Obedience

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I recently re-read the Bible, specifically the book of John, chapters 14 and 15.  I have read it for years, but I noticed something different that stood out.  I kept saying out loud, “How could I have missed this?”  Many Pastors have preached sermons from John 14 and 15, but they were excerpts.  Please do not misunderstand, I have nothing against those pastors who preached from those chapters, nor am I saying they were missing information.  I am also not saying they are all wrong.  I am just sharing something that I (Personally) missed.  Whenever I read the Bible, I ask God to show and teach me things.  Reveal to me something that I need to see, hear, and live in my life.  That is what this blog is about.  I’m sharing what I learned.

Starting in John chapter 13, Jesus was in Jerusalem with his disciples participating in the Passover dinner.  But Jesus does something that was a game-changer.  He told them that for thousands of years, you have been practicing something which symbolically represents God’s plan.  And now the time has come for the meaning of Passover to become a reality.  Jesus explains why He was sent to the earth, and that He was leaving the earth.  He then starts to talk about God the Father and how He wants them to be with Him and the Father forever.

John 14:1-3 (NLT) “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”

When Jesus made the last statement in verse 4, “And you know the way to where I am going…”, Thomas said, “Nawh, nawh, I beg to differ!  We have no clue where you are going? So how can you say that we know where you are going?”  So Jesus said, “Look fellas, I Am the Way the truth and the life, No one can come to the Father except through Me.  If you had paid attention to me and the works that I do, you would have known the Father.  Then Philip said, “Look Jesus, just keep it simple.  Show us the father and we will be satisfied.” (John 14:8).  Jesus let out a big sigh and said, “Look, I’ve been with you this entire time and you still don’t know who I am?  I’m trying to tell you men that if you have seen me, you have already seen the father!”  (John 14:5-10)

Ok, now for the main topic.  Jesus addresses obedience in John chapters 14 and 15.  He separates those who believe in Him from those who Obey Him.  And obeying Him is essentially doing God’s Will.   Jesus clearly said the following:

Matthew 7:21 (NKJV) “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”

There will be a lot of people doing “actions of works”, thinking that they are good enough to get into the Kingdom of Heaven.  But God is more focused on your obedience to Him than any good works that YOU think are worthy of His acceptance.

1 Samuel 15:22 (NLT) “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.

Did you know your obedience to Jesus is a key factor in how much you love Him?

1. John 14:15 (NLT) “If you love me, obey my commandments.”
2. John 14:21 (NLT) “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
3. John 14:23 (NLT) “Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.”
4. John 15:10 (NLT) “When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. “
5. John 15:14 (NLT) “You are my friends if you do what I command.”

When a child obeys their parents, they do it out of reverence and respect for their parents.  But when the child becomes an adult, they realize they don’t have to obey their parents.  But when they do it, it is out of love. If you want to show that you love God and Jesus, then obey Him.

Some of you may say, “Well, which person are we supposed to obey?  God or Jesus?  Jesus also said in John 14:17 that He will send the Holy Spirit to help us and guide us into all truth.  So now we have another person to obey?  How do I know which one to listen to?  The answer is not confusing at all.   Jesus clearly stated the following:

John 14:10 (NLT) “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me.”

Jesus is saying that God the Father dwells inside of Him, and the words that He speaks to His disciples are not His own words, but the Father who is working through Him. The Holy Spirit functions the same way.  The Holy Spirit will not speak of His own authority.  He will speak from God the Father’s authority.  When you obey Jesus, you are obeying God the Father.  When you obey the Holy Spirit, you are obeying God the Father.

Did you know that Jesus gives you a hint on how to obey his commandments? He tells us directly ONE of the key commandments that we need to do:

1 John 15: 17 (NLT) “This is my commandment: Love each other.”

This is not just one commandment that we are to follow.  Jesus said to His disciples, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13:34 NKJV).  Jesus wasn’t replacing all the commandments with one commandment.  He was adding a deeper foundation and a basis upon which all commandments rest.  Your new motive in life is to love everyone.  The basis from which you obey God and help others is now grounded in love.

God wants you to obey Him.  He made you.  He knows everything about you.  He knows your thoughts and desires.  He wants the very best for you.  More importantly, He has a plan and purpose for your life and knows the best way to get you there.  God wants to reveal to you His purpose for you, but you must go to Him to learn how to achieve it.  God will give you a vision, but not tell you all the details on how to make it happen.  Why? Because He wants a relationship with you.  He wants you to go to Him and ask Him daily, “What is the next thing you want me to do, Father?” He wants you to trust Him daily.  But the most important thing is that when He tells you something, you need to obey immediately.  If you feel like you are stuck and not moving forward.  Perhaps you haven’t obeyed Him on something else that He told you to do.  God will become silent when you haven’t obeyed Him.  But when you ask Him to show you where you have missed Him or why things aren’t happening, THEN He will talk to you and show you areas where you haven’t obeyed.

You may ask, “Ok, ok, how do I get started?  How do I know how to obey God’s commandments and His Will?  Excellent question!  There are three areas that I can think of that will get you started:

1. Study the Bible – God’s Will is embedded in His Word.  Are you not just reading the scriptures, but are you studying the scriptures?  Are you looking up what words mean to get a deeper understanding? The goal is to get the word of God in your heart.  Did you know there is a huge perk for doing this?  Proverbs 3:1,2 (NLT) “…Store my commands in your heart. If you do this, you will live many years.” Do I need to say anything else?  God embeds His Will in His Word.
2. Prayer – Are you talking to God?  Are you asking God what He wants YOU to do?  Are you asking God to reveal His Will to you so that you can obey His Word?  AND… are you asking God to give you the strength and ability to DO obey His Word?  The Bible says you have not because you ask not.  (James 4:2)
3. Fellowship (Worship) – Be honest, how many times, excluding Sunday at Church, have you spent time worshiping God?  I’m not talking about singing a Christian song you hear on the radio or the Internet.  I’m talking about getting alone behind closed doors and worshiping Him.  If you understood the depth of what Jesus did to enable us to have fellowship with God, you would make the time to worship God daily.  We went from only ONE person going into the Holy of Holies (High Priest) once a year to BE in the presence of God, to the veil of the Holy Temple being torn so that ANYONE can be in the Holy of Holies to talk and fellowship with God.  God is looking for people to worship Him.

John 4:23 (NLT) “ But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.”

If you don’t know how to worship God, Psalm 100 provides step-by-step instructions.  I’m not kidding.  Read each verse, and you will see HOW to worship God.

Do you love God?  Do you love Jesus?  Then obey His commandments.  Study the Word of God, pray and ask for Help, and spend time in the presence of God by worshiping Him.

Be Blessed!

Ron

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