1. OBEYING THE LORD:

A. Obedience to God is our duty:

Eccl.12:13 – Keep His commandments: for this is whole duty of man
Deut.13:4 – Walk after the Lord…& keep His commandments, & obey His voice, & serve Him
Deut.27:9b,10 – Thou art the people of God…therefore obey the…Lord
Jer.11:7 – I earnestly protested… saying, Obey My voice
Jn.2:5 – Whatsoever He (Jesus) saith unto you, do it
(See also Lk.17:10.)

B. Obey wholeheartedly:

Rom.6:17 – Ye have obeyed from the heart that doctrine
Deut.26:16 – The Lord hath commanded thee to do these statutes… keep & do them with all thine heart, & all thy soul
Psa.119:34 – I shall keep Thy law…with my whole heart
(See also Psa.119:69b)

C. Obey in all things:

Deut.5:32 – Observe to do as the Lord…commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left
2Ki.22:2 – He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord…& turned not aside to the right hand or to the left
(See also 2Cor.2:9)

2. IF YOU LOVE & KNOW THE LORD, YOU WILL OBEY HIM:

Jn.14:15,21 – If ye love Me, keep My commandments (See also vs. 23)
1Jn.2:3 – We know we know Him, if we keep His commandments
1Jn.3:24 – He that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him
1Jn.2:4 – He that saith, I know Him, & keepeth not His com mandments, is a liar
2Jn.6a – This is love, that we walk after His commandments

3. BLESSINGS FOR OBEYING THE LORD:

Deut.11:26,27 – I set before you…a blessing, if ye obey the com mandments of the Lord your God
Josh.1:8 – Meditate therein (the Word)…observe to do all that is written therein: then shalt thou have success

A. Souls are saved:

Rom.5:19 – By the obedience of one shall many be made righteous
1Tim.4:16b – Heed the doctrine…in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, & them that hear thee

B. Spiritual blessings:

Exo.19:5 – If ye will obey My voice…ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people
Jer.7:23 – Obey My voice, & I will be your God, & ye…My people
Jn.13:17 – If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them
Jn.15:10 – If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My Love
Jn.15:14 – Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you
Acts 5:32 – The Holy Ghost…given to them that obey (God)
1Pet.1:22 – Ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth
(See also Jam.1:25)

C. Material blessings:

Deut.28:2 – All these blessings shall come on thee, & overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the Lord
Deut.32:46,47 – Set your hearts unto all the Words…& through this ye shall prolong your days in the land
Job 36:11 – If they obey & serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, & their years in pleasures
Isa.1:19 – If ye be willing & obedient, ye shall eat good of land
Jer.38:20 – Obey…voice of the Lord: so it shall be well unto thee, & thy soul shall live
Heb.11:8 – Abraham, when he was called to go into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed
(See also Deut.28:1-14; Jer.35:18,19.)

D. Protection:

Exo.23:22 – If thou shalt obey & do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies
Lev.25:18 – Do My statutes…& shall dwell in the land in safety

4. SUBMISSION TO GODLY PASTORS & LEADERS IN THE LORD:

A. Exhortations to submit to pastors & spiritual brethren:

Heb.13:17 – Obey them that…rule over you, & submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls
Heb.13:7 – Remember them which have rule…whose faith follow
1Cor.11:1 – Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ
Phi.3:17 – Be followers of me &…them which walk so, as ye have us for an (example)
(See also 1Cor.16:16; 2Cor.2:9.)

B. Obeying wholeheartedly, “as unto the Lord & not unto men”:

Eph.6:5 – Be obedient…in singleness of heart, as unto Christ
Eph.6:6 – Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart
Col.3:22 – Not…menpleasers; singleness of heart, fearing God
Col.3:23,24 – Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, & not unto men…for ye serve Christ
Phlm.21 – I wrote…knowing that thou wilt do more than I say

5. JESUS’ EXAMPLE OF OBEDIENCE:

Lk.22:42 – Nevertheless, not My will, but Thine, be done (See also Mat.26:39,42)
Jn.5:30 – I seek not Mine Own will, but the will of the Father
Jn.14:31 – As the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do
Phi.2:7,8 – (Jesus) took upon Him the form of a servant…& became obedient unto death
Heb.5:8 – Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience

6. YIELDEDNESS TO GOD:

A. Let the Lord have His way in your life:

Job 1:21 – Lord gave, &…hath taken away; blessed be the Lord
Isa.64:8 – Lord…we are the clay, & Thou our potter
Mat.6:10 – Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done
Jn.3:30 – He must increase, but I must decrease
Rom.12:1 – Present your bodies a living sacrifice…unto God
Jam.4:7 – Submit yourselves therefore to God
(See also Mat.26:39; Lk.1:38; Rom.6:13,16.)

