08102014PM Obedience
Obedience Pastor Sam Darla Grace International Church 8/13/14 Evening service Obedience is giving time to Him, listening to Him and being watchful to do all His commandments. Deuteronomy 28:1-14
As Galatians 3:13 says 13
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” Jesus made us free from the law by taking the curse on HIM. According to Deuteronomy 28:15 15 “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you Thus, as mentioned above curse will come upon, if you disobey. However, Jesus understood very clearly that the requirements of the law cannot be fulfilled till HE dies. If HE really did it for me, then how come I am short of the blessings? Benefits of Obedience If I obey God, According to Isaiah 1:19(AMP) If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; I will see the good of the land. If I am willing and obedient i.e. I have made up my mind to listen to what HE is saying right now. Jesus fulfilled law and the only law HE gave was that you should love me (Matthew 22:37), if you love me you will keep up my commandments (John 14:15). Hebrews 5:8 shows the character of Christ that HE obeyed God through suffering. Hebrews 5:8(AMP) Although He was a Son, He learned [active, special] obedience through what He suffered For instance, when kids are disobedient, they get spanked. When they have fear of parents / teacher, they behave well. When we have fear of God, we will pay attention to what HE is saying. When children don’t have a fear of parents, then they will do whatever they want and they don’t learn anything and mess their lives. Even though they were born in good families as they didn’t listen to their parents, they mess their lives.
God is saying that to us as well. If we are willing and obedient, then we will eat the good of land, because Gods promise is always true. How Jesus Christ practiced obedience? HE learnt through suffering and knowing that it is the will of the Father. HE did it as it says in John 6:38 (AMP) For I have come down from heaven not to do My own will and purpose but to do the will and purpose of Him Who sent Me When son of God didn’t do what HE felt like doing, but did what God wanted Him do. Jesus in the garden of gethsemane couldn’t take the pain and suffering and asked God to take it from Him as mentioned in Luke 22:42. Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but [[f]always] Yours be done). Then again HE knows that it is the will of God and takes all the pain and suffering. It’s not easy to obey; Jesus sacrificed His life for it and we have to sacrifice something as well to obey God. Matthew 7:21(AMP) says Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven. Therefore, God is looking for people who obey what HE says. When I do, I will enjoy the good of the land. Wherever HE places me, I will enjoy. There may be recession, but I will eat the good of the land because God is the one who created the earth and HE will provide for me. For instance, Peter couldn’t find a single fish that night. But when Jesus came onboard HE asked Peter to put the net on the right side of the boat. Peter just obeyed. Even though his experience told him that there were no fish there and he had tried every spot the whole night he was fishing, he obeyed the Lord simply. That is obedience. This resulted in an abundance of the fish in the net. Lord can change anything anytime. When God gets into your situation, HE brings everything that you need. Just like all the fish congregated into the net as Jesus asked. If something goes wrong in your job situation, even though manager is not good, God will ask you to stay there. You will agree because God says so as His word says he replaces heart of stone with a heart of flesh. Ezeikel 36:26-27(AMP) 26 A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall heed My ordinances and do them God asked Ezekiel to prophesy over the dry bones to live. It doesn’t make sense that dry bones will live. But Ezekiel just obeyed and the dry bones indeed lived.
