Genesis: Creation, Fall, and Dominion

The Scope of Christian Obedience

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2016-08-16

Synopsis: John Weaver teaches that the scope of Christian obedience is the totality of life—obedience in all things. Using arguments from the lesser to the greater, he shows that if children and servants must obey earthly authorities, how much more must believers obey God. The fall of Adam and Eve illustrates the shift from a commandment-oriented life to a feeling- and desire-oriented life, which is the root of all disobedience. Examples from Achan and Samson reinforce that living by feelings and desires leads to destruction. Ezekiel's obedience in the face of his wife's sudden death demonstrates that no circumstance, feeling, or desire should hinder obedience to God's commands. The sermon concludes that salvation restores believers to a commandment-oriented life, and true love for God is proven by keeping His commandments.

[John Weaver] I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Ezekiel, chapter 24. Ezekiel 24. And we're going to be reading verses 15 through 18. And you just need to mark this passage. You're going to think this has absolutely nothing to do with the subject until I come back to it. So notice in Ezekiel, chapter 24, I was asked to deal tonight with the scope of Christian obedience. So in Ezekiel chapter 24, beginning there with verse 15, also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke.

[John Weaver] Yet neither shalt thou mourn, nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thy head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. So I spake unto the people in the morning, and in an even my wife died, and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

[John Weaver] When I was asked to preach upon this subject and I saw the full slate of subjects that were to be addressed by the speakers, the first thing that entered into my mind was that there was going to be some serious overlap in these messages. We cannot help but to impinge upon each other as we deal with the subject of obedience. The second thought that entered my mind was this. That's good. Repetition aids learning.

[John Weaver] So maybe you'll hear something over and over again until finally it settles down. But when we talk about the scope of Christian obedience, I like to think when I use the word scope of hunting, because everybody needs a scope, a good scope. And when you look through the scope, you are actually thinking about the range or the extent of your view. So when you talk about the scope of Christian obedience, you could be talking about the view, the outlook, the range. You could be talking about the application, the operation, the effectiveness. You could even also include aim or purpose. So in reality, this subject could be exceedingly broad, but I'm going to limit it tonight. So if we use the word scope. basically deal with the extent or range of obedience, then there are some very succinct answers given to us in the scripture when one understands what is called arguing from the lesser to the greater.

[John Weaver] Now, our Lord did that in Matthew chapter six. You remember, he said, consider the birds of the field. And then he went on to say, are you not much more valuable than these birds, consider the lilies of the field. They do not toil or spin, yet Solomon in all of his glory is not arrayed as one of these. And then he went on and applied it. So what he is saying is here's an argument on something what you and I would call the lesser, but it extends to the greater.

[John Weaver] So, if I were to just simply ask you, are we not children of our Heavenly Father? And the answer, of course, is yes. Then we have the admonition in Colossians 3 in verse 20, Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord. Now, if God then requires children to be in obedience to their earthly parents, how much more does God require us to be in submission and obedience to our Heavenly Father. Does God then command servants to be obedient to their masters? And the answer is yes. Well, are we servants or are we slaves? And the answer is yes.

[John Weaver] 1 Corinthians 6, verses 19-20 make that exceedingly clear. When God says what? Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God? You are not your own, for you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and your spirit which are his. Well, now, if we are servants and if we are slaves, What does our Lord tell us in Colossians chapter 3 and verse 22? He said, servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God. So then, if God requires servants or slaves to be in obedience to their earthly masters, how much more then are we to be in obedience and submission to our heavenly master? And if that's not clear, I do want you to look in Acts chapter 3. Notice, if you would, in Acts chapter 3 in verse 22. Because in this particular passage, the Word of God is talking about our Lord Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] And in Acts 3 in verse 22, the Bible says, For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you like unto your brethren, like unto me, from among your brethren, like unto me. This is from Deuteronomy 18. Notice if you would, him shall you hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. So interestingly enough, it doesn't matter if we're talking about children, it doesn't matter if we're talking about servants, it doesn't matter if we're talking about Christ. The Bible says that we are to be in obedience to Him in all things. So the scope of our obedience is basically the totality of our lives. It is to be absolutely complete in all things. Let me try to break it down like this. We're not to be obedient just in those things that we like. We're not to be obedient just in those things that we agree with. We're not to be obedient just to those things that we choose. We are to be obedient in absolutely everything in the totality of our lives.

[John Weaver] Now let me just explain it like this. First of all, we must recognize that He is the Father and we're the children. We must recognize that He is the Lord and we are the servants. We must recognize that He is the Creator and we are the creatures. We must recognize that He is the Redeemer and we are the redeemed. We must recognize that He is the one who is in control and we are to be controlled. We must recognize that He is the potter and we are the clay.

[John Weaver] The Apostle Paul himself said in Acts 17 in verse 28, for in Him we live and move and have our being. Have you ever stopped to think without God you would have no being? You would have absolutely nothing. Everything that we are, everything that we have is from Him.

[John Weaver] Now, if we do not recognize this simple truth, we will never, ever be obedient in the way that we should be. Obviously, there are many Christians, or professing Christians, that have fallen into the attitude of Pharaoh. You remember, Pharaoh said this in Exodus chapter 5 and verse 2. When Moses came up and said, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, Pharaoh responded and said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. So in other words, if you do not recognize God's sovereignty, you're not going to obey Him. If you don't understand that He is the Absolute, He is the Supreme One, He is Sovereign, and beside Him there is none else, you will absolutely never be in obedience the way that you should. We have to understand that our obedience, in one sense of the word, is based upon our view and our understanding of God.

[John Weaver] Let me put it like this. Total obedience requires total submission. And total submission requires the recognition of God, who He is, and also the recognition of ourselves, who we are and what we are. He's the Father, we're the child. He's the Lord, we're the servants. He's the Creator, we're the creature. You understand that? If you and I do not recognize God, if we do not know who He is, we cannot be obedient in the way that God commands us to be obedient. If we do not recognize our position before Him, We're never going to be obedient the way we should be obedient.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just say it again. You have to have a right view of God in order to be obedient in the totality of your life. So here's one thing I want you to learn tonight. Listen to me carefully. Obedience is a sovereignly dictated order of life. Let me say that again. Obedience is a sovereignly dictated order of life.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to prove this to you from Scripture before we come back to our text. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Genesis chapter 2. Here's a passage that everyone should be absolutely familiar with. Genesis chapter 2. And I'm just pointing out the fact that obedience is a sovereignly dictated order of life. Notice, if you would please, in Genesis chapter 2, beginning there with verse 15. Everyone knows how God created Adam, placed him in the garden. So here it is. And the Lord God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. That's a sermon right there just on keeping it. Notice verse 16, And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Now, go back to verse 16.

[John Weaver] The Bible said, And the Lord God commanded the man. The word commanded literally means to put under an oath. It means to give him a charge. Adam may have been vicegerent of the earth, he may have been governor of the garden, yet he was under obedience to God. His status, his position, his uniqueness did not exempt him from obedience. God sovereignly placed him in the garden, And God sovereignly reserved one tree for Himself. And God sovereignly said to Adam, out of all these other trees you may eat except this one. It is mine.

[John Weaver] I want to read to you what Matthew Henry said on Genesis chapter 2. Listen carefully. He said, a confirmation of His present happiness to him in that grant of every tree of the garden he may freely eat. This was not only an allowance of liberty to him in taking the delicious fruits of paradise as a recompense for his care and pains in dressing it and keeping it, but it was withal an assurance of life to him, immortal life, upon his obedience. For the tree of life being put in the midst of the garden as the heart and soul of it, doubtless God had an eye to that especially in this grant, and therefore when upon his revolt the grant is recalled, No notice is taken of any tree of the garden that is prohibited to him except the tree of life, of which it is said that he might have eaten and lived forever, that is, never died, never lost happiness."

[John Weaver] Now he goes on and he makes this statement, listen carefully,"...continue holy as thou art," it's God speaking to Adam,"...continue holy as thou art, in conformity to thy Creator's will, and thou shalt continue happy as thou art in the enjoyment of thy Creator's favor, either in this paradise or in a better." So here's what God did. God created Adam, placed him in that garden, and then God demanded a personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience. And had Adam Given God what God demanded, then, of course, paradise would have been assured not only to himself, but his posterity as well.

[John Weaver] Now, there are two things that you have to observe from this passage. The very first one is this. Adam was placed under a commandment oriented life. That was as simple as the nose on your face. Adam was placed under a commandment-oriented life. What did God say? God said, this do, and thou shalt live. That's a command. This do, and thou shalt die. That's a command. Adam was placed under a commandment-oriented life. Secondly, absolutely nothing was to get in the way of Adam's obedience to God. Because he was obligated to God. He owed God. God was his creator, his sustainer, his provider, his protector. Everything that he was and everything that he had belonged to God. God gave him everything. He owed God and therefore his obedience was to be first and foremost to God and rightly demanded by God. Wow.

[John Weaver] So you have to ask this question. What happened? Why did Adam not give God that which he demanded? Well, look in your Bibles, Genesis chapter three very quickly, and let's read beginning with verse one.

[John Weaver] Now, the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, Yea, have God said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden. And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die, for God doth know in the day that you eat thereof, that your eyes shall be open, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise. She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons."

[John Weaver] So, let's ask, as we look at this passage again, the simple question, what happened? The answer is not that Adam was tempted. Just because you're tempted does not necessarily mean that you have to yield to sin. There have been countless individuals that have been tempted that have never yielded to sin. Even our Lord was tempted. So listen to me carefully. Temptation in and of itself is not sin. Yielding to temptation is sin, but simply being tempted is not.

[John Weaver] What is Matthew chapter 4? Our Lord was driven into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. So temptation in and of itself is not necessarily sin. And so don't come up saying, well, here's what happened. They were just tempted. It's kind of like the little boy. His father told him not to go swimming in that canal, not to go swimming. So the father came home a little bit early and he saw his son coming back from the canal with wet swimming trunks in his hand. He stopped. He said, son, I thought I told you not to go swimming in that canal. He said, yes, sir, I know, but I was tempted. He said, well, son, why did you carry your swimming trunks? He said, just in case I got tempted. Well, you know, that's the way most of us are. We like our temptation. And we plan for temptation, but temptation of itself is not sin. So don't just say, well, the reason he fell was because he's tempted. A lot of people have been tempted and not necessarily have sinned.

[John Weaver] So the answer is not also that he was adding to the Word of God. I've heard that before. Notice if you would please look in verse three. But of the fruit of the tree of the garden, which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. Now, someone comes along and they'll say, Well, now, God did not say not to touch it. God said not to eat it. Well, let me just explain something to you.

[John Weaver] Do you understand what Eve is doing right here is really and truly declaring a principle. And I might say that is a biblical principle. By the way, when God forbids any act, At the same time, he forbids any and everything that would lead up to that act. You can't eat the fruit without touching the fruit, and what she is saying is that's God's fruit. I'm not to touch it because touching may lead to eating. For instance, has not God said thou shalt not commit murder? Well, of course. But do you realize when God forbids the act of murder, at the same time, He also forbids the unrighteous anger and hatred and strife that would lead up to murder? Has God commanded us not to commit adultery? Well, of course He has. But God does not just forbid the physical act of adultery and fornication. At the same time, He also forbids covetousness and lustfulness and evil desires that would lead up to that act. So when she said, Neither shall you touch it. She was enunciating a biblical principle.

[John Weaver] When God forbids any act, he forbids whatever would lead up to that act. So touching it would be a step toward eating, just as lusting would be a step toward adultery. So the answer is this. That which caused Adam to sin is exactly that which causes us to sin. The root of his disobedience is the root cause of our disobedience.

[John Weaver] Now, I know you've read this, and I know you've already heard this, but let me say it again. Eve was the first person to sin. She took the fruit and did eat, and gave her husband also. In fact, we are told expressly in 1 Timothy 2 and verse 14, and Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. But may I remind you that although the woman was the first one to sin, sin did not come into the world through the woman. It came into the world through Adam because God's covenant was with him. In Romans 5 and verse 12, the Word of God says, Wherefore, as by one man sin entered in the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.

[John Weaver] Now, the interesting thing is, when you look at that in the Greek, for that all have sinned, it's an aorist passive, which means it's something that has happened once and forever, and it's over and done with. It's not being repeated. When did all men sin? And the answer is, all men sinned in Adam. Now, Brother Jeff taught this last night, so I'm not going to go into it, but may I remind you, 1 Corinthians 15, verses 45-48 teaches us that Adam was our federal head and federal representative.

[John Weaver] What he did, we did. What he sinned, we sinned. What he fell, we fell. It's just that simple. You say, well, I don't like that. then you don't like salvation either, because our salvation is in Jesus Christ as our Federal Head. What He did, we did. And everything is tied up in Him as well. So, without going into detail, let me just show you what I'm driving at right now.

[John Weaver] Look, if you would please, in Genesis 3, verse 6. Remember, if you would please, when God put Adam in the garden, He placed him under a commandment or in need of life. This do, and thou shalt live. Do this and you'll die. Now watch verse six. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof and did eat and gave also to her husband with her and he did eat. Now, here's my question. Where is the word commandment in verse six? Obviously, it's not there. What you do read in verse six is about sight. Pleasantness. And desires. The point I want to make right now is this. What is actually happening with Adam and Eve is this they are forsaking a commandment-oriented life, and now they are falling into a feeling or a desire-oriented life. It is true that the woman took and ate, but she also gave to her husband.

[John Weaver] Now, the Bible tells us that Adam was not deceived. He knew exactly what he was doing. Now, there's been a lot of wonderful messages preached on why Adam did what he did, and I'm not going to go into that tonight, but the point I'm saying is this. If Adam only ate because now he knew that his wife was fallen, and he wanted to be with his wife, so he took and ate, then he still sinned because God had said, that he was to be obeyed.

[John Weaver] And you remember the first commandment is, thou shalt have no other gods before me. And Adam would essentially have been placing Eve before God, which would have been a sin anyhow. But he took an aid as well.

[John Weaver] Now, here's the interesting thing. Ever since the fall, mankind has been living a feeling and desire oriented life. When the fall came, feelings became all important. For instance, when God came walking into the garden in the cool of the day and said, Adam, where art thou? Where were they? Hiding. Now watch this. You would think that Adam, created in original righteousness, holiness and knowledge, would at least have had enough sense to come running to God and fall before Him and say, Oh, Lord God, I have sinned and my wife has sinned.

