Decisions and Destiny III, The Benefits of Obeying God

We need God to be in those places where we don't have answers. Over these last few weeks as we've been looking very, very carefully at how to hear the Lord's voice, how to know it's really Him. We have to face the facts that there are times when we don't really know why. We don't know why it's been silent. We don't know why we haven't heard. We don't know why the voice that we want to hear so clearly just doesn't seem to be there. But we did affirm last week and even today that those gentle hands are there, holding us and seeing us through and carrying us on the way. But whether in a silent time or in a very clear period where God just seems to say one thing after another, the issue is your response. Will you obey the things God is telling you to do or will you simply fall off into your own pattern and do the things that you perceive you ought to do? Your response to those leadings of God will determine whether or not your Christian life will go on in fruitfulness and go on perhaps with just a little bit different sense of destiny than maybe you once thought it had. About eight years ago, right around this time, I was traveling up and down Route 19 almost every day looking for a place for this little church to meet and it was an interesting time because we had about 40 or 50 people in home groups and we thought, well, we needed a building we could have maybe 70 or 80 come to worship. And so periodically I would stop down here. This building was empty. Nobody was here. It wasn't operating. There was no business in it. We went up and down. We looked at the place. It's the Pittsburgh Auto Mechanics. There used to be a car showroom. We tried everything, you know. We were going to stick this church somewhere. One Saturday, about the 22nd of March, 21st of March, 1981, I was with a friend. We started traveling up Route 19 and I sensed the Lord prompting me to stop in this building again. I said to the friend, you know, I stopped at that Mr. B's a few times, but I feel like the Lord... So we pulled down and to my amazement, somebody was here. In fact, they were occupying that front office out there unloading boxes. Went in and happened to be Mr. George Bradley from the South Hills. He said, yeah, we're gonna open up a catering restaurant. I said, great. How about if we'd be your first customer? He said, well, who are you with? I said, well, we're with a church that hasn't started yet. You see the dollar signs falling away from his eyes. I said, no money here. He was figuring. I said, well, let me think about it. The next day or Monday, he called me back. He said, well, we decided to go ahead and give it a shot. And we became the first customer of the Bradley House North. Little did he know that five years later, we would occupy the entire building. But you see, it was the response to that leading. If I hadn't stopped down here, I don't know where we would have been. And these leadings come in all kinds of ways and all these messages that we get even in the times in the morning we're with God. We need to understand that our response to them is very important. Sometimes it'll come just in the course of the day. One couple shared with me a few weeks ago after the prayer to a promised banquet, what they thought they were supposed to give as a commitment pledge, they both discerned that the Lord had spoken to them to increase it by thousands of dollars more than they had planned. And I want to tell you, they said that was fearsome. We didn't have any idea where that money was going to come from. But we both independently came up with the same figure. And so after the banquet, we wrote out the pledge card. We said, Lord, this is really, it's got to be you. Put it in there. Ten days later, the head of the household got his Christmas bonus from his company. It was four times more than he'd ever gotten before and covered 50% of his total pledge for the three years. He was amazed. He said, well, that would have happened anyhow. Who knows? Who knows when your step of obedience opens the door for God to do something greater than you'd ever imagined. Those leadings are so important, everyone. And what you do with them is so important. I talked last week about three ways to increase your hearing. I said, remember that you were to focus and anticipate that you're going to hear him speak. Some of you need to anticipate that the Lord is going to speak to you in this next 20 minutes. And then you need to eliminate hindrances. You need to eliminate the things that would be distractions to you. Because if you don't, there's just too much interference out there. You need to be still. And then you need to cultivate your hearing ear. You need to say, this is the way I'm going to hear the Lord. I'm going to spend... How many of you started that 30-day prayer listening commitment? Anybody? A number of you. I pray if you didn't start it, it's not too late. Start today, Lord. Give him 30 days, every morning or evening, whenever it is, to listen to his voice. And I outlined that in last