THE NECESSITY OF OBEDIENCE

in 2 Timothy 3:5 like those "having a form of godliness but denying its
power."
says inMatthew 7:16: "By their fruits you shall know them ..."
- Getting married nowadays means lots of costs and pressure!
-Compromises at work just to get things done, or just to be promoted..
-The changing laws in our times : LGBT- friendly.
He says in John 14:15,21 :If you love Me, keep My commandments. He who
has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he
who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and manifest
Myself to him.
In Luke 6:46, Jesus said "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the
things which I say?" Jesus holds obedience with high importance.
1 Samuel 15:22-23 tells us, "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..."
James 1:22-25 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving
yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like
a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself,
goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who
looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a
forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he
does.

Obedience : There's a good definition of obedience found in CBN.com: Obedience

is the practical acceptance of the authority and will of God. It includes both
submitting to Him and then expressing that submission in actions, words and
thoughts. To be obedient is to be in agreement with God. To be in agreement with
God is to be in a position of power in Christ.
The Greek term is "hupakoe" which signifies attentive hearing, to listen with
compliant submission, assent and agreement.
- it contains three elements :
1. hearing attentively
2. properly responding, and

3. obeying/compliance without reservation.

- Obedience often involves spiritual warfare :

2 Corinthians 10:5 "casting down arguments and every high thing that
exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into
captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all
disobedience when all your obedience is fulfilled."
demolishing strongholds =
arguments =
every high thing =
The aim is to bring every disobedient thought into obedience to Christ
* Obedience begins in the thoughts.
* Our mind must be conditioned that whatever happens, we will obey God!
* If in our minds, if there is a doubt of whether we should obey God, then we have
already lost.
* It's as if God has given us a list of things we should obey in this life, and once all of
it is fulfilled, He will then punish all disobedience
Romans 6:16 - Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves
slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin
leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness
- Obedience is learned through suffering
Hebrews 5:8 : "though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the
things which He suffered." .
Suffering makes our hearts soft, compliant, and humble, and gives us the
proper environment to obey.
Luke 9:23 If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
"daily" - indicates a progressive and continuous renouncing of one's natural selfcenteredness.
"You need more crucifixion."