A. Obedience to God is our duty:
Eccl.12:13 - Keep His commandments: for this is whole duty of man
Deut.13:4 - Walk after the Lord...& keep His commandments, & obey His voice, & serve Him
Deut.27:9b,10 - Thou art the people of God...therefore obey the...Lord
Jer.11:7 - I earnestly protested... saying, Obey My voice
Jn.2:5 - Whatsoever He (Jesus) saith unto you, do it
(See also Lk.17:10.)
B. Obey wholeheartedly:
Rom.6:17 - Ye have obeyed from the heart that doctrine
Deut.26:16 - The Lord hath commanded thee to do these statutes... keep & do them with all thine heart, & all thy soul
Psa.119:34 - I shall keep Thy law...with my whole heart
(See also Psa.119:69b)
C. Obey in all things:
Deut.5:32 - Observe to do as the Lord...commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left
2Ki.22:2 - He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord...& turned not aside to the right hand or to the left
(See also 2Cor.2:9)
Jn.14:15,21 - If ye love Me, keep My commandments (See also vs. 23)
1Jn.2:3 - We know we know Him, if we keep His commandments
1Jn.3:24 - He that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him
1Jn.2:4 - He that saith, I know Him, & keepeth not His commandments, is a liar
2Jn.6a - This is love, that we walk after His commandments
Deut.11:26,27 - I set before you...a blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God
Josh.1:8 - Meditate therein (the Word)...observe to do all that is written therein: then shalt thou have success
A. Souls are saved:
Rom.5:19 - By the obedience of one shall many be made righteous
1Tim.4:16b - Heed the doctrine...in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, & them that hear thee
B. Spiritual blessings:
Exo.19:5 - If ye will obey My voice...ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people
Jer.7:23 - Obey My voice, & I will be your God, & ye...My people
Jn.13:17 - If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them
Jn.15:10 - If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My Love
Jn.15:14 - Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you
Acts 5:32 - The Holy Ghost...given to them that obey (God)
1Pet.1:22 - Ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth
(See also Jam.1:25)
C. Material blessings:
Deut.28:2 - All these blessings shall come on thee, & overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the Lord
Deut.32:46,47 - Set your hearts unto all the Words...& through this ye shall prolong your days in the land
Job 36:11 - If they obey & serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, & their years in pleasures
Isa.1:19 - If ye be willing & obedient, ye shall eat good of land
Jer.38:20 - Obey...voice of the Lord: so it shall be well unto thee, & thy soul shall live
Heb.11:8 - Abraham, when he was called to go into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed
(See also Deut.28:1-14; Jer.35:18,19.)
D. Protection:
Exo.23:22 - If thou shalt obey & do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies
Lev.25:18 - Do My statutes...& shall dwell in the land in safety
A. Exhortations to submit to pastors & spiritual brethren:
Heb.13:17 - Obey them that...rule over you, & submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls
Heb.13:7 - Remember them which have rule...whose faith follow
1Cor.11:1 - Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ
Phi.3:17 - Be followers of me &...them which walk so, as ye have us for an (example)
(See also 1Cor.16:16; 2Cor.2:9.)
B. Obeying wholeheartedly, "as unto the Lord & not unto men":
Eph.6:5 - Be obedient...in singleness of heart, as unto Christ
Eph.6:6 - Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart
Col.3:22 - Not...menpleasers; singleness of heart, fearing God
Col.3:23,24 - Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, & not unto men...for ye serve Christ
Phlm.21 - I wrote...knowing that thou wilt do more than I say
Lk.22:42 - Nevertheless, not My will, but Thine, be done (See also Mat.26:39,42)
Jn.5:30 - I seek not Mine Own will, but the will of the Father
Jn.14:31 - As the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do
Phi.2:7,8 - (Jesus) took upon Him the form of a servant...& became obedient unto death
Heb.5:8 - Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience
A. Let the Lord have His way in your life:
Job 1:21 - Lord gave, &...hath taken away; blessed be the Lord
Isa.64:8 - Lord...we are the clay, & Thou our potter
Mat.6:10 - Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done
Jn.3:30 - He must increase, but I must decrease
Rom.12:1 - Present your bodies a living sacrifice...unto God
Jam.4:7 - Submit yourselves therefore to God
(See also Mat.26:39; Lk.1:38; Rom.6:13,16.)
