Learning Obedience

Intro

Text - Hebrews 5.5-8

Hebrews 5:5–8 NKJV

5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.” 6 As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek”; 7 who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

Title - Learning Obedience

Background

Paul speaks of Christ who the Father has exalted to the HIgh Priestly work according to the order of Melchizedek

the order of melchizedek is greater than the Levitical priesthood in many ways

Before Jesus was exalted to that position, He went through a time of learning - learning obedience

Questions

Why was Jesus tested?

Why are Christians tested?

Sermon Points

Four important things about obedience

obedience is for children

obedience must be learned

obedience is one’s valuation of God’s words

obedience always has rewards

Obedience is for children

Obedience is the single most important charateristic of a child

Ephesians 6:1 NKJV

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

Colossians 3:20 NKJV

20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.

1 Peter 1:14–17 NKJV

14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;

Obedience identifies who belongs to God and who don’t

the disobedient

Ephesians 2:1–2 NKJV

1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

Colossians 3:5–6 NKJV

5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,

Titus 1:16 NKJV

16 They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.

1 Peter 2:7–8 NKJV

7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

Obedience must be learned

Jesus “learned” obedience”

Hebrews 5:8 NKJV

8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

“Learn” - Grk. MANTHANO, to gain knowledge or skills

examples - learn how to drive, sing, etc.

Titus 3.14 - learn to maintain good works

1 Cor 4.6 - learn to not think beyond what is written

1 Tim 5.4 - learn to show piety at home

to learn obedience is to know/understand how to obey God’s commands

it is not always easy to practice

it is much easier to disobey than to obey God’s commands

we are not “born” obedient!

by natural birth - we were born sinners

in spiritual birth - we have to fight our way against the law of sin and death in our body

the path of learning is always through pain and suffering

Hebrews 5:8 NKJV

8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

Abraham was separated from his people

Jacob lost was deceived by his father in-law, and by his own children

Obedience is one’s valuation of God’s words

Whether we obey God’s word or not, we do it in comparison to another command or idea.

Judges 3:1–5 NKJV

1 Now these are the nations which the Lord left, that He might test Israel by them, that is, all who had not known any of the wars in Canaan 2 (this was only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known it), 3 namely, five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath. 4 And they were left, that He might test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of the Lord, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. 5 Thus the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

In the book of Judges, “Isreal” refers to the generation after the time of Joshua

they did not witness the time when their father fought with the Canaanites

God allowed the Canaanites to survive in order to test these generations

Will they value God’s commandments over other ideas, laws and principles?

Example - King Saul’s obedience

1 Samuel 15:1–9 NKJV

1 Samuel also said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ” 4 So Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley. 6 Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7 And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.

After the battle, he returns home happy, But God was not.

1 Samuel 15:13–16 NKJV

13 Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” 14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” 15 And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.” 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Be quiet! And I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak on.”

1 Samuel 15:17–23 NKJV

17 So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel? 18 Now the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?” 20 And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” 22 So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”

Only after these words did King Saul recognize his error.

1 Samuel 15:24 NKJV

24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.

He disobeyed God’s commands because he valued the people’s voice more.

Obedience always has its rewards

A child’s reward for obedience

Ephesians 6:1–3 NKJV

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

Abraham’s reward for obedience

Genesis 22:16–18 NKJV

16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— 17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

Because of Abraham’s obedience the nations today are enjoying the faithful words of God!

Conclusion

If you are a child of God, know this -

you are not a child of God because you wanted to become one - it was God’s sovereign will that you made you so!

you either know you are or your are not

you will know by the simple desire and willingness to obey God when He speaks to you - by the Bible, or by any other means

you will know because you will choose to obey God even if it pains you!

SONG - Here I Am