Message: Accomplishment for God without Obedience…the wrong kind of story!
Texts: 1 Samuel 15:22-23; 2 Samuel 1:1-16; Matthew 7:21-23
Men glory in their accomplishments for God than their obedience to Him
and His Word. Obedience to God’s Word and commandments is paramount and
is the most important qualification to securing an eternity in His
Kingdom.
2 Samuel 1:1-16 is an interesting story of an Amalekite,
a warrior who fought on the Israeli side during their war with the
Philistines during which King Saul and his sons were killed and the
Israeli army was scattered (1 Samuel 31).
After the tragic death
of King Saul, this Amalekite soldier who survived the war ran to David
in his camp at Ziklag to report the death of Saul hoping for a reward or
favour by reporting the death of David’s chief enemy.
He was
aware of the differences between King Saul and David and wanted to be
the first to honor David with the report of Saul’s death, knowing that
David would become the next King of Israel.
He came to David as
if he was in great mourning and reported that Israel had lost the battle
and many were killed and that Saul and his sons were among the dead.
David wanted further proof about the death of Saul and the Amalekite
painted a story of heroism that cost him his life. He told David the
wrong kind of story trying to make it appear that he was a hero (verse
6-10).
David was not impressed with the testimony of a man who
testified with his own mouth that he killed King Saul who was the Lord’s
anointed, and he ordered his execution (verse 15-16). He ran in vain.
This story has implications for Christian believers that will stand
before the Judgment seat of Christ and give an account of their
Christian lives on earth.
On that Day of Reckoning, the fate of many
Christian believers will be like that Amalekite. They will tell stories
in expectation of a reward but will not impress Jesus Christ and will be
condemned to eternal Hell for telling the wrong kind of story like that
Amalekite.
Matthew 7:22-23 says:
‘’Many will say to me in
that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? And in thy
name have cast out devils? And in thy name have done many wonderful
works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from
me, you that work iniquity’’.
Those that the above scriptures
refer to, are believers that focused on their accomplishments for God in
ministry but God found them wanting in obedience to His commands and
they were condemned to eternal Hell.
This condemnation in Matthew
7:23 shall not be ours in Jesus name. We shall not end our Christian
lives and race in eternal hell in Jesus name. We shall not run in vain
in Jesus name, amen.
The disobedience of Adam to God’s express
instructions was the origin of sin and death in the lives of men which
has made all men born of a woman to become sinners and inheritors of
death – physical, spiritual and eternal. From Genesis to Revelation, the
Word of God lays very strong emphasis on obedience to God as the key to
His blessings.
In 1 Samuel Chapter 15, God directs King Saul to
attack and destroy the Amalekite nation and to destroy all humans and
animals. Saul destroyed the cities but he spared their king and the best
of the sheep and oxen and all that was good while destroying all that
was vile and refuse in his own eyes (verse 7-9).
In the eyes of
Saul, the invasion and destruction of Amalek was a military victory and
an accomplishment for God and Israel but saving their king and the best
of their cattle was a disobedience to God’s commands. Saul believed that
he had accomplished God’s directives (verse 20) but as far as God was
concerned, King Saul was disobedient to Him (verse 22-23).
In
this Last Day, many Christians and ministries are operating in the
opposite direction to the will of God which is tantamount to
disobedience to Him. Many ministries take greater delight in the
construction of Cathedrals for God above obedience to the Great
Commission to go into the world to seek for lost and perishing souls.
This is telling the wrong kind of story…accomplishment without
obedience!
Ministers are boasting of their ability and capacity
to conduct big crusades that draw crowds in the millions in one
gathering…the wrong kind of story!
God is interested in the
number of souls in the gathering that are saved. God is interested in
whether the messages of repentance and salvation were preached (Isaiah
58:1), and not fanciful topics like financial and earthly prosperity to
souls whose lives are bound in sin.
Many boast about their
capacity to raise multi-million naira and dollar offerings for God’s
work. One Pentecostal minister said that he has the anointing to raise
money for God…the wrong kind of story!
