Love God & Obey Him Why? We are continuing our series looking at our vision and reason for being as a church, to Love God, Love One Another and Love the World. This morning we look at the subject of Loving God and obeying Him - and why we do well to do that. 1* Obedience to Love God is to obey Him 2* In John 14: 23-25 Jesus said: All who love Me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and We will come and make Our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn t love Me will not obey Me. And remember, My words are not My own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent Me. In biblical terms loving Jesus and obedience naturally go together one is the fruit of the other. Let s consider what obedience means: 3* o be di ence (oʊˈbi di əәns): 1. submissive behaviour towards another (being easily persuaded) 2. obeisance honour, esteem, reverence, faithfulness, respect, tribute, worship towards another seen as superior 3. compliance willing surrender of power to another So let s personalize this - Jesus said if we love Him, we will obey Him and it will look like this: 4* o be di ence (oʊˈbi di əәns) to Jesus, we: 1. are persuaded that God and His ways are higher, better and beyond our own 2. honour His majesty and supremacy, expressing His worth to us in worship 3. surrender our independence and control in recognition that His guidance, goodness and power are most fulfilling and effective for our lives, now and forever Jesus Himself recognized that many of us say we love Him and yet we do not obey Him in the ways expressed above. When talking to those who claimed they loved God while, at the same time, ignoring His commands and making them fit their own ways of doing things, Jesus said: 5* These people honour Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God. Matthew 15:7-9 NLT These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn t in it. They act like they re worshipping Me, but they don t mean it. Matthew 15:7-9 MSG Jesus can always tell when our heart is not in things because it s the heart God looks at, rather than the outer show or words said. And He warns of the dangers of us being like that:
6* So why do you keep calling Me Lord, Lord! when you don t do what I say? I will show you what it s like when someone comes to me, listens to My teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house that digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins. Luke 6:46-49 NLT Although many of us don t think about these things when life is going well, most of us wouldn t knowingly do something that leaves us, and our homes, and our corporate house, vulnerable to breakdown and destruction, so why wouldn t we obey God if disobedience results in just that? If we don t believe and take God s Word seriously in this respect, we must be believing other things more strongly, even if we do so subconsciously. Some of my thoughts: 7* In our Society, obedience is increasingly counter-culture. In our culture, obedience can be seen as a negative thing something that takes away an individual s right to do what they want, when they want, how they want in other words, obedience means being controlled. 8* Putting oneself in the hands of another through obedience can be seen as making oneself vulnerable to being exploited or being made to look weak or foolish. 9* We can believe that putting walls up and keeping ultimate control of our lives is the safest and best thing we can do, because after all, we know ourselves better than anyone don t we? OR DO WE? If we identify with any of these reasons and beliefs then one or more of the following are true: 10* We don t fully realize what it means to be a beloved son or daughter of the Father and we live in fear of punishment or things going wrong We have unresolved pain from our past experiences and need healing We don t realize that God has nothing but good for us and knows the desires of our hearts We don t realize the limitations we are putting on God and ourselves We don t realize the blessings and rewards we are denying ourselves, and others Some of these beliefs may have been true before we came to know Jesus but they are no longer true and work against us when we do because:
11* Lord, You know everything there is to know about me. You ve examined my innermost being with Your loving gaze. You perceive every movement of my heart and soul and understand my every thought before it even enters my mind You know all the words I m about to speak You know every step I will take before my journey even begins. You ve gone into my future to prepare the way and in kindness you follow behind me to spare me from the harm of my past a few verses from Psalm 139 Jesus comes into our lives, only by invitation, not by force He comes in as Saviour and Lord knowing all the best ways to direct our lives for maximum fulfillment and fruitfulness knowing us better than we know ourselves! But He will not force Himself or His ways upon us He will never control us (even if we want Him to or think He should) because that is the realm of the enemy, and has nothing to do with His Kingdom. But He will give us the Truth in Love and leave it up to us to choose. 12* When I gave my life to Jesus I was aware of my need for Him more than understanding His great love for me. I dutifully told Him my life was His and moved into the co-pilot seat of the aeroplane that was my life letting Him be the pilot taking hold of the controls. Then my life hit some turbulence and I was afraid. I moved to wrestle Him for the joystick but He let go of it immediately saying, Bev if you want to take control I m not going to fight you for it but may I remind you, I built this plane, I know how she works, I know how to get her through this storm and I know the journey ahead like the back of my hand, and the destination, but go ahead. I sat back down in my co-pilot seat! I know in my heart of hearts that if I d tried to keep control of my life I d have crashed and burned a long time ago and I d have denied myself so many blessings along the way. 13* A wise person put it like this: God wants our heart to be in obedience; He wants life to be a journey together. He is not interested in making us do things otherwise He d have made us robots with no free will to choose anything for ourselves. God is interested in love responses and He delights to shower upon us the rewards and blessings obedience generates. Here are some of them: 14* God s Word is perfect in every way. How it revives our souls. His laws lead us to truth and His ways make us wise. His teachings make us joyful and radiate His light.to follow Him keeps me full of life Nothing brings the soul such sweetness as seeking His living Words.giving a lifetime guarantee: Great success to every obedient soul. Psalm 19:8-11
