Practice #4: Obedience
Series Text: 8 for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. – 1 Timothy 4:8
22 But Samuel replied:
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.” – 1 Samuel 15:22–23
Definition of Biblical Obedience – “Biblical obedience is hearing God clearly, trusting Him fully, and responding willingly without delay, adjustment, or excuse. It’s faith that acts under God’s authority.” In Hebrew thought, hearing and obeying are inseparable. To hear God is to obey God.
LESSON 1 PARTIAL obedience is still DISOBEDIENCE.
LESSON 2 – FEARING PEOPLE always UNDERMINES obeying God.
LESSON 3 – IMAGE without REPENTANCE is SPIRITUAL DECEPTION.
- Issue is not SACRIFICING vs OBEDIENCE
- The real is AUTHORITY
LESSON 4 – RELIGIOUS LANGUAGE without SUBMISSION
Application:
- Where has God’s Word already spoken—but I modified it because I didn’t want to upset someone?
- Where have I softened obedience to avoid conflict or discomfort?
- Where have I obeyed my own preferences instead of God’s clear command?
Chambers reminds us: “Obedience to God may disrupt the plans of others but God already knows the cost, and He will care for those affected by it.”