Synopsis of My Sermon at Cathedral Church of St.
Peter Asaba today 16th July, 2017
Topic:
Obeying God Courageously
Text: Act 5:
26 – 29
Food for
Thought: A true disciple of Christ, in all things
denies his own will, however pleasing, and does the will of God, however
painful.
Introduction: Obedience is doing what
God says not counting the cost or implications. It was Emmons in PowerBible
Online that said, “Obedience to God is the most infallible evidence of sincere
and supreme love for him.” We have so many passages in the scriptures of men
and women that were courageous in obeying God. Abraham (Genesis 22:1 – 3),
Daniel and 3 Hebrew friends, Mary, mother of Jesus and the Apostles as we have
in Acts 5:17 – 32 as examples.
Development: In our text is a
challenging story for Christians of today. Since I became a Christian, I have
never seen Christians as fearful as what we have in this decade. I always
wonder where we have kept Christ our Saviour. The Apostles were remanded in
prison for preaching and doing miracles in the name of Jesus. But an angel of
God opened the prison and brought them out with the command to go back and
continue preaching. They obeyed God’s instruction through the angel and went
back to preach. If it were you and I of this generation, we will not go back
again. These Apostles knew there was danger in facing the Chief priest and
Sadducees that crucified Jesus Christ. If they could arrest and crucified Jesus,
their case would have been a small one but that didn’t deter them. We know how
the story ended.
Ø
It
takes faith to obey God courageously as we have in the case of these Apostles,
Abraham, Daniel, etc. This implies that courageous obedience is the fruit of
faith. If your faith is not strong you cannot obey God fully and courageously. An
example of this is in payment of tithe. If you don’t have faith, you won’t
believe that your salary will be enough for you and your family for the month.
Ø
Courageous
obedience goes with conflicts, trials and temptations. We know the case of Job
that it was his resolve to obey God that made Satan to afflict him with
sickness. We know what the resolve of Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego led to.
What of Daniel, Jeremiah and others? That we have conflicts, temptations and
trials going with courageous obedience doesn’t mean that we should be scare of
obeying God.
Ø
Courageous
obedience attracts God’s intervention and blessings. We saw it in the case of
Abraham, Jeremiah, Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego, and the Apostles. In
the case of Abraham, God said, "By myself I have sworn, says the Lord,
because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son
- blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants
as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your
descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the
nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” Note
also the aftermath of the deliverance of Daniel from Lion’s den, Shadrach,
Meshach and Abednego from the burning furnace. God does not only intervene, He
also blesses us when we obey Him courageously.
Application: Beloved, obedience to God
is a command. Seneca Snr says, “We are born subjects and to obey God is perfect
liberty. He that does this shall be free, safe and happy.” You can only find
peace and be at liberty when you courageously obey and serve God. It is also a
way to reach our desired goals in life. Today, many people are living in fear
and can notice that in their prayers which are targeted against the enemies
instead of asking for the blessings of God. Look at the example of the
apostles! They didn’t begin to bind the powers of Chief Priest and Sadducees
rather they asked for more boldness to preach the gospel.
Conclusion: Fear is evidence of love
for the things of the world while courageous obedience is an evidence of a
crucified life. Have you been crucified with Christ? If yes, continue to live
for him without counting the cost or implications. If not, know that you are in
danger and needs repentance. Today, as you accept Jesus into your life as Lord
and Saviour, He will grant you the courage to live for Him and to obey Him.
Let us pray: Thank God for His word. If you are
here and you haven’t made Jesus your Lord and Saviour, pray and ask God to
forgive you, accept Him into your life and ask Him to grant you the grace to live for and obey Him courageously
henceforth. If you have been obeying God, ask for grace to continue to obey Him.
NB:
DEAR READER, IF YOU HAVE NOT GIVEN YOUR LIFE TO CHRIST AND YOU ARE TOUCHED TO
DO SO NOW, SAY THIS PRAYER:
Lord
God, I come to you this day. I have been living in sin but your word has
touched my heart. I repent of my sin. I acknowledge that I am responsible for
my sinfulness. Have mercy upon me and forgive all my sins. Today, I accept Jesus
Christ as my Lord and Saviour. Lord Jesus Christ, forgive my sins and blot out
my name from the book of death and write my name in the life. Grant me the
grace I need to live for you especially the grace to obey courageously. I ask
this in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour. Amen.
You can reach me for counseling
and prayers on this place or write to me on morgantabu@yahoo.co.uk and I will
arrange a chat with you. God bless you and have a great week.
