Elijah #18 Obeying When It Hurts

Our obedience is tried when doing God's will hurts. As long as obedience to God does not demand too much
sacrifice or pain on our parts, walking the paths of truth and righteousness is pleasant. As long as obedience
fits in with our plans, our desires, our comforts, obedience is just wonderful.
But dear ones, obedience to the revealed will of God does not promise you the easy or comfortable road.
Many times there is pain in traveling the road of obedience. Obedience to Jesus Christ is so hard because we
do not like to hurt or to suffer, and obedience to the truth of God's Word often brings pain and suffering. The
temptation to disobey our Savior is so powerful at times because we want our own pleasures more than we
want to please our merciful and holy Redeemer who bore all of our disobedience upon the cross and suffered
the wrath of God to deliver us from the guilt, penalty, and bondage of our disobedience.
Let us consider the cost of obedience to the commandments of God from our text today. The main points
from our text are these: (1) When the Mercy of Man Is Disobedience to the Will of God (1 Kings 20:22-34); (2)
When Obedience to God's Will Brings Pain (1 Kings 20:35-43).