all in line with God's will. - Judas was a conscientious man, but he was not without sin - he just died a sinner.
4. A believer who obeys God.
* A person who lives according to his or her own thoughts is called stubborn. *People who live according to public opinion are called indecisive
* A person who lives according to his conscience is said to be conscientious.
But the stubborn person, the indecisive person, the conscientious person - likewise, has nothing to do with faith.
If you are a true believer - you must learn to obey God's will rather than your own thoughts, God's will rather than people's opinion, and God's will rather than your own conscience.
(15:22) - "Samuel said to him, "Does the LORD take pleasure in burnt offerings and other sacrifices, as he loves obedience to his voice? Obedience is better than sacrifice, and hearing is better than the fat of rams." - Remember these words of the prophet Samuel You should.
*Obedience takes precedence over sacrifices, and obedience is more precious than sacrifices.
King Saul put his thoughts ahead of the Word of God. They valued people's opinion more than the Word of God. As a result, we naturally drifted away from God's will.
* Because he lived according to his own thoughts and the opinions of the people - because he was King Saul who abandoned the Word of God - God also forsaken him.
*Look at Abraham - In his opinion, the son was the most precious - but God's commands were more precious than the son, so even the son was recognized by God and received great blessings through obedience to God.
*Look at Noah - Judging from the public opinion at the time - although there would have been no need for such a large ship on dry land - He was saved by building an ark in obedience to God's word more than any other opinion.
*Look at Jesus - He had to give up his life to follow God's Word - He took up the cross and obeyed even to death to save the world.
Dear brothers and sisters, what do you think is important? What do you buy after?
* You must not become a sinner who disobeys God because of your own stubbornness.
* We must not become indecisive people who cannot follow God due to their weakness and staggering according to public opinion.
* Knowing that your conscience is a great thing, you must not go against the will of God by raising your conscience.
* I hope that you will become obedient believers like Joshua who confessed that he would only follow the will of the Lord no matter what anyone says.
“Do your will, my lord. I give my whole body and soul to you. Be the Lord of all things in this world, take care of me, and let me do as you will.” - I pray that you will be blessed with great blessings by entrusting yourself to God and obeying God completely.