Teach Them to Obey

Bottom line

Faith is not just about head knowledge; faith is something that you live, and that is why obedience is so important.

Opening Line

How many people remember sitting in class and wondering when you were ever going to use the information you were learning?

Introduction

I actually had a moment like that when I was in bible school. I knew that I was called to be a pastor, never doubted that. When the time came to decide which program I was going to enroll in for my four years, I made the decision to go the route of Biblical Studies. I had heard that a large number of pastors didn’t know their bibles as well as they should, and I determined that I wouldn’t fall into that category.

But, in making that decision, I had to take some advanced theology, biblical language and study classes. It was my third year, and I remember getting to my room and throwing my bag on my bed and going for a walk. We had just learned some advanced theological concept, and I was having trouble saying the name let alone grasping the concept of it. Over the course of my walk, I was trying to get the pronounciation of the word right, and in my frustration I looked up to the sky and asked God, “When am I ever going to use this word?” When is it ever going to come up in a sermon? If I’m having trouble with it, how in the world is the average church congregant ever going to understand it?

I remember in that moment, God saying, “Exactly!” In that moment I realized that all this knowledge I was gaining was good and necessary to a degree, but it wasn’t all there was to faith. In fact, if Christianity was going to make any kind of a difference in the communities that God was going to put me in, it had to be less about what you know and more about what you are going to do with it.

Main Point

Since then, a couple of things have become even more apparent. On one hand, I am disappointed at how little the next generation of pastors know their bible. If you are watching or listening to this and you feel a call to ministry, get into your Bible! Know it! Study it! Let God speak to you through it!

The second is how much Christianity has become more about what you know and less about what you do with it. Our culture has put such a high value on knowledge, haven’t we? People say that knowledge is power, right? Yet one of the things that has become increasingly obvious is that the more knowledgeable the church becomes, the less effective it becomes. If knowledge was the key, the North American church should be the most effective church of all time, and that is simply not the case! What you know matters significantly less than your ability to obey and live it out.

Why it matters

I can’t help but wonder if the emphasis was placed more on obedience if the accusations of hypocrisy would decrease. I can’t help but wonder if the church lived this book as well as it quotes it, if our communities wouldn’t experience the love of Jesus more abundantly; if holiness wouldn’t abound more evidently. I wonder if we would spend less time arguing about finer details and more time making disciples like we are supposed to.

Matthew 28:19–20 NLT

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

I’m going to underline this for you. Not just teach them, don’t just fill their head with more knowledge. Teach them to obey ALL the commands I have given you. All, not some, not the ones you’re comfortable with; ALL of them.

So this morning, we are diving into the importance of obedience in the context of scripture. Jesus has identified it as a core piece of discipleship, so let’s unpack it.

Scripture

1) Love is expressed through obedience

John 14:15 NLT

“If you love me, obey my commandments.

John 14:21 NLT

Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

John 14:23–24 NLT

Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.

John 15:10 NLT

When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

2 John 6 NLT

Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.

blank

Do you see the direct correlation of love and obedience? I believe that you have been taught to believe by our culture that love and obedience are at odds sometimes. Love is a feeling, and obedience has some kind of domineering overtone. But actually obedience is an expression of love. Why? Because if you love someone, you don’t want to disappoint them, and more importantly, you don’t want to hurt them. It is also why you need to remember that love is a choice, not a feeling. If you love someone, you will do everything in your power to keep that connection and honor the person that you love. In the case of your relationship with God, you also know that if God has asked you to do something, or not to do something, it is because he loves you and wants what is best for you. What greater evidence do you need that God only has your best in mind than the fact that he sent his Son Jesus to die on a cross for you? If you love God, you will live your life in such a way that honors him in all that you do and say.

Fear of the Lord fuels Obedience

Matthew 10:28 NLT

“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Now a little context here. Jesus is sending the disciples out to preach the good news about the kingdom of God and he warns them that there will be opposition. So Jesus, trying to bring their perspective into alignment, reminds them that no matter what people might do, it is nothing in comparison to what will happen on judgment day if they don’t obey.

