Sermon Central
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Obeying The Crucial Word Of God
Contributed by Jason Lim on Nov 28, 2017 (message contributor)
Summary: Three principles to obeying the crucial word of God taken from the renewing of the covenant at Shechem.
Do we secretly think that things like evangelism, attending sunday service, mission trips are important and matters like honoring our parents, showing mercy to those around us aren’t? Or do we feel the opposite, that its important only to show love, help, yet not needing to witness the gospel or attending sunday service?
We cannot be selective to obey just some of God’s laws. God’s law is total. All of us is to obey all of it. If we choose to be selective, we are in danger of being a hypocrite. Do we obey at home and out of it? Do we obey in church and out of church? Do we obey on the pulpit, off the pulpit? Do we obey when we are around people, and when we are alone?
It might seem that obeying all of God’s law seems to be burdensome and impossible. Yet notice what Deut 30:11 says, “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.” God’s law is actually not hard. In fact, not obeying is even harder. Further more, obedience to his word brings about life and good (30:15).
Thirdly, we obey in gratitude.
Shechem served as a witness to the faithfulness of the Lord. It was at Shechem that Abram first received the promise of the Land (Genesis 12:6-7). It was at Shechem that Jacob had returned safely after a long exile from the land he had been promised. And in Joshua 8, we see Abraham and Jacob's seed experiencing the fulfilment of God's promise of the land. The significance of the location leads us to recognize the faithfulness of God.
Therefore, we obey in gratitude to a faithful God and who gives the land freely to his people. We see this theme of have God's grace motivating our obedience throughout scripture (Exodus 19:4-5). And the greatest grace is of course, that everyone of us ought to suffer the curses of Mount Ebal. Yet why do we obey the blessings of Mount Gerizim?
It was only because centuries later, there was a man alone who deserved the blessings of God. But we killed him on a Roman cross. He because a curse for us, yet earned eternal blessings for us. His name is Jesus. In view of such a mercy, what should we ought to do (Romans 12:1)?
