Iron Sharpens Iron Radio

The Nature of Obedience: Is doing the right thing good enough?

The following resources expand on AMBrewster's interview with Chris Arnzen concerning "The Nature of Obedience."

Podcast Episodes

Articles

The Rewards of Obedience

Trust and Obey

We Are Called to Believe and Obey God’s Word Before Our Emotions Agree

AMBrewster's Notes

The Nature of Obedience

Obedience requires that we do the right things.
1. Understanding this concept will require understanding the nature of Truth.
2. This is a perfect example that even the simplest of concepts cannot be truly understood without knowing and believing God's Word.
3. Without God, right and wrong cannot exist.
  1. If we are the product of evolution, if there is no absolute truth, if everyone does what's right in his own eyes, then there can be no objective definition for truth or right.
    The best you can hope for is to hang out with people who think like you do. But you likely will be out-shouted by any group that's larger than your's and believes differently, so you'd better collect as many people to your side as possible if you want to be able to live the way you want in this life.
  2. But you likely won't find anyone who thinks exactly like you do, so you're either going to have to convince them or threaten them to agree with you. Eventually, when your group is big enough to legislate your definition of right and enforce obedience to your definition of right then you should congratulate yourself, because you've done exactly what every culture and government has ever done.
  3. Of course, the same fate of every other nation will also be yours. Eventually another group of people who believe that truth is different from your definition, they will overthrow you, or their ideas will outlive you.
  4. And once you're gone, every other human will have to do what you did. They'll have to figure out what they think is right, and hopefully find others who agree with them so they can live out the rest of their lives in some shallow semblance of peace.
  5. So, basically, truth will have to be what you make it, because there can be no objective, absolute truth without there being an objective, absolute authority.
  6. But . . . since God is Who He says He is, then—as the Creator of the universe—He gets to decide what is right and wrong. And since He never changes, His definition of right and wrong will never change.
  7. All Truth then is God's Truth because all truth—everything that is right—is anything and everything that God says to do.
  8. Genesis 4:3-7; Leviticus 10:1-2; Acts 5:1-11
4. The responsibilities that grow from this truth are these:
  1. We need to know what God says is right.
  2. We need to do what God says is right.
  3. We need to expect those over whom we have authority to do right.
Obedience requires that we do the right things in the right ways.
1. There are many examples in Scripture of people who did the right things in the wrong ways.
  1. I Chronicles 13:9-14
  2. I Corinthians 11:27-32
  3. I Corinthians 13
2. So, what is the right way?
  1. Quickly: The idea behind this concept is that you need to do what you're told within the time constraints given by the authority. God often commanded His people to do something on a certain day or by a certain time.
  2. Sweetly: Whereas most authorities have no problem attaching a timeframe to their instructions, they rarely express a desire for the individual’s attitude while doing what they were told. I'm not saying there's never an expectation, but I find that too many authorities seem to be fine with outward conformity in spite of the fact that the individual clearly hates what he's been told to do. This is the old example of the child who—after being told to take a seat—says, "I'm sitting on the outside, but I'm standing on the inside." That's not obedience. We can biblically define Sweetness as . . .
    1. Peaceful - Galatians 5, Philippians 4, Matthew 5, II Timothy 2, I Thessalonians 5, Colossians 3:14-15
    2. Content - II Corinthians 2, I Timothy, Philippians 4, Hebrews 13:5
    3. Joyful - Galatians 5, James 2
    4. Thankful - Colossians 3:14-15
  3. Completely: partial obedience is no obedience.
    1. I Samuel 15
    2. Joshua 7
Obedience requires that we do the right things in the right ways for the right reasons.
1. Mark 7:6-7, “And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:
  ‘This people honors ME with their lips, But their heart is far away from ME. 7 ‘But in vain do they worship ME, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’”
2. Matthew 15:8, “‘This people honors ME with their lips, But their heart is far away from ME. 9 ‘But in vain do they worship ME, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’”
3. I Samuel 15:22, “Samuel said, ‘Has the Lord as much 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.’”
4. What are the right reasons?
  1. The main reason we should obey is Who God is and what He's done for us.
    1. Philippians 3:12, “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.”
    2. I Corinthians 10:31, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
    3. John 15:14, “You are My friends if you do what I command you.”
    4. Exodus 20:6, “Showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Deuteronomy 5:10, “Showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
      1. Deuteronomy 7:9, “Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments.”
      2. Deuteronomy 11:1, “You shall therefore love the Lord your God, and always keep His charge, His statutes, His ordinances, and His commandments.”
      3. Deuteronomy 11:22, “For if you are careful to keep all this commandment which I am commanding you to do, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and hold fast to Him.”
