The blessings of obedience

Obedience and belief two side of the same coin

Hebrews 3:12–19 (NKJV)

12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;

13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,

15 while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses?

17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness?

18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey?

19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

The scripture tell us that the people of Israel did not enter into his rest (promise land) becuase they did not obey, and they did not obey because of unbelief.

Two important truths are revealed

obedience is a fruit of faith. there is no obedience without faith, and there is no faith without obedience. if you have one, you will have the other. In other words, Obedience and faith (belief) are two sides of the same coin.

One can not say, he beliefs The words of God but not obey it. If a person obeys God’s word he has faith.

Obedience that is of faith will bring us into the blessings of God. Disobedience will keep us from the blessings of God. It will keep us from God’s promises.

The people of israel started with obedience but instead of continueing their journey with obedience they fell because of obedience. They did not arrive at their destination because of disobedience which come from unbelief.

The start of the faith journey to the promise land, the start of our journey with God is initiated by obedience and it is completed by obedience.

Hebrews 11:8–9 (NKJV)

8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;

God called abraham.

Abraham responded by being obedient to the call because of his faith. He believed therefore he obeyed. This is how Abraham began his journey with God to the promise land. It began with obedience.

God, just like he called Abraham, has called us through the Gospel

2 Thessalonians 2:13–14 (NKJV)

13 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth,

14 to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 2:38–39 (NKJV)

38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Those who respond to the call in obedience through just like Abraham begin the journey to the promise land.

With every obedience to the words of God there is blessing

Park here a little bit and talk about blesiing of salvation from sin through baptism in Jesus name.

People tend to disobey the call of God (Acts 2:38) because they don’t belief that remmission of sin is in Baptism in Jesus name.

Because of that unbelief they don’t obey Acts 2:38.

Namaan the commander of the Army of the syrian the leper 2Kings 5:1-19.

Elisha, the prophet, told Namman “ Go and wash in the Jordan river seven and your flesh shall be restored to you and you shall be clean”

Namaan struggled with obeying that simple command because one, he did not belief becuase he taught it was going to take something complicated to solve his problem. He did not know that God can use simple things to acccomplish great and mighty things.

Two, he was pridefull.

Humility, obedience and faith go together. God chose the poor who are rich in faith.

When he obeyed the command, the promise word together with his obedience that is of faith produce the outcome which was the cleansing away of his leprosy.

We too, by being obedient to the command to repent and be baptised in Jesus name. Our faith that is made evident by our obedience together with the promise word of God in the saving name of Jesus CHrist we receive remission of sins

Romans 6:15–19 (NKJV)

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!

16 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?

17 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.

18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

John 8:33–36 (NKJV)

33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”

34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.

35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.

36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

There is a difference between resisting sin and wrestling with sin and being overcome by sin.

Sin has no longer dominion over us because through the obedience of the Gospel we have been set free from sin and death.

Disobedience leads to death and bondage to sin but obedience to God leads to righteousness and the end eternal life.

The blessings of obedience

Romans 1:4–6 (NKJV)

4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,

6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;

We have received grace and apostolship (gift of the spirit) for obedience to the faith.

Romans 1:16–17 NKJV

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

God’s righteousness, God’s grace, God’s blessing will be revealed in your life when you go from faith to faith or obedience to obedience.

Withe every obedience comes a blessing from God, comes grace.

We have started this Journey with obedience we must continue in obedience and we must finish it with obedience that is by faith.

The impact of obedience and disobedience

Romans 5:19 NKJV

19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

The impact of one’s man disobedience was astronomical. Many were made sinners, and one mans’ obedience many were made rigtheous

this principle of disobedience or obedience impacting not on the individual but also his descendants and the environment around him is crucial to understand.

Your disobedience not only impacts you but also your descendants, and the people around you.

The disobedience of the poeple of israel did not only impact those who disobeyed but also their descendants

Numbers 14:30–33 (NKJV)

30 Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in.

31 But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised.

32 But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness.

33 And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness.

Brunt :- defination the worst part or chief impact of a specified action.

Their children carried the brunt of their disobedience.

There children were going to bear the Worst part or the chief impact of their disobedience.

Your obedience impacts you descendants

Abraham as an example

Genesis 22:15–18 (NKJV)

15 Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven,

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.”

Your disobedience affects those around you.

Jonah as an example.

Because of Jonah’s disobedience all the men in the ship were going to die.

Becuase of Jonah’s obedience the people of Nineveh heard the Gospel and repented and delievered from destruction.

Your disobedience will have an impact the people around you, and your obedience will have an impact those around you