B. Submit your plans to God:

Heb.6:3 – This will we do, if God permit
Jam.4:15 – Ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall do this

C. Obeying God even when it hurts:

Gen.22:2,12 – Take thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, & offer him for a burnt offering (See also Heb.11:17-19)
Jer.42:6 – Whether it be good, or whether it be evil [hard to do] we will obey the voice of the Lord our God
Mat.26:38-54 – [Jesus agonised in prayer, knowing the cost, but then yielded to God's will. See also Lk.22:44; Jn.18:11.]

D. Yield to God & pray for His leading:

Psa.27:11 – Teach me Thy way, O Lord, & lead me in a plain path
Psa.139:23,24 – Search me, O God, & know my heart…know my thoughts: & lead me in the way everlasting
Psa.143:10 – Teach me to do Thy will; for Thou art my God: lead me

E. Yielding to God spares you from judgments:

2Chr.30:8 – Yield yourselves unto the Lord…that His wrath may turn away from you
Mat.21:44 – Whosoever shall fall on this Stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him

7. OBEYING GOD RATHER THAN UNGODLY MEN:

Acts 4:13-20 – Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you (Pharisees) more than unto God, judge ye
Acts 5:29 – We ought to obey God rather than men
(See also 1Sam.22:17; 1Ki.18:3,13; Ezra 4:21; 5:1-5; Dan.3:1-25; 6:1-13; Heb.11:23.)

8. DISOBEDIENCE TO GOD HOW THE LORD VIEWS IT:

1Sam.15:23 – Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, & stubbornness is as iniquity & idolatry
Mat.7:26,27 – Heareth these sayings of Mine, & doeth them not…a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand
Jam.1:23,24 – A hearer of the Word, & not a doer, is like a man beholding his face…& straightway forgetteth

9. VARIOUS CATEGORIES OF DISOBEDIENCE:

A. Merely “agreeing” is not enough:

Ezk.33:30-33 – They sit before thee as My people & they hear thy words, but they will do them not
Mat.21:28-31b – He answered & said, “I go, sir”: & went not
Mat.23:2,3 – Do not after their works: for they say, & do not
Lk.6:46 – Why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, & do not the things I say?
Tit.1:16 – They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being…disobedient
(See also Jer.42:1-22; 43:1-4.)

B. “Good works” not a substitute for obedience:

1Sam.15:22 – Hath the Lord as great delight in… sacrifices, as in obeying? To obey is better than sacrifice
Jer.7:22,23 – I spake not…concerning sacrifices. But this thing commanded I them, Obey My voice
Mat.7:22,23 – Have we not…in Thy name done many wonderful works? Depart from Me (Jesus), ye that work iniquity
Lk.11:42 – Ye tithe…& pass over judgment & love. These ought ye to have done, & not to leave the other undone

C. Half-hearted obedience:

2Chr.25:2 – He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart
Jer.3:10 – (She) hath not turned unto Me with her whole heart, but feignedly
Acts 5:1-11 – [Ananias & Sapphira pretended to give all, but kept back part of the money from the sale of their land]

10. REASONS FOR DISOBEDIENCE:

A. Being deceived:

Gen.3:13 – [Eve said:], “The serpent beguiled me, & I did eat” (See also 2Cor.11:3)
1Ki.13:1-26 – [The young prophet was deceived by the old prophet & disobeyed the Lord's original instructions]
Gal.3:1 – Who bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth?
Gal.5:7 – Who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

B. Having a “better idea”:

1Sam.15:2-15 – Thus saith the Lord, “Utterly destroy all they have!” (Saul) spared the best…to sacrifice to the Lord
Pro.3:5,6 – Lean not unto thine own understanding
Act 21:4,10-14 – [Paul was warned by the Spirit to not go to Jerusalem, but his heart was set on it]

C. Lack of love for others:

Jon.1:1-3; 4:2 – [Jonah disobeyed & fled from God, knowing God would be merciful to the Ninevites, his enemies]
1Jn.3:16,17 – Whoso hath this world’s good [& doesn't help a needy brother], how dwelleth the love of God in him?

