The entrance into a life of full obedience – By Pastor George Lehman
“The golden rule for understanding in spiritual matters is not intellect but obedience.” – Oswald Chambers
We only begin to see a change when we apply what we know!
Philippians 2:8 (Amp) – And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross!
NOTICE: Jesus was already obedient, but he took His obedience to a deeper level, how far are you willing to take your obedience before you will give up?
Giving your life to Jesus is the 1st step, from there we must grow deeper in obedience.
The secret of a successful spiritual race is to have the goal clearly defined and to have it as your aim from the ‘outset’. Determined to finish strong.
Hebrews 12:1b (NIV) – And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Notice… He became obedient to the point of death.
There is no other Christ for any of us; no other obedience that pleases God; no other example for us to copy; no other teacher from whom to learn.
Many Christians suffer because they DO NOT from the ‘outset’ accept this as the only obedience for which they are to strive.
They just plod along, dabble in continuous sinful habits, and hardly think much of the deep obedience that God requires of them!
Psalm 119:59 (NIV) – “I considered my ways; I turned my feet to (OBEY) Your testimonies” – David looked at his way and made a choice.
We are living in times when many people accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
All they are willing to do is to make a few adjustments but not a 180 degree turn around.
OH, they turn around but continue in that turned around position and carry on backward in the same old way.
AND … continue in a life of continued sin and dis-obedience.
Cheap grace is grace without discipleship; grace without the cross; grace without Jesus Christ. – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Cheap grace means living as though God ignores or condones our sin.
Cheap grace means living without the demand from God for obedience upon us.
Where there is no call for obedience, then all things are tolerated; do your own thing; anything goes; eternity is not important.
1 John 2:4 (Amp) – Whoever says, I know Him [I perceive, recognize, understand, and am acquainted with Him] but fails to keep and obey His commandments (teachings) is a liar, and the Truth [of the Gospel] is not in him.
The question is: Do you obey because God demands it? Or Do you obey because you want to please God?
We might think that God wanted simple obedience to a set of rules, whereas He really wants people of a particular sort. – C.S. Lewis
And the sort of people that God wants us to be… are those who desire to conform themselves to the image and character of His Son.
God’s delight in our obedience is good news because everything God commands us, is for our good.
What God is delighting in is our obedience to willingly offer ourselves to Him.
Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (LB) – And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you except to listen carefully to all he says to you, and to obey for your own good the commandments I am giving you today, and to love him and to worship him with all our hearts and souls?
Obedience to God’s commands is not hard or a burden.
1 John 5:3 (GNT) – To love God means that we obey His commandments, obeying His commandments isn’t difficult.
If people were true to the first commandment, obedience to the remaining nine would follow naturally. It is because they are unsound in this that they break the others. – D.L. Moody
Deuteronomy 30:11 (Amp) – For this commandment which I command you this day is not too difficult for you, nor is it far off.
Is there something still holding you back from ‘entering into a life of full obedience’?
God sent Jesus into the world to restore obedience to its rightful place in our hearts and lives so that the child of God has a very clear guideline how to shape his new life in Christ entering in and continuing to grow into a life of obedience.
Jesus gave His all. How much are you willing to surrender?
How obedient are you willing to be?
Romans 16:25-26 (MSG) – All of our praise rises to the One who is strong enough to make you strong, exactly as preached in Jesus Christ, precisely as revealed in the mystery kept secret for so long but now an open book through the prophetic Scriptures. All the nations of the world can now know the truth and be brought into obedient belief, carrying out the orders of God, who got all this started, down to the final detail.
