Communauté et discipulat

Pray for a Yielded Heart (Luk. 22:41~42)

2014.06.22Rev. Eddie Byun

A yielded heart is a heart transformed by the gospel, one that trusts the Lord and treasures Christ above all. We therefore pray for our pastors to obey God quickly and completely.

A yielded heart is transformed by the gospel

God delights in obedience more than in sacrifice, as 1 Samuel teaches, and we cannot make up for present disobedience with later offerings. Our flesh is prone to wander and is drawn to forbidden fruit, as the story of Adam and Eve shows. Yet through Christ, the second Adam, whose perfect obedience made us righteous, we receive a new heart that is able to obey. This obedience flows not from duty or fear but from gratitude for what Jesus has done. So we pray that our pastors would be transformed by the gospel every day.

Obedience shows that we trust the Lord (41-42)

In the garden before the cross, Jesus prayed, 'Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.' That is the prayer of obedience, honest about the struggle yet surrendered to the Father. Like Abraham, who went out not knowing where he was going, faith means trusting God without seeing the whole plan. We cannot pick and choose which of God's commands to obey, because that is not lordship. How we respond to God's call reveals what we truly believe about him.

Obedience costs, but disobedience costs more

Obedience can be costly, as a young woman from a Buddhist family learned when she was baptized and found her belongings packed outside her parents' door. Delayed obedience and partial obedience are still disobedience, and they cost us deeper intimacy with God. Disobedience also robs us of growth in character and faith and of seeing God's faithfulness in unknown places. God calls us to walk forward boldly because he is good, wise, and loving. Counting the cost before we follow Jesus should lead us to trust him, not to hold back.

Trusting God's word even when we do not understand

At thirty, Billy Graham faced a crossroads when his friend Charles Templeton abandoned the faith they had once shared. Kneeling in prayer, Graham confessed that many things in the Bible and in his life were beyond his understanding, yet he chose to trust God and his word fully. He said his eyes stung with tears and he sensed God's presence and power in a special way. Looking back, he believed God honored him for finally trusting him completely. A heart of obedience trusts the Lord even when questions remain.

Obedience is an expression of love for Christ

Jesus repeatedly connects obedience with love, saying, 'If you love me, you will keep my commandments.' Henry Blackaby writes that obedience is the outward expression of love for God, and that if we have an obedience problem we have a love problem. A young man resisted rebellion because he loved his parents and could not bear to make them feel they had failed. True love obeys, and those who treasure Christ above all will gladly trust and follow him. So we pray that our pastors would treasure Christ more than the applause of friends or the arrows of enemies.

Apply to Life

  • Let us examine whether our obedience today flows from gratitude for what Christ has done for us.
  • Let us pray for our pastors to trust the Lord and respond to his call quickly and completely.
  • Let us not delay or partially obey when God speaks, since disobedience is more costly than obedience.
  • Let us treasure Christ above the applause of people and the pressure of the crowd.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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