Point #4 - Unbelief is evident in our lives by disobedience
Here is the final point from my message this past Sunday (09/13/2009), "Eyes and Ears To Overcome Unbelief." The main text was Matthew 13:53-58, primarily verse 58: And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
I had given three other ways the Bible shows us of how unbelief happens in our lives: Stubborrnness, pridefulness, and ignorance (or foolishness) of God. The final evidence that I mentioned, but did not discuss was disobedience. Here are my few thoughts on how this happens in our lives.
Hebrews 3:18-19 says: And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter becaues of unbelief.
The writers of Hebrews is pointing us to the greater priest and servant than Moses, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is preeminent and the only way we are able to obtain access to the very presence of God. He is exhorting the people to not let an ubelieving heart keep them from truly seeing and trusting Jesus. Obedience is evidence of our belief! Therefore, the inverse is true as well, disobedience is evidence of unbelief. One is kept from entering the rest of the Lord, according to the writer of Hebrews, because of unbelief. But yet, many will rest in a one-time prayer, or one act of obedience. This may even be baptism, but walking an aisle and being baptized is not full evidence of God's grace in your life. Baptism is rightly an ordinance of the church, but to many people are resting in this one-time act of obedience. The same could be said about praying the "sinners prayer" and walking an aisle during a worship service. We are called to daily die to our selves, pick up our cross, and follow after the Lord Jesus in full obedience and submission to Him! This is a daily walk of joyful obedience, and as those days go by, the Spirit of God affirms in your soul sweet assurance of His grace and the reality of your eyes and ears being opened towards Him.
Many people who claim to be believers because of one-time acts of obedience are resting in these works of their own righteousness and not of Christ's. One way that we see unbelief of many people is in their lack of regularly gathering with the body of Christ for worship. Scripture exhorts us to not stop meeting together regularly in worship. The Apostle John says this in 1 John 2:19: They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. John sees the lack of meeting with the people of God as evidence of unbelief. He says that if they had truly been of God's people (which we can imply that this means that they had truly believed) then they would have remained with God's people, but they didn't. So, the result is that they were not true believers. Obedience is a mark or evidence of God's grace in our lives and our belief in Him. He commands and expects His people to be obedient to Him.
Many people will remain separated from the church this Sunday. They are listed on the roles of the churches around them and they are resting in a one-time act of obedience. They need to repent and turn to the Lord Jesus in obedience...daily obedience...joyful obedience...with eyes and ears opened to Christ.
BUT....the church needs to repent as well. We must repent by not holding our brothers and sisters accountable in such ways and affirming their disobedience (and unbelief) by not exercising loving church discipline. We have not gone to them and begged them to repent and show themselves faithful. We have not wept over their souls the way our Lord has and we will stand and make account for this reality. The church must trust all that God's Word says and He is clear that we are to lovingly call those that have left us to repentance in hopes that they will be restored to the Lord and their souls kept from perishing. This is an urgent work that must always be before us. Time is fleeting and the days are short, but God's arm is not and He is mighty to save. The question is: Do we have our eyes and ears opened and will we be obedient, or will we show our unbelief and our lack of trust in God and His Word. May the Lord be gracious to us and give us the faith to be obedient to Him. May He be merciful and open our eyes and unplug our ears to truly see Him and believe!
Blessings,
Bro. Matt
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Kristy and I went through a period of not attending a church when we were in the searching process. At first it was easy to not go if we were tired or if we had not agreed on which church to visit. As time went by we grew more and more dissatisfied and longed to find where God wanted us. We listened to Adrion Rodgers on the radio but it did not replace the experience of going to Church. There are things about going to Church that I can't get anywhere else. I believe it's because the Holy Spirit provides at Church like nowhere else. I remember when growing up I would love to miss during deer season because this was the only time I was allowed. Now, I feel like I am missing out when I am not there. Kristy and I visit family often and we attend worship at their Church. We are a part of the fellowship there, but, we always miss being at Dallasburg. I sometimes have internal conflict about this but I believe it's important to be with our family as much as we can now, and I love going to Church with them just as I love going to Dallasburg. I know in my heart we are serving God and being faithful but when we are not at Dallasburg I sometimes wonder if that's a bad example for people that really don't know what's going on.