A Passion to Obey Him — Charles Stanley

The Passion to Obey God as an Evolving Commitment

The title of this message is a passion to obey God this is the second in our series on a passion for God a Passion first of all to know him and now a passion to obey him now. I want you to listen carefully in this message.

I want to give you three lists. So I want you to get out a pencil or pen and a piece of paper. Because you who are parents need to instruct your children very very early in life. On the whole issue of a passion to obey God all of us Adults need to examine very carefully.

Do we just like obeying him at times? Do we just have a desire that we just want to or do we genuinely have a passion to obey him? What I want to share with you is very practical not only will it be a method of developing a passion, but also a way to Evaluate that passion and of course the results of it.

I want to give you three lists and the first one is the evolution of a passion to obey God now. It would be easy if we could say now from this point on just start obeying God. That is just have a passion to obey God.

No one can issue that command to us and no one can give You and me a passion to obey and now remember that a passion is not just the desire, but it is a strong intense overwhelming emotional desire that is something that dominates and governs something that permeates and saturates and influences and impacts every single aspect of our life a passion to obey him.

So what I want us to see here is this it is something that evolves in our life. It is something that develops in our life. It is an attitude Toward the Lord Jesus Christ that doesn't simply come with salvation though.

That's the beginning. But it is an evolutionary process. It is a progression. It is the development of a strong ever-growing ever-intensifying desire and hunger and thirst and yearning to obey him that dominates and controls and Saturates every aspect of our life.

So where does it begin? And what I want you to see is it begins on the very lowest level. That is the very Foundation of the evolving of a passion to obey him begins where Probably most of us feel it and then I want to bring us to the ultimate that is the high stage.

These stages will not be the same in everybody's life. They won't be necessarily this consecutive or particular order. But they're there and it begins with this and I want you to jot them down there ten of them.

Fear of the Consequences of Disobedience

First of all This whole idea of a passion for God that is to obey him evolves first of all. The first stage is a fear of the consequences of disobedience. When you and I growing up and we trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior One of the first things that we learned or should have learned is to obey God because to fail to obey him will bring very Disastrous consequences in our life and so the beginning stage is a fear the fear of the consequences of disobedience in our life as We see the result of the consequences of disobedience in someone else's life.

So it begins with fear somebody says well, that's not a very good motivation. Yes, it is. Listen, it's better to obey God out of pure fear than not to obey him at all because God understands that fear is the beginning.

That's where we get in as beginners to obey him. First of all, because we fear secondly a Commitment to obey him that is the passion to obey him evolves at some point. We make a commitment Lord Jesus.

Commitment, Knowledge, and Desire for God's Best

I want to I want to obey you. I acknowledge that you're the Lord of my life. I acknowledge that you have the right to govern and to guide my life that you have the right to call the plays in my. And therefore I choose to make a commitment to be obedient to you and sometimes that commitment we understand and sometimes we don't understand the Consequences of that kind of a commitment, but that's part of it.

And so at no area and no place here do we suddenly reach some pinnacle? But it is an evolving process that goes on in our thinking as we think in terms of obeying him. Number three an Increasing knowledge of Christ that is as you and I begin to obey him and knowledge and understanding of who Jesus Christ is.

Who he is in us who we are in him what he's all about in life his purposes his goals as we begin to increase in our knowledge and understanding of who the Lord Jesus Christ is our Hunger our passion to obey him will increase likewise.

Number four. Then somewhere along the way we develop a desire for God's best. That is we're not satisfied with just what the world has to offer. We develop a hunger for God's best and my friend when you begin to walk God's best.

Naturally, that's going to be related to obedience because you soon discover as I obey him. Something very good happens in my life as I choose to disobey him somewhere along the way it becomes very evident that we suffer and so the desire to want God's best is a stage and a part and an element in the evolutionary process of developing a passion to obey him.

Faith in God's Promised Blessings

Number five and That is faith in his promised blessings. That is as you and I begin to read the scriptures. Here's what happens. We begin to say well, here's what God promised if they would do this and they did this and here's what God did and so what we begin to realize is in the scriptures God makes promises of blessing to his children when they obey him and Also, he warns them Admonishes them of the consequences of disobedience.

