Obedience
What is one universal skill that all children learn? Obedience. Obey your parents. Obey your elders. Obey your teachers. Obey the law. Obey! And what is the most difficult skill for all children to learn? Obedience!
As children, we’re built-in with our own will, but with no capacity to throttle our desires. We have to learn — over many years — the skill of obedience. Our parents bear the weight of teaching us — again, over many years! — the necessity of obedience.
God, as our Heavenly Father, bears the same responsibility and desires the same outcome for us — a life of obedience. Obedience is central to both our natural and our spiritual life.
The call to obedience
In the Old Covenant, God gave Moses divine instruction for the people of Israel from the top of a mountain (see Exodus 19 & 20). And again in the New Covenant, God gives us divine instruction from the top of a mountain, this time through Jesus in his famous Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5-7).
Jesus teaches us many things in this sermon — how to think, how to act and how to handle certain situations — a “101” of sorts on the Christian life. But, to learn of obedience, let’s look at the capstone of this famous sermon:
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.
Matthew 7:24-26
Jesus closes with an emphasis on obedience. His final point, the one he wants to leave his hearers with, is a call to obedience.
Jesus knows there will be many who hear his words, both then and now. He was thronged by people all during his earthly ministry, with thousands hearing his teachings. And today, millions more fill the pews each Sunday to hear the words of God.
However, Jesus knows there are many who will hear, but he is concerned with those who will hear and do. This is the distinction he makes in Matthew 7. Those who simply hear, but fail to obey, are called “foolish,” while those who hear and obey are called “wise.” What title do you want from God?
As we learned growing up, obedience requires action — hearing and doing. Go clean your room. Do your homework. Take out the trash. The same call to action is present in our life with God. Follow me. Go make disciples. Pray to the Lord of the harvest. In order to obey, we must act on the commandment.
Jesus knows there are many who hear, but fewer who do. He knows that “faith without works is dead.” God is not looking for hearers, he is looking for doers.
Disobedience leads to death
Obedience is no small matter to God. To emphasize the point, let’s explore the other side of the coin: disobedience. Is it really that bad if we disobey God? Hebrews 4:
For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,
“As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest,’”
although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” And again in this passage he said,
“They shall not enter my rest.”
Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,
“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
Hebrews 4:3-11
The author of Hebrews is hearkening back to Israel’s exodus from Egypt to teach us a lesson about disobedience. And remember, the Old Testament scriptures are there to teach and grow New Testament Christians (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
As a quick summary of the exodus, Israel was enslaved and exhausted in Egypt. God sent Moses to rescue Israel and bring them into the land originally promised to Abraham.
Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you our from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.’
Exodus 6:6-8
Through this process, Israel faced challenges and began to doubt God’s ability and question his motive.
“Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. And you murmured in your tents and said, ‘Because the Lord hated us he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.
“And the Lord heard your words and was angered, and he swore, ‘Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the Lord!’
Deuteronomy 1:26-27, 34-36
In Exodus 6, we see God declared his intentions for Israel. God had spoken a decree, now it was up to Israel to trust God to make it happen. How were they to show their trust in God? Through obedience to his voice.
In Deuteronomy 1, we see Israel’s disobedience kick in: “Yet you would not go up.” Israel refused to obey God and enter the Promised Land despite God’s decree to bring them there. Yes, Israel faced some seemingly insurmountable challenges, but God was looking for obedience to his voice.
The result of this? God barred the Israelites from entering the Promised Land. This is alluded to in Hebrews as being unable to enter God’s rest. And what does Hebrews warn us of?
and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience
Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
Hebrews 4:6, 11
God is warning us — New Covenant believers — that a life of disobedience can lead to eternal separation from God (not entering his rest). God is not interested in lip service, he is looking for those who will hear and do.
Jesus:
Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?
Luke 6:46
Let’s look at one more parable to drive the point home.
Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins [the foolish virgins] came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Matthew 25:1-13
Remember back to Matthew 7, Jesus used the same, “wise” and “foolish” terminology as we see here. And what happened to the foolish virgins, the ones who merely heard, but did not do? The door to God’s eternal rest was closed to them. The foolish virgins appealed to the Lord, but the door remained closed, God even denying to know them!
If we wish to spend eternity with God, then we must learn to obey.
A life of obedience
In Christian circles, it is easy to “talk to talk.” It is easy to fool people — even ourselves! — into believing we’re better than we really are. But God cannot be fooled. He has not called us to “talk the talk,” but rather to “walk the walk.”
Jesus called his disciples — and calls us today — to “follow me.” That is to walk with him, to follow in his footsteps, to learn from him, and ultimately to be like him.
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Romans 8:29
During his time on earth, Jesus lived in complete obedience — both to his earthly parents, as well as his heavenly Father. Jesus only did what the Father commanded him to do and only said what the Father commanded him to say. He both heard the Father’s words and obeyed his commands.
For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.
John 12:49
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
John 5:19
For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
John 6:38
God is looking for the same sort of obedience from us. A total commitment to hear and do. Are your content to merely “talk the talk” and potentially miss out on eternity with Christ? Or would you rather “walk the walk” and learn to live a life of obedience?
