Luke 6:1-11
We've been thinking about forgiveness, repentance and conversion. We now turn our attention to obedience. Those who have received the forgiveness of their sins, turning to the Lord and receiving new life from Him, are called to life in obedience to Him. Jesus obeyed God perfectly. His obedience to God was very different from the religion of the Pharisees. In our obedience to God, we are to follow Jesus. We are not to be modern-day Pharisees.
How did Jesus' obedience to God differ from the religion of the Pharisees? The Pharisees were very strict. they were extremists. They were fanatics. they had a high opinion of themselves. Jesus had a very different opinion of them. He could see through them, He saw their religion for what it really was. It was sterile. There was nothing of the life of God in it. It was empty. There was nothing of the power of God in it. It was futile. There was nothing of the purpose of God in it. There religion was all about keeping the law. They had missed the most important thing of all - loving the Lord. They were preoccupied with outward appearances. They failed to see that God looks into our hearts and says, "Where is is your love for Me?" Jesus' obedience to God was very different. Jesus obeyed God because He loved God. His heart was full of love for God. Jesus was filled with the Spirit of God. Jesus found His true joy in doing His Father's will.
To understand the difference between Jesus' obedience and the religion of the Pharisees, we need to take a close look at the way in which God introduces Himself at the beginning of the Ten Commandments. Before we come to the first commandment, we have God's description of Himself in Exodus 20:2 - "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." It is vital that we do not skip the first of the Ten Commandments. These words show us the importance of knowing the Lord. They show us the importance of knowing Him as our Saviour. Before we can obey God, we must come to know Him as our Lord and our Saviour. Obedience to God is always more than simply keeping the law. It is always more than simply keeping up outward appearances. We need to know Him as the Lord our God, our great Saviour. We need to know the love of God. We need to know that He loves us. When we know that we are loved by God, we are drawn to Him. Through His love, we are drawn to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus speaks to us His wonderful words of love: "Friend, your sins are forgiven" (Luke 5:20). When we hear His words of love, there is a great change in our lives. He calls us, through His Word of love, to a new life, a life of repentance, a life in which we leave the old self-centred life behind us and we begin to walk with Christ in a new Christ-centred life. This is the message which comes to us from the opening words of the Ten Commandments.
We have been redeemed by the Lord. He redeemed His people, Israel, bringing them out of their bondage in the land of Egypt, the land of slavery. He has redeemed us through the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The call to obedience, the call to "be holy", is grounded in the fact of God's love for us, the wonderful fact that Christ died for us to bring us to God, giving us a new life, a new desire to please God and give all the glory to Him. Our obedience to God must be very different from the religion of the Pharisees. There can be no place in our hearts for the attitude of pride: "I am not like other men" (Luke 18:11). we must not be like the Pharisees who looked down on other people and said, "We are superior. We are better than them. We are the righteous ones." What did Jesus say about those who regard themselves as righteous? This is what He said - "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:32). There's only one attitude which must inspire our obedience to God. It's the attitude of gratitude. We're to do God's will with a thankful heart. As we live for Christ, we are to be forever grateful that He died for us. We are to serve the Lord with cheerfulness.
Where does this joy come from? It comes from the Lord. He puts His joy into our hearts. Our obedience begins with conversion - turning from the old life, receiving the new life. This is a new birth. It comes from above. It is being born of God. The new birth - being born of the Holy Spirit: this is where our joyful obedience comes from. It is obedience inspired by the love of Christ, obedience in the power of the Holy Spirit. May God help us, through faith in Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit, to rise above the religion of the Pharisees and glorify God in true obedience.
How did Jesus' obedience to God differ from the religion of the Pharisees? The Pharisees were very strict. they were extremists. They were fanatics. they had a high opinion of themselves. Jesus had a very different opinion of them. He could see through them, He saw their religion for what it really was. It was sterile. There was nothing of the life of God in it. It was empty. There was nothing of the power of God in it. It was futile. There was nothing of the purpose of God in it. There religion was all about keeping the law. They had missed the most important thing of all - loving the Lord. They were preoccupied with outward appearances. They failed to see that God looks into our hearts and says, "Where is is your love for Me?" Jesus' obedience to God was very different. Jesus obeyed God because He loved God. His heart was full of love for God. Jesus was filled with the Spirit of God. Jesus found His true joy in doing His Father's will.
To understand the difference between Jesus' obedience and the religion of the Pharisees, we need to take a close look at the way in which God introduces Himself at the beginning of the Ten Commandments. Before we come to the first commandment, we have God's description of Himself in Exodus 20:2 - "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." It is vital that we do not skip the first of the Ten Commandments. These words show us the importance of knowing the Lord. They show us the importance of knowing Him as our Saviour. Before we can obey God, we must come to know Him as our Lord and our Saviour. Obedience to God is always more than simply keeping the law. It is always more than simply keeping up outward appearances. We need to know Him as the Lord our God, our great Saviour. We need to know the love of God. We need to know that He loves us. When we know that we are loved by God, we are drawn to Him. Through His love, we are drawn to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus speaks to us His wonderful words of love: "Friend, your sins are forgiven" (Luke 5:20). When we hear His words of love, there is a great change in our lives. He calls us, through His Word of love, to a new life, a life of repentance, a life in which we leave the old self-centred life behind us and we begin to walk with Christ in a new Christ-centred life. This is the message which comes to us from the opening words of the Ten Commandments.
We have been redeemed by the Lord. He redeemed His people, Israel, bringing them out of their bondage in the land of Egypt, the land of slavery. He has redeemed us through the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The call to obedience, the call to "be holy", is grounded in the fact of God's love for us, the wonderful fact that Christ died for us to bring us to God, giving us a new life, a new desire to please God and give all the glory to Him. Our obedience to God must be very different from the religion of the Pharisees. There can be no place in our hearts for the attitude of pride: "I am not like other men" (Luke 18:11). we must not be like the Pharisees who looked down on other people and said, "We are superior. We are better than them. We are the righteous ones." What did Jesus say about those who regard themselves as righteous? This is what He said - "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:32). There's only one attitude which must inspire our obedience to God. It's the attitude of gratitude. We're to do God's will with a thankful heart. As we live for Christ, we are to be forever grateful that He died for us. We are to serve the Lord with cheerfulness.
Where does this joy come from? It comes from the Lord. He puts His joy into our hearts. Our obedience begins with conversion - turning from the old life, receiving the new life. This is a new birth. It comes from above. It is being born of God. The new birth - being born of the Holy Spirit: this is where our joyful obedience comes from. It is obedience inspired by the love of Christ, obedience in the power of the Holy Spirit. May God help us, through faith in Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit, to rise above the religion of the Pharisees and glorify God in true obedience.
