Who Is An Obedient Child?

Who Is An Obedient Child?

As we approach Mother’s Day, we may remember the wonderful times we had with our mother, and we also may remember those times when we were not the perfect child. Even when we were disobedient our mother may not have liked what we did, but they usually love us. I know there are always exceptions. But I want you to consider why you obeyed your mother.

Was it out of fear of punishment or consequences? For example, when we drive we usually stop for red lights. If we didn’t we may be in an accident which will create more problems and stress in our lives. So did we obey Mom, because we knew there would be consequences to our actions if we didn’t? Many of us would fit into this category.

But there is another category I would like you to consider. Would we ever have obeyed Mom, because we didn’t want to offend her. Where we love Mom so much we did what we were told because we have a loving mom, who cared for us and was always thinking what would be best for us, even when we didn’t realize it at the moment.

My guess is that our obedience may have been from both categories at different points in our lives. The reason I bring this up is to compare it our obedience to Christ Jesus. Do we look at the law of God and following Jesus thinking that I will try to follow because I fear the punishment of eternal death and damnation. Or do we cherish the Law of God for we know that God loves us, cares for us, has our best interest in mind as the Psalmist reminds us:

Psalm 1:1–2 (ESV) 1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

Is our way that we love the grace the Christ has given us that we will avoid anything that will offend God, because we don’t want to ruin the relationship that Christ Jesus has given to us? God wants us as Luther says as the explanation to the first commandment that we fear, love and trust in God above all things. This isn’t out of fear of hell, but when one values the connection between us and God so much that we don’t want anything to diminish it.

So we as will remember a day when our culture remembers their mothers, we also need to remember that God has given us our mothers as a way of God showing His love for us. While our mothers are not perfect, neither are we by the way, God calls us to be obedient to them and to Him. Not of fear and punishment, but out of love and respect.

Pastor Balla

Repent Before God

 

Philippians 1:2 (ESV) 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here at Peace we celebrate the Lord’s Supper at every service. It is a joy to receive Christ in His body and blood, it is a joy to receive the forgiveness of sin, through Christ’s body and blood. St. Luke tells us in

Luke 22:19–20 (ESV) 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Oh what a joy it would have been to be there with Christ. But how long does this joy last? How fast does the joy of being with Christ begin to fade. How quickly do we go from the Lord’s Table to the Devil’s Business. The answer to these questions may surprise you 4 verses, : from verse 20 to verse 24

Luke 22:24 (ESV) 24 A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest.

Wow, they hadn’t even left the table, any were arguing among themselves.

The questions we need to ask ourselves: do my conflicts with others affect my relationship with God? The answer is yes, even though they just had received the Lord’s Supper, that unique special joy given by Christ Himself, but yet our sinful nature is strong. It is not me and Jesus, during Holy Communion, but as the word Communion implies a community of those in Christ Jesus, which included those around us, and all believers in Christ through the world and even in the past who are with Christ in paradise. So how we interact with others is important for we are all part of the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12 (ESV) 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ…14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many….19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

We see this connection again when we look at the Law of God and especially of the 10 Commandments, we see as Jesus responds in

Matthew 22:36–40 (ESV) 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 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. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

When we look at the 10 Commandments, we see two tablets. The first tablet is dealing with our relationship with God, the Second, dealing with our relationship with our neighbor. During confirmation class we learn that when I break any of the commandment I am also breaking the first commandment,:.

The First Commandment You shall have no other gods. What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things. By breaking any other commandment we are not trusting in God above all things as Luther puts it. The results of which is that my relationship with others does greatly affect my relationship with God.

The Psalmist says:

Psalm 51:4 (ESV) 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

When we break or fail to do any part of the commandments, we are sinning against God. For God know our heart. It isn’t just stealing or being angry against someone, but a heart that is not trusting God to provide.

What is God looking for? The Psalmist puts it

Psalm 51:17 (ESV) 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

A realization that we haven’t kept the commandments of God. Christ wants us to love our neighbor.

1 Peter 4:8 (ESV) 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

As we love our neighbor, we forgive our neighbor. As we forgive, we overlook their faults which will lead to less conflict with our neighbor.

For this is why God forgive you. God doesn’t want sin to stand in the way of you being with God for eternity.

Romans 8:38–39 (ESV) 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Not even your sin, for Christ Jesus has forgiven you. So Jesus forgive, because His relationship with you is more important than your sin.

But do we express the same with others? How long do our relationship with other last if we don’t forgive.

Jesus notes: Matthew 6:14–15 (ESV) 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

How do my conflicts with others affect my relationship with God?

Our conflicts of not forgiving others have a direct relationship on our relationship with God. Not that God withholds His forgiveness, but that we are not coming to God with a

Psalm 51:17 (ESV) 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

There is a connection between the horizontal relationship ( us and God) and vertical relationships (community of people around us)

When we are in conflict with our neighbor it affects our relationship with God and theirs and they also struggle with the conflict.

Remember God as St. Paul tell Timothy 1 Timothy 2:4 (ESV) 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

So Jesus notes:

Matthew 5:23–24 (ESV) 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

So we remember that our relationship with others, does affect our relationship with God. We remember that we have a broken spirit, that needs Christ’s mending, along with our brother and sister, because Christ want you to be saved.

We celebrate the Lord’s Supper with joy, reminding ourselves that we are sinners in need of Christ forgiveness and strength. We need that strength and forgiveness from God for it can take only 4 verses before we are doing the devil’s business. In His Holy Name. Amen.

Philippians 4:7 (ESV) 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.