LEARNING OBEDIENCE - II

 “And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. – Philippians 2:8.”

Previously, we concluded that obedience is not automatic. This is true; it must be learnt. Again, from the teaching we learnt that every good and perfect thing or lesson must be learnt because by nature we were all children of disobedience. Meaning, what we know how to do best is to disobey until Christ Jesus came to give us understanding and translation into the original intended-nature God created for us or created us for.

Now, today we shall see one of the ways to aid and speed up learning is humility. Christ Jesus is the only man on earth who needed not to learn yet His was a way to show us the path to grow in God. One thing that we must know is that being in human form entails a lot of things. To be made in this fashion is a sign of humility. We aren’t made in angelic form about which we have it thus –

“For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels… - Ps. 8:5.”

So, by nature, man is made to be humble which is the first step to becoming obedient.

No arrogant man can be referred to be obedient. There was never a man who had a proud look to whom the word obedient was ascribed. As for Jesus Christ, no man has ever ascended to the height He reached and no man ever descended to the depth he went. As for the depth, He was obedient unto death. You see, when we talk about death as men, it is something we have familiarised ourselves with. But when we look at it from the perspective of God, the conception of the thought alone is unimaginable. Imagine the very God of very God dying? That is almost equivalent to sacrilege. Yet, Christ learnt and took this as part of His curriculum to learning obedience.

Now, for every man to come to the state of learning, there is a cross to bear. This is the responsibility we must carry out. Every man must bear his own cross. Failure to do so is disobedience. The climax of obedience is the cross. Every believer must have his cross. True, there is a crown awaiting each of us after faithfully discharging our duties but that does not cancel out the truth of cross-bearing.

Yes, it is this bearing of the cross the world calls “suffering.” It is this cross bearing that makes people look at God’s people as suffering saints. Let them call us what they so wish and desire, the truth must be embraced whether bitter or sweet. And for your information, truth is not bitter. Yes, I affirm again TRUTH IS NOT BITTER. Truth is bitter to those who are reacy to slip and perish but as for those whose gaze is fixed upon Jerusalem above, Truth is sweet. It is the way of the world to call Truth bitter while lie is what they call sweet. As for us, Oh children of the Most High, our language must be different from that of the world. When the world calls the Truth bitter, we must call The Truth sweet. After all, do they (the worldlings) have the right and proper sense of taste?

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! – Isaiah 5:20.”

What is sweeter than Truth and what is bitter than lie?

Now back to the topic. Humility is preparing for obedience. Without reaching the place of the cross and carrying it, we haven’t started learning obedience. Brother, I know you are a “do-gooder” fellow. Sister, it is aired abroad among your colleagues that you are “good jolly-good and no-dulling” woman. Friends, it is known of you that you haven’t broken any law since your youth still now. But the real question before us today is, have you been to the cross? Have you tasted of its duties of dripping blood and shrieking shout? Have you known the agony of Calvary? Do you know the one whose body was hung there? Have you any relationship with the Man of sorrow acquainted with grief? If you do not know these, you haven’t started learning obedience. You aren't obedient yet. And if you are caught and die in this state, damnation is your lot. I pray you will not be damned.

It is true you are keeping the law but prosperity might have blinded the eyes and heart of your faith from seeing the glorious gospel of Christ who is the image of God and when He tells you go sell all your possessions and give to the poor, what is your reaction? Oh, that the Lord would give us such a heart to embrace the cross and the One whose body was hung upon it and call the TRUTH sweet while we take lie for what it truly is – lie is bitter.

“The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame – Pro. 29:15.”

Take some of your trials as the Father’s rod of correction to teach you the way to learning obedience. Hence, your response to these is to return unto Him in repentance and humility declaring your willingness to learn and obey.

LEARNING GREETINGS