Matthew 21:22
Matthew 6:33

God expects obedience, God deserves, obedience, God commands obedience. So why is it considered so difficult to obey God? What can God do with a person is truly obedient? Are there consequences to obedience or lack thereof? Are you fully obeying Christ? Let’s look at what it takes to be obedient to God.

When you set out to learn something, you will look for a teacher. Usually this person you are seeking has some experience or is skillful in the things you want to learn. The same is true when it comes to learning about God. We have the perfect teacher, he is skillful, has lived the life, has been successful in all HIS endeavors and well published. Jesus our heavenly father is the ultimate teacher. Following his examples should be a joyful experience. Jesus life is a model of obedience.

Luke 22:39-46
39Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." 41He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." 43An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.[1]
45When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46"Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation."

This section describes a night in Jesus’ life when He struggled to obey God. His personal desires were expressed in v42. His personal desires were set aside and He continued to pray “. yet not my will, but yours be done..”; He continued to be submissive; knowing what was ahead had to make it very difficult. But once he finished His prayer He did not continue to worry about the situation. He began to be active. He went back to the disciples and asked them to pray for themselves not to fall into temptation. In V43 God responds to Jesus prayer by sending an angel for strength and encouragement. Ultimately, Jesus obeys His father unto death.

Obedience is never easy. It wasn’t easy for Christ, and it isn’t easy for us. 1John 3:21-22 is an example of the two principles of prayer we spoke about last week. Answer prayer and obedience – thus obedience, then, becomes a condition for answered prayer. 21Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. When you approach God in prayer what is your confidence based on? Matthew 21:21-22, Mark 9:23, Mark 11:22-24 and James 1:6 are a few places where we can find encouragement to pray with confidence.

Sometimes when we pray we are disappointed that our prayers are not answered the way we want them to be answered. Many times I have thanked the Holy Spirit for intercession in my Prayer life. If I had received everything I’ve prayed for would I really be happier? I don’t think anyone would. Sometimes I don’t have the knowledge to pray for something or someone; that is when the Holy Spirit will intercede on my behalf and let God’s will be accomplished in spite of me. God doesn’t bargain – he has already set the conditions for prayer. If we meet the conditions he will answer the prayer. God knows that those who obey Him and strive to please Him will use the answers to prayer to further serve and please Him.

Four important concepts are shown from Jesus’ prayer in the garden. We learn to:
Ø Express our desires to God in Prayer
Ø Set aside what we want if it conflicts with what God wants.
Ø Not to expect life to be easy if you are obeying God.
Ø Expect God to strengthen you as you obey Him.
Obedience to God demands that we work to accept and practice these concepts.

If you were on trial for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you? What type of evidence establishes or demonstrates that you are a Christian? I John 3:3-6 3We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love[1] is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
This verse presents four if-then statements.

IF THEN
We know we have come to know Him.
We do not do what God commands
We obey God’s word
We know that we are in Him.

I find this section to be of great encouragement. They show exactly what must be done and the results we are to expect. If you say you are seeking to obey God, then you must evaluate your true commitment to Him on a regular basis. We can have assurance that we will go to heaven when we seek to obey God on His terms.

John 14:2
In My Father's house are many mansions if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

Matthew 5:20
For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 7:21
"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.

Looking at Prayer from God’s perspective might change our focus. God responds differently to a person who lives a life of obedience than the person who lives to please only himself. We have seen many conditions set forth in scripture about how obedience is essential to the answering of prayers. The obedient person should expect answers within God’s will, while the disobedient person only expects prayers answered according to his own will.

Job 36:11 11 If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment.

Matthew 7:21 21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

1 John 2:17 17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

1 John 3:21-22 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.

Motivation is very important when it comes to obeying God. Some people base their motivation on negative thoughts while others base them on positive thoughts. Of the six statements below which have you experienced?

Ø I’ll obey God because HE will punish me if I don’t.
Ø If I obey God, He will make me do things that will make me miserable.
Ø I guess I’ll obey God. I owe Him that much.

