What about this obedience stuff?

PART 5

And now we come to the/our relationship with Jesus.

1 Peter 1:2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood:

To obey means to comply and submit.

Comply is to act or be in accordance with wishes, requests, demands, requirements, conditions

Submit is to yield or surrender to the will of another.

Kinda gives you the idea that those churches that always talk incognito like that Jesus is your best friend, co pilot and personal genie might have it wrong?

Maybe Jesus is more than just our ticket to Heaven?

Think about it. Peter is writing as an Apostle to those believers who are scattered throughout the countries because of persecution and their refusal to keep quiet about their faith.

Peter is saying that they are chosen to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood:

So, is that why YOU are chosen by God?

Are you chosen by God to obey Jesus Christ?

Isn’t that what any parent would want their own kids to do?

Obey.

1. Do what you are told.

2. Do it when I am not around to enforce it.

3. Do it even when you really don’t want to do it.

Think about your kids for a moment.

Do you think that you have been successful in training your children to obey the above 3 rules?

Do you think that the Holy Spirit has been successful in training you to obey the above 3 rules?

As much as I hate to admit it, obedience takes discipline.

Check out this well known, often quoted passage.

Hebrews 5:8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.

Let’s break it down.

Although He was a Son – Although Jesus was already positionally entitled to everything that the Father has…

He learned obedience – It’s really important that we grasp the word “learned.”

 Learned means to estimate the nature, quality and importance.

Now add the definition of obedience!

Compliance and submission!

Those are 2 words that we may want from others, but when was the last time that we wanted or even demanded compliance and submission from ourselves?

Look take a look at Paul’s daily Christian walk.

1 Corinthians 9:26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air;

27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

Paul’s use of the word discipline my body, means that not only does Paul make his body a slave, but Paul also treats his body as a slave…

Hey body, you have no rights so shut up, submit and comply!

Every one of us is in the continual process of learning, but do we view learning, discipline and obedience as an estimate of our own nature, quality and importance?

Let’s apply that same thought to Jesus.

We think, well, Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is the one who spoke all things into existence, Jesus doesn’t have to learn anything! 
Jesus’ value isn’t based on what He did or does! 
He’s Jesus!

Well, maybe in this case, Jesus’ ability to learn was extremely important not only to His purpose but to His very character.

After all, Jesus came to this earth in the flesh. The very type of flesh that you and I now not only live in, but contend with on a daily basis!

We fall. We fail. That is our nature.

But for Jesus, He couldn’t fall or fail. Not even once.

And think about it, it was something that Jesus had to learn because failure was not an option. Jesus had to be perfectly sinless. What if God said, now so and so, I am going to teach you, or learn you as we say in the south, how to obey me perfectly in every single circumstance for the rest of your life?

Pretty crazy don’t you think?

What if God said to you, now so and so, I am going to teach you how to obey me perfectly in every circumstance for the rest of your life and I am going to teach you through suffering!

I have to admit that from time to time I have a serious problem with obedience and suffering. Sometimes, I just don’t feel like it. Sometimes, I would rather just think about God’s grace and mercy and in a really screwed up way say to myself that it’s ok that I fall short in this particular situation.

Paul didn’t allow himself that luxury.

Jesus most certainly took that thought way further than Paul could have ever hoped to.

And then there is me.

Ugh! Am I even a Christian at all?

I don’t want to focus on me.

Even though I most often find myself in that mind set.

Christianity is not about me.

Christianity is about Christ, the Messiah, the Savior.

And the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior had to learn obedience.

Now I have to learn obedience too, but here is the big difference between me failing on a daily basis and Jesus in the flesh not having the luxury of the option to fail even once…

Hebrews 5:9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,

What? What did I just read?

Hebrews 5:9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,

What did Jesus become?

the source of eternal salvation,

To whom did Jesus become the source of eternal salvation?

to all those who obey Him

That word “source” has another meaning.

It means “author.”

Like the writer of a story.

Has it ever occurred to you that your walk with Christ is a walk of eternal salvation?

That Jesus is writing, authoring not your story, but His story in your heart as you walk with Him? 
 As you face trials and temptations with Him? 
As you learn from Him? 
As you live in obedience to Him?

It is all about Jesus isn’t it?

The issue of obedience presents a real problem for the “Christian” doesn’t it?

If He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, then what is He to those who DO NOT obey Him?

Stay tuned for the exciting part 6!