Walking the Walk pt 2: Obedience

WALKING THE WALK MEANS WALKING IN OBEDIENCE

TO WALK IN OBEDIENCE WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO GOD

Obedience to God’s commands throughout the Old Testament

In the Beginning

Israel:

§ Israel: , “I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today… by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.”

· Like a good parent God give the positives of obedience and consequences of rebellion. This is done throughout scripture.

Obedience to God’s commands throughout the New Testament.

Jesus preached obedience many times.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

· Notice He says “hears these words and does them…” It is not the hearing part that we struggle with it’s the doing part.

· In Verse 27 you have the foolish man who built his house (where children?) on the sand…both men heard but only one obeyed.

God continues to emphasis the importance of obedience after the gospels.

· Also notice the connection in these verses…

“He became the source of eternal salvation for all you obey Him.”

“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth”

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

“For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment”

Obedience is involved in living faithful for Christ. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

o Does this mean that we must live a flawless life? No, but it does mean we need to strive for obedience in every area of our lives.

TO WALK IN OBEDIENCE WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHY IT SHOULD BE IMPORTANT TO US

Why is this such an important message? Why do we need it today?

We obviously need this message because we as human being are prone to wander and have a hard time obey God at times. We need to know that He desires we walk in truth.

We may be tempted to take obedience to lightly

§ We just like God’s people of all time need to understand that knowledge without obedience is not following Christ.

o This message is so important because our culture at this time is particularly eaten up with the idea that you can follow God with whatever commitment level you want and obedience is optional (at least in some areas.)

§ 1) We are such a self centered culture that we have made everything about us including our devotion to God. Hence declining morals and churches …

§ 2) This is not all the cultures fault, coupling a misunderstanding of God’ grace and permissive culture is a dangerous thing…when God’s grace is presented as being apart and completely unconnected to anything we do (initial salvation) then people fall into the temptation of continuing in sin (because God’s grace does not have to do with obedience) that grace may abound.

§ (ill: Recently I listened to an evangelical speaker (very popular and well known) tell a crowd of thousands at one of the biggest gathering…”that obedience is not legalism it is just obedience” It is not meritorious works…it’s just obedience…Why did that have to even be said? Because of the misrepresentation of God’s grace leading to misunderstanding of obedience…)

We may have a misunderstanding grace and obedience

· Just because we do not take our sin seriously does not mean…

“So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ”

§ “So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ” The works do not make us worthy, just our duty…

We all struggle with obedience because we are in a battle with the flesh

§ Do you think this servant if he refused to do the things that the master asked would go unpunished or still be his servant? No…enough of that…

o But all this involved really comes to the essential question of why do we (including you and me) knowing these thing have such a hard time obeying God’s commands.

§ Because we are in a spiritual battle that involves often involves our flesh fighting against the Spirit God has placed within us and our spirits. Notice…

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live”

If we do not have our minds on the things of the Spirit and submit to the Holy Spirit we will not obey.

§ In Paul talked about His personal battle to battle sin and be obedient to Christ…we need to let our wills go and the focus on self and obey Christ.

Ø Knowing that God desires obedience (as obedience is walking in the truth) and being motivated by Godly fear is part of it but there is more to it that that…without the most important motivation:

o (1 - The submission to the Spirit in obedience may not happen as it should...

o (2 - If we leave this part out obedience and our faith can become to us and others who see us simply the following of rules legalistically and out of fear which can lead to a self righteousness like the Pharisee had.

§ That is not what obedience is about. Many in history have made mistake.

TO WALK IN OBEDIENCE WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR LOVE

The most important motivation we can have for obedience is love.

“If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments”

“And this is love, that we walk in obedience to his commands.”

o These are just a few places that obedience to God and love for God are inseparable…we will look at this more next week…but…

Are you walking in obedience? Are you living like God’s command really matter? Do people recognize that you believe and live differently than everyone else?