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What
Will Become Of The Disobedient Church?
"What should become of those that
were still wedded to their own evil ways, yea, though many of those
about them turned to the Lord: If they will not obey, if any of them
continue to stand it out, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that
nation, that family, that particular person, saith the Lord. Those
that will not be ruled by the grace of God shall be ruined by the
justice of God. And, if disobedient nations shall be destroyed, much
more disobedient churches from whom better things are expected." -
Matthew Henry
"...still wedded to their own evil ways..."
"...will not obey..."
"...will not be ruled by the grace of God..."
"...ruined by the justice of God..."
What do these four phrases
describe?
Did you guess - a
Disobedient Church?
What about you, O Christian? As a member of God's Church, are you -
..."still wedded" to your "own evil ways"?
...having trouble obeying the Lord?
...refusing to be "ruled by the grace of God"
which teaches you to deny
"ungodliness and worldly lusts" and
"live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this
present world"(Titus 2:12)?
...aware that your sin will bring you to total ruin unless repented
of?
We all know that the Church is not a building per se. It consists
of families and individuals - those who are living surrendered lives
for the Lord. At least, this is what is expected of them by all.
Besides the criteria which Pastor Henry contributed, the Bible
also presents certain characteristics
by which we can discern whether or not an individual or group is
classified as obedient or disobedient before the Lord. Some of them
are as follows :
1. False To Their Trust
Psalm 78:10 - "They
kept not the covenant of God..."
Disobedient People do not keep their allegiance to the Lord Jesus.
They cast off their worship of Him. They magnify, glorify, and lift up
the creature rather than the Creator. They revel in man's wisdom,
knowledge, abilities, talents, and resources. They are more concerned
about pleasing him than God. Man becomes their All-in-all rather than
the Almighty.
2. Refuse God's Rule In One Or More
Areas Of Their Lives
Psalm 78:10 -
"...and refused to walk in His law."
Disobedient People are stubborn and rebellious. They are generally
selfish, self-centered, and demanding. They will go through any
measure of sacrifice just to get their own way. They will even twist
God's Word to accommodate their sinful lifestyles.
3. Are Continually Under His Chastening
Hand
Psalm 78:40 - "How
oft did they provoke Him in the wilderness..."
These rebels - through their fleshly, carnal, and worldly ways - are
continuously reaping the displeasure of the Lord on their lives. They
escape one misfortune, only to swiftly encounter another.
4. Grieve His Heart
Psalm 78:40 -
"...and grieve Him in the desert!"
Just as a disobedient child causes shame and heartache for his
parents, even so do these rebels cause God much pain and sorrow
through their ungodly actions. He is constantly placed under a
necessity to send afflictions their way in hope that they will repent
and change their ways.
5. Break His Law Through Their Words &
Actions
Isaiah 3:8 -
"...their tongue and their doings are against the Lord..."
Pay attention to their words and actions. Through these two
means, they oppose God on every turn.
6. Dishonor & Despise Him
1 Samuel 2:30 -
"...Be it far from Me, for them that honour Me I will honour, and they
that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed."
Disobedient people have no respect for God or the things of God. They
lack a wholesome Fear of the Lord which keeps them in check against
all sin and ungodliness. Through their compromise and sin, they
demonstrate to all that they do not love God as they say, but actually
"despise" Him.
Because they dishonor Him with their words and actions,
resultantly, they lose all favor with Him and men and are oftentimes
"lightly esteemed,"
disrespected, or even despised by others.
What about you, O Christian?
Are you a member of the Disobedient Church?
Nowadays, there is such a flippant attitude among some concerning
Sin. It is taken very lightly and considered as being "NO
BIG DEAL." Some contemporary artists have even
"taken the liberty" to write songs depicting a
"Christian's" constant "falling" into
Sin as if it is the norm for all!
Is Disobedience a "BIG DEAL"?
Should it really be avoided at all
costs?
Is it necessary for believers to
keep a continuous watch over their souls lest they fall into this Sin
and reap God's displeasure?
Once again, read what Pastor Henry had to say about the Sin of
Disobedience, or any Sin for that matter -
"Sin is the great mischief-maker
between God and a people; it forfeits the benefit of His promises
and spoils the success of their prayers. It defeats His kind
intentions concerning them and baffles their pleasing expectations
from Him. It ruins their comforts, prolongs their grievances, brings
them into straits, and retards their deliverances."
"If God shall not rule us, yet He
will judge us."
1 Samuel 12:15 tells us -
"But if ye will not obey the voice of the
LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall
the hand of the LORD be against you..."
Deuteronomy 11:28 says -
"And a curse, if ye will not obey the
commandments of the LORD your God..."
Jeremiah 12:17 says -
"But if they will not obey, I will
utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the LORD."
Jeremiah 18:9-10 -
"And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning
a kingdom, to build and to plant it; If it do evil in My sight,
that it obey not My voice, then I will repent of the good,
wherewith I said I would benefit them."
The consequences of
Disobedience?
God Himself will be against us.
It is one thing to have another man oppose us. But it is
an entirely different picture when God is fighting us on every turn.
We will be cursed. Nothing will go well for us -
"Woe unto the wicked; it shall be ill with
him..." (Isaiah 3:11)
Whether it be a nation, church, family, or particular person -
God will "pluck up" and
"destroy" all those who refuse
to obey Him.
Even though He purposes peace, salvation, miracles, and great
things for those who walk uprightly, if we choose to turn from Him to
follow the ways of the world and Satan, we will forfeit the
wonderful blessings of God.
In closing, let's not forget the conversation that Eve had with the
serpent in the Garden of Eden as recorded in
Genesis 3:1-4 -
"...And he(serpent) said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall
not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the
serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. But of
the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath
said, Ye shall not eat of it...lest ye die. And the serpent said unto
the woman, Ye shall not surely die."
The Church that listens to Satan will surely
die.
Only those who walk in obedience to the Lord
will live.
Could this be the reason
why presently there are so many Spiritually-Dead believers, families,
and churches in our midst?
May God Bless His Word.
Connie
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