[John Weaver] We've done that which has been wicked and wrong and disobedient. We've transgressed Thy law. We've broken Thy commandment. Lord, please help us. Did he do that? No. What did they do? They ran. And they hid. Why? Because at this point, feelings are now more important than a commandment. In other words, it might embarrass us, it might hurt us, it might cause us bad feelings if we have to do something like that.

[John Weaver] No, no, it's easier to deny it or ignore it or pretend that it does not exist. Because our feelings are now paramount. Do you understand? No one today likes to be made to feel uncomfortable. Look at political correctness. Look at it. Look at all the stupidity that's going on because people feel unsafe or feel uncomfortable. That's just a demonstration of their fallen nature.

[John Weaver] Now, let me go a little bit further. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Joshua. Turn to Joshua chapter 6. And I want you to notice, if you would, beginning there, verses 16 and 17. We've just seen this in Adam and Eve. Actually, you could classify this as the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. That's basically what happened. But look in Joshua chapter 6, because now the children of Israel are about to conquer Jericho, and God gives a specific commandment in relationship to Jericho. Joshua chapter 6, notice verse 17, God says, And the city shall be accursed, even it and all that are therein, to the Lord.

[John Weaver] Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And you, in any wise, keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest you make yourselves accursed when you take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse and trouble it. But all the silver and gold and vessels of brass and iron are consecrated unto the Lord. They shall come into the treasury of the Lord."

[John Weaver] Now I want you to note what the Bible says. The Bible says this city is cursed. Everything is cursed. And God said don't touch anything in it. The silver and the gold and all this is going to come into the treasury of the Lord. But don't you touch it because you're going to make yourself a curse and you're going to make the camp of Israel a curse.

[John Weaver] So the command is absolutely plain. It's absolutely simple. Don't touch it. Don't take anything.

[John Weaver] Now, if you do, you're going to become accursed. It's a simple, straightforward command.

[John Weaver] Now, look at Joshua chapter seven, because you know how Achan took and stole. Notice, if you would, beginning there in verse 19. Watch carefully. Akin now has been singled out, by the way, Akin did not, did not come up and confess. He was singled out by God, and now he's being forced. Watch. And Joshua said unto Akin, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him, and tell me now what thou hast done.

[John Weaver] Hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua and said, Indeed, I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done. When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them, And behold, they were hid in the earth, in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran into the tent, and behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it."

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to note what he said, if you would. I saw it. I coveted it. And I took it. Do you realize that's exactly what Eve did? Do you realize that's what God says in 1 John 2 and verse 15? Love not the world, neither the things of the world. For all things of the world, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, are not of the Father, but of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof. But he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. So now you're saying exactly the same thing in Achan that you saw in Adam and Eve. Achan basically gave in to his desires. He gave in to his feelings. He saw that goodly Babylonian shaman. He wanted it. He wanted that 200 shekels of silver. He took it. He coveted. He lusted after it.

[John Weaver] And he ended up taking it. He was living a desire-oriented life. He was living a feeling-oriented life. And his desire and feeling-oriented life led to his destruction. And I might add, the destruction of his family. Had not Adam and Eve already proven this point, you cannot sin against God and escape. And now Achan proves this point with his life or the life of his family. No man is going to sin against God and escape. It's just that simple.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn right over to Judges chapter 14. Judges chapter 14. I'm just showing you how man, down through the ages, ever since the fall, has been living a feeling-oriented life, a desire-oriented life. In Judges 14, here's a very interesting passage. I've got a message that I preach on this passage. It explains a lot of things a little bit later on. I'm not going to get into that.

[John Weaver] But notice verse 1,"...And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. And he came up and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.

[John Weaver] Now therefore get her for me to wife." Then his father's mother said of him, Is there never a woman among the daughter of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said of his father, Get her for me, for she pleaseth me well." Now, wow! Every Israelite knew that God had forbidden intermarriage with pagans and with the heathen.

[John Weaver] It was plainly commanded, if you don't believe that, you can read it in Exodus 34, verses 12-16. You can read it in Deuteronomy 7, verses 1-5. No intermarriages were to take place, and especially with the Philistines. And when he says, I found this Philistine woman down in Timnath, I want you to get her for me to wife. The father said, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, son. Is there never a woman in your own tribe that you could marry? I mean, can't you find a sweet, beautiful Hebrew woman to marry? And look, and if you can't find one in this tribe, there are eleven other tribes. You don't have to take one out of this tribe. Just make sure she's a Hebrew. What did he say? I want you to look at it. Look in verse three. He said very plainly in verse 3, And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me, for she pleaseth me well. Check it out when you get home, the Hebrew word. Here's what he said. Get her for me.

[John Weaver] It's agreeable in my eyes. It's pleasing to me. I don't see anything wrong with it. Really? So not only is he violating plain commandments of God. He's now also violating the fifth commandment, honor thy father and thy mother. What is his attitude? My feelings have precedence over the commands of God. My desires come first. It doesn't matter what God commands. It doesn't matter what you want, Dad. It doesn't matter that God said, honor thy father and thy mother. No, no, no, no. I don't see a thing wrong with it. Get her for me.

[John Weaver] You know the story, of course. He never married her. She was given to his best friend. And if you turn over to chapter 16, we're not going to really look at all of this, but he went again to another Philistine woman, Delilah. And you know the story. You know what happened when she cut his hair off. Notice if you would please. Wow. Verse 19. Judges chapter 16, and she made him sleep upon her knees, and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head. And she began to afflict him, and a strength went from him.

[John Weaver] And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep and said, I will go out as in other times before and shake myself. And he whisped not that the Lord was departed from him. But the Philistines took him and put out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with fetters of brass, and he did grind in the prison house. Wow! Well, let's see.

[John Weaver] He lived by his feelings. He lived by his desires. It cost him his eyes. It cost him his ministry. It cost him his life. He lost everything. Why? Because he lived a feeling-oriented life. Here's the point of the message tonight. We must obey in all things. Literally, our lives are to be brought into totality and in conformity to the Word of God, period. Do you realize what I have been preaching so far is this?

[John Weaver] There are two main hindrances to obedience. And probably if you would examine your life and especially when you've been disobedient to God, one of these two hindrances is present. They are your feelings and your desires. I have heard so many people say, but I don't feel like obeying. Or I don't desire this in my life at this point. Let me tell you one of the major problems that we have in modern day Christendom, and that is this. Most people live by their feelings. They do not live by the commandments of God. They do not live by biblical principles. And consequently, it is a clever while of the devil to tempt men to think that they cannot do what God requires them to do simply because they don't feel like doing it.

[John Weaver] And their excuse is, I can't help myself. I just don't feel like it. Does God command us to pray? Pray without ceasing. But how many times have you said, well, I just don't feel like praying? Does God command us to study? Study to show yourselves approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly divided. But how many times... I just don't feel like studying. Does God command us to attend the public worship? Yeah, forsake not the assembling of yourselves. But I just don't feel like going today.

[John Weaver] It's not that you're sick. You just give in to your feelings. I don't feel like going to church. I don't feel like confessing my sin. I don't feel like making things right. I don't feel like confronting this brother. I don't feel like doing that or doing this. The problem is this. We've allowed our feelings to rule us rather than the Word of God. We have adopted the pagan philosophy, if it feels good, do it. And on the other hand, we've also adopted the pagan philosophy, if it doesn't feel good, I will not do it, regardless of what God commands. That's where we are. Most of us allow our desires to get ahead of the commandments of God.

[John Weaver] I have known professing Christian men whose goal was to be a millionaire, a multi-millionaire, and then serve God. Really? Well, I know God gives money to a lot of individuals, and I'm thankful that He does. But why don't you serve God now? Your desire to be a millionaire may never come to pass. And if God has ordained you to be one, you're going to be one, but you're going to be it through obedience more than anything else. But you see, what we do is we put our desires ahead of God. We put our feelings ahead of God.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to go back to our text in Ezekiel chapter 24. I want you to follow this with me. I want to demonstrate something to you from Scripture tonight. as we look at the scope of Christian obedience. And the scope is that we should be obedient in all things. Ezekiel is a prime illustration. Believe it or not, I have often asked myself, would I perform and obey as Ezekiel did, given the same set of circumstances? Let me tell you something about Ezekiel first. Ezekiel was a priest that God called to be a prophet.

[John Weaver] He was also in captivity in Babylon. Ezekiel was assigned to those Hebrews in Babylon, and he was also assigned to those who were yet to come to Babylon, because he prophesied and preached to those who had not yet been captured and taken captive. He was also a sign that the temple was going to be destroyed. So what we've got to see tonight is this. We need to see his obedience in the most stressful, emotional and feeling oriented situation that any man could possibly face.

[John Weaver] And that is the immediate and instant loss of his wife. Look at verse 16. In fact, let's read verse 15. Also, the word of the Lord came to me saying, so God is telling Ezekiel, son of man, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke. Let me just put it to you bluntly. Here's what God just told Ezekiel, I'm going to kill your wife. I'm going to kill her instantly, suddenly.

[John Weaver] John Gill said this on this passage. He said, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke, meaning his wife, who was very probably was of a beautiful countenance and goodly to look to. However, of an amiable disposition and in her conjugal relation, very agreeable to the prophet.

[John Weaver] Now, no doubt, a truly religious woman, and upon all accounts, desirable to him. This lovely object of his affection, the Lord who is the sovereign disposer of all persons, signifies that he would take away from him by death unto himself, that is, suddenly and at once. And so the Syriac and Arabic versions render it with a sudden stroke, as sometimes persons are struck with death at once with a palsy.

[John Weaver] So, what God has just said to Ezekiel is your wife is going to die. Instantly. Suddenly. Now let me just point something out. The unexpected and sudden death of his wife was sufficient in and of itself to cause the most loving and godly man to crumble and to become so devastated that he would be unable to think or to act. Alright, men. Think about your wives. If the Lord lets us live till January, Alice and I will have been married 54 years. And I have often said jokingly, but if the Lord took her, I'd have to marry 40 to take her place.

[John Weaver] I mean, that's how dependent I am upon her, and that's how much she works. Fifty four years. I have no idea how long Ezekiel and his wife had been married. But God said, I'm going to take her away instantly, suddenly you're going to lose her. And God has the sovereign right to do that. He gives life and he has the absolute right to take life. But that's not all. God only told Ezekiel, I'm going to take your wife suddenly. Unexpectedly. You're going to lose her.

[John Weaver] And I do not want you to cry or shed a tear or mourn or do anything that will demonstrate sorrow. Look at it in verse 16. He said, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke. Yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead. Bind the tower of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men." What? Don't cry. Don't mourn. No tears are to come down. Make no mourning. Bind the tire by head. Put on your turban. Put on your shoes. Cover not your lips. Don't act like someone in mourning. Eat not the bread of men. Somebody tries to send you bread. Don't eat it.

[John Weaver] You're to give no indication whatsoever that you're in mourning or that you've grieved. Matthew Henry says it like this. Listen carefully. He must not give vent to his passion by weeping or letting his tears run down, though tears are a tribute due to the dead, and when the body is sown it is fit that it should be thus watered. But Ezekiel is not allowed to do this, though he thought he had as much reason to do it as any man and would perhaps be ill thought of by the people if he did it not. Much less might he use the customary formalities of mourners.

[John Weaver] He must dress himself in his usual attire, must bind his turban upon him, here called the tower of his head, must put on his shoes and not go barefoot, as was the usual in such cases. He must not cover his lips nor throw a veil over his face, as mourners were wont to do. He must not be of a sorrowful countenance, appearing unto men to fast. He must not eat the bread of men, nor expect that his neighbors and friends should send him in provisions, as usually they did in such cases, presuming the mourners had no heart to provide meat for themselves. But if it was sent, he must not eat of it, but go on in his business as at other times.

[John Weaver] It could not but be greatly against the grain of the flesh and blood not to lament the death of one he loved so dearly, but God commanded it.

[John Weaver] One more quote. I want you to listen carefully, Matthew Poole said this, and I'm going to go back and read the scripture. Matthew Poole said it is likely he had this revelation in the night or evening before, and he tells of the times in the morning when God would what God would do in taking away his wife and what he must not do when she is dead and to be buried. Now, listen again. It is likely he had this revelation in the night or evening before, and he tells them the times in the morning. Now, watch. Go back to verse 15.

[John Weaver] Also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke. Yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead. Bind the tire of thine head upon thee, put on thy shoes upon my feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.

[John Weaver] So I spake unto the people in the morning, and at even my wife died, and I did in the morning as I was commanded." I want you to consider if what Matthew Poole has said is accurate. And if I just read the Scripture correctly, it means that when God told Ezekiel, I'm going to take away the desire of thine eyes. I'm going to take away your wife with a stroke. It means when God spoke to him, within 12 to 24 hours, his wife was dead.

[John Weaver] He had no time to prepare himself. It was sudden. This humbling, poignant, and condemning truth is given to us so clearly in verse 18 when he said, So I spake to the people in the morning, and it even my wife died, and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to stop. I want you to think about this. I have. If God took my wife suddenly. I would probably be so stunned. So shocked. So dazed. I'd probably be like a deer in the headlights. I wouldn't know which way to turn or which way to go. I would probably be unable to function for a while. Ezekiel, God said, I'm going to take your wife.

[John Weaver] You can't cry, you can't mourn, you can't grieve. What you're going to do, is act like it didn't even happen. And just go on with your life. And even my wife died. And in the morning, I did as I was commanded. You talk about the scope of obedience in all things? His feelings did not interfere with his obedience. His desires did not interfere with his obedience. The situation did not change his obedience. The circumstances did not change his obedience. In the evening, my wife died. And in the morning, I did as I was commanded.

[John Weaver] How small and insignificant is our whining and complaining in the light of such a devastating loss. If the grace and mercy of God could uphold Ezekiel in such a time and cause him to obey, is it not possible that you and I could put our feelings and our desires and situations and circumstances aside and obey God in much lighter and easier times? How have we disobeyed? How have we excused our disobediences when there were no excuses?

[John Weaver] How often do we consider our feelings and our emotions and our desires and completely disregard the plain commands of a holy and righteous God. When God issues those commands, not just for His glory, but for our good. And have you ever stopped to think, when we place our feelings and our desires above God and His Word, we are the grossest idolaters. We profess to love Him. But we live for ourselves and our feelings.

[John Weaver] But let me tell you something. When God saves us. He places us back under. A commandment oriented life. He put Adam under that commandment of oriented life. Adam fell and began to live a feeling and desire oriented life. But when God saves us, he puts us back under that commandment oriented life. Our Lord said in John 14 in verse 21, He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me.

