Obedience

Do you like that word?  Do you enjoy obedience?  Chances are, your answer is largely affected by one of the following factors:

• Whether or not you are the one seeking to be obeyed
  
• Whether you're the one being asked to obey
  
• Whether or not the authority over you is fair, righteous, and trustworthy
  
• Whether or not you are submitting to or resisting the authority over you?

The reality of Christian life is this...we're all called to obey God (who is fair, righteous and trustworthy) and the authorities he has placed over us while fulfilling every role we've been given by God...parent & child, pastor & church member, teacher & student, employer & employee, etc.  Consider these passages and notice the consequences of obedience (positive and negative):

God speaking to us through His blessing of Abraham:

“...and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”  (Genesis 22:18 ESV)

God speaking to us through Moses' teaching to Israel:

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine”  (Exodus 19:5 ESV)

“Be careful to obey all these words that I command you, that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.”  (Deuteronomy 12:28 ESV)

God speaking to us through Jeremiah's prophetic words to Israel:

“Now therefore mend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of the LORD your God, and the LORD will relent of the disaster that he has pronounced against you.”  (Jeremiah 26:13 ESV)

God speaking to us through the Gospel accounts of Jesus:

“And they [disciples] were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?””  (Mark 4:41 ESV)

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”  (John 3:36 ESV)

God speaking to us through Paul's letter to the Ephesian church:

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother' (this is the first commandment with a promise), 'that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.'”  (Ephesians 6:1-3 ESV)

God speaking to us through Paul's letter to the Philippian church:

“And being found in human form, He [Jesus] humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  (Philippians 2:8-11 ESV)

God speaking to us through the writer of Hebrews:

“Although He [Jesus] was a son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. And being made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him...”  (Hebrews 5:8-9 ESV)

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”  (Hebrews 13:17 ESV)

From these passages it is clear that God has ordained authority and obedience as a means of ordering his creation, blessing us, protecting us, saving us, and all of this to bring glory to Himself.  So, instead of asking the question "Do we like obedience", maybe we should ask, "Do we like..."

• Order or disorder?
• Blessing or punishment?
• Protection or injury?
• Salvation or damnation?
• God's glory or our glory?  

When you look at it that way, every wise person has to conclude that obedience brings infinite joy.  In fact, the most glorious demonstration of obedience of all times was evidenced by Jesus on the cross...an obedience motivated by joy.

“looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”  (Hebrews 12:2 ESV)

Think of that...God (the Son) obeying.  Wow!  

About now I imagine some of you thinking to yourself (and I know this because this thought has crossed my mind a time or twenty), "But obedience is so hard".  While this may often be true, we cannot say that obedience it too hard.  Why not?  God spoke to the nation of Israel through Moses (and therefore, to those of us who have heard the truths of the Bible preached) about this very thing.  In doing so, he takes away all of our excuses. 

“For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.”  (Deuteronomy 30:11-14 ESV)

Why am I entreating you towards obedience today?  Because I have experienced the consequences of obedience and disobedience and I'm here to tell you that obedience to God's authority in your life will ALWAYS lead you to a 'land' of promise and blessing.  In fact, with His help and guidance, I am on my way to such a land at this very moment...but more on that when I write my next post.

Treasuring Jesus,

Roger