Title: Keys To Fellowship With God (Part 1 of 5)
Sub-Title: The Foundation Of Obedience
Sermon Series: 1 out of 5
Text: I John 2:3-5
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Introduction:
Have you ever heard the expression “Face the music”? Here’s how that phrase came about:
Many years ago, a man wanted to play in the Imperial Orchestra, but he couldn’t play a note. Since he was a person of great wealth and influence, however, he demanded to be allowed to join the orchestra so that he could perform in front of the king.
The conductor agreed to let him sit in the second row of the orchestra. Even though he couldn’t read music, he was given a flute, and when a concert would begin, he would raise his instrument, pucker his lips, and move his fingers. He went through all the motions of playing, but he never made a sound.
This deception went on for two years. Then one day a new conductor took over the Imperial Orchestra. He told the orchestra that he wanted to personally audition all the players to see how well they could play. The audition would weed out all those who weren’t able to meet his standards, and he would dismiss them from the orchestra.
One by one the players performed in his presence. Frantic with worry when it was his turn, the phony flutist pretended to be sick. The doctor who was ordered to examine him, however, declared that he was perfectly well. The conductor insisted that the man appear and demonstrate his skill.
Shamefacedly, the man had to confess that he was a fake. That was the day he had to “face the music.”
- One of the keys to fellowship with God is Obedience.
- Like this story, many Christians go through the motions with lip service and body attendance but never obey or heed to the voice of the Lord and the Word of God.
- A time is coming when all of us will be called to stand before the judge of heaven and earth and “face the music.” It’s important that we understand what Obedience is.
- What is Obedience?
- Obedience is compliance or submission, to heed or conform to a command or authority.
- What do we heed to? Or what do we comply or submit to?
- (a) To God, Heb 5:9; 11:8
- (b) Jesus teaching, Luke 17:6
- (c) To the faith, Acts 6:7
- (d) The gospel, Rom 10:16; 2 Thess 1:8
- (i) To sin, Rom 6:12
- (j) In general, Rom 6:16
- So one of the keys to fellowship with God is Obedience. This morning we are going to address the foundation of obedience, the key to fellowship with God.
- To put this text into proper context, John was contending against a misunderstanding of the doctrine of grace and salvation.
- There was a popular teaching back then that taught forsaking a sinful life was optional for the believer.
- So John boldly states in our text this morning that “We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands.”
- Obedience is important to the believer, it shows that we are saved and that Christ lives in us. When a believer does not obey the Word of God and heed to what it says, walks on dangerous ground (Spiritually)
Transition:
- Now there are benefits of obedience, and there are challenges to us as believers when we obey. We are going to discuss them this morning so we can have closer fellowship with God.
- So this morning lets look see what we can expect from God when we obey Him and also see how obedience will challenge us to leave our comfort zones into closer fellowship with God.
What Can We Expect From God When We Obey Him?
Point 1: Obedience to God often keeps us from harm
Exodus 15:26 says, “If you will listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and obey it, and do what is right, then I will not make you suffer the diseases I sent on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you.”
- God promised that if the people obeyed Him they would be free from the diseases that plagued the Egyptians.
- Little did they know that many of the moral laws God later gave them were designed to keep them free from sickness.
- For example, following God’s law against prostitution would keep them free from sexual diseases. God’s laws for us are often designed to keep us from harm.
- The Egyptians lived a life back them, consisting of worshiping false gods, living in immoral sin and disobedience to the laws of nature. There was no restraints for the people of Egypt. Thus they had problems.
- When you obey God, He keeps us from harm. Emotional harm, Physical harm, Spiritual harm.
- But we must obey the law of God and understand it is for our benefit not to ruin our fun.
Point 2: Obedience to God is pleasing to Him.
Jos 1:8 says, “Constantly remind the people about these laws, and you yourself must think about them every day and every night so that you will be sure to obey all of them. For only then will you succeed.”
- Many people think that prosperity and success come from having power, influential personal contacts, and a relentless desire to get ahead.
- But the strategy for gaining prosperity that God taught Joshua goes against the norm.
- He said that to succeed Joshua must be strong and courageous, obey God’s law and read the law, study the Bible.
- When Christians follow the example and instructions to Joshua by the Lord, we will be a success in God’s eyes.
- Maybe not the World’s eyes, but the world’s opinion doesn’t last forever like God’s opinion.
