Why Obey God

We are saved by grace alone apart from works. God desires perfection, but nobody is perfect. Christ became that perfection and He is who we put our trust in. Never let anyone tell you we are saved by works.

There will be a renewing of your mind. You will grow in your hatred for the things that God hates and in your love for the things that God loves.

In the end days, God has warned us what we will see in 2 Timothy 3:1-9 "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds,who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone."

When you start talking about obedience we hear the word legalism. Legalism is the act of "dependence on moral law rather than on personal religious faith." Jesus himself said in John 14:15 ""If you love me, keep my commands." And Paul wrote in Romans 3:20 "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin." So although we are not saved by the law, God has written the law so that we can be convicted of our sins. Yes we are saved by the grace of God, but we must follow the teachings in the Bible. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." The scripture is written to bring us truth and instruction, it is so that we can walk in what God wants, not doing it by our own way. Can a Christian struggle with sin and even fall into sin? Yes, but a Christian will never live a continuous life of sin because God will not let His children go astray. Some grow slower than others, but a true believer grows. We also have free choice, I have heard it said that God wont let anything bad happen to me, I can do what ever I want, but that isn't true, because God uses hard things to teach us that we need to stay in Him and He in me.

God will work in His child’s life to make him into the image of Christ. Once again we are saved only by faith in the blood of Jesus. He is our only hope. He alone satisfied God’s wrath, but we must never forget the that Jesus will save us of our sins, we must confess our sins before Him, not just on the day we give our life to Him, but each day.

1. You are so thankful for what God has done for you in the finished work of Christ.
• 2 Corinthians 9:15 "Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!"
• Colossians 3:15-17 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
• Romans 3:23-26 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."
• John 19:30 "When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."
• 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
2. You don’t want to take advantage of God’s grace. Jesus died for my sins I can sin all I want. Wrong! That is a lie from the devil.
• Romans 6:1-6 "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, thatwe should no longer be slaves to sin"
• Romans 6:14-15 "For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!"
3. Obey God because He loves you. If Jesus is not enough for you to live a godly life then you don’t know Jesus.
• Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
• Ephesians 5:2 "and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
• 1 John 4:10 "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
4. Obey God because you love Him.
• John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
• Luke 10:27 "And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”"
• Proverbs 8:17 "I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me."
• Psalm 97:10 "Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked."
• John 14:23-24 "Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me."
5. Christians fear God.
• Proverbs 8:13 "To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech."
• Proverbs 16:6 "Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the LORD evil is avoided"
• Proverbs 14:16 "The wise fear the LORD and shun evil, but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure."
• Job 1:1 "In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil."
• Psalm 128:1 "Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!"
• Psalm 111:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise."
6. He is Lord over your life.
• Luke 6:46-48 "“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built."
7. Sin grieves God.
• Ephesians 4:30 "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."
• Genesis 6:6 "The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled."
• Psalm 78:40 "How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the wasteland!"
8. If you have truly repented and believed on Christ and God has saved you then you are a new creation. If you are saved you are not that same person anymore you are new with new desires. You can not continue to live in a continuous life of rebellion.
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
• Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
• Colossians 3:9-10 "Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."
• Ephesians 4:22 "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires."
• 1 John 3:8-10 "Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother."
9. To be a good example to others.
• 1 Timothy 4:12 "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."
• Matthew 5:16 "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
• John 13:15 "“For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you."
10. You don’t want to cause others to stumble.
• Matthew 18:6 "“If anyone causes one of these little ones–those who believe in me–to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea."
• 1 Corinthians 8:9 "But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak."
11. You don’t want to live in hypocrisy. Jesus called out hypocrites.
• Matthew 15:7-9 "You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."
• 2 Timothy 3:5 "Having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."
• 1 John 1:6 "If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth."
12. You will live in joy and not shame.
• 2 Corinthians 3:17 "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."
• 1 John 2:3 "And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments."
13. God will listen to you.
• Proverbs 15:8 "The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked,but the prayer of the upright pleases him."
• Proverbs 15:29 "The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous."
• Proverbs 10:3 "The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked."
• Psalm 145:19 "He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them."
14. God will not hear your prayers if you rebel.
• Psalm 66:18 "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;"
• John 9:31 "We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will."
• Proverbs 28:9 "If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable."
• Proverbs 1:28 "“Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me,"
15. Because you trust that God knows best.
• Proverbs 3:5-7 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil."
• Psalm 37:3 "Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture."
• Psalm 37:5 "Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:"
• Proverbs 28:26 "Those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe."
16. You don’t want to live like the world. You want to be different. 
• Romans 12:2 "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will."
• Proverbs 1:15 "My son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths."
• 1 Peter 4:3-4 "For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do–living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you."
17. God says be holy.
• 1 Peter 1:16 "for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”"
• Leviticus 20:7 "‘Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God."
18. God hates not only sin.
• Psalm 5:5 "Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence, for you hate all who do evil."
• Psalm 11:5 "The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence."
• Romans 9:13 "As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated."
• Leviticus 20:23 "And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them."
• Proverbs 6:16-19 "There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community."
19. Rewards 
• Ephesians 6:8 "because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free."
• Matthew 5:19 "Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
• Mark 9:41 "Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward."
• 1 John 2:17 "The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever."
• Psalm 19:8-11 "The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward."
20. You don’t want to find out in the last moment that you are not going to Heaven. 
• Matthew 7:21-23 "“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’"
• Luke 13:24-27 "“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, because many will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’"

Note: If you have any struggle with the things I have written, remember 2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." I am just a man, not judging you and your ways. I sin, I fall short of what God calls me to every single day, I must confess my sins to Him and be thankful, because He says 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." Remember, Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, He is without sin and knew no sin, but He has promised to save us from ourselves, but we must walk the way He calls us to walk. I know there is no better time than now, don't wait, (call 8) call upon God today. Start walking as He calls us to walk, join me in the journey of a lifetime.

Laurence J Peter "Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to the garage makes you a car."