Obedience and Lordship
LUKE 6:46-49 "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the
things which I say? "Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and
does them, I will show you whom he is like: "He is like a man
building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.
And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that
house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. "But
he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the
earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat
vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was
great."
JESUS throughout the Bible had many things to say on the subject of
obedience. In the Old Testament disobedience normally ended with
some type of punishment. However, in the New Testament under the new
covenant, HE didn't put the burden for disobedience on one specific
generation or upon just one group of people. HE talked about
obedience to all who claim to follow HIM.
What JESUS says here about obedience is relatively straightforward.
HE has just finished delivering the message that contained all the
great ethical precepts of HIS teaching. In Matthew, it's called the
Sermon on the Mount. Here, in Luke, it's usually called the Sermon
on the Plain. Likely, we have two accounts of same message delivered
on at least two separate occasions. In it, JESUS lays it all out:
love your enemies, blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the
meek, forgive those who wrong you, forgive those who wrong you time
and time again, do unto others as you would have them do to you. All
of HIS great teachings are presented in this message.
Then, as a conclusion to the message, JESUS says something like
this, "It's important to actually do these things I've told you, not
just think it's a good idea to do them, but to actually follow
through and do them." And then HE tells this little story, what's
known as a parable, to illustrate what HE's talking about. JESUS
says that the person who listens to and actually does what he says
is like the builder who takes the time to dig deep into the ground
to find and set the foundation of his home on solid rock. So when
storms come, the house will be fine. But, HE also says that person
who listens and doesn't follow through is like the fellow who went
out and was in such a hurry and felt it unnecessary to bother with
such things, built his house on the ground without any foundation
whatsoever. And when storms come against his house, the ground gets
soggy and shifts beneath it. And then the whole mess comes crashing
down around him.
I have seen this happen to people who build houses on the beaches
only to have them destroyed by the winds and waves. A house like our
lives must have a sure foundation. That also means that it is a
strong foundation and one that is without cracks or one that is
improperly built. The truth is, you and I are building a building.
We are building something. In the Bible, we are called the temple of
GOD. So, you are building the temple of GOD! Day by day, moment by
moment, the decisions that you make and the things that you do, make
you what you are and what you will become! What you have done in
your past, what you are doing now, and what you will do tomorrow,
all decide for you a lot of what you are!
Now, sometimes, we don't like that! We'd rather say, "No, no, no!
It's circumstance! It's not my fault that I'm the way that I am!
It's my heredity! It's my outward circumstance. Or it is the things
that have happened to me." But the truth is, it's how we deal with
those things. It's the attitude and the choices that we make
regarding life and what we have gone through that determines our
character and what we will be like.
I have just two points from this portion of scripture. The first one
is that there are two types of builders. I'd like for you to look at
what the scriptures say. It tells us in verse forty-eight and in
verse forty-nine this very interesting story. It says that there are
the wise builder and the foolish builder. But one thing, it says,
happens to both types of builders, and that is that they go through
storms. No matter whether you are a wise builder or a foolish
builder, the storm is going to come!
And the reality of GOD's word and the reality of life is that the
storms will come! Not IF they'll come, folks! It's only a matter of
time! If you have gone through life and you say, "Wow! I've never
had one storm! Everything is peaceful!" Well then look out for your
time will come.
One implication of JESUS' words here has to do with our obedience
and submission to HIS teaching, of submitting to him as LORD of our
lives. Since JESUS is LORD, our responsibility is to live in
submission to HIM. To call HIM LORD but not live in submission to
HIS commands is hypocrisy. The principle of subordination is
absolutely essential in the life of a Believer. The reason we have
such a problem with this is that the prevailing view of people in
America today is one of rebellion and of resistance. If we don't
agree with the authority, we resist it. This spirit of lawlessness
has spilled over into the church, and we must see it as sin. Romans
13:1-2 "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For
there is no authority except that which God has established. The
authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently,
he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against God has
instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves."
Here we have a principle that is unqualified, unlimited, and
unconditional - ALL AUTHORITIES ARE GOD APPOINTED. "Let every soul"
is from the Greek words, pas psuche, which means "all life." "Be
subject" is the Greek word, hupotasso, which is a military term
meaning: "to line up to take your orders." It's in the present
imperative middle, which means "to habitually be in subjection."
Everyone is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. This
verse speaks of government, but the principle is universal. All
human authority is delegated and ministerial. This includes the
authority of parents, employers, policemen, teachers, church
leaders, or any other authority. Anyone, who is in a place of
authority on earth, has had that authority delegated to him by GOD.
Daniel 4:17 "The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones
declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High
is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he
wishers and set over them the lowliest of men." Therefore, all
rebellion is against GOD, because all power is ordained by GOD.
Whoever the existing authorities are, we are to be subject to them.