Matthew 7:7-8(AMP) Keep on asking and it will be given you; [b] keep on seeking and you will find; [c]keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened. Jesus is saying that don’t give up. Do not be discouraged if it is not happening. True believer of God will not give up as HE knows that God will give as I pray, if I ask according to His will. His will as written in the scripture. 1 Samuel 15:22-23 (AMP) Samuel said, Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim (household good luck images). Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king. When the pressure is on the real character comes. Real nature comes out when you are under pressure. Satan wants to always shake us. We are stubborn, for instance if we worship the car or anything that takes more importance than God. Then it is idolatry or idol worship. We are rebelling against God’s word. Here and there we have a rebellious nature, enemy knows that and he creates situations for us to be rebellious and then we act like children of satan, resulting in the enemy getting an access to put something ungodly in our life, in our children, in our health. James 1:22 (AMP) 22 But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth]. What if Peter used his wisdom and reasoned that he had been fishing the whole night and had put the net on the right sides several times and yet didn’t obtain anything. He never questioned Gods ability or word, He just submitted to it. He understood that he couldn’t achieve anything using his own wisdom; and can achieve it only through Gods wisdom and strength. Reasoning your situation is your experience speaking. Then I am not putting faith and I am just walking by sight. When I am moving by the facts about the situation rather than the truth, then I am giving into deception by reasoning. God wisdom is in His word and contrary to my facts; His truth is contrary to the facts of my situation. Believing His word even though its contrary to facts is FAITH. He gave us a lot of commandments: 1. We are commanded to walk in the Spirit, so that we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Galatians 5:16-18 16 But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).
For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do. 18 But if you are guided (led) by the [Holy] Spirit, you are not subject to the Law. 17
2. We are commanded to evangelize. Means we need to tell people what Jesus can do for them. There is a miracle in Jesus, there is hope in Jesus. Mark 16:15 (AMP) 15 And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature [of the whole [a]human race]. 3. We are commanded to forgive. Matthew 6: 14-15(AMP) 14 For if you forgive people their trespasses [their[a]reckless and willful sins, [b]leaving them, letting them go, and [c]giving up resentment], your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their trespasses [their[d]reckless and willful sins, [e]leaving them, letting them go, and [f]giving up resentment], neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses. IF you are praying for forgiveness, unless you forgive someone else, you will not have peace. We may pray for several hours, but not one word HE will hear. The trait of not forgiving people is from Satan 4. We are commanded to be fruitful and multiplying in whatever we are doing in all areas of our life. Genesis 1:28(AMP) 28 And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth. There should be an increase in all areas of our life 5. We are commanded to meditate on word of God. Joshua 1:8(AMP) 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good [a]success.
So, if I don’t take time to meditate in God’s word, I am disobeying His word.
6. We are commanded to always pray and not to give up Luke 18:1(AMP) Also [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to [a]turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up). 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (AMP) 17 Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly] We have to pray all the time. Prayer is talking to God 7. We are commanded not to worry. Matthew 6:25 (AMP) 25 Therefore I tell you, stop being [a]perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink; or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life greater [in quality] than food, and the body [far above and more excellent] than clothing? Philippians 4:6 (AMP) 6 Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition ([a]definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. Worry is sin, because disobedience is sin. When we worry we forget about all Gods ability to do it for us. Then we come to God in fear. But God always wants us to come to Him in Joy. For the prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16). When children get hurt, they always run to their parents, because they know that they will comfort them and can fix it. When I worry, I’m telling my heavenly father that HE cannot fix it. Worry disables us and we can get sick. I am not supposed to worry about anything, but tell God about it. Psalm 23:1 says that He is our shepherd. If that’s the case we should not worry. We have been commanded not to allow for our hearts to be troubled as it says in John 14:1 (“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me). We are commanded to rely on Him. We have to picture ourselves leaning on Him. Worry causes stress in the mind and trouble in our bodies. 8. We are commanded to rejoice. Philippians 4:4-6 (AMP) Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice! 5 Let all men know and perceive and recognize your unselfishness (your considerateness, your forbearing spirit). The Lord is near [He is [a]coming soon]. 6 Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in
every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition ([b]definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law, right now we are placed in the world, so that we can have joy and peace. He says we have tribulations and problems, but don’t worry, and be of good cheer. Whenever we walk in the Spirit, we walk with HIM and then I go wherever He goes. If we always do things for GOD, you can get frustrated. However if you do things WITH God you will have no complaints, because we are never doing anything without His knowledge. IF he tells you to go in a fiery furnace, since He told you, HE will be with you because He said so. In Pennsylvania, a man held a poisonous snake to prove a point as scripture says that snake serpent won’t hurt you. But did God tell him that? And He died. If HE was working with God, he wouldn’t have died. Additionally, if there is pride in your life, it is blocker of our blessing. So we have to make sure we don’t have pride.
