Teaching the Whole Counsel of His Word, Part 2

February, 2004

by: Brock Bolde

“Did not your majesty invite me to dine with you?” said the astonished guest.

“Yes,” replied the King, “but you did not answer my invitation.”

Then it was that Sir Leonard Wood uttered one of the choicest sentences of his life. He replied, “A king's invitation is never to be answered, but to be obeyed.”

As I read of this one man's response to an earthly king, I couldn't help but to be pierced by my many failures in obeying my Heavenly King. If a king of this world could obtain such loyalty and obedience, how much more should the One who is King of kings and Lord of lords obtain from His followers? As I contemplated this, the Lord uncovered many verses that revealed my need to obey. I share a few of these verses with you in the hopes that they may fan the flame of your obedience to the One who directs kings hearts like channels of water (Proverbs 21:1). Let me also challenge you to share these verses with your children so that they may better understand the importance of obedience. As parents, it is critical that we teach our children the absolute necessity of obedience. This obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ is wrapped up in their obeying you (Ephesians 6:1-3) and obedience is required of all who will follow our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.

• “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)
• “And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” (1 John 2:3-6)
• “And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 5:9-10)
• “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'” (Matthew 7:21-23)

This charge to obey God is critical to our pleasing Him because our obedience is directly tied to our faith, and we know that it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6). God desires to shower His children with blessings but when His children walk in disobedience His righteousness prevents Him