CONSEQUENCES?

You know leading into this specific topic (the consequences of not submitting to God) I really wasn't quite sure how to approach it with you. I see a real gap between what I read in scripture as consequences of not submitting to God and what we experience today. It confuses me at times if I were to be totally honest with you. You read scripture especially the Old Testament and you see very obvious consequences when humans do not submit to God's authority. Adam and Eve you disobeyed. You are out of the garden of Eden. There is this rebellion where a bunch of men under a guy named Korah rebel against God via Moses and Aaron.  You know what their consequences were?  They were actually swallowed up by the earth!  I didn't make that up, it's found in Numbers, it's called the Korah rebellion and 250 people who disobeyed God were swallowed up by the earth right there. Done! How about Jonah, he disobeys God. He tells God that he doesn't want to go to Ninevah and what happens? He's swallowed up by a huge fish which swims to Ninevah and pukes him out on the beach. Any more questions Jonah? The bible is full of this, disobedience and rebellion brings a response from God.  More specifically it brings a devastating, obvious and usually very painful response from God.  See here is my confusion on this subject, I have rebelled against God. I have gone my own way instead of submitting to what God has commanded in my life and you know what. The ground has never swallowed me up. I wasn't struck by lightning. A huge fish never swallowed me up and puked me out where God wanted me to be in the first place.  In some ways, that may have been easier or at least clearer to see such an obvious response from God. At least you see that you are out of line, right?  So its confusing, to the man or woman completely out of the cover of God’s authority, who is living the “American Dream”, where’s the pain?  Where’s the consequence?  They look pretty darn successful if you ask me!  What keeps running through my mind is the fact that today you can be completely out of line with God's authority and look (to human eyes) like a huge success in this world. I think of a man like Hugh Heffner, living in a huge mansion doing whatever he pleases...money, women, parties, cars, mansions. Yeah that looks really rough to be living a life of disobedience to God.  Not seeing a lot of pain there am I?  Now I get to teach on consequences?!? Those consequences don't look all that bad, do they? I'll take it a step further, many people are living out the “American dream” big house, couple of kids and a couple of cars; they look like they are doing great and they are completely out of the cover of God's authority. Then I look at a man like Matt Chandler, a preacher and a speaker, doing whatever the Lord wants whenever God wants.  Completely submitted to God’s commands, helping thousands really grasp the gospel. He is a disciple and a warrior for God, who just found out he is terminally ill with brain cancer. What? It makes me think of this one particular Psalm written by Asaph.

So what's the deal? We have learned that God is after obedience. We know that sin can be defined with one specific word, disobedience. We pick up our bibles and we read of the pain that comes to the children of Isreal and others when they are not submitting to the Lord, but today we don't see these drastic, obvious consequences for not submitting to God's authority. But you know what?  There are still consequences and in many ways by being so subtle, they are much, much more dangerous. I think what terrifies me about the ramifications of not submitting to God in today’s day and age is that if you are not looking for them, you will never grasp you are out of line with what God wants. You may not grasp the full consequences of your lack of submission until you are standing before Jesus on Judgment Day. Honestly, that is not the time to realize we’re out of the cover of God's authority. So what we really need to do is understand some of the products of disobeying the God of the universe before it’s too late.

Have you ever noticed how many Christians walk through life, restless? Frustrated? Maybe miserable is the proper term. I noticed something in a lot of men and women who know God lately.  They aren't walking in the fruit of the spirit.  Paul tells us what the fruit of a life filled with the Holy Spirit should be...

How many Christians do you know that you clearly see walking in these fruit?  Not many is there?  What bugs me more is that I run into men and women at work or around town, who do not know God as there personal savior.  What amazes me is they show more fruit of the spirit than most Christians!  Honestly they show more of this fruit than I do a lot of the time. Man that bothers me. That observation is something I have given a lot of thought to lately and I realized something - most Christians are struggling for control of their life, and their misery comes from the understanding that God is in control yet kicking and screaming to have things in life go the way we would still like them to go. Kind of takes me back to that scripture in Proverbs...

Proverbs 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. NIV

You see to live a life in Christ filled with the Holy Spirit these fruit should just be exploding out of your heart.  It should be glaringly obvious to those around you.  That is why Ken told us that when we are in rebellion we show ourselves to others. When we submit to authority, we show God to others.  Something else I'd like to point out about the fruit of the spirit.  Notice it's not the fruits of the spirit, it’s not plural, it’s not many fruits but one.  All of these things add up to the one fruit of a life in Christ. Take an honest look at your own life for a moment. Do you see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control? Do you see these things in your life? If you don't see them (and I mean all of them) it's because in some area of your life you are still fighting God for control. Yes you have an idea of what it should be but in the end God determines your steps. This is the test, check out the fruit in your life, it is a great "tell" as to whether or not you are under God's authority or trying to push though life doing it your way.

Let's go back to the subject of control for a moment because in the end that is what we are talking about right?  I love the exchange between the prophet Samuel and King Saul, look at what Samuel tells Saul.