Now people can say All this talk of rewards is wrong - Jesus should be enough for us; we should obey out of love and gratitude to Him. I understand their point, so why does God think it s important to mention, many times over, the rewards for obedience? 15* Maybe it has something to do with the fact that God is not a type of Father who says Do it - because I say so! He always gives a good reason why we do well to listen and obey, and He always has more to release to us through it. Many of us know and remember those things God asks of us but unfortunately we don t remember the reasons We know Jesus urges us to be baptized, give our tithe, forgive an offender, abstain from sex outside of marriage, getting drunk or being greedy, love one another, help the vulnerable for example, but we forget the reasons why or the rewards He longs to give - big mistake! That s what can make life feel like empty rules and regulations, rather than life in enjoyment of God and His blessings. A wise person put it like this: Imagine someone said Walk three miles down to the Bank and you will receive 1,000,000. Note there s a command and there s a reason to help me obey the command. So, while I m walking to the Bank, is it possible I might forget the reason? 1,000,000 - not a chance!... But three miles is such a long way. I m getting really tired now. I m not sure I want to keep walking - I d rather turn left and head home. But wait a minute. What reason did he give me for walking to the Bank? Oh, that s right. There s 1,000,000 waiting for me! Suddenly I m no longer tired in fact I m re-energised. I want to get to the Bank. Forget going home. That s how reasons and rewards help us obey. See you at the Bank! Reasons and rewards keep our hearts in it, keep us focused, motivated and persevering and we have good reasons and promised rewards much greater than 1,000,000 as a result of our obedience to God if we remember them, rather than only the commands. 16* What s more, God is in the rewards and not separate from them. Every reward involves more of God and brings our relationship closer which increases our heart satisfaction in Him. In Connect Groups spend time looking at the reasons and rewards that go with God s commands and see His heart for us- I m going to quickly touch on three: 17* Be baptised: In Jesus Great Commission, He said: Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28:19-20 (NLT)
For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free 1 Corinthians 12: 13 It s the first command of any follower of Jesus because it secures our identity as a son or daughter, equally loved, accepted, and valued as any other in the family of God; it puts our past to rest and enables and empowers us to live as the new creation Jesus has made us. You will note that as we make disciples, we are to baptize them and teach them to obey Jesus commands. We cannot do for them what we haven t done for ourselves! 18* Forgive another command to obey If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matt. 6:14-15 NLT Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. Hebrews 12:15 NLT Unforgiveness is shown to lead to bitterness, which holds us back in life and affects our emotional and physical health; it also impacts and destroys our relationships with others. In The How of Happiness, Sonja Lyubomirsky shows that forgiving people are: happier, healthier, more agreeable, more serene, better able to empathize with others, more spiritual, and more capable of re-establishing closeness in relationships. That s seven major benefits of forgiving, to which we can add the benefit of a closer relationship with God and experience of His grace. Since this is our Gift Day it would be good to look at the command to tithe and give: Tithe & Give: Jesus when talking about tithes and taxes, said, Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God. Mark 12:17 Tithes to God, taxes to the Government and generous giving are all commanded so we release and live in Heaven s riches which includes finances, health, harmony, peace, fulfillment, fruitfulness and wholeness. 19* Jesus tells us to: Remember this a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully and God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others For God
will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ 2 Corinthians 9: 6-14 As it is our Gift Day today we have an opportunity to give, be blessed and be a blessing by investing in two opportunities 1. Young Life (Paul W) and 2. the Volunteer Programme. So obedience is a natural response to truly loving God but it is not a matter of will-power. The only one who has perfectly loved and obeyed the Father is Jesus and His obedience has brought us the greatest blessing anyone can ever know love acceptance, forgiveness, restoration and eternal life with Father, Son & Holy Spirit, and one another. 20* Philippians 2:8-9: He [Jesus] listened to the Father and was obedient in everything He heard. He was a perfect example, even in His death a criminal s death by crucifixion. Because of that obedience, God exalted Him and multiplied His greatness. He has now been given the greatest of all names! Romans 5:19: One man s [Adam s] disobedience opened the door for all humanity to become sinners. So also one man s [Jesus ] obedience opened the door for many to be made perfectly right with God and acceptable to Him. When we believe Jesus life and ours become entwined and His Holy Spirit, if we allow Him to, He teaches us to be like Jesus perfectly obedient and a great blessing to all. Appeal. Hopefully our desire for God will become as great as it was for John Bunyan who famously said: If we have not quiet in our minds, outward comfort will do no more for us than a golden slipper on a gouty foot. 21* He also said this: Pray.
CONNECT GROUP PRAYER & DISCUSSION POINTS: The goal of every believer is to grow and mature into Christ-likeness. Why? Because most of us, if not all, recognize Jesus was the supreme example of security in who He was; the greatest example of godliness/morality and compassion; the most effective in answered prayers and miracle working power; the most fruitful in advancing God s Kingdom on earth and seeing others come into relationship with the Father. He was the perfect example of obedience flowing from a deep relationship with the Father. In o be di ence (oʊˈbi di əәns) to Jesus, we: 1. are persuaded that God and His ways are higher, better and beyond our own 2. honour His majesty and supremacy, expressing His worth to us in worship 3. surrender our independence and control in recognition that His guidance, goodness and power are most fulfilling and effective for our lives, now and forever Q. Discuss any struggles we may have with aspects of obedience as stated above and reasons why? Q. What do the reasons and benefits of obedience show us about Father God? Q. How can we be more aware and remember the reasons and benefits of God s commands to us? Discuss certain commands and compile the reasons and benefits of them. You could begin with the ones raised and add in others - be baptized, give our tithes and offerings, forgive an offender, abstain from sex outside of marriage, getting drunk or being greedy, love one another, help the vulnerable Q. If Jesus is the one who can perfectly obey the Father, how can we see Him increase and us decrease in this respect? Pray together into these things and get healing for any issues raised when considering obeying the Father.