[John Weaver] And he shall be loved of my father, and I will love him and manifest myself unto him. What did he say? In verse 24. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings." 1 John 5 and verse 3. And this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not grievous. What is the love of God that we keep His commandments? I want you to see this. Look in your Bibles to 1 John 2. I could quote it, but I want you to see it. 1 John chapter 2. Look, if you would, please. At verse four. First, John two, verse four. In fact, let's read verse three. And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him. and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected. Hereby we know that we are in him." What did God say? He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

[John Weaver] God, when he saves us, places us back under a commandment-oriented life. We are to obey. Let me tell you. Think about it like this. In the garden, when Adam sinned, what did Adam do? He ran. He didn't run to God. He ran away from God. So here man is, ever since the fall, running as fast and as furiously as he can run to get away from God and God's law, because he thinks that's freedom, but in reality it's slavery. And what does God do? God sends His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who comes and obeys that law personally, perfectly, and perpetually, who offers Himself a sacrifice. He dies.

[John Weaver] for a foundation and basis for forgiveness. Then he is raised from the dead that he might actually give repentance and forgiveness of sins. And when he does, he captures the running sinner and brings him back. Who now kneels before the father and says with David, oh, how love I thy law, it is my meditation day and night. We no longer want to run from him. We want to run to him. I want you to see one other passage. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew, chapter 10. Matthew, chapter 10.

[John Weaver] We have to come to this conclusion. If we're talking about the scope of our obedience, the totality of our obedience, Absolutely nothing and no one must hinder our obedience to the sovereign God who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ. Our Lord said in Matthew 10 and verse 37, He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And we could also add, he that loveth husband and wife more than me is not worthy of me.

[John Weaver] It's the principle that he is enunciating. He is to be supremely loved, supremely obeyed. Because he's God. He is God. Circumstances do not change your obedience. Situations do not change your obedience. Feelings do not change obedience. Desires do not change obedience. Emotions do not change obedience. You are required to obey regardless. So I speak to the people in the morning. And in the evening, my wife died. And I did in the morning as I was commanded. Oh, God, help us to see our miserable failures and our miserable excuses in light of the obedience that Ezekiel gave in such a devastating circumstance. God requires obedience.

[John Weaver] And He does so in all things. One more time, obedience is a sovereignly dictated order of life. God commands it. And if you love Him, you will keep His Word. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, We ask your help and your grace and your mercy. Help us to obey, Lord, in all things. May the totality of our life be brought into conformity to your word. May we love thee and serve thee and honor thee and bring all of our feelings and all of our emotions and all of our desires. and to conform it to your word, to examine them by your word, and repent of any and everything that's contrary to your word. We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Scope of Christian Obedience

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	82016165815
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Genesis: Creation, Fall, and Dominion
Genre	Sermon
Date	2016-08-16
Dictation Name
Book	Book 076: Genesis: Creation, Fall, and Dominion — Chapter 6
Source Timed Segments	81

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Scope of Obedience

Weaver introduces the topic by defining 'scope' as range or extent, and previews the argument from the lesser to the greater to show that obedience must be total.

I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Ezekiel, chapter 24. Ezekiel 24. And we're going to be reading verses 15 through 18. And you just need to mark this passage. You're going to think this has absolutely nothing to do with the subject until I come back to it. So notice in Ezekiel, chapter 24, I was asked to deal tonight with the scope of Christian obedience. So in Ezekiel chapter 24, beginning there with verse 15,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 24:15-18

also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke.

Yet neither shalt thou mourn, nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thy head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. So I spake unto the people in the morning, and at even my wife died, and I did in the morning as I was commanded. When I was asked to preach upon this subject and I saw the full slate of subjects that were to be addressed by the speakers, the first thing that entered into my mind was that there was going to be some serious overlap in these messages. We cannot help but to impinge upon each other as we deal with the subject of obedience. The second thought that entered my mind was this. That's good. Repetition aids learning.

So maybe you'll hear something over and over again until finally it settles down. But when we talk about the scope of Christian obedience, I like to think when I use the word scope of hunting, because everybody needs a scope, a good scope. And when you look through the scope, you are actually thinking about the range or the extent of your view. So when you talk about the scope of Christian obedience, you could be talking about the view, the outlook, the range. You could be talking about the application, the operation, the effectiveness. You could even also include aim or purpose. So in reality, this subject could be exceedingly broad, but I'm going to limit it tonight. So if we use the word scope, basically deal with the extent or range of obedience, then there are some very succinct answers given to us in the scripture when one understands what is called arguing from the lesser to the greater.

Argument from the Lesser to the Greater

Using Colossians 3:20,22 and Acts 3:22, Weaver argues that if children and servants must obey earthly authorities in all things, believers must obey God in all things.

Now, our Lord did that in Matthew chapter six. You remember, he said, consider the birds of the field. And then he went on to say, are you not much more valuable than these birds, consider the lilies of the field. They do not toil or spin, yet Solomon in all of his glory is not arrayed as one of these. And then he went on and applied it. So what he is saying is here's an argument on something what you and I would call the lesser, but it extends to the greater.

So, if I were to just simply ask you, are we not children of our Heavenly Father? And the answer, of course, is yes. Then we have the admonition in Colossians 3 in verse 20, Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord. Now, if God then requires children to be in obedience to their earthly parents, how much more does God require us to be in submission and obedience to our Heavenly Father. Does God then command servants to be obedient to their masters? And the answer is yes. Well, are we servants or are we slaves? And the answer is yes.

1 Corinthians 6, verses 19-20 make that exceedingly clear. When God says what? Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God? You are not your own, for you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and your spirit which are his. Well, now, if we are servants and if we are slaves, What does our Lord tell us in Colossians chapter 3 and verse 22? He said, servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God. So then, if God requires servants or slaves to be in obedience to their earthly masters, how much more then are we to be in obedience and submission to our heavenly master? And if that's not clear, I do want you to look in Acts chapter 3. Notice, if you would, in Acts chapter 3 in verse 22. Because in this particular passage, the Word of God is talking about our Lord Jesus Christ.

And in Acts 3 in verse 22, the Bible says, For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you like unto your brethren, like unto me, from among your brethren, like unto me. This is from Deuteronomy 18. Notice if you would, him shall you hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. So interestingly enough, it doesn't matter if we're talking about children, it doesn't matter if we're talking about servants, it doesn't matter if we're talking about Christ. The Bible says that we are to be in obedience to Him in all things. So the scope of our obedience is basically the totality of our lives. It is to be absolutely complete in all things. Let me try to break it down like this. We're not to be obedient just in those things that we like. We're not to be obedient just in those things that we agree with. We're not to be obedient just to those things that we choose. We are to be obedient in absolutely everything in the totality of our lives.

The Necessity of Recognizing God's Sovereignty

Total obedience requires total submission, which depends on recognizing God as Father, Lord, Creator, Redeemer, and Potter, and ourselves as children, servants, creatures, and clay.

Now let me just explain it like this. First of all, we must recognize that He is the Father and we're the children. We must recognize that He is the Lord and we are the servants. We must recognize that He is the Creator and we are the creatures. We must recognize that He is the Redeemer and we are the redeemed. We must recognize that He is the one who is in control and we are to be controlled. We must recognize that He is the potter and we are the clay.

The Apostle Paul himself said in Acts 17 in verse 28, for in Him we live and move and have our being. Have you ever stopped to think without God you would have no being? You would have absolutely nothing. Everything that we are, everything that we have is from Him.

Now, if we do not recognize this simple truth, we will never, ever be obedient in the way that we should be. Obviously, there are many Christians, or professing Christians, that have fallen into the attitude of Pharaoh. You remember, Pharaoh said this in Exodus chapter 5 and verse 2. When Moses came up and said, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, Pharaoh responded and said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. So in other words, if you do not recognize God's sovereignty, you're not going to obey Him. If you don't understand that He is the Absolute, He is the Supreme One, He is Sovereign, and beside Him there is none else, you will absolutely never be in obedience the way that you should. We have to understand that our obedience, in one sense of the word, is based upon our view and our understanding of God.

Let me put it like this. Total obedience requires total submission. And total submission requires the recognition of God, who He is, and also the recognition of ourselves, who we are and what we are. He's the Father, we're the child. He's the Lord, we're the servants. He's the Creator, we're the creature. You understand that? If you and I do not recognize God, if we do not know who He is, we cannot be obedient in the way that God commands us to be obedient. If we do not recognize our position before Him, We're never going to be obedient the way we should be obedient.

Now, let me just say it again. You have to have a right view of God in order to be obedient in the totality of your life. So here's one thing I want you to learn tonight. Listen to me carefully. Obedience is a sovereignly dictated order of life. Let me say that again. Obedience is a sovereignly dictated order of life.

Obedience as a Sovereignly Dictated Order of Life

From Genesis 2:15-17, Weaver shows that God placed Adam under a commandment-oriented life, demanding personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience.

Now, I want to prove this to you from Scripture before we come back to our text. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Genesis chapter 2. Here's a passage that everyone should be absolutely familiar with. Genesis chapter 2. And I'm just pointing out the fact that obedience is a sovereignly dictated order of life. Notice, if you would please, in Genesis chapter 2, beginning there with verse 15. Everyone knows how God created Adam, placed him in the garden. So here it is. And the Lord God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. That's a sermon right there just on keeping it. Notice verse 16, And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Now, go back to verse 16.

The Bible said, And the Lord God commanded the man. The word commanded literally means to put under an oath. It means to give him a charge. Adam may have been vicegerent of the earth, he may have been governor of the garden, yet he was under obedience to God. His status, his position, his uniqueness did not exempt him from obedience. God sovereignly placed him in the garden, And God sovereignly reserved one tree for Himself. And God sovereignly said to Adam, out of all these other trees you may eat except this one. It is mine.

I want to read to you what Matthew Henry said on Genesis chapter 2. Listen carefully. He said, a confirmation of His present happiness to him in that grant of every tree of the garden he may freely eat. This was not only an allowance of liberty to him in taking the delicious fruits of paradise as a recompense for his care and pains in dressing it and keeping it, but it was withal an assurance of life to him, immortal life, upon his obedience. For the tree of life being put in the midst of the garden as the heart and soul of it, doubtless God had an eye to that especially in this grant, and therefore when upon his revolt the grant is recalled, No notice is taken of any tree of the garden that is prohibited to him except the tree of life, of which it is said that he might have eaten and lived forever, that is, never died, never lost happiness.

Now he goes on and he makes this statement, listen carefully, "...continue holy as thou art," it's God speaking to Adam, "...continue holy as thou art, in conformity to thy Creator's will, and thou shalt continue happy as thou art in the enjoyment of thy Creator's favor, either in this paradise or in a better." So here's what God did. God created Adam, placed him in that garden, and then God demanded a personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience. And had Adam Given God what God demanded, then, of course, paradise would have been assured not only to himself, but his posterity as well. Now, there are two things that you have to observe from this passage. The very first one is this. Adam was placed under a commandment oriented life. That was as simple as the nose on your face. Adam was placed under a commandment-oriented life. What did God say? God said, this do, and thou shalt live. That's a command. This do, and thou shalt die. That's a command. Adam was placed under a commandment-oriented life. Secondly, absolutely nothing was to get in the way of Adam's obedience to God. Because he was obligated to God. He owed God. God was his creator, his sustainer, his provider, his protector. Everything that he was and everything that he had belonged to God. God gave him everything. He owed God and therefore his obedience was to be first and foremost to God and rightly demanded by God. Wow.

The Fall: From Commandment-Oriented to Feeling-Oriented Life

In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve forsook God's command and followed sight, desire, and feelings, establishing the pattern of disobedience for all humanity.

So you have to ask this question. What happened? Why did Adam not give God that which he demanded? Well, look in your Bibles, Genesis chapter three very quickly, and let's read beginning with verse one.

Now, the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, Yea, have God said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden. And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die, for God doth know in the day that you eat thereof, that your eyes shall be open, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise. She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

So, let's ask, as we look at this passage again, the simple question, what happened? The answer is not that Adam was tempted. Just because you're tempted does not necessarily mean that you have to yield to sin. There have been countless individuals that have been tempted that have never yielded to sin. Even our Lord was tempted. So listen to me carefully. Temptation in and of itself is not sin. Yielding to temptation is sin, but simply being tempted is not.

What is Matthew chapter 4? Our Lord was driven into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. So temptation in and of itself is not necessarily sin. And so don't come up saying, well, here's what happened. They were just tempted. It's kind of like the little boy. His father told him not to go swimming in that canal, not to go swimming. So the father came home a little bit early and he saw his son coming back from the canal with wet swimming trunks in his hand. He stopped. He said, son, I thought I told you not to go swimming in that canal. He said, yes, sir, I know, but I was tempted. He said, well, son, why did you carry your swimming trunks? He said, just in case I got tempted. Well, you know, that's the way most of us are. We like our temptation. And we plan for temptation, but temptation of itself is not sin. So don't just say, well, the reason he fell was because he's tempted. A lot of people have been tempted and not necessarily have sinned.

So the answer is not also that he was adding to the Word of God. I've heard that before. Notice if you would please look in verse three. But of the fruit of the tree of the garden, which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. Now, someone comes along and they'll say, Well, now, God did not say not to touch it. God said not to eat it. Well, let me just explain something to you.

Do you understand what Eve is doing right here is really and truly declaring a principle. And I might say that is a biblical principle. By the way, when God forbids any act, At the same time, he forbids any and everything that would lead up to that act. You can't eat the fruit without touching the fruit, and what she is saying is that's God's fruit. I'm not to touch it because touching may lead to eating. For instance, has not God said thou shalt not commit murder? Well, of course. But do you realize when God forbids the act of murder, at the same time, He also forbids the unrighteous anger and hatred and strife that would lead up to murder? Has God commanded us not to commit adultery? Well, of course He has. But God does not just forbid the physical act of adultery and fornication. At the same time, He also forbids covetousness and lustfulness and evil desires that would lead up to that act. So when she said, Neither shall you touch it. She was enunciating a biblical principle.

When God forbids any act, he forbids whatever would lead up to that act. So touching it would be a step toward eating, just as lusting would be a step toward adultery. So the answer is this. That which caused Adam to sin is exactly that which causes us to sin. The root of his disobedience is the root cause of our disobedience.

