Building Godly Character: Obedience

Jesus is the cornerstone, faith is the foundation, and Obedience is our first building block.

There is other building instructions for building the kingdom. In that the foundation is the prophets and apostles and we are the living stones the church and Israel, we are talking about building Godly character in your life.

Abraham, the father of our faith, was obedient.

Genesis 12:1–4 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

God told Abraham to go and do you want to know what he did, he went. I know not everyone can be a full time missionary but could we. Go into all the world that includes Port Crane. If you want to have Godly character you have to obey. We sing the song Trust and Obey. Listen to the last verse. What He says we will do where He sends we will go. Where has God sent you. What are you doing for Him how are you living the gospel in Port Crane.

Obey God’s Great Commission to the church.

Matthew 28:19–20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.

What did God say to Abraham? go, what does God say to the church? go I am not going to beat around the bush maybe I could. I could try to save this point to the end but I think that we need to talk about it at the beginning. Jesus told you to be the gospel. You can do this anywhere. In a nursing home at the hospital in a jail there are plenty of opportunities here and now to share the gospel. It doesn’t matter your age. You could say I’m too old for that baloney I have known people in there 90s on death’s door sharing the gospel every chance they get. Sharing the gospel doesn’t have an age or physical handicap restriction. I am too shy you say. Well PRAY that God will help you not be she. SHARE!

If you are not obedient, your faith should come into question.

John 8:31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.

John 15:10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

Believers obey God’s commandments. I am not going to sit here and judge you, even though I believe if there is anyone who has the right to do that it is me because God said that I watch out for your souls before Him. But I want you to examine your life. Don’t you point the finger. Look inward. Jesus wants you to hear this and be convicted to have some convictions. Are you being obedient to God’s commands not just His command to go but to love forgive live righteously and Godly. Are you obedient?

Obedience reveals the truth of who you really are.

1 John 2:3–4 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

This is not about being a good person. A good person by whose standards this is about being obedient to God’s word. The Bible says things does that end the conversation in your mind. It does mine. I understand that there are loopholes in the Bible. Take for instance the issue of divorce. People look for loopholes, I have seen times when those loopholes are appropriate. I have cried with brothers in Christ when I am glad God put in those loopholes. But I am not looking for them in my marriage today. God does not want me to be divorced. In all that is in my power I will have conviction to not be divorced. OBEDIENCE! If you get Godly Character right everything else will fall into place.

“The obedience of a true believer will be unequivocal, uncompromising, not grudging, and from the heart.” -John MacArthur

1 Peter 1:22–23 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,

Are you a believer in Jesus Christ? Do you obey in the truth! If you are born again you obey God!

The Gospel is a command to respond. It is an act of obedience.

Mark 1:15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Jesus and later Paul see the Gospel as a noun and a verb. It is something you can have and receive and it is also something that you do.

This is a point to my original premise. If you love God you obey the call. The call to go the call to believe the call to repent. The gospel message is Good news that you don’t have to stay heading down the road to hell. YOU CAN REPENT! I think the majority of people in this world believe the word repent means to say I’m sorry it doesn’t it means to stop turn around and GO the other direction that is obedience.

Jesus Christ the cornerstone, faith the foundation, obedience the first building blocks.

1 Peter 1:1–2 “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.”

Building Godly Character. God’s foreknowledge implies a predetermined relationship. Yes we have free will and we have to follow. I am telling you people have been debating this for ages the election foreknowledge and free will of man I am telling you that if I read my Bible I have no problem with something that flies over everyone’s head.

Those who belong to God, obey His call.

John 10:27–28 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

Do you see it there, Jesus is the cornerstone faith is the foundation and obedience begins to build Godly Character of the new man. We are not saved by works but Good works are natural for the new man.

Sanctification of the Spirit

2 Timothy 2:21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.

Set apart from sin and world the control of sin and the flesh in this life. You don’t belong to the Devil he is no longer your master you work for Jesus. You belong to him.

Sanctified for obedience and the sprinkling of blood.

Exodus 24:3–8 So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the Lord has said we will do.” And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.” And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.”

In 1 Peter 1 the apostle was using an image that the Jews would understand. The reading of the law. He got up read the law and took the sacrifice and put it in two bowls. The law was read what was the people’s reaction.

All the words which the LORD has said we will do!

repeat that with me. That’s obedience

Half the blood was sprinkled on the Altar. Signifying God’s part of the covenant, God’s obedience.

Christ was obedient!

Philippians 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

He sure was. Then Moses read the law again. What did He do with the rest of the blood

The people repeated.

All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient.

I thought about sprikling some Koolaid out on you all but I don’t think the trustees would appreciate it.

The blood is about being obedient!

Romans 3:25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,

Jesus the cornerstone of our new covenant, faith out foundation, and obedience is the building block of Godly Character. The blood sprinkled on the people was symbolic to ratify the covenant. Do you see that the shedding of blood was to demonstrate His righteousness.

Communion is about blood and the new covenant.

Luke 22:20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

You need to make a choice, who are you going to obey?

Romans 6:16–18 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

Make the right choice!

Joshua 24:15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

What choice are you going to make are you going to serve the LORD? The choice is yours. Maybe you have been compromising. You know what God wants you to do but you choose to go the wrong way. CHOOSE CHRIST!!!!!!!! Trust and Obey