“GOSPEL OBEDIENCE” (2 Thess 1:1-8; 3:14; 1 Pet 4:17)
June 8th, 03
Int. We are living in an age when most folk believe that all that is necessary to be saved is to simply have a head knowledge about Christ. Many are on their way to hell that can quote Scripture, attend church on Sunday morning and even tithe on their income to the local Church.
1. “Christian obedience” may be defined as voluntary submission to the commands and directions of the Lord in His Holy Word.
a. (1 John 5:1-3) "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. {2} By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. {3} For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."
2. Disobedience, on the other hand, is determining to do things your own way rather than the way in which God has prescribed. It is marked by stubbornest and rebellion.,
I. CHARACTERISTICS OF OBEDIENCE.
A. OBEDIENCE IMPLIES SUBMISSION TO A HIGHER AUTHORITY.
1. God is the highest authority to whom every individual is accountable to obey.
a. (Eccl 12:13) "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."
b. (Deu 10:12-13) "And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, {13} To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?"
Ill. "LOVE": Pascal said: "In other things we must know in order to love; in religion, we must love in order to know."
2. Christian obedience should be considered a privilege instead of a dull duty.
a. (Psa 119:14) "I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches."
b. (Psa 119:16) "I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word."
c. (Psa 119:24) "Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors."
d. (Psa 119:47-48) "And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved. {48} My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes."
3. Francis Hess wrote:
The Master's will, for this I pray, Whatever it may be!
I do not want to miss Your best; Reveal it, Lord, to me.
My own desires may lead me wrong, I must consult my God;
His counsel will be justified, When all the way I've trod.
O soul of mine, delight in Him! His Word discern, obey!
The plan you seek to know will then unfold from day to day.
We do not live our lives alone: If I am in God's will,
The lives of others will be helped, His purpose to fulfill!
My all, O Lord, I give to Thee, My body, mind and soul;
May all the days that lie ahead, be under Thy control.
B. OBEDIENCE INVOLVES EVERY FACET OF ONE’S LIFE.
1. Husbands must be obedient to Christ.
a. (1 Cor 11:3) "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God."
2. Wives must be obedient to their husbands.
a. (Col 3:18) "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord."
3. Children must be obedient to their parents.
a. (Eph 6:1) "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right."
4. Christians are to obey the laws of the land.
a. (Rom 13:1) "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God."
b. (Titus 3:1) "Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,"
C. OBEDIENCE SHOULD BE OFFERED WITHOUT COMPLAINT OR ARGUMENT.
1. Abraham obeyed God without questioning or arguing with Him.
a. (Heb 11:8) "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went."
2. Obedience should be enthusiastic as with David.
a. (Psa 119:32) "I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart."
D. OBEDIENCE SHOULD COME FROM THE HEART AS WELL AS IN THE WALK.
1. (John 8:29) "And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him."
a. John Trapp says: "This is true obedience, whether to God or to man, when we look not so much to the letter of the law, as to the mind of the law-maker."
b. Thomas Brooks said: “Remember that it is not hasty reading, but serious meditation on holy and heavenly truths, that makes them prove sweet and profitable to the soul.
“It is not the mere touching of the flower by the bee that gathers honey, but her abiding for a time on the flower that draws out the sweet. It is not he that reads most, but he that meditates most, that will prove to be the choicest, sweetest, wisest and strongest Christian."
2. (Heb 10:7) "Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God."
3. THE TRUE CHRISTIAN UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT:
A local Restaurant ran an ad that said: . "Under New Management." When Christ takes over a life, that life is literally "under new management."
4. George Swinnock says: "As the saint is described sometimes by a "clean heart," so also sometimes by "clean hands," because he has both; the holiness of his heart is seen at his finger's ends."
Ill. “The preacher who gave the city bus driver a quarter back, saying he had given him too much change. No, said the driver. I just wanted to know if you practice what you preach!”
