River Church NOLA
Dec 17 Wed 6 Reasons to Obey God
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  • We often talk about following Christ and that if we do that it will change our lives.  You may not understand why it is good to follow Christ and his teachings, but today I want to give you some reasons to follow Jesus Christ.
    The love of God and His acceptance of us are based on grace.  It’s not based on our ability to impress God through our good deeds.  There is nothing that we can do to earn his acceptance.  Some people struggle with this… if God loves me unconditionally, why should I obey him?
    First let me give you,

    4 Not So Good Reasons to Obey God

    1. Some one might find out.

    A lot of people try not to sin because they are afraid, they might get caught and they will look bad.  Most of us want people to think nice things about us, so we are afraid of getting caught.
    There are two problems with this.
    1. The motivation for not sinning can be taken away.  (on a business trip, no one is watching)
    2. Once you sin and people find out about it, there is no motivation to obey.
    ILL Barbara was married but wanted to date a man at work.  She didn't because of what others would think.  When Barbara went on a business trip with the man she wanted to date; she had an affair with him because no one was there to catch them.  They had no motivation to be good – their reason to NOT SIN was not present.
    APP.  If the only reason we are not doing something, or doing something is to keep someone from finding out, we will fall. 

    2. God will be angry with me.

    Some people obey God because they are afraid that God will be angry with them if they don't obey.  Fear will only keep us straight so long.  We do need to respect God, and if we die without Christ, then it is time to fear him because he will judge and punish us.
    Ill   Hank was afraid that God would zap him if he did anything wrong, so he performed for God.  He lived each day in fear of God's anger.  His relationship with God was cold and mechanical.
    APP.   God doesn't want us to live in fear of his anger, but in response to his love. 

    3. I have to earn God’s Love

    Some people obey God in order to live up to certain standards they have set for themselves.  Sadly, they are not yielding themselves to a loving God, but are only trying to meet their standards.  When they fail, they feel ashamed.  They are primarily concerned with do's and don'ts. 
    Instead of intimacy with God, they practice a ritual.  Sometimes they become prideful.
    ILL  Bill never cussed.  He had been taught not to cuss, so he did not.  He also thought that he was better than his friends because he did not cuss.  Philip never acted based on what God wanted or because of God's love for him; he acted because he was determined to live up to his standards.

    4. I’ll obey to be blessed.

    When we obey to be blessed, this is an attempt to manipulate God.  The assumption is that "I’ve been good enough, bless me."  (me being angry at God when life did not go my way… )
    We see ourselves as someone who deserves God's blessings.  He is the awesome, mighty creator; we are sinful people deserving eternal condemnation.
    God is not a bank that pays interest.  He is the living God – not a formula.
    Someone may find out, God will be angry with me, I couldn't approve of myself if I didn't, I'll obey to be blessed.  These are all not so good reasons to obey God

    6 Good Reasons to Obey God

    1. We should obey God because of Christ’s love.

    Understanding God's love makes us want to act in obedience because love motivates us to please the one who has so freely loved us.  When we experience love, we usually respond by seeking to express our love in return.  (a couple in love)  God has very clearly demonstrated his love for us.
    John 3:16 GNB
    16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.
    John 17:23–24 NLT
    23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. 24 Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!
    Romans 5:6–8 NLT
    6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
    Ephesians 2:4–9 NLT
    4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

    God has demonstrated His love for us, so how should we respond to His love? By obeying Him.

    Obeying God is the way we show that we love him.  Paul stated that Christ's love compels him to obey Christ.
    John 14:15 NLT
    15 “If you love me, obey my commandments.
    John 14:21 NLT
    21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
    2 Corinthians 5:14–15 NLT
    14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

    We love him because he loved us first and clearly demonstrated it on the cross.  

    1 John 4:16–19 NLT
    16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. 18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other because he loved us first.
    Many people miss this motivating factor because they don't believe that God loves them unconditionally.  They are still trying to earn his love.  Nothing we can do will earn his love.  Our best is like filthy rags to him.

    This is important because our image of God is the foundation for all of our motivations. 

    If we see him as a policeman, waiting to catch us doing something wrong, we will continually obey him out of fear.  As we grow in our understanding of His unconditional love and acceptance, we will be better able to grasp that His discipline is prompted by care, not cruelty. 

    2. We should obey God because sin is destructive.

    Sin is destructive to us and to those around us.
    Look at Jonah… He disobeyed God and ran.
    His sin
    endangered the lives of those around him.
    Resulted in the loss of property.
    Cause Jonah to be unsympathetic to others.
    Caused a loss of personal testimony.
    Involved others in his sin
    Isolated him and others from God.
    Kid doing a drug deal in his room wiht his mom and sister at home. It went bad and guns were drawn with his mom and sister in the next room.
    Man trying to kill his son… killed his wife.

    Satan has blinded us to the painful consequences of sin.

    In the Garden, he contradicted God when he told Eve "You surely shall not die." He lied.   The effects of sin are all around us, but we continue to:  be self centered & seek status and pleasure.

    Sin always has a negative result.