Ø I’ll obey God because He gives me so much in return.
Ø If I obey God, I’ll experience His richest blessing.
Ø I’ll obey God because of what Jesus did for me on the cross.

Unfortunately reluctantly is how many Christians responds to obeying God. The Bible presents a very positive picture of obedience and how it should characterize our life. In view of the joy found in salvation and obedience to God, learning to obey Him joyfully is a challenge that we must accept willingly and not with reluctance.

God’s Truth Positive Obedience principles

a. Deuteronomy 26:16 __a___1. I’ve evaluated my life and decided to obey God

b. Psalm 40:8 ___a__ 2. I’m careful to obey God.

c. Psalm 119:59-60 ___b__3. With all my heart and soul, I long to obey God.

__b___4. I desire to obey God.

___c__5. I’m ready and willing to obey God.

___c__6. I’m not reluctant to obey God.

Isaiah 55:12
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

John 16:22
22So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

Galatians 5:22
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

The common thread binding these three verses seems to indicate that joy cannot be taken away. Our foundation must be so solid that it cannot be taken away from us. The way we respond when we encounter challenges in our life is indicative of our spiritual foundation. By obeying God, you build a solid foundation for your life. Jesus makes a great comparison to illustrate this principle in Luke 6:46-49. "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? 47I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."

If you house is constantly under construction because of structural flaws reexamine your foundation.

Obedience to God makes us feel good about our self. It helps our perspective about life in general and it increases our ability to handle challenging situations. God doesn’t leave us in the dark about any of these things, he provides the plans and teaches us the principles on which we should build our life. According to Jeremiah 29:11-13 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. This verse teaches us that God has a plan for each of us. He promises that if we call upon HIM he will listen and we will find Him when we seek Him. We can claim God’s promise through our obedience to HIM. We have a choice: obedience or disobedience. When we obey we express our love for God. When we obey we have a great anchor in times of storms. HE is our solid foundation. Disobedience means eternal separation from God.

The common phrase “just say no” is on everyone’s lips. Have you ever had your limits tested? Many times my children would push me to a predetermined point at which I would have to administer some type of punishment. Have you ever said “no” to the Lord—or at least tried to? Since Jesus is Lord of all and the rightful Lord or our life, our response to Him must be “yes, Lord.”

Jesus demonstrated this attitude for us in His relationship with his father. If we claim Jesus as our teacher we must learn from Him. We want to live like he did. God want us to constantly be ready to say, “yes, Lord” as He leads us. Hebrews 5:8 8Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10and was designated by God to be a high priest in the order of Melchizedek. Jesus obeyed his Father. To what extent do we obey our Father (earthly and spiritually)? Our life would improve on both accounts if we were to obey Christ the way that would have us too. Jesus learned obedience through the time He spent in the garden the trial and ultimately the crucifixion. His was the ultimate act of obedience.

These are hard concepts to incorporate into our lives. Saying we love Jesus is easy, showing it is difficult. Only through diligent study of God’s words and obedience to all, will we find the peace and comfort He promised. Philippians 4:7 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

God’s Truth Positive Obedience principles

a. Deuteronomy 26:16 _____1. I’ve evaluated my life and decided to obey God

b. Psalm 40:8 _____ 2. I’m careful to obey God.

c. Psalm 119:59-60 _____3. With all my heart and soul, I long to obey God.

_____4. I desire to obey God.

_____5. I’m ready and willing to obey God immediately.

_____6. I’m not reluctant to obey God.

Ø I’ll obey God because HE will punish me if I don’t.
Ø If I obey God, He will make me do things that will make me miserable.
Ø I guess I’ll obey God. I owe Him that much.

Ø I’ll obey God because He gives me so much in return.
Ø If I obey God, I’ll experience His richest blessing.
Ø I’ll obey God because of what Jesus did for me on the cross

IF THEN
We know we have come to know Him.
We do not do what God commands
We obey God’s word
We know that we are in Him.

John 14:21
Matthew 21:22
Matthew 6:33