Many are boasting of
their church being the largest in the country or continent or having the
largest auditorium that can accommodate tens of thousands in one
gathering but if they are not preaching about the weightier matters in
the Word, they are telling the wrong kind of story!
Many boast of
their anointing to heal the sick, raise the dead and do many signs and
wonders, but without obedience to the Word, it is telling the wrong kind
of story!
Many boast about their knowledge of the Word of God
and ability to recite or quote Scriptures off-hand but if they are
working iniquity, it is telling the wrong kind of story!
Men
shall be judged not by knowledge of Scriptures alone but by their deeds
and obedience to the Word. The doers of the law shall be justified, not
the hearers only.
The richest pastor in the country but a hypocrite is to tell the wrong kind of story!
The best dressed pastor but an adulterer before God is telling the wrong kind of story!
The richest church but walking in spiritual darkness is telling the wrong kind of story!
A minister whose calling is evangelism, to preach the gospel but
abandoned it and veered into the pastoral ministry for financial
benefits is telling the wrong story!
An accomplishment for God at
the expense of obedience to God and His Word constitutes outright
disobedience to Him. 1 Samuel 15:22 says:
‘’Obedience is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams’’
Obedience is more important than all forms of religion – sacrifices,
offerings, rituals and ceremonies. It is the chief end of true religion;
and rebellion and stubbornness are a manifestation of the failure of
men to conform to truth.
God is interested in our total and uncompromising obedience to His Word
God is interested in holiness and righteous living (Luke 1:75)
God is interested in our consecration to Him and separation from the
world (Mark 8:34) (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) (1 John 2:15-17).
God is
interested in us preaching and teaching the congregations more about
the weightier matters – such as sin, salvation, repentance, restitution,
holiness, righteousness, purity, judgment, Hell, the Second Coming of
Christ and the Rapture of the Saints – than the minor matters such as
financial and earthly prosperity (Matthew 23:23).
God is
interested in us keeping our bodies holy as His Temple and not defiling
them with all manner of pollutions – sexual perversions, tattoos,
immoral and ungodly dressing etc. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)
God is interested in pure hearts and the renewal and transformation of our hearts and minds (Matthew 5:8) (Romans 12:1-2)
Speaking in tongues but living in open and secret sin is a life of
disobedience that ends in hell unless one repents and is genuinely
converted (Matthew 7:23) (Acts 3:19)
Ministers who divorced their
spouses and remarried contrary to Scripture, but have the anointing to
perform signs and wonders are living in disobedience that may end up in
eternal hell unless they repent and restitute (Matthew 7:23)
Building Cathedrals for God but not teaching the congregation the truths
that God wants them to hear (Isaiah 58:1) is disobedience that leads to
the condemnation in Matthew 7:23.
Outward holiness without
inward transformation and purity ends in hell. True holiness is both
within and without. (Ezekiel 36:26) (Mark 7:21-23).
Exercising
the gifts of the Spirit without having the fruit of the Spirit ends in
eternal hell. That is demonstrating the power of Christ without
possessing the character of Christ is anointing without character that
earns the condemnation in Matthew 7:23.
Preaching the Gospel;
raising the dead and healing the sick; performing signs and wonders in
the name of Jesus Christ; building cathedrals for Christ and raising
money to finance the gospel are good and great accomplishments for God
but without obedience to God defined in terms of intimate personal
relations and walking with Him in obedience to His Word, those
activities that constitute working for God without walking with Him are
vain that will earn the condemnation in Matthew 7:23.
May we not run our race to eternity in vain in Jesus name, amen.
Prayers:
Lord, have mercy on me for I am a sinner (Luke 18:13).
Power for holiness and righteousness, possess me in Jesus name
Lord, deliver me from the power and bondage of sin (Matthew 1:21)
Lord, let not sin have dominion over me (Psalm 19:7)
Lord, deliver me from the power of presumptuous sinning (Psalm 19:7)
Lord, break me down and remould me in Jesus name.
Ayodele John Adegbulugbe
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com
www.maritalsuccessresource.simplesite.com
www.relationship4growth.blogspot.com