"Discipleship and the Path of Obedience"
"And why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like. He is like a man who built a house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock, and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it; for it was founded upon a rock. But he who heareth and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built a house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.”
— Luke 6:46-49
We love to teach our little ones the story of the man who built his house on a rock comparing him to the foolish man who built his house on sand. I remember singing the campfire song and doing the motions of the rain coming and sweeping away the foolish man’s house. The imagery is vivid. The metaphor is profound. The message is clear. Building our foundation on a rock has nothing to do with just hearing and knowing and everything to do with doing.
Obedience is an essential element in the Christian life. Great multitudes “followed” Jesus during His days of ministry but many of them were there for reasons other than accepting Jesus as their Lord -- making only verbal professions of discipleship. They called Him “Lord” but disregarded His teaching. Jesus cannot be our Lord without obedience and if He is not our Lord, then we do not belong to Him. We are like the man whose house is swept away by a flood.
Throughout all history profession without practice has plagued those that have come to know God and His Son. In our Sunday evening Bible study, we have repeatedly seen Jesus confront the Pharisees calling them “hypocrites” and “blind guides.” Jesus rightly exposed them by quoting Isaiah; “O ye hypocrites! well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draw nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” (Matthew 15:7)
On the day before Ezekiel learned of the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians, God appeared to him and explained why this was happening -- “the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, everyone to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord. And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.” (Ezekiel 33:30-31) Jerusalem was destroyed because the people were merely entertained by God’s words and did not obey them.
King Benjamin clearly stresses that if we believe we must also do, “Believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you: And now, if you believe all these things, see that ye do them.” (Mosiah 2:16-17)
And we, of course, cannot forget James’ admonition, “receive with meekness, the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass; For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.” (James 1:21-24)
Words without practice are not just shallow, they are worthless, even contemptible. J.C. Ryle writes, “Open sin, and avowed unbelief, no doubt slay their thousands. But profession without practice slays its tens of thousands.” This is what Jesus had in mind when He said that those who call Him “Lord, Lord” but do not obey him have no sure foundation and will be carried away by the torrents of life.
We cannot do what we do not know which leads to a practical conclusion. We must know His words and not be like the Pharisees who practiced almost exclusively the traditions and commandments of men. If obedience leads to discipleship, then there can be no real discipleship apart from the study of God’s word. This is not an optional activity for the followers of Jesus. It cannot be an occasional, part-time hobby. We sleep every day, and we eat every day because these are essential for life. We must also “Feast upon the words of Christ; for behold the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.” (2 Nephi 14:4)
If not already part of your regular regiment, I would encourage a daily devotional reading of God’s word. Accompany your reading with prayer. Pray that what you read will become the “engrafted word” which has the power to save your soul. (James 1:21) Pray for the strength and desire to live what you read. Pray that His word will become a lamp unto your feet, and a light unto your path. (Psalm 119:105)
If you pursue regular study of God’s word unaccompanied by prayer and an earnest seeking to know the mind of Christ without obediently following where He leads, then all you will discover will be a list of rules to follow. Your attitude will become judgmental, and you will eventually abandon your pursuit. But if one prayerfully considers His word, and truly follows Him by doing what He says, then they will find freedom from self which is an amazing form of liberty. “Then said Jesus … If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32) Freedom only comes when we are determined to follow Jesus.
We won’t be gathering for our regular Sunday evening Bible study during the summer. If you are not headed to the Summer Series or some other place to worship, use the time for the personal study and meditation of God’s word.
I can hear my Savior calling,
I can hear my Savior calling,
I can hear my Savior calling,
"Take thy cross and follow, follow Me."
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
I'll go with Him, with Him all the way.