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Mission Plan Book
September 2004
Thomas Wright
Obeying Christ
A man often got lost in the woods. So his friends gave him a compass. He still got lost. He told his friends that he wanted to go north but the compass would not point in the direction he knew was north. This man got lost because he thought he knew the right direction even though the compass told him he was going in the wrong direction.
Our Creator wants us to go in the right direction. He has given us a spiritual compass so we do not get lost. Our spiritual compass is Jesus Christ. Everything we need to know about the creator God we can learn from studying the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. That is why Jesus is called God’s Son. We can learn everything we need to know about Jesus through the Bible.
Many people think they know the right direction even when our spiritual compass says it is the wrong way. Some people even try to tell God what He should do. We must choose to obey the creator God and His Son Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Obey God’s Voice
We obey Christ when we obey His Father. Our creator God tells us what he wants. He made us and knows what is best for us. He loves us very much. He always does what is best for us. He does not hide His will from us.
The creator God told Moses in Ex. 19:5-6, ". . . if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."
This verse tells us to obey God’s voice and keep (obey) His covenant. The main way that God speaks to us is through His Word. Many people think that the main way he talks to us is through feelings or other people. He wants us to be priests who are holy.
God says to keep his Covenant. The Old Covenant is called the Old Testament. God’s new Covenant is called the New Testament, Notice God says we must keep (obey) His Covenant.
It is hard to hear God’s voice and obey Him. So in Exodus 20 God gave us the Ten Commandments to help us know what He expects us to do. These laws from God also help us know what we should not do. Take time now to go to Exodus 20 and read the Ten Commandments. Which ones of these do you have trouble obeying?
Satan does not want us to know God’s Word or His covenant. That is why he is working to keep God’s Word away from people. He does not want people to read or hear the Ten Commandments. He does not want people to hear about Jesus at all. Christians need to actively help every person hear the word of God. We need to help our friends respond to God’s love and accept Jesus as their savior.
Obey God’s Son
We hear God’s voice and see His new Covenant through His Son Jesus. In John 1:14 we see that Jesus is the living Word of God. "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth" (NASB).
John 3:16 tell us "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (NASB). The word "believe" in that verse means to "believe and obey."
Satan believes in God but he will not obey God. Many people make the mistake that believing in God is all they need to do to go to heaven. The Bible is clear that we must obey God as we see Him in Jesus and through the Holy Spirit.
John 3: 36 clearly tells every person to obey Jesus. "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
The love of God is balanced by the justice of God. God is Holy and cannot allow sin. Sin is the word used in the Bible when people disobey God. The Bible says the wages of sin is death. (Eph 2:8-9). The justice of God requires that the wages of sin be paid.
So the love of God sent his son to pay for our sin. That is why Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (NASB).
Obeying Jesus means we know what Jesus wants us to do. A Woman’s Guide to True Commitment is one of a series of Bible study books to help find satisfaction in life. The two chapters on "Accepting who God is" and "accepting who you are" will help us obey Jesus.. Visit www.wmu.org or look in your WMU Catalog for a copy.
Conclusion
Each person must choose to obey God through his Son, Jesus Christ. God’s enemy is trying to make us disobey Christ. Believers who want to obey Christ will faithfully attend church, daily study the Bible, and Pray.
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