Obedience

(Part 2)

Nick Bibile

1Jo 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

The word abide in Greek is meno (men’-o) it means to remain, to dwell, to stay. Here the word is in present tense, not past or future. So we Christians are to live in Jesus all the time. We must be in Christ or else we are not saved in the Lord. The word in Christ means, union with Christ. Union with Christ means in oneness, unity the act of joining two into one. He is the head and we are the body, which makes into one unit the church. The head cannot be separated from the body neither the body cannot be separated from the head. Jesus said:

Joh 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one.

Ro 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

Christians that live in Christ should must walk as Jesus did. The word walk means one’s behavior or conduct. The Christian should conduct himself as Jesus did.

Abiding in Christ.

First of all we cannot conduct ourselves as Jesus if we are not first abiding in him. What a blessed combination, abiding in Christ and walking in Christ! Outward behavior and inward rest in God. Jesus was in the Father’s bosom, oh! That is abiding! And his walk on earth was a heavenly walk.

We must abide in Christ, as David found shelter in the caves, he rested in God from his enemy, in the same way Jesus is our rock where we can hide and find shelter and rest. He is the ‘rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee.’ Our life is a walk from birth to death upon this earth and our home is Christ.

Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Either you are in Christ or not in Christ. If you are abiding in Christ, living in Christ not only when you come to church as we saw this word live in Christ is in present tense that means you are in Christ where ever you are. The result that you are in Christ is, there will be fruits. There will be a change of lifestyle.

2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

You will have a new lifestyle in Christ. If you are not in Christ you are cast out to be burned in hell. A new lifestyle in Christ comes by hearing and practicing the word of God. Jesus is called the word, if you abide in Christ then you will be living in God’s word, it is the Word of God that is going to change you. His word is powerful as by his word he created the earth and the universe, by his word he created you, by his word he calm the storm, by his word he healed the sick and raised the dead, by his word he can change you.

We cannot be Christians if we are not in Christ. If you are living in TV all the time then you are not in Christ, if you are living in worldliness all the time then you are not in Christ. In Christ we read and study the Bible, in Christ we pray, in Christ we worship, in Christ we have fellowship with the Father, in Christ we have fellowship with one another, in Christ we evangelize, in Christ we live and in Christ we glorify the Father.

Once we are in Christ then we behave in Christ. Children live with their parents and they imitate their parents, do does the Christian live in Christ should imitate Christ. We need to follow Christ.

Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

Do not follow the world, children, do not follow the movie stars, do not follow the worldly musicians, do not follow the crowd, do not follow the majority, the vast crowd and the majority are taking the broad road, Christ is not there, but Satan is there, do not be deceived! Christ is in the narrow road, follow Christ alone. Hear his voice from his word because you know him and follow him. He is our guide and our Master. Do not conform to this world but conform to His Son.

We should live a holy life.

Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.

This is the aim of election and the object of redemption, this is the fruit of calling. This is the evidence of adoption. We should be holy even as Christ is holy. He gave his Son to die for us that we may die to sin. God gave Christ to us so we may live like him. You are a chosen generation a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people.

Peculiar people" in #1Pe 2:9 is derived from the Lat. Peculium. It means extra ordinary, God’s property, unusual people.

We are in Christ, in union with Christ, joined unto the Lord Jesus in one body, then we must walk as he walked. Christ is the head and he is holy then the body should be holy. If you wish to see holiness, look at Christ. In him you see a perfect character, an all-round character. He is the perfect one, be like Christ.

Self denial

Mt 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Mt 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

If any man loves Christ then he must follow him. Some one may say, it is too hard to follow him, Jesus never said it is going to be easy, he said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

Self denial is not torturing your body, but saying “I love not myself but the Lord.” We will be tested with temptations to do the wrong thing, to win popularity, to withhold a truth to become selfish. Then we need the grace of God to say, “no this cannot be done, I love not myself but the Lord.” “I seek not myself but Christ.” These self denials are very hard to the flesh, but this is how Jesus walked, we need to pray and ask the Lord to give us the strength.

Obedience will glorify Christ

If we walk as Christ walked then we are glorifying Christ. The Christ like behavior glorifies Christ. Actions are stronger and more powerful than words. If we say we are Christians and in action we have a worldly lose type conversation and behavior, how can the world see your Christianity? You may teach your children at home, or teach them in the Sunday-school class; but if they see your lives to be Christless, prayerless, godless, they will not learn any good from you.

