April 3, 2021

Obedience Rather than Sacrifice

Gen 2:16-17 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 that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Gen 3:2-3 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. She added to God’s Word!!! Then she said, “lest” (meaning: for fear that), instead of God’s adament warning, “you shalt surely die!”

Gen 3:4-5 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

The snake twisted God’s word to convince Eve to listen to him. It may have been true what he said about the fruit, but God said DON’T EAT , and YOU WILL ABSOLUTELY DIE!… She disobeyed Him, and listened to what she thought was logic and truth. She wanted the fruit, especially since the snake had said it would make them wise…. and as gods. The greed overcame her, instead of her overcoming the greed. It still exists today in each an every individual living. We live in a I want, I want, I want, me me, me, take, take, take society.

Gen 3:6-7 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that 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.

Thus, because of Eve’s, then Adam’s sin, man was made subject unto disobedience. Adam listened to his wife, who listened to the snake; and they both eventually died; and caused all of mankind from then on to die as well.

Let me reiterate this: When God created man, He gave them an option, a choice: listen to and do as He says and live, or disobey Him and pay the consequences which, ultimately is death. Man chose to disobey, and so dies.

Over the years, man has taken this choice over and over again. We choose to listen and obey other’s whom we can physically see, rather than a God whom we cannot see. Why? Because the carnal mind wants physical things; whereas the spirit of man wants the spiritual. They are at constant loggerheads against each other.

Rom 8:7 Because the carnal (of the world ~ physical) mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

Exo 24:7 b All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.

Act 5:29b We ought to obey God rather than men.

1 Sam 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better t
1 Sam 15:24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

Instead of listening to God, Saul listened to the people. He wanted to keep his kingship and popularity and so did as the people said. He was afraid that if he didn't, he would be dethroned by them. He should have listened to God, because HE'S the one that ultimately dethroned him by death.

Why? Because God knows of man’s frailties when it comes to wants giving into sin, God sent His son, Christ Jesus, into the world to do away with sin, so that He could give us grace and mercy.

Rom 6:1-3 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

:5-7 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.

:8-11 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

:12-14 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteous-ness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

:15-18 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

:19-20 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity (weakness) of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

:21-23 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Obedience to God IS better than Sacrifice; IS better than listening to others.