Obedience, Sermon given September 25th, 2016

In recent sermons, we've discussed faith and works, out of both faith and works progresses the concept of obedience.  Scripture makes it very clear that obedience is a necessary and crucially important part of our life as Christians. The author of the book of James (James 2:26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.) urged us that out of genuine faith must come obedient works. In addition to faith and works, I mentioned just a few weeks back the concept that we as believers could be considered slaves to God.  Really more like a bond-servant, as we have voluntarily indentured ourselves to God.  A bond-servant is one who has sold themselves and their services literally to another, I used this term during my sermon on September 11th.  In that sermon I addressed the terrorists who attacked that day as bond-servants to evil.  They had offered themselves up to doing the work of evil in this world.  One can 'sell' ones-self to either good or evil, we can be slaves to darkness, or to the light of God, we can obey sin, or we can obey righteousness. Whose slave (obedient servant) will we become?

In both the Old and New Testaments the central idea of "obey" is to "hear, to listen to attentively". This is significant, it suggests that, when we speak of obedience to God, we are speaking of more than just observing and following the words written in Scripture, important as they are. We are also speaking of hearing and obeying the words God speaks to us today, of seeking and obeying the specific guidance of God in our daily lives.

I hope you'll take a moment and listen to the sermon.  There is a great deal of scripture referenced in the sermon but it serves to drive home the great importance of obedience to our chosen Lord.

May this day find all who wander through this tiny corner of the internet very well and very blessed.  Thank you for stopping by...

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,

Roy