Day 35 Obedience, the Rock Foundation

Day 35

Obedience, the Rock Foundation

“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. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

(Matthew 7:21-27)

Obedience, the Rock Foundation is the 27^th pillar

Obedience, the Rock Foundation is the 27^th pillar that holds the temple of Truth!

My dear beloved, obedience is submitting to a commandment or a request.

Obedience to God is what this journey is all about.   Nothing else matters more to God than that we obey His voice.  We are in this mess because of disobedience, because Adam, our father according to the flesh, failed to obey a simple commandment:

“Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:15-17)

                                                                                  

This, my dear beloved, was a simple test of obedience, but man failed to believe the almighty God and chose rather to believe a serpent.  Can you believe it?  Can you believe that man chose to believe an animal rather than God?  To believe a lie rather than the Truth?

“Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’   So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”  (Genesis 3:4-6)

Even so, now, at this very hour, the serpent (the devil) is working around the clock to deceive men with all his lies, that men may join him in his rebellion against God.   But God, who is rich in love and mercy, is commanding us not to believe the lies of the serpent again as Adam and Eve did so readily, but to believe in the Truth, which is Christ Jesus our Lord!

“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’  Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”  (Acts 17:24-31)

My dear beloved, our times of ignorance God has overlooked, but now God is commanding you and me and everyone everywhere to repent, because God has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ our Lord!

My dear beloved, do not be deceived.  The world and all its lusts and pleasures will not last forever, but will surely end.  Ready or not, Jesus Christ our Lord is coming and He will Judge the world!  Because Jesus Christ has already died for us, there is nothing greater that He can do for us.  If we do not believe from the heart, but continue to live in sin, and refuse to give up our evil ways, even if with our mouths we call Him Lord, Lord, He will not accept us:

“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.”  (Matthew 7:21)

What is the will of God?

“This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”   (John 6:39-40)

My dear beloved, I speak the Truth in Christ and I lie not.  It is the will of God that all of us be saved.  If you ever came to the knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord, it is because God our Father has given you to Christ.  Now it is up to you.  It is your choice that will determine where you will end up.

Are you wondering what it is that you must do to please God?

“Then they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?’    Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.’”  (John 6:28-29)

Is that all I must do?

Yes, my dear beloved.  To believe in Jesus Christ our Lord is all that God requires from you and me for salvation.

We are unable to do any good on our own.  So God, in His infinite wisdom, decided to save us for free--yes, for free!  All you have to do is to believe in Jesus Christ our Lord!  And once you have believed, God will work in you, both to will and do of His good pleasures.  What is it that you must believe about Jesus Christ?

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)  Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”  (Romans 5:12-19)

My dear beloved, glory be to God for our Lord Jesus Christ.   Amen!

This is what God wants you to believe: we are all born sinners whether we like it or not.  We do not have the choice or the power to be born sinless.  We are born sinners whether we agree or not. This is called condemnation (original sin): the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve are made sinners through Adam and Eve’s sin.  Unlike condemnation, the gift of justification--that is, to be made righteous without works--we have a choice whether or not to believe and accept.  Because Adam disobeyed God, we are all made sinners; yet even so, because Jesus Christ our Lord has obeyed God unto death, we can all be made righteous by believing in Jesus, that He has indeed obeyed God on our behalf.  In believing, His obedience is credited to us in the form of righteousness.  Hallelujah!  Glory be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen!

My dear beloved, obedience to God, that is, to do the will of God, will determine our eternal future.  And as you can see, the will of God is that we believe in Jesus Christ our Lord, and in Him alone, and on what He has done for us all on the cross, as our only means of salvation! Amen!

THE IMPORTANCE OF OBEYING GOD:

A)   It must be whole-hearted:

“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’”   (Matthew 22:37)

“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”   (2 Chronicles 16:9a)

“Not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.”   (Ephesians 6:6)

There is nothing that God hates more than half-hearted obedience.  We are either hot or cold; we cannot be both.  Half obedience is actually disobedience.

B)    It is the price of success:

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”  (Joshua 1:8)

My dear beloved, do not let the devil hold you captive in his will, making you go up and down, doing all sorts of things, even some ungodly things in search of success.  My dear beloved, success in the Christian life starts when you decide to obey God!