Just because someone is in authority over us doesn't mean that
they're better than we are, or smarter, or more qualified than we
are either. Subordination involves no degradation. A person is not
dishonored by being subject to someone else. JESUS is over
everything and everyone. In the church GOD has called the pastor to
lead, and the people to submit. This is not because the pastor is
any better or more spiritual than you, we are all equal in JESUS.
There is to be no division in the church. The pastor is the leader
among equals. The pastor is in authority simply because GOD has
called them to lead. It's simply a matter of function.
There are many scriptures in the Bible which tells us that to rebel
is to sin against GOD. The main reason that we have such a hard
problem with submission is a thing called "PRIDE!" It was the first
sin when Satan decided he wanted to be god. In the garden of Eden
the first sin was also pride. The temptation of the serpent came
with these words, "You will be like GOD." The temptation to be like
GOD is greater than we think, we all face it. We want to be free to
do our own thing. We want to be free from all accountability and
responsibility.
Our quest to be like GOD, is a quest to be above law. It is the
quest for autonomy. Autonomy literally means "self-law." A person
who seeks to be utterly autonomous is a person who seeks to be a law
unto himself. He is answerable to no one. 1 Peter 5:5 "Likewise you
younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be
submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God
resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." Is there a
Biblical exception to submission? Yes, but only one, and it is found
in Acts 5:27-29 "Having brought the apostles, they made them appear
before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. We gave
you strict orders not to teach in this name, he said. "Yet you have
filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us
guilty of this man's blood." Peter and the other apostles
replied: "We must obey GOD rather than men!" The apostles knew their
priorities. While we should try to live at peace with everyone,
(Romans 12:18 "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live
at peace with everyone.") conflict with the world and its
authorities are sometimes inevitable for a Believer. (John 15:18 "If
the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.") There
will be situations where you cannot obey both GOD and man. Then you
must obey GOD and trust HIS word. Let JESUS' words in Luke 6:22
encourage you: "Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude
you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of ME." The
one time that we have a right to disobey our authority is when it
commands us not to do something, GOD has commanded us to do. Or when
it commands us to do something GOD has commanded us not to do. This
is the only exception I see in Scripture.
If we are under an authority that is acting in an unwise or ungodly
manner, we can try to change them through the proper channels, with
the proper attitude. If that doesn't work, we can remove ourselves
from their authority, change jobs, churches, or countries. Not
everyone has this option. Children, you're stuck with your parents.
Some people in some situations have some options, but rebellion is
never one of them.
There are a lot of times in our lives, our knees vibrate when we are
upset, when we are nervous and even when we are a little fearful,
but as long as we have our feet planted on the Rock, the Rock is not
going to move! What you have to be careful of is when what's under
you starts to vibrate! That's when you know that you are in trouble.
We see here in the scripture that GOD is saying that the wise
builder chooses the foundation of rock. The second thing is that he
not only anticipates or looks ahead, but he has to pay extra
attention. He has to work harder than the average person. See, if
you want to build on a rock, that means that you are going to have
to dig down. You are going to have to make sure that there is rock
there to begin with. Then you have to dig down and lay a foundation
on that rock so that everything will stand. And that takes extra
work! That means that you are going to have to work a little bit
harder and you are going to have to do a little bit more to make
sure that your building is secure. So, to get a good foundation, it
requires work. What does that mean to you and me? For us to have a
strong foundation, it requires a little extra work. It means that we
need to find the right thing in life, which is JESUS! And then, we
have to work at it! It means that we have to pray and have
devotions! We need to do the things that are necessary to build into
our lives.
How many of you know that prayer isn't necessarily easy all the
time? Sometimes, it can be hard work! Our personal devotions, at
times, can be hard work, and yet, it is important for us to be wise
builders building on a firm foundation.
The foolish builder is not concerned with the foundation. He doesn't
care about what's under the ground. He's only interested in what's
above the ground. He's more concerned with expediency. "Let's get
this thing going! Let's move on!"
My second point is that the firm foundation is obedience to JESUS'
word. In the Bible, it says that the wise man puts into practice the
word of GOD and foolish man does not! The foolish man says, "LORD,
LORD!" but does not do want JESUS said. That's what it says in verse
forty-six! He says, "LORD, LORD!" and does not do what the LORD
says.
What does JESUS say? Matthew 7:21-23 "Not all people who sound
religious are really godly. They may refer to me as 'Lord,' but they
still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is
whether they obey my Father in heaven. On judgment day many will
tell me, 'Lord, Lord, we prophesied in Your name and cast out demons
in Your name and performed many miracles in Your name.' But I will
reply, 'I never knew you. Go away; the things you did were
unauthorized and disregarded my commands."
author unknown
In His Service,
Submitted by
Audrey posted by cclose1944e
things which I say? "Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and
does them, I will show you whom he is like: "He is like a man
building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.