Practical steps towards obedience
In order to live this life of obedience, we need learn three practical skills: how to listen, how God speaks, and how to obey. Let’s dive in!
Step 1: How to Listen
The first skill we need to learn is how to listen or, said another way, how to hear God’s voice. Good news, if you’ve surrendered your life to Christ, you already have this skill!
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
John 10:27
If you are one of God’s sheep, then, according to Jesus, you can hear his voice. Hallelujah! But although we all have the capacity to hear, we still need to understand how to listen for God and how to hear him clearly.
God can shout at you, but he typically whispers. How do you hear a whisper? You have to be still, quiet and attentive. But life is often busy, noisy and full, so we are unable to hear God’s whisper. We have to carve out time away from the noise and position ourselves to hear God’s whisper. We have to get alone with God, away from the distractions of life. This is the first step towards hearing from God.
Here’s a closing thought from Jesus on this point.
And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6:5-6
Step 2: How God speaks
Now that we know how to listen, we need to understand how God speaks. This is the second important skill.
God can speak in may ways, but two are most prominent — through his word and by his spirit.
The Scriptures
God has given us his word and his word speaks of him.
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me.
John 5:39
The bible is God’s autobiography to mankind. The scriptures speak of God, his ways, his desires, his heart and his dealings with man. The scriptures speak of God himself.
The scriptures are not some dead manuscript written by men of old. Nor are they a simple reference guide to life. The scriptures are alive and active and reveal the person of the living God. They speak of him.
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
If we want to hear from God, we must consult the book that contains his speaking, his voice. We must be people of the scriptures!
The Spirit
While the scriptures are vitally important, we must not lean on our own understanding, but allow God to speak and reveal himself through his word and by his spirit.
Let’s look at two scriptures in turn to develop this point.
For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
2 Corinthians 3:6
Paul is speaking about the scriptures and the spirit. And he makes a bold statement! The scriptures (the letter) alone kills or brings death. How can he make such a claim? Can the words of God bring death? Let’s look at our second verse.
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
John 5:39-40
Here we have Jesus saying a very similar thing as Paul. Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees, who were people of the scriptures. They spend much time and energy learning the scriptures and seeking to live what they thought were holy, God-fearing lives. But, according to Jesus, they had it all wrong! All those years of study, all of that “holiness” wasted — bringing death — because they did not consult the scriptures in the right way or with the right heart!
Jesus tells them they think all their activity, all their “understanding,” all of their time studying scripture has been a waste. It has not lead them to the source of life, Jesus, so therefore they are on the path of death. Wow!
So not only must we be people of the scriptures, we also need to be people of his spirit. The scriptures by themselves can do nothing for us. It is God’s spirit speaking through the scriptures that brings life. Why? Because the spirit speaks of Jesus.
But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.
John 15:26
The bible is not an end unto itself. The bible is a means of God speaking of and revealing his son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Jesus is life, so to receive life we must come to him. May we not be like the Pharisees and seek our own holiness, our own righteousness. But may we be the people of God who seek him and hear from his spirit and come close to his son.
Step 3: How to obey
We discovered how to listen for God and how to hear him speak. The last step is to obey!
If you put Steps 1 & 2 into practice, you will start hearing from God. He will reveal himself to you and his will for your life. He will ask you to do things and stop doing other things. He is a master at knowing what you need and how to move you toward his ultimate goal, conformity to the image of his son (remember Romans 8:29).
Now, when God asks you to do something, all that is left is to do it! Some of what he asks will be easy. Some of what he asks will be hard. And still more may seem impossible. God is looking for obedience through it all. Remember the Israelites. They faced an impossible situation, and chose not to obey God’s voice. And what was their outcome?
A life of obedience to God will cost us, as it did Jesus, Paul and many people of the early and today’s persecuted Church. However, obedience does not mean perfection. While we may strive to obey God 100%, we will certainly fall short of that goal at times. And that’s okay!
Remember, we are God’s children and he is our Father. He is raising us as a father and treats us as such. Let’s look at an earthly example for a minute. Let’s assume a parent asks a nine year old to clean his room. The nine year old obeys immediately with no complaint (hallelujah!), however, he does a horrible job! Was he obedient? Yes! Did it match exactly what the parent wants? No! But the obedience was there. Now there is a teaching moment to help the child grow in his abilities and execution of the task. It may take time, but eventually that nine year old will be a fully functioning adult with the ability to clean his room.
God treats us the same. We may not execute his orders very well, but if the heart to obey is there that is what truly matters to him. That is a person he can work with. That is a person with the right heart that will allow God to mold and shape them over time. That is a life of obedience!
Closing
A life of obedience can be difficult, but it is full of reward.
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Matthew 16:25
If we want God’s life, we have to lay down our own life — our will and our desires. But the return is far greater — life from God, the author and sustainer of life!
There is no true life or joy outside of God. There may be moments we experience in the flesh, but it all pales in comparison to the life God gives.
And not only does a life of obedience lead to God’s life, it leads to a special place in God’s heart.
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples.
Exodus 19:5
The path of obedience is the clear choice, but still, many choose their own path, their own way.
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Matthew 7:13-14
May we be people who listen and hear God’s voice. May we be people who choose God’s way. May we be a people who obey and be his treasured possession among all peoples.