Now, I know you've read this, and I know you've already heard this, but let me say it again. Eve was the first person to sin. She took the fruit and did eat, and gave her husband also. In fact, we are told expressly in 1 Timothy 2 and verse 14, and Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. But may I remind you that although the woman was the first one to sin, sin did not come into the world through the woman. It came into the world through Adam because God's covenant was with him. In Romans 5 and verse 12, the Word of God says, Wherefore, as by one man sin entered in the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.

Now, the interesting thing is, when you look at that in the Greek, for that all have sinned, it's an aorist passive, which means it's something that has happened once and forever, and it's over and done with. It's not being repeated. When did all men sin? And the answer is, all men sinned in Adam. Now, Brother Jeff taught this last night, so I'm not going to go into it, but may I remind you, 1 Corinthians 15, verses 45-48 teaches us that Adam was our federal head and federal representative. What he did, we did. What he sinned, we sinned. What he fell, we fell. It's just that simple. You say, well, I don't like that. then you don't like salvation either, because our salvation is in Jesus Christ as our Federal Head. What He did, we did. And everything is tied up in Him as well. So, without going into detail, let me just show you what I'm driving at right now.

Look, if you would please, in Genesis 3, verse 6. Remember, if you would please, when God put Adam in the garden, He placed him under a commandment or in need of life. This do, and thou shalt live. Do this and you'll die. Now watch verse six. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof and did eat and gave also to her husband with her and he did eat. Now, here's my question. Where is the word commandment in verse six? Obviously, it's not there. What you do read in verse six is about sight. Pleasantness. And desires. The point I want to make right now is this. What is actually happening with Adam and Eve is this they are forsaking a commandment-oriented life, and now they are falling into a feeling or a desire-oriented life. It is true that the woman took and ate, but she also gave to her husband.

Historical Examples of Feeling-Oriented Disobedience

Achan (Joshua 7) and Samson (Judges 14, 16) illustrate how living by feelings and desires leads to destruction, reinforcing the need for commandment-oriented obedience.

Now, the Bible tells us that Adam was not deceived. He knew exactly what he was doing. Now, there's been a lot of wonderful messages preached on why Adam did what he did, and I'm not going to go into that tonight, but the point I'm saying is this. If Adam only ate because now he knew that his wife was fallen, and he wanted to be with his wife, so he took and ate, then he still sinned because God had said, that he was to be obeyed. And you remember the first commandment is, thou shalt have no other gods before me. And Adam would essentially have been placing Eve before God, which would have been a sin anyhow. But he took and ate as well.

Now, here's the interesting thing. Ever since the fall, mankind has been living a feeling and desire oriented life. When the fall came, feelings became all important. For instance, when God came walking into the garden in the cool of the day and said, Adam, where art thou? Where were they? Hiding. Now watch this. You would think that Adam, created in original righteousness, holiness and knowledge, would at least have had enough sense to come running to God and fall before Him and say, Oh, Lord God, I have sinned and my wife has sinned.

We've done that which has been wicked and wrong and disobedient. We've transgressed Thy law. We've broken Thy commandment. Lord, please help us. Did he do that? No. What did they do? They ran. And they hid. Why? Because at this point, feelings are now more important than a commandment. In other words, it might embarrass us, it might hurt us, it might cause us bad feelings if we have to do something like that.

No, no, it's easier to deny it or ignore it or pretend that it does not exist. Because our feelings are now paramount. Do you understand? No one today likes to be made to feel uncomfortable. Look at political correctness. Look at it. Look at all the stupidity that's going on because people feel unsafe or feel uncomfortable. That's just a demonstration of their fallen nature.

Now, let me go a little bit further. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Joshua. Turn to Joshua chapter 6. And I want you to notice, if you would, beginning there, verses 16 and 17. We've just seen this in Adam and Eve. Actually, you could classify this as the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. That's basically what happened. But look in Joshua chapter 6, because now the children of Israel are about to conquer Jericho, and God gives a specific commandment in relationship to Jericho. Joshua chapter 6, notice verse 17, God says, And the city shall be accursed, even it and all that are therein, to the Lord.

Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And you, in any wise, keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest you make yourselves accursed when you take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse and trouble it. But all the silver and gold and vessels of brass and iron are consecrated unto the Lord. They shall come into the treasury of the Lord.

Now I want you to note what the Bible says. The Bible says this city is cursed. Everything is cursed. And God said don't touch anything in it. The silver and the gold and all this is going to come into the treasury of the Lord. But don't you touch it because you're going to make yourself a curse and you're going to make the camp of Israel a curse.

So the command is absolutely plain. It's absolutely simple. Don't touch it. Don't take anything.

Now, if you do, you're going to become accursed. It's a simple, straightforward command. Now, look at Joshua chapter seven, because you know how Achan took and stole. Notice, if you would, beginning there in verse 19. Watch carefully. Achan now has been singled out, by the way, Achan did not, did not come up and confess. He was singled out by God, and now he's being forced. Watch. And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him, and tell me now what thou hast done.

Hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua and said, Indeed, I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done. When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them, And behold, they were hid in the earth, in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran into the tent, and behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.

Now, I want you to note what he said, if you would. I saw it. I coveted it. And I took it. Do you realize that's exactly what Eve did? Do you realize that's what God says in 1 John 2 and verse 15? Love not the world, neither the things of the world. For all things of the world, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, are not of the Father, but of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof. But he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. So now you're saying exactly the same thing in Achan that you saw in Adam and Eve. Achan basically gave in to his desires. He gave in to his feelings. He saw that goodly Babylonish garment. He wanted it. He wanted that 200 shekels of silver. He took it. He coveted. He lusted after it.

And he ended up taking it. He was living a desire-oriented life. He was living a feeling-oriented life. And his desire and feeling-oriented life led to his destruction. And I might add, the destruction of his family. Had not Adam and Eve already proven this point, you cannot sin against God and escape. And now Achan proves this point with his life or the life of his family. No man is going to sin against God and escape. It's just that simple.

I want you to turn right over to Judges chapter 14. Judges chapter 14. I'm just showing you how man, down through the ages, ever since the fall, has been living a feeling-oriented life, a desire-oriented life. In Judges 14, here's a very interesting passage. I've got a message that I preach on this passage. It explains a lot of things a little bit later on. I'm not going to get into that.

But notice verse 1, "...And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. And he came up and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. Now therefore get her for me to wife." Then his father's mother said of him, Is there never a woman among the daughter of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said of his father, Get her for me, for she pleaseth me well." Now, wow! Every Israelite knew that God had forbidden intermarriage with pagans and with the heathen. It was plainly commanded, if you don't believe that, you can read it in Exodus 34, verses 12-16. You can read it in Deuteronomy 7, verses 1-5. No intermarriages were to take place, and especially with the Philistines. And when he says, I found this Philistine woman down in Timnath, I want you to get her for me to wife. The father said, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, son. Is there never a woman in your own tribe that you could marry? I mean, can't you find a sweet, beautiful Hebrew woman to marry? And look, and if you can't find one in this tribe, there are eleven other tribes. You don't have to take one out of this tribe. Just make sure she's a Hebrew. What did he say? I want you to look at it. Look in verse three. He said very plainly in verse 3, And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me, for she pleaseth me well. Check it out when you get home, the Hebrew word. Here's what he said. Get her for me.

It's agreeable in my eyes. It's pleasing to me. I don't see anything wrong with it. Really? So not only is he violating plain commandments of God. He's now also violating the fifth commandment, honor thy father and thy mother. What is his attitude? My feelings have precedence over the commands of God. My desires come first. It doesn't matter what God commands. It doesn't matter what you want, Dad. It doesn't matter that God said, honor thy father and thy mother. No, no, no, no. I don't see a thing wrong with it. Get her for me.

You know the story, of course. He never married her. She was given to his best friend. And if you turn over to chapter 16, we're not going to really look at all of this, but he went again to another Philistine woman, Delilah. And you know the story. You know what happened when she cut his hair off. Notice if you would please. Wow. Verse 19. Judges chapter 16, and she made him sleep upon her knees, and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head. And she began to afflict him, and a strength went from him.

And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep and said, I will go out as in other times before and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him. But the Philistines took him and put out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with fetters of brass, and he did grind in the prison house. Wow! Well, let's see. He lived by his feelings. He lived by his desires. It cost him his eyes. It cost him his ministry. It cost him his life. He lost everything. Why? Because he lived a feeling-oriented life. Here's the point of the message tonight. We must obey in all things. Literally, our lives are to be brought into totality and in conformity to the Word of God, period. Do you realize what I have been preaching so far is this?

The Two Main Hindrances to Obedience: Feelings and Desires

Weaver identifies feelings and desires as the primary obstacles to obedience, citing common excuses like 'I don't feel like it' and the pagan philosophy of 'if it feels good, do it.'

There are two main hindrances to obedience. And probably if you would examine your life and especially when you've been disobedient to God, one of these two hindrances is present. They are your feelings and your desires. I have heard so many people say, but I don't feel like obeying. Or I don't desire this in my life at this point. Let me tell you one of the major problems that we have in modern day Christendom, and that is this. Most people live by their feelings. They do not live by the commandments of God. They do not live by biblical principles. And consequently, it is a clever wile of the devil to tempt men to think that they cannot do what God requires them to do simply because they don't feel like doing it.

And their excuse is, I can't help myself. I just don't feel like it. Does God command us to pray? Pray without ceasing. But how many times have you said, well, I just don't feel like praying? Does God command us to study? Study to show yourselves approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly divided. But how many times... I just don't feel like studying. Does God command us to attend the public worship? Yeah, forsake not the assembling of yourselves. But I just don't feel like going today.

It's not that you're sick. You just give in to your feelings. I don't feel like going to church. I don't feel like confessing my sin. I don't feel like making things right. I don't feel like confronting this brother. I don't feel like doing that or doing this. The problem is this. We've allowed our feelings to rule us rather than the Word of God. We have adopted the pagan philosophy, if it feels good, do it. And on the other hand, we've also adopted the pagan philosophy, if it doesn't feel good, I will not do it, regardless of what God commands. That's where we are. Most of us allow our desires to get ahead of the commandments of God.

I have known professing Christian men whose goal was to be a millionaire, a multi-millionaire, and then serve God. Really? Well, I know God gives money to a lot of individuals, and I'm thankful that He does. But why don't you serve God now? Your desire to be a millionaire may never come to pass. And if God has ordained you to be one, you're going to be one, but you're going to be it through obedience more than anything else. But you see, what we do is we put our desires ahead of God. We put our feelings ahead of God.

Now, I want you to go back to our text in Ezekiel chapter 24. I want you to follow this with me. I want to demonstrate something to you from Scripture tonight. as we look at the scope of Christian obedience. And the scope is that we should be obedient in all things. Ezekiel is a prime illustration. Believe it or not, I have often asked myself, would I perform and obey as Ezekiel did, given the same set of circumstances? Let me tell you something about Ezekiel first. Ezekiel was a priest that God called to be a prophet.

Ezekiel's Exemplary Obedience in Devastating Circumstances

Ezekiel 24:15-18 shows Ezekiel obeying God's command not to mourn his wife's sudden death, demonstrating that no circumstance, feeling, or desire should hinder obedience.

He was also in captivity in Babylon. Ezekiel was assigned to those Hebrews in Babylon, and he was also assigned to those who were yet to come to Babylon, because he prophesied and preached to those who had not yet been captured and taken captive. He was also a sign that the temple was going to be destroyed. So what we've got to see tonight is this. We need to see his obedience in the most stressful, emotional and feeling oriented situation that any man could possibly face. And that is the immediate and instant loss of his wife. Look at verse 16. In fact, let's read verse 15. Also, the word of the Lord came to me saying, so God is telling Ezekiel, son of man, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke. Let me just put it to you bluntly. Here's what God just told Ezekiel, I'm going to kill your wife. I'm going to kill her instantly, suddenly.

John Gill said this on this passage. He said, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke, meaning his wife, who was very probably was of a beautiful countenance and goodly to look to. However, of an amiable disposition and in her conjugal relation, very agreeable to the prophet. Now, no doubt, a truly religious woman, and upon all accounts, desirable to him. This lovely object of his affection, the Lord who is the sovereign disposer of all persons, signifies that he would take away from him by death unto himself, that is, suddenly and at once. And so the Syriac and Arabic versions render it with a sudden stroke, as sometimes persons are struck with death at once with a palsy.

So, what God has just said to Ezekiel is your wife is going to die. Instantly. Suddenly. Now let me just point something out. The unexpected and sudden death of his wife was sufficient in and of itself to cause the most loving and godly man to crumble and to become so devastated that he would be unable to think or to act. Alright, men. Think about your wives. If the Lord lets us live till January, Alice and I will have been married 54 years. And I have often said jokingly, but if the Lord took her, I'd have to marry 40 to take her place.

I mean, that's how dependent I am upon her, and that's how much she works. Fifty four years. I have no idea how long Ezekiel and his wife had been married. But God said, I'm going to take her away instantly, suddenly you're going to lose her. And God has the sovereign right to do that. He gives life and he has the absolute right to take life. But that's not all. God only told Ezekiel, I'm going to take your wife suddenly. Unexpectedly. You're going to lose her.

And I do not want you to cry or shed a tear or mourn or do anything that will demonstrate sorrow. Look at it in verse 16. He said, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke. Yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead. Bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. What? Don't cry. Don't mourn. No tears are to come down. Make no mourning. Bind the tire by head. Put on your turban. Put on your shoes. Cover not your lips. Don't act like someone in mourning. Eat not the bread of men. Somebody tries to send you bread. Don't eat it.

You're to give no indication whatsoever that you're in mourning or that you've grieved. Matthew Henry says it like this. Listen carefully. He must not give vent to his passion by weeping or letting his tears run down, though tears are a tribute due to the dead, and when the body is sown it is fit that it should be thus watered. But Ezekiel is not allowed to do this, though he thought he had as much reason to do it as any man and would perhaps be ill thought of by the people if he did it not. Much less might he use the customary formalities of mourners. He must dress himself in his usual attire, must bind his turban upon him, here called the tower of his head, must put on his shoes and not go barefoot, as was the usual in such cases. He must not cover his lips nor throw a veil over his face, as mourners were wont to do. He must not be of a sorrowful countenance, appearing unto men to fast. He must not eat the bread of men, nor expect that his neighbors and friends should send him in provisions, as usually they did in such cases, presuming the mourners had no heart to provide meat for themselves. But if it was sent, he must not eat of it, but go on in his business as at other times.

It could not but be greatly against the grain of the flesh and blood not to lament the death of one he loved so dearly, but God commanded it.