    As we become more aware of the harmful effects of sin, we will choose to obey him more.  Some of the effects are:
    Emotionally, sin causes us to experience the pain of guilt and shame; and the fear of failure and punishment. 
    Mentally, sin causes us to experience the anguish of flashbacks - continuing to relive our sin. 
    Physically, sin may cause us to suffer from illness or to be abused.  It could result in the loss of property, or even the loss of life.
    Relationally, sin can alienate us from others. 
    Spiritually, sin causes us to make the Holy Spirit sad, to lose our testimony, and to break fellowship with God.
    APP      We need to ask God to help us become more sensitive to the fact that sin always has a serious negative result.

    3. We should obey God because of His Discipline.

    Hebrews 12:5–11 NLT
    5 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. 6 For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” 7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? 10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

    The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. 

    Conviction is a form of discipline and serves as proof that we are sons of God.  He warns us that we are making choices without regard either to God's truth or sin's consequences.  If we don't respond to God, He will discipline us in love.
    Discipline is sent for correction, not condemnation or blaming.  Satan condemns.
    1 Corinthians 11:32 NLT
    32 Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.
    ILL   All of us have heard that small voice in the back of our heads telling us not to do something before we did it.  But we went on and did it and got in trouble – now you are being condemned by the world.  God speaks to us to keep us from getting in trouble.

    Jesus bore on the cross all of the punishment we deserved, therefore, we no longer need to fear punishment from God for our sins. 

    We can seek to do what is right so that our Father will not have to correct us through discipline.  His discipline is always done in love and results in right behavior, which reflects Christ's righteousness.

    4. We should obey God because His commands are good.

    God's commands are holy, good, righteous, and not burdensome.

    Romans 7:12 NLT
    12 But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.
    1 John 5:3 NLT
    3 Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.

    God gives his commands to us for two good reasons:  to protect us from sin's destructiveness, and to direct (provide) us in a life of joy and fruitfulness. 

    His commands are guidelines given to us so that we can live life to it's fullest.  Obeying his commands are not a means to gain his approval.

    Because His commands are good, we are blessed when we obey them.

    Deuteronomy 5:29 NLT
    29 Oh, that they would always have hearts like this, that they might fear me and obey all my commands! If they did, they and their descendants would prosper forever.
    Deuteronomy 6:24 NLT
    24 And the Lord our God commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear him so he can continue to bless us and preserve our lives, as he has done to this day.
    Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
    11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
    Since his commands are good and have value in themselves, we can choose to obey them.  But unfortunately, most of us have a negative attitude about God's commands.  If we believe that our worth is based on our performance, then every command is just one more thing we have to do to gain God's acceptance.  But, if we are secure in Christ, then we will view his commands as helpful guidelines to live by. 

    God's commands are valuable simply because they originate from a loving Father. 

    They are guidelines, given to help us enjoy all he has provided.  They are good, and they are for our good; therefore they are worth obeying.
    APP We need to recognize that God's commands are good for us and choose to obey them so that we can live life to it's fullest.

    5. We should obey God because He will reward us.

    God will reward us in heaven according to the deeds we do here. 
    God will evaluate our performance and will reward us for our service.  He will reward us for the deeds that reflect a desire to honor Christ. 
    2 Corinthians 5:10 NLT
    10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.
    Everything we do in this life, will be refined like metal is refined by fire and the not so good deeds will be burned away.
    1 Corinthians 3:11–15 NLT
    11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. 12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.

    Through Christ's payment for our sins on the cross, we have escaped eternal judgment; however our actions will be judged when we appear before Christ at the judgment seat. 

    There, God will evaluate our performance and reward us for deeds that reflect a desire to honor Christ.  However, He will reject deeds done to gain God's acceptance or others approval, or to meet our own standards. 

    The judgment seat of Christ is to reward good deeds, not for the punishment of sin.

    6. We should obey God because Jesus is worth obeying.

    Our most noble motivation for serving Christ simply is that he is worthy of our love and obedience.  Nothing else compares to him. Look at these verses.
    Psalm 73:25–28 NLT
    25 Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. 26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. 27 Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you. 28 But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.
    All of these are good reasons to obey Christ.  Simple and pure devotion to Christ is our highest and best motivation for obeying him.
    Conclusion
    Choose to obey God because of His love; because sin is destructive; because of the Father’s discipline; because God’s commands are good; to earn eternal rewards; but most of all because our God is worthy to be obeyed.

      • John 3:16NIV2011

      • John 17:23–24NIV2011

      • Romans 5:6–8NIV2011

      • Ephesians 2:4–9ESV

      • John 14:15NIV2011

      • John 14:21NIV2011

      • 2 Corinthians 5:14–15NIV2011

      • 1 John 4:16–19ESV

      • Hebrews 12:5–11ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 11:32NIV2011

      • Romans 7:12NIV2011

      • 1 John 5:3NIV2011

      • Deuteronomy 5:29NIV2011

      • Deuteronomy 6:24NIV2011

      • Jeremiah 29:11NIV2011

      • 2 Corinthians 5:10NIV2011

      • 1 Corinthians 3:11–15ESV

      • Psalm 73:25–28ESV

River Church NOLA
robert@riverchurchnola.com
504-578-8317
https://riverchurchnola.com
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