And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that
house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. "But
he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the
earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat
vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was
great."
JESUS throughout the Bible had many things to say on the subject of
obedience. In the Old Testament disobedience normally ended with
some type of punishment. However, in the New Testament under the new
covenant, HE didn't put the burden for disobedience on one specific
generation or upon just one group of people. HE talked about
obedience to all who claim to follow HIM.
What JESUS says here about obedience is relatively straightforward.
HE has just finished delivering the message that contained all the
great ethical precepts of HIS teaching. In Matthew, it's called the
Sermon on the Mount. Here, in Luke, it's usually called the Sermon
on the Plain. Likely, we have two accounts of same message delivered
on at least two separate occasions. In it, JESUS lays it all out:
love your enemies, blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the
meek, forgive those who wrong you, forgive those who wrong you time
and time again, do unto others as you would have them do to you. All
of HIS great teachings are presented in this message.
Then, as a conclusion to the message, JESUS says something like
this, "It's important to actually do these things I've told you, not
just think it's a good idea to do them, but to actually follow
through and do them." And then HE tells this little story, what's
known as a parable, to illustrate what HE's talking about. JESUS
says that the person who listens to and actually does what he says
is like the builder who takes the time to dig deep into the ground
to find and set the foundation of his home on solid rock. So when
storms come, the house will be fine. But, HE also says that person
who listens and doesn't follow through is like the fellow who went
out and was in such a hurry and felt it unnecessary to bother with
such things, built his house on the ground without any foundation
whatsoever. And when storms come against his house, the ground gets
soggy and shifts beneath it. And then the whole mess comes crashing
down around him.
I have seen this happen to people who build houses on the beaches
only to have them destroyed by the winds and waves. A house like our
lives must have a sure foundation. That also means that it is a
strong foundation and one that is without cracks or one that is
improperly built. The truth is, you and I are building a building.
We are building something. In the Bible, we are called the temple of
GOD. So, you are building the temple of GOD! Day by day, moment by
moment, the decisions that you make and the things that you do, make
you what you are and what you will become! What you have done in
your past, what you are doing now, and what you will do tomorrow,
all decide for you a lot of what you are!
Now, sometimes, we don't like that! We'd rather say, "No, no, no!
It's circumstance! It's not my fault that I'm the way that I am!
It's my heredity! It's my outward circumstance. Or it is the things
that have happened to me." But the truth is, it's how we deal with
those things. It's the attitude and the choices that we make
regarding life and what we have gone through that determines our
character and what we will be like.
I have just two points from this portion of scripture. The first one
is that there are two types of builders. I'd like for you to look at
what the scriptures say. It tells us in verse forty-eight and in
verse forty-nine this very interesting story. It says that there are
the wise builder and the foolish builder. But one thing, it says,
happens to both types of builders, and that is that they go through
storms. No matter whether you are a wise builder or a foolish
builder, the storm is going to come!
And the reality of GOD's word and the reality of life is that the
storms will come! Not IF they'll come, folks! It's only a matter of
time! If you have gone through life and you say, "Wow! I've never
had one storm! Everything is peaceful!" Well then look out for your
time will come.
One implication of JESUS' words here has to do with our obedience
and submission to HIS teaching, of submitting to him as LORD of our
lives. Since JESUS is LORD, our responsibility is to live in
submission to HIM. To call HIM LORD but not live in submission to
HIS commands is hypocrisy. The principle of subordination is
absolutely essential in the life of a Believer. The reason we have
such a problem with this is that the prevailing view of people in
America today is one of rebellion and of resistance. If we don't
agree with the authority, we resist it. This spirit of lawlessness
has spilled over into the church, and we must see it as sin. Romans
13:1-2 "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For
there is no authority except that which God has established. The
authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently,
he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against God has
instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves."
Here we have a principle that is unqualified, unlimited, and
unconditional - ALL AUTHORITIES ARE GOD APPOINTED. "Let every soul"
is from the Greek words, pas psuche, which means "all life." "Be
subject" is the Greek word, hupotasso, which is a military term
meaning: "to line up to take your orders." It's in the present
imperative middle, which means "to habitually be in subjection."
Everyone is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. This
verse speaks of government, but the principle is universal. All
human authority is delegated and ministerial. This includes the
authority of parents, employers, policemen, teachers, church
leaders, or any other authority. Anyone, who is in a place of
authority on earth, has had that authority delegated to him by GOD.
Daniel 4:17 "The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones
declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High
is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he
wishers and set over them the lowliest of men." Therefore, all
rebellion is against GOD, because all power is ordained by GOD.
Whoever the existing authorities are, we are to be subject to them.
