CENTRAL THOUGHT
Obedience to God guarantees a happy Christian life and God’s blessings.
TEXT: PHIL. 2:5-12, GEN. 12:1-4
INTRODUCTION:
This study focuses on “The pathway to Glory”. Many people desire to “make it” in life. They want to have notable achievements in their careers, businesses, and marriage and also in the ministry etc. The first part of this study is on obedience. A heart and an attitude of obedience remains a bedrock on the pathway to success and glory in life. Obedience is the key that opens all of God’s promises to the individual. Obedience may be defined as the willingness to do what one is asked or required to do; that is, one willingly submits to and carries out the instructions of someone. Biblically, obedience means total submission to God’s will, authority, and command. It implies willingness/yieldedness of the individual to submit to, carrying out God’s instruction, and will. The natural man is arrogant, self-willed, self-centered and disobedient. Such individuals find it very difficult to submit to authority. Some even want to be independent of God not willing to obey His instructions. However, every believer must willingly obey God. When we disobey Him, we are showing disregard and mistrust for Him and the consequence may be very great. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” Prov. 14:12. Our obedience therefore must be complete and total. As a song writer says “Trust and obey, for there is no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey”. Beloved, the pathway to glory is in the pathway of “total obedience to God”.
ESSON OBJECTIVES
- To know what obedience means.
- To understand what should motivate an individual to obey God.
- Appreciate what true obedience to God entails.
- Know the ways in which the Lord Jesus demonstrated obedience to God.
- Know some of the ways believers can demonstrate obedience to God
- Understand the danger of disobedience to GOD and
- Know the blessings of obedience to God.
BIBLE TRUTH:
QUESTION 1) WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND BY THE WORD OBEDIENCE AND WHAT DOES TRUE OBEDIENCE TO GOD ENTAIL?
Obedience refers to the attitude of an individual to what he/she is asked to do willingly. An individual who is obedient willingly submits to and carries out the instructions of another person. For example, at home, children are expected to obey their parents. In school, students are expected to follow (obey) the instructions of the school authorities such as Headmaster, Principal, Vice Chancellor, Teachers, Lecturers etc. Also in the office, staff are expected to obey the directives of the boss. From the foregoing, it becomes very clear that obedience to God involves a total submission to His will, commands, and instructions. Such obedience will include obeying His word, showing love to Him and His people and identifying with His purpose in this world. In some situations, obedience to God will entail risking our lives. For example, the three Hebrew children obeyed God and disobeyed the kings commands to worship an idol at the risk of their lives (Dan. 3:16-18). The disciples also in the New Testament preferred to obey God rather than man at the risk of their lives (Acts 5:29). These are good examples of what it means to obey God totally, unquestionably and completely.
QUESTION 2) WHAT SHOULD MOTIVATE AN INDIVIDUAL TO OBEY GOD?
God’s love for humanity cannot be quantified. The Bible says it is beyond human comprehension. We cannot fathom the height, breath, length, and the depth of such love. His love for us culminated in His death and resurrection for mankind. A major way we can appreciate God’s love for us is to love and obey Him. Our love for God should make us obey Him. The LORD says those who love Him will keep His commandments. “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me” (John 14:23-24). Also, in the Old Testament Moses and Joshua admonished the people to love God and walk in His way (Deut. 6:4-9, Joshua 22:5). Also, our faith in God should motivate us to obey Him. When we have faith in God, we will accept His words and obey them. Our faith in Him helps us to understand that He is able to deliver us in those situations when and where our obedience to Him is at the “risk” of our lives. The Hebrew children had such faith in God and so obeyed Him (Dan. 3:6). Noah had faith in God and His spoken words, therefore, when God warned him of the impending destruction upon the world; Noah in obedience to God constructed the ark God spoke to him about (Heb. 11:7).
Finally, our desire to identify with God in His purpose of brining humanity to Himself should make us obey Him. This will make us willingly spread the good news of salvation in Christ to all those we come in contact with.
QUESTION 3) WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WAYS IN WHICH THE LORD JESUS DEMONSTRATED OBEDIENCE TO THE FATHER?
The LORD JESUS while on earth demonstrated tremendous obedience to the will of God the Father. Examples of this attitude of obedience to God the Father are found in the scripture. In obedience to the Father’s will. He submitted to water baptism by John the Baptist (Mt. 3:13-15). Also, His prayer in the garden of gethsemane showed that He was ready to set aside His personal will and desires for the will of the Father to be fulfilled (Matt. 26:39). He submitted to death in obedience to the Father. Phil. 2:8-9 says, As a result of Christ’s obedience to the will of God the Father, He has been highly exalted and given a name that is above every other name. For Christ as man, the pathway to glory was that of obedience. The pattern is same for us today. Believers today must follow the example of the LORD JESUS. Though HE is God, when He put on humanity, appearing in the world as man, He was obedient to God the Father in every way. We too should learn to obey God and submit to His will in all situations.
