Obedience to God
1. OBEYING GOD:
A. Obedience to God is our duty:
Deuteronomy 13:4 Walk after the Lord … and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him
Deuteronomy 27:9–10 Thou art become the people of the Lord … therefore obey the voice of the Lord
Ecclesiastes 12:13 Keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man
Jeremiah 11:7 I earnestly protested … saying, Obey my voice
John 2:5 Whatsoever [Jesus] saith unto you, do it
(See also Luke 17:10.)
B. Obey wholeheartedly:
Deuteronomy 26:16 The Lord … hath commanded thee to do these statutes … keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul
Psalm 119:34 I shall keep thy law … with my whole heart
Romans 6:17 Ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine
(See also Psalm 119:69.)
C. Obey in all things:
Deuteronomy 5:32 Observe to do therefore as the Lord … commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left
2 Kings 22:2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord … and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left
(See also 2 Corinthians 2:9.)
2. IF WE LOVE AND KNOW GOD, WE WILL OBEY HIM:
John 14:15,21 If ye love me, keep my commandments (See also 14:23.)
1 John 2:3–4 We know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar
1 John 3:24 He that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him
2 John 1:6 This is love, that we walk after his commandments
3. BLESSINGS FOR OBEYING GOD:
Deuteronomy 11:26–27 I set before you this day a blessing … if ye obey the commandments of the Lord
Joshua 1:8 Meditate therein [the Word] … observe to do according to all that is written therein … then thou shalt have good success
A. Souls are saved:
Romans 5:19 By the obedience of one shall many be made righteous
1 Timothy 4:16 Heed … the doctrine … in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee
B. Spiritual blessings:
Exodus 19:5 If ye will obey my voice … ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people
Jeremiah 7:23 Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people
John 13:17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them
John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love
John 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you
Acts 5:32 Holy Ghost … given to them that obey [God]
1 Peter 1:22 Ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth
(See also James 1:25.)
C. Material blessings:
Deuteronomy 28:2 All these blessing shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the Lord
Deuteronomy 32:46–47 Set your hearts unto all the words … and through this ye shall prolong your days in the land
Job 36:11 If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures
Isaiah 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land
Jeremiah 38:20 Obey … voice of the Lord: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live
Hebrews 11:8 Abraham, when he was called to go into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed
(See also Deuteronomy 28:1–14; Jeremiah 35:18–19.)
D. Protection:
Exodus 23:22 If thou shall obey and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies
Leviticus 25:18 Do my statutes … and shall dwell in the land in safety
4. JESUS’ EXAMPLE OF OBEDIENCE:
Luke 22:42 Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. (See also Matthew 26:39,42.)
John 5:30 I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father
John 14:31 As the Father gave me commandment, even so I do
Philippians 2:7–8 [Jesus] took upon him the form of a servant … and became obedient unto death
Hebrews 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience
5. YIELDEDNESS TO GOD:
A. Let God have His way in your life:
Job 1:21 Lord gave, and … hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord
Isaiah 64:8 Lord … we are the clay, and thou our potter
Matthew 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done
John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
Romans 12:1 Present your bodies a living sacrifice … unto God
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God
(See also Matthew 26:39; Luke 1:38; Romans 6:13,16.)
B. Submit your plans to God:
Hebrews 6:3 This will we do, if God permit
James 4:15 Ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall … do this
C. Obeying God even when it hurts:
Genesis 22:2,12 Take now thy … only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and … offer him there for a burnt offering (See also Hebrews 11:17–19.)
Jeremiah 42:6 Whether it be good, or whether it be evil [hard to do], we will obey the voice of the Lord our God
Matthew 26:38–54 [Jesus agonised in prayer, knowing the cost, but then yielded to God’s will] (See also Luke 22:44; John 18:11.)
D. Yield to God and pray for His leading:
Psalm 27:11 Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path
Psalm 139:23–24 Search me, O God, and know my heart … know my thoughts … lead me in the way everlasting
Psalm 143:10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God … lead me
6. OBEYING GOD RATHER THAN UNGODLY MEN:
Acts 4:13–20 Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye
Acts 5:29 We ought to obey God rather than men
(See also 1 Samuel 22:17; 1 Kings 18:3,13; Ezra 4:21; 5:1–5; Daniel 3:1–25; 6:1–13; Hebrews 11:23.)
7. DISOBEDIENCE TO GOD—HOW HE VIEWS IT:
Jeremiah 18:10 If [they] obey not … then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them
Matthew 7:26–27 Heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not … a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand
James 1:23–24 A hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face … and straightway forgetteth
8. VARIOUS CATEGORIES OF DISOBEDIENCE:
A. Merely “agreeing” is not enough:
Ezekiel 33:30–33 They sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them
Matthew 21:28–31 He answered and said, I go, sir: and went not
Matthew 23:2–3 Do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not
Luke 6:46 Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things I say?
Titus 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being … disobedient
(See also Jeremiah 42:1–22; 43:1–4.)
B. “Good works” not a substitute for obedience:
1 Samuel 15:22 Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying … to obey is better than sacrifice
Luke 11:42 Ye tithe … and pass over judgement and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone
C. Halfhearted obedience:
2 Chronicles 25:2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart
Jeremiah 3:10 Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly
Acts 5:1–11 [Ananias and Sapphira pretended to give all, but kept back part of the money from the sale of their land]