week's message. I want to tell you something. God is starting to break in on people's experience. But obedience is still where it's at, church. And when I see a little drama like this, and I think of the ways in which many of you are facing those times when God isn't speaking clearly, or when I think of those of you who've heard him and you're not sure what to do, I'm going to call that time from when you make the decision to obey the Lord to when you see it happen. You see, when Greg and Kathy said, we're going to trust God, they made a decision. But they don't have the baby. Well, that period of time, I'm going to call for this morning's message, the tunnel of obedience. The tunnel of obedience. How many parents love the word obedience? How many of you know the difference between an obedient child and one that's just a little on the rebellious side? Big difference. Church, God knows the difference. He knows the ones that want to do his will. Now, he loves everyone. You love your rebellious kids just like you love your obedient ones. But God loves to hear that Father I will of his obedient children. And his word says an awful lot. I was astounded this week as I really took a long look. Listen to some of the scriptures. Here, O Israel, you should listen and be careful to obey, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly. Deuteronomy 6.3. Or how about this familiar verse? Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Say it with me. For behold, to obey is better than sacrifice. And to heed than the fat of rams. What is that saying? The Lord is saying it's better to obey what I've shown you than to come in here and just start praising and lifting your hands and go out and do your own thing. It's better to obey. It's best to do both, but it's better to obey. Than to sacrifice. This tunnel of obedience is something that every one of us will face at different times, maybe every day. This tunnel of obedience is a time when you're not sure what's going on. And you haven't seen the fruit yet. Young gal in her early 20s came to me several months ago. She said, Pastor Jay, God's been doing some things in my life, and I know that I'm supposed to move out of the apartment I've been sharing with a man for the last three years. She said, I know I should do it. I know it's time, but I'm afraid to do it. I've come to depend on him. I think I even love him, but I know that I need to move out. And I encouraged her to obey the Lord, and she did so. And several weeks later, she stopped me again. She said, I want you to know they've been difficult weeks. It's not been fun. When's the pain gonna stop? And I told her, in effect, it's gonna stop when you come through the tunnel of obedience. And you emerge out the other side. You see, this tunnel begins when you speak the word the Lord's given you to speak. When you write the letter, He told you to write. When you send in the check, that's a sacrifice. That's when you enter into the tunnel. When you begin that act that you know the Lord prompted you to begin. Why did I call it a tunnel of obedience? That's not a scriptural term. Here's why. You see, think of the tunnels you know. Think of the Fort Pitt Tunnel. Get the image of that in your mind, or maybe up in Blue Mountain on the turnpike. Or maybe if you go skiing out in Vail. You know, there's the Eisenhower Tunnel. You got to go through there to get to Vail. All my friends tell me that. I've never been there, but I heard about it. Well, it's number one. I'm calling it a tunnel because it's narrow. You know, a tunnel has a wall on one side, and what's on the other side? Yeah, traffic coming right at you. And you see, the Bible says that God's will is a narrow road. Jesus said this way, broad is the road that leads to destruction, but narrow is the road of my will, and few are they that find it. It's a narrow road. It's also called a tunnel because it's fairly dark in there. How many of you know when you step out to obey the Lord, you don't always see very clearly? It's not all there in front of you. It's not obvious to you where this thing is going, and some of the hardest times that you'll experience as a Christian is when it's dark in the will of God. Let me say this. Most tunnels of obedience that you go into, you will not see the light at the end when you start. One of my favorite tunnels, one that I traveled a lot, was the Hampton Roads Tunnel. Everyone ever been down there on the way to Virginia Beach, the Hampton Roads Tunnel? Well, that tunnel goes down under the Chesapeake, part of the Chesapeake Bay Inlet there. And it goes down a long way, and then lays on the bottom, and then comes up again. I remember going down there, first time I was dating my wife, and our mom lived in Virginia Beach, and it was a long tunnel. I got down the bottom thing, and there's nothing above me but millions of gallons of water. You know, I marveled at how they built that thing in the first place. Then when we had kids, you know, we'd go down there and we'd be sitting on the bottom. Every once in a while, traffic would