Fact: God Has Always Required Obedience! Old Testament: –Deut. 8:1; 10:12-13; I Sam. 15:22-23; Eccl. 12:13; Hebrews 2:2. New Testament: –Matt. 7:21; Luke 6:46; Heb. 5:9; James 1:22-25; I Peter 1:22; I John 5:3; Rev. 22:14.

Important Fact: Mere Outward Obedience is not Sufficient! Matt. 15:8-9: “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Micah 6:7-8: “Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

Obedience from the Heart Rom. 6:16: “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness.” Rom. 6:17: “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Rom. 6:18: “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”

Examine the Text: One is a “servant” of what he obeys, Rom. 6:16. –A servant “of sin,” or: –“A servant of righteousness.” Note the Before and After Condition of the saints at Rome. –They were “the servants of sin,” v. 17. –They “became the servants of righteousness,” v. 18

Examine the Text (con’t) The Point of Change: –When they “obeyed from the heart” –They obeyed “that form of doctrine which was delivered.” The Result: –They were made “free from sin.” –They “became the servants of righteousness.”

The Bible “Heart” is not the Muscle that pumps Blood! Jer. 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.. Luke 12:34: “Where your treasure is, there you heart will be also.” 2 Sam. 18:14. Joab thrust three darts “through the heart of Absalom.” The physical heart is the seat of physical life; when it stops beating the body dies.

The Bible Heart is The Seat of Moral and Spiritual Life! Includes the intellect. Prov. 23:7; Matt. 15:19; Luke 2:51; Rom. 10:10; Heb. 4:12. Mt. 13:15. –Why we must guard the heart. Prov. 4:23. Includes the will. Col. 3:15; Acts 11:23; 2 Cor. 9:7; Ezra 7:10. Includes the Emotions. Acts 21:13; Mt. 22:37; I John 5:3; Prov. 15:13. Includes the Conscience. Acts 2:37; I Tim. 1:5; John 8:9; Rom. 2:15; I Peter 3:21.

God Wants Us to Serve Him with the Whole Heart! 2 Chronicles 25:2; Psalm 9:1; 86:12; 111:1; Psalm 119:10. Sometimes people outwardly go through the motions of worship, but the heart is not in it, thereby making the worship vain! Matt. 15:8-9; John 4:24; Ephesians 5:19; I Cor. 11:27-28.

Obedience Must Be “From the Heart” This involves the mind, Prov. 23:7. –Why gospel preaching must precede gospel obedience! Mk 16:15-16 When the purpose of a command is stated obedi- ence involves understanding the purpose! And the Will, Acts 11:23 And the Emotions, Matt. 22:37; John 14 And the Conscience. It sits in judgment on our actions. I Pet. 3:21.

One Must Obey that Form of Doctrine, Rom. 6:17 Form (tupos) denoted a mold into which melted metal were poured to receive the form of the mold. In their obedience the saints at Rome did that which followed the form or pattern of the gospel. The Cardinal Facts of the Gospel are the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, I Corinthians 15:1-4!

What had the Saints at Rome Done? Rom. 6:3: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death. Rom. 6:4: “Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

Important Facts to Note: Baptism (immersion in water) is the only command in the Bible which depicts the “form” of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ! Note their before and after condition: –They were “servants of sin,” Rom. 6:17. –They “became the servants of righteousness,” Rom. 6:18.

The “Before” Condition Illustrated:

The “After” Condition Illustrated:

Final Thoughts on Obedience from the Heart: Must be directed by the correct information, Matthew 7: Spring from