HYMN: “When we walk with the Lord. ”
CENTRAL THOUGHT
God demands total obedience from every believer.
TEXT: 1 SAMUEL 15:1-23
INTRODUCTION:
In the scripture, God always demands total obedience to His commands. Almost all the blessings we receive from God are predicated on total obedience to His words and commands.
God expects from every believer a heart and attitude of complete obedience. In 1 Sam. 15:1-23, King Saul assumed his action in sparing the best of the Amalekites’ cattle and the King Agag would be used for sacrifice to God. Our God is more interested in our obedience than whatever sacrifice we would offer to Him. Thus, obedience entails total
submission to God’s authority over our lives, His will and command. Our willingness to submit to God’s will and instructions carrying them out on a daily basis should be our goal.
Obedience attracts God’s blessing while disobedience brings about curse (Deut. 11:27-28).
Disobedience to God is a sign of disrespect to Him and this has very serious consequences. Our obedience therefore should be complete for us to receive the promise (Heb. 10:36).
LESSON OBJECTIVES
1.) To know what obedience means.
2.) To differentiate total obedience from “partial” obedience.
3.) To discuss some areas believers indulge in partial obedience.
4.) To highlight the consequences of partial obedience.
5.) To know the rewards of total obedience.
BIBLE TRUTH
QUESTION 1.) WHAT IS OBEDIENCE?
Obedience can be defined as carrying out the will of another person. It can also be viewed as a positive, active response to what one hears. It is an act or instance of submitting to authority. It is the compliance with the demands or requests of someone over us.
Obedience to God is an obligation stressed in both Old and New Testaments. One evidence that a person is a child of God is his continued obedience to the commands of God. Obedience keeps our relationship with God open and free.
Our obedience to God implies a total, unquestionable and complete submission to His will in all areas of our lives. This entails obeying the word of God (Exodus 19:5-6), pleasing Him in all we do and everywhere. Our obedience must therefore be motivated by our love for God based on reverence for Him.
QUESTION 2.) DIFFERENTIATE TOTAL OBEDIENCE FROM “PARTIAL” OBEDIENCE.
God demands total or complete obedience from every believer. Our obedience to God should manifest in all we do and it should be unconditional. Abraham demonstrated total obedience in offering his son Isaac (Gen. 22:1-12). You can imagine how one would feel when asked to offer a child one received after waiting for the promise for twenty five years. Although it would have been a very difficult decision to take, Abraham believed that God was able to bring back Isaac back to life even after he had offered him (Heb. 11:17-19).
On the other hand Saul started as a humble man (1 Sam. 9:21) who was attentive to God’s commands. Gradually he began to listen to other voices. He placed higher value on appearances and popularity than obedience to God (1 Sam. 15:13-23). God rejected Saul as King because he did not completely obey God’s command (1 Sam. 15:3).
Only our total obedience meets God’s standards and therefore acceptable to Him. Partial obedience as far as God is concerned is reckoned as disobedience.
QUESTION 3.) DISCUSS SOME AREAS BELIEVERS INDULGE IN PARTIAL OBEDIENCE.
There are a number of ways many believers indulge in partial obedience in their response to God’s demands. Some of these are enumerated and briefly discussed as follows:
1.) Tithes/Offerings. Mal. 3:8-10
Some believers do not pay complete tithes. They pay just anything and believe that since they have paid something, they have fulfilled the law of tithe paying. Any payment made that is less than one-tenth of one’s income is no tithe. Such believers are defrauding God and are regarded as robbers.
When people give offerings that do not reflect as God has prospered them (1 Cor. 16:2), they are partially obeying God in the offering. This is also unacceptable to God.
In summary, any tithe or offering given by any believer which does not reflect the correct amount to be given by such an individual amounts to partial obedience and so does not attract God’s blessing.
2.) Church Weekly Activities
Apart from church services that hold on Sundays, there are other church activities that hold during the week. Bible studies, prayer meetings and many other activities take place in the church on week days. Some believers attend church occasionally and never participate fully in the activities of the church/group they belong to. This is not complete obedience to the injunction that we should not forsake the assembling of the brethren.
3.) Evangelism/Soul winning
Jesus Christ gave this great commission to believes to make disciples of all nation (Matthew 28:19). This is not taken seriously by many Christians. They do it at their convenience. This is not acceptable as obedience to God’s command. We should preach the word at all times and in all places ( 2 Tim. 4:2).
The class should suggest and discuss other areas.
QUESTION 4.) WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF PARTIAL OBEDIENCE?
Partial obedience to God is not only unacceptable to God but it has very serious consequences. Therefore, every believer is enjoined to demonstrate total obedience to God in every sphere of his life’s endeavors.
There are many examples in the scriptures of individuals who suffered the consequences of partial obedience and paid dearly for it. Some of these are discussed below:
God told Moses to take the rod and gather the people and that he should speak to the rock in the presence of the people of Israel so that the water will come out of the rock. Moses struck the rock twice. As a result of this, God did not allow Moses to lead the people into the Promised Land. He died on the way (Number 20:8-11).
In 1 Samuel 15:1-23, King Saul was asked by God to go and utterly destroy Amalek, both beasts and human beings. He went and destroyed some while sparing King Agag and the best of the animals because he feared the people and obeyed their voice (vs. 24). God was not pleased with this and so he was rejected from being King (1 Sam. 15:26).
In 1 Kings 13:1-28, the man of God from Judah received instructions from God to go and cry against the altar in Bethel and prophesy concerning the birth of Josiah. God instructed him not to enter into anyone’s house to eat bread or drink water in the place. Secondly, he was not to return by the same way he came. The man of God obeyed in part by prophesying against the altar as instructed but disobeyed by listening to a man (the old prophet), in eating and drinking in a city which God specifically warned him against. It should be very clear to us that we ought to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).
As far as God is concerned, partial obedience amounts to disobedience. Any believer who lives in disobedience to the word of God will not enjoy the blessings of God rather he will attract curses to himself (Deut. 28:15-68).
QUESTION 5.) REWARDS OF TOTAL OBEDIENCE.
Numerous blessings abound in the life of a believer who lives in total obedience to God’s word and His instructions in every area of life. In Deut. 28:1-14, God has promised several blessings that will follow and overtake the one who lives in obedience to God and His words.
In Isaiah 1:19, we are told that if we are willing and obedient we shall eat the good of the land.
Specifically, obedience to God brings about the following blessings among many others: divine guidance (Psalm 34:7), Peace (Psalms 37:37, Isaiah 26:3), divine health (Exod. 15:26) mercy, (Exod. 20:6), and many more. Ultimately the believer who lives in total obedience will spend eternity with God in heaven when his life on earth is over.
DAILY LIVING APPLICATION
God’s love for us is beyond expression. We should reciprocate this love by living in obedience to His commands. Our love for Him should be the motivating factor for our obedience. Our total obedience will bring to us many blessings from God, while disobedience will bring curses and ultimately lead to hell.
MEMORY VERSE
1 SAMUEL 15:22b
“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.”
DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
Monday: Abraham’s total obedience
Gen. 22:1-12, Heb. 11:17-19
Tuesday: Total obedience in tithes
Mal. 3:8-10
Wednesday: Obedience in soulwinning
Matt. 28:19, 2 Tim. 4:2
Thursday: Result of Partial obedience
1 Sam. 15:1-23
Friday: Lesson on the Old Prophet and man of God.
1 Kings 13:1-28
Saturday: Reward of total obedience
Deut. 28:1-14