Storm

“STORM: Finding Jesus in the Gathering Dark”—4

www.newperceptions.tv

• Two four-letter words
  • 1 Samuel 15:22-23—“To is better than sacrifice . . . for rebellion [disobedience] is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry [the worship of ].”
    • At the heart of our trouble with the 4-letter word “obey” is our trouble with the 4-letter word “ .”
    • After all doesn’t “obey” mean you must accept someone else’s authority over your ?
  • Romans 6:16-18—“. . . you are slaves of the one you —whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to , which leads to righteousness.”
    • Bob Dylan is right—“You’re gonna have to serve somebody”—so pick your  carefully.
  • John 15:5—“‘I am the Vine; you are the branches. If you abide   and I , you will bear much fruit.’”
  • John 14:15—“‘If you   Me,   [obey] My commandments.’”
• One four-letter example
  • Obedience is by —i.e., obeying God comes through God.
  • Hebrews 2:13—“I will put My trust in Him” is called “the   of Jesus.”
  • Hebrews 5:7-9
    • F. F. Bruce: “. . . Son of God though he was—even he was granted no exemption from the common law that learning comes by suffering.” (Hebrews 130)
    • “Son though He was, He learned from what He suffered.”
    • “He became the source of eternal salvation for all who Him.”
    • F. F. Bruce: “We learn to be obedient because of the unpleasant consequences which follow disobedience. It was not so with him. . . . He set out from the start on the path of obedience to God, and learned by the sufferings which came his way in consequence just what obedience to God involved in practice in the conditions of human life on earth.” (Hebrews 131)
  • Yes, but what if the Tempter comes to me and whispers, ‘Indulge your desire’—what do I do then?”
    • You call upon “the faith of Jesus.”
    • “How do I do that?”
    • Repeat the 7 words: “I will put my trust in Him.”
    • And then walk away.
    • “But what if the devil follows me?”
    • Keep repeating “the faith of Jesus”—“I will put my trust in Him.”
  • Illus: Desire of Ages 668: “All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims [Christ in us], so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will [we in Christ], that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. . . . When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of obedience. Through [1] an appreciation of the character of Christ, through [2] communion with God, sin will become hateful to us.”

“I will put my trust in Him.”