So first of all, we see that in the word before long we begin to track that in our own life. We say wait a minute. Here's what God asked me to do. Here's what God challenged me to do. But here's what I did and here was the consequence now.

Here's what God challenged me to do. That's what I did and this is the consequence. So what happens is we begin to develop a faith in the promised blessings of God that if we obey him He will bless us.

Listen. This is an irrevocable principle of Scripture. That is every single act of obedience is Rewarded otherwise God would be in debt to us when you and I obey him. God rewards us. We don't get all the rewards down here some of it.

We're going to get when we get to heaven but reward and blessing always follows obedience to him then. Number six, which is similar to that and that is the recognition. Past blessing following our obedience as we develop a faith in him.

Then what happens then we develop what we're able to trace back and look back and see what God is doing in the process that is he is. Challenging us to be obedient we obey him and he blesses us in return then number seven.

That is a realization that it is always wise somewhere along the way we begin to realize, you know. It's really always wise to obey him somehow. We think at times. Well, you know, I'm gonna do my own thing.

I know this is what God says. But at this point here's what I'm gonna do and you and I know in our heart there is no way to improve on God. There's no way in the world for God to tell us to do something and we come out with a better idea.

Listen, you can't improve on infinite wisdom and so part of the process this evolving process is. Somewhere along the way we begin to realize it is always wiser to obey God. Then if you will jot down number eight.

Teaching Children to Obey God

That is the encouragement of others. One of the stages in this evolving process of a desire or a passion to obey him is the encouragement of the people. Here's what happens when you obey him and you see you don't start that with your children after they get to be 17.

While you're still able to rock them while you're still able to talk to them and they don't have any earthly idea. What you're saying talk to those little Minds that cannot understand at that time about obeying God.

I want you to grow up to obey him. I want you to grow up to be what God wants you to be. They cannot respond can't even speak and what happens you think? Well, that's absolutely foolish. Oh, no, it's not God honors every father mother grandparent.

Whoever you may be who is in the process of instilling within those little minds the wonderful principles of Scripture. You don't start when they're 17 if you want them to have a passion to obey God you start so young.

That for them all they've ever heard is obey God obey God obey God obey God obey God. Doesn't mean they always will every single time as none of us do but what happens is you? Have begun to etch in their thinking you have begun to govern the direction of their life.

You begin to set in motion a direction for their life that it is always wise to obey God no matter where they go what they do what they're tempted with what they're tried with who says what and Challenges them deep down inside.

They'll ever be that recurring voice. Obey God. Trust the Lord obey him. It is wise to do obey God to disobey him. You're gonna suffer awesome consequences. They will never be able to escape it and that's why you and I need to encourage one another.

And we certainly need to encourage our children along those lines then. Number nine another part of the evolving process is our concern for a testimony. That is we have the privilege of having an impact on someone else's life we have the privilege of bearing a testimony in someone else's life and so that too becomes an Influence in an a part of the evolving process of developing a passion to obey him.

Obedience as a Testimony to Others

You think about the kind of impact that you as a mother you as a father can have upon your children. Very early in life. Listen, not only are you saying son above everything else? I want you to obey God if you don't do anything else just obey God.

Don't do what I tell you to do. You do what God tells you to do if a child hears that over and over and over and over what happens in that little mind. And that developing mind is that they see first of all that their dad their mom reverences God.

Acknowledges God that mom and dad are being obedient to God and if mom and dad are being obedient to God There must be some reason then you get them in the scriptures. They see what's going on in your life.

They hear you talking about obeying God and what happens something very very strange happens. And what it is is you set the sense of direction because of your concern. I believe every parent wants to be a good testimony to their children.

We want to be a good testimony an encouragement and a witness to other people who are in the process of trying to make very difficult decisions in their life and when you on your Job and your business in your home you make a very difficult decision.

That is a decision to obey God. I guarantee you somebody out there else is watching and looking to see what you do. So they'll decide well now if I were in that kind of a situation What would I do? Then they see God honor your obedience.

Then what happens the next time they get in a similar situation? They say well, I remember what happened. He obeyed God or she obeyed God and that's what God did for them. I'm going to do the same thing that becomes a part of the evolving process in this whole idea of developing a Passion to obey him a strong Overpowering sensitive desire to be obedient to him that desire to dominate into control permeate saturate influence impact every single aspect of our life.

