The Joy of Walking in Obedience

The Joy of Walking in Obedience:

Study Text: John 14:23 - 24

Introduction:

 - All of us know that we must obey God, but somehow we still act in rebellion and many times end up into trouble as a result of our disobedience.

 -   How come even when we know what God wants us to do we act otherwise?

Could it be we don’t really understand the meaning of Obedience or we forget how important it is? Or we need help on how to obey.

1.  Obedience: What it is 

 -    In simple terms it means hearing the word of God and acting on it.

 -  It implies aligning our will to God’s will; doing what God has asked us to do.

 -  It is when we completely surrender to His authority and base our decisions and our actions on His Word.

2.  Obedience: Why is it Important 

 -  Obedience is so important for every Christian, in fact without it we fall short of the glory of God.

1.  It is an act of worship as it demonstrates our love for God and sets us apart.

2.  Obedience is the hallmark of our salvation.

 -   Although we are saved by Grace through the redemptive work of the cross and by the blood of Jesus; It is our obedience that sets us apart as authentic children of God.

3.  Obedience is our way of showing God that we love Him; and it is through our obedience that God recognizes us and enables us to enjoy His Love.

 -  Thus, our primary motive for obedience must be “to show God that we love Him”

This in turn will allow God to reveal himself to us, and activates God’s power to work in our lives.

 -  If we say that we are children of God and claim to love God, do we demonstrate that love by obeying His commands. Can God truly count you as one of His Children? Do we align our daily actions with God’s word as an act of worship?

 -  Can others around you testify that indeed you are a child of God because your actions are in line with God’s word?

 -  How do you treat your family members? How do you behave at work? How do you relate with your friends? How do you talk about other people?

 -  Coming to church is good, functioning in   various Units is good, doing all religious thing is good. But it is an obedient heart that God loves.

4.  It shows God that we trust Him. It is a demonstration of our faith.

 -  Obedience can mean; following God’s lead even when we are not sure of the outcome.

 -  Obedience can be tough; many times it means taking the higher road even when there is an easy way out as an option.

 -  Obedience may require sacrifice; discipline and stretching ourselves outside our comfort zone.

 -  Our choice to obey therefore demonstrates our trust in God. It shows that even though its hard, even though it doesn’t make sense we will still do it.

     

 -  Are there things in your life that God is asking you to do that are tough? Or that do not  make sense? Your obedience will show God that you trust Him. It will be accounted as the evidence of your faith. 

 - Obey God to give even when your budget is tight; Obey God and forgive even when it hurts so bad; obey God and love your unlovable spouse unconditionally. There is a reason why God has put you in that situation.

3.  Obedience: What are its Rewards 

 - Obedience shows God that we love Him and we trust Him which in turn activates His power in our lives; but most importantly there is a reward for obedience.

1.  Success: Joshua 1:8

 - Everyone wants to be successful at what they do. 

 - Interestingly, God in His Word gives us a simple secret for success which is reading His Word and obeying it.

 - God has a plan for each and every one of us; Plans to prosper us and plans to give us a future. Jeremiah 29:11

God’s will for our life is that we must be successful. Success is not as the world defines it but as God defines it; that means accomplishing that which we were created for. 

 - God never created us to fail or just to be average. God created us to be excellent.

But we need to align with God’s will for God’s plan to be manifested in our life.

2.  Blessings Psalm 1:1-3

 -  God has promised to bless us if we fully obey Him. 

 - Deuteronomy 28: 1-14 outlines the blessings that God has promised for us if we obey them.

The rewards for obedience are clear:

 - You will be blessed where ever you go.

 - Your children will be blessed.

 - God will protect you,

He will grant you abundant prosperity.

 - Everything you set your hand on will be successful. The Lord will help you to stand out.

 - In the Bible, Abraham, Isaac and their children enjoyed God’s blessing because of obedience.

 - Do you want to live a life that overflows with blessings? Then obey God. It is a precondition. Not partial Obedience but full obedience.

 -  He commands us to obey Him first for him to bless us with all these things. 

4.  Obedience: How to Achieve it.

 - Obedience is not easy; it can be hard. It takes sacrifice:

1.  By having a relationship with God:

 -  Decide to honour God with our decisions and actions by doing what He tells us.

 - Our primary motive for obedience must be to please God because we love Him. It’s easy to do something  when we do it out of Love even when it’s uncomfortable.

2.  By reading the Bible every day as the primary basis for all our decisions and actions. Joshua 1:8

3.  Through Prayer

 - Sometimes even when we know the things that God expects from us, acting on them will not be easy. Many times obedience means sacrifice; sometimes obedience can be painful; sometimes it can mean stretching ourselves outside our comfort Zone.

 -  On our own we may not be able to do it. We therefore need God’s help through the Holy Spirit to help us.

 - Prayer will also make us sensitive to God’s word and will help us to hear His voice and know exactly what we must do.

3.  By focusing on the reward.

 - Despite our main focus of obedience should be to show that we Love God, we should always remember there is a reward for obedience either in this life or the life after.

 -  When the devil tempts us to take the easy way out and act in rebellion, always remember what you are missing out on.

 - Be willing to do the hard things even when it doesn’t make sense because you know a blessing will follow, for yourself, and for your family.

Conclusion

 - Obedience is an act of Surrender, it is when we as Christians say “not my will Lord but Your will and align our actions with that will.“

 - Obedience is not easy, many times it means taking the higher road doing things that are against our fleshly desires.

 - Although difficult, obedience sets us apart as authentic children of God. God will know us by our obedience, even those around us will be inspired by our obedience.

 - Obedience demonstrates our faith and trust in God; Obedience is the key to our success; Obedience is the sure and promised way for unlocking blessings for our lives.

 - For us to be able to fully obey, we must read His word every day and ask God to empower us with His Holy Spirit  so that our life is going to honour Him.