A friend often told me about the problems he had getting his son to clean his room. The son would always agree to tidy up, but then wouldn’t follow through. After high school the young man joined the Marine Corps. When he came home for leave after basic training, his father asked him what he had learned in the service.
“Dad,” he said. “I learned what ‘now’ means.”
- God wants us to be successful and will teach us the meaning of now concerning obedience. - If we want to be successful and increase in our fellowship with God we must be obedient now not later, not partial, but now.
Point 3: Obedience to God often leads to peace.
II Chron 14:1-2 says, “King Abijah was buried in Jerusalem. Then his son Asa became the new king of Judah, and there was peace in the land for the first ten years of his reign, for Asa was careful to obey the Lord his God.”
- The number 1 reason, if not thee reason wars are evident today and hostility is because we are not obeying the Lord. Let me give you an example:
- The religious fight, Catholics and Protestants, Jew and Palestine is because we are not loving our neighbor as our self.
- Asa’s reign was marked by peace because he was careful to obey the Lord his God.
- In our case, obedience may not always bring peace with our enemies, but it will bring peace with God and complete peace in His future kingdom.
- Everyone must obey God so the Christian community to live in peace with each other.
- Obeying God is the first step on the path to peace, both for yourself and other people you are around.
(I am reminded of the story often given about the soldiers of the wars gone bye in the past and how they would cease fighting during the Christmas season.)
- If only the leaders would understand the same concept that obeying the commands of God bring peace and prosperity.
- Now there are challenges to Obedience, what are they?
Point 4: God challenges us to go beyond mere understanding
Matt 5:19 says, “And so if anyone breaks the least commandment, and teaches others to, he shall be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But those who teach God’s laws and obey them shall be great in the Kingdom of Heaven.”
- Some of those in the crowd were experts at telling others what to do, but they missed the central point of God’s laws themselves.
- Jesus made it clear, however, that obeying God’s law is more important than explaining it.
- It’s much easier to study God’s laws and tell others to obey them than to put them into practice.
- Now what does that mean to us? When you know something to be true from God’s word, have enough guts to obey and step out of your comfort zone and do whatever God is telling you to do.
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 flourishing in the flower beds, windows broken across the front of the building, the gal at the front desk dozing, loud music roaring from several offices, two or three people engaged in horseplay 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!”
- It’s important to step out and live for obedience. Obey what you know and learn, just don’t learn it.
Point 5: Obedience challenges us to act out of love for God.
- Jesus was saying in Matt 5 that Christians need a different kind of righteousness altogether (love and obedience) not just a more intense version of the Pharisees righteousness (legal compliance)
- Meaning where’s the love of God in our obedience to Him.
- When we deal with people, where’s our love.
- When we obey walk in obedience with God, we need to do it in love not legal rules.
- There was a difference between Jesus and the Pharisee’s.
- Obedience challenges us to be changed on the inside not just the outside.
- Meaning the Pharisee’s just wanted to look good to people and show them that they were righteous.
- Rather Jesus was trying to emphasize that desire to be changed on the inside, where nobody sees but God.
- Obedience to Jesus and living out the way He lived will change us on the inside.
- There will be no room for the attitude of a Pharisee.
- In order for us to be changed on the inside, we need to become God centered, not self centered, we must seek God’s approval for our lives and not approval from man.
- And we must go beyond keeping the law to living by the principles behind the law.
- The principles are everywhere, just pick any scripture and see the principal.
(Matt 5; 8; 10 etc)
Conclusion:
- Understand that obedience is so important to increased fellowship with God.
- We are not perfect in obeying God, but the desire to learn the Word and apply it must be in our lives.
Arabian horses go through rigorous training in the deserts of the Middle East. The trainers require absolute obedience from the horses, and test them to see if they are completely trained. The final test is almost beyond the endurance of any living thing. The trainers force the horses to do without water for many days. Then he turns them loose and of course they start running toward the water, but just as they get to the edge, ready to plunge in and drink, the trainer blows his whistle. The horses who have been completely trained and who have learned perfect obedience, stop. They turn around and come pacing back to the trainer. They stand there quivering, wanting water, but they wait in perfect obedience. When the trainer is sure that he has their obedience he gives them a signal to go back to drink.
We must consent to God’s training and obey Him.
- God training us to obey Him is for our benefit, understand that when we are obedient and pursue it we will have increased fellowship with God.
- But also God keeps us from harm, it’s pleasing to Him, and it leads to peace.
Lets Pray!!!