C)    It is better than sacrifice:

“So 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.”  (1 Samuel 15:22)

My dear beloved, never, ever, attempt to bribe God with your tithes and offerings and sacrifices that you offer to God in order to ease your conscience.   God will rebuke you and reject your sacrifices.  You cannot do your dirty deals and come and give an offering to God.   God will reject it.  There is no money in heaven, my dear beloved.  What God wants you to do is to obey His voice and do what He says, which is:  “CEASE TO DO EVIL, LEARN TO DO GOOD” (Isaiah 1:16-17)

Obedience, my dear beloved, rather than sacrifice, is what God requires of us:

“But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.”  (Jeremiah 7:23)

D)   It secures entrance into the Kingdom of God:

“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.”  (Matthew 7:21)

My dear beloved, only those who by the grace of God have learned and are learning to do the will of God will enter the Kingdom of heaven!

E)     It is the imperative duty of life:

“But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: ‘We ought to obey God rather than men.’”  (Acts 5:29)

My dear beloved, do not let the devil trick you by enticing you to obey men rather than God.  Do not aim to please men—it is not possible!                                                                                       

But rather in everything you do, seek and pursue the will of God from your heart, that indeed you may love God whole-heartedly:

“This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.”   (2 John 6)

My dear beloved, access to God our Father is only through Jesus Christ our Lord, without which no one will ever see God, for Jesus is the image of the invisible God.  It is therefore the will of God that we obey the teachings of Christ Jesus our Lord!  Amen!

BENEFITS OF OBEYING CHRIST’S TEACHINGS

A)   It is the base Rock of character:

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.”  (Matthew 7:24-25)

My dear beloved, this means that if you take Christ’s teachings into your heart, and keep them in your heart, your faith in Him will be solid.  No trials, nor tribulations, nor the devil, nor demons, nor anyone, nor anything will be able to shake you from your faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!

B)    It is essential to become a member of God’s family:

“For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”  (Matthew 12:50)

“And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”(John 6:40)

My dear beloved, it is only when we accept Christ’s teachings and obey His commandments by believing in Him that we become members of God’s family, for it is by believing in Christ that we have the right to become the children of God:

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”  (John 1:12-13)

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”  (Galatians 3:26-29)

C)    It is the key to spiritual knowledge:

“If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.”  (John 7:17)

My dear beloved, it is only in Christ’s doctrine that we find true wisdom and spiritual knowledge which helps us overcome issues of life and have victory over them!  Amen!

D)   It secures the blessing of divine fellowship:

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.’”  (John 14:23)

My dear beloved, when you obey the wholesome words of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Godhead in fullness comes and dwells in your heart by faith so that you have access to fellowship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit daily.  Hallelujah!  Thank You Father!  Amen!

Finally, my dear beloved, glory be to God for our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us all, that we may have eternal life in Him! Amen! My dear beloved, be strong in the Lord.  Be of good courage, doing the work of the LORD, not to please men, but to please God from deep within your heart.  I know and I bear with you that it is not easy to do the will of God in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, where evil is cool and righteousness is boring to the multitudes that are perishing.

But to us who believe, to do the will of God is the salvation of our souls.  Take a stand for the Truth, my dear beloved, and do not entangle yourself with the affairs of this world, but rather fix your eyes on Jesus our Lord:

“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”  (Revelation 3:15-22)

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”   (1 John 2:15-17)

“We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says:
      “ In an acceptable time I have heard you,
      And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”

 Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

(2 Corinthians 6:1-2)

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always.  Amen!

My heart’s desire is that we all be saved in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen!

Meditation:  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!

Prayer points:  LORD, please teach me the way of Your will, and I shall keep it to the end.  Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.

Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in this.  Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way.  Establish Your word to me, Your servant, who is devoted to fearing You.  Turn away Your reproach which I dread, for Your judgments are good.  Behold, I long to do Your will, oh my God.
Revive me in Your righteousness.  I pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen!

Commitment:  I commit myself from today onward, by the grace of God, to seek and find out for myself what the perfect will of God is for my life and then to do it through Christ who strengthens me.  In Jesus’ name.   Amen!