Charles Stanley - What Does Obedience Require? (06/05/2017)
Dr. Stanley shares that obeying God simply means doing what He commands, exactly how and when He says it—no alterations allowed, since His timing is flawless. Using Psalm 103:19 and other verses, he outlines what's needed: acknowledge His sovereignty, have faith, show courage, wait patiently, meditate on Scripture, listen closely, reject sin, and step forward even when unclear. Ultimately, obedience unlocks God's best plan for us, beginning with accepting Christ as Savior.
Understanding True Obedience to God
If someone should ask you, what does it mean to obey God? Here's a simple answer. It means doing what God says do, how He says do it, and when He says do it. You can't alter any of those because God has timing. He doesn't say, "Well, why don't you think about thus and so"? He speaks to us very clearly. And oftentimes we don't listen, then we wonder why things don't go out the way we expect them to. But think about it. To obey God means to do what He says do, how He says do it, and when He says do it. We're living in a very rebellious age. And we'd like to maybe define obedience some of the way, but that's what obedience really means. And when it comes to our Christian life, God intends, expects, and has provided a way for you and me to live an obedient life.
And so, I think about how many Christians look at the Bible, and they'll say, "Well, I can't live that way". Not in your own strength. You certainly cannot. Would God require of us something He would not enable us to do? He would never. That's not who God is. God is this awesome, loving God who wants us to understand that obedience is always the best way. It isn't always easy. And so, what I want to do in this message, I want us to talk about what is required of us to be obedient to God. That doesn't mean that every single thing that I'm going to say is required every time you obey God. But when we put it all together, obedience to God is extremely important. It is essential to doing the will of God, living in the will of God, and being blessed by God.
Recognizing God's Sovereignty as the Foundation
So, we need to understand what is required of us. And one of the first things that's required of us is this. And that is that we recognize that God is the sovereign ruler of this universe. And He says in Psalm 103:19, "The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all." There is a ruling power in this world. It doesn't look like, oftentimes, that God is in control, but He is. He overrules many times, and then He allows us the freedom to make choices that we choose to make that will bring us heartache, suffering, and oftentimes disaster. Not only personally, but to a whole nation. But remember, He's the sovereign of this universe. And He rules over all. So, that's the beginning. If I don't believe that, then where is obedience?
And to whom am I supposed to submit myself? What's obedience like? Here's the bottom line: Almighty God is the sovereign ruler of this universe. He is the final and absolute authority. The Bible is God's handbook for living. How do we live obediently toward a holy God? So, it begins with acknowledging who He is, and that He has the right to rule and to reign since He is the Creator.
The Essential Role of Faith in Obedience
The second thing that is required of us, and that is faith. I must be willing to believe what He says. The Scripture says, "Without faith it's impossible to please Him. For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those that seek Him." For example, if I don't have any faith in God, then I'm certainly not going to obey Him.
And one of the primary reasons that many people do not obey God is they do not believe He exists, or they do not believe He's a God of love, or they do not believe that God is a God who punishes wickedness and sinfulness and rebellion. So, unbelief is an enemy of our obedience. If I don't believe it, I don't see why it's necessary, then I'm not going to live an obedient life. And living a disobedient life is to live a life that has consequences that are terrible. And we look around us and we wonder why all the suffering, all the hurt, wars, and rebellions, and this, that, and the other, because of disobedience. That's not who God is. God is a God of awesome love. He has chosen the best for all of us. He wants the best for us.
But if we rebel against Him, then there are consequences to rebellion. So, do I believe Him? Somebody says, "Oh, yeah, I believe what God says." Then why don't you obey Him? If I really believe Him, I will obey Him. If I don't believe Him, I will sort of rationalize and disobey Him and say, "Well, you can't be perfect, and nobody's perfect, and God doesn't expect this, that, and the other." He does expect us to obey Him. He's the sovereign of the universe. He has the best possible plan for our life. And He expects, anticipates, knows, and is willing to enable us to live out that plan if we're willing to be obedient to Him.
Building Courage to Follow God's Commands
There is a third requirement if I'm going to obey God, and that is courage. It's not always easy to be obedient to God. And I think about in Joshua 1:9, God began to speak to him and told him that He wanted him to be the one who led the people of Israel to the Promised Land. And He gave him some instruction, and then He gave him this ninth verse of the first chapter in Joshua. And He said to him, "Have I not commanded you... Listen to this. Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not tremble or be dismayed. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Be strong and courageous."
