Introduction

I think we can all admit here today that obedience is difficult. It’s difficult to learn, difficult to teach, and it’s a difficult process to watch play out in the lives of others around us. It’s not something we’re good at, hard wired for, or frankly… enjoy.

Once upon a time, there was a young couple named John and Sarah who decided to adopt a cute little puppy named Max. They were overjoyed to have a new furry addition to their family, and they were determined to raise him to be the perfect companion.

However, training Max turned out to be more difficult than they anticipated. He was full of energy and always seemed to be getting into trouble. He would chew on furniture, jump on guests, and bark incessantly. Despite their best efforts, John and Sarah were struggling to get him to behave.

They started researching different training techniques, and tried everything from positive reinforcement to obedience classes. But no matter what they did, Max just wouldn't listen. He would often ignore commands or do the opposite of what he was told.

John and Sarah became frustrated and overwhelmed. They started to wonder if they had made a mistake in adopting a puppy at all. But deep down, they knew they loved Max and were determined to keep trying.

They decided to hire a professional dog trainer, hoping that someone with more experience would be able to get through to Max. The trainer worked with Max for weeks, and while there were some improvements, he still struggled with obedience.

Finally, after months of hard work, Max began to show signs of improvement. He stopped chewing on furniture, and would sit and stay on command. John and Sarah were overjoyed with his progress. Training a puppy to be obedient was much harder than they ever imagined, but they never gave up on Max.

We resonate with this story on some level because we can identify with the people in the story. We resonate with the difficulty of training. We know how it feels to come to the end of our own resources, and have to reach out for help. We also know how rewarding it is when our hard work and dedication pays off.

And as we’re about to see in our passage for the day, there are several parallel lessons to be learned as we follow Christ and learn more about the unfailing love of the Father for His kids.

I think we can all admit here today that obedience is difficult. It’s difficult to learn, difficult to teach, and it’s a difficult process to watch play out in the lives of others around us. It’s not something we’re good at, hard wired for, or frankly… enjoy.

Love is a funny thing isn’t it? It’s a complex and multifaceted concept that can mean different things to different people, and it can be challenging to define it in a single sentence or statement ... View this full sermon with PRO Premium