stop. You know, that's a scary moment, isn't it? Down at the bottom, and all this water up there, and there's, you know, all the things you can feel it rocking. And you still can't see the light at the end. And I remember many times, climbing out of that tunnel, just glad to see that little light get bigger and bigger and bigger. I said, whoosh, made it again, you know? Well, the way you go through the Tunnel of Obedience, sometimes you go down a long way. I believe there's some people here this morning, you're right down at the bottom, and it's flat, and all you sense is you're just surrounded by millions of gallons of water. And you don't know why, but you can't see the end, and it's kind of dark, and maybe even a little smoky in there. Because there's other travelers in the tunnel with you. And obedience is a tunnel we travel because it's also, number four, taking us to a destination. Aren't you glad to know that God is taking you somewhere? You're just not on a random journey, but a tunnel leads to somewhere. The Fort Pitt Tunnel coming through leads to the city from out west. And God is taking you on a destination that's going to lead somewhere. And where that is, is the center of His will, where you can enjoy the blessings of His provision. Think of all the people that have traveled that tunnel before you. Think of Abraham. He was 15 years in the tunnel. Oh, wow. Or Moses. Moses went into a Hampton Roads Tunnel of sorts. Remember that? He stepped out, and there was the big red sea, and he had two million people with him, and the Egyptians... And he said, what? He said, Lord, what are we going to do? The Lord said, just lift your staff, and he made a tunnel right through the water. They didn't even go down under it. They just went right through it. That would have been pretty neat, I'd say. Think of all the people that have gone into that tunnel before you. Ladies, think of Esther. Queen Esther. God said, you go to the king, and you plead for my people. And she knew full well that if she obeyed that, the king could drop his scepter and say, you're dead. It's not your time to come in and see me. But she walked into the tunnel of obedience and stood before the king and cried out for her people, and God redeemed the Jews once again because of her obedience. Folks, these leadings can come in any shape or form, but you've got to be willing to enter the tunnel. Last week, I got this lovely little letter from someone in the church. She said, during our fellowship this Sunday, I had a leading from the Holy Spirit. We were singing the hymn before your sermon when I found myself listening. The Holy Spirit was encouraging me to fill the present need in the children's ministry. Well, my excuse was, I'm too busy. But after I heard that and then your sermon about listening, I knew the Lord wanted me to take affirmative action. And even as we speak today, she's in teaching in that two- and three-year-old class. Why? Because she heard the prompting. Now she's in the tunnel of obedience. Can I tell you, there's lots of things that have to happen. And when you enter into the tunnel, there are two giants you're going to find guarding it. Kind of like Seeker and the dragon. There are two giants in the tunnel. The first giant you're going to encounter is doubt. As soon as you go to obey the Lord, to do something, just to take a step of faith, the first giant you're going to find in the tunnel is the giant of doubt. He's going to lurk there and he's going to say to you, was that really God? How do you know you're just not going off the wall and doing something crazy on your own? How do you know it's not just a mistake that you're making? God's not in here and doubt will rise up. How many of you have ever encountered the giant of doubt in your tunnel of obedience? He's made you wonder. But can I tell you something? Don't listen to him. Don't pay any attention to the giant of doubt. He doesn't have any power. You speak God's word to him and he'll flee from you. The other giant in the tunnel is the giant of fear. Fear that just when you get in the middle of the tunnel, God's going to pull the whole mountain down on top of you. God's going to pull that whole mountain in on you. And fear lies to you. How many of you have had your fears lie before? One lady wrote this week about a leading that she had to come to this church. And she said when she came in, she said, I was afraid. I saw all these weird fanatics in here and I said, I don't want to be like them. She said, I'm not coming back. A few weeks later, she came back again. She found Christ in a personal way. And now she serves on the staff of this church. That's how much God did in just a few short years. It started with a fear that lied to her and said, you'll be a weird fanatic. That doesn't make people weird or fanatic in that sense of being out of control. God makes them beautiful and full and fulfilled. And that fear giant will lie. Every time you go into that tunnel, you're going to say, boy, it's going to wipe me out. It's going to destroy me. If I do that, it's going to