As Galatians 3:13 says 13
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” Jesus made us free from the law by taking the curse on HIM. According to Deuteronomy 28:15 15 “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you Thus, as mentioned above curse will come upon, if you disobey. However, Jesus understood very clearly that the requirements of the law cannot be fulfilled till HE dies. If HE really did it for me, then how come I am short of the blessings? Benefits of Obedience If I obey God, According to Isaiah 1:19(AMP) If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; I will see the good of the land. If I am willing and obedient i.e. I have made up my mind to listen to what HE is saying right now. Jesus fulfilled law and the only law HE gave was that you should love me (Matthew 22:37), if you love me you will keep up my commandments (John 14:15). Hebrews 5:8 shows the character of Christ that HE obeyed God through suffering. Hebrews 5:8(AMP) Although He was a Son, He learned [active, special] obedience through what He suffered For instance, when kids are disobedient, they get spanked. When they have fear of parents / teacher, they behave well. When we have fear of God, we will pay attention to what HE is saying. When children don’t have a fear of parents, then they will do whatever they want and they don’t learn anything and mess their lives. Even though they were born in good families as they didn’t listen to their parents, they mess their lives.
God is saying that to us as well. If we are willing and obedient, then we will eat the good of land, because Gods promise is always true. How Jesus Christ practiced obedience? HE learnt through suffering and knowing that it is the will of the Father. HE did it as it says in John 6:38 (AMP) For I have come down from heaven not to do My own will and purpose but to do the will and purpose of Him Who sent Me When son of God didn’t do what HE felt like doing, but did what God wanted Him do. Jesus in the garden of gethsemane couldn’t take the pain and suffering and asked God to take it from Him as mentioned in Luke 22:42. Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but [[f]always] Yours be done). Then again HE knows that it is the will of God and takes all the pain and suffering. It’s not easy to obey; Jesus sacrificed His life for it and we have to sacrifice something as well to obey God. Matthew 7:21(AMP) says Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven. Therefore, God is looking for people who obey what HE says. When I do, I will enjoy the good of the land. Wherever HE places me, I will enjoy. There may be recession, but I will eat the good of the land because God is the one who created the earth and HE will provide for me. For instance, Peter couldn’t find a single fish that night. But when Jesus came onboard HE asked Peter to put the net on the right side of the boat. Peter just obeyed. Even though his experience told him that there were no fish there and he had tried every spot the whole night he was fishing, he obeyed the Lord simply. That is obedience. This resulted in an abundance of the fish in the net. Lord can change anything anytime. When God gets into your situation, HE brings everything that you need. Just like all the fish congregated into the net as Jesus asked. If something goes wrong in your job situation, even though manager is not good, God will ask you to stay there. You will agree because God says so as His word says he replaces heart of stone with a heart of flesh. Ezeikel 36:26-27(AMP) 26 A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall heed My ordinances and do them God asked Ezekiel to prophesy over the dry bones to live. It doesn’t make sense that dry bones will live. But Ezekiel just obeyed and the dry bones indeed lived.
Matthew 7:7-8(AMP) Keep on asking and it will be given you; [b] keep on seeking and you will find; [c]keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened. Jesus is saying that don’t give up. Do not be discouraged if it is not happening. True believer of God will not give up as HE knows that God will give as I pray, if I ask according to His will. His will as written in the scripture. 1 Samuel 15:22-23 (AMP) Samuel said, Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim (household good luck images). Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king. When the pressure is on the real character comes. Real nature comes out when you are under pressure. Satan wants to always shake us. We are stubborn, for instance if we worship the car or anything that takes more importance than God. Then it is idolatry or idol worship. We are rebelling against God’s word. Here and there we have a rebellious nature, enemy knows that and he creates situations for us to be rebellious and then we act like children of satan, resulting in the enemy getting an access to put something ungodly in our life, in our children, in our health. James 1:22 (AMP) 22 But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth]. What if Peter used his wisdom and reasoned that he had been fishing the whole night and had put the net on the right sides several times and yet didn’t obtain anything. He never questioned Gods ability or word, He just submitted to it. He understood that he couldn’t achieve anything using his own wisdom; and can achieve it only through Gods wisdom and strength. Reasoning your situation is your experience speaking. Then I am not putting faith and I am just walking by sight. When I am moving by the facts about the situation rather than the truth, then I am giving into deception by reasoning. God wisdom is in His word and contrary to my facts; His truth is contrary to the facts of my situation. Believing His word even though its contrary to facts is FAITH. He gave us a lot of commandments: 1. We are commanded to walk in the Spirit, so that we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Galatians 5:16-18 16 But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).