And then number 10 and This is the last one and I want you to see where we've come from. Number 10 is love and devotion to Christ this should ultimately be the final and ultimate motivation for all of our Development of a passion to obey him that we love him that should be it.

But look where we've come from first of all. We began down here on the lowest stage the lowest level of obey him because we fear him. That is because we fear the consequences, but we have graduated and we have evolved and we have moved up the ladder to now.

Our motivation is not fear of the consequences though. We still understand that but now our motivation is we just love him. We love him for who he is. Therefore our passion to obey him is motivated above everything else simply because he is Christ because of who he is and our love and devotion and Loyalty to him is all the motivation we need for developing and for having a passion to obey him.

From Fear to Love: The Ultimate Motive

So somewhere along the way in that list of ten stages of steps or elements you find yourself. Are you still down here obeying him because you're scared not to or is it deep down inside that you have seen the consequences?

In other people's life as well as your own and have you come to the place that you say? Well, you know it makes no difference with anybody else ever knows or not I'm going to be obedient to God simply because I love him for who he is.

It is an evolutionary process and my friend isn't as a parent we should get that process going very very early in the life of our children and then you and I as their parents can Can encourage that and bring them through step after step as we interpret what's going on in their life and as the process begins to involve evolve God will begin to grow and to build into them as well as into ourselves a Passion to be obedient to him.

That is overpowering everything else. Every other influence in our life. The question is can I do this be this go there? Can I have this relationship and be obedient to Almighty God. Now, let me ask you a question.

How many of you? Have ever said in your life Lord Jesus. I Choose to be obedient to you regardless of the consequences. I'm going to do what you say do no matter what anybody else says or what happens or.

Are you one of those persons who has said I want to obey God? Listen want to and making a commitment to do it is entirely different. You one of those persons who've said well, yes I'm gonna be obedient to him, but you already in your mind have set limitations.

And so you've drawn a line out here. You said well, I'm going to obey God. Except when I can't see my way clear, then I'm not sure I'm gonna do it or if he requires too much I'm not certain that I'm gonna do it or if I'm afraid or if you know.

If I don't think I can do it and what we do is we subconsciously draw a line. We subconsciously decide what our reservations are going to be what our limitations are going to be and I want to ask you a very very sobering question if Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life.

Where did you ever get the idea that you had a right to draw a line on Christ and to tell him that you're going? To obey him up to a certain point. You're going to obey him if you're going to obey him except you're going to obey him when My friend he is not the Lord of your life and my life in a practical fashion.

If at any time and in any place we draw a line and say to him Lord I'm willing to obey you, but I just can't handle that. I'm not saying that we won't have struggles in our life and I'm coming to that.

But let me ask you a question have you ever in your life ever made a commitment to Jesus Christ Lord Jesus on the basis of who you are the virgin-born incarnate Son of God the Savior of the world the Lord of life and my very life.

The judge before whom I shall stand one of these days and give an account of my life Lord Jesus. I choose here and now to make a decision to obey you the rest of my life. No matter what the consequences are now you and I are not going to obey him every single time.

But my friend there is something about coming to a decision whereby you say from this point on that which ultimately governs my decision-making process is Basically one thing what does Almighty God want me to do and the problem in the church today?

And the problem among too many of God's people is we've never made a decision. We just make decisions week after week and we make decisions day after day, but we have never made the final decision. We've never made the most crucial decision of all Lord Jesus.

Because you are who you are. I choose that the bottom line of my life is obedience to you. No matter what how can we sing Jesus Christ as Lord? When we've never made a commitment. How can we talk about loving the Lord Jesus Christ if we have reservations?

We've drawn lines. We've set limitations. He's not the Lord of my life if I have one. Single limitation if I have one single reservation and here's our problem. We listen to the world. We are highly influenced by the world and we have a very nonchalant attitude about living Obediently before God.

I'm not talking about legalism. Have you kept the ninth commandment? Have you kept every single law in the Old Testament? No, no. No, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about just doing what you and I know to do and stop trying to rationalize that disobedience before him.

