Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice!!!

2 Thessalonians chapter 1




Today we are walking in: Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice





Today we look to the word OBEY --H8085 - shâmaʻ, shaw-mah'; a primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, attentively, call gather together, carefully, certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, make a proclaimation, publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, surely, tell, understand, whosoever (heareth), witness.






The Torah testifies.........……

Exodus 23:22


But if thou shalt indeed obey H8085 his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.




The prophets proclaim..................






Joshua 24:24


And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey H8085.






The writings bear witness............






Job 36:11


If they obey H8085 and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.
If Ye Be Willing and Obedient


Many Scripture passages tell us, and show us by vivid example, the The Most High’s children are defined and identified by their obedience. Indeed, even the blessings of the Inheritance are to those who are obedient.


Let’s begin, as we notice the following passage:


Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. (Isaiah 1:18-20)


Most today understand that verse 18 in the above passage does apply to New Covenant Believers. But let’s look at the rest of the story seen in verses 19 and 20. The Most High is telling us that if we are [present] obedient, we shall [future] eat the good of the Land. The Most High is telling us that our future welfare in the Promised Land, depends on our current obedience; and that our obedience is determined now, before we enter the Land! This can be confirmed in Rev 22:14-15, where the right to enter in to the City of the King is given, as determined by obedience to Yahushua’s commandments.


Few today are being taught the importance of walking in obedience to The Most High. Even fewer still are being taught the importance of doing what The Most High ‘delights’ in, and what ‘pleases’ Him. One of the hallmarks of the Biblical Marriage Covenant is the mark of obedience.


As we advance in our walk with The Most High, there will be many occasions in which He presents opportunities for us to choose whether we will obey Him, or not. Each day The Most High reveals something new to us, with the hope and desire that we will choose to go beyond our comfort zone, and walk in the new thing He has revealed, according to the Scriptures. We must make a choice — a fresh choice each day — whom we will serve (Joshua 24:15).


Let us proceed now to new ground.


It is obvious to the sincere seeker, which of the Old Testament [Torah] commandments and sayings of The Most High have already found their fulfillment in Messiah Yahushua. What has been obscured by the religionists is the necessity for all The Most High’s children to likewise fulfill the Torah, with only a few exceptions as seen in the Book of Hebrews.


Our present difficulty lies in the fact that the Body of Messiah has for centuries been given traditions and decrees of Rome, instead of the Truth of scripture. The result is that most Believers today are in a state of famine, of what constitutes ‘Truth’ for New Testament Saints. Yahushua is now restoring all [true] things, prior to His return, just as He promised!


Our greatest discomfort comes when we try to make the Scriptures fit the ‘Doctrines and Commandments of Men’ we have been taught. Perhaps by now our inner conflicts have become evident, regarding what we have learned about Law and Grace, Grace and works, Grace and Legalism, Old and New, Then and Now, Jew and Gentile, Liberty or Bondage, Life or Death. In order to avoid the discomfort, many will simply not dig in to the Scriptures, to seek for the Truth.


Yahushua, in His mercy, has painstakingly revealed each one of these subjects to us in His Word, yes, even in the New Testament! He wants us to know and thoroughly understand the Word of Righteousness (Hebrews 5:13). Father desires that His children would learn His Ways, and walk in them!


The Most High has revealed all these subjects in His Word, and desires that we would see how they all fit marvelously, as pieces of a great puzzle, to portray the beautiful and majestic picture that He desires to reveal to His Beloved.





He also wants us be aware of the abundant hindrances that can prevent us from walking in ‘The Way.’




Yahushua’s Word vs. What You Have Been Taught


As an illustration of the conflict between Truth and Error, let us observe several passages regarding Eternal Life. As we look at these, let us note of the contrast between what we have been taught, and what Yahushua actually says.


Yahushua had just been asked by a man what good thing must he do, that he may have eternal life. First notice the question, and then look carefully at Yahushua’s reply:


And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. (Mark 10:17-22)


In the above passage, two things are to be noted. First, this verse indicates that eternal life is conditioned upon obedience to the Ten Commandments. This verse is for all New Testament Believers, contrary to what many Pastors would say today (2 Tim 3:16).


Many Pastors and spiritual Leaders, for example, have been trained in Bible Schools and Seminaries, and have chopped up, rationalised, compartmentalised, dispensationalised, and discarded much of Scripture. In their formal training, they learned what other men said, rather than what Scripture says. They were taught that, for one reason or another, a particular verse, or chapter, or Book of the Bible, is not for Gentile Believers today, but for some ‘other’ people, or some ‘other’ dispensation [This is a man-made meaning that was given to a good Bible word, and as a result of this man-made doctrine, has become a great source of error in the Body of Messiah].


Some of the results of the man-made dispensation error teach, “That’s for the Jews;” “That’s not for us — it’s for the early church;” “That’s for another age;” “That’s Old Testament;” “That’s bondage;” and on and on, until nothing is left of the Scriptures but an empty carcass. The Scriptures tell us that all Scripture is eternal, and is for all of The Most High’s children, and is part of their heritage — their inheritance!


Most formally-trained Pastors and Leaders of today would explain the above passage, by saying that this and several similar passages do not apply to New Testament Believers. Perhaps these statements are made, because this passage does not seem to fit man’s modern, twisted notion of what Biblical ‘Grace’ is!


Most would summarise the ‘eternal life’ requirements spoken by Messiah, by stating that all we must do is believe — that is, we must give only mental agreement to a set of facts. This is the modern-day definition of the word ‘Believe,’ and is a devilish definition, void of Biblical Truth. Using this definition of ‘Believe,’ there is no need for such Biblical practices as repentance, sanctification, holy living, dying to self, obedience, or enduring unto the end.


Most spiritual Leaders today put forth an un-Scriptural, blanket idea of ‘Grace,’ but then deny the Biblical ‘Grace’ that teaches one to be obedient (Romans 1:5), to live a life glorifying The Most High. Thus the religious world has been taught that the main issue is pure mercy and an unscriptural notion of ‘forgiveness,’ beyond which one may do as he pleases, even if what he does displeases the Mighty The Most High and the Prince of Peace. This idea is summarised for us in Jude 1:4, describing those who have substituted the decrees and traditions of Rome in place of the Truth of Scripture.


Most spiritual teachers today say that Yahushua, in the passage above, was telling the inquirer something that applied to another time period they call a ‘dispensation,’ and not applicable to the present day, which they call the ‘Church Age’ or an imaginary ‘Age of Grace.’ [This concept is not in Scripture!].






It is evident in the New Testament that there are many descriptions of Eternal Life, and how one may inherit, or obtain, or ‘enter in’ to this eternal life. In fact, there are 134 uses of the Greek word ‘zoe’ in the New Testament. If we were to look at all the instances where this word zoe is used in the New Testament, we would see that receiving Eternal Life is dependent upon at least twenty-five separate and distinct actions on the part of man!


These twenty-five different conditions are not mutually exclusive, and they are not in contradiction to one another. Taken as a whole, they all complement one another, and are like the links of a chain, all contributing to the strength of the entire concept of Eternal Life!





Taken as a whole, all the different conditions upon which one may receive Eternal Life merely reveal the wonderful truth and richness of what it means to truly ‘believe’ in the Name of Yahushua, as Abraham found out. We may conclude from these observations that The Most High’s plan of redemption of mankind is a many-faceted means of revealing His identity to mankind.


https://youtu.be/9D4yeG20Xbs