Why Do You Obey God?

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Preached at Northwest Christian Church

David P. Kautt

Sunday Morning, September 26, 2010

1 John 4:20-5:5, “If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world––our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

I have a question for each of you today. It's not an easy question – you know – one of the 'yes' or 'no' variety. Nor, is it a question of little importance. Rather, it is a question that will not only be difficult because of its complexity, but also difficult because of how it may impact our lives. Here is the question: Why do you obey God? Why do you do what Jesus commands?

As I said, this is not an easy, one word, fill-in-the-blank kind of question. Neither is it of light weight significance . Rather, it is a question that goes to the core of who we are, and asks, 'Why do we do what we do?' In other words, it is a question that prompts us to consider our motivations, what drives us in our obedience to Christ.

Someone has said that Christian obedience, Christ-like obedience to God is not merely driven by duty, but by delight! Christian obedience is not duty, but delight. I want you to contemplate that statement, as we press on in our study this morning.

Why do folks like you and me obey God? What kinds of factors are behind our obedience, and are all of those factors godly and acceptable to God? Let's look...

Well, first of all, there are some folks - perhaps some of us - that are driven, when you get right down to it, to obey God by fear! Now while fear is a motivator, don't get me wrong, the threat of a spanking, or even worse, has kept many a child, or former child, on the straight and narrow. While fear is a motivator, and certainly, we ought to fear God, to reverence, Him to be in awe of Him, and yes, even to be afraid of Him – for, as Proverbs indicates, the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge – to be driven to obey God ONLY by fear may not be the level of the quality of obedience toward which our God, ultimately, wants to lead us.

In fact, looking at it from strictly a human point of view, one wonders if fear, if that is all that motivates a person to obey God, might eventually lead such a person to actually resenting God and the DEMANDS He makes on one's life. What is it that motivates you to do what God says? Why do you obey Christ as your Lord? Is it because of fear? Or, perhaps is it because of pride? 'Whew! Preacher, you're swinging pretty low this morning, don't you think?' What do I mean, I am, you are or may be motivated to obey God out of pride?

Well, let's look at it this way, shall we? Everybody likes to do a good job at what they do, right? Right? But, why? Why do some folks do a good job at their teaching, or mechanicing, or bookkeeping, or housewifing, or bus-driving, or salesman-ing? Well, some people do a good job at those kinds of things because they want to bring honor to their Boss, their company, their profession, or even to their King! But, others – perhaps even including some of us – they do, we do what we do – why? Because they are the ones who want the praise! Because they are the ones who want to be noticed! In other words, some people, perhaps like Saul, obey God – you know, fast and pray and give to the needy – not ultimately to honor God or to help the hurting, but to blow the trumpet of salute for themselves!

Why do you obey God? Why do I do what Jesus commands? For some of use, perhaps the answer, the bottom-line real reason is because we are afraid of God and, particularly afraid of what God might do to us, if we don't obey Him!

Yes, indeed, fear – reverence, awe, and yes even a healthy dose of dread – finite creature toward the in-finite Creation – dread is in order. It is appropriate as a starting place, for obedience as the outcome. But, does fear go far enough? Is it ultimately where God intends to lead our hearts, in terms of this matter of obedience? Is fear why you obey God? Or, is it pride that motivates us?

Luke 18:9-14 – Remember the parable Jesus told, the one about the Pharisee, and the tax collector? “God, oh you really ought to listen to Me, God, You ought to pay attention to Me, God, because after all, I'm not like everybody else, like those people who extort others, and take advantage of others, and commit adultery. And, I'm certainly not like this tax collector! No! God, you really ought to look my way, because you see, I fast twice a week, and I give tithes of all that I possess... and I... I... I...” Why do we do what we do? Is it Pride? And, if it is, is that an acceptable-to-God motivation? Will He be pleased with our obedience, if that I is in the center, is what drives us?

Come back to our text with me for a moment, and sort of walk through it with me. And, as we do, I want to ask you to be on the lookout for what is an acceptable, and, in fact, ultimate, motivating factor for obedience.

1 John 4:20-5:5, “If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world––our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

We read it more slowly that time, and you and I were on the lookout for something as we read it again this time. Okay, so what did we see? What did we notice?

Here's what I noticed. I observed that not once or twice, or even three times, these verses refer to loving God, loving God – verse 20, “I love God”, verse 21, “He who loves God”, chapter 5 verse 1, “Everyone who loves Him who begot”, “everyone who loves the Father”, verse 2, “we love God”, and verse 3, “this is the love of God.” 5 times in 7 short verses the apostle John points us in the direction of loving God, love for God, and at least 3 of those times, he connects it with guess what? Obeying God...

So, what's the point? Where are we going with this? We're talkin about obedience, obeying God, aren't we? And, we're going deeper than that, aren't we? We're ultimately holding up this mirror (the Bible), and asking ourselves, 'Why?' 'Why do I obey God?' Is it because I'm afraid of Him? Is it because I want the praise and honor of men? Or, is it because I love God?

Take a look with me, will you? 1 John 4:17-19 – the verses just prior to our study text. Notice what they have to say about obedience, and the motivating factors of fear and love.

1 John 4:17-19, “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.

Fear as a motivator, ultimately, has to do with punishment. It involves torment of some kind or other, but what does love do? It cast out fear! Love casts out fear, so that we, loved by God, can respond in love and loving obedience toward God!

Come back to that one-liner I dropped on you several minutes ago. It went something like this: Christian obedience, Christ-like obedience is not mere duty, but delight! In other words, Christian obedience is not, ultimately, driven by law, but by love! One day, according to Luke 7:36-50, one day, Jesus was having lunch in the home of a Pharisees by the name of Simon. And while He was there, visiting with Simon, a sinful woman, a 'woman of the street' as we might call her, slips in and begins to weep at Jesus' feet. And those tears of humble repentance and gushing joy, with them she washes Jesus' feet, and with her long, flowing hair – ladies, there's a reason for long hair – with her long hair she wipes Jesus' feet and the, she anoints Jesus' feet with fragrant oil, and begins to kiss His feet! Wow! Amazing! Incredible! What would motivate this woman to do such amazing, and we might even say, outlandish things?

Well, before we answer that allow me to remind you that what this sinful woman DID, Simon, the Pharisee, Jesus' host, SHOULD HAVE done. Simon, as Jesus' host, at the very least, according to custom, should have seen to Jesus' feet being washed. And, he should have greeted Jesus with a kiss, and anointed Jesus' head with oil. But, he didn't! Now here's the $64,000 question - the one that goes back to our key word – motive, why? Why didn't Simon, the Pharisee, do what all good hosts do? And, what motived the sinful woman to do what she did? Luke 7:47 – One simple word – love. Love. Simon didn't do ultimately because he didn't love. But this woman - wow! What an example she is to all of us – man or woman! She did what she did out of love. And, as Jesus concludes, in His final words to her, and in Simon's hearing, no less – her, this sinful woman's faith (linked up with her lavish love for Jesus) saved her!

My dear ones, what are we trying to say here? What is the lesson this meaningful passage of Scripture from first John is intending to communicate to us?

Let me say as clearly as I know how: it is possible to try to obey Christ without loving Christ. But, it is IM-possible to love Christ, without obeying Christ!

Christian obedience – what is it? What drives it? Duty? Fear? Pride? Drudgery? No – Christian obedience is delight. It is driven, ultimately, by love, and expressed by the sincere tears and kisses of a life revolutionized by Jesus' amazing forgiving grace!

“For this is the love of God, namely that we keep His commandments...” And, one more, “We love Him because He first loved us.”