Genesis 3:1-6
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

In the Kingdom of God obedience is the access point to what matters and blesses our life.

We have no idea what God can do through one moment of obedience.

Our obedience can never be based on our convenience.

You don’t have to understand completely to be obedient.

Romans 1:5 NIV
Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake.

Faith never knows where it’s being led, but it loves and obeys the One who is leading.

Obedience is our responsibility, the outcome is God’s.

Even when we don’t understand completely may we obey immediately.

Daniel 3:13-18 ESV
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Our obedience in Christ will lead us to full surrender to Christ.

Surrender is not a moment in time; it is moments all the time.

Luke 14:33 ESV
So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Matthew 10:37 ESV
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Matthew 22:37 ESV
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

Speak the truth of full surrender.

Philippians 3:7-8 ESV
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.

We don’t want to withhold anything from God anymore. We are eager to be totally at his service.

Surrender is not giving up, but letting go.

Matthew 13:44 ESV
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

1 Corinthians 11:1 ESV
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Ephesians 5:1 ESV
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.

1 Peter 2:21 ESV
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

1 John 2:6 ESV
whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

What are your actions saying?

If our words and actions are saying different things, we must look to our actions for the truth.

1 John 3:18 NIV
Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

Our faith and trust in Christ should constantly be proclaimed through the things we do and the words we say.

A gray area is anything in scripture that is not clearly commanded or prohibited.

Is the Holy Spirit convicting me that this is wrong? (Rom. 14:23; James 4:17)

Is this action causing a brother or sister to stumble? (Rom. 14:20; 1 Cor. 8:9–13)

Is this action mastering or controlling me? (1 Cor. 6:12; 9:27)

Is this action causing me to be disobedient to someone whom God has put in authority over me? (Eph. 6:1; Heb. 13:17)

Am I judging others who don’t agree with me in this gray area? (Matt. 7:1–5; Rom. 14:13)

Deuteronomy 30:9 NIV
Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The Lord will again deli

We are called to be quick to bless and slow to anger.

Exodus 34:6
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

Jeremiah 9:24
but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”ght in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors,

The Greek word translated blessed is “makarioi” which means to be fully satisfied. It refers to those receiving God’s favor, regardless of the circumstances.

1 Kings 10:1-9 NIV
1 When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the Lord, she came to test Solomon with hard questions. 2 Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. 3 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. 4 When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, 5 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed. 6 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 7 But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. 8 How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 9 Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.”

You are on assignment from God.

1 Corinthians 7:17
“Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him”

Don’t think you are the exception.

A lack of real gratitude (translate: Of course I should receive this good).
Bitterness (I shouldn’t have to bear with adversity, conflict, suffering, pain, disappointment, or grief).
Envy (I should be honored and admired like that).
Impatience (I should not have to bear with this person’s foibles or sins).
Irritability (I should not have to endure this inconvenience).
Covetousness (I should have what they get to have).
Indulgence (I should be able to have what I crave).

Don’t be blind to your blessings!

John 8:31-37 NIV
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” 34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word.

Galatians 5:1 ESV
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Greek word for freedom here in Galatians 5 is eleutheroó which means freedom, liberty, especially: a state of freedom from slavery.

What is true freedom?

1. If you don’t have the desire to do a thing, you are not fully free to do it. Oh, you may muster the willpower to do what you don’t want to do, but nobody calls that full freedom. It’s not the way we want to live.

2. And if you have the desire to do something, but no ability to do it, you are not free to do it.

3. And if you have the desire and the ability to do something, but no opportunity to do it, you are not free to do it.

4. And if you have the desire to do something, and the ability to do it, and the opportunity to do it, but it destroys you in the end, you are not free.

Revelation 1:5-8 NIV
5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. 7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”and “every eye will see him,even those who pierced him”;and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”So shall it be! Amen. 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

For the believer, our justification was, our sanctification is, and our glorification is to come.

Justification: Freedom From Sin’s Penalty.

Sanctification: Freedom From Sin’s Power.

Glorification: Freedom From Sin’s Presence.