B. Submit your plans to God:
Heb.6:3 - This will we do, if God permit
Jam.4:15 - Ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall do this
C. Obeying God even when it hurts:
Gen.22:2,12 - Take thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, & offer him for a burnt offering (See also Heb.11:17-19)
Jer.42:6 - Whether it be good, or whether it be evil [hard to do] we will obey the voice of the Lord our God
Mat.26:38-54 - [Jesus agonised in prayer, knowing the cost, but then yielded to God's will. See also Lk.22:44; Jn.18:11.]
D. Yield to God & pray for His leading:
Psa.27:11 - Teach me Thy way, O Lord, & lead me in a plain path
Psa.139:23,24 - Search me, O God, & know my heart...know my thoughts: & lead me in the way everlasting
Psa.143:10 - Teach me to do Thy will; for Thou art my God: lead me
E. Yielding to God spares you from judgments:
2Chr.30:8 - Yield yourselves unto the Lord...that His wrath may turn away from you
Mat.21:44 - Whosoever shall fall on this Stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him
Acts 4:13-20 - Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you (Pharisees) more than unto God, judge ye
Acts 5:29 - We ought to obey God rather than men
(See also 1Sam.22:17; 1Ki.18:3,13; Ezra 4:21; 5:1-5; Dan.3:1-25; 6:1-13; Heb.11:23.)
1Sam.15:23 - Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, & stubbornness is as iniquity & idolatry
Mat.7:26,27 - Heareth these sayings of Mine, & doeth them not...a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand
Jam.1:23,24 - A hearer of the Word, & not a doer, is like a man beholding his face...& straightway forgetteth
A. Merely "agreeing" is not enough:
Ezk.33:30-33 - They sit before thee as My people & they hear thy words, but they will do them not
Mat.21:28-31b - He answered & said, "I go, sir": & went not
Mat.23:2,3 - Do not after their works: for they say, & do not
Lk.6:46 - Why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, & do not the things I say?
Tit.1:16 - They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being...disobedient
(See also Jer.42:1-22; 43:1-4.)
B. "Good works" not a substitute for obedience:
1Sam.15:22 - Hath the Lord as great delight in... sacrifices, as in obeying? To obey is better than sacrifice
Jer.7:22,23 - I spake not...concerning sacrifices. But this thing commanded I them, Obey My voice
Mat.7:22,23 - Have we not...in Thy name done many wonderful works? Depart from Me (Jesus), ye that work iniquity
Lk.11:42 - Ye tithe...& pass over judgment & love. These ought ye to have done, & not to leave the other undone
C. Half-hearted obedience:
2Chr.25:2 - He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart
Jer.3:10 - (She) hath not turned unto Me with her whole heart, but feignedly
Acts 5:1-11 - [Ananias & Sapphira pretended to give all, but kept back part of the money from the sale of their land]
A. Being deceived:
Gen.3:13 - [Eve said:], "The serpent beguiled me, & I did eat" (See also 2Cor.11:3)
1Ki.13:1-26 - [The young prophet was deceived by the old prophet & disobeyed the Lord's original instructions]
Gal.3:1 - Who bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth?
Gal.5:7 - Who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
B. Having a "better idea":
1Sam.15:2-15 - Thus saith the Lord, "Utterly destroy all they have!" (Saul) spared the best...to sacrifice to the Lord
Pro.3:5,6 - Lean not unto thine own understanding
Act 21:4,10-14 - [Paul was warned by the Spirit to not go to Jerusalem, but his heart was set on it]
C. Lack of love for others:
Jon.1:1-3; 4:2 - [Jonah disobeyed & fled from God, knowing God would be merciful to the Ninevites, his enemies]
1Jn.3:16,17 - Whoso hath this world's good [& doesn't help a needy brother], how dwelleth the love of God in him?
