THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH

Hebrews 11:8

  1. Intro.
    1. what a blessing it would be if we were all trained by the Holy Spirit to be perfectly obedient
      1. if the whole world would obey the Lord, it would be heaven on earth
      2. perfect obedience to God would mean love among all men, justice for all, and peace on earth
      3. it is our wills that bring envy, malice, and war
      4. if we obeyed the Lord’s will, we would receive love, joy, and rest
    2. our text states "by faith Abraham…obeyed"
      1. many believe that the doctrine of justification by faith is opposed to obedience
      2. we who believe in justification by faith also teach the obedience of faith
    3. faith is the fountain, the foundation, and the fosterer of obedience
      1. men do not obey God until the believe Him
      2. we preach faith so that men may be brought to obedience
      3. Jesus shed His blood so that He might cleanse us from dead work, and then make us a people "zealous of good works"
      4. obedience is the primary objective of the work of grace in those who have believed
  2. the obedience that comes from faith
    1. the obedience that comes from faith is a noble obedience
      1. the obedience of a slave is like the obedience of a well trained dog
      2. a person that obeys because he has no choice in the matter, his obedience is of little value before God
      3. the obedience of faith springs from an internal principle and not from an external compulsion
    2. the obedience of faith is sustained by the sober reasoning of the mind and the warmest passion of the heart
  3. the kind of faith that produces obedience
    1. our faith is in God’s right to command
      1. our glorious God has a right to every breath we breathe, and to every ability of our being
      2. the Lord is our Father, but He is "our Father which art in heaven"
      3. our loyalty is based on a faith in God being our Lawgiver and our Ruler
        1. He is King, and His will is not to be questioned
        2. His every word is law, and we should never question His right to command
      4. because we have faith in God as Lord of all, we gladly say "Thy will be done in earth, as in heaven"
    2. our faith is in the justness of God’s commands
      1. our God is not a tyrant, neither can He nor would He will anything except what is right
      2. we should never think that the Word of God is incorrect in any matter (not history or science)
      3. if the Lord is God, then He must be infallible
      4. if God is in error over little matters, then He cannot be trusted in the greater matters
      5. the words of God are like "fine gold"; pure, precious, and weighty – not one of them to be neglected
      6. an unshakable belief that God is right, is the spirit of obedience that the Lord desires
    3. our faith is in our personal obligation to obey
      1. Abraham was not concerned with what God told others to do, but only with the command given to him
      2. it is easy to find faults in others, but we need to turn the magnifying glass on ourselves
      3. it does not matter what others are doing, we must hear and obey our God
      4. our service to God is our freedom
        1. to delight in Him is our delight
        2. it is a blessed thing when the inmost nature yearns to obey God
    4. our faith in God is our supreme belief
      1. as gold is to all other metals, so is our trust in God to all other trust
      2. we must have a supreme faith in God, or else the will of God will not be the sovereign rule of our life
      3. only a supreme faith in God will make us subject to Him, so that we obey in all things
    5. true faith means action [by faith Abraham…obeyed]
      1. the faith that distinguishes the child of God is the faith that makes us obey
      2. the only way we can obey is by faith alone
  4. the kind of obedience that faith produces
    1. it produces immediate obedience
      1. Abraham immediately responded to the command (delayed obedience is disobedience)
      2. to refuse to do right is a great evil, but it is far worse to continue in that refusal
      3. when God commanded Abraham to leave, he did not say that he would have to think it over
        1. he did not discuss the pros and cons of the command
        2. he did not ask his father or his neighbors for their advise
    2. it produces exact obedience
      1. it is interesting how people try to give God something other than what He ask for
        1. He ask for our heart, and they give Him ceremonies
        2. He ask for obedience, and they give Him man-made religions
        3. He ask for faith, love, and justice, but they offer meaningless sacrifices
        4. they will give everything except the one thing that will please Him
      2. "to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" – I Samuel 15:22
    3. it produced farseeing obedience [was called to go out into a place which he should after receive]
      1. how many people would obey God if they were paid for it on the spot
      2. those who practice the obedience of faith look for the future reward
        1. to them the cross is a burden and a place of rest
        2. they know the saying, "no cross, no crown"
        3. this requires a faith that has eyes that can "see afar off"
    4. it produces an unquestioning obedience [he went out, not knowing whither he went]
      1. when God commanded Abraham to journey, he moved his camp at once
      2. there is no need to preach caution nowadays, because there are so few willing to take any risk for the truth
        1. our forefathers had little regard for land or liberty when these stood in the way of conscience
        2. they defied exile and danger rather than give up one grain of truth
        3. their descendant prefer peace and worldly amusement
        4. they pride themselves on "culture" rather than heroic faith
      3. once we have discerned the voice of God, obey it without question, even if it means standing alone
    5. it produces continuous obedience
      1. Abraham never turned back
      2. Abraham’s whole life can be summed up in this way: "by faith Abraham…obeyed"
  5. the life of faith and obedience
    1. is a life without risk
      1. we are in the greatest risk when we are running our life
      2. failure itself is success as long as we did not fail to obey
      3. what come out of our life is God’s concern, but to obey is our sole concern
    2. is a life of the highest honor
    3. is a life of communion with God
      1. God comes down to walk with those who obey
      2. God can only have fellowship with those servant who obey
      3. obedience is the preparation for our being in heaven
      4. obedience is eternal life revealing itself in us