Obedience: Our Lord s Love Language John 15:7-11 Sermon #1 1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: Have you heard the term love language? It is the expression of love in a language that best communicates your level of sincere love to a particular person. It is the optimal way to express love to a person because this person best relates to this avenue of communication. Hampton Drum Gary Chapman s book describes the five love languages. He believes everyone receives love through at least one of them: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. I. His word in our life demonstrates our desire to love Him. A. It demonstrates our desire to abide in His will. John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, Are you walking in the life cycle of verse seven: walking in His word, believing God by faith, witnessing Him answering your prayer and providing your needs? Which is His love language to you so that you will be confirmed and affirmed in your faith. Hampton Drum 1 B. It demonstrates our desire to accomplish His will.
John 15:7... ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. II. His word in our life indicates our devotion to His love. A. We prove our affection by following the design of His word. John 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; When anything in creation fulfills its purpose, it brings glory to God. Rick Warren B. We prove our affection by being a faithful disciple of His word. John 15:8... so shall ye be my disciples. John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: III. His word in our life delivers His delight into our life. (V.9-10) 2 What does obedience do for our relationship with Christ? A history of love and obedience to our Lord establishes a foundation for our relationship to stand on. Our obedience causes our relationship with Christ to grow and deepen.
Trust is built and our sincerity is demonstrated. The end result is a progression toward God s greatest reward. You have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many. A. The expression of His love to us brings His delight. John 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. B. The exercise of His love brings His delight. John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. Far from being a drudgery, Christian obedience is thus the bond of our relationship with Christ and the source of our deepest joy. And the fact that we are obliged to submit to his lordship should never alter the joy we find in doing so! John MacArthur 3
1 Samuel 15:1-25 The Madness of Giving Everything but Obedience! Sermon #2 Obedience is opening your life to holy possibilities. Obedience is the Holy Spirit s number one job in your life. God s call on Saul s life: 1 Samuel 9:17 And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people. The Humility he possessed: 1 Samuel 9:21 And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me? I. There is the opportunity to obey the Lord completely. (V.1-2) For some people, the key may be love, faith, or service. I want to tell you that the key to God s heart is obedience. Charles Stanley 4 A. Obeying the Lord puts us in a position of prominence before Him. 1Samuel 15:1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. B. Obeying the Lord puts us in a position to please Him. 1Samuel 15:2-3 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. (V.3) Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not;
II. There are the obstacles of obeying the Lord completely. (V.8-9) Cain and preferential obedience: Genesis 4:-5 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: (V.5) But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. A. There was the obstacle of his revenge. 1 Samuel 15:8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, What was so wrong about what Saul did? Saul wanted to quench his thirst for revenge. He took pleasure in making King Agag grovel. He felt making his enemy look small would make him look great. B. There was the obstacle of his renown. 1 Samuel 15:9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, Galatians 5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. (Saul wanted a bit of renown from this escapade by sacrificing animals that he had brought back as spoils of war.) III. There is the outrage of obeying the Lord contemptibly. How easy it is to misunderstand obedience. God: He has turned back from following Me! (V.11) Saul: I have obeyed the voice of the Lord! (V.20) 5
Blame Game! God : 1 Samuel 15:9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, Saul: 1 Samuel 15:15...for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, Saul: 1 Samuel 15:21... But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, He thought he was obeying God but; point in fact, he had disobeyed Him. A. His disobedience caused God to regret His choice. 1 Samuel 15:11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. I wonder if the Lord is saying this very same thing to someone today. I blessed you and you used my blessing as a platform to walk in disobedience. Hampton Drum 1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. B. His disobedience caused God to reject him as king. (V.24-28) Samuel s response: 1 Samuel 15:11... And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night. 6
Saul s response: 1 Samuel 15:19-20 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? (V.20) And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, 1 Samuel 15:26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. 7