If we do not behave as Christ then it weakens the preaching of the gospel, the gospel is living, there should be salt and light in the our conduct. We need to witness, evangelize as we need to walk as Christ did. Christ was on the road, teaching, preaching. Christ should be glorified not only in the church but outside.

Diciplined Life

Christ was obedient to the Father, he came to do not his will but the will of the Father, now as Christians we need to walk as Christ walked. We came into this world to do what we desire and what we like. Sin promised a lot of things, mostly wealth and freedom but brought us to bondage. But God in his mercy and grace restored us back. We were brought back by Jesus and he had to live a well disciplined obedient life. In the same way we should walk in obedience to God. Let the others see that we are well disciplined obedient children of God as Jesus is the captain of the hosts. We should be obedient to the Father cheerfully, joyfully as Jesus did.

From the day of his baptism till his death Jesus was busy doing good. Daily he taught, preached, each sermon was a complete revelation. His obedience was excelled in those 30 yrs.

Obedience in time.

Ps 39:4 LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.

5 Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.

6 Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.

7 And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.

Our days are measured and numbered, as Christians we need to live a profitable lives to the Lord. Obedience to the Lord is every hour, every minute, not only here in the church or in front of people, we need to please the Lord and not people. Samuel said, "To obey is better than sacrifice." Jesus ministry lasted about 30 yrs and he lived those years to the will of the Father, time was valuable for him. If we are in Christ then we ought to walk even as he walked!

Obedience of lowliness

There is so much prejudice and pride in the church today. Judging other people from your standard, not being sensitive to each other but hurting them. Jesus was lowly, meek, gentle, he loved souls that he forgot himself. He was tender hearted and ready to forgive, he set an example of washing the feet of the disciples. The lowest job of a slave and set the example not of his pride and self exaltation but of his humility and forgiveness when he said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." He did not say this in anger but in humility. When you are cursed take it as a blessing, when your enemy hates you, love him. You cannot be a Christian if this is strange to you. You may say, I do not like to love my enemy, well it is in the Bible. Spurgeon said, “You must love your enemies, or you will die with the Creed in your throats. "Oh," say you, "we are regular in our pews, hearing the gospel." I do not care; you must forgive them that trespass against you, or you will go from your pews to perdition " Remember, Pride goeth not before salvation, but before destruction.

Jesus was incarnate love. The place of unloving spirits is hell. Only he that loves can live in heaven, for heaven is love: and you cannot go to heaven unless you have learned to love, and to find it your very life to do good to those around you.

Communion with God.

when the night came, and others went to their beds, he withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed. If the Lord Jesus be in you, you must walk as he walked in that matter. Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. But there was a great joy in the midst of his sorrows as he said, “I delighted to do thy will.” He delighted in God as he spent time in prayer and fellowship with the Father. Do you want to have the desires of your heart?

Ps 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
You may delight the things of your flesh, when you pray and meditate you will be crucifying the flesh then God will raise those desires above the flesh to give true delights that satisfy your heart.

Rich men glory in wealth, famous men in popularity, great men in honor but the Christian in God. We ought to walk as Jesus walked in delighting himself in God.

Contentment.

Jesus never murmured. We need to walk in contentment. Jesus said, foxes have holes, the birds of the air have nests but he did not have place to lay his head. He was content where he was. Why did God destroy the most of the Israelites in the wilderness? They murmured, not satisfy with the food they ate. God hates a person who murmur. (Philip 4:11: 1 Tim 6:8)

The cravings, ambition and covetousness in not Christian. You ought to walk as Jesus walked.

Christ lived for God and let us live after his pattern.

Need a new nature to walk as Jesus did.

You cannot give out sweet waters so long as the fountains are impure. "Ye must be born again." There is no walking with Jesus in newness of life unless we have a new heart and a right spirit. See to it, dear friends, that your nature is renewed—that the Holy Spirit has resurrected you from the dead. A new creature is essential to likeness to Christ: it is not possible that the carnal mind should wear the image of Jesus.

But many say that they are Christians but they do not dwell in his word, they have no time for prayer, no time for fellowship, no time for evangelism, no time to worship God. But you have all the time for other things and you are not in Christ but out of Christ. You are in a very dangerous position. You are in a terrible situation like a man hanging over a pit of fire any time you can fall into the fire and perish forever. If you are not in Christ then you are without God. If you are not in Christ you are abiding under the wrath of God! Look unto Jesus and you will be saved, trust in him alone.

. "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked" May the Spirit of God cause us to do it! Amen and Amen.