What we will discover tonight is that obedience is an
Obedience is defined as “dutiful or submissive compliance to the commands of one in authority.”
“Dutiful” means it is our
Philippians 2:8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
“Submissive” means that we
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
“Commands” in the Bible is God’s clearly delineated
The “one in authority” is God Himself, whose authority is total and
John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
For the Christian, obedience means
At the same time what about a Christian who is not obeying Christ’s commands?
Matthew 12:50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Luke 6:46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?
Matthew 7:21–23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Our obedience to God is not
But we also, understand that the
We serve the Lord in humility, singleness of heart, and love.
John 14:22–24 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.
There’s another thing we must beware of. That is using a
Matthew 23:27–28 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
We are called to obey the “law of Christ,” which is
Galatians 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
Matthew 22:36–40 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the prophets hang on these two commandments”
If we
God, we will
Him. We won’t be
in our obedience, but our
will be to
to the Lord and display good works.
Matthew 5:13–16 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.