You look at the world today and it is all about taking control of your own life. Pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps and climbing the ladder to success. We don't need God today do we? We can pause live TV for crying out loud! The scariest thing about the consequences of our disobedience today is that we may not see it until Judgment Day.  We just may never grasp our disobediance.  In many of our cases however, God will show us the mercy of dragging us along rock bottom for as long as it takes for us to get it. (I know in my case with all my stubbornness it took a lot of pain) but I realize that the pain I endured as I tried to live life my way, was an act of mercy as my loving Father showed me my disobedience and need for HIM!  Not everyone is blessed enough to have the Lord crush you to the point of grasping your need of God.  It truly is a blessing.

Deception- The scary thing is we aren't getting swallowed by huge fish today, we aren't getting swallowed up by the earth.  We have nice homes, money, and all the results that tell human eyes we are doing well. In the end we find out that this may be some of the devils greatest work. The deception he has thrown on this world. The whisper to each person which says,”go it alone”, “stay in control.” In the end, it's better to feel the pain now, rather than on Judgment Day kneeling before the Warrior King. There are many good people, good Christian people who look like they are doing everything right. They are maybe even helping people, and feeling great in the process. They are living their lives praying, reading scripture and doing it all well with one exception. They are living their lives as they see fit. In the end they are in control and instead of stopping and listening to God and doing what He would ask of them, they ignore Him and do what they feel is right for God and for them. In the end it's still disobedience. God could care less about our religious acts...

Isaiah 1:13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations — I cannot bear your evil assemblies.

Isaiah 1:15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; NIV

(I would like to talk to you today about the story of Saul and Amalak and how he did what seemed right but would soon find out he was not impressing God one bit.)

You can do everything right. You can come to church every Sunday.  You can read your bible and pray everyday but if you aren't willing to submit to God’s plan it is all for not. God is not interested in your religious acts, He is after your heart. He is after your obedience to His ultimate authority, why? Because He is the God of the Universe and He said so. ;)

When I started really preparing this message I felt the consequences of not submitting to God were restlessness, worry, doubt, fear, misery, depression, frustration...really anything lacking from Paul’s list.  Simply put, the opposite of the fruit of the spirit Paul told us about in Galatians.  But I’ve come to realize they aren’t the consequences as much as they are the warning.  They are the signs that we are out of the cover of God’s authority for our lives.  We should constantly be looking at our own lives and trying to see the fruit, if we don’t see it we are out of line somewhere.  It needs to set off an alarm in your life.  Why, because we want God to move in our lives. The consequence as I see it, and its bigger than we can fathom is just that. When we do not submit to God we limit what He can do with and through and in our lives our lives.

Minimizing God- I’ve told you before anytime you try to put God in your box it is demonic.  Guys, by staying in control of your life you are trying to jam God in your box.  By disobeying God you are limiting how the supernatural could move in your life.  You actually are limiting God and what is possible!  That is a horrifying consequence in todays world.  In the church’s beginning think of the amazing things we see as God moves through ordinary people.  Why don’t we see it today?  It’s because in churches and in our world today, we have jammed God into our box.  There was a time when with you have the tiniest bit of faith mountains could move, nothing was impossible.  We saw miracles happening, God tangibly touching lives in enormous ways, today God seems so distant doesn’t He?  It’s because we are not allowing God to move, we rationalize God.  We place restrictions on what is possible and what is impossible.  instead of elevating and worshiping His enormity and power we lower God to our little rationalized world.  We need the God of the universe to make sense to our simple human brains and what doesn’t make sense doesn’t exist anymore.  I just can’t escape this, the single consequence of our disobedience is that we have actually boxed God in to what we want Him to be.  Our lack of submission is smothering out what could be in this world if we could just bow our knee and do what God wants, without question or doubt.  We must, we must, we must, begin to grasp the reality that God is bigger.  That this is not a democracy, we have no say in the outcome, to embrace God’s authority allows God to move in you and through you in incredible ways.  Kicking and screaming to stay in control is disobedience, which we all know is sin.  It’s not shooting heroin or killing someone but in many ways it’s much more demonic, because you are not allowing the God of the universe to move through you, to move in you, or to show himself to others through you!  I know there isn't a person in love with Jesus today who would knowingly minimze God but that is exactly what is happening and we need to see it.

With God all things truly are possible, but we must stop minimizing and rationalizing God and allow Him to do what only He can do!  So test yourself today, go through the fruit of the spirit.  Check the warning signs.  Are your constantly restless?  Are you constantly fearful and or worried about tomorrow?  Do you see the fruit of the spirit in your life?  Do others see the fruit in your life?  Odds are you will see glaring holes in the list, and rest assured that means that you are probably still needing your fingers to be pried off of some area of your life that you can’t give over to God.

If you are not submitting to God you are minimizing what God can do with, through and in your life.  -That my friends, is very, scary consequence.

Love, Hector