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Third in a series on being intentional. We have
talked about how God wants us to be people who live by decision
rather than by default, and last week we talked about how to be
intentional about making Christ the center of our lives.
We continue in that same vein, today focusing on the issue of
obedience.
My intention today is to lay out why you should live a life that’s
characterized by obedience, and I pray that God will let you leave
here energized to live a life that pleases Him, with His help.
1. Obedience has its rewards.
A deeper relationship with God.
John 14:21,23
21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who
loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too
will love him and show myself to him."…"If anyone loves me, he
will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come
to him and make our home with him.
Want to know God and experience Him on a deeper level? Obey His
Word!
Success in other endeavors.
Joshua 1:8
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate
on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything
written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Joshua was ready to take on a huge assignment: take the land of
Canaan for Israel.
God told him that his success was dependent on his obedience.
It’s no different for us.
We can’t expect God to bless our business, our labors, our
relationships, or anything if we are not willing to be obedient
to Him.
But when we are obedient, we can expect success in those
endeavors.
Rest for your soul.
Matthew 11:28-30
MT 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I
will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for
your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
2. Disobedience has consequences.
Hebrews 12:5-7
"My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not
lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines
those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” 7
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For
what son is not disciplined by his father?
Some examples of discipline include:
Loss of fellowship with God.
Strained relationship with God.
We see it in our earthly relationships as well.
Guilt.
Possible loss of salvation.
There is evidence from Scripture to show that we can reject the
gift of eternal life that God has given. Not that He wants to
take it away, but rather, we have given it back.
There is much debate on this within the church of Jesus Christ.
Both agree that if someone is living a life that is not in
obedience to God, than they are probably not saved. Some would
say they may have lost their salvation, others would say they
were never saved in the first place. My point is not to debate
this issue, because I have many dear brothers and sisters who
disagree with me on this, yet we are able to maintain wonderful
and blessed fellowship. The point is that a life of disobedience
is not a Christian life.
3. Choose intentional obedience.
Understand that God makes obedience
possible.q
2 Corinthians 5:17
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the
old has gone, the new has come!
We are sinners steeped in sin. We cannot live lives that please
Him unless God Himself intervenes and acts in us.
We cannot expect regenerate behavior from non-regenerate people.
In other words, unless a person is made a new person in Christ,
unless they’ve been given a spiritual birth, we cannot expect a
person to act like a Christian.
Here’s some good news:
Philippians 2:13 (NLT)
For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey Him and
the power to do what pleases Him.
It takes total consecration on our part, entire sanctification
on His part. This is important because obedience is not an
action, or even a whole bunch of actions. Obedience is a
lifestyle.
By the way, slow obedience and partial obedience are
disobedience. You cannot choose part-time and slow obedience. It
does not exist.
Apply the Bibleq
James 1:22
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do
what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do
what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24
and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets
what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the
perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not
forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed
in what he does.
When God shows you something in His Word that He wants you to
make real in your life, think of ways to put that verse into
practice, and then DO IT!!!
Be accountable toq
someone.
Proverbs 27:17
PR 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
Trust in His promises of blessing.q
He will hold up His end of the bargain. You can count on it!
Joshua went ahead with his assignment because he trusted God to
deliver. So can we.
Conclusion
“God doesn’t owe you an explanation or
reason for everything He asks you to do. Understanding can wait,
but obedience can’t. Instant obedience will teach you more about
God than a lifetime of Bible discussions. In fact, you will
never understand some of His commands until you obey them first.
Obedience unlocks understanding.” (The Purpose Driven Life, Rick
Warren, p. 72)
Take hold of the invitation of Jesus that we read earlier. Take
his yoke on you. It’s not burdensome, and He gives His Holy
Spirit to help you carry it, and He helps you carry it gladly.
Be intentional about choosing a life of obedience.
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