-Transcript-
Thank you for joining me. Welcome to KJV Cafe. My name is Clark Covington. A pastor of Heartland Community Baptist Church in Lincolnton, North Carolina. And today we are talking about Disobedience what the Bible has to say about disobedience. Now, you may say, oh come on brother Clark, why we’re going to talk about disobedience? Look to understand the benefits of being obedient. Sometimes we need to see the consequences of being disobedient. Sometimes, as a young person, especially he was easier for me to see what happens when you do bad versus, what would be happening if you didn’t. You know, I was always maybe pushing the boundaries testing the limits Like a like a young person often does and God sometimes would have to use people to reign me in and show me what happens when I am bad and what God does in His word. Amen. Is He tells us so much about disobedience and the consequences of Disobedience, you know, obedience or being obedient following God is so important. When we are obedient to God’s will, in His plan for our lives, there is great fruit. We’re created uniquely, and we’re treated uniquely by God in a way that brings us to where He wants us to go, you know, scripture? Yes. It is the same as everyone reads it, but oftentimes people will get different things from it. But God treats his children, uniquely, uh, in the way that maybe He chasens us or the way that He convicts us. And part of that is shepherding us along and bringing us to maturity and to bear fruit. In the end result is a great closeness with our heavenly father. Isaiah 1:19. Oh I love this verse Isaiah 1:19.” If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of the land“. Amen. If you be willing and obedient he shall eat the good of the land, you know. It’s that simple if you’re willing, you know, you know. It doesn’t say if you’re talented, doesn’t say if you’re special, if you’re gifted, if you’re important, if you’re rich, it just says if you’re willing, you know, if you’re willing and obedient, right? So, you’re saying okay, you know what I’m willing to follow God, and I will follow God, I’ll be obedient to His call even when His call is uncomfortable, even when His call is putting me in odds with the world. Even when His call has me battered down and beaten down, even when submitting to Him is difficult, I will just do it. I’ll be willing and I’ll do it. I’ll be obedient. And then the scripture here says, by the prophet, Isaiah 1:19. You shall eat. The good of the land. We can clearly. See, obedience is good. But then, why are many not bearing fruit for God? Not close to Him and frankly don’t fear Him at all. Why are there so many disobedient? People out there, both Christians and, and the lost alike today, I want to spend some time. Discussing what the Bible says about the consequences of Disobedience. And here is a scripture. I think that sums it up. They kind of gives us a really good idea of what God thinks of the Disobedient, Proverbs 1: 23-33 Proverbs 1, 23-33, “Turn you at my reproof behold. I will pour out my spirit unto you. I will make known my words unto you because I have called and ye refused. I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded. But ye have set at not all my counsel and would none of my reproof. I will. Also I also will laugh at your calamity. I won’t mock when your fear cometh, when your fear cometh is desolation and your destruction cometh, as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come of upon you then, shall they call upon me? But I will not answer. They shall seek me early, but they shall not find me.” For that, they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, they would. None of my counsel. They despised all my reproof. Therefore, shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices? For the turning away of the simple shall slay them and their prosperity of fool shall destroy them but who so hearkenth unto me, shall dwell safely and shall be quiet from fear of evil. What an amazing passage of scripture. I’m sure a whole year’s worth of sermons, can be preached on this piece of scripture. Uh, and so 15 minutes a minute, doesn’t do it justice, but I’m going to try to pick it apart here for you a little bit. We see here in the first couple of verses of Proverbs 1 23-33. That the Lord is saying look, you know, you need to turn in my reproof, you need to pay attention, you need to change your ways, you need to repent. And uh, he says, I’ll pour out my spirit unto you. I will make no my words unto you Okay, so he’s saying like look if you get right with me, I’ll let you know what’s going on. Uh and you say, well does God talk? No but you know what, he’s he speaks through his word and he’ll give you discernment in his word. I’ll tell you what, when I tried to read the Bible as a child, I had no idea. I just knew there was a lot of big words and it bothered me when I read the Bible. Now it’s like it pops me in the face. It’s like my blood starts pumping at the same time. I feel this peace I can’t describe. When I read the Bible now it just illuminates, it shines, it magnifies. That’s nothing in my simple mind. That’s nothing in in my ability to read. That’s God. That’s the Holy Spirit, opening up His word to me, because I have turned at his reproof, I have sought Him. I’ve humbled myself every day, I try to repent before. God say dear Lord, forgive me of all my sins and point out the sins in my life that are driving any kind of wedge between me and you so that I will not do them again. I identify these sins as sins that you hate and they don’t I hate him because You hate him and I’m on your side and let’s do this together. I will walk with you Lord. And you have that closest with God, it’ll open us HIs, uh, word to you. But those that turn, that don’t turn that, don’t repent that, don’t get close to, God that are stubborn. The Bible would call them stiff-necked, they refuse. That’s what happens here. Verse 24. Because I have called and you refused. I have stretched out my hand. And no, man regarded. Oh God’s mighty, hand is stressed out. Stretched out to the sinner tonight. God’s mighty hand is here for the sinner but will they take it? But ye have set at not all my counsel and would none of my reproof. And so, he they won’t take God’s counsel the disobedient won’t take it, and they won’t take any of his reproof look. Uh, I’m going to preach a message here on the radio soon, about how the chastening of the Lord is really good for us, and it’s what we need and it’s a sign that God is with us and they would have none of that. So, God’s response to your verse 26. I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your fear cometh. So God’s responses, look, you’re going to reap what you sow verse 27 when you’re fear. Cometh is desolation and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind when distress and anguish come with upon you, then they call upon me but I will not answer. They shall seek me early but they shall not find me. And that’s when you get the wicked person or disobedient, they’re all out of order. They look to the world for everything first and then last chance like