Obedience-pt.1

Introduction

Thank you for the opportunity to bring the Word of God to you today.

(Introduce myself).

I want to first say that there could be not more important topic to bring to the church today than the topic of obedience.

Why?

Because, the obedience of God’s people to Jesus Christ, through His Word must be at an all-time low.

Obedience does not even compute in the minds of many.

For example, if I were to tell you that obedience to Jesus Christ IS THE mark of a true Christian, what would you think?

John 8:51 NAS

“Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.”

John 8:30–31 NAS

As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him. So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;

The difference between a true Christain and a false Christian is what is on the line with this discussion.

Let me tell you why….

Review of the reason for obedience.

It is the nature of God to operate by authority and submission.

1 Corinthians 11:3 NAS

But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of 1Christ.

Relationship = superior and inferior; boss and slave; owner and operator; parent and child; ruler and citizen.

Man was created by God; He is the Potter and we are the clay.

Genesis 2:16 NAS

The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely;

Obedience is the means of pleasing God.

Deuteronomy 10:12–13 NAS

“Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?

Obedience is the greatest expression of likeness to Jesus Christ.

John 14:31 NAS

but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here.

John 4:34 NAS

Jesus *said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.

What is obedience?

OT: = “to hear”- שָׁמַע

NT: = “to hear” - ὑπακούω

Adam did not listen.

Genesis 3:17 NAS

Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life.

Jesus listened.

John 4:34 NAS

Jesus *said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.

The disciples were to listen with faith.

Romans 1:5 NAS

through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,

The priests were becoming obedient to the faith.

Acts 6:7 NAS

The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.

Disobedience produces condemnation.

In fact, the whole of salvation is summarized as obedience or disobedience.

2 Thessalonians 1:5–10 NAS

This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed.

Therefore, when we discuss obedience:

We must discuss why obedience is important.

We must also discuss why God desires our obedience.

We must also discuss why disobedience is so serious.

All of these things can be dealt with in the event that happened in the life of Saul, the first king of Israel and Samuel, the first prophet and the man who anointed Saul as king.