Lesson 13 OBEDIENCE

At the moment we placed our faith in Jesus Christ as savior and Lord, He called us to a life of obedience. But its
important to first know, what obedience to God means? Why obey God?

In Scripture there are several different words used for obedience. In order to establish the principal meaning of
these words in our minds, we will look at two of them briefly.

Shama - This Hebrew word is the primary one used throughout the Old Testament. The word has as its primary
root the meaning, "to hear intelligently." Please note the word hear. It is central to the meaning.

Hupakouo - This Greek word is used widely throughout the New Testament. The word is really made up of
two words: hupo meaning under or beneath, and akouo meaning to hear. Thus the meaning of the word could be
stated as, "to hear under." It carried with it the thought of subordination, or the recognition of authority and
wisdom. It is an attitude of hearing.

So what does obedience means?

Obedience means to hear God’s voice, accept his authority and do what he says (Exo 15:26) He said, “If you
will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands
and keeping all his decrees….”

Think about it
What are some similiraties between the way children obey their parents and the Christians obey God?

The Foundation of Obedience

When we consider obedience to God, we need to reflect on the wonderfulness of who He is. We are His
children, but what kind of children does He wants us to be? The Bible is God’s blueprint and handbook for us.
To obey God’s word is to obey God Himself.

In John 15, the secret of abounding is abiding, the secret of abiding is obeying, and the secret of obeying is
abandonment to Chrits. --- William A. Mierop

John 14:15, 21
“If you love me, obey my commandments.
Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my
Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

--- Obedience is an attitude of heart toward a higher authority. As Christians, that higher authority is God
Himself.

Deuteronomy 10:12-13
And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in
obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to
observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

In what ways might obedience to God be profitable and ‘for your own good? V13
 It tells us that God commanded these things for our good. Just as a loving father or mother will ask their
children to do things that may or may not make sense at the time, so our heavenly Father and Lord calls us to
obedience which is not aimed at our misery but rather our good. God knows how we truly flourish as humans
because He created us. We can often be a “commandment averse” people, which simply means we don’t like
rules, or even don’t like rules that we didn’t make or don’t understand. He loves us, and commands what He
commands because He knows how we were created to live and love and be fully alive!

The Practice of Obedient Living

The obedient Christian still faces daily struggles with temptation and sin. How can you practice obedience and
gain victory over sin? Important areas to consider are temptation, sin, confession and victory.

Let’s discover the source and causes of temptation.

Who is the tempter? (Mat. 4:1-3)

1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After
fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. 3The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of
God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Who is never the source of temptation? (James 1:13)

When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he
tempt anyone;

What causes us to be drawn into temptation? (James 1:14)

Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.

What is sin?

Isaiah 53:6
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the
iniquity of us all.

1 John3:4
Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.
--- Like homicide, arson, robbery, theft, idolatry, and so on, these are visible sins which consist of lawlessness.
Besides these, there are invisible sins in our thoughts.

All the thoughts and actions that go against God’s words and the truth and that cause us to rebel against and
resist God are called sin by God.

How does sin differ from temptation?

James writes very clearly on the subject of temptation and sin: “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am
tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is
tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth
to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” James 1:13-15.

Huwag sabihin ninuman na tinutukso siya ng Diyos kapag dumaranas siya ng pagsubok. Hindi maaaring
13 

matukso ng masama ang Diyos, at hindi rin naman siya nanunukso ninuman. 14 Natutukso ang tao kapag siya'y
naaakit at nagpapatangay sa sarili niyang pagnanasa. 15 Kapag ang pagnanasang iyon ay naipaglihi,
nanganganak ito ng kasalanan, at ang kasalanan naman kapag malaki na ay nagbubunga ng kamatayan.

From this we can see that temptation alone is not the same as committing sin; sin is the result of a conception –
when my mind agrees with the desire (or lust) that dwells in my flesh, or human nature. That is, committing sin
is something I choose to do, and sin cannot be carried out unless I agree with it.
While God offers victory and deliverance, men and women can sin because they neglect God’s provision. Sins
committed but unconfessed hurt God deeply. Although sin does not alter God’s love, it does cause a break in
fellowship with Him.

The Practice of continuing to walk close to God can be pictured as follows

Romans 6:11-14

What should we do? V. 11, 13

So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

11Gayundin naman kayo, ituring ninyo ang inyong mga sarili na patay na sa kasalanan, subalit nabubuhay dahil
sa inyong kaugnayan kay Cristo Jesus.

Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole
body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.

Sa halip, ialay ninyo ang inyong sarili sa Diyos, bilang namatay na at muling binuhay, at ialay sa kanya ang
mga bahagi ng inyong katawan bilang kasangkapan ng pagiging matuwid.

What we should not do? V. 12, 13

Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.
Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin.

Kaya't huwag na ninyong paghariin ang kasalanan sa inyong katawang may kamatayan, upang huwag na
ninyong sundin ang mga hilig nito. 13 Huwag na rin ninyong ialay sa kasalanan ang anumang bahagi ng inyong
katawan bilang kasangkapan sa paggawa ng kasamaan.

What has God promised? V. 14

Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under
the freedom of God’s grace.

Hindi na kayo dapat pang pagharian ng kasalanan, yamang wala na kayo sa ilalim ng Kautusan kundi nasa
ilalim ng kagandahang-loob ng Diyos.

Two steps will help you live a life of obedience. James 4:7
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Illustration…….

The holy Spirit set us free from sin and death. Romans 8:2 and came to live within us. The Holy Spirit enables
us to live consistently--- living Christ’s values in a lifestyle that emulates God’s biblical teachings.

Galatians 5:16
So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.

We show our love to God by obeying the teachings in the Bible and practicing a moral, upright lifestyle. But
our diligence in pursuing that kind of life is often challenged by spiritual warfare.

1 Corinthians 10:13
13 
Ang bawat tuksong nararanasan ninyo ay pawang karaniwan sa tao. Ngunit mapagkakatiwalaan ang Diyos, at
hindi niya hahayaang kayo'y tuksuhin nang higit sa inyong makakaya; kundi kalakip ng tukso ay magbibigay
siya ng paraan ng pag-iwas upang ito'y inyong makayanan.

We are not immune to temptation, but we don’t have to be its victim. Sins do not negate God’s love or our
salvation, but they do break our fellowship with Him. Sincerely confessing sin restores our fellowship with
Him.