be all over. Dear ones, that spirit of fear has no authority in your life. God hasn't given it to you. He's given you a spirit of love, power and a sound mind. And one word from you can put that giant to flight if you speak it to him. When fear creeps in, when you've taken a step into a home group, as Dave and Susie shared, and you have all these fears, just say, wait a minute, that's not from the Lord. I'm loved here. I'm received here. I want to be here. And that giant, the only power the giants have is that of murmuring, complaining and grumbling and discouragement. And if you slip back and you find fault and you start to nitpick and pull things apart, then the giants will begin to raise their head and they will have a power over you. I was really struck this week as I read in the book of Numbers, I'll read it for you. Chapter 14, the Lord speaking, verse 26. How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I've heard the complaints of these grumblers. So tell them, as surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you grumble. And in this desert, your bodies will fall. Whoo. I believe God is not real pleased with grumbling. Parents, do you like grumbling kids? Moms, when you slave over dinner and it comes out just a little bit on the extra brown side. How much do you love to sit down, have your husband say, boy, does this look like a burnt offering? You know, you see, God's no different. God has a will. He has a he has a design for us. And when we grumble, all we do, church, is we open the door for fear and doubt to shut the tunnel down and keep us from getting to the other side where the benefits are. The children of Israel find themselves dying in the desert. They never received the whole generation that I don't want to be part of that generation. I want to get on to the other end of the tunnel, don't you? I don't know what circumstance your tunnel is going through. I don't know if you're going through financial stress. You're going through a lack of knowing God's will. If you're having a relationship that's hurting you right now, if you don't have a job, I don't know what your mountain is, but dear ones, God gave tunnels to go through mountains. And if you don't have the faith to throw the mountain in the sea, you have the faith to drive right through it by the spirit of the Lord. What are the benefits of obeying God? Well, here they are. Number one, you please God. You please Him. How many people do you know that really care if they please God? How many people are getting up today and saying, God, I just want to please you? How many do you know? Not very many. There's not many in the world today that care about whether God's pleased or not. But I want you to know, when God pleases you, the Bible says He makes even your enemies to be at peace. How would you like to have your enemies come up and just lay down their weapons and say, you know something, I kind of like you after all. I had a fellow tell me a story yesterday. I won't embarrass him. I don't even know if he's here. But he was playing one of those cat and mouse games with another car. Now, you know what that's like? You know, you're driving down and somebody gets in real close behind you. You know, and of course, you're praising the Lord, have hallelujah tapes on everything. But this person just won't let go. And finally, he passed this brother, got around him. The brother said, oh, God, you know, vengeance is mine. And he puts on his high beams, you know, follows this guy for about a mile. And it's a funny story. I have to leave most of that because I'll incriminate him. It's not me. I know you're thinking it's me. It's not me. And after about, he said, I just phone for a little while, a mile or so with a high beam. The guy pulled over and got down, rolled the window down and said, all right. Got out of his car, get out of the car, get out of the car. No, I really like my car, I'm going to stay right here. And they went back and forth a little bit, you know, and finally said, well, let's just forget the whole thing. And the guy said, all right, I love you anyhow. I love you. What a strange way to end a confrontation like that. There was all these kinds of things that just could have blown up right there and ended a note of peace. Even my enemies will be at peace. Strange thing. Long way to get there. The dear ones, if God is pleased with you, listen, he can pluck you right out of the situation that you're in. I love reading about Enoch. It's right down to Hebrews 11, 5. The Bible says that Enoch was and then was not. How would you like to not be sometime? I mean, you are, then you're not. Enoch was walking along and suddenly he was not. God lifted him up and pulled him right off the face of the earth. They said, well, I want to live a little longer. Well, you know, God's going to pluck us all up one time or another. He's just going to pluck you right up. And I want you to know something. Have you ever been at the deathbed of a saint of God when they die? God plucks them right up. There's no fear. There's no grabbing onto