SOME sermons from the
distant past may sound strange to our ears today. Take, for instance,
John Wesley's sermon, "On Obedience to Pastors". Imagine
you were in the congregation when he preached that sermon. You
would have heard these words:
"I would now apply myself in a more particular manner to
you who desire me to watch over your souls. Do you make it a point
of conscience to obey me, for my Master's sake, to submit yourselves
to me in things indifferent; things not determined in the Word
of God; in all things that are not enjoined, nor yet forbidden,
in Scripture?"
You would then further hear Wesley insist that you obey him in
his teachings about dressing plainly and simply:
"Do you then take my advice … with regard to dress?
I published that advice above thirty years ago; I have repeated
it a thousand times since. I have advised you not to be conformable
to the world herein, to lay aside all needless ornaments, to avoid
all needless expense, to be patterns of plainness to all that
are round about you. Have you taken this advice? Have you all,
men and women, young and old, rich and poor, laid aside all those
needless ornaments which I particularly objected to? Are you all
exemplarily plain in your apparel …? If not … you declare
hereby to all the world that you will not obey them that are over
you in the Lord. You declare, in open defiance of God and man,
that you will not submit yourselves to them."
What makes it hard to understand today is that Wesley expected
his members to obey him as their pastor in matters that Scripture
is silent about. His main principle was the scripture text he
used for the sermon: Obey them that have the rule over you, and
submit yourselves: For they watch over your souls, as they that
shall give account, that they may do this with joy, and not with
grief: For that is unprofitable for you. (Heb. 13:17). You would
need to read the actual sermon to understand the nuances of Wesley's
argument, but what I have said thus far is enough to spur us to
think about the place of obedience in our lives. We don't even
need to think about obedience to pastors - obedience to God is
itself an issue that demands much careful thought and examination.
Even a quick and superficial reading of Scripture will show the
importance of obedience in the Christian life. Our human problems
are rooted in the act of disobedience to God in the Garden of
Eden. When God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of their
Egyptian slavery, He insisted on obedience. Again and again, whenever
Israel sinned, the prophets thundered forth their messages reminding
people of their basic problem - disobedience.
One of the things that Jesus modelled for us is obedience. He
humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even death on a
cross. He calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow
Him. Such discipleship, it is clear, cannot be lived without obedience
to God.
But if obedience is central in the Christian life, how do we teach
this in church? What makes it difficult is that obedience is an
unpalatable concept in today's rebellious and self-indulgent world.
People today want to hear about self-fulfilment, self-determination
and self-expression. These things are considered as one's inalienable
rights. Don't we, however, hear the serpent's whispers embedded
in all of this? For at the Garden of Eden, it was the same argument
and sales pitch that was heard.
The contemporary mind thinks that obedience is a childish thing.
One must grow out of it and become free from all imposition from
outside. The only thing to obey, in the words of a popular advertisement,
is "your thirst". But this is dangerous and contrary
to what God has said in His Word.
To obey God and to submit to Him is a sign of great maturity,
precisely because such obedience has to do with love. Jesus declared,
"If you love me, you will obey what I command." (Jn.
14:15). Love and obedience are travelling companions. Obedience
is, therefore, to be seen in relational terms, for true obedience
springs from love. Christian obedience is not some blind impersonal
obedience to rules, or even principles, or to some committee or
group. It has to do with our relationship with God. It is more
an obedience to the Lawgiver than of the law. That is why Jesus
summarised the law as wholehearted love for God. Obedience, therefore,
is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of mature love and deep
knowledge.
To love God is to know Him for who He actually is, and when we
know Him, our response would be obedience. The more intimate our
knowledge of God, the greater and more ready will be our obedience.
As Charles Finney had pointed out, obedience follows naturally
as we learn to abide in Christ. The verb "obey" comes
from the Latin "oboedire" meaning "to listen".
Obedience to God has to do with giving Him loving attention, listening
to Him, and becoming and doing what He desires.
We have to teach this in church. But modern culture and mindsets
provide challenges, as their patterns and the patterns of the
transformed Christian mind are growing to be deeply different.
In a culture where rebelliousness and sin are increasingly not
only tolerated but celebrated, how do we teach the necessity of
obedience? How do we show that it is in fact the rebellious heart
that is shackled, not the obedient heart?
We must turn to Jesus, who though He was God the Son, became obedient
to death (Phil. 2:8; Heb. 5:8-9). He also showed the way in social
relationships by obeying His earthly parents even though He knew
the truth more deeply than they did (Lk. 2:50-51). Jesus shows
that it is the obedient life that is truly beautiful and ultimately
free.
We must decide whether we want to follow Jesus or the modern pipe-pipers
of this fallen world. If we follow Jesus, we will see the connection
between love and obedience; we will discover true freedom. When
we understand this, we will have no problem understanding Wesley's
odd sermon.
QUOTE:
'Love and obedience are travelling companions. Obedience
is, therefore, to be seen in relational terms, for true obedience
springs from love.'