E. OBEDIENCE SHOULD BE PRACTICED REGARDLESS OF CIRCUMSTANCES.
1. Abraham is a good example. (Gen 22)
2. Elijah is a good example. (1 Kings 17)
3. Jesus set a good example: (Phil 2:5-7)
Example: Thomas Watson said: “ If a man carries a bag of money given him, it is heavy; but the delight takes off the burden. When God gives inward joy, that makes the commandments delightful. Joy is like oil to the wheels, which makes a Christian run in the way of God's commandments, so that it is not burdensome. “
F. THE MARKS OF TRUE OBEDIENCE TO THE LORD.
1. He believes that Jesus is the Christ.
a. (1 Jn 5:1) “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God:
2. (1 Jn. 2:29) “that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.”
3. He keeps His commandments
a. (1 Jn 2:3) “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.”
4. He doesn't practice sin.
a. (1 Jn 3:9) “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin;(Gr. habitually practice”
5. He is hated by the world.
a. (1 Jn 3:13) “Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.”
6. He loves the brethren.
a. (1 Jn 3:14) “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
7. He overcomes the world.
a. (1 Jn 5:4) “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”
II. THE AWFUL SIN OF DISOBEDIENCE.
A. DISOBEDIENCE IS A SIGN OF REBELLION.
1. (Rom 3:10-12) "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: {11} There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. {12} They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one."
2. William Bradford, the governor of the Plymouth Colony of pilgrims, insisted, "Those who believe in the Holy Scriptures are bound to observe its teachings. Those who do not are to be bound by its consequences."
3. Notice some examples of disobedience.
a. People who talk about prayer but never pray.
b. People who say tithing is right but never tithe.
c. People who want to belong to the church but never attend.
d. People who say the Bible is God's Word to man but never read it.
e. People who criticize others for things they do themselves.
f People who "Oh, How I Love Jesus." And then stay away from church.
g. People who continue in disobedience all their lives but expect to go to heaven.
B. DISOBEDIENCE IS A SIGN OF STUBBORNESS.
1. (1 Sam 15:22-23) "And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great 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 iniquity and idolatry. ......”
C. DISOBEDIENCE AND REBELLION WILL EVENTUALLY BE PUNISHED.
1. (Ecc 11:9) “Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.”
2. (Prov 13:13) "Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded."
3. (Prov 29:1) "He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."
Ill. R. C. Sproul said: "I would say that the most destructive myth of 20th Century American religion is precisely the myth that there is no wrath in God. Nothing promotes godlessness more than that myth: that we can sin all we want and never fear the wrath of God."
4. (Rom 2:8) "But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,"
5. (2 Th 1:8) "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:"
D. CONSIDER THE JUDGMENT ON DISOBEDIENCE
1. Israel is a good example as a nation.,
a. (Psa 106:13) "They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel:"
b. (Psa 106:24) "Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word:"
c. (Psa 106:39-42) "Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions. {40} Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance. {41} And he gave them into the hand of the heathen; and they that hated them ruled over them. {42} Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand."
E. CONSIDER THE BLESSEDNESS OF OBEDIENCE.
1. (Deu 28:1-2) "And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: {2} And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God."
2. Obedience produces happiness. (John 15:10-11) "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. {11} These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full."
Ill. Faith's Check Book: "These things cannot be parted -- abiding in obedience and abiding in the love of Jesus. A life under the rule of Christ can alone prove that we are the objects of our Lord's delight.
3. Obedience produces fruitfulness. (Rom 6:17-18) "But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. {18} Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness."
4. Obedience produces Purity. (Psa 119:133) "Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me."
a. (1 Pet 1:22) "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:"
Ill. John Trapp: "A metaphor from the legal purification." Here we see the social influence of the Gospel" (1 Pet 3:15) "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:"
Conclusion:
1 (John 14:15) "If ye love me, keep my commandments."
2. (John 15:14) "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you."