SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2018 – EASTER 4
Liturgical Colour: WHITE
8.00 A.M: Pre-Service Bible Study 17
Conductor: Dr. Mrs. Sola Dublin – Green
SUB-THEME/3: Personal Attributes that please God.
TOPIC: Total Obedience.
TEXTS: Exodus 23: 20 -33; I Sam. 13: 8 -14; 15: 20 -23.
AIMS:
* to reckon with the concept and implications of Total Obedience;
* to realise the promises of God to those who obey Him implicitly;
* to differentiate between partial and total obedience.
INTRODUCTION: Total obedience is doing everything we are asked to do. It is usually not easy to obey God totally. God’s commands are not a burden and so Christians who yield themselves to obeying God’s commands are able to do so, Christians can learn a great lesson from the example of the obedience of men who serve in the military services. I Samuel tell two instances King Saul failed to obey God’s command totally and the terrible consequences that followed. In the Exodus text, God instructed the Israelites to listen to all His commands through the guardian angel that He had sent to them (vs. 20 -22). The promises of God in verses 24 -33 show how God would be pleased with us when we obey Him totally.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
- How can you explain ‘total obedience’ and ‘partial obedience’ according to our text?
- Give some biblical examples of people who totally obeyed God’s instructions and those who obeyed only partially. Gen. 19: 17 & 26; 22: 1 -3, 9 -10; Ex.14: 15 -16, 21 -22.
- From the above passages, what are the benefits to Christians of total obedience to God and the consequences of partial obedience? Deut. 28: 1 -14.
- Give some reasons why some Christians have difficulty in obeying God totally as in 1 Sam.15: 1 -3, 9 -11; Acts 5: 1 -2.
CONCLUSION: Priests and Prophets of God are like His angels, sent to deliver God’s message and instructions to all men. The more men obey God totally, the more God will be pleased with them and so, grant them His favour. Whichever way, the results of total obedience of God’s commands are great.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Total obedience to God gives total blessings from God.
MEMORY VERSE: Deuteronomy 28: 1 – If you will only obey the Lord your God, by diligently observing all his commandments that I am commanding you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.