OBEDIENCE
OBEDIENCE
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? (Lk. 6:46) Obviously, no one can claim that Jesus is their Lord unless they obey His commands!
MAN CANNOT BE SAVED WITHOUT FAITH
Faith is essential to salvation. The “Scala Sancta” (holy stairs) are a popular tourist attraction in Rome. Many believe that Jesus walked up these same 28 marble stairs before receiving his death sentence from Pontius Pilate. Historians believe these steps were brought to Rome from Jerusalem in A.D. 326 by St. Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great. Martin Luther was said to have gone up these stairs on his knees in A. D. 1510 believing that such “works” would earn him merit with God. While doing so, however, Romans 1:17 came to his mind with remarkable clarity: “The righteous will live by faith.” It is in this way that justification by faith became a key doctrine in the Protestant Reformation.
Martin Luther did not invent the doctrine of justification by faith, he merely discovered it! Faith has been a reality since creation. “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” (Heb. 11:3) The Apostle Paul pointed out that Abraham discovered justification by faith 430 years before the Law of Moses was given (Gal. 3:17). This proves that a man can be justified by faith without the deeds of the law (Rom. 3:28). Paul explained to the Romans: “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.” (Rom. 4:1-5)
IT IS CERTAINLY CLEAR FROM THE SCRIPTURES THAT MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY FAITH AND NOT BY WORKS OF THE LAW!
NEITHER, HOWEVER, CAN MAN BE SAVED WITHOUT OBEDIENCE
There are ditches on both sides of the road! In one ditch some insist that we are saved by works! In the other ditch others insist that we are saved without obedience. Both are wrong!
Obedience is essential! Jesus said: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” (Lk. 6:46-49) Those who do not obey Jesus build upon the sand and will ultimately be destroyed!
Hebrew 11 is called the “faith chapter” of the Bible. Please note that all of these heroes and heroines of the faith not only believed God, they also obeyed Him! They didn’t just believe, they also did something!
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Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain.
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Enoch was commended as one who pleased God. •
Noah built an ark to save his family.
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Abraham obeyed God and went out even though he didn’t know where he was going. •
Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau regarding their future. •
Joseph gave instructions regarding his bones.
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The parents of Moses hid him for three months. •
Etc.
The idea that someone can be saved without obedience is not in the Bible! James, the brother of our Lord, wrote: “Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.” (James 2:21-24)
James also said: “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” (James 2:18)
THE THIEF ON THE CROSS
Even the thief on the cross did something! As you know, Jesus was crucified between two robbers (Matt. 27:38). When the day began both robbers were heaping insults upon Jesus (Matt. 28:44). As the day wore on, however, one thief surrendered to Jesus and was saved. The other thief rejected Jesus and was lost! “One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Lk. 23:39-43)
The thief who was saved did everything he could! He “feared God,” “believed” in his heart, “repented” of his sins, “confessed” Christ with his mouth, and “witnessed” to the other thief. He wasn’t baptized for obvious reasons. First, Jesus did not even command Christian baptism until later after He was risen from the dead. The thief was already dead when Jesus commissioned his disciples and commanded them to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:18-20). The thief didn’t go to church for the same reason. The thief was dead before the church became a reality. The church began on the Day of Pentecost which was 10 days after Jesus ascended into heaven. Obviously, the thief couldn’t have gone to church even if he wasn’t nailed to a cross. He did, however, do everything he could and based on what he believed and what he did Jesus promised him a home in paradise.
It is a mistake to use the thief of the cross to encourage disobedience and make anyone believe that they can be saved without obeying Jesus in every way they can!
ISAAC WAS NOT BORN OF A VIRGIN
As we have mentioned, Abraham obeyed God! In fact, the first time the word “worship” is mentioned in the Bible is when Abraham obeyed God and went up the mountain to offer Isaac (Gen. 22:1-5) As we have already mentioned, James used this example to show how faith and actions work together!
Like the thief on the cross did everything he could to obey God, so did Abraham. Abraham and Sarah gave birth to a baby by faith. Both Abraham and Sarah believed the promise of God (Heb. 11:11). Consequently, Isaac was not virgin born! Note: “Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him her master.” (1 Pet. 3:6). Also note - “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” (Rom. 4:18-25)
MARY’S ONLY COMMAND!
Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a magnificent woman. Her soul glorified God and her spirit rejoiced at the honor of giving birth to Jesus. She realized that from then on all generations would call her blessed (Lk. 1:46-55).
Mary, however, was not a perpetual virgin. Jesus was her “firstborn” child, not her “only begotten” child (Lk. 2:7) Joseph and Mary had four other sons besides Jesus, and at least two daughters. These children are mentioned several times in the Bible (Matt. 13:55; Mk. 6:3; John 7:3; etc.) Two of Jesus’ brothers wrote books of the Bible (Jude and James). After Mary gave birth to her other children she was no longer called the “Virgin Mary,” but rather, “Mary, the mother of Jesus.” (Acts 1:14)
Jesus performed his first earthly miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee (Jn. 2:1-11). The fact that Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding, and that his mother Mary was there asking him to help, has led to the assumption that the person being married was part of their family. When they ran out of wine, it was a crisis and Mary sought the help of Jesus!
THAT’S WHEN MARY GAVE HER ONLY COMMAND THAT IS RECORDED IN THE BIBLE! “HIS MOTHER SAID TO THE SERVANTS, ‘DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU.’” (JN. 2:5)
“Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” (Jn. 2:6 – 11)
MARY WAS RIGHT! EVERYONE NEEDS TO DO WHATEVER JESUS TELLS YOU TO DO!
JESUS HAS BEEN GIVEN ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH (MATT. 28:18). OF COURSE IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT WE OBEY HIM!
OBEDIENCE DOES NOT GIVE US THE RIGHT TO BOAST
Merely obeying Jesus does not give anyone the right to boast. Jesus said: “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” (Lk. 17:7-10)
Paul wrote: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph. 2:8-10) As we have said, merely obeying Jesus does not give anyone the right to boast!
The Apostle Paul wrote 13 books of the Bible! Nobody taught salvation by grace through faith more clearly than the Apostle Paul. Yet! Paul not only obeyed Christ, he made it clear that obedience leads to righteousness (Rom. 6:17). Jesus told Paul: “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:6) Paul immediately obeyed and did precisely what Jesus commanded him to do. Later Paul told King Agrippa - “I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.” (Acts 26:19). Later, when Paul was told to “Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.” (Acts 22:16) he again immediately obeyed! Merely being baptized, however, does not give anyone the right to boast. Godly people know that we are unprofitable servants and that when we obey Christ we are only doing our duty! When the man born blind, for example, obeyed Jesus and washed in the Pool of Siloam he miraculously received his sight. The blind man didn’t boast for he knew that it was Jesus who healed him. So the obedient man said to Jesus: “Lord, I believe, and he worshiped him.” (Jn. 9:38)
THE ORIGINAL SIN WAS DISOBEDIENCE
The Lord told Adam: “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” (Gen. 2:16-17)
As you know, Adam disobeyed God and “Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all have sinned.” (Rom. 5:12) In fact, “through the disobedience of the one man, many were made sinners.” (Rom. 5:19) Adam’s sin was particularly evil because he was not deceived (1 Tim. 2:14). Adam knew exactly what God wanted but deliberately chose to disobey!
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Disobeying God is always wrong!
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Sinners are called the “children of disobedience.” (Eph. 2:2; 5:6; Col. 3:6)
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The Law was made for transgressors and disobedient (1 Tim. 1:9).
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Paul warned Titus: “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for doing anything good.” (Tit. 1:16)
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Paul admitted: “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.” (Titus 3:3-8)
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Those who do not obey the gospel will be punished with everlasting destruction: “All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.” (2 Thess. 1:5-10)
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Please! Whatever Jesus commands you to do, do it!
DISOBEDIENCE IS REBELLION LIKE WITCHCRAFT
King Saul received a commandment from the Lord, but disobeyed it. He chose to ignore what God wanted and do what he wanted to do. At the same time, instead of setting up a monument to honor God, he set up a monument to honor himself (1 Sam. 15:12). Samuel rebuked him with these words: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” (1 Sam. 15:22-23)
Saul’s actions demonstrate that he was not going to submit to the authority of God. He knew, for example, that David was anointed by God to take his place as king. Yet, instead of accepting David as king Saul tried over and over to have David killed. When God did not answer Saul by dreams or Urim or prophets, he did not submit to the will of God and wait on God answer, but instead sought out a witch to give him answers (1 Sam. 28:6-25).
