Lesson 10

THE BLESSINGS OF OBEDIENCE

We all struggle with distress, problems or difficulties in life. 

Deuteronomy 4:30 says:"When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, then you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice… ” 

What brings us into distress?  The disobedience of man, when men disobey the Word of God and go their own way.  Just as Adam and Eve disobeyed God and brought the world into sin and judgement, so too shall disobedience bring distress and difficulties into the world and God will allow it. 

Romans 5:19 tells us:‘For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.’

Obedience has great consequences; disobedience leads to sin and death.  Obedience leads to righteousness and life.  We all need to learn obedience, even as Jesus. 

Hebrews 5: 8 – 9:‘though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.   And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,..’

Jesus’ obedience to the Father has given us salvation and eternal life.

Philippians 2:8: ‘And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.’

Hebrews 5:9: ‘And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.’

Jesus was perfectly obedient to the Father.  His obedience has secured our victory in Him when we become obedient to Him.  We must be obedient to the Father, even as Jesus was. He never did anything, except what the Father told Him.  In John alone 11 times it speaks of Jesus only doing what the Father commanded.  How much more should we?  These following passages from John show Jesus’ relationship with God in prayer.

In John 3:27 John the Baptist said:

 … “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.”

John 5:19:‘Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do, for whatever He does, the Son does in like manner.”’

John 5:30:“I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.”

John 7:16-18:‘Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.”’

John 8:16:“And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.”

John 8:28-29:‘Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.  And He who sent Me is with Me.  The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."’

John 8:38:"I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."

John 12:49-50:"For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.  And I know that His command is everlasting life.  Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak."

John 14:10:"Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.”

John 14:26:"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”

John 16:13-15:"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.  All things that the Father has are Mine.  Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”

Jesus had the Father in Him, we have the Holy Spirit in us.  And we should seek to become more obedient even in the smaller things and grow in obedience until we reach the finer levels of obedience.  One day in London, I walked past a beggar sitting with his little brown dog near Victoria Station.  Suddenly the Lord told me to go back and witness to him.  I had every excuse why I did not want to do so.  But when I did go back and witness to him in obedience, he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Saviour.  I thank the Lord that I obeyed.

There is a depth in God, an obedience in God, that brings absolute victory but to this end we need to pray earnestly.  We face problems in different forms daily.  Sometimes we meet with overwhelming forces of darkness, or hurt, or even death.  When someone dies and we don't know why, we feel helpless and on our own we are helpless.

But there is someone who has overcome every problem, every sickness and has even overcome death itself and this is Jesus.  Jesus knew the Father at such depth that He was able to overcome death itself. 

There is a glimpse of light. In the physical realm I competed in show jumping.  But to face the challenging show jumping course, one has to know one's horse.  You have to build up a relationship of trust and obedience from your horse through many hours of patient schooling.  It is a practising with your horse at home that determines your success in the show jumping arena.  It is the same with God.  We have to come to know God in prayer, and to learn to hear him like Jesus did, to the refined levels.  We can then step out in total obedience that leads to victory.  Yet some of the challenges of life are very, very hard, but the harder the challenge, the greater our dependence on God must be.  In Him alone is victory over every form of darkness the devil can produce.  God alone has the victory and this victory we need to find in Him.

So how do we find this victory in God?  Through coming to Him seriously in prayer, meeting with Him, talking to Him, listening to Him.  We need to make this connection with our spirit, heart and soul.  This means determined prayer, not giving up until we have met with God and He with us. You know it when you have met with the living God and made this glorious connection that enables His light to penetrate your innermost being, His truth that enlightens your mind, His supernatural strength that comes into your very body, His victory that brings a result.  For this is all about Him, finding out what He wants and finding His will for you.  In seeking His will, you find the victory of your life.  This is success, for your victory is in His love as He sets you free to move forth in His love.

What was the result of Jesus’ obedience?

Luke 8:25:‘But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marvelled, saying to one another, "Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"’

Mark 1:27:‘Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."’

Jeremiah 26:13:"Now therefore, amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; then the LORD will relent concerning the doom that He has pronounced against you.”

Disobedience leads to disaster, but obedience leads to forgiveness and new life.  God delights in obedience, God wants to bless. 

1 Samuel 15:22:‘Then Samuel said: "Has 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 heed than the fat of rams.”’

The apostles say the same in Acts 5:29:
‘Peter and the other apostles replied: " We must obey God rather than men!”’

So what must we do, to now obey God?

1 John 5:2 & 4:‘By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments….For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.’

Obedience to God gives us His victory that overcomes the world, the Devil and all evil. 

2 Corinthians 10:5 – 6:‘casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.’

We need to be obedient even at the thought level and not allow any form of disobedience enter our minds, for all disobedience is from the devil, whether spoken or argued by man or secretly entering in.  We have the power of the Holy Spirit available to us, to throw out every negative thought and thus stay clean. 

2 Corinthians 2:8 – 9:‘Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.   For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things.’

Love God, for if we love God we will be obedient to Him.  We will be tested, but if we truly love God we will be able to resist disobedience and obey God. 

1 Peter 1:22:‘Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.

’If we love God, God will fill us with His love and also give us love for others.  If we love others with God’s love it will be natural for us to obey every commandment and so give us a pure heart. 

Romans 6:17:‘But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.’ 

What will be the results of obedience?

What were the results of the Apostles’ obedience?

Acts 6:7:'Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.’

What will be the result for us?
Romans 1:5–6:‘Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ.’

The victory in obedience is ours.  When we are obedient we are guaranteed to be walking in God’s way.  Abraham was blessed through his obedience.  God promised Abraham in Genesis 22:18:"In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."

We need to obey by first listening to God.  We have to spend time in His presence listening to His Voice and then obeying Him.  Ask Him daily and He will tell you what to do.

Daniel 7:27:‘Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.  His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’

This prophecy is for those of us who obey God.  When we obey the voice of God we know His Will will be done.  We are merely men, we have no power of ourselves, but when we obey our most High God, His power, His authority works through our being and miracles and healings are performed in the mighty name of Jesus.

1 Peter 2:9:
'But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.’

Once when going to Malawi there was a problem with receiving e-mails.  We had already paid our tickets so I got on the plane with nothing properly planned and absolutely no way of getting hold of the pastors I was supposed to work with.  I only knew that one pastor lived in a village I know, so I headed there the next day.  This pastor had not even received my letter but he was so happy to see us that, within two hours, we were preaching to a full church. 

We had just finished the service when there was a knock on the door.  It was the Mozambique Pastor whom the Holy Spirit had led straight to the door.  He needed money to set up the crusade the following week and all was arranged.

Next day, we headed for the crusade at Oxford Bible Church, not even knowing in which village it was situated!  We headed off in the direction I felt led to, and about three hours later I felt led to slow down as we went through a very small village.  Suddenly a bike overtook us and stopped us.  They said, “You have just gone past the meeting place where they arranged to meet you by e-mail.”  This e-mail had never arrived, yet we were on time and followed them down a narrow track to ‘Oxford Bible Church’!!

The whole trip went so well because it was planned by God and not by us. 

Some Things to Think About
Romans 5:19 – explain this verse.
What was the result of Jesus’ obedience?
What must we do to obey God?What are the results of obedience?