Jesus tells us we should not just hear God’s word, but we should do it. We should do what God says because he told us to do it. He is our Lord and Master, and therefore whatever he says is what we should do. It’s healthy for us to obey God: it blesses us, and it conforms us to the image of Jesus. When we follow God’s word, we bless other people, because God’s word causes us to love others.
When we hear God’s word but don’t do it, we deceive ourselves (James 1:22). We may expose ourselves to God’s word in many different ways – through reading the Bible, listening to messages, watching videos, listening to Christian podcasts, or going to church. Exposing ourselves to the word of God is very good. But if we hear the word of God and don’t do it, we deceive ourselves because we may think we’re in a position we’re not.
Jesus says many people will call him Lord but not do what he says (Luke 13:24-27). These people are deceiving themselves. They heard his teachings and thought they were in his presence. They are sure they’re saved, but they’re actually headed into hell.
The word of God should transform us. It should change our lives. But if the word of God is not having an effect on us, then what’s the point of hearing it?
It’s possible to become hardened to the word of God or even bored with it. We’ve heard it so often that we get used to not doing what God tells us. Becoming accustomed to hearing God’s word and not doing it is a very dangerous habit.
Jesus once asked his disciples about this. “Why do you call me Lord and don’t do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). Jesus seems puzzled. The very definition of a Lord is a Master – someone who is to be obeyed. There is no point in calling Jesus “Lord” but not doing what he says. Jesus’ disciples had this problem in the first century, and many Christians have this problem today.
There are several reasons people may hear God’s word but disobey it. Maybe they think it’s too hard to obey his word. Maybe they don’t know what God wants them to do.
But there is another reason people hear God’s word and don’t do it. There are many different voices today, and many people who claim to represent Jesus. Many ministers teach contradictory things, and Christianity is divided up into thousands of denominations. We can’t obey all of these people, because they contradict each other. For example, some people teach baby baptism, and others say that’s wrong. Some teach that pastors should wear vestments, others say that’s wrong. Some say we need candles, incense, altars and other things in church worship, and others say these things are wrong. Some say there is pre-trib rapture, some mid, and some post, and others say there is no rapture. It’s impossible to obey all these contradictory teachings.
Since we are inundated with all kinds of “Christian” teachings, we have learned that we should not obey all teachings, for many of them are wrong. This is healthy, and comes from discernment. But the danger of this is that we may train ourselves to hear Jesus’ own teachings and not do them.
There have always been false teachings around, and we need to reject them. But at the same time we need to discern what Jesus actually wants us to do. Then when we find that out, we need to actually do what he says. This is basic Christianity.
How will we find out what our Lord Jesus Christ wants us to do?
We need to read the Bible for ourselves. LIke the noble Bereans, we need to look things up for ourselves and see what Jesus and the apostles told us to do in the New Testament. Many errors have crept into Christianity over the centuries, and we need to line all church practices up with God’s word. If it’s a religious practice not originating in the Bible, then who made it up? We are under no obligation to follow such things, but must reject them so we don’t engage in vain worship like the Pharisees.
We need to be full of the Holy Spirit, who is our teacher and will lead us into all truth. Spiritual things must be spiritually discerned, and Holy Spirit will help us. When we are born again, the Holy Spirit comes inside us. Then we need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, so the Spirit will become richer and fuller in our lives, helping us know God’s will.
We need to recognize and receive from true servants of God. God has anointed some people to minister for him, and these true ministers are essential for building up the church (Ephesians 4:11). We must discern who is serving God and who is not. The best way to discern is to line up their lives and teachings with the Bible. Are they teaching and promoting the apostolic teachings of the New Testament? It’s time to cut through the noise and confusion and discern what is God’s house and what is not God’s house, and who is serving God and who is not serving God.
We must pray. God knows the truth, for he is the truth, and he wants us to know the truth as well. When we know the truth, we will be set free (John 8:32). We can pray, “God, show me the truth! What do you want me to do?”
We need to exalt God above ourselves. Christianity is not about what we want, it’s about what God wants. If God tells us to do something in his word, we should do it. It doesn’t really matter how we feel about it.
Jesus is to be our Lord. He’ll be our Lord as we do what he says. Let’s not just say he’s our Lord and then disobey what he says.
Jesus said there will be many people in the end times who call him Lord but don’t do what he says (Matthew 7:21-28). They are those who build their spiritual lives on the sand of their own desires, human traditions, or culture, rather than on the rock of God’s word. When trouble hits (and it will!) Jesus warned they will be swept away into hell. Jesus’ words will be the only way to survive the reign of the Antichrist (and he’s coming).
May God give us grace to follow his words, for his words are spirit and life. He wants to give us abundant life, and this abundance will come as we lay our lives down and say “God, do with me whatever you want.” Let’s be willing to lose our lives in this age that we may keep them unto eternity.
Lincoln House Churches 