Living the Christian life is serious business and Jesus Christ is Lord is what he came to be in my life. Salvation was to get us in a position whereby he could exercise his lordship and express his life.

Salvation is just the beginning people who are saved and sit down and just sort of satisfied because their names in the Lamb's Book of Life and they go into heaven. You've missed the whole point of the Christian life.

He saved you in order to live in you and to express his life through you and to impact other people in this world. Through your life. So I want to ask you again. Have you made a decision in your life a commitment?

That you're going to obey God are you just still wanting to and would like to and you plan on it and Count on you sometimes. Well, let me ask you a question who's running your show. I Can tell you one thing then that to drive us in anybody's heart.

There's only one it's either Christ or Myself and If I have made a commitment to obey him, I may stumble and fall all over myself and get mud all over my face but my heart. My desire the intensity of my soul is to obey him and I will correct my failure and move on in obedience to him that is an evolutionary process and some of you've been going to church for 20 30 40 50 years and you have never made a commitment in your life.

That Jesus Christ who is Lord is Lord. I Choose to obey him no matter what the consequence. Then you wonder why your kids don't you wonder why they go away to college and blow it and embarrass you. I'll tell you why because they didn't see it and they didn't hear it and they didn't learn it and therefore they didn't apply it.

Do you know who Jesus is? Listen, he's not a buddy. Jesus Christ is God. I Have no rights. Except the rights to allow him to live his life in me. I want to give you ten more points. How will we know? When we have a passion to obey him number one real simple the bottom line of my decision-making process will be Obedience to God.

Obedience as the Bottom Line of Decision-Making

That's what I've been talking about. The bottom line of my decision-making process will be obedience to God. That is no matter what the situation what the circumstance what I'm going to ask. When I have a passion to obey him what I'm going to ask is can I do this and be obedient to God?

Can I go here and be obedient to God? Can I develop this relationship and be obedient to God? Is this what God wants in my life? That's the bottom line and My friend as a child of God and as a follow of Jesus Christ, that's what it's all about.

That's it. So all decisions have to be sifted. Listen, every decision must be sifted through the will of God. Is this what God wants if it is not what God wants? That's not what I want. Second evidence of a passion to obey God is the instantaneous obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit if I have a passion to obey him when God says do something my first response is going to be to do it.

Instantaneous Obedience to the Holy Spirit

He said oh, wait a minute. I'm coming to what you're thinking about. So just stay with me the first response is going to be if that's what God wants, that's what I want to do, that's what I choose an Instantaneous response to obey the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Now how often does the Spirit of God speak to you and you say well? Lord show me your will and you don't want to know God's will because you want to do it. You want to know God's will because you want to consider it.

I want to tell you something when Jesus Christ is the Lord of my life. I don't find God's will for my consideration discussion evaluation and subjective Examination of it. I want to know the will of God in order to be Obedient to God because I know that he is wise and what he tells me to do.

There are a lot of people who just want to know it so they can think about it. No. We want to know it so we can obey it. So first of all, the first evidence is the bottom line my decision-making process is what does God want me to do?

The second evidence is as we said here the instantaneous Response to the Holy Spirit to do whatever God says do now number three. Get this one down. Even when we struggle. Even when we struggle With the decision the goal is obedience not justification for disobedience.

Obedience Rather Than Justifying Disobedience

Even when we struggle with the decision the goal is obedience not justification for disobedience. Now, let me explain that there are times when God is going to challenge you and me to do things that are going to be very Difficult sometimes they're going to be costly.

Sometimes it's going to be painful. Sometimes we're going to suffer. Sometimes the consequences are going to be more than we think we can handle and sometimes our first response may be Oh dear Lord I must be misunderstanding what you're saying.

You couldn't be saying that to me. There is no way I could do that. That is our first response sometimes when God challenges us now our Our response is not sinful because. Sometimes God knows that what he's about to do is going to stretch us challenge us lead us into waters.

We've never waded through before climb mountains that we never thought we could come over. And so our first response is not because we don't want to do it. But because as we look at ourselves, we don't think we're capable of doing what God has called us to do.

So God understands that but what I want you to see is this. When you and I have a passion to obey him even in our struggles and we are thinking Lord. There's no way or when we fear the suffering we fear the pain.