the sides. There's no languishing out. I've seen them just lift their spirit, right? It's like they were and they were not because now they're with God. Beautiful. If you obey the Lord and go in that tunnel of obedience, number two, God will be your ally. And dear ones, if God is for you, who can be against you? When we begin to pursue this property, if God is for us, it doesn't matter who's against us. God will take care. God will be there. We're going to walk beside him. I love the idea of God being my ally. Doesn't matter who my enemy is. The Bible says that Gideon was hiding from his enemies. He was down in a wine press. This is a big vat. And he climbed down in there and an angel of the Lord rises and says, hey, mighty warrior, look down in the bed. Hiding from his enemy. He said, God has called you to lead your people in victory. Gideon says, not me. And the Bible tells us that God said, you go and I'll be with you, I'll be there, I'll be your ally. When you obey the Lord, I want you to know God goes right alongside of you, right into the tunnel. You may not see him, but he's right there. And in the end, the Bible says that Gideon called the place where God had met him. Jehovah Shalom. The Lord is peace. The Lord is peace. When God's your ally, you'll be at peace with him. You'll enjoy number three, tangible blessings. Listen, there is blessing. God does come through. They will have the baby, but it's in his time. Matthew 721 says, if you build your house upon the rock, when the storms come, when they come, you will stand. You'll know the blessing of God. Deuteronomy over and over and over again. I read for you earlier already. When you obey the Lord, I'll increase and multiply. How do you like to be multiplied in everything you do? Not just attitude. Multiply. That's what the Lord wants to do to those who obey. I already talked about the peace of God. And finally, as you obey him, you'll get more leadings. More will come to you because Jesus said, if you're faithful in little, I'll make you faithful in much. If you obey that little leading decision to join a home group, to teach in the children's ministry, listen, church, God wants to exalt you. He wants to lift you to the maximum of fruitfulness that he has planned for your life. That's what happens as we go into the tunnel of obedience. I know that you, as I am excited about the future of this church, and if this message just had to do with us going into the tunnel of obedience about a piece of property. Then it wouldn't be adequate because the most important application, and I wrestled with this, the most important application is the obedience in your life. Because God could care less about buildings, actually, folks. What God really wants, he wants the temple to be all that he designed it to be. He wants people to be all that he's designed them to be. And how you hear those leadings will determine the course of your future. Let me end with this story. Here in our church, we have a doctor who had an interesting experience. About 10 years ago or so, he had finished his residency program in neurosurgery, very demanding time. He was not a Christian. And he'd come to the point of having a break and was about to establish his new, had his new office all lined up and the whole thing, and was doing some rounds at one of the local hospitals. He had his whole life in front of him, figuring he was going to get rich and just live for himself and all of his dreams were going to come true financially and all those things. One day, as he was finishing those rounds, he was about to put on his street clothes and so on and go on out to his car and go home, and something prompted him, not even a Christian, but something spoke to him. He said, not to leave the building. Now, he didn't know what that was or where it was from. And so he made another visit here and there, got ready to leave, and then he heard that same prompting, don't leave the building. And he said, this was really strange because I was not a mysterious person, didn't have those kinds of intimations. Walked down into the emergency room and collapsed on the floor with a massive heart attack as he walked through the door, 38 years old. Well, immediately, of course, they rushed to him, gave him urgent care right on the spot. He was later told, had he been even out in his car, it was likely he never would have made it. That's how severe the heart attack was. It took him a whole year to recover. And in that time, this physician found Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. And he tells the story how the process happened over a year's time for him to finally relinquish all of his dreams, all of his plans, to say, God, I will obey you and I will serve you. And today, he is a very successful neurosurgeon right here in our city, serving Christ as his head physician, honoring God with his life. Why? Because he heard a leading and he obeyed it. Dear ones, I believe God will honor each one of us as we obey his voice and follow him together. Amen? Amen. Shall we stand together for closing prayer time?