One more quote. I want you to listen carefully, Matthew Poole said this, and I'm going to go back and read the scripture. Matthew Poole said it is likely he had this revelation in the night or evening before, and he tells of the times in the morning when God would what God would do in taking away his wife and what he must not do when she is dead and to be buried. Now, listen again. It is likely he had this revelation in the night or evening before, and he tells them the times in the morning. Now, watch. Go back to verse 15.

Also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke. Yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead. Bind the tire of thine head upon thee, put on thy shoes upon my feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.

So I spake unto the people in the morning, and at even my wife died, and I did in the morning as I was commanded. I want you to consider if what Matthew Poole has said is accurate. And if I just read the Scripture correctly, it means that when God told Ezekiel, I'm going to take away the desire of thine eyes. I'm going to take away your wife with a stroke. It means when God spoke to him, within 12 to 24 hours, his wife was dead. He had no time to prepare himself. It was sudden. This humbling, poignant, and condemning truth is given to us so clearly in verse 18 when he said, So I spake to the people in the morning, and it even my wife died, and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

Now, I want you to stop. I want you to think about this. I have. If God took my wife suddenly. I would probably be so stunned. So shocked. So dazed. I'd probably be like a deer in the headlights. I wouldn't know which way to turn or which way to go. I would probably be unable to function for a while. Ezekiel, God said, I'm going to take your wife.

You can't cry, you can't mourn, you can't grieve. What you're going to do, is act like it didn't even happen. And just go on with your life. And even my wife died. And in the morning, I did as I was commanded. You talk about the scope of obedience in all things? His feelings did not interfere with his obedience. His desires did not interfere with his obedience. The situation did not change his obedience. The circumstances did not change his obedience. In the evening, my wife died. And in the morning, I did as I was commanded.

Application: Our Failures and the Call to Total Obedience

Weaver contrasts our excuses with Ezekiel's obedience, calling believers to put aside feelings and desires and obey God in all things, as love for God is proven by keeping His commandments.

How small and insignificant is our whining and complaining in the light of such a devastating loss. If the grace and mercy of God could uphold Ezekiel in such a time and cause him to obey, is it not possible that you and I could put our feelings and our desires and situations and circumstances aside and obey God in much lighter and easier times? How have we disobeyed? How have we excused our disobediences when there were no excuses?

How often do we consider our feelings and our emotions and our desires and completely disregard the plain commands of a holy and righteous God. When God issues those commands, not just for His glory, but for our good. And have you ever stopped to think, when we place our feelings and our desires above God and His Word, we are the grossest idolaters. We profess to love Him. But we live for ourselves and our feelings.

But let me tell you something. When God saves us. He places us back under. A commandment oriented life. He put Adam under that commandment of oriented life. Adam fell and began to live a feeling and desire oriented life. But when God saves us, he puts us back under that commandment oriented life. Our Lord said in John 14 in verse 21, He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me.

And he shall be loved of my father, and I will love him and manifest myself unto him. What did he say? In verse 24. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings. 1 John 5 and verse 3. And this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not grievous. What is the love of God that we keep His commandments? I want you to see this. Look in your Bibles to 1 John 2. I could quote it, but I want you to see it. 1 John chapter 2. Look, if you would, please. At verse four. First, John two, verse four. In fact, let's read verse three. And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him. and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected. Hereby we know that we are in him. What did God say? He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

God, when he saves us, places us back under a commandment-oriented life. We are to obey. Let me tell you. Think about it like this. In the garden, when Adam sinned, what did Adam do? He ran. He didn't run to God. He ran away from God. So here man is, ever since the fall, running as fast and as furiously as he can run to get away from God and God's law, because he thinks that's freedom, but in reality it's slavery. And what does God do? God sends His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who comes and obeys that law personally, perfectly, and perpetually, who offers Himself a sacrifice. He dies.

Conclusion: Restoration to a Commandment-Oriented Life in Christ

Salvation through Christ restores believers to a commandment-oriented life, where they no longer run from God but love His law and obey supremely, as seen in Matthew 10:37 and 1 John 2:3-5.

for a foundation and basis for forgiveness. Then he is raised from the dead that he might actually give repentance and forgiveness of sins. And when he does, he captures the running sinner and brings him back. Who now kneels before the father and says with David, oh, how love I thy law, it is my meditation day and night. We no longer want to run from him. We want to run to him. I want you to see one other passage. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew, chapter 10. Matthew, chapter 10.

We have to come to this conclusion. If we're talking about the scope of our obedience, the totality of our obedience, Absolutely nothing and no one must hinder our obedience to the sovereign God who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ. Our Lord said in Matthew 10 and verse 37, He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And we could also add, he that loveth husband and wife more than me is not worthy of me. It's the principle that he is enunciating. He is to be supremely loved, supremely obeyed. Because he's God. He is God. Circumstances do not change your obedience. Situations do not change your obedience. Feelings do not change obedience. Desires do not change obedience. Emotions do not change obedience. You are required to obey regardless. So I speak to the people in the morning. And in the evening, my wife died. And I did in the morning as I was commanded. Oh, God, help us to see our miserable failures and our miserable excuses in light of the obedience that Ezekiel gave in such a devastating circumstance. God requires obedience.

And He does so in all things. One more time, obedience is a sovereignly dictated order of life. God commands it. And if you love Him, you will keep His Word. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, We ask your help and your grace and your mercy. Help us to obey, Lord, in all things. May the totality of our life be brought into conformity to your word. May we love thee and serve thee and honor thee and bring all of our feelings and all of our emotions and all of our desires. and to conform it to your word, to examine them by your word, and repent of any and everything that's contrary to your word. We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Total Obedience in All Things

Summary: The scope of Christian obedience is the totality of life; believers must obey God in everything, not just in matters they like or agree with.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'So the scope of our obedience is basically the totality of our lives. It is to be absolutely complete in all things.'

Commandment-Oriented vs. Feeling-Oriented Life

Summary: God originally placed man under a commandment-oriented life, but the fall introduced a feeling- and desire-oriented life, which is the root of all disobedience.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'What is actually happening with Adam and Eve is this they are forsaking a commandment-oriented life, and now they are falling into a feeling or a desire-oriented life.'

The Sovereignty of God in Demanding Obedience

Summary: Obedience is a sovereignly dictated order of life; recognizing God's absolute authority is essential for total submission.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Obedience is a sovereignly dictated order of life... If you do not recognize God's sovereignty, you're not going to obey Him.'

Feelings and Desires as Hindrances to Obedience

Summary: The two main hindrances to obedience are feelings and desires; believers often excuse disobedience by saying they don't feel like obeying or don't desire what God commands.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'There are two main hindrances to obedience... They are your feelings and your desires.'

Ezekiel as the Supreme Example of Obedience

Summary: Ezekiel's obedience in not mourning his wife's sudden death demonstrates that no circumstance, feeling, or desire should prevent obedience to God.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'His feelings did not interfere with his obedience. His desires did not interfere with his obedience.'

Love for God Proven by Keeping Commandments

Summary: True love for God is demonstrated by keeping His commandments; those who claim to know Him but disobey are liars.

Evidence: Weaver cites 1 John 2:3-4: 'He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.'

Key Arguments

Argument from the Lesser to the Greater

Summary: If children must obey parents and servants must obey masters in all things, then believers must obey God in all things, as He is the greater authority.

Evidence: Weaver argues, 'If God then requires children to be in obedience to their earthly parents, how much more does God require us to be in submission and obedience to our Heavenly Father.'

The Fall as the Origin of Feeling-Oriented Disobedience

Summary: Adam and Eve's sin was not merely temptation but a shift from obeying God's command to following their feelings and desires, a pattern inherited by all humanity.

Evidence: Weaver notes, 'When the woman saw that the tree was good for food... she took... Where is the word commandment in verse six? Obviously, it's not there.'

Historical Examples Confirm the Destructive Pattern

Summary: Achan and Samson both acted on sight and desire rather than God's command, leading to their destruction, proving that feeling-oriented living is fatal.

Evidence: Weaver says of Achan, 'I saw it. I coveted it. And I took it. Do you realize that's exactly what Eve did?'

Feelings and Desires Are the Primary Excuses for Disobedience

Summary: Modern Christians often excuse disobedience by claiming they don't feel like obeying or don't desire what God commands, adopting a pagan philosophy.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Most people live by their feelings. They do not live by the commandments of God.'

Ezekiel's Obedience Proves Total Obedience Is Possible by Grace

Summary: Ezekiel obeyed God's command not to mourn his wife's death, showing that even in the most devastating circumstances, obedience is possible through God's grace.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'If the grace and mercy of God could uphold Ezekiel in such a time and cause him to obey, is it not possible that you and I could put our feelings and our desires... aside and obey God?'

Salvation Restores the Commandment-Oriented Life

Summary: In salvation, God captures the running sinner and brings him back to a commandment-oriented life, where he loves God's law and obeys supremely.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'When God saves us, he puts us back under that commandment oriented life.'

Scripture References

Ezekiel 24:15-18

Context: The primary text: God tells Ezekiel his wife will die suddenly, and commands him not to mourn; Ezekiel obeys.

Matthew 6:26-29

Context: Jesus' argument from the lesser to the greater: if God cares for birds and lilies, how much more will He care for you.

Colossians 3:20

Context: Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Context: You are not your own; you are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and spirit.

Colossians 3:22

Context: Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, but in singleness of heart, fearing God.

Acts 3:22

Context: Moses said, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up... him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.

Acts 17:28

Context: For in him we live, and move, and have our being.

Exodus 5:2

Context: Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go?

Genesis 2:15-17

Context: God placed Adam in the garden and commanded him not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 3:1-7

Context: The temptation and fall of Adam and Eve.

1 Timothy 2:14

Context: Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

Romans 5:12

Context: Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.

1 Corinthians 15:45-48

Context: Adam as federal head and representative.

Joshua 6:17-19

Context: God commands that Jericho be accursed and that the Israelites keep themselves from the accursed thing.

Joshua 7:19-22

Context: Achan confesses that he saw, coveted, and took the accursed things.

1 John 2:15-17

Context: Love not the world... the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.

Judges 14:1-3

Context: Samson sees a Philistine woman and demands her for a wife because she pleases him well.

Judges 16:19-21

Context: Delilah cuts Samson's hair; his strength leaves him, and the Philistines capture him.

John 14:21, 24

Context: He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me... He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings.

1 John 5:3

Context: This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Historical References

Matthew Henry's commentary on Genesis 2

Context: Weaver quotes Matthew Henry on the grant of every tree and the assurance of immortal life upon obedience.

John Gill's commentary on Ezekiel 24:16

Context: Weaver quotes John Gill describing Ezekiel's wife as the desire of his eyes, likely beautiful and agreeable.

Matthew Henry's commentary on Ezekiel 24:16-17

Context: Weaver quotes Matthew Henry on Ezekiel not being allowed to mourn or use customary formalities.

Matthew Poole's commentary on Ezekiel 24

Context: Weaver quotes Matthew Poole suggesting Ezekiel had the revelation the night before and spoke to the people in the morning.

Important Quotes

So the scope of our obedience is basically the totality of our lives. It is to be absolutely complete in all things.

Significance: This is the central thesis of the sermon: obedience must encompass every area of life without exception.

Obedience is a sovereignly dictated order of life.

Significance: Weaver emphasizes that obedience is not optional but commanded by God's sovereign authority.

What is actually happening with Adam and Eve is this they are forsaking a commandment-oriented life, and now they are falling into a feeling or a desire-oriented life.

Significance: This identifies the root of all disobedience as the shift from obeying God's commands to following personal feelings and desires.

There are two main hindrances to obedience. And probably if you would examine your life and especially when you've been disobedient to God, one of these two hindrances is present. They are your feelings and your desires.

Significance: Weaver pinpoints the practical obstacles to obedience that believers must overcome.

So I spake unto the people in the morning, and at even my wife died, and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

Significance: This quote from Ezekiel 24:18 is the climax of the sermon, illustrating total obedience in the face of devastating loss.

His feelings did not interfere with his obedience. His desires did not interfere with his obedience. The situation did not change his obedience. The circumstances did not change his obedience.

Significance: Weaver highlights Ezekiel's unwavering obedience as the model for believers.

When God saves us. He places us back under. A commandment oriented life.

Significance: This connects salvation to the restoration of obedience as the normative Christian life.

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Significance: Weaver quotes 1 John 2:4 to stress that profession without obedience is false.

Discussion Questions

In what areas of your life do you find it most difficult to obey God completely? How do feelings or desires play a role in that struggle?

Context: Weaver identifies feelings and desires as the two main hindrances to obedience.

How does recognizing God's sovereignty (as Father, Lord, Creator, Redeemer) change your perspective on obedience?

Context: Weaver argues that total obedience requires total submission based on a right view of God.

What can we learn from Ezekiel's obedience in the face of his wife's sudden death? How does his example challenge your own excuses for disobedience?

Context: Ezekiel 24:15-18 is presented as the supreme example of obedience despite devastating circumstances.

Weaver says that living by feelings is a 'clever wile of the devil.' How can we practically combat the tendency to let feelings dictate our obedience?

Context: Weaver warns that the devil tempts believers to think they cannot obey because they don't feel like it.

How does the argument from the lesser to the greater (children/parents, servants/masters) strengthen the case for total obedience to God?

Context: Weaver uses Colossians 3:20,22 and Acts 3:22 to argue that if earthly authorities require obedience, God requires even more.

In what ways does modern Christianity reflect a feeling-oriented rather than commandment-oriented life? What are some examples?

Context: Weaver critiques the adoption of pagan philosophies like 'if it feels good, do it' in the church.

How does the fall of Adam and Eve illustrate the shift from commandment-oriented to feeling-oriented living? How does this pattern show up in your own life?

Context: Weaver analyzes Genesis 3 to show that Adam and Eve forsook God's command for sight and desire.

According to 1 John 2:3-5, what is the relationship between knowing God and keeping His commandments? How should this affect our assurance of salvation?

Context: Weaver cites 1 John 2 to emphasize that obedience is the proof of genuine love for God.

Applications

Examine Your Life for Feeling-Oriented Disobedience

Summary: Identify areas where you have excused disobedience because you 'didn't feel like it' or 'didn't desire it,' and repent of allowing feelings to rule over God's commands.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Most people live by their feelings. They do not live by the commandments of God.'

Submit to God's Sovereignty in All Circumstances

Summary: Recognize God as your Creator, Redeemer, and Lord, and submit to His commands regardless of your emotions or situation, trusting His wisdom and goodness.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Total obedience requires total submission. And total submission requires the recognition of God, who He is.'