      4. Deuteronomy 30:16, “Love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.”
      5. Joshua 22:5, “Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
      6. Nehemiah 1:5, “I said, ‘I beseech You, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments.’”
      7. Daniel 9:4, “I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, ‘Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments.’”
      8. Matthew 22:37-40, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
      9. John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
      10. John 14:23-24, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.”
      11. I John 5:3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.”
  2. The second reason we should obey is that we love our authorities.
    1. Hebrews 13:17, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”
    2. This motivation must grow from the first because we cannot truly love our authorities unless we love God.
  3. The third reasons we should obey is that obedience will benefit us more than our own selfish desires will.
    1. Hebrews 13:17, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”
    2. This motivation must also submit to the first. If we're merely living for our own benefit, we're worshipping self.
5. Colossians 3:18-25 illustrates how the main reasons works itself out in our relationships: “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them. 20 Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart. 22 Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. 25 For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality."
6. Even Jesus submitted to the will of His "Authority.'
  1. John 5:19, “Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.’”
  2. John 5:30, “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”
  3. John 14:21, “
7. Having the Right Motivation is the Hardest and Most Important Part of Obedience
  1. Without the right motivation, people become Rocky or Thorny-Hearted. Without the right motivation, we build habits of disobedience veiled in "righteousness."
  2. Without the right motivation, we believe a lie that doing the right thing in the right way is all that matters.
  3. Romans 14:23, “Whatever is not from faith is sin.
Obedience requires that we do the right things in the right ways for the right reasons in the right power.
1. We are incapable of truly obeying.
  1. True obedience is impossible in the flesh.
  2. Obedience is a God thing. Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
  3. But our righteousness is like a polluted garment (Isaiah 64:6).
  4. Our "righteousness" is actually sin. Proverbs 21:4, A high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.”
  5. This is all true because we're born enemies of God. Romans 8:6-8, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”
2. Only God can cause us to obey.
  1. In order to have true righteousness, we need to have a relationship with God (I John 1).
  2. When we have a relationship with God, we have God Himself living in us (I John 4:13-15).
  3. The presence of the Spirit helps us to have life and true righteousness (Romans 8:9-11).
  4. In the end, we do right because God is at work in us to will and to do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13).
3. Therefore . . .
  1. We need to recognize our inability.
  2. We need to remember that our attacks God.
  3. We need to submit to the Spirit. This instruction will include the power of
    1. Being filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.”
    2. Bible study
    3. Prayer
    4. Accountability
Jesus is the perfect example of obedience.
1. Jesus understood the importance of submission and authority.
  1. John 13:12-17).
  2. We need to be reminded that we are subordinate to God.
  3. We also need to learn that God created us to be subordinate to you our authorities.
2. Jesus couldn't act of His own power, and He didn't exercise His own authority.
  1. John 5:19; 8:27; I Corinthians 4:7; Genesis 3:16; Isaiah 14:12-14
  2. We have absolutely no authority to contradict God.
  3. We have no authority to disobey our authorities unless they contradict God.
3. Jesus only exercised the authority His Father gave Him.
  1. John 10:17-18
  2. We are only allowed to exercise the authority they've been granted by God. It's not our authority, it's a temporary dispensation of grace.
  3. Like the second lesson, this will help us not get so full of ourselves as if the authority we’re exercising is actually ours.
4. Jesus only wanted to do what pleased His Father.
  1. John 8:29
  2. We have to understand that if we truly believe God's Word, we will want to obey.
5. Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing. He only said what He was taught to say by the Father.
  1. John 5:19; 8:28
  2. We need to find Truth in God's Word.
  3. We won't be able to know what right is without Him.
  4. We need to be an example of true obedience to those over whom we have authority.
6. Even when His Father's will seemed hard, Jesus submitted.
  1. Matthew 26:39
  2. We need to trust God’s plan.
  3. We need to be trustworthy.
7. Jesus was confident in the fact that His Father wouldn't leave Him.
  1. John 8:29; I Corinthians 10:13; Hebrews 13:5
  2. We need to be confident in God’s promise.
8. Jesus' motivation for obedience was His Father's love.
  1. John 8:29; 10:17
  2. We need to have the same motivation and rejoice in the same blessings.
9. Jesus' obedience rarely led to comfort and convenience, prosperity, or personal pleasure.
  1. Matthew 16:21-23
  2. We need to understand that obedience will not always be easy.
10. Jesus' obedience lead to blessing from His Father.
  1. Philippians 2:5-11
  2. We can rejoice in they blessing.
  3. But we should also rejoice when those over whom we have authority obey.

Back to Iron Sharpens Iron