TRUST AND OBEY IN THE LIGHT OF THE NEW COVENANT
TRUST AND OBEY IN THE LIGHT OF THE NEW COVENANT
TEXT:
1Sa 15:22-23 KJV 22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
This is the verdict of Samuel to King Saul because of what he did. God told Saul to fight the Amalekites because of what they did to Israel while coming from Egypt. The specific instruction to Saul was to annihilate everything including men, women, boys, girls and all animals
The reason behind was what took place while they were coming from Egypt at Rephidim. They were thirsty, complained to Moses as usual, the miracle of water coming out from the rock took place. While that was going on the Amalekites struck
Exo 17:8 KJV Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
The Lord was angry with the Amalekite and told Moses to write it down against them Ex 17: 14 and when Moses was to die he reminded them of what the Amalekites did Deut 25:17.
Now they were at Cannan and had settled down, so God called to rememberance what Amalekite did and asked Saul to take vengeance. Saul went, fought and brought back the best animals and fine ladies. God appeared to Samuel and this is what brought the judgment over Saul. He lost the kingship.
He disobeyed the voice and the word of God.
His sin was likened to the sin of witchcraft and idolatry and remember that the verdict over such is death.
Exo 22:18 KJV Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
This is how strong God viewed disobedience.
Trust is firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something
Confidence in or reliance on some person or quality. To place confidence in, to rely on, to confide in
Dependence upon something in the future; hope. To have faith in; to rely on for continuing support or aid.
Synonyms: (confidence in a person or quality) belief, confidence, faith. (hope) expectation, hope.
OBEY
To do as ordered by (a person, institution etc), to act according to the bidding of. E.G. obey the rules. obey your boss
To do as one is told. to be obedient, compliant.
To be obedient means willing to comply with the commands, orders, or instructions of those in authority..
We are enjoined to put our trust in the Lord
Pro 3:5 KJV 5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Jer 17:5-8 KJV 5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. 7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. 8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
Isa 1:19 KJV If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
Deu 11:27 KJV A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:
Deu 28:2 KJV And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
In the old covenant much of the emphasis on trusting and obedience to the Lord is solely laid on the foundation of the law or ten commandments and the ordinances which were about 613. and that is how many people see it. It is a covenant based on performance. It is okay and there is nothing wrong with that. But I would like to look at it from the perspective of the New Testament.
Under the new covenant,
Trust and obey is not necessarily about the laws but about God and His word. His word cannot be devoid of Him.
Joh 12:47 KJV And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
Joh 6:63 KJV It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Joh 1:1 KJV In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The Spirit, Jesus and the Word are the same
Trusting God here will mean trusting in what He has said, in what He has done through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in what He has given to us, in His ability and power that resides in us.
Trusting in the Lord is to have faith in Him, confide in him, believe in his ability, capability and grace.
What is the corresponding action when you trust the Lord?
It is to obey Him. That is to do as one is told, to give heed to the command given.
What are we called to obey under the new covenant?
We are not called to obey the laws. That may unsettle many of us. Technically speaking the laws have been fulfilled in Christ Jesus. No one can obey the whole law and it is either you obey all or not. James 2 said that offending one has broken the whole law. No one can be justified by the works of the law.
Rom 8:3-4 KJV 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
So now the commandments are not “thou shall not” but commandment of love.
That you love one another
Joh 13:34 KJV A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
His commandment are not grievous
So what are we called to obey?
Rom 1:5 KJV By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
Rom 16:26 KJV But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
The Greek word for “obedience” there is hupakoe” It means: obedience, compliance, submission.
obedience rendered to anyone’s counsels, an obedience shown in observing the requirements of Christianity
We are called to the obedience of faith.
1. Faith in Christ Jesus that will lead to salvation
2. Faith in what Christ has done for us through His death, burial, resurrection, ascension and sitting down at the right hand of God.
3. Faith in what Holy Spirit is doing in us and through us
4. Faith in what we have in Christ and whom we are in Christ.
Let’s take it one after the other.
Faith in Christ: Jesus is the Saviour of the world, the one that through the ransom He paid delivered us from the world to reconcile us back to God. When we obey God we put our trust in Jesus as the Saviour. We are saved not because we are religious but because we have a saviour. Anyone who does not have a saviour will go to hell.
Joh 3:18 KJV He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Faith in Jesus produces the forgiveness of our sins and that is what reconciles us back unto the father. People that go to heaven are people whose sins are forgiven.That is eternal life Joh 3:16
1Jn 2:2 KJV And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
2. Faith or trust in what Christ has done for us: It gives us salvation which include but not limited to Healing, deliverance, prosperity and breakthrough.
Obedience of faith is taking what he has done and appropriate it. It is receiving all the benefits of salvation. It is to take advantage of what belongs to us. They are already ours by virtue of the payment Jesus did.
Obeying the Lord is to trust Him that all what He has promised He is able will do them or make good His promises. That He will stand by His word.
We don’t have to appeal, appease, beg, plead for these.
