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Reckless obedience
The new driving and cell phone law in Washington
- Distracted driving law
- On the road, off the phone
- $136 per fine/ next violation within 5 yrs $234
- No use of cell phone at stop sign or traffic light
- Minimal use of finger
Which category do you fall in?
- I hate to get a ticket
- This is amazing, this is going to save lives and I want to be part of it?
Obedience expectation is to comply and when we do what we are asked to do, we are seen to have been obedient. However, the way we get to be obedient calls for a heart check.
As a Christian, we know that when God asks you to do something, most of the time, He is looking to change your heart, attitude, perspective in the journey to be obedient
And yes, the final result is important, the journey matters more because it here that we grow.
Last time I taught, I spoke about the Reckless Perfect Love of God, how God’s love is so huge and we can’t fully understand it and His way of showing us was giving up His only Son to save the same people that were crucifying Him. This is a perfect Reckless love
And all that He is asking us is that we can fully submit ourselves to Him so that He can guide us to the path that he has created for us.
Today we are going to talk about Reckless Obedience, Obedience outside reason, that you obey immediately regardless of the consequences because we understand Who is asking.
And we get moved by the same love that He has for us that we obey His requests.
John 15: 14 – You are my friends if you do what I command
John 14:15 – If you love me, keep my commands
Luke 11: 26 – Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obeys it
Jeremiah 7:23 “But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.’
2 Corinthians 10:5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, – Not what Christ is asking, but to Christ Himself)
Isaiah 1:19 “If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land
There are three ways that obedience can come along:
When you know of the great outcome
When you don’t know the outcome
When you know the outcome is going to hurt
- When you know of the great outcome
- A simple example is when I ask my girls to go and get me a knife so that I can cut the cake – and ofcoz, share it with them
- This kind of obedience is the favorite, I do this, I get this. And most of us are comfortable with doing this.
- It does require trust and my kids experience with me sharing will dictate their level of obedience.
- Judges 6: Israel is oppressed by Midian, and they cry out to God and an angel appears to Gideon,
- 11 Then the angel of the Lordcame and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. 12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”
13 “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”
14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”
15 “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”
16 The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.
- He does ask for some signs and God confirms that He is the one that is indeed sending him.
- Was Gideon’s test out of disobedient or was He asking to make sure that it was indeed God?
- How are we looking at our situations, are we looking at WHO is for us or are we looking at the situations?
- When is the last time that you were guaranteed victory, and all you needed to do was do it?
- Or if you were unsure , in a spirit of obedience, did you ask God to confirm or did you just abandon the call. He is a Good daddy, you know!
- When you don’t know the outcome
- Qmissions, the journey to Kenya
- God was calling Aaron to Kenya – unsure why
- He is obedient, He goes there and even when he is there, he doesn’t really know why/how
- God works miracles after miracles, He even send us to an old lady who confirms that, she had been shown this visit- Look out for the video’s and blogs
- What happens when we get outside our comfort and let God use us to do what He does
- Some of us are stopping even before God reveals break throughs, break chains, cure addictions- heal the sick because we are so scared of the unknow that we choose to rebel against the will of God
Elijah finds Elisha
1 King 19: 19-21 – 19 So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field. There were twelve teams of oxen in the field, and Elisha was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away. 20 Elisha left the oxen standing there, ran after Elijah, and said to him, “First let me go and kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you!”
Elijah replied, “Go on back, but think about what I have done to you.”
21 So Elisha returned to his oxen and slaughtered them. He used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the townspeople, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant
- Elijah goes to Elisha and asks him to follow him, He burns the plough and slaughters the animals – and he ventures to the unknown. Look at the works he did thereafter.
- What unknown places is God calling you to go? And why are you still standing there – Go!!!
- When you know the outcome is going to hurt
- Are you going to be obedient if you know that it’s going to hurt? That Its going to cost you relationship, your status, your position, your finances, your family?
- When God call you and you know that you will pay a price, what are you going to do?
- Take the case of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
Daniel 3: 1 – King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide[a] and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.2 ……
He orders that when the music instruments are played, everyone should bow down to the statue
. …………8 But some of the astrologers[e] went to the king and informed on the Jews.9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Long live the king!10 You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments.11 That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace.12 But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.”
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in,14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up?15 I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments.[f] But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”
What is your obedience of lack of it fueled by? Is it by reward, fear or pain? Or do you count the perfect reckless love that God has shown and now we choose to love Him in return?
What if you are like Abraham and you have all those feeling coming to you at the same time.
Genesis 15:5 – 5 Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!
The promise takes forever to come- when all hope seems to be gone, the promise is fulfilled at age 100
Genesis 21:5 – Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.
Then God asks him to sacrifice him:
Genesis 22: 1-4 Sometime later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called.
“Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”
2 “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”
3 The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.
- How do these people move to obedience, Their focus is not on what has been asked of them ITS WHO IS ASKING!!!
- You will be asked many things, some which make total sense and brings instant gratification for you and the recipient, you will be dancing as you do it.
- Other time, you will be so scared of the unknown , because it will seam like you don’t know what He is asking you
- Other time, it will require sacrifice -it will cost you,
- The requirements are going to change, and they will come in all shapes and sizes. But this evening I want to show you a better option, don’t focus on the ask, focus of WHO is asking-
Deuteronomy 31:8 -m 8 Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
- This verse right here- was Alissa verse – lying in the hospital 2lb 7ounces