
The Second Most Hated Word: Obedience
Message Notes
Second most hated word = Obedience
Ephesians 5:21
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ”
Why is it hard to obey?
So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”
He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
“‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’
You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”
Mark 7:5-13
Obey
1) to listen, to harken, of one who on the knock at the door comes to listen who it is
2) to listen to a command
Obedience is doing what you’re supposed to do.
Obedience presupposes trust because being convinced to obey isn’t obedience.
Obedience begins in the heart.
Outward conformity with inward rebellion is not obedience.
In Ephesians 6, Paul speaks to 4 different people in two common relationships in our lives.
1st Person = Children
2nd Person = Fathers
“Exasperate”
to rouse to wrath, to provoke, anger
Fathers exasperate their children by:
- Saying one thing and doing another
- Blaming and never praising
- Inconsistent and unfair in discipline
- Showing favoritism in the home
- Making promises and not keeping them
- Making light of problems that are important to the child
“Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.”
Colossians 3:21
Fathers encourage and build up their children by:
- Being Available
- Being Present
- Being Consistent and fair in discipline and actions
- Modeling the Christian faith
- Prayer, Bible reading, Serving, and Giving
- Getting down on their level
3rd Person = Slaves/Employees
4th Person = Masters/Employers
Lord/Master
1) he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord
2) the possessor and disposer of a thing
3) the owner; one who has control of the person
Why does obedience matter?
Obedience and joy are connected.
Conviction with obedience causes joy.
Conviction with disobedience leads to misery.
“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
John 14:21
Obedience is faithfulness.
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’”
Matthew 25:23
Will you be faithful and obedient when you don’t feel like it?
God will use one person’s obedience to show His faithfulness to someone else.
The measure of success for a Christ follower is not the level of achievement, it is the level of obedience.
We are obedient because we’ve been set free.