MEMORY VERSE: ‘And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.’ 1 John 3:22.
LESSON AIM: To study what is meant by Christian obedience.
‘In the precepts of His holy law, God has given a perfect rule of life; and He has declared that, until the close of time, this law, unchanged in a single jot or tittle, is to maintain its claim upon human beings. Christ came to magnify the law and make it honourable. He showed that it is based upon the broad foundation of love to God and love to man, and that obedience to its precepts comprises the whole duty of man. In His own life He gave an example of obedience to the law of God. In the Sermon on the Mount, He showed how its requirements extend beyond the outward acts and take cognizance of the thoughts and intents of the heart. The law, obeyed, leads men to deny “ungodliness and worldly lusts,” and to “live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” Titus 2:12.’ Acts of the Apostles, page 505
1. What was God’s desire for the nation He chose to be His people? Deuteronomy 13:4, first part.
NOTE: ‘God’s people, above all people in the world, should be patterns of piety, holy in heart and in conversation. The people whom God has chosen as his peculiar treasure, he requires to be elevated, refined, sanctified, partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. If such indulge in sin and iniquity who make so high a profession, their guilt is very great, because they have great light, and have by their profession taken their position as God’s special, chosen people, having the law of God written in their hearts. They signify their loyalty to the God of Heaven by yielding obedience to the laws of His government. They are God’s representatives upon the earth. Any sin or transgression in them separates them from God, and, in a special manner, dishonours His name by giving the enemies of God’s holy law occasion to reproach His cause and His people, whom He has called “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people,” that they should show forth the praises of Him that hath called them out of darkness into His marvellous light.’ A Solemn Appeal, page 143.
2. What injunction did God put on the people who would cross over Jordan into the Promised Land? Deuteronomy 27:10.
NOTE: ‘The subject of man’s personal responsibility is understood by but few; and yet it is a matter of the greatest importance. We may each obey and live, or we may transgress God’s law, defy His authority, and receive the punishment that is meet. Then to every soul the question comes home with force, Shall I obey the voice from heaven, the ten words spoken from Sinai, or shall I go with the multitude who trample on that fiery law? To those who love God, it will be the highest delight to keep His commandments, and to do those things that are pleasing in His sight. But the natural heart hates the law of God, and wars against its holy claims. Men shut their souls from the divine light, refusing to walk in it as it shines upon them. They sacrifice purity of heart, the favour of God, and their hope of heaven, for selfish gratification or worldly gain.’ A New Life, page 29.