D. Fear of man:
1Sam.15:24 - I transgressed the commandment of the Lord...because I feared the people, & obeyed their voice
Pro.29:25 - The fear of man bringeth a snare
Jer.38:17-20 - [Zedekiah disobeyed God out of fear of his opponents]
Jn.12:42,43 - Many believed on Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him
E. Lack of faith in the Word:
Gen.3:1-6 - [Eve believed the devil's lies & doubted God's Word]
Gen.19:14 - [Lot's sons-in-law thought his warning to flee Sodom was merely a joke]
Num.20:7-12 - [Moses hit the rock twice instead of speaking to it]
1Sam.13:8-14 - [Saul, doubting that Samuel would come, sinned by impatiently offering the sacrifice himself]
1Pet.2:7,8 - Them which stumble at the Word, being disobedient
2Thes.2:12 - Believed not the truth, but had pleasure in (sin)
F. Being distracted by less important things:
1Ki.20:39,40 - "Keep this man." As thy servant was busy here & there, he was gone
Lk.14:15-24 - [The Lord invited men to His supper, but they all made excuses, saying they had other things to do]
G. For material gain:
1Ki.20:29-34, 42 - [Captured king promised king Ahab cities & markets, so Ahab let him go, instead of slaying him]
2Ki.5:14-16, 20-27 - [Elisha refused to receive any reward, but his servant, Gehazi, disobeyed & accepted it & was judged]
H. Pride:
2Chr.26:14-20 - [King Uzziah, lifted up in pride, broke the law]
3Jn.9,10 - [An exalted pastor refused to obey the apostle John]
I. Allowing disobedience to become a habit:
Jer.22:21 - This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not My voice
Jer.3:25 - From our youth even unto this day, (we) have not obeyed the Lord (See also Eccl.8:11)
A. Use the Word to teach & warn them:
Ezk.2:3-7 - Speak My Words unto them...they are most rebellious
Ezk.3:17,18 - Hear the Word...& give them warning from Me
B. Win them with your example, not just your words:
1Cor.9:19 - I made myself servant to all, that I might [win them]
2Tim.2:24-26 - Servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle... patient...instructing...to acknowledging of the truth
1Pet.3:1-4 - That, if any obey not the Word, they may without the Word be won by the [way of life]
(See also Jam.5:19,20.)
C. Try to get them to change:
Lk.1:17 - Turn the...disobedient to the wisdom of the just
D. Keep an eye on them:
Pro.29:15 - A child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame
E. Do not keep company with them:
Eph.5:11 - Have no fellowship with [them], but rather reprove them
2Thes.3:6 - Withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, & not after the (instructions)
2Thes.3:14 - If any man obey not our word...have no company with him
1Tim.6:3-5 - If any man...consent not...from such withdraw thyself
F. If the offence isn't serious, don't give up on them:
2Thes.3:14,15 - If any man obey not our word by this epistle...count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother
Deut.11:26,28 - I set before you...a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord (See also Jer.11:3)
Josh.5:6 - (They) walked 40 years in the wilderness, till all the people...were consumed, because they obeyed not
Judg.2:2,3 - Ye have not obeyed...I will not drive (enemies) out
1Sam.12:15 - If ye will not obey...the Lord (will) be against you
1Sam.15:23b - Because thou hast rejected the Word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king
1Ki.13:all - [Young prophet disobeyed God by heeding the old prophet, & was slain by a lion]
Psa.68:6 - The rebellious dwell in a dry land
Isa.1:20 - If ye refuse & rebel, ye shall be devoured with sword
Jer.3:25 - Confusion covereth us: for we have...not obeyed
Jer.18:10 - If (they) obey not...then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them
Dan.9:11 - (Did) not obey Thy voice; therefore curse is poured
Dan.9:14 - The Lord watched upon the evil, & brought it upon us: for we obeyed not His voice
Mat.7:26,27 - Every one that heareth (My) sayings & doeth not...foolish...house on sand...great was the fall of it
Lk.12:47 - (He) which knew his Lord's will, & [did not] according to His will, shall be beaten with many stripes
(See also Gen.3:6,16-19; Deut.28:15-67; Jer.9:13-16; 12:17; 32:23; Eph.5:6.)
Mat.7:24,25 - Whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, & doeth them...wise man, which built his house upon a rock
1Cor.3:11-14 - [Jesus is the foundation; build with gold of obedience not with wood, hay & stubble of disobedience]
1Cor.15:58 - Be steadfast, unmoveable...in the work of the Lord
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family International