Topic: The Path of Obedience
Text: Philippians 2: 6-8
Key verse: He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death— his death on the cross. – Philippians 2:8
Every sport has rules that govern it, you are only declared a winner when your performance meets the required standards. The winning mindset is not just about winning but also about sticking to the required path.
Jesus could have died simply on his bed in his house and it would have looked like he had obeyed God to come to the world and lay down his life for sin, but that was not the plan.Right from the garden, the promise had gone out concerning his mission. The seed of the woman was the one to judge Satan.
I will make you and the woman hate each other; her offspring and yours will always be enemies. Her offspring will crush your head, and you will bite her offspring’s heel.” – Genesis 3:15
The prophecy revealed that the process will involve conflict, and even though the seed of man (Jesus) will crush the head of the serpent ( Satan ), still the heel of Jesus was going to be bitten. In the wilderness, as the people journeyed they came under the attack of serpents, God gave Moses instructions on what to do for their healing and recovery. This was not a stand-alone event, it was a foreshadowing of how Jesus will die when he comes to redeem man.
As Moses lifted the bronze snake on a pole in the desert, in the same way, the Son of Man must be lifted, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. – John 3:14-15
Jesus did not just obey God by coming to the earth to become man, but he took the part of obedience that fulfilled every detail about what his life should be.The prophecy of Isaiah, concerning the virgin birth, given many years before his birth was fulfilled to the letter. God has a plan for the victorious life he wants for you, it is written in his books. Have you ever tried to find it out or seek the details? Are you living your dream or are you in alignment with the Father’s plan?
and so I answered, “Here I am; your instructions for me are in the book of the Law. – Psalm 40:7
You are not pleased with animals burned whole on the altar or with sacrifices to take away sins. Then I said, ‘Here I am, to do your will, O God, just as it is written of me in the book of the Law.’” – Hebrews 10:6-7
Jesus lived with a clear mindset, to do the will of the Father, to fulfil every detail of it, even if it meant dying like a criminal. This is a tough message to preach since we have all received another Gospel which promises only a life of ease and plenty and never of pain and lack. I desire the truth and so must you. If Jesus had died without the stripes would it have made any difference? If Jesus did not hang on the cross but died on his bed will there have been consequences to the Christian faith? What would Christianity have been without the resurrection? Could there have been a resurrection with death and burial?
Your life according to God’s plan is not an accident or a coincidence. Search out the will of God, agree with it, and follow the path in obedience. Though it looks tough, it has a glorious end that nothing on earth can rival.
“Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way, prosperity will come to you. Accept instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart. – Job 22:21-22
The mind of Christ was to do the Father’s will to the letter, is that what you want? May the Lord grant you revelation and understanding of what it truly means to do this in Jesus’ name.
Roses&Thorns