Just because someone is in authority over us doesn't mean that
they're better than we are, or smarter, or more qualified than we
are either. Subordination involves no degradation. A person is not
dishonored by being subject to someone else. JESUS is over
everything and everyone. In the church GOD has called the pastor to
lead, and the people to submit. This is not because the pastor is
any better or more spiritual than you, we are all equal in JESUS.
There is to be no division in the church. The pastor is the leader
among equals. The pastor is in authority simply because GOD has
called them to lead. It's simply a matter of function.
There are many scriptures in the Bible which tells us that to rebel
is to sin against GOD. The main reason that we have such a hard
problem with submission is a thing called "PRIDE!" It was the first
sin when Satan decided he wanted to be god. In the garden of Eden
the first sin was also pride. The temptation of the serpent came
with these words, "You will be like GOD." The temptation to be like
GOD is greater than we think, we all face it. We want to be free to
do our own thing. We want to be free from all accountability and
responsibility.
Our quest to be like GOD, is a quest to be above law. It is the
quest for autonomy. Autonomy literally means "self-law." A person
who seeks to be utterly autonomous is a person who seeks to be a law
unto himself. He is answerable to no one. 1 Peter 5:5 "Likewise you
younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be
submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God
resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." Is there a
Biblical exception to submission? Yes, but only one, and it is found
in Acts 5:27-29 "Having brought the apostles, they made them appear
before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. We gave
you strict orders not to teach in this name, he said. "Yet you have
filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us
guilty of this man's blood." Peter and the other apostles
replied: "We must obey GOD rather than men!" The apostles knew their
priorities. While we should try to live at peace with everyone,
(Romans 12:18 "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live
at peace with everyone.") conflict with the world and its
authorities are sometimes inevitable for a Believer. (John 15:18 "If
the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.") There
will be situations where you cannot obey both GOD and man. Then you
must obey GOD and trust HIS word. Let JESUS' words in Luke 6:22
encourage you: "Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude
you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of ME." The
one time that we have a right to disobey our authority is when it
commands us not to do something, GOD has commanded us to do. Or when
it commands us to do something GOD has commanded us not to do. This
is the only exception I see in Scripture.
If we are under an authority that is acting in an unwise or ungodly
manner, we can try to change them through the proper channels, with
the proper attitude. If that doesn't work, we can remove ourselves
from their authority, change jobs, churches, or countries. Not
everyone has this option. Children, you're stuck with your parents.
Some people in some situations have some options, but rebellion is
never one of them.
There are a lot of times in our lives, our knees vibrate when we are
upset, when we are nervous and even when we are a little fearful,
but as long as we have our feet planted on the Rock, the Rock is not
going to move! What you have to be careful of is when what's under
you starts to vibrate! That's when you know that you are in trouble.
We see here in the scripture that GOD is saying that the wise
builder chooses the foundation of rock. The second thing is that he
not only anticipates or looks ahead, but he has to pay extra
attention. He has to work harder than the average person. See, if
you want to build on a rock, that means that you are going to have
to dig down. You are going to have to make sure that there is rock
there to begin with. Then you have to dig down and lay a foundation
on that rock so that everything will stand. And that takes extra
work! That means that you are going to have to work a little bit
harder and you are going to have to do a little bit more to make
sure that your building is secure. So, to get a good foundation, it
requires work. What does that mean to you and me? For us to have a
strong foundation, it requires a little extra work. It means that we
need to find the right thing in life, which is JESUS! And then, we
have to work at it! It means that we have to pray and have
devotions! We need to do the things that are necessary to build into
our lives.
How many of you know that prayer isn't necessarily easy all the
time? Sometimes, it can be hard work! Our personal devotions, at
times, can be hard work, and yet, it is important for us to be wise
builders building on a firm foundation.
The foolish builder is not concerned with the foundation. He doesn't
care about what's under the ground. He's only interested in what's
above the ground. He's more concerned with expediency. "Let's get
this thing going! Let's move on!"
My second point is that the firm foundation is obedience to JESUS'
word. In the Bible, it says that the wise man puts into practice the
word of GOD and foolish man does not! The foolish man says, "LORD,
LORD!" but does not do want JESUS said. That's what it says in verse
forty-six! He says, "LORD, LORD!" and does not do what the LORD
says.
What does JESUS say? Matthew 7:21-23 "Not all people who sound
religious are really godly. They may refer to me as 'Lord,' but they
still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is
whether they obey my Father in heaven. On judgment day many will
tell me, 'Lord, Lord, we prophesied in Your name and cast out demons
in Your name and performed many miracles in Your name.' But I will
reply, 'I never knew you. Go away; the things you did were
unauthorized and disregarded my commands."
author unknown
In His Service,
Submitted by
Audrey posted by cclose1944e
posted by cclose1944e at 12:22 PM
0 comments