We fear the loss. We can't figure out what the consequences are going to be even when we're struggling. Our goal is to obey him to want to obey him to get to the point. We know we're going to obey him not to justify disobedience.

A man or woman has a passion for God. Their goal is to obey never to justify their disobedience. So I understand there's going to be struggles and I understand we're going to fail. That's not even the issue.

Listen. God has provided for my failures and yours to the shed blood of Jesus Christ and thank God He says my sin not in part, but the whole was nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Hallelujah praise God it is well with my soul.

God has already taken care of their failures. It is the heart's desire. Do we have an intense yearning hungering thirsting burning overwhelming desire to be obedient to God? No matter what the consequences are even in our struggle.

The goal must be a desire to obey him and not an escape from the consequences of it now. Number four. When you and I have a passion to obey him our focus is going to be on obeying him not on the consequences.

Obedience Rather Than Consequences

When we have a passion to obey him our first concern our focus is going to be on obeying him not the consequences. He is what happens oftentimes. God will challenge us with something and the only thing that really concerns us.

What are the consequences. What's going to happen to me? What's going to happen to my family? What's going to happen to my finances? What's going to happen to these relationships. Our concern becomes more on the consequences than on obeying God?

It says that I am far more interested in me than I am in Christ. I'm interested in my plan and my program rather than in his because all I'm focusing on are the possible Consequences when first of all, I don't even know what the consequences are going to be.

I may think I do so I'm focusing on these consequences that I think are going to be costly and painful when God wants me to focus on the Thing that he called me to do. A man or a woman who has a passion for God will focus on obedience and not the consequences of that obedience because they are learning and have learned that God will take care of all the consequences.

Commitment Regardless of the Consequences

Number five a person who has a passion to obey him is Committed to obedience regardless of the consequences. We are committed to obedience regardless of the consequences. The consequences are not the determining factor.

The determining factor is we've made a commitment. The determining fact is that Jesus Christ is Lord and the consequences don't really have a lot to do with whether I obey him or not. Listen, if God is in control of all of our circumstances I should never make a decision based on the consequences of what I think the consequences are going to be.

But rather what did God tell me to do? Whatever God says do a man or a woman with a passion to obey him is not focusing on the consequences. But focusing on obedience not concerned about The consequences but concerned about obedience and what do they do?

They make the decision regardless of the consequences and I can think of times in my own life when I absolutely Want no question about it. I was scared to death of the consequences. I thought Oh God This is it.

You're gonna wipe me out for good. I understand and he understood what I meant by that and that was part of my ignorance and in the process of learning how God Operates it works in our life. But you see when we have a passion for him, that's not our concern.

We have a passion for him. We obey him and what we leave the consequences to him. We just leave them to him. First of all, you and I will never be able to figure out how consequences are gonna work out in our life now.

Sometimes we can. But sometimes what we do is we make them a whole lot worse than God knows. They're going to be and how many times have you said Oh Lord, I this just no way. Oh God, we moan and groan and we hesitate we disobey we rebel then finally we yield and surrender we think My goodness wasn't like that at all.

How good could God be? You see you can't figure out the circumstances. That's why when you and I have a passion for him we get beyond that and so we say yes to God regardless of the Consequences because we have learned that he's big enough to take care of them and listen.

Because we also have learned that no matter how painful and difficult No matter how much it may cost us and how much we have to suffer He's gonna take every bit of that weave it into our life and turn it out for our good.

Therefore we don't major on the consequences we major on being obedient to him. Then let's move to number six a person who has a passion to obey God is Continually seeking the mind of God you see how well you're gonna obey him if you're not continually seeking him.

Seeking the Mind of God Through Scripture

Which means that person is going to be in the Word of God. Reading and discovering the principles of Scripture. How did God operate in this situation? Why does God work in this way. A person has a passion for him is continually seeking and sensitive to the mind of God?

Desires to know the mind of God desires to know how he operates in the Word of God reading and applying and listening. But a person has no passion for God sort of going about doing their own thing. Hoping they'll pick up the right idea and maybe they'll make the right decision.

That's the difference in a passion for God and a person who does not have it. Many of God's people make decisions. And here's what they do. They make decisions and then pray. Oh Lord. I just want you to bless what we've done.