last this ditch effort hanging off the edge of a cliff. They say, okay. Well let me turn to God and God’s saying, I’m going to laugh at you. I’m not going to hear you. I’m not going to answer that prayer because you have not hearkened unto me. And we see here, um, verse 29 for they, that hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They didn’t choose to fear God. You understand the disobedient. Do not fear. God, and you understand, that is a choice. God gives us a choice, whether we will submit ourselves to him and and fear Him. Frankly and if chances are you almost definitely fear. God, Amen. I know, I fear God. He the Bible says, it’s a fearful thing to be in the hands of an Almighty God. He is fearful, I think, in the scripture and Isaiah 6. When Isaiah sees the Lord, and the angels there and the seraphims and and he’s, uh, he doesn’t know what to do. He knows he’s unclean. Verse 5. Isaiah 6, says then said, I woe is me. I am undone because I’m a man of unclean lips. I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For my eyes. I’ve seen the king the Lord of hosts. So he saw God and the seraphim gives him a live coal in his hand and he’s going to lay it upon his mouth. So his iniquity is taken away a submitting to God, and he’s fearing God, all these great men of God, they feared God greatly. But here you have, the Lord saying they didn’t fear him verse 30. Of the proverb here. They would. None of my counsel, they despised all my reproof. So now, not only, do they not, listen to God’s reproof they despised his reproof. He understand that disobedients is in, uh, enmity or enemy of God. The idea is, if you’re not with Him, you’re against Him, if you’re not for Him, you’re against Him. And so, the idea is that not only do people not take gods or proof they despise it? They despise the things of God. Look how angry the world gets when you speak on the truth. Things of God, you speak on the true words of scripture, they get so mad. They try to retranslate it into something else. They’re trying to take that scripture and remove it if they can, and then the devil gets so mad at it. She’ll pervert. Everything in the movies and in music, and in culture, To try to take everything away from what God’s word says is true and holy and of course the Bible warns against that will unto them. That call evil. Good and good evil. And then we see here verse 31. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices? Okay. So that’s the crooks of it. When you are disobedient you eat the fruit of your own way. Remember I started this message here, talking about Isaiah 1:19. If you’re willing and obedient you’ll eat the good of the land or the good fruit. And here we see the disobedient, the unwilling, the ones that despise God, and His way is the ones that live for themselves. The ones that are the captains of their own ship, the ones that have not made Jesus Christ, Lord of their lives. Those disobedient people will eat the fruit of their own way and they’ll be filled with their own devices. And so, what God does in this kind of poetic punishment, he says. All right, I’m just going to stick a mirror right up to you and all that wickedness that you have in your heart towards me. You’re going to receive all that wickedness back the Bible word. There would be. Maybe reckonpence right, he’s gonna repay them from what they’ve done to Him, Amen. Verse 32 for the turning away of the simple shall slay them in the prosperity of fools, shall destroy them. You know, what’s really interesting here? Uh, this speaks to, I believe how the wicked and disobedient, you know, they’re not just accountable for their own wickedness and disobedience. They’re also going to be held accountable for turning away the simple for those imagine a wicked person, uh, trying to get someone to go get an abortion or wicked person, uh, trying to pass a law, uh, that would allow gambling or, uh, drunkenness or legalized drugs or a wicked person that would be pushing some Pagan values or some occultist stuff. Hey, they’re going to be held accountable by these scriptures. I understand it. It’s going to slay them and they’re going to be held accountable for these actions for how they misled others. So, who be careful what you’re saying. Be careful where you lead people be careful that you don’t try too hard to fit in with the world and then you get off, leading people in the wrong direction. That’s why we are called to be set apart, to be a light, that’s not hit under a bushel. Amen. And then a beautiful verse at the end here. But who’s so harginath under me shall dwell safely and shall be quiet from fear of evil and so dwell safely we’re not going to be harmed when we’re obedient with the Lord. We’re going to be safe again, we’re going to eat the good of the land and secondly, we’re going to be quiet, not just from evil. Oh, I love this, not just from evil, but from the fear of evil, we don’t even have to fear because God is that powerful. He’s that amazing. He’s that wonderful. And so, we understand that Disobedience is a very serious thing to God and that we see that we need a hearken or listen and tune. Turn to God tune in to what He’s saying, so we can have that safe, resting place with Him in that closeness with Him. And again, I’d like to clarify here with Disobedience. We’re not talking about salvation. Okay, so God’s a god of His word, God’s not a liar. And when you’re saved once saved, always saved. And so, when you make Jesus Christ, Lord of your life, you are going to be saved forever. Amen. And that’s not going to change. And so all we’re speaking about here as either the lost person and what their disobedience will bring them. All of this death Etc or the backslid Christian and the disobedience would bring them distance from God, no reward or less rewards in heaven or no rewards and haven’t missed opportunities. And then all kinds of worldly issues, right? But they’re not going to lose their salvation. Okay, so quickly here, James 1:14-15 Um it talks about something very interesting. The root of this disobedience James 1 14-15 but every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. So we see here what it starts this disobedience, what’s kicks it off, he’s drawn away of his own lust and he’s enticed then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin and sin. When it is finished bringeth, forth death. And so we see this, we see the enticing and who’s doing the enticing. Well, if it’s not you, it’s the devil. Amen. We become prey for the devil when we’re feeding the carnal side of us more than the spiritual. And so as we live as Christians, we have to be very careful to continue to saturate ourselves in the word saturate ourselves in the ways of God and to continue to strive, to be obedient with God instead of striving against God. And it’s very important to keep this in mind that look. Um, the devil will be like that line, that attacks the prey. Well, what kind of praise the line can attack the way of preacher taught it to me wants that. To go after the most vulnerable prey. And so, we don’t want that to be us today. Let’s stay on the firing line for Jesus. Amen.