D. Fear of man:

1Sam.15:24 – I transgressed the commandment of the Lord…because I feared the people, & obeyed their voice
Pro.29:25 – The fear of man bringeth a snare
Jer.38:17-20 – [Zedekiah disobeyed God out of fear of his opponents]
Jn.12:42,43 – Many believed on Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him

E. Lack of faith in the Word:

Gen.3:1-6 – [Eve believed the devil's lies & doubted God's Word]
Gen.19:14 – [Lot's sons-in-law thought his warning to flee Sodom was merely a joke]
Num.20:7-12 – [Moses hit the rock twice instead of speaking to it]
1Sam.13:8-14 – [Saul, doubting that Samuel would come, sinned by impatiently offering the sacrifice himself]
1Pet.2:7,8 – Them which stumble at the Word, being disobedient
2Thes.2:12 – Believed not the truth, but had pleasure in (sin)

F. Being distracted by less important things:

1Ki.20:39,40 – “Keep this man.” As thy servant was busy here & there, he was gone
Lk.14:15-24 – [The Lord invited men to His supper, but they all made excuses, saying they had other things to do]

G. For material gain:

1Ki.20:29-34, 42 – [Captured king promised king Ahab cities & markets, so Ahab let him go, instead of slaying him]
2Ki.5:14-16, 20-27 – [Elisha refused to receive any reward, but his servant, Gehazi, disobeyed & accepted it & was judged]

H. Pride:

2Chr.26:14-20 – [King Uzziah, lifted up in pride, broke the law]
3Jn.9,10 – [An exalted pastor refused to obey the apostle John]

I. Allowing disobedience to become a habit:

Jer.22:21 – This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not My voice
Jer.3:25 – From our youth even unto this day, (we) have not obeyed the Lord (See also Eccl.8:11)

11. HOW TO RELATE TO THE DISOBEDIENT:

A. Use the Word to teach & warn them:

Ezk.2:3-7 – Speak My Words unto them…they are most rebellious
Ezk.3:17,18 – Hear the Word…& give them warning from Me

B. Win them with your example, not just your words:

1Cor.9:19 – I made myself servant to all, that I might [win them]
2Tim.2:24-26 – Servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle… patient…instructing…to acknowledging of the truth
1Pet.3:1-4 – That, if any obey not the Word, they may without the Word be won by the [way of life]
(See also Jam.5:19,20.)

C. Try to get them to change:

Lk.1:17 – Turn the…disobedient to the wisdom of the just

D. Keep an eye on them:

Pro.29:15 – A child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame

E. Do not keep company with them:

Eph.5:11 – Have no fellowship with [them], but rather reprove them
2Thes.3:6 – Withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, & not after the (instructions)
2Thes.3:14 – If any man obey not our word…have no company with him
1Tim.6:3-5 – If any man…consent not…from such withdraw thyself

F. If the offence isn’t serious, don’t give up on them:

2Thes.3:14,15 – If any man obey not our word by this epistle…count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother

12. GOD’S PUNISHMENTS FOR DISOBEDIENCE:

Deut.11:26,28 – I set before you…a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord (See also Jer.11:3)
Josh.5:6 – (They) walked 40 years in the wilderness, till all the people…were consumed, because they obeyed not
Judg.2:2,3 – Ye have not obeyed…I will not drive (enemies) out
1Sam.12:15 – If ye will not obey…the Lord (will) be against you
1Sam.15:23b – Because thou hast rejected the Word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king
1Ki.13:all – [Young prophet disobeyed God by heeding the old prophet, & was slain by a lion]
Psa.68:6 – The rebellious dwell in a dry land
Isa.1:20 – If ye refuse & rebel, ye shall be devoured with sword
Jer.3:25 – Confusion covereth us: for we have…not obeyed
Jer.18:10 – If (they) obey not…then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them
Dan.9:11 – (Did) not obey Thy voice; therefore curse is poured
Dan.9:14 – The Lord watched upon the evil, & brought it upon us: for we obeyed not His voice
Mat.7:26,27 – Every one that heareth (My) sayings & doeth not…foolish…house on sand…great was the fall of it
Lk.12:47 – (He) which knew his Lord’s will, & [did not] according to His will, shall be beaten with many stripes
(See also Gen.3:6,16-19; Deut.28:15-67; Jer.9:13-16; 12:17; 32:23; Eph.5:6.)

13. OBEDIENCE IS BUILDING ON A SURE FOUNDATION:

Mat.7:24,25 – Whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, & doeth them…wise man, which built his house upon a rock
1Cor.3:11-14 – [Jesus is the foundation; build with gold of obedience not with wood, hay & stubble of disobedience]
1Cor.15:58 – Be steadfast, unmoveable…in the work of the Lord

13. Obedience To God, Copyright © 1998-2012, The Family International