Proverbs 1:7 NLT

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Proverbs 9:10 NLT

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.

Proverbs 16:6 NLT

Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin. By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil.

As I’ve been reading through the Old Testament, I have been amazed at how often someone will describe themselves as someone who has feared the LORD their whole life. Not someone who loves God, but fears him. Why? Because there is an element of reverent fear and awe of the Almighty that factors into a life of faith.

blank

The problem is that many times, fear and love are taught as opposites and the two cannot coexist. The reality cannot be further from the truth, and I have personal experience to show you why.

Growing up, there is one thing that I never doubted; even in times when I may have said otherwise, I knew the truth in my heart. My mom and dad loved, and still do. That is something that I never question. However, when growing up in their home, should I ever do something that violated one of my parents rules, this deep sense of fear would come over me. Now let me ask you, church; in that moment of fear, has the love somehow gone away? No. In fact, the discipline or consequence that was coming my way was coming because they loved me and didn’t want me to repeat the mistake I had made.

This is how love for God and fear of God coexist. It is not that you live in perpetual fear, but there is a realization that should I stray from the teachings of my Father, there are consequences, and those consequences will not be pleasant. God loves you, and he loves you enough to discipline you when it is necessary, and he will do it for your benefit. So, you obey and you grow to avoid the discipline and the consequence.

You obey out of love, you obey out of fear, and you obey because there is blessing in it.

3) Blessing is found in obedience

Deuteronomy 5:32–33 NLT

So Moses told the people, “You must be careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God, following his instructions in every detail. Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy.

Joshua 1:8 NLT

Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

James 1:22–25 NLT

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

I don’t think we talk about the blessing that comes with obeying God’s word enough, and I think that has to do with the whole prosperity gospel movement.

blank

For those that are new to church, the prosperity gospel, also known as the health and wealth message, basically says that if you do everything the bible tells you, life will go well for you. On the flip side, if you do get sick or become poor, it is because you have sin in your life.

As we have seen in the letters of Corinthians and before that Revelation, that’s not the truth. In fact, Jesus himself taught that as disciples we should expect hardship. However, you don’t go through hardship alone; in fact, God in his goodness can use hardship to form you and grow your faith. But there is also a lot of scripture that remind you that there is blessing in obedience. That blessing may not always be financial or material, but the blessing is there nonetheless. Why? Because God loves you and wants to bless you with good things, just like parents love to spoil their kids. It shouldn’t surprise you that God wants to bless you, as long as the blessing doesn’t take his place as the thing of worship in your heart.

Transition to Application

Jesus told the church to not just teach these new disciples, but teach them to obey, to live out this newfound faith. But as disciples who make disciples, you need to lead by example.

Main To Do

So how do you move your daily devotions and reading from just an academic practice to practical application? How do you move from orthodoxy to orthopraxy?

When you read your bible this week, and beyond, ask God to reveal to you how to obey the words that you are reading. For example, if you are following the plan I handed out, you will be in Matthew 18 tomorrow. Matthew 18 covers things like faith like a child, forgiveness, conflict among believers, and the shepherd who leaves the 99 and chases after the lost one. So you read tomorrow morning, the Holy Spirit might impress on you that you are holding onto unforgiveness towards someone, or that there is conflict you need to resolve. Maybe there is a situation that requires a more humble, childlike faith, that trusts that God will move. As you read, the Holy Spirit will speak to you and impress on you how you are to obey. It might require you slow down in your reading, but it is the best way to move from simply reading the word, to reading and obeying it.

Communion

Matthew 26:26–29 NLT

As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”

Closing Line

Don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Church, may you go out as disciples who make disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey.

Discussion Questions

What stood out from the message?

How can understanding that faith is about living it out influence your daily decisions?

In what ways might obedience to God's commands deepen your relationship with Him?

How might the concept of 'love being expressed through obedience' alter your view of difficult commandments?

How does the fear of the Lord contribute to your understanding and practice of obedience?

In what situations do you find it hardest to obey God's commandments?

How can you encourage your friends to turn their knowledge of God into acts of love and obedience?

What are some practical ways you can incorporate obedience to God into your everyday activities?