Good morning and welcome in. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from the book of Philippians.
Philippians 2:12-13 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Christians are called to live obedient lives for the Lord. When you obey, it means to do the wish or the will of somebody else.It means to listen to their guidance and instruction. Even the winds and seas obey Jesus.
Matthew 8:23-27 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
The Philippian church was very obedient. The Apostle warned the disciples that disobedience to Gods truth was going to bring about His Wrath.
Romans 2:8. But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
Christians are supposed to serve the divine nature and the qualities of the Holy Spirit, not to obey the ways of the world and the lusts of the carnal nature.
Romans 6:12-13 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
You are not supposed to let sin control you insomuch that you obey it rather than God. If you serve and obey sin it will only lead to death, while obedience to the doctrines of Christ leads to life.
Romans 6:16-18 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Jesus taught that when someone lives in sin, they are the servant of sin but if the son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. Jesus makes us free from our past sins through His forgiveness, but through faith and conversion, we can be freed from future sins occurring, when we become sanctified, through the acceptance and application of biblical truth. It’s simple to understand that if we do the will of God, we won’t be sinning anymore. This is conversion, becoming a doer of God’s Word. Whenever it’s possible to get others to change their mind, you will keep them from committing numerous sins. This is what Paul and the other apostles were doing.
James 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
So it all comes down to obedience. Are you going to obey, or will you not obey? There’s no middle of the road when it comes to obedience, you either do it, or you don’t.
Matthew 21:28-32 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first.
Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
Noah was a preacher of righteousness. John the Baptist was a preacher of righteousness. The Apostles and disciples of the Lord preached the gospel of righteousness. Over thousands of years, certain men have been called by God and sent into this world to preach the truth. It’s a refusal to accept and believe the truth of the message that they preached, which can result in believing and accepting the lies of the world. Jesus preached the truth of His heavenly Fathers kingdom, yet there were some who called him a liar and a deceiver. In their stiffnecked impenitent hearts, they were mocking the truth and only deceiving themselves.
….,…..But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. (Rom 6:17)
Paul would give the church biblical knowledge and teachings, and when they obeyed, he knew that their heart was right with God. He knew that it was the true grace of God that they were walking in. If they chose to completely go against it, it only showed that they were disobedient and rebellious, not a good thing for a person professing Christianity because wilful disobedience is the result of unbelief.
Romans 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
In order to become obedient to the will of God, it requires faith. We are saved by grace but you must remember that it is through faith. Genuine faith will result in obedience to the things that Jesus commanded and taught. I had been taught many years in my youth that you could not get to heaven by commandment keeping. What a complete farce that was! I’m not exactly sure who said this to me, but looking back, it is the most foolish statement that I’ve ever heard, coming from the mouth of someone who professes to follow Christ. Obedience to God is commanded throughout scripture. If you desire the Holy Spirit, you must remember that it is given to those who obey, not to those who rebel. (Acts 5:32)
We learn obedience beginning at a very young age growing up as a child in a home. Christian doctrine teaches that the dad is the authority figure over the entire household, and he needs to be respected and obeyed as he guides, disciplines and instructs the entire family. He may admonish you gently, or rebuke you sharply, depending on what’s needed to correct the issue at hand. A wife’s ministry is to serve and obey her husband in everything. The children learn to obey authority by watching their mother, as she lovingly submits to his authority. If she becomes deceived and chooses to leave or divorce him, it’s no different than a minister in the church abandoning his post and walking off on his responsibilities to Christ. These are acts of disobedience and rebellion and certainly will not be rewarded by God.
1 Peter 4:17 ………what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
I think a lot of you already know the answer to that one.
Each of us is like an unprofitable servant, who simply needs to do our duty. We must walk in faithful obedience towards our precious Lord who shed His own blood at the cross so that we could be converted, and become a new creature. His heavenly kingdom is waiting for His prepared and obedient children. We need to submit, and perform His will if we truly want to hear those words from Him at the final judgment…….
……Well done!
Let’s think about these things for right now, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️
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