OceanSide church of Christ
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RATIONALIZATIONS FOR DISOBEDIENCE
Victor M.
Eskew
INTRODUCTION
A.
Genesis
6:22
Thus did Noah,
according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
B.
Obedience is a beautiful
thing.
1.
Man conforms to the will of
God.
2.
God is
well-pleased.
3.
Man is greatly
blessed.
C.
Although obedience is
lovely, we often struggle with disobedience.
1.
Disobedience is foolish
behavior (Matt. 7:26).
And every one
that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a
foolish man, which built his house upon the sand.
2.
Sometimes we continue in our
disobedience because we have developed rationalizations for
it.
3.
Some of these
rationalizations involve the God of heaven. In this lesson, we want to consider some
these “Rationalizations for Disobedience.”
I. GOD
JUST DOESN’T UNDERSTAND
A.
Because God is God, there
are some who believe that He cannot understand their struggles with temptation
and sin.
B.
This might have been true
had God not carried out his scheme of redemption.
1.
The Bible says that God has
no sin (I John 1:5).
2.
It also reveals that He
cannot be tempted to sin (James 1:13).
C.
God, however, did act on
behalf of man. In so doing, His Son
was made flesh and dwelt among them.
1.
John
1:14
And the Word was
made flesh and dwelt among us…
2.
Wherefore in all
things it behooved him to made like unto his brethren… (Heb.
2:17).
3.
During His fleshly
existence, Jesus was tempted just as we are (Heb. 4:15).
For we have not
an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but
was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
4.
Jesus does understand our
struggles. He knows the power of
Satan’s enticements. He knows how
the evil one stalks the weak.
a.
He endured the same temptations without sin.
b.
Fortunately, when we yield to temptation, the Lord acts as our Advocate
before the Father in heaven (I John 2:1-2).
My little
children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our
sins: and not for ours only, but
also for the sins of the world.
II. GOD DOES
UNDERSTAND
A.
This rationalization is the
exact opposite from the first.
Here, the positive side of God’s nature is
emphasized.
1.
God looks down upon His
children and sees them in sin.
2.
God has pity and compassion
upon him.
3.
God’s love and mercy and
grace will forgive because He understands.
B.
The problem with the view is
that it has God bestowing forgiveness without any conditions placed upon the
sinner. Most of the time, the
sinner remains in his sinful condition believing that because God understands,
He will just forgive.
C.
The Bible does not present
an unconditional forgiveness from God.
There are conditions man must meet in order to be cleansed of his
sins.
1.
Proverbs
28:13
He that covereth
his sins shall not prosper: but who
confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
2.
Acts
3:19
Repent ye,
therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times
of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
3.
Acts
22:16
And now why
tarriest thou? Arise, and be
baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling upon the name of the
Lord.
4.
I
John 1:9
If we confess
our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness.
D.
God may pity the
sinner. He will love the
sinner. But, He will not forgive
until the sinner meets God’s terms of pardon (Exo. 34:7).
Keeping mercy
for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no
means clear the guilty…
III. GOD DOESN’T CARE ABOUT
WHAT I’M DOING
A.
This thinking has two
underlying assumptions within it.
1.
Sin can be classified: big & little, important &
non-important, public & private.
2.
God’s thinking on these
matters is reduced to man’s thinking about them.
B.
There are several
considerations that must be made.
1.
God does not think like we
think (Isa. 55:8-9).
For my thoughts
are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the
earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your
thoughts.
2.
Sin, whether big or little,
is the transgression of God’s law (I John 3:4).
Whosoever
committeth sin transgresseth also the law:
for sin is the transgression of the law.
3.
Transgression of God’s law
is always important to God.
a.
The unacceptable sacrifice of Cain (Gen. 4:5).
b.
The man who picked up sticks on the Sabbath (Num.
15:32-35).
c.
Moses who struck the rock instead of speaking to it (Num.
20:11-12).
d.
Saul who spared only Agag and the best of the flocks and herds (I Sam.
15:9).
e.
Uzzah who touched the ark to keep it from falling (II Sam.
6:6-7).
f.
All of the examples have come from the Old Testament. We did this because it was examples like
this the inspired writer had in mind in Hebrews 2:1-3.
Therefore we
ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at
any time we should let them slip.
For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression
and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; how shall we escape, if
we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the
Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.
IV. GOD DOES NOT
KNOW
A.
Most individuals who
understand something about God would never say this, but when they engage in
disobedience they act like God does not know.
B.
God does see us in our
sins. He does
know.
1.
Proverbs
5:21.
The ways of man
are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his
goings.
2.
Proverbs
15:3.
The eyes of the
Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
3.
Hebrews
4:13.
Neither is there
any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto
the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
CONCLUSION
A.
We began this lesson by
noting that obedience is a beautiful thing.
B.
Disobedience, on the other
hand, is ugly and shameful.
C.
No amount of rationalization
will make it right.
D.
God is definitely willing to
forgive our sin.
1.
Psalm
86:5.
For thou, Lord,
art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call
upon thee.
2.
However, He will only
forgive on His terms, not ours.