'SHIP 004

'SHIP 004

Obedience.  Where do I start?
How about here?

Psalm 51:17 ESV
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. "broken"  Heb. "sabar" = crushed, maimed, crippled, crushed, burst
"contrite"  Heb. "daka" = crushed, broken, sore
"despise"  Heb. "baza" = hold in contempt or worthless

Luke 18:9-14 ESV
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: [10] "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. [11] The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. [12] I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' [13] But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' [14] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

Any quesitons?

Luke 7:2-4, 6-10 ESV
Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. [3] When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. [4] And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, "He is worthy to have you do this for him, [6] And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. [7] Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. [8] For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." [9] When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." [10] And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.

Does that help?

We see here the clear distinction between lukewarm and not.  We see here brokenness and contritenss and pride.

Revelation 3:17 ESV
For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

"not realizing"  Greek:  Not seeing, not knowing.  In the perfect tense indicating completed action/results.  Unable to know/see/understand, hence they are "blind."

What a condition for a believer to be in and how common.  I've known myself to be thus and find it very hard work to not fall into it again and again.  There is a difference between being "comforted" and being "comfortable."  It is in distress we are comforted.  Comfortable tends to lead us in to lukewarmness.

Consider:
Proverbs 30:7-9 ESV
Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: [8] Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, [9] lest I be full and deny you and say, "Who is the LORD?"or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

So, obedience?  Yes.  We can begin our obedience by examining our hearts through the Word and prayer.


Luke 12:34 ESV
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

John 7:38 ESV
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'"

Romans 6:17 ESV
But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,

Colossians 3:12-17 ESV
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, [13] bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. [14] And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. [15] And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. [16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. [17] And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Obedience flows from faith.  Faith (trust) in all He has said about who we were and who we are is the foundation of our brokenness and contriteness of heart.  Too often we charge forward joyous in who we are and we forget the cost.  No, we aren't to dwell on our lives before our redemption but then we can not allow ourselves to forget either.

Perhaps the clearest picture of examining our hearts as an act of obedience is gound in the following:

1 Corinthians 11:28 ESV
Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

Though we should labor to never forget the wonder of our redemtion and the cost, it is at the Lord's Table that this is most magnificently presented.  We remember His body and His blood that He freely gave for us and we remember that He will come again and we will feast with Him.  There is, for me, no more appropriate and powerful time to examine my heart and its need and His provision than in the rememberance of His great grace.

'SHIP 003

'SHIP  003

Obedience is our duty.  We have both a commission to fulfill and an obligation to grow.

Are you?  Obedience?

It takes work - hard work.

It takes sacrifice - tough sacrifice.

It take your commitment - which of course is meaningless without the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Peter tells us that we have been given everything we need for life and godliness.  Now that's not some certificate or diploma.  It's the means we have everything needed to begin and continue in the fulfillment of our obligtion and the fulfilling of our commission.

So, how're we doing?  Are we "lukewarm" like our brothers and sisters in Laodicia?  

Revelation 3:15-22 ESV
"'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! [16] So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. [17] For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. [18] I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. [19] Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. [20] Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. [21] The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. [22] He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"

What's "lukewarmness?"

For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 

Ouch!  Also, note verse 20!  Contrary to how we have heard this verse used, Jesus is talking to the Church (collectively and individually).  Hellooooo!  Anybody home?

How can Christ be "outside" the Church knocking on the door to come in?  I have no idea but obviously it's possible.

No look closely at verse 20b.  "If anyone," "in to him," "eat with him," "grant him."

Him (and of course Her as well - duhh) - singular.  That means we do not wait on everybody else!  We don't need to!  Indeed, we can not afford to!

You are a sheep - part of a flock -BUT whether the flock follows the Shepherd (or not), you can, you must.  What does "following" the shepherd look like?  Simple, trusting obedience to the one trusted.

But, when sheep get fat they tend to get sassy.  They're full, they have no sense of danger so they just do their own thing.  They don't sense the NEED anything.

Oh, wait, could this be something?  Do we tend to forget our need?  Not our need for food, for material provision but our NEED for Him.  Let me ask two questions.  First, "When was the last time you were convicted of sin?"  Second, "When was the last time you sinned?"  Any disconnect there?   Any loss of sensitivity?  Any (and oh this is scary) absense of sensitivity?

Uhhhhhhh --- 1 John 1:8-10 ESV
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Oh, we'll cop to sins - when they're in our faces.  But do we live insensitive to them?  Do we minimize, ignore, prevaricate?  Are we able to dodge conviction?  Are we shown our sin and then comparing it to what we call BIGGIES do we just walk past it?  The eating of a piece of fruit threw the whole of creation into the corruption and devastation of sin.  So how serious is any sin?

Do you hate sin as sin or do you just hate the consequences?  

Consider:
"...the choicest believers, who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin, ought yet to make it their business all their days to mortify the indwelling power of sin...Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you. Your being dead with Christ virtually, your being quickened with him, will not excuse you from this work."                                From Mortification of Sin, by John Owen.

Disobedience is sin.  Right" Or have I missed something?