THE LORD, OUR OBJECT OF OBEDIENT
The one whose voice and command we are to obey is the LORD Himself. The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One who commanded OUR Father Abraham (Gen. 12:1). In Matthew, it is Christ Jesus Christ. We must learn to obey the Holy Spirit who now works in us.
THE SACRIFICE OF OBEDIENCE
To obey is to comply with an order, request or law or submit to another’s authority.
To obey someone in this sense, involves some kind of sacrifice either of time, resources, pleasure or choice among others. It sometimes involves exchanging your comfort.
1. It involves the sacrifice of trusting and responding to the call of a deity you never knew (Gen. 12:1, Matt. 9:9).
It is said that Abraham’s father was not just an idol worshiper. He also traded in idol selling. This reveals how difficult it would have been for Abraham to leave his country and family and harken to the One True God. To obey God, Abraham had to abandon those idols and worship God only. What do you worship? Have you obeyed God? Have you abandoned idolatry, and visited shrines, and water bodies among others for help? God is calling us to worship Him alone. This is what he told Israel in Deut. 6: 4 – Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one.
2. It sometimes involves the sacrifice of leaving your country, Your people (community) and family/household (Gen. 12:1). “so Abraham left as the Lord had told him (Gen. 12:4).
This means that it will affect his work. The call of God has always involved movement. For Abraham, it involved moving from his community to an unknown land far away. The difficulty of walking through the wilderness. For Matthew, it involved abandoning his work and following Jesus like the other apostles. For Jesus Himself, it involved His condescension from Heaven to Earth and taking upon the nature of humankind as well. For Elisha, it involved abandoning his farm. Our family, friends and work have always been the excuse for the ministry. In Luke 14:15, when someone remarked on the blessedness of those who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God, Jesus gave an unexpected answer: “I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet”- Luke 14: 24.
Jesus gave three reasons/excuses related to movement and leaving why those invited would not make it;
a. Please excuse me because I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it (Luke 14:18)
b. Please excuse me because I have just bought five yokes of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out (Luke 14:19)
c. I can’t come because I just got married (Luke 14:20).
Indeed, all their excuses are valid. But for Jesus, if the blessing He has given you prevents you from serving Him on His terms, then you are disqualified. Then you are not a candidate for His blessing. They could not leave those things they treasured behind for the Master’s call. This is what makes Abraham the father of faith. This is what makes the disciples who they were. They were willing to obey God fully in God’s time and not on their own terms. For most of us, we will not deny the call of God to give, support the church, work, or come to church early. However, we will do it on our own terms. We will divide our Tithe and give God half. We will come to church on our own time. We come to services when we want. We will be involved in the work of the ministry on our own terms. To some of us, it is the minister who receives allowance and so we will not work unless we receive the same. The Lord is calling us for total and immediate obedience and not partial obedience. Abraham and Matthew responded to the Lord’s call immediately as the Lord said. Paul responded. Will you respond to God this morning? What is it that you are becoming disobedient in your life and in the ministry of the church?
REWARD OF OBEDIENCE
1. GOD’S ORIGINAL BLESSING OF MANKIND in the garden of Eden (Gen. 1:28)
The breakdown of Abraham’s blessings are:
a. I will make you a great nation
b. I will bless you
c. I will make your name great
d. I will bless those who bless you
e. Whoever curses you I will curse
f. All the people of the earth will be blessed through you.
g. To your offspring I will give this land (Gen. 12:7).
Because of the disobedience in the Garden of Eden, humankind had lost that willingness to absolutely obey God. This resulted in rebellions and judgement such as the flood in Genesis 6 and the dispersion of the families in Genesis 11. It is important to note that when the land was cursed in Genesis 3, it was humankind that was cursed because it is humankind that tills the ground. In this blessing of Abraham resulting in his faith demonstrated by his obedience, the curse of humankind is reversed for Abraham and his seeds. The disorder in nature in which man could be cursed as a result of the fall is also reversed for Abraham if only he would obey God. No curse will work on Abraham because of his obedience. The condition for these blessings was that he will obey the voice and proceed as directed by the voice.
Abraham in this way becomes a new Adam and Jesus, his seed become the second Adam who also breaks the curse and brings blessing. It is only in their way of obedience that we can also inherit God’s blessing. This means that the curse of disobedience is broken for generations by obedience and not just prayer. If you and I will wholeheartedly obey God, we will inherit blessings for our generations yet unborn.
2. We get the highest honor of becoming partakers of the ministry of Christ.
3. Even the dead and impossible will come alive for us (Matt. 13:25). While the people laughed because the child had died, he obeyed Jesus. They went in and he had his daughter back.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAITH AND OBEDIENCE.
While many of us Christians pray day and night for God’s blessing. Paul reveals in Romans 13 that the promise and blessing Abraham received was not by the law but by the righteousness of faith. On what account was Abraham the father of faith? He believed whatever God said. You keep praying that you have faith and so God should hear your prayers and yet you don’t believe in the God you are praying to. How can you disobey God’s instructions in service, worship, giving, sacrifices, love and yet pray with faith? By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called (Heb. 11:8). Wherever there is real faith in God, there is absolute obedience. Hebrews 11 reveals how faith is related to obedience. We behave the way we behave because we have no faith in God and this is why we struggle at times to see miracles.
For Paul, those who have shared in this blessing are those who have the faith of Abraham. Abraham believed God when it did not make sense and that is how the grace was manifested to Him. Until we stop rationalizing God’s instructions and demands, we are not children of faith and have no share in the blessings of Abraham. In fact, Abraham believed against hope (Rom 4:18).
CONCLUSION
It is always the Lord’s desire to show Himself strong to his people. God demand faith and faith generates obedience. If we are willing to sacrifice and be obedient, God will reward us like Abraham and Jesus Himself.
