Obedience Series

OBEDIENCE

Imagine if you will, that you work for a company whose president found it necessary to travel out of the country and spend an extended period of time abroad. So he says to you and the other trusted employees, “Look, I’m going to leave. And while I’m gone, I want you to pay close attention to the business. You manage things while I’m away. I will write you regularly. When I do, I will instruct you in what you should do from now until I return from this trip.” Everyone agrees. He leaves and stays gone for a couple of years. During that time he writes often, communicating his desires and concerns. Finally he returns. He walks up to the front door of the company and immediately discovers everything is in a mess. Weeds have taken over the flower beds. Windows broken throughout the building. The receptionist is laying down beside her desk sleeping. Loud music is roaring from several offices. People are playing beer pong in the back room. Instead of making a profit, the business has suffered a great loss. Without hesitation he calls everyone together and with a frown asks, “What happened? Didn’t you get my letters?”

You say, “Oh, yeah, sure. We got all your letters. We’ve even bound them in a book. And some of us have memorized them. In fact, we have ‘letter study’ every Sunday. You know, those were really great letters.” I think the president would then ask, “But what did you do about my instructions?” And, no doubt the employees would respond, “Do? Well, nothing. But we read every one!”

Today we are concluding our series Authentic Faith. We have been looking at what are the basic attributes or attitudes of believers. Today I want to talk about obedience. The Apostle John, near the end of his life, wrote these words;

1John 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

He wrote the book of 1 John so that believers would know whether or not they have authentic faith. That means more than just intellectually. It means a deep understanding. Why is it so important that we know that we are saved? John’s heart is that once people KNOW who they are, they can then GROW to become who God has called them to be and SHOW Jesus to everyone they meet. It starts with knowing. So how do you know if you are a Christian, if you have eternal life? You obey what God says.

1John 2:3-6 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4 The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

How do you know if you have authentic faith? How can you be assured that you are part of the family of God and going to heaven. Simple. Do you obey what God tells you to do?

In this series we have talked about lordship. We have talked about the need for repentance and bearing fruit. We have talked about love and giving and witnessing. It all starts with obedience. This is the most basic tenant of the Christian faith. Jesus said;

John 14:15 If you love me, you will obey what I command.

I have spoken with so many people over the years who were insecure in their faith. They were wondering if they were even believers. For me, it always boils down to the same thing. Do you love Jesus and are you doing what He told you? Love and obedience always go together.

I want to say 3 things about obedience this morning;

1. Obedience is a Sign of Conversion

The verse we read this morning starts be simply saying;

1John 2:3 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.

Notice the word IF. The first half of the sentence is conditional on the second half. You know this IF you do that. Jesus said IF you are this, you do that. Obedience is a sign of conversion. You can also say that it is arguably THE sign of conversion, because it is measurable. The verse continues;

I John 2:4 The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

These are sobering words. Jesus says that if you wilfully disobey what I have told you to do then you cannot say you know Him. In the series on Proverbs we did a few months ago, I said that it is your direction, not your intention, that determines your destination. It is what you DO, not what you feel or think, that really matters. You can say that you love Jesus, you can sing songs and read books and pray, but are you willing to do what Jesus tells you to do. Especially if it is something that you do not want to do. It is all about whether Jesus is Lord of your life or not. The bible tells us that we cannot serve two masters. How do you know who your master is? Your master is the person or precept you follow and obey.