For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do. 18 But if you are guided (led) by the [Holy] Spirit, you are not subject to the Law. 17
2. We are commanded to evangelize. Means we need to tell people what Jesus can do for them. There is a miracle in Jesus, there is hope in Jesus. Mark 16:15 (AMP) 15 And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature [of the whole [a]human race]. 3. We are commanded to forgive. Matthew 6: 14-15(AMP) 14 For if you forgive people their trespasses [their[a]reckless and willful sins, [b]leaving them, letting them go, and [c]giving up resentment], your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their trespasses [their[d]reckless and willful sins, [e]leaving them, letting them go, and [f]giving up resentment], neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses. IF you are praying for forgiveness, unless you forgive someone else, you will not have peace. We may pray for several hours, but not one word HE will hear. The trait of not forgiving people is from Satan 4. We are commanded to be fruitful and multiplying in whatever we are doing in all areas of our life. Genesis 1:28(AMP) 28 And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth. There should be an increase in all areas of our life 5. We are commanded to meditate on word of God. Joshua 1:8(AMP) 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good [a]success.
So, if I don’t take time to meditate in God’s word, I am disobeying His word.
6. We are commanded to always pray and not to give up Luke 18:1(AMP) Also [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to [a]turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up). 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (AMP) 17 Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly] We have to pray all the time. Prayer is talking to God 7. We are commanded not to worry. Matthew 6:25 (AMP) 25 Therefore I tell you, stop being [a]perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink; or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life greater [in quality] than food, and the body [far above and more excellent] than clothing? Philippians 4:6 (AMP) 6 Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition ([a]definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. Worry is sin, because disobedience is sin. When we worry we forget about all Gods ability to do it for us. Then we come to God in fear. But God always wants us to come to Him in Joy. For the prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16). When children get hurt, they always run to their parents, because they know that they will comfort them and can fix it. When I worry, I’m telling my heavenly father that HE cannot fix it. Worry disables us and we can get sick. I am not supposed to worry about anything, but tell God about it. Psalm 23:1 says that He is our shepherd. If that’s the case we should not worry. We have been commanded not to allow for our hearts to be troubled as it says in John 14:1 (“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me). We are commanded to rely on Him. We have to picture ourselves leaning on Him. Worry causes stress in the mind and trouble in our bodies. 8. We are commanded to rejoice. Philippians 4:4-6 (AMP) Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice! 5 Let all men know and perceive and recognize your unselfishness (your considerateness, your forbearing spirit). The Lord is near [He is [a]coming soon]. 6 Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in
every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition ([b]definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law, right now we are placed in the world, so that we can have joy and peace. He says we have tribulations and problems, but don’t worry, and be of good cheer. Whenever we walk in the Spirit, we walk with HIM and then I go wherever He goes. If we always do things for GOD, you can get frustrated. However if you do things WITH God you will have no complaints, because we are never doing anything without His knowledge. IF he tells you to go in a fiery furnace, since He told you, HE will be with you because He said so. In Pennsylvania, a man held a poisonous snake to prove a point as scripture says that snake serpent won’t hurt you. But did God tell him that? And He died. If HE was working with God, he wouldn’t have died. Additionally, if there is pride in your life, it is blocker of our blessing. So we have to make sure we don’t have pride.