My friend he's under no obligation to bless anything that he has not initiated. If it's initiated by man, then God must say, okay. Let's see how well you can handle it and most of the time it doesn't work even when it may make an immediate public display of being good ultimately God knows what the ultimate consequences are and Many women who have a passion to be obedient to him I believe have an intuitiveness about them a perception about them a discernment about them and they are before long able to foresee and discern.

Oftentimes what the consequences are going to be when people around them have no earthly idea of what's going to happen. That's God giving himself to a man or woman who has a passion to obey him. No matter what then not only we'll be continually seeking the Lord God, but also a Person who has a passion to know him will also have a hungering yearning desire.

Listen a hungering yearning desire to know him better. That is you and I'll never be satisfied. Just doing our daily Bible readings. Well, let's just get up in the morning and read through a few verses so we can pray and go on to work right quick.

No. There's going to be this hunger in your heart to know him. There's going to be this desire in your heart to discover new things about him. Somebody says well, you know, I've read the Bible through.

So what listen? So what? You take a straw and suck on it till you emptied the Atlantic the Pacific and all the other oceans and Rivers and streams and creeks and fountains on the face of this earth. Then you will have just begun to learn a little something about God.

We'll never learn all the infinite wisdom that there is to know about him and you see a passion to obey him is Accompanied by a passion to know him and that's why we began this series with that title a passion to know him.

Because you see if I really have a passion to know him I'm gonna have a passion to obey him and if I haven't a passion to obey him I'm gonna have a passion to know who is this Christ? To whom I have made the commitment whatever you say, that's what I'm gonna do no matter what the consequences are.

That's what I'm going to do my friend. If you have a passion to obey him you're going to have a passion. You're gonna have a deep yearning hungering thirsting desire to know him that will never be satisfied.

Because you see here's what happens. The more, you know him what the more you want to know him the more you enjoy him. The more you want to enjoy him the more you obey him the more you won't obey him.

It is that insatiable hungering thirsting yearning. It is on one hand. We're satisfied, but dissatisfied. I'm content in knowing him, but I'm discontent the fact that I don't know enough. There's more to discover about him there's more in this relationship there's more in this intimate relationship that I'm yet to discover.

A Person who has a passion to obey him will also have a passion to know him even better than they know him now. Then number eight watch this one a person who has a passion to obey him listen carefully.

The Opinion of Others Cannot Govern Obedience

The opinion of others will never be the deciding factor in their decision-making. The opinion of others will never be the deciding factor in their decision-making and this is where a lot of people get in trouble.

What do you think I ought to do? Well, I think you ought to do this. What do you think I should do? Well, I think you ought to do this. Well, what what's your idea? Well, this is what I think. Well, what how do you feel?

Well, I don't think any of that's right. Let me ask you a question. How in the world can you obey God asking everybody else what you ought to do and you see listen you and I? Ought to be mature enough as believers or at least maturing to the realization that God will show you.

Exactly what to do you say. God doesn't speak to me. Yes, he does. You may not be listening, but I'm here to tell you he's speaking. He's got a whole book 66. I'm wrapped up in what you and I call the Holy Bible in which God has already spoken to every single one of us and He will also speak by his spirit to your spirit giving instruction clear instruction as to what you and I ought to do next.

You see the opinion of others. There are a lot of people who make decisions on the basis of whether they will be rejected or accepted by others. And I want to say this to my pastor friends who may be watching or listening my friend if you pastor your church and.

You operate on the basis and you make decisions on the basis of whether your people like you agree with you or not. You are destined for failure. God called you to be the leader not the follower. He called you to listen to him follow him obey him lead others and not simply to ask everybody's opinion.

That does not mean that we're not to seek godly counsel. But I'm here to tell you that ultimately the final decision is what does God want you to do? The people you work around everybody you work around has got an opinion.

The people you live around your family. They've got an opinions. Here's the problem making decisions based on other people's opinion. Here's what happens. Let's say that you go through a difficult time.

It is natural and normal. Natural and normal for people who love you who want to get you through something or help you out or let's get on through This in a hurry. We don't want you to suffer. We don't want you to hurt.