Obey God Even in the Most Painful Trials

Summary: Like Ezekiel, choose to obey God's Word even when facing devastating loss or hardship, relying on His grace to sustain you.

Prioritize God's Commandments Over Personal Desires

Summary: When your desires conflict with God's commands, choose obedience, remembering that His commands are for your good and His glory.

Evidence: Weaver warns, 'We put our desires ahead of God. We put our feelings ahead of God.'

Prove Your Love for God Through Obedience

Summary: Demonstrate genuine love for Christ by keeping His commandments, not merely professing faith, as 1 John 2:3-5 teaches.

Evidence: Weaver quotes, 'He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar.'

Reject the Pagan Philosophy of Feelings-Based Living

Summary: Resist the cultural mindset that says 'if it feels good, do it' or 'if it doesn't feel good, don't do it,' and instead live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We have adopted the pagan philosophy, if it feels good, do it. And on the other hand, we've also adopted the pagan philosophy, if it doesn't feel good, I will not do it.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T20:54:18Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T13:09:45Z

Clean Transcript

The Scope of Christian Obedience

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Ezekiel, chapter 24. Ezekiel 24. And we're going to be reading verses 15 through 18. And you just need to mark this passage. You're going to think this has absolutely nothing to do with the subject until I come back to it. So notice in Ezekiel, chapter 24, I was asked to deal tonight with the scope of Christian obedience. So in Ezekiel chapter 24, beginning there with verse 15, also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke.
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Yet neither shalt thou mourn, nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thy head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. So I spake unto the people in the morning, and at even my wife died, and I did in the morning as I was commanded.
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When I was asked to preach upon this subject and I saw the full slate of subjects that were to be addressed by the speakers, the first thing that entered into my mind was that there was going to be some serious overlap in these messages. We cannot help but to impinge upon each other as we deal with the subject of obedience. The second thought that entered my mind was this. That's good. Repetition aids learning.
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So maybe you'll hear something over and over again until finally it settles down. But when we talk about the scope of Christian obedience, I like to think when I use the word scope of hunting, because everybody needs a scope, a good scope. And when you look through the scope, you are actually thinking about the range or the extent of your view. So when you talk about the scope of Christian obedience, you could be talking about the view, the outlook, the range. You could be talking about the application, the operation, the effectiveness. You could even also include aim or purpose. So in reality, this subject could be exceedingly broad, but I'm going to limit it tonight. So if we use the word scope, basically deal with the extent or range of obedience, then there are some very succinct answers given to us in the scripture when one understands what is called arguing from the lesser to the greater.
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Now, our Lord did that in Matthew chapter six. You remember, he said, consider the birds of the field. And then he went on to say, are you not much more valuable than these birds, consider the lilies of the field. They do not toil or spin, yet Solomon in all of his glory is not arrayed as one of these. And then he went on and applied it. So what he is saying is here's an argument on something what you and I would call the lesser, but it extends to the greater.
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So, if I were to just simply ask you, are we not children of our Heavenly Father? And the answer, of course, is yes. Then we have the admonition in Colossians 3 in verse 20, Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord. Now, if God then requires children to be in obedience to their earthly parents, how much more does God require us to be in submission and obedience to our Heavenly Father. Does God then command servants to be obedient to their masters? And the answer is yes. Well, are we servants or are we slaves? And the answer is yes.
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1 Corinthians 6, verses 19-20 make that exceedingly clear. When God says what? Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God? You are not your own, for you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and your spirit which are his. Well, now, if we are servants and if we are slaves, What does our Lord tell us in Colossians chapter 3 and verse 22? He said, servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God. So then, if God requires servants or slaves to be in obedience to their earthly masters, how much more then are we to be in obedience and submission to our heavenly master? And if that's not clear, I do want you to look in Acts chapter 3. Notice, if you would, in Acts chapter 3 in verse 22. Because in this particular passage, the Word of God is talking about our Lord Jesus Christ.
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And in Acts 3 in verse 22, the Bible says, For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you like unto your brethren, like unto me, from among your brethren, like unto me. This is from Deuteronomy 18. Notice if you would, him shall you hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. So interestingly enough, it doesn't matter if we're talking about children, it doesn't matter if we're talking about servants, it doesn't matter if we're talking about Christ. The Bible says that we are to be in obedience to Him in all things. So the scope of our obedience is basically the totality of our lives. It is to be absolutely complete in all things. Let me try to break it down like this. We're not to be obedient just in those things that we like. We're not to be obedient just in those things that we agree with. We're not to be obedient just to those things that we choose. We are to be obedient in absolutely everything in the totality of our lives.
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Now let me just explain it like this. First of all, we must recognize that He is the Father and we're the children. We must recognize that He is the Lord and we are the servants. We must recognize that He is the Creator and we are the creatures. We must recognize that He is the Redeemer and we are the redeemed. We must recognize that He is the one who is in control and we are to be controlled. We must recognize that He is the potter and we are the clay.
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The Apostle Paul himself said in Acts 17 in verse 28, for in Him we live and move and have our being. Have you ever stopped to think without God you would have no being? You would have absolutely nothing. Everything that we are, everything that we have is from Him.
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Now, if we do not recognize this simple truth, we will never, ever be obedient in the way that we should be. Obviously, there are many Christians, or professing Christians, that have fallen into the attitude of Pharaoh. You remember, Pharaoh said this in Exodus chapter 5 and verse 2. When Moses came up and said, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, Pharaoh responded and said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. So in other words, if you do not recognize God's sovereignty, you're not going to obey Him. If you don't understand that He is the Absolute, He is the Supreme One, He is Sovereign, and beside Him there is none else, you will absolutely never be in obedience the way that you should. We have to understand that our obedience, in one sense of the word, is based upon our view and our understanding of God.
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Let me put it like this. Total obedience requires total submission. And total submission requires the recognition of God, who He is, and also the recognition of ourselves, who we are and what we are. He's the Father, we're the child. He's the Lord, we're the servants. He's the Creator, we're the creature. You understand that? If you and I do not recognize God, if we do not know who He is, we cannot be obedient in the way that God commands us to be obedient. If we do not recognize our position before Him, We're never going to be obedient the way we should be obedient.
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Now, let me just say it again. You have to have a right view of God in order to be obedient in the totality of your life. So here's one thing I want you to learn tonight. Listen to me carefully. Obedience is a sovereignly dictated order of life. Let me say that again. Obedience is a sovereignly dictated order of life.
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Now, I want to prove this to you from Scripture before we come back to our text. I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Genesis chapter 2. Here's a passage that everyone should be absolutely familiar with. Genesis chapter 2. And I'm just pointing out the fact that obedience is a sovereignly dictated order of life. Notice, if you would please, in Genesis chapter 2, beginning there with verse 15. Everyone knows how God created Adam, placed him in the garden. So here it is. And the Lord God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. That's a sermon right there just on keeping it. Notice verse 16, And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Now, go back to verse 16.
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The Bible said, And the Lord God commanded the man. The word commanded literally means to put under an oath. It means to give him a charge. Adam may have been vicegerent of the earth, he may have been governor of the garden, yet he was under obedience to God. His status, his position, his uniqueness did not exempt him from obedience. God sovereignly placed him in the garden, And God sovereignly reserved one tree for Himself. And God sovereignly said to Adam, out of all these other trees you may eat except this one. It is mine.
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I want to read to you what Matthew Henry said on Genesis chapter 2. Listen carefully. He said, a confirmation of His present happiness to him in that grant of every tree of the garden he may freely eat. This was not only an allowance of liberty to him in taking the delicious fruits of paradise as a recompense for his care and pains in dressing it and keeping it, but it was withal an assurance of life to him, immortal life, upon his obedience. For the tree of life being put in the midst of the garden as the heart and soul of it, doubtless God had an eye to that especially in this grant, and therefore when upon his revolt the grant is recalled, No notice is taken of any tree of the garden that is prohibited to him except the tree of life, of which it is said that he might have eaten and lived forever, that is, never died, never lost happiness.
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Now he goes on and he makes this statement, listen carefully, "...continue holy as thou art," it's God speaking to Adam, "...continue holy as thou art, in conformity to thy Creator's will, and thou shalt continue happy as thou art in the enjoyment of thy Creator's favor, either in this paradise or in a better." So here's what God did. God created Adam, placed him in that garden, and then God demanded a personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience. And had Adam Given God what God demanded, then, of course, paradise would have been assured not only to himself, but his posterity as well.
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Now, there are two things that you have to observe from this passage. The very first one is this. Adam was placed under a commandment oriented life. That was as simple as the nose on your face. Adam was placed under a commandment-oriented life. What did God say? God said, this do, and thou shalt live. That's a command. This do, and thou shalt die. That's a command. Adam was placed under a commandment-oriented life. Secondly, absolutely nothing was to get in the way of Adam's obedience to God. Because he was obligated to God. He owed God. God was his creator, his sustainer, his provider, his protector. Everything that he was and everything that he had belonged to God. God gave him everything. He owed God and therefore his obedience was to be first and foremost to God and rightly demanded by God. Wow.
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So you have to ask this question. What happened? Why did Adam not give God that which he demanded? Well, look in your Bibles, Genesis chapter three very quickly, and let's read beginning with verse one.
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Now, the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, Yea, have God said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden. And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die, for God doth know in the day that you eat thereof, that your eyes shall be open, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise. She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
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So, let's ask, as we look at this passage again, the simple question, what happened? The answer is not that Adam was tempted. Just because you're tempted does not necessarily mean that you have to yield to sin. There have been countless individuals that have been tempted that have never yielded to sin. Even our Lord was tempted. So listen to me carefully. Temptation in and of itself is not sin. Yielding to temptation is sin, but simply being tempted is not.
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What is Matthew chapter 4? Our Lord was driven into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. So temptation in and of itself is not necessarily sin. And so don't come up saying, well, here's what happened. They were just tempted. It's kind of like the little boy. His father told him not to go swimming in that canal, not to go swimming. So the father came home a little bit early and he saw his son coming back from the canal with wet swimming trunks in his hand. He stopped. He said, son, I thought I told you not to go swimming in that canal. He said, yes, sir, I know, but I was tempted. He said, well, son, why did you carry your swimming trunks? He said, just in case I got tempted. Well, you know, that's the way most of us are. We like our temptation. And we plan for temptation, but temptation of itself is not sin. So don't just say, well, the reason he fell was because he's tempted. A lot of people have been tempted and not necessarily have sinned.
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So the answer is not also that he was adding to the Word of God. I've heard that before. Notice if you would please look in verse three. But of the fruit of the tree of the garden, which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. Now, someone comes along and they'll say, Well, now, God did not say not to touch it. God said not to eat it. Well, let me just explain something to you.
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Do you understand what Eve is doing right here is really and truly declaring a principle. And I might say that is a biblical principle. By the way, when God forbids any act, At the same time, he forbids any and everything that would lead up to that act. You can't eat the fruit without touching the fruit, and what she is saying is that's God's fruit. I'm not to touch it because touching may lead to eating. For instance, has not God said thou shalt not commit murder? Well, of course. But do you realize when God forbids the act of murder, at the same time, He also forbids the unrighteous anger and hatred and strife that would lead up to murder? Has God commanded us not to commit adultery? Well, of course He has. But God does not just forbid the physical act of adultery and fornication. At the same time, He also forbids covetousness and lustfulness and evil desires that would lead up to that act. So when she said, Neither shall you touch it. She was enunciating a biblical principle.
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When God forbids any act, he forbids whatever would lead up to that act. So touching it would be a step toward eating, just as lusting would be a step toward adultery. So the answer is this. That which caused Adam to sin is exactly that which causes us to sin. The root of his disobedience is the root cause of our disobedience.
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Now, I know you've read this, and I know you've already heard this, but let me say it again. Eve was the first person to sin. She took the fruit and did eat, and gave her husband also. In fact, we are told expressly in 1 Timothy 2 and verse 14, and Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. But may I remind you that although the woman was the first one to sin, sin did not come into the world through the woman. It came into the world through Adam because God's covenant was with him. In Romans 5 and verse 12, the Word of God says, Wherefore, as by one man sin entered in the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.
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Now, the interesting thing is, when you look at that in the Greek, for that all have sinned, it's an aorist passive, which means it's something that has happened once and forever, and it's over and done with. It's not being repeated. When did all men sin? And the answer is, all men sinned in Adam. Now, Brother Jeff taught this last night, so I'm not going to go into it, but may I remind you, 1 Corinthians 15, verses 45-48 teaches us that Adam was our federal head and federal representative.
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What he did, we did. What he sinned, we sinned. What he fell, we fell. It's just that simple. You say, well, I don't like that. then you don't like salvation either, because our salvation is in Jesus Christ as our Federal Head. What He did, we did. And everything is tied up in Him as well. So, without going into detail, let me just show you what I'm driving at right now.
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Look, if you would please, in Genesis 3, verse 6. Remember, if you would please, when God put Adam in the garden, He placed him under a commandment or in need of life. This do, and thou shalt live. Do this and you'll die. Now watch verse six. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof and did eat and gave also to her husband with her and he did eat. Now, here's my question. Where is the word commandment in verse six? Obviously, it's not there. What you do read in verse six is about sight. Pleasantness. And desires. The point I want to make right now is this. What is actually happening with Adam and Eve is this they are forsaking a commandment-oriented life, and now they are falling into a feeling or a desire-oriented life. It is true that the woman took and ate, but she also gave to her husband.
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Now, the Bible tells us that Adam was not deceived. He knew exactly what he was doing. Now, there's been a lot of wonderful messages preached on why Adam did what he did, and I'm not going to go into that tonight, but the point I'm saying is this. If Adam only ate because now he knew that his wife was fallen, and he wanted to be with his wife, so he took and ate, then he still sinned because God had said, that he was to be obeyed.
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And you remember the first commandment is, thou shalt have no other gods before me. And Adam would essentially have been placing Eve before God, which would have been a sin anyhow. But he took and ate as well.
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Now, here's the interesting thing. Ever since the fall, mankind has been living a feeling and desire oriented life. When the fall came, feelings became all important. For instance, when God came walking into the garden in the cool of the day and said, Adam, where art thou? Where were they? Hiding. Now watch this. You would think that Adam, created in original righteousness, holiness and knowledge, would at least have had enough sense to come running to God and fall before Him and say, Oh, Lord God, I have sinned and my wife has sinned.
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We've done that which has been wicked and wrong and disobedient. We've transgressed Thy law. We've broken Thy commandment. Lord, please help us. Did he do that? No. What did they do? They ran. And they hid. Why? Because at this point, feelings are now more important than a commandment. In other words, it might embarrass us, it might hurt us, it might cause us bad feelings if we have to do something like that.
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No, no, it's easier to deny it or ignore it or pretend that it does not exist. Because our feelings are now paramount. Do you understand? No one today likes to be made to feel uncomfortable. Look at political correctness. Look at it. Look at all the stupidity that's going on because people feel unsafe or feel uncomfortable. That's just a demonstration of their fallen nature.
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Now, let me go a little bit further. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Joshua. Turn to Joshua chapter 6. And I want you to notice, if you would, beginning there, verses 16 and 17. We've just seen this in Adam and Eve. Actually, you could classify this as the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. That's basically what happened. But look in Joshua chapter 6, because now the children of Israel are about to conquer Jericho, and God gives a specific commandment in relationship to Jericho. Joshua chapter 6, notice verse 17, God says, And the city shall be accursed, even it and all that are therein, to the Lord.
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Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And you, in any wise, keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest you make yourselves accursed when you take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse and trouble it. But all the silver and gold and vessels of brass and iron are consecrated unto the Lord. They shall come into the treasury of the Lord.
