COVENANT OF OBEDIENCE
INTRODUCTION:
Most (if not all) of us find it only natural to want to do whatever it is that God wants us to do. We may have learned this nature while growing up. We wanted to obey our parents because we loved them and we knew they loved us. Perhaps we even obeyed them rather than being punished.
Whatever our reasons – we tried to be obedient children, but we often failed at it. It is very similar in our daily lives as Christians. We try but we often fail.
It used to be that if you admitted that you failed in your walk with Christ that people would talk about you, even judge you, and eventually would condemn you if you failed often enough.
Do you remember those days of condemnation and gossip? Hopefully we have learned a little something about forgiveness and grace, since those days…
Nowadays there seems to be more teaching and understanding about God’s Grace, and for that I am thankful. I thought that maybe we need to step back and get a little perspective on the importance of living a life of obedience…as Believers, that is…
The Old Testament and the thinking of the “old covenant” are really similar terms. Likewise the New Testament is thought of as the “new covenant”.
Allow me to give you a little of the “old covenant”:
If you will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then you shall be a holy nation.
Exodus 19:5-6
Obey the voice of the Lord, and do His commandments. Deuteronomy 30:8
There are many other passages I could give you but what we see is that God’s favor/approval was completely dependant on whether or not the people obeyed His commandments. The laws of God were difficult to live by and mankind failed miserably.
All of these laws made the “old covenant” a difficult path of holiness that few could walk on without stumbling.
But God also wants us to be on a path of forgiveness.
After the “old covenant” came the “new covenant.” This relationship with the Lord is what we have come to know and love by means of Jesus dieing on the cross for our sins. His mercy and His grace are free for the taking to us and we don’t have to earn any of God’s love. Jesus paid the price on our behalf. Amen! Amen!
Unfortunately, there is a new problem within the modern day New Testament church that is growing (especially here in the United States).
That is – many Christians are now under the impression that obedience is no longer needed.
Whether or not people obey God’s commandments doesn’t seem to be as important as it once was (to lots of people).
The common saying seems to be:
“Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.”
Although this may be true, it should not be our cop-out for obeying the statutes of God’s Holy Word. Amen?
Contrary to popular belief, God has not changed His mind about OBEDIENCE. Man is finding himself abusing God’s free grace to the point of mockery to the Word of God. It must stop. We are offending the Spirit of the Lord.
Text: Ezekiel 36:25 – 27
If there is one thing we need to know tonight – it is the place that OBEDIENCE takes in the “new covenant”.
OBEDIENCE IS ESSENTIAL
OBEDIENCE began in the Garden of Eden with Adam.
“the Lord God commanded the man” not to eat of the forbidden fruit. Genesis 2:6
From that moment on, man tried time and again but only failed.
But now “the new covenant” was not given to man as a license to sin, but rather it was brought so that man would be able to obey God.
For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Romans 5:19
If I were to ask everyone here if they thought they could ever do all that God expected of them, most (if not all) would say that it was not likely. In other words we would doubt whether or not that could ever happen. This would be our typical response.
We may even pray and ask God to help us, but few of us would believe for God to keep us from committing sin. I would suggest this is actually our problem…
Let me say this again…OBEDIENCE IS ESSENTIAL
One step further… OBEDIENCE IS POSSIBLE
The thought that man does not believe that he can be delivered from committing sin goes against the foundations of God’s relationship with man.
When we come to the point that we will say that obeying God is too difficult virtually takes us all of the way back to the “old covenant” as it was in the Garden of Eden with Adam.
Doubting God’s ability to save us from sin tears down what God has done by sending us His Son to die for our sins.
Many do this when they say that God does not expect more from us than the ”best we can do”.
Perhaps we should define what OBEDIENCE is…
First of all - If I am a saved and sanctified man of God, I still have this flesh body with all of it’s natural evil desires to deal with. Amen?
Secondly - OBEDIENCE actually deals with what God’s will is for me as it is taught in the Word of God. Not what we try to imagine with our minds and ideas, but with God’s Holy Word. In other words, OBEDIENCE is only defined in the Word of God, and so it can only be the Word of God that can cause us to obey God.
Thirdly – Anybody can do it.
Consider this –
“By faith Abraham obeyed…” Hebrews 11:8
“If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Jesus – Mark 9:23
To a religious man/woman OBEDIENCE will become a drudgery, but to a man/woman of faith OBEDIENCE will become an act of faith.
As it was for Abraham, it can also be the same for you.
Consider this –
“By faith Abraham obeyed…”
“By faith Jim Yeargin obeyed…”
“By faith Jerry Leek obeyed…”
etc., etc.,
Text: Ephesians 2:8 – 10
Listen – you were created “in Christ Jesus for good works.” Now that’s the “New Covenant” I am talking about! It is not a license to sin as you please, but a blessing to be all that He has created you to be without the guilt and condemnation of sin!
OBEDIENCE is actually the common link between God and the man He created in the Garden of Eden.
Why is it that many do not understand and appreciate this “new covenant” relationship with the Lord?
1. Because we do not study and meditate on God’s Word as we should.
2. Because we have not asked and believed for the Lord to show us these things.
3. Because we tend to fix our eyes on what is wrong, instead of the good that God has done.
This is the great blessing of “new covenant”.
God can and will give to you the desire to do of His good pleasures.
Close and final Text: II Corinthians 3:4 – 6
There are many who are referred to as “Ministers of the Gospel”, but everyone of us have been called to be “Ministers of the New Covenant”.
How does this happen? When reckon ourselves to not walk in the law/letter, but we walk in the Holy Spirit.
