Obedience:
Introduction:
Parable of the two sons: Matt. 21:28-32.
As Christians we are adopted Sons of God and this does bring with it responsibility.
Obedience is essential for belonging to God’s family:
Matt.12:50
For whoever shall do the will of my Father, which is in heaven, the same is my brother and sister and mother.
Religous words do not result from salvation but obedience.
Luke 6:46: Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not the things which I say.
Matt.7.21: Not every one who says unto me Lord, Lord shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven but he who doeth the Will of my Father which is in heaven.
OBEDIENCE- Essential for a Christian
Paradise
Lost by disobedience: Gen.2:16 and 3:11
Obedience is the one condition of abiding in Paradise
Obedience encompasses Faith, Humility and Love
Regained: Rev. 22:14 In the New Jerusalem:
Blessed are those who do His (God’s) commandments.
God requires us to obey.
Matt. 7.24
Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine and DOETH them, I will liken unto a wise man who built his house on a rock.
Do we not want to build on the rock that Christ tells us to?
I) Examples in Obedience in OT
a) Noah Gen 6:22 7:5,9 and 16
"According to all that God commanded him"
b) Abraham Heb.11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed
Gen 22:16-18
Gen.26:3,5 God spoke to Isaac of performing his oath because of Abraham’s obedience.
c) Joshua at Jericho Jos.6. 2-5 and 12-16 and 20 and 21.
Just marching round the city 13 times would not have been enough.The Lord required them to shout and the walls came tumbling down.
Disobedience.
Saul: 1 Sam.10.8
1) Samuel had commanded Saul to wait seven days for hinm to come and do the sacrifice and show him what to do . When Samuel delayed Saul took it on himself to offer the sacrifice (1 Sam. 13.:8-14)
God will not honour the man who is disobedient.
2) Saul had a chance to redeem himself. 1 Sam.15.3, and 7-23.
We have to carry out God’s commands 100%.
Strong words v.23. Rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft
What happens to sorcerers: death. Ex.22.18 /Deut.18.10/Rev 22.15
Some other references in OT to Obedience.
Jer. 7:22-23 : Obey my voice and I shall be your God.
New Covenant prophesied in the OT and obedience is in the centre.
Jer.31:31-33: Write his laws in our Hearts
Paralleled in NT in John 15 especially 10,14 and 17.
"Ye are my friends if you keep my commandments.
Love one another."
Obedience is only possible with:
1) a loving heart
2) as God abides in us
It makes it possible for God to fill us with the fulness of his Spirit.
I want to now look at the NT example particularily of Jesus.
II) Examples of Obedience in New Testament:
I) The LORD JESUS himself:
a) References of Obedience of Christ
i) Regarding our salvation:
Rom 5:19: Through obedience of one shall many be made righteous
Heb 8-9: He learned obedience and became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him.
Andrew Murray describes the Beauty of Salvation: He brings us back to the life of obedience through which alone the creature can give glory to God.
b) Recorded History of His Obedience
i) To his earthly parents.
Luke 3:42-52
Key verse: 51
He submitted himself, the perfect Son of God to sinful parents.
He could have said in his heart that as he was god he had no need to be obedient to lesser people.
The Father had however given him into their authority and he was obedient. Should we not also be so obedient to those the Lord has set over us.
ii) In baptism to the Father
Luke 3: 21-22
Jesus being perfect did not NEED baptism. Yet he humbled himself to go through the process.
Is it not beautiful for the Father to say: I am well pleased with you. The result of obedience.
iii) In the Temptations of Luke 4: 5-8
In Ex. 20:3 God said: You shall have no other gods but me.
Satan tempted Jesus to be disobedient to the Father.
iv) In the Garden of Gethsemane
Luke 22:39-45:
Key verse 42: Not my will but thine.
Indeed we see in John 14:31: But that the world may know that i love the Father; and as the Father gave me the commandment, EVEN SO I DO.
Let us consider the Parable of the Two Sons in Matt.21. in relation to Christ.
Had Jesus not gone through with the Father’s will we would not be here today.
II) Ananias in Acts 9: 11-18
Probably one of the most courageous acts of obedience in the book of Acts:
God used Ananias’s obedience to complete the great apostle Paul’ conversion.
It took courage v.13. We often underestimate what tremendous faith and courage it took Ananias. It is like being sent to Saddam Hussein with a message of repentance for him. It looked like a suicide mission: see Acts 9:1 & 2.
III) Cornelius and Peter in Acts 10: 1-48
Cornelius was a God fearing man. And when God spoke tzo him in Acts 10: 1-8 he sent his servants to Peter.
Peter was living in Joppa with Simon the tanner when about the same time God spoke to him. Acts 10:9-16
Peter as a Jew considered the Gentiles unclean and would have nothing to do with them. see v. 28
Yet when God told him to go he did. The Spirit guided Acts 10:19 and 20.
Peter in Acts 10: 28-35 preceived the hand of God and was OBEDIENT.
And we see in Acts 10:45-48 how this obedience was used for God to open the door of the Church to the Gentiles.
Acts 15: 7-11: In fact we see this incident deciding the first Church council in Jerusalem.
Peter’s obedience allowed the Gospel of Grace to win over a false gospel of faith plus circumsion.
Rom 8.28: All things work together for good to those who love the Lord is so true.
Obedience helped Peter overcome his prejudice against the Gentiles who were taken into the church. we too are Gentile christians!!
Again God used Peter’s obedience and Cornelius’s obedience that we can be here today.
Let us look at the result of the converse:
Disobedience to God
Herod in Acts 12:20-23
We read of King Saul’s disobedience in the OT. Let us look at another king disobeyed God.
The sin was clear to a Jew: cf Ex. 20:3 You shall have no other gods but me.
Compare this with the faithfulness of Christ in Luke 4:5-8 that we read above.
III) Application to Our Lives:
a) If we are to follow Christ we must do as the Master did.
A disciple is not above his master (Matt. 10.24). Obedience is a process.
b) Rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft - an abomination to God.
Sin of satan was disobedience:
I wonder if some of the problems in the churches today generally does not stem from disobedience.
The Bible is God’s Car manual for us. if we do not run the car according to the manual it will go wrong.
So it is with our lives.
We need to ask ourselves if we really have Jesus as Lord in our lives or not.
Rom. 10.9 & 10.
Do our lives actually confess Him.Or are our actions so loud that He cannot hear what we are saying.