The law made a distinction between someone who sins “unintentionally” and someone who sins “defiantly.” Note: “‘But if just one person sins unintentionally, that person must bring a year-old female goat for a sin offering. The priest is to make atonement before the Lord for the one who erred by sinning unintentionally, and when atonement has been made, that person will be forgiven. One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether a native- born Israelite or a foreigner residing among you. “‘But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or foreigner, blasphemes the Lord and must be cut off from the people of Israel. Because they have despised the Lord’s word and broken his commands, they must surely be cut off; their guilt remains on them.’” (Nu. 15:27-31)
Sadly, it seems that king Saul sinned “defiantly.” He knew precisely what God wanted him to do and deliberately decided not to do it!
UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!
World War 2 was the biggest and most deadly war in history. It involved 30 different countries and resulted in between 40,000,000 and 50,000,000 deaths.
Victory in Europe, or VE Day, occurred on Tuesday May 8, 1945. On that day Germany agreed to an “unconditional surrender” to the allied forces. Today Germany is a prosperous nation that is at peace with the world!
Victory over Japan, or VJ Day, came on August 15. 1945. This too resulted from an “unconditional surrender” by Japan. Japan is also now a prosperous nation that is at peace with the world.
The Korean War began on June 25, 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea. The Korean War ended July 27, 1953 with an “armistice” and not an “unconditional surrender”. A new border was established between North and South Korea with a demilitarized zone in between. Even though North and South Korea share the same language and culture the last 70 years have been characterized by conflict and division. North Korea is not at peace with the world! The absence of an unconditional surrender is an impediment to peace!
The application of these facts to Christianity is obvious! Your war with God will never be over until you unconditionally surrender!
JESUS WILL BE LORD OF ALL, OR HE WILL NOT BE LORD AT ALL! YOU WILL NEVER HAVE PEACE WITH GOD UNTIL YOU MAKE AN UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER TO GOD!
I SURRENDER ALL
Judson Van DeVenter was born on a farm in Michigan in 1855. Following graduation from Hillsdale College he became an art teacher. He was also an accomplished musician, and singer. Recognizing his talent for the ministry, friends encouraged him to give up teaching and become an evangelist. Van DeVenter wavered for five years between becoming a recognized artist or devoting himself to ministry. Finally, he surrendered his life to Christian service. He described what happened by writing: “For some time, I had struggled between developing my talents in the field of art and going into full-time evangelistic work. At last the pivotal hour of my life came, and I surrendered all. A new day was ushered into my life. I became an evangelist and discovered down deep in my soul a talent hitherto unknown to me. God had hidden a song in my heart, and touching a tender chord, He caused me to sing.”
Judson composed a song about his surrender to God and named it I Surrender All. It was published in 1896. When Billy Graham was a student at the Florida Bible Institute he met Judson Van DeVenter and was greatly influence by his dedication. Graham used the hymn I Surrender All in his massive crusades for Christ. In 1986 Deniece Williams won the Grammy Award for best soul gospel performance by her rendition of I Surrender All. Judson Van DeVenter published more than 60 hymns, but this was his most famous, and perhaps the most relevant! Here are his sobering words that have been sung by millions of people all over the world.
All to Jesus I surrender,
All to him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust him, In his presence daily live.
Refrain:
I surrender all,
I surrender all,
All to thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.
All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at his feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken, Take me, Jesus, take me now. (Refrain)
All to Jesus I surrender;
Make me, Savior, wholly thine; Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that thou art mine. (Refrain)
All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to thee,
Fill me with thy love and power, Let thy blessing fall on me.
(Refrain)
All to Jesus I surrender;
Now I feel the sacred flame. Oh, the joy of full salvation! Glory, glory, to his name! (Refrain)
Here are the inspired words of the Apostle Paul and sum up his total and complete surrender to Christ!
“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:7-14)
IF YOU HAVE NOT YET SURRENDERED TO CHRIST, DO IT NOW!