Obedience

Obedience

It is written in Hebrews 5:9: “And having been perfected—namely in obedience—He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.”

We are told that “without faith it is impossible to please God,” and you will find it is impossible to please God without obedience. All the woe that has come into this world has come through that door of disobedience. Let us make up our minds just to obey him and all things will be brought into order again.

Did you ever notice all else in this world obeys God—everything apart from the heart of man? The whole creation obeys God. In the beginning, God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Then He spoke to the earth: “Let the earth bring forth . . .”, and the earth obeyed immediately. And one of the proofs that Jesus Christ is God manifested in flesh is that He spoke to nature, and nature obeyed Him—all except the heart of man. He spoke, and the wind let up, the sea became still, and the fig tree instantly withered and died. He rebuked the fever, and the sickness left. He spoke to the grave, and the grave obeyed Him. But when He speaks to man, man will not obey Him; that is why man is out of harmony with God, and it will never be different until men learn to obey God.

Obedience is the truest sign of our love. If my child says, “I do love you,” but never obeys me, that is a worthless love. We remember how they once came to Christ and informed Him that His mother and brothers stood outside seeking to speak with Him. “But He looked around and answered and said, ‘Who is My mother, and who is My brother?’ For whoever does the will of My Father are My mother and brother.” Those who obey the Master completely are those who stay closest to God, and those who are most removed from God are those who obey Him the least. That is the whole matter. If we desire to partake of the most intimate fellowship with the Lord, then all we must do is obey Him. If we will obey Him, He takes us into His most intimate fellowship.

Let’s see what’s written in 1 Sam. 15:22: So, said Samuel: “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. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”

What do your gifts and charity amount to, if you are not obedient toward God? It is much easier to bring a bleeding lamb to the altar than it is to bring ourselves or sacrifice our money for the heathen instead of obeying His will. God has no need for money or gifts if your heart is not in it. I remember hearing a story about an Indian who was convicted of his sin and wanted to come to the Lord. He brought his tomahawk, but the Lord wouldn’t have it. He brought his blanket, his dog, his gun, his bow and an arrow but the Lord wouldn’t have them; but at last, the Indian brought “his poor self” and the Lord took him immediately. The Lord wanted him, the Lord wants your will, and He will give you the authority to deal rightly when you surrender yourself to His will.

Take the two Sauls, there is no better illustration than these two characters from the past. They lived about 1000 years apart. They both belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, and both were called Saul. The first Saul got a kingdom and a crown; he was praised by the people and elevated above every man in the Kingdom. He had a lovely family, (no father ever had a better son than Saul had in Jonathan; and a most admirable son-in-law, David; and the friendship of Samuel, the best prophet there was on the face of the earth; and yet he lost the friendship of Samuel, lost his crown, his kingdom, his son, and his life, all through an act of disobedience. So many others have ended the same way!

Now, take the Saul of the New Testament, he had no kingdom and no crown. He persecuted the righteous and breathed threats and murder against anyone who called the Lord Jesus, Christ. In the end, when Christ called him, what did he say? “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,” and he was given a heavenly crown. He didn’t just win the friendship of Saul and the prophet, but he won the favour of heaven, and God’s smile. Because he disobeyed, the first Saul lost all; but this Saul won back all. God be praised! We can do the same if only we would. How? By being obedient to the heavenly vision.

Now, I think we all have a calling from God. But while some have been obedient to the heavenly call, others have hardened and said: “I will not believe; I will not listen.” Such a person will die in his sins. What use would God have for a disobedient man in his kingdom? We must learn to obey, otherwise we are unfit for the kingdom of God. “To obey is better than Sacrifice.”

But see to it that you do not just pick the things you choose to be obedient to, because you like to do them while neglecting the other things. This is not obedience. If I command my boy to do six things, and he goes and does five of those things, but not the sixth, then he is disobedient. Thus, it is also with Christendom today; you will probably do what you think is easy, but when it comes to personal sacrifice, then you are living in disobedience to God’s law and will lose God’s friendship. It will go with you as it went with King Saul.

In the book of Deuteronomy, we read: “Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today.” Isn’t that enforced to this day? A man who serves God, just as Joseph in Egypt or Daniel in Babylon, doesn’t the blessing of God rest upon him? There is great reward in keeping God’s laws and statutes, and for him who walks in His ways.

Do you know that every man who was blessed while Christ was on earth, was blessed in the act of obedience? He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” He could have said, “If I could, would I have been carried here by four men;” but he submitted His will to do what was commanded him, and the Lord gave him the power to do it. He said to another man, blind from birth, “Go to the Pool of Siloam and wash.” The man could have said “what nonsense! He fills my eyes with mud and now tells me to go to the Pool of Siloam and wash as I have done so often before.” But he washed and he received his sight.

Some wonder why they cannot enter the kingdom of God and why it is so difficult. It is not difficult as soon as you are truly willing to submit to God’s will. You will have no difficulty with the Bible and the wonderful things there if you are but willing to do God’s will. Martin Luther said, “I would rather obey than work miracles.” It is a truer sign that we love God when we are obedient in the small things day by day than if we were to work miracles. How good it is to let God reign. I cannot be certain of 1 hour ahead into the future on my own; I cannot even see that which is right in front of me. God is all-knowing. The past, present, and future are one to Him. Because He knows what works together for my best, and He loves me more than I love myself. What the father and mother do know is that if their boy is allowed to do whatever he wants, things will end badly. God wants us to submit our will to Him so that He can give us love, peace and joy, and eternal bliss.