If someone were to ask you what you believe is the most important subject found in Scripture, what would you tell him? If there is one thing above all others that you as a pastor ought to be teaching to your listeners, what would it be? The existence of God? The story of Creation? Salvation by faith? End-times Prophecy? The Doctrine of the Trinity?
We should never minimize the importance of any truth we find in Scripture. If you are a faithful pastor, you ought to be teaching your people the truth about all of the above subjects, especially since many of them are built upon each other.
Yet Jesus did place special emphasis on one particular theme; a theme, he said, that we ought to be teaching to all nations. As His earthly ministry was drawing to a close, He instructed His disciples to go, to teach, and to baptize. “But,” the disciples may have wondered, “what specifically are we supposed to teach these people?” Jesus gave them a very clear answer by saying “. . . teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:20)
In other words, the subject of obedience was supposed to be front and center in the teaching program of the Christian church. Not obedience to just anything, but obedience specifically to the commands Christ gave to His disciples. This is the reason the early Christians placed such emphasis on the Sermon on the Mount; it is the largest group of Christ’s commands that we have recorded anywhere in Scripture. And since this sermon was preached to his disciples, it fits clearly into the “whatsoever I have commanded you” found in the great commission.
The great commission was not the first time Christ had mentioned obedience. He had been placing a tremendous amount of emphasis on obedience all throughout His ministry. In the Sermon on the Mount itself, just before giving His disciples a long list of revolutionary commands, He said,
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19)
Then, at the end of the sermon, He repeated this emphasis by saying,
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
(Matthew 7:21-27)
It appears from this passage that obedience is not only associated with our salvation, but is actually one of the most important aspects of it. But is this just an isolated passage? Or does this emphasis carry through in the rest of Jesus’ teachings? Consider these passages:
And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46)
Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. (John 8:51)
If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. (John 14:21)
If a man love me, he will keep my words: (John 14:23)
He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. (John 14:24)
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. (John 15:10)
Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. (John 15:14)
What about the rest of the New Testament? Did the apostles put as much emphasis on obedience as Christ did?
In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: (2 Thessalonians 1:8)
If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing . . . (1 Timothy 6:3-4)
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (1 John 2:3-4)
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (1 John 5:2-3)
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:14)
Pastor, are you faithfully doing and teaching the commands of Christ? Are you instructing your listeners to obey the Sermon on the Mount, and thus build their lives on the Rock?
What about this issue of Divorce and Remarriage? Are you obeying the great commission regarding this issue?
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