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 The War of Obedience Sermon #3 Why should we defend the right of obedience in our lives? Because obedience automatically fashions you into the image of His design. (Which has its rich rewards.) 1Peter 1:14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: The by-products of obedience are confidence, comfort and contentment. 1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. (Obedience leads to godliness and godliness leads to contentment in every area of our lives!) Obeying God purifies our soul and develops a love in us that will never falter. 1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth, 2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: I. The weapons we use in the war of obedience. (V.4) A. They are divinely empowered for the war. 2 Corinthians 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God... B. They are divinely engineered for the war. 2 Corinthians 10:4... to the pulling down of strong holds;) Strongholds are a bulwark of Satan. It is the thing that halts your obedience and prevents the healing power of the cross in your life. To have it you, will have to fight for it. 8
Tragically, too few see the enormous value of obedience and therefore never pay the price to obtain its rewards! Hampton Drum II. The war we wage in the war of obedience. (V.5) 9 A. It is a war to defend the wisdom of God. 2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, How does the devil attack our imagination? Worry: the preoccupation with something that hasn t happened and in all probability won t happen. Peer pressure: it is an overemphasis on how others perceive you and an unreasonable response to be accepted. Fear: the devil s greatest tool is fear: fear of loss, fear of harm and the fear of abandonment. Lust: the unreasonable lure by temptation to cause you to fall into sin. Emotions: the devil loves to manipulate our emotions in order to make us choose a wrong direction for our life. Exodus 5:1-2 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. (V.2) And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. (Can you imagine the emotional war that was taking place in Moses heart?) B. It is a war to direct the work of God. 2 Corinthians 10:5... and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; How do we bring into captivity every thought? First step is to identify the thought as exalting itself against the knowledge of God. (God s knowledge in our mind is given to bring peace, love, wisdom, and security into our lives. Those things that exalt one s self will attack these comforts in our mind.) The biblical principle is to cast down. The only way to defeat an idea is with a greater truth from God s word.
The last principle is to bring the idea into the captivity of obedience. (Worry is to doubt God s sufficiency. I will not worry.) III. The wicked we defeat in the war of obedience. (V.6) Enemies we war against: Personal enemies: intimidation, inability, insecurity Public enemies: powers, principalities, rulers in darkness People: their priorities, their agendas, their loyalties A. The objective of this war is to rally our resources. 2Corinthians 10:6 And having in a readiness... 1 Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. B. The objective of this war is to wreak revenge. (V.6) 2Corinthians 10:6... to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. Helen Keller showed none of the characteristics of the gracious person the world came to know when Anne Sullivan first came to the Keller home as Helen s teacher. Living in her world of silence and darkness, Helen was uncontrollable and rebellious. She reacted like a frightened, helpless bird in a cage frantically beating against its bars trying to escape. F. B. Huey Jr. I saw clearly that it was useless to try to teach her language or anything else until she learned to obey me. I have thought about it a great deal, and the more I think, the more certain I am that obedience is the gateway through which knowledge, yes, and love, too, enter the mind of the child. Anne Sullivan 10
Genesis 22:1-13 A Picture of Growing Obedience! Sermon #4 Abraham s Biography of Growing Obedience Abraham faced the Family test of obedience in Genesis Chapter11. Abraham faced the Famine test in Genesis Chapter 12. Abraham faced the Fight test in Genesis Chapter14. Abraham faced the Fortune test in Genesis Chapter14. Abraham faced the Fatherhood test in Genesis Chapter16. Abraham faced the Farewell test in Genesis Chapter 21. His life and his relationship with the Lord moved on the back of these steps of obedience. Just like Abraham, our spiritual life travels at the speed of our obedience. Hampton Drum I. The challenge of a lifetime is to obey the Lord. (V.2) 11 A. He faced the challenge of obeying God in his service. Genesis 22:2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; B. He faced the challenge of offering his son as a sacrifice. Genesis 22:2... and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. Why does God s command of obedience seem unreasonable at times? It seems unreasonable at times because we are living in the temporal and His command comes from the eternal. (Temporal = Low impact and unimportant to His redemptive plan. Eternal = High impact and vital to the success of His plan.) It seems unreasonable because we are focused on our sacrifice instead of His faithfulness. It seems unreasonable because we assume the worst about God s will when that is so unfair considering His track record.
