Obey the LORD your God and follow his commands... (Deuteronomy 27:10)

Transcription

1 34 What the Bible Says About Obedience Obey the LORD your God and follow his commands... (Deuteronomy 27:10) The law, the Apostle John writes, was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 1 Living in the grace and truth of the new covenant, it is easy to look back on the law as applying only to the old covenant. But God s words are eternal, and his commands to humankind instruct and enlighten us now, as then. As Jesus taught and amazed the crowds that gathered to hear him speak, he cautioned his listeners that while his teaching seemed unique and perhaps revolutionary, he had not come to do away with the law. No, he said, he had not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. And he warned his hearers to practice and teach God s commandments and to not break them. Jesus Christ commands our obedience. We cannot call him Lord if we don t do what he says. If you love me, he said, you will obey what I command. Now, wait a minute. What does obedience have to do with love? Typically, we view love and obedience as polar opposites. The one is warm and snugly; the other is cold and severe. But with God, the two ideas fit hand in glove. For God had created us in his likeness: he was to be our heavenly Father, and we were to be his children. The love we were to share and are now able to share in Christ would be evidenced by his Fatherly care and blessing and by our childlike respect and obedience. In fact, throughout Old Testament history, obedience and blessing went hand in hand. The hope of faithful Israelites was to please God by their reverent obedience to his commands, and so receive his blessing on their families, their crops and livestock, and their nation. God s blessing today rests on the followers of Christ. But don t think that the commands of Christ are simply a new set of laws that Christians must now observe in order to attain his blessing. God s favor and blessing come through his grace. Christ s commands serve as our instruction, teaching us how we should live as God s adopted sons and daughters. The ability to obey them comes from the Holy Spirit working in us, transforming us day-by-day into the likeness of Christ. Our effort should be focused on listening to the Spirit s guidance and surrendering the desires of our old nature to the will of our heavenly Father. Christ s words energize our spirit and give us life. Just reading and believing them is transformational. But putting them into daily practice is what pleases God. James reminds us to follow through with what we read in the Bible: Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 2

2 But our obedience needn t seem burdensome. On the contrary, by God s grace, our obedience grants us freedom to glorify God as the psalmist said, I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free. 3 By our obedience to the word of Christ, writes the Apostle John, God s love is made complete in us, because we live in him, and he has come to live in us. 4 It is a profound blessing. And it is cause for great joy. 1 John 1.17 ESV 2 James 1:22 NIV 3 Psalm 119:32 NIV John 2:5; 3:24

3 Topic Summary From the time God first communicated to humankind, he expected his word to be obeyed. Today, believers are encouraged to demonstrate their faith in Christ by putting his teachings into practice. Preview Abraham is asked to sacrifice his promised heir; his willingness to obey this most difficult command wins blessings for his offspring and for future generations of mankind. Israel will become a most treasured and exalted nation, says God, if its people will simply obey the terms of his covenant. Blessings will pour down upon them: rain at just the right times, abundant harvests, peace with neighboring nations, and more. But all deals are off if they fail to observe God s laws. So listen, Israel, says Moses, be careful to obey God, so that all may go well with you. Fix God s commands in your hearts and impress them on your children, and God will set you in fame and honor above all nations. As Israel prepares to enter Canaan, God speaks to Joshua their leader, encouraging him to study his laws and to carefully obey his commands, promising him success if he does. Several generations later, God picks out a king for his people, but proud king Saul flunks the obedience test. Exit Saul, enter David. By the time Solomon dedicates the temple in Jerusalem, the nation is finally at peace and God s people are enjoying the prosperity God promised. In the Psalms once again we tackle the mighty 119th, finding a wealth of examples of obedience to God and his word. Concluding the Old Testament portion of our lesson, Jeremiah reminds us that disobedient Israel eventually reaped the curses of the law. He tells us a story of a certain family of Israelites who serve, alas too late, as a model of obedience to Israel. As in our previous lesson, the Lord Jesus doesn t pull any punches on this subject. Why do you call me Lord, Lord, he asks the crowd, if you don t do what I say? The Son of God sets a standard of humble submission and obedience to the will of the Father. Blessed are you, he tells his listeners, when you hear the word of God and obey it. If you love me, he tells his disciples three times in the upper room, you will obey what I command. The apostle Paul opens and closes his letter to the Romans talking about obedience to God the obedience that comes, he says, from faith. In the middle of the letter he cautions that we must either make ourselves servants of obedience or remain slaves of sin. Jesus himself, says the writer to the Hebrews, learned obedience from what he suffered on earth, and so he became the source of salvation for all who obey him. Abraham once again is pointed out as the man who followed through on his faith with obedience. By your obedience, writes the apostle Peter, you have purified yourselves so that you sincerely love one another. Indeed, writes the apostle John, if anyone obeys God s word, God s love is perfected in him. Those who obey God s commands live in him, and he in them.

4 Obedience Gen 22:1-19 because you have obeyed me 26:1-6 Abraham obeyed me and kept Exo 19:1-8 Now if you obey me fully and Lev 18:1-5 man who obeys them will live 26:1-20 If you... are careful to obey my Deut 6:1-9 and be careful to obey so that 11:8-32 faithfully obey the commands 26:16 27:10 obey the LORD your God and Josh 1:1-9 Be careful to obey all the law 1 Sa 15:1-23 To obey is better than sacrifice 1 Ki 8:54-61 to live by his decrees and obey Psa 119:1-8 I will obey your decrees; do 119:9-176 I obey your statutes, for I love Jer 11:1-8 Obey me and do everything I 35:1-19 they obey their forefather s Matt 7:21-29 who does the will of my Father 28:16-20 and teaching them to obey Luke 6:46-49 my words and puts them into 11:27-28 the word of God and obey it John 8:21-30 for I always do what please him 14:15-31* If you love me, you will obey Acts 5:27-32 given to those who obey him Rom 1:1-7 obedience that comes from faith 6:15-18 slaves to the one... you obey 16:25-27 might believe and obey him 2 Th 1:1-12 do not obey the gospel of our Heb 5:7-10 salvation for all who obey him 11:8-19 By faith Abraham... obeyed and Jas 1:22-25 Do not merely listen to the word 1 Pe 1:1 2:3 yourselves by obeying the truth 1 Jn 2:1-6 But if anyone obeys his word 3:16-24 Those who obey... live in him 2 Jn 1:1-6 love: that we walk in obedience

5 To Think About Make it a habit, conscious and deliberate at first, to apply each thing you learn in Scripture to your daily life. Let the Word show you what you are lacking. Recognize the fault, then look for an opportunity to amend your behavior. Exaggerate your behavior on this point until compliance with God s word becomes habitual. Prayerfully resolve to do this, and God will help you. He will transform you, by degrees, into the likeness of his Son. Memory Verse Blessed... are those who hear the word of God and obey it. (Luke 11:28)