Why did He tell Joshua that? Because he knew that Joshua was going to face all kinds of difficulties. That bunch of Israelites were rebellious. They'd given Moses a terrible time. And now Joshua knows all about that because he'd been with Moses through those difficult times. And now God is saying to him, "You're in charge." In other words, "I'm taking Moses home. You're in charge." Nobody in his right mind would have wanted that job. And so, he said to him, "Here's what I'm telling you, be strong and very courageous." And so, it takes courage to be obedient to God.
And if you live an obedient life, you're going to face circumstances that are going to be difficult. People won't like you. They will shun you. You'll miss this opportunity. You may lose that job. All kinds of things can happen in a society as rebellious as ours. And yet, we have to be courageous and bold and be obedient to God. And obedience requires courage.
The Importance of Waiting on God's Timing
There's a fourth thing that is required, and that is to wait upon the Lord. He says, for example, in Psalm 27:14, "Wait for the Lord. Be strong and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the Lord." Now, why does He say wait for Him? Because oftentimes, you and I are in the process of making decisions. And sometimes, it looks like this is the thing to do, or that's the thing to do. And this person says, "Now's the time." Well, you don't want to wait too long.
And oftentimes, somebody will say, "Well, you are thirty-five years old, and you're not married?" As if that's a sin. Let me tell you something. If God has somebody for you to marry, God knows where they are. And He's keeping them for you. So, you don't have to worry about that. We get this time business all messed up. God's timing is always perfect. Think about this. Go back to the first point. He's the sovereign ruler of the universe.
You can look at the clock and get upset. Look at the calendar and really get upset. You can read the Word of God and settle down. Listen to what He says. And He says this in Isaiah 64:4, "God acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him." And oftentimes, people make financial decisions ahead of time, and they get themselves in trouble. They make decisions about relationships ahead of time, and they lose out on God's plan. And listen carefully. You can get ahead of God and make decisions in your life that cause you to suffer the rest of your life.
He's the sovereign of the universe. He knows all about the clock and the calendar. He knows how many years you have left. He knows what He wants to accomplish in your life. Waiting upon God doesn't mean just sitting around doing nothing. It means being sensitive, and before you make decisions, you're checking with Him. You're asking for direction.
Why Timing Matters in Obeying God
You say, "Well, now, I don't know that I can always hear God. I'm coming to that." But one thing for certain. Watch this. You have to believe or not believe that Almighty God, who's the sovereign of the universe, has the best plan possible for your life. Best plan possible. You don't believe that? Then you'll make decisions. You'll step ahead. And I can give you personal illustrations about every single one of these. Times that I've been threatened to move ahead, and if I'd have gone by my feelings, I would've missed the best. I would've chosen less. That's why timing with God is very, very important.
And so, we have to learn to listen to Him, and if we don't listen to Him, we lose out.
Meditating on Scripture for Obedient Living
Then, of course, another responsibility is meditating upon God's Word. And so, he says to Joshua, for example, in that first chapter in verse eight, he said to him, speaking when he said this law, he's talking about Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. He said, "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. Then you'll make your way prosperous. Then you'll have success."
Somebody says, what does it mean to meditate upon God's Word? It means to mull it over in your mind, to think about it, to go back to it, to reflect on it, to pay attention to it, to dwell on it. And let me just say this, if you do not meditate upon God's Word, you don't read His Word, you will not live an obedient life. You will not.
Look at all the things around you that remind you of things of disobedience. And all the stuff that you hear and things that you see, not necessarily that you're looking or listening to them, but they're thrown at you. If we're going to be obedient to God, this book has to be our textbook. Listen, it's a textbook of life. Herein is where we find a sense of direction, the promise of God. And reminded also, oftentimes, that He is watching over us, providing for us, giving us direction in life.
And so, when I look at that verse of Scripture, and He says, "I'm to meditate upon it." That means, I'm to spend time in the Word of God. Somebody says, "Well, you know, I just don't have time to read the Word of God." You don't. Yes, you do. You spend time doing the things you want to do, or sometimes things that are placed upon you to do, responsibilities and so forth, but all of us have time to meditate upon the Word of God, to read it, to think about it, to consider it, to apply it to our life. Listen, this isn't just a law book, this is a life book. And so, He said to him, "You're to meditate upon this Word day and night."
Learning to Truly Listen to God's Voice
Another requirement is learning to listen to God. Somebody says, "Well, how do you listen to God?" Listen carefully. God is committed to speaking to you if you are willing to listen. And Jesus in that fourth chapter of Mark, "Take care," listen, He says, "Take care what you listen to."
So, who do you listen to? In a given week, who do you listen to? Your lost friends, your Christian friends? Do you listen to people whose conversation is a help or brings temptation and trial? People who think you ought to do this and do that? Listen, everybody has an opinion about your life, right? You ask anybody, "What do you think I ought to do about so-and-so?" They give you an opinion. What you want, you want it straight from God, whose opinion is not an opinion, but a statement of the truth of what He's planned for your life, and it's always best.
