When Saying Yes Isn't Obedience to God
When We Say Yes but Don't Obey
As a parent I know many of you can relate to the frustration of telling your child to do something and being completely ignored. Perhaps they didn't hear you, you think to yourself. So as you raise your voice you hope to get their attention. One child may frequently obey while another may delay or simply never do as you ask.
It is with this familiar problem that Jesus begins His Parable of the Two Sons found in Matthew 21:28-32. His audience is the Chief Priests and elders of the temple. He first asks them, "What do you think?" Then He sets up the story. The Father represents God. In the story He has two sons. He tells them, "Go and work today in the vineyard."
God Calls Us to Obey Today
There is urgency here. They must go and it must be today. They are not told to go "when they feel like it" or go "when the moment is convenient." They aren't going to watch others work, nor are they going to see if they are really needed. There is work to do, and it must be done today.
God Looks at Obedience, Not Just Our Words
Like many of our own children, the first son flatly says no. He won't go. But he feels bad for it, and goes anyway as he was told. The second son says he will do as he was told but then never does. The first son did not prove his repentance by saying he was sorry; he proved it by going to the vineyard. Then Jesus asks his hearers which son did the will of his father. "The first," they reply. They probably thought what an absurdly easy question. Why would Jesus ask them such an obvious question?
But then they find out the real reason He asked them this. They were examples of the second son. Jesus informs them that "tax collectors and prostitutes" will enter heaven before them. These "obvious" sinners repented of their sin and believed. They were examples of the first son, but the Chief Priests and elders did not. Their self-righteousness had deceived them. They said they would do God's will but it was only with their lips that they served God, not their hearts. What God expects is true submission.
Hearing God's Word Should Lead to Action
James 1:22 gives us a similar message. "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” Notice what James says. Those who are hearers only are capable of deceiving themselves. They know that they have heard God's word and they think that is enough. They don't realize that they heard but did not listen. They did not take those words to heart. If they had, they would have acted on them.
We should ask the same question of ourselves. Are we hearers, but not doers? Are we procrastinators who believe it is okay to wait until it is convenient for us to obey? God tells us repeatedly in His word that what He desires of us is not lip service but an obedient heart. But obedience is not merely about doing more religious things. True obedience begins when we hear God's Word, take it to heart, and turn from disobedience to obedience.
Repentance Turns Us Toward Obedience
In Ezekiel 18 God's Word comes to the prophet who explains that we are all personally responsible for being obedient to God. Those who persist in sin face death, while those who turn from their sin and practice righteousness live. Repentance and righteousness go hand in hand. God is fair because He judges perfectly. He is also merciful because the key is repentance, a turning from disobedience to obedience.
“Cast away from yourselves all the transgressions you have committed, and fashion for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.” Ezekiel 18:31
Like the two sons in Matthew 21, we have a choice and that choice comes to us each and every day.
Are We Saying Yes to God With Our Lives?
We may be like the first son in Jesus' parable. At one time in our lives we may have realized the need for obedience to God's will and said no. Maybe we did not want to give to the poor. Perhaps we hesitated to tell others of God's love. We may have committed sins: lying, stealing, adultery, or any number of other sins, but then we repented. We turned from those actions, or lack of them, and became obedient sons and daughters of our Father.
Repentance is more than feeling sorry for what we have done. It means turning from disobedience and turning toward God in obedience. A sinful beginning does not have to be a sinful ending.
Or like the second son we may have walked down an aisle once long ago and publicly professed our love for God but our lives never really showed it. The actions that match that profession never happened. A past profession of faith is not a substitute for a present relationship of faith and obedience. We may have thought to ourselves, "I'm a nice person and that's the only thing that matters."
The rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-22) gives us another example of how easily outward obedience can hide a heart that is unwilling to fully surrender to God. He assured Jesus that he had kept the commandments, yet when Jesus told him to give his possessions to the poor and follow Him, he went away sorrowful because he had great possessions. His problem was not simply what he possessed, but what he was unwilling to surrender.
If we say we want to be obedient to God, what does He want us to do? Have we prayed and read His Word? Have we asked for His direction in your life? Let's make a concrete plan of action. Today, when I am tempted to sin, I will seek the Holy Spirit and ask Him to help me through His strength to resist. Today, I will begin reading my Bible. Today, I will find someone in need and do something to concretely help them.
None of us want to deceive ourselves. Are we taking steps in the right direction toward becoming more obedient and loving Christians? Recognize that, of course, we aren't perfect, but each obedient step takes us further down the road toward our goal of holiness.
Over time we will be able to see the fruit of Christian maturity in our lives. We will have more faith, love, patience, kindness, gentleness, joy, self-control, and peace. It is through this fruit that we bless the lives of others.
Obedience does not mean that we never fail. We will still stumble and sometimes make wrong choices. Wandering from God can be a dangerous path. The difference is what we do when God shows us our disobedience. Do we defend it, excuse it, or turn from it and seek to obey Him?
We may know people who have said no to God. Perhaps we have said no ourselves. It is not too late to ask God for forgiveness. It is not too late to choose a different path. With God, our loving Father, to help us we can become obedient children. God's love is a free gift, never earned. We obey, not out of fear of punishment, but out of love for the God who sent His Son to die on the cross for my sins. For my sins.... To die for my sins....
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