6TH APRIL, 2023
PASTOR OLUBI JOHNSON
LEARNING OBEDIENCE
Hebrews 5:8 NKJV
…though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
We can learn anything by receiving instruction about it and by practicing it. In the same way, we can learn obedience just like the Lord Jesus did (Heb. 5:8).
The Lord Jesus learned obedience by receiving instruction on how to obey God from the Holy Spirit, through the written Word, and then acting on those instructions.
He grew in obedience by gradually receiving higher and higher levels of instructions, and acting on them until He completed or perfected His obedience by going to the cross.
Philippians 2:8 NKJV
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
We too are to learn obedience the same way: by receiving instructions from the Holy Spirit through the written Word, and acting on those instructions. When we fail, we are to be honest about it, find out why we failed, correct it and so by instruction and practice gradually, like Christ, perfect obedience in our lives.
Now, why is there suffering in obeying God?
This is because there is satanic opposition to obeying God. Satan causes persecution and affliction to arise for the Word’s sake, to discourage and force us by spiritual power to disobey God (Mk. 4:13-20; Rom. 7:15-23).
So you can only successfully learn obedience by learning and practicing the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:2-3).
Why should we learn obedience?
Firstly, to love and please God (Jn. 15:9-10).
Secondly, to be able to receive answers to our prayers (1Jn. 3:22).
So, by using the life of God, the written Word and the power of the Holy Spirit to frequently, during the course of every day, spiritually anesthetize and flush out the sin nature seeking to operate in or through our souls and bodies, we can learn and gradually perfect obedience (2Cor. 4:10-13; Rom. 8:13).
We anesthetize the sin nature by being honest about our sins and confessing them. This causes the blood of Jesus to flow to cleanse and remove the block of sin and restore and maintain fellowship with God (1Jn. 1:9).
We flush out the sin nature when we receive the life of God by faith in scriptures that promise life and then pray in the Spirit with travail and all types of prayer (Gal. 4:19).
This is the process of the forming of Christ’s character, by the gradual removal of the sin nature from the soul and body. When we got born again, the sin nature was removed instantly and completely from the human spirit, but not from the soul or body (Rom. 8:10-11).
So by using the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, we learn obedience as the Lord Jesus did.
Matthew 11:29 NKJV
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
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