It is foolish to disobey God and not wait for His direction and His guidance in learning to listen to Him. Somebody says, "Well, I don't know what it means to listen. I can tell you this. If you do not know how to listen to God, you will go through life missing, not something but much. Missing God's best until you learn to be quiet and sit and listen and ask the Holy Spirit." That's one of the reasons the Holy Spirit came. He came to give us instruction and direction and empowerment for our life.
And so, if I'm willing to wait for Him to give me instruction, He's going to speak to you. And there are a few people I've met who've said, "For the first time in my life, I knew that God had spoken to me." And I wonder, whoever you may be listening or watching, you'd have to say, "Well, I don't think God's ever spoken to me. Let me just say this. Yes, He has." You may not have been listening, but God has spoken. He desires the best for you.
And one of the reasons He wants you to meditate upon His words is to get your heart thinking the way He thinks, and your mind to think in the way He thinks, that an awesome God of everlasting, eternal, endless, matchless, immeasurable love wants to guide you and give you direction for your life. And so, you now have to learn to listen. He loves you and wants the best for you.
Forsaking Sin to Walk in Obedience
Then, of course, if I'm going to obey Him, I must be willing to forsake any and all sin. Now, I'll just give you a passage of Scripture, a quick passage here in Ephesians chapter 4. And listen to what the Apostle Paul says here. And I'll just start with one verse. Therefore, Ephesians 4:25, "Therefore lay aside falsehood, speak truth each one to one another. Be angry and sin not. Don't let the sun get on your anger. Do not give the devil an opportunity. He who steals should steal no more. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away. Be kind."
In other words, we can just go on and on. I don't have to tell you what sin is. But if we're going to listen to God and we're going to obey Him, we have to deal with sin. And in other words, no one needs to tell us if we're sinning against God. The Spirit of God within us as believers will convict us of that sin.
You say, "Well, am I supposed to be perfect?" None of us will be perfect as long as we're in this flesh. So, what's the response? If I disobey God, whatever it may be, whatever form, we ask God to forgive us right then, repent of it, and move on. We don't linger. We don't listen to what they think and he thinks and she thinks and what everybody else is doing. We deal with it immediately. God forgives us immediately, and we should learn something. If something keeps cropping up, I deal with it until it does not crop up again.
And oftentimes when people get saved, they get saved out of terrible messes. And so, they have a problem. But if you're willing to ask God to forgive you and to cleanse you, He will.
Stepping Out in Faith When the Path Is Unclear
One last thing I would mention here. And that is, sometimes to obey Him means to walk where it's unclear. He may tell you to do something, and you say, "Well, Lord, I don't quite understand it." So, let me give you a passage in the twelfth chapter of Genesis. You remember when God reached down and spoke to Abraham. He said, "Abraham, here's what I want you to do. I want you to go," listen to this, "I want you to go into this land that I will show you." Period. He didn't say, "Here's where it is. Here's how long it'll take you." In other words, Abraham didn't know where he was going. He just said, "I'll guide you each step of the way."
Sometimes, that's the way God works in our life. I want you to follow Me. I'll show you what to do, where to go, how to go. And sometimes, we just have to take it a step at a time. And God doesn't promise to show us the whole picture of our life. He promises to give us guidance and direction for our life. And as He said to him, "I will show you." A step at a time.
And oftentimes, if you take that little step, the next one's a larger step and a larger step, or a step in this direction leads to where you would never dream you would end up being. God is an awesome God. He's a good God. He's a loving God who has the best for us.
The Starting Point: Salvation and Surrender
And let me tell you how it starts. It begins with making this decision of recognizing your rebellious heart. Recognizing that you're living in sin. Recognizing that you've ignored Him so much of your life. Asking Him to forgive you of your sins. If we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Receiving by faith the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, which means that when He died on the cross and shed His blood, that atoned paid our sin debt in full. And therefore, when you ask Him to save you, He's willing to do so. He says, "If we confess with our mouth, Jesus is Lord." He will forgive us of our sins. Write our name in the Lamb's Book of Life. It'll never be erased. We will forever be a child of God. The Spirit, the Holy Spirit will inhabit us, seal us as a child of God, and walk with us day by day through the end of our life all over to Heaven. That's the promise of God.
If you're willing to make that first step of obedience by confessing your sin and receiving Christ as your Savior. That's what life is all about.
And Father, we thank You that You've really made it simple for us. What an awesome God You are that You've made such promises. I pray that every person who hears this message will take it very, very, very seriously. For it has eternal consequences. And we thank You for loving us, and that that love never ends. In Jesus' name. Amen.