Hebrews 11:17-19 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, (V.18) Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: (V.19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. II. The conquest of a lifetime is to obey the Lord. (V.3-5) Never had he gone so far, with so little energy, to do something that he dreaded so much. A. The physical conquest that was required. Obedience is easier when you step forward in action. Abraham moved without delay. Make obedience habitual and remember God s faithfulness. Hampton Drum Genesis 22:3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, B. The physiological conquest that was required. Genesis 22:4-5 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. (V.5) And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you, Abraham could depend on the promise and provision of the Lord. He had already experienced the resurrection power of God in his own body (Rom. 4:19-21) so he knew that God could raise Isaac from the dead if that was His plan. Apparently no resurrections had taken place before that time, so Abraham was exercising great faith in God. Warren Wiersbe 12
Romans 4:18-20 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. (V.19) And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: (V.20) He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; III. The confirmation of a lifetime for his obedience to the Lord. (V.6-10) God marks our relationship by our obedience. Matthew 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:6... pray to thy Father which is in secret; A. He was confirmed by the intervention of the Lord. Genesis 22:11-12 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. (V.12) And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. B. He was confirmed by the substitution of the Lord. Genesis 22:13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. Every single time we choose to disobey God s revealed truth, we choose to act independently of Him. It is an expression of our pride. We tell God we can handle it. We declare to an omniscient God (who knows our past, present, and future) that we re making the best choice. That s like a five-year old dictating the menu to his mother because he knows what is most nourishing. Charles Stanley 13
The Big Picture of Obedience Sermon #5 John 4:27-38 I am convinced that every generation is given an opportunity to plow a field for God. If they fail they are relegated to wilderness wanderings. Like children of Israel, some of God s people don t want to pay the price to take the land. They would rather eat dust and bury the dead than see harvest and bring those dead in sin to saving faith. Michael Catt I. The problem in obedience that forfeits God s will. (V.27&31) 14 A. There is the problem of a wrong vision to obey God s will. John 4:27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? Obeying God is only successful if we allow the Lord to set the boundaries of our ministry. B. There is the problem of a vigilance to obey God s will. John 4:31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. Luke 10:41-42 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: (V.42) But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. Have you ever been sent on an errand only to find out later that the reason you were sent was to be gotten out of the way? But, before we can represent Christ well or imitate Him in our caring ministry, we must spend time with Him and learn from Him. II. The priority of obeying is to fulfill God s will. (V.32-34) I know from experience that obedience has to be a priority in every believer s life. It is the only way you will ever become the person God wants you to be and the only way you will ever achieve the things in life that He has so wonderfully prepared for you. Charles Stanley
A. The exhilarating help obedience gives our lives. John 4:32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. (Leading this woman to salvation was true nourishment to Christ s soul.) B. The exclusive hold obedience should have over our lives. John 4:33-34 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? (V.34) Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Philippians 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; III. The purpose of obedience to fulfill God s will. (V.35-38) Why could the disciples not see the point of Christ s obedience? They were focused on the physical and Jesus was focused on the spiritual. They were obsessed with the temporal and Jesus was focused on the eternal. They were concerned with what others would think and Jesus was concerned with what the woman at the well was thinking. They were selfishly oriented and Jesus was selflessly oriented. A. Our burden focuses together in the purpose of obedience. John 4:35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. The Life of faith must never stand still; for if your feet are going, your faith is growing. Warren Wiersbe B. Our brotherhood flows together in the purpose of obedience. 15
John 4:36-38 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. (V.37) And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. (V.38) I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours. 16