QUESTION 4) WHAT ARE SOME WAYS IN WHICH BELIEVERS DEMONSTRATE OBEDIENCE TO GOD?
A believer is one who has accepted the LORD JESUS as his/her personal SAVIOUR and is willing to serve Him by totally surrendering every area of his life to Him. Such a one is expected to live in obedience to his Master- the Lord Jesus. Obedience to the LORD is made manifest in the home, church, and the society in general. In the home as obedient to God, husbands should always love their wives and wives should submit to their own husbands. Likewise, children should obey their parents, the parents should ensure that the children are not provoked or harassed through harshness into doing evil. Servants (house helps) in the home are also encouraged to show obedience to their masters. It will be easy for everyone at home to play their roles effectively if we have the understanding that whatever we are being asked to do is to be done in obedience to God and to please Him and not our wives, children, etc. (Eph. 5:22-23, 6:1-9, Col. 3:18-25). Believers should also demonstrate obedience to God in the church or their places of fellowship. Such obedience is revealed in the way we treat our Christian leaders and brethren and also in our degree of involvement in the work of the ministry where we fellowship. We should love our leaders, care for them and cooperate with them. Heb 13:17. We should also love our brethren, not just in word, but in deed and in truth (1 Jn. 3:18). In obedience to God, we should participate effectively in the activities of our church or fellowship centers. Generally, a believer should demonstrate His obedience to God as he lives in the society. A believer should obey civil authorities (1 Pet. 2:13-15). In obedience to God, he should also love his neighbors. A believer whose desire is to please God should pursue a lifestyle of holiness and righteousness as he lives in the society. Obedience to God as stated earlier still remains the pathway to glory.
QUESTION 5.) WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF DISOBEDIENCE TO GOD?
As stated above, a believer must have and sustain an attitude of obedience to God. Disobedience to God has great consequences. In Deut. 28, the Bible mentions a lot of curses that will come upon an individual who lives in disobedience. We have examples of individuals in the Scriptures that paid dearly for disobeying God. Samson was a man called of God to liberate Israel from the oppression of the philistines. One of the conditions of God’s anointing upon him was that his hair should not be shaven. However, through careless association with an uncircumcised woman (a heathen woman), he gave away the secret of his anointing. Eventually, his hair was shaven, and Samson suffered greatly for this act of disobedience (Judges chapters 13-16). Saul was a king in Israel; God gave him clear instructions on what to do in the course of battling the Amalekites. Saul chose to do things his own way, neglecting Gods instructions. He suffered greatly for this disobedience. He and his descendants lost their right to the throne of Israel (1 Sam. 15). The believer who lives in disobedience today is not likely going to enjoy the peace of God at home, work, or his/her neighborhood. It may result in unanswered prayers; He or She may not enjoy divine health or fully appropriate the blessings of Christ’s redemption. A believer who persists in a life of disobedience stands the risk of missing the kingdom of heaven.
QUESTION 6.) WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BLESSINGS OF LIVING IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD?
The blessings of living in obedience to God (His purpose and His will) are numerous. Deut. 28:1-14, enumerates several blessings associated with living in obedience to God. These blessings do not only come upon the individual but in God’s sovereignty and divine providence, the family, the business, job, farm/livestock etc. of the individual are included in the blessings. A believer who maintains and sustains a life of obedience to God enjoys God’s peace, promise, protection, mercies, and divine health etc. Such a believer does not live in fear but exercises faith in God daily as he/she appropriates God’s promises and blessings. The Bible speaks thus of the man who lives in obedience to God- “Mark the righteous, consider the upright, the end of that man shall be peace”. Finally, when life on earth is over, the man who believed in the LORD JESUS and lived in obedience to Him will reign with Him eternally.
DAILY LIVING APPLICATION:
God loved us so much that He gave us His only begotten Son and through faith in His Son, we have been made the children of God. A major way in which we as believers can show our gratitude to God is to live in obedience to Him. Our love for God and our faith in Him ought to motivate us to obey Him. True obedience to God entails living for Him every day of our lives and in every situation. Disobedience will make us miss out on God’s blessings but as we remain under the umbrella of His grace, sustained obedience to Him guarantees continual enjoyment/appropriation of His blessings.
MEMORY VERSE:
1 Samuel 15:22 (B ) “ …. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams…”
DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
MON: Love for God is demonstrated in obedience to Him. 1 Peter 2:13-15
TUE: To obey is better than sacrifice. 1 Samuel 15
WED: Demonstrating obedience to God daily. Col. 3:18-25, Heb. 13:17
THU: Dangers of disobedience to God. Deut. 28:15-68
FRI: Blessings of obedience to God. Deut. 28:1-14
SAT: Believers are commanded to be holy. 1 Pet. 2:15-16.