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Now I want you to note what the Bible says. The Bible says this city is cursed. Everything is cursed. And God said don't touch anything in it. The silver and the gold and all this is going to come into the treasury of the Lord. But don't you touch it because you're going to make yourself a curse and you're going to make the camp of Israel a curse.
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So the command is absolutely plain. It's absolutely simple. Don't touch it. Don't take anything.
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Now, if you do, you're going to become accursed. It's a simple, straightforward command.
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Now, look at Joshua chapter seven, because you know how Achan took and stole. Notice, if you would, beginning there in verse 19. Watch carefully. Achan now has been singled out, by the way, Achan did not, did not come up and confess. He was singled out by God, and now he's being forced. Watch. And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him, and tell me now what thou hast done.
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Hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua and said, Indeed, I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done. When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them, And behold, they were hid in the earth, in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran into the tent, and behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.
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Now, I want you to note what he said, if you would. I saw it. I coveted it. And I took it. Do you realize that's exactly what Eve did? Do you realize that's what God says in 1 John 2 and verse 15? Love not the world, neither the things of the world. For all things of the world, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, are not of the Father, but of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof. But he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. So now you're saying exactly the same thing in Achan that you saw in Adam and Eve. Achan basically gave in to his desires. He gave in to his feelings. He saw that goodly Babylonish garment. He wanted it. He wanted that 200 shekels of silver. He took it. He coveted. He lusted after it.
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And he ended up taking it. He was living a desire-oriented life. He was living a feeling-oriented life. And his desire and feeling-oriented life led to his destruction. And I might add, the destruction of his family. Had not Adam and Eve already proven this point, you cannot sin against God and escape. And now Achan proves this point with his life or the life of his family. No man is going to sin against God and escape. It's just that simple.
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I want you to turn right over to Judges chapter 14. Judges chapter 14. I'm just showing you how man, down through the ages, ever since the fall, has been living a feeling-oriented life, a desire-oriented life. In Judges 14, here's a very interesting passage. I've got a message that I preach on this passage. It explains a lot of things a little bit later on. I'm not going to get into that.
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But notice verse 1, "...And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. And he came up and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.
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Now therefore get her for me to wife." Then his father's mother said of him, Is there never a woman among the daughter of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said of his father, Get her for me, for she pleaseth me well." Now, wow! Every Israelite knew that God had forbidden intermarriage with pagans and with the heathen.
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It was plainly commanded, if you don't believe that, you can read it in Exodus 34, verses 12-16. You can read it in Deuteronomy 7, verses 1-5. No intermarriages were to take place, and especially with the Philistines. And when he says, I found this Philistine woman down in Timnath, I want you to get her for me to wife. The father said, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, son. Is there never a woman in your own tribe that you could marry? I mean, can't you find a sweet, beautiful Hebrew woman to marry? And look, and if you can't find one in this tribe, there are eleven other tribes. You don't have to take one out of this tribe. Just make sure she's a Hebrew. What did he say? I want you to look at it. Look in verse three. He said very plainly in verse 3, And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me, for she pleaseth me well. Check it out when you get home, the Hebrew word. Here's what he said. Get her for me.
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It's agreeable in my eyes. It's pleasing to me. I don't see anything wrong with it. Really? So not only is he violating plain commandments of God. He's now also violating the fifth commandment, honor thy father and thy mother. What is his attitude? My feelings have precedence over the commands of God. My desires come first. It doesn't matter what God commands. It doesn't matter what you want, Dad. It doesn't matter that God said, honor thy father and thy mother. No, no, no, no. I don't see a thing wrong with it. Get her for me.
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You know the story, of course. He never married her. She was given to his best friend. And if you turn over to chapter 16, we're not going to really look at all of this, but he went again to another Philistine woman, Delilah. And you know the story. You know what happened when she cut his hair off. Notice if you would please. Wow. Verse 19. Judges chapter 16, and she made him sleep upon her knees, and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head. And she began to afflict him, and a strength went from him.
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And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep and said, I will go out as in other times before and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him. But the Philistines took him and put out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with fetters of brass, and he did grind in the prison house. Wow! Well, let's see.
#50 | 34:18 to 34:41 | cleaned
He lived by his feelings. He lived by his desires. It cost him his eyes. It cost him his ministry. It cost him his life. He lost everything. Why? Because he lived a feeling-oriented life. Here's the point of the message tonight. We must obey in all things. Literally, our lives are to be brought into totality and in conformity to the Word of God, period. Do you realize what I have been preaching so far is this?
#51 | 34:42 to 35:31 | cleaned
There are two main hindrances to obedience. And probably if you would examine your life and especially when you've been disobedient to God, one of these two hindrances is present. They are your feelings and your desires. I have heard so many people say, but I don't feel like obeying. Or I don't desire this in my life at this point. Let me tell you one of the major problems that we have in modern day Christendom, and that is this. Most people live by their feelings. They do not live by the commandments of God. They do not live by biblical principles. And consequently, it is a clever wile of the devil to tempt men to think that they cannot do what God requires them to do simply because they don't feel like doing it.
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And their excuse is, I can't help myself. I just don't feel like it. Does God command us to pray? Pray without ceasing. But how many times have you said, well, I just don't feel like praying? Does God command us to study? Study to show yourselves approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly divided. But how many times... I just don't feel like studying. Does God command us to attend the public worship? Yeah, forsake not the assembling of yourselves. But I just don't feel like going today.
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It's not that you're sick. You just give in to your feelings. I don't feel like going to church. I don't feel like confessing my sin. I don't feel like making things right. I don't feel like confronting this brother. I don't feel like doing that or doing this. The problem is this. We've allowed our feelings to rule us rather than the Word of God. We have adopted the pagan philosophy, if it feels good, do it. And on the other hand, we've also adopted the pagan philosophy, if it doesn't feel good, I will not do it, regardless of what God commands. That's where we are. Most of us allow our desires to get ahead of the commandments of God.
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I have known professing Christian men whose goal was to be a millionaire, a multi-millionaire, and then serve God. Really? Well, I know God gives money to a lot of individuals, and I'm thankful that He does. But why don't you serve God now? Your desire to be a millionaire may never come to pass. And if God has ordained you to be one, you're going to be one, but you're going to be it through obedience more than anything else. But you see, what we do is we put our desires ahead of God. We put our feelings ahead of God.
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Now, I want you to go back to our text in Ezekiel chapter 24. I want you to follow this with me. I want to demonstrate something to you from Scripture tonight. as we look at the scope of Christian obedience. And the scope is that we should be obedient in all things. Ezekiel is a prime illustration. Believe it or not, I have often asked myself, would I perform and obey as Ezekiel did, given the same set of circumstances? Let me tell you something about Ezekiel first. Ezekiel was a priest that God called to be a prophet.
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He was also in captivity in Babylon. Ezekiel was assigned to those Hebrews in Babylon, and he was also assigned to those who were yet to come to Babylon, because he prophesied and preached to those who had not yet been captured and taken captive. He was also a sign that the temple was going to be destroyed. So what we've got to see tonight is this. We need to see his obedience in the most stressful, emotional and feeling oriented situation that any man could possibly face.
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And that is the immediate and instant loss of his wife. Look at verse 16. In fact, let's read verse 15. Also, the word of the Lord came to me saying, so God is telling Ezekiel, son of man, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke. Let me just put it to you bluntly. Here's what God just told Ezekiel, I'm going to kill your wife. I'm going to kill her instantly, suddenly.
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John Gill said this on this passage. He said, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke, meaning his wife, who was very probably was of a beautiful countenance and goodly to look to. However, of an amiable disposition and in her conjugal relation, very agreeable to the prophet.
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Now, no doubt, a truly religious woman, and upon all accounts, desirable to him. This lovely object of his affection, the Lord who is the sovereign disposer of all persons, signifies that he would take away from him by death unto himself, that is, suddenly and at once. And so the Syriac and Arabic versions render it with a sudden stroke, as sometimes persons are struck with death at once with a palsy.
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So, what God has just said to Ezekiel is your wife is going to die. Instantly. Suddenly. Now let me just point something out. The unexpected and sudden death of his wife was sufficient in and of itself to cause the most loving and godly man to crumble and to become so devastated that he would be unable to think or to act. Alright, men. Think about your wives. If the Lord lets us live till January, Alice and I will have been married 54 years. And I have often said jokingly, but if the Lord took her, I'd have to marry 40 to take her place.
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I mean, that's how dependent I am upon her, and that's how much she works. Fifty four years. I have no idea how long Ezekiel and his wife had been married. But God said, I'm going to take her away instantly, suddenly you're going to lose her. And God has the sovereign right to do that. He gives life and he has the absolute right to take life. But that's not all. God only told Ezekiel, I'm going to take your wife suddenly. Unexpectedly. You're going to lose her.
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And I do not want you to cry or shed a tear or mourn or do anything that will demonstrate sorrow. Look at it in verse 16. He said, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke. Yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead. Bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. What? Don't cry. Don't mourn. No tears are to come down. Make no mourning. Bind the tire by head. Put on your turban. Put on your shoes. Cover not your lips. Don't act like someone in mourning. Eat not the bread of men. Somebody tries to send you bread. Don't eat it.
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You're to give no indication whatsoever that you're in mourning or that you've grieved. Matthew Henry says it like this. Listen carefully. He must not give vent to his passion by weeping or letting his tears run down, though tears are a tribute due to the dead, and when the body is sown it is fit that it should be thus watered. But Ezekiel is not allowed to do this, though he thought he had as much reason to do it as any man and would perhaps be ill thought of by the people if he did it not. Much less might he use the customary formalities of mourners.
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He must dress himself in his usual attire, must bind his turban upon him, here called the tower of his head, must put on his shoes and not go barefoot, as was the usual in such cases. He must not cover his lips nor throw a veil over his face, as mourners were wont to do. He must not be of a sorrowful countenance, appearing unto men to fast. He must not eat the bread of men, nor expect that his neighbors and friends should send him in provisions, as usually they did in such cases, presuming the mourners had no heart to provide meat for themselves. But if it was sent, he must not eat of it, but go on in his business as at other times.
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It could not but be greatly against the grain of the flesh and blood not to lament the death of one he loved so dearly, but God commanded it.
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One more quote. I want you to listen carefully, Matthew Poole said this, and I'm going to go back and read the scripture. Matthew Poole said it is likely he had this revelation in the night or evening before, and he tells of the times in the morning when God would what God would do in taking away his wife and what he must not do when she is dead and to be buried. Now, listen again. It is likely he had this revelation in the night or evening before, and he tells them the times in the morning. Now, watch. Go back to verse 15.
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Also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke. Yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead. Bind the tire of thine head upon thee, put on thy shoes upon my feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.
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So I spake unto the people in the morning, and at even my wife died, and I did in the morning as I was commanded. I want you to consider if what Matthew Poole has said is accurate. And if I just read the Scripture correctly, it means that when God told Ezekiel, I'm going to take away the desire of thine eyes. I'm going to take away your wife with a stroke. It means when God spoke to him, within 12 to 24 hours, his wife was dead.
#69 | 47:55 to 48:34 | cleaned
He had no time to prepare himself. It was sudden. This humbling, poignant, and condemning truth is given to us so clearly in verse 18 when he said, So I spake to the people in the morning, and it even my wife died, and I did in the morning as I was commanded.
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Now, I want you to stop. I want you to think about this. I have. If God took my wife suddenly. I would probably be so stunned. So shocked. So dazed. I'd probably be like a deer in the headlights. I wouldn't know which way to turn or which way to go. I would probably be unable to function for a while. Ezekiel, God said, I'm going to take your wife.
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You can't cry, you can't mourn, you can't grieve. What you're going to do, is act like it didn't even happen. And just go on with your life. And even my wife died. And in the morning, I did as I was commanded. You talk about the scope of obedience in all things? His feelings did not interfere with his obedience. His desires did not interfere with his obedience. The situation did not change his obedience. The circumstances did not change his obedience. In the evening, my wife died. And in the morning, I did as I was commanded.
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How small and insignificant is our whining and complaining in the light of such a devastating loss. If the grace and mercy of God could uphold Ezekiel in such a time and cause him to obey, is it not possible that you and I could put our feelings and our desires and situations and circumstances aside and obey God in much lighter and easier times? How have we disobeyed? How have we excused our disobediences when there were no excuses?
#73 | 51:23 to 52:14 | cleaned
How often do we consider our feelings and our emotions and our desires and completely disregard the plain commands of a holy and righteous God. When God issues those commands, not just for His glory, but for our good. And have you ever stopped to think, when we place our feelings and our desires above God and His Word, we are the grossest idolaters. We profess to love Him. But we live for ourselves and our feelings.
#74 | 52:24 to 53:06 | cleaned
But let me tell you something. When God saves us. He places us back under. A commandment oriented life. He put Adam under that commandment of oriented life. Adam fell and began to live a feeling and desire oriented life. But when God saves us, he puts us back under that commandment oriented life. Our Lord said in John 14 in verse 21, He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me.
#75 | 53:08 to 53:45 | cleaned
And he shall be loved of my father, and I will love him and manifest myself unto him. What did he say? In verse 24. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings. 1 John 5 and verse 3. And this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not grievous. What is the love of God that we keep His commandments? I want you to see this. Look in your Bibles to 1 John 2. I could quote it, but I want you to see it. 1 John chapter 2. Look, if you would, please. At verse four. First, John two, verse four. In fact, let's read verse three. And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him. and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected. Hereby we know that we are in him. What did God say? He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
#76 | 53:45 to 55:24 | cleaned
God, when he saves us, places us back under a commandment-oriented life. We are to obey. Let me tell you. Think about it like this. In the garden, when Adam sinned, what did Adam do? He ran. He didn't run to God. He ran away from God. So here man is, ever since the fall, running as fast and as furiously as he can run to get away from God and God's law, because he thinks that's freedom, but in reality it's slavery. And what does God do? God sends His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who comes and obeys that law personally, perfectly, and perpetually, who offers Himself a sacrifice. He dies.
#77 | 55:26 to 56:21 | cleaned
for a foundation and basis for forgiveness. Then he is raised from the dead that he might actually give repentance and forgiveness of sins. And when he does, he captures the running sinner and brings him back. Who now kneels before the father and says with David, oh, how love I thy law, it is my meditation day and night. We no longer want to run from him. We want to run to him. I want you to see one other passage. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew, chapter 10. Matthew, chapter 10.
#78 | 56:23 to 57:09 | cleaned
We have to come to this conclusion. If we're talking about the scope of our obedience, the totality of our obedience, Absolutely nothing and no one must hinder our obedience to the sovereign God who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ. Our Lord said in Matthew 10 and verse 37, He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And we could also add, he that loveth husband and wife more than me is not worthy of me.
#79 | 57:09 to 57:55 | cleaned
It's the principle that he is enunciating. He is to be supremely loved, supremely obeyed. Because he's God. He is God. Circumstances do not change your obedience. Situations do not change your obedience. Feelings do not change obedience. Desires do not change obedience. Emotions do not change obedience. You are required to obey regardless. So I speak to the people in the morning. And in the evening, my wife died. And I did in the morning as I was commanded. Oh, God, help us to see our miserable failures and our miserable excuses in light of the obedience that Ezekiel gave in such a devastating circumstance. God requires obedience.
#80 | 57:55 to 59:21 | cleaned
And He does so in all things. One more time, obedience is a sovereignly dictated order of life. God commands it. And if you love Him, you will keep His Word. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, We ask your help and your grace and your mercy. Help us to obey, Lord, in all things. May the totality of our life be brought into conformity to your word. May we love thee and serve thee and honor thee and bring all of our feelings and all of our emotions and all of our desires. and to conform it to your word, to examine them by your word, and repent of any and everything that's contrary to your word. We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T20:54:18Z