Healing: We are not the sick begging God to heal but we are the healed of the Lord that the devil wants to steal what belongs to us.
1Pe 2:24 KJV Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Prosperity: 2Co 8:9 KJV For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
Deliverance: Col 1:13 KJV Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
3. Faith in what Christ is doing and can do through us: If we believe or trust Him we will do what he says. Mk 16 says believers will lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. We will do that.
If we trust His word we will obey it by acting on what He has said. We will confess, declare, proclaim and pronounce them.
Evidence that you are trusting and obeying Him
If we trust His word, we will not worry Mt 6: 31 says take no thought what you shall eat or wear.
Mat 6:31 KJV Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
We will not be afraid or fear anything: 1Tim 7 He has not given us the Spirit of fear.
Psa 125:1 KJV A Song of degrees. They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.
We will not be troubled by an economic downturn because He says He will supply our needs according to His reach.
Phi 4:19 KJV But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
This is trusting in His word and obeying it by acting or appropriating it for our benefits.
We are called to be doers of the word. Word practitioners like law and medical practitioners. This is the obedience of the new testament.
Jas 1:22 KJV But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
only the doer of the word shall be blessed. you can’t act on what you don’t trust,evidence that you trust God is when you acts on His word
What obedience of faith will do for you
Definition:
The obedience which springs from faith. Obedience of faith is the obedience which characterizes and proceeds from faith.
The greatest obedience that is ever expected from any man living is the obedience of faith. Obedience that comes from faith. Faith in the gospel, faith in the Lord Jesus, faith in what He has done for us, faith in what He is doing in us and faith in what He can do through us.
Obedience of faith is talking about obedience to the word of God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God Rom 10: 17
So when you obey the word, you are putting faith and trust in the word and going forward you are putting faith or trusting God Himself. You cannot separate Him from His word.
So what will obedience of faith do for you?
1. Produces the expected answer
Mat 8:5-13 KJV 5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
The account is equally given in Luke 7, in it it says that the centurion sent elders of Jew to Jesus but in Matthew it says he came by himself, there is no discrepancy, in Jewish language whatever is done another person is considered done by you.
He beseeched Jesus to come and lay his hand on the sick servant and when Jesus was getting closer he sent a message that Jesus need not bother to come under his roof because he was not worthy to meet him but that Jesus should just speak the word and the servant would be healed.
He gave his reason that he as a soldier was under commanding officer and he has soldiers under him too and when he gives command they obey.
What does the centurion mean by these?
The centurion compares the Lord ‘s position with his own. Christ had authority over disease. The centurion also was in authority over soldiers. As the centurion had only to say to a soldier “Go!” and he went, so Christ had only to say to disease “Go!” and it would obey him.
He believed in the word of Jesus.
That His word is equivalent to His character
That the word has no limitation or boundary
Jesus marveled at the word of the man
That Jesus is the master over diseases and they would obey him
Jesus marveled at the word and He said:
Mt. 8: 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
Luk 7:10 KJV And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.
They obeyed Jesus’ words and acted on it by going home. When they got home they found the servant healed.
I don’t know the issue that you left before coming from the house or to the fellowship, by the time you return , you will discover that it has been taken care of in Jesus name.
ANOTHER INSTANCE OF FAITH IN THE WORD
Joh 4:49-53 KJV 49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. 50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. 52 Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.
The centurion and the nobleman that travelled from Carpernaum to Cana both put trust in the word of Jesus and acted on it.
If you study the Bible, you will find out that every other miracle Jesus performed required His bodily presence or touch. So, the miracles were always done when people exhibited faith in His person. For instance:
Mat 9:28 KJV And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
But here, it is a different scenario.
Faith in the word.
Psa 107:20 KJV He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
We are called to the obedience of faith. Faith in His word.
So if you believe His word and you put trust in it, what will you do? How are you going to respond to this message?
1. You will speak the word and act the word.
2Cor 4:13 KJV We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
If you believe then you will obey His command. What is his command? That we should speak. Some people say let us talk to God about our problems. I disagree. The bible didn’t teach us to talk to God about our problem but rather to to talk to our problem about our God.
Mar 11:23 KJV For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Luk 17:6 KJV And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
Reasons why you must speak
1. When you speak you release your faith.
All that Jesus was doing in both instances was releasing His faith. God did the same thing when He created the earth in Gen chapter 1
Heb 11:3 KJV Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
The Greek word for “word” there is not “logo” but “Rhema”. Rhema is the word of God in your heart, quickened by the Holy Ghost and released by faith from your mouth. It is a specific word for a specific situation at a specific time.
2. It is through the word that your inheritance or whatever belongs to you will be delivered unto you.
Act 20:32 KJV And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
The word of God will deliver into your hands what belongs unto you.
3. It is through the word that you place a demand on what belongs to you.
Mat 7:7 KJV Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Speak to the prostate cancer, sickness, disease, house rent, pay check, CV.
They were created by the word and they will respond to the word.