Lesson 6: The Strength of Obedience

7 Strengths of Christian Believers

Bible Fact: God uses a combination of spiritual characteristics to bring Christians to the point to glorify God.

The Big Idea:  Growing Christians exhibit more positive spiritual qualities on the inside that cause them to get more personal blessings from God; while at the same time, they also becomeincreasingly more effective and highly attractive to sinners in the world.

Lesson 6: The Strength of Obedience: (Will, Choice, Meekness)

Arabian horses go through rigorous training in the deserts of the Middle East. The trainers require absolute obedience from the horses, and test them to see if they are completely trained. The final test is almost beyond the endurance of any living thing. The trainers force the horses to do without water for many days. Then he turns them loose and of course they start running toward the water, but just as they get to the edge, ready to plunge in and drink, the trainer blows his whistle. The horses who have been completely trained and who have learned perfect obedience, stop. They turn around and come pacing back to the trainer. They stand there quivering, wanting water, but they wait in perfect obedience. When the trainer is sure that he has their obedience he gives them a signal to go back to drink.

Now this may be severe but when you are on the trackless desert of Arabia and your life is entrusted to a horse, you had better have a trained obedient horse. We must accept God’s training and obey Him.—Source Unknown.

1. How does obedience act or what does it look like?
   1. OBEDIENCE:(hupakoe (n) or hupakouo (v)) willing to do what someone tells you to do or to follow a law or a rule to be in compliance; to be in submission or subject to a rule, order or command.
   2. The wall separating Israel and the promise land came down through mere obedience. In Joshua 6:1-20 note that everyone that is under a Divine plan of purpose has someone else to report to. Joshua reported to God first, the leaders of the people reported to Joshua for instructions and the servants reported to their supervisors for execution and everyone responded to Joshua as the official visionary.
2. Where does obedience come from?
   1. Obedience comes from a submitted sanctified will to the Lord. John 3:3,5; Matthew 5:41; II Corinthians 8:5
   2. Obedience comes from a willing heart; Deuteronomy 11:8,16; Proverbs 11:20; 14;30;15:13; 16:9,21,23;18;12;28;26
3. What is the outcome or reward for having obedience?
   1. God rejects disobedience as one of the greatest sins without prejudice to titles and status; I Samuel 15:10-15,19-23
   2. God demands that His people to be blessed by hearing His voice; Exodus 19:5,6
   3. God blesses true obedience in spite of human flaws and faults; Deuteronomy 11:8-16
   4. God blesses the obedience of His followers to be blessed above all others; Deuteronomy 28:1-14

Notes:

1. THE TOOL BOX THIS SATURDAY @ 7:01am-8:19am
2. Funeral for Clarence Adams is Saturday, March 8 at 10am at HSBC
3. Prayers for: LaShay Walkes, Annie Stewart, Joseph Taylor, Zelda Miller, Ty Davis; Sheryl Russo; Roy Phillips, Gerald Gistand, Kevin Joseph, Jr., Douglas Moore family, Pat Douglas, Clarence Adams family, Robert Williams family,
4. Those persons desiring to attend the SWAC games Reverend Matthew B. Johnson to attend the SWAC Basketball Championship at the Toyota Center this week.
5. YDM (ages 2-18) IS MOVING TO SUNDAY MORNING in April! More information to come…