Disobeying the Clear Will of God - I Kings 12-13 and Luke 22:1-20
Everyday we all have to make decisions about what we will do and what we won't do. That is life. How often do we do what we want to do or what we think is right, instead of doing the clear will of God? I am afraid that we disobey God much more than we would like to think. Consider Rehoboam's decree when he became king. He asked the elders and the young men for advice, but he did not ask God what to say. He answered according to the young men, but that was really what he wanted to say to promote himself as king. How different it would have been if he had answered in God's way! The same is extremely true of Jeroboam. The first thing he did when he became king was to break the first two of the ten commandments. He could not have gone against God's clear will any more blatantly than making those two idols for the people to worship. Then, he continued to break God's law by ordaining priests from other tribes besides Levi. When God sent a man of God to call him to repent and gave him a clear sign, he did not repent. Therefore, God had to take the kingdom from him. Even the man of God, himself, disobeyed God's clear will and died. Yes, the old prophet lied to him about the angel, but that does not matter as far as the man of God's disobedience. We are accountable for following what God has told us. We can't blame our disobedience on others. Therefore, I ask all of us a question this morning. How many of us are disobeying the clear will of God? How many of us know to pray, to read God's Word, to witness, and to love others, but we are not? I would submit that this is the source of our pain. God is inflicting us with discomfort to show us our disobedience. Often, He could do much more, but He is merciful. I am convinced that we need to repent and start obeying what we know to be the clear will of God, or we are in danger of His judgment.
Look at Judas in Luke 22. What did he do? He betrayed Jesus. What evidence had he seen to prove Jesus was the Lord and he should obey Him? He had seen three years of miracles, and He had heard three years of God's Word. However, he still disobeyed Jesus for money and for personal reasons. What a tragedy! What if the disciples had the same mindset when Jesus told them to go set up the Passover? What if they had just picked any room? Jesus would not have been pleased. He gave them specific instructions, and He expected them to follow them. When they did things worked well. Even Jesus Himself followed the clear will of the Father to go to the Cross for us. What if He had decided to do it another way? It would have been a disaster. That is why so many people have lives that are disasters. They know the clear will of God, but they are disobeying it. God can't bless us in our disobedience. I know that no one is perfect. I am not talking about that. I am talking about the basics, the clear commands of God. When we disobey those things, we should not be surprised when things don't go well for us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Kings 14-15 and Luke 22:21-46.
Look at Judas in Luke 22. What did he do? He betrayed Jesus. What evidence had he seen to prove Jesus was the Lord and he should obey Him? He had seen three years of miracles, and He had heard three years of God's Word. However, he still disobeyed Jesus for money and for personal reasons. What a tragedy! What if the disciples had the same mindset when Jesus told them to go set up the Passover? What if they had just picked any room? Jesus would not have been pleased. He gave them specific instructions, and He expected them to follow them. When they did things worked well. Even Jesus Himself followed the clear will of the Father to go to the Cross for us. What if He had decided to do it another way? It would have been a disaster. That is why so many people have lives that are disasters. They know the clear will of God, but they are disobeying it. God can't bless us in our disobedience. I know that no one is perfect. I am not talking about that. I am talking about the basics, the clear commands of God. When we disobey those things, we should not be surprised when things don't go well for us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Kings 14-15 and Luke 22:21-46.