The Scope of Christian Obedience

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver teaches that the scope of Christian obedience is the totality of life—obedience in all things. Using arguments from the lesser to the greater, he shows that if children and servants must obey earthly authorities, how much more must believers obey God. The fall of Adam and Eve illustrates the shift from a commandment-oriented life to a feeling- and desire-oriented life, which is the root of all disobedience. Examples from Achan and Samson reinforce that living by feelings and desires leads to destruction. Ezekiel's obedience in the face of his wife's sudden death demonstrates that no circumstance, feeling, or desire should hinder obedience to God's commands. The sermon concludes that salvation restores believers to a commandment-oriented life, and true love for God is proven by keeping His commandments.

Introduction: The Scope of Obedience

Weaver introduces the topic by defining 'scope' as range or extent, and previews the argument from the lesser to the greater to show that obedience must be total.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 24:15-18

also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke.

Argument from the Lesser to the Greater

Using Colossians 3:20,22 and Acts 3:22, Weaver argues that if children and servants must obey earthly authorities in all things, believers must obey God in all things.

The Necessity of Recognizing God's Sovereignty

Total obedience requires total submission, which depends on recognizing God as Father, Lord, Creator, Redeemer, and Potter, and ourselves as children, servants, creatures, and clay.

Obedience as a Sovereignly Dictated Order of Life

From Genesis 2:15-17, Weaver shows that God placed Adam under a commandment-oriented life, demanding personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience.

The Fall: From Commandment-Oriented to Feeling-Oriented Life

In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve forsook God's command and followed sight, desire, and feelings, establishing the pattern of disobedience for all humanity.

Historical Examples of Feeling-Oriented Disobedience

Achan (Joshua 7) and Samson (Judges 14, 16) illustrate how living by feelings and desires leads to destruction, reinforcing the need for commandment-oriented obedience.

So the command is absolutely plain. It's absolutely simple. Don't touch it. Don't take anything.

The Two Main Hindrances to Obedience: Feelings and Desires

Weaver identifies feelings and desires as the primary obstacles to obedience, citing common excuses like 'I don't feel like it' and the pagan philosophy of 'if it feels good, do it.'

Ezekiel's Exemplary Obedience in Devastating Circumstances

Ezekiel 24:15-18 shows Ezekiel obeying God's command not to mourn his wife's sudden death, demonstrating that no circumstance, feeling, or desire should hinder obedience.

It could not but be greatly against the grain of the flesh and blood not to lament the death of one he loved so dearly, but God commanded it.

Application: Our Failures and the Call to Total Obedience

Weaver contrasts our excuses with Ezekiel's obedience, calling believers to put aside feelings and desires and obey God in all things, as love for God is proven by keeping His commandments.

Conclusion: Restoration to a Commandment-Oriented Life in Christ

Salvation through Christ restores believers to a commandment-oriented life, where they no longer run from God but love His law and obey supremely, as seen in Matthew 10:37 and 1 John 2:3-5.

The Scope of Christian Obedience

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	82016165815
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Genesis: Creation, Fall, and Dominion
Genre	Sermon
Date	2016-08-16
Dictation Name
Book	Book 076: Genesis: Creation, Fall, and Dominion — Chapter 6
Source Timed Segments	81

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Scope of Obedience: Weaver introduces the topic by defining 'scope' as range or extent, and previews the argument from the lesser to the greater to show that obedience must be total.
Argument from the Lesser to the Greater: Using Colossians 3:20,22 and Acts 3:22, Weaver argues that if children and servants must obey earthly authorities in all things, believers must obey God in all things.
The Necessity of Recognizing God's Sovereignty: Total obedience requires total submission, which depends on recognizing God as Father, Lord, Creator, Redeemer, and Potter, and ourselves as children, servants, creatures, and clay.
Obedience as a Sovereignly Dictated Order of Life: From Genesis 2:15-17, Weaver shows that God placed Adam under a commandment-oriented life, demanding personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience.
The Fall: From Commandment-Oriented to Feeling-Oriented Life: In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve forsook God's command and followed sight, desire, and feelings, establishing the pattern of disobedience for all humanity.
Historical Examples of Feeling-Oriented Disobedience: Achan (Joshua 7) and Samson (Judges 14, 16) illustrate how living by feelings and desires leads to destruction, reinforcing the need for commandment-oriented obedience.
The Two Main Hindrances to Obedience: Feelings and Desires: Weaver identifies feelings and desires as the primary obstacles to obedience, citing common excuses like 'I don't feel like it' and the pagan philosophy of 'if it feels good, do it.'
Ezekiel's Exemplary Obedience in Devastating Circumstances: Ezekiel 24:15-18 shows Ezekiel obeying God's command not to mourn his wife's sudden death, demonstrating that no circumstance, feeling, or desire should hinder obedience.
Application: Our Failures and the Call to Total Obedience: Weaver contrasts our excuses with Ezekiel's obedience, calling believers to put aside feelings and desires and obey God in all things, as love for God is proven by keeping His commandments.
Conclusion: Restoration to a Commandment-Oriented Life in Christ: Salvation through Christ restores believers to a commandment-oriented life, where they no longer run from God but love His law and obey supremely, as seen in Matthew 10:37 and 1 John 2:3-5.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Argument from the Lesser to the Greater

If children must obey parents and servants must obey masters in all things, then believers must obey God in all things, as He is the greater authority.

Weaver argues, 'If God then requires children to be in obedience to their earthly parents, how much more does God require us to be in submission and obedience to our Heavenly Father.'

The Fall as the Origin of Feeling-Oriented Disobedience

Adam and Eve's sin was not merely temptation but a shift from obeying God's command to following their feelings and desires, a pattern inherited by all humanity.

Weaver notes, 'When the woman saw that the tree was good for food... she took... Where is the word commandment in verse six? Obviously, it's not there.'

Historical Examples Confirm the Destructive Pattern

Achan and Samson both acted on sight and desire rather than God's command, leading to their destruction, proving that feeling-oriented living is fatal.

Weaver says of Achan, 'I saw it. I coveted it. And I took it. Do you realize that's exactly what Eve did?'

Feelings and Desires Are the Primary Excuses for Disobedience

Modern Christians often excuse disobedience by claiming they don't feel like obeying or don't desire what God commands, adopting a pagan philosophy.

Weaver states, 'Most people live by their feelings. They do not live by the commandments of God.'

Ezekiel's Obedience Proves Total Obedience Is Possible by Grace

Ezekiel obeyed God's command not to mourn his wife's death, showing that even in the most devastating circumstances, obedience is possible through God's grace.

Weaver says, 'If the grace and mercy of God could uphold Ezekiel in such a time and cause him to obey, is it not possible that you and I could put our feelings and our desires... aside and obey God?'

Salvation Restores the Commandment-Oriented Life

In salvation, God captures the running sinner and brings him back to a commandment-oriented life, where he loves God's law and obeys supremely.

Weaver explains, 'When God saves us, he puts us back under that commandment oriented life.'

Scripture References

Ezekiel 24:15-18: The primary text: God tells Ezekiel his wife will die suddenly, and commands him not to mourn; Ezekiel obeys.
Matthew 6:26-29: Jesus' argument from the lesser to the greater: if God cares for birds and lilies, how much more will He care for you.
Colossians 3:20: Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20: You are not your own; you are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and spirit.
Colossians 3:22: Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, but in singleness of heart, fearing God.
Acts 3:22: Moses said, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up... him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
Acts 17:28: For in him we live, and move, and have our being.
Exodus 5:2: Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go?
Genesis 2:15-17: God placed Adam in the garden and commanded him not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 3:1-7: The temptation and fall of Adam and Eve.
1 Timothy 2:14: Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
Romans 5:12: Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.
1 Corinthians 15:45-48: Adam as federal head and representative.
Joshua 6:17-19: God commands that Jericho be accursed and that the Israelites keep themselves from the accursed thing.
Joshua 7:19-22: Achan confesses that he saw, coveted, and took the accursed things.
1 John 2:15-17: Love not the world... the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.
Judges 14:1-3: Samson sees a Philistine woman and demands her for a wife because she pleases him well.
Judges 16:19-21: Delilah cuts Samson's hair; his strength leaves him, and the Philistines capture him.
John 14:21, 24: He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me... He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings.
1 John 5:3: This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Historical References

Matthew Henry's commentary on Genesis 2: Weaver quotes Matthew Henry on the grant of every tree and the assurance of immortal life upon obedience.
John Gill's commentary on Ezekiel 24:16: Weaver quotes John Gill describing Ezekiel's wife as the desire of his eyes, likely beautiful and agreeable.
Matthew Henry's commentary on Ezekiel 24:16-17: Weaver quotes Matthew Henry on Ezekiel not being allowed to mourn or use customary formalities.
Matthew Poole's commentary on Ezekiel 24: Weaver quotes Matthew Poole suggesting Ezekiel had the revelation the night before and spoke to the people in the morning.

Important Quotes

So the scope of our obedience is basically the totality of our lives. It is to be absolutely complete in all things.

This is the central thesis of the sermon: obedience must encompass every area of life without exception.

Obedience is a sovereignly dictated order of life.

Weaver emphasizes that obedience is not optional but commanded by God's sovereign authority.

What is actually happening with Adam and Eve is this they are forsaking a commandment-oriented life, and now they are falling into a feeling or a desire-oriented life.

This identifies the root of all disobedience as the shift from obeying God's commands to following personal feelings and desires.

There are two main hindrances to obedience. And probably if you would examine your life and especially when you've been disobedient to God, one of these two hindrances is present. They are your feelings and your desires.

Weaver pinpoints the practical obstacles to obedience that believers must overcome.

So I spake unto the people in the morning, and at even my wife died, and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

This quote from Ezekiel 24:18 is the climax of the sermon, illustrating total obedience in the face of devastating loss.

His feelings did not interfere with his obedience. His desires did not interfere with his obedience. The situation did not change his obedience. The circumstances did not change his obedience.

Weaver highlights Ezekiel's unwavering obedience as the model for believers.

When God saves us. He places us back under. A commandment oriented life.

This connects salvation to the restoration of obedience as the normative Christian life.

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Weaver quotes 1 John 2:4 to stress that profession without obedience is false.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

In what areas of your life do you find it most difficult to obey God completely? How do feelings or desires play a role in that struggle?

[Context]

Weaver identifies feelings and desires as the two main hindrances to obedience.

[Question]

How does recognizing God's sovereignty (as Father, Lord, Creator, Redeemer) change your perspective on obedience?

[Context]

Weaver argues that total obedience requires total submission based on a right view of God.

[Question]

What can we learn from Ezekiel's obedience in the face of his wife's sudden death? How does his example challenge your own excuses for disobedience?

[Context]

Ezekiel 24:15-18 is presented as the supreme example of obedience despite devastating circumstances.

[Question]

Weaver says that living by feelings is a 'clever wile of the devil.' How can we practically combat the tendency to let feelings dictate our obedience?

[Context]

Weaver warns that the devil tempts believers to think they cannot obey because they don't feel like it.

[Question]

How does the argument from the lesser to the greater (children/parents, servants/masters) strengthen the case for total obedience to God?

[Context]

Weaver uses Colossians 3:20,22 and Acts 3:22 to argue that if earthly authorities require obedience, God requires even more.

[Question]

In what ways does modern Christianity reflect a feeling-oriented rather than commandment-oriented life? What are some examples?

[Context]

Weaver critiques the adoption of pagan philosophies like 'if it feels good, do it' in the church.

[Question]

How does the fall of Adam and Eve illustrate the shift from commandment-oriented to feeling-oriented living? How does this pattern show up in your own life?

[Context]

Weaver analyzes Genesis 3 to show that Adam and Eve forsook God's command for sight and desire.

[Question]

According to 1 John 2:3-5, what is the relationship between knowing God and keeping His commandments? How should this affect our assurance of salvation?

[Context]

Weaver cites 1 John 2 to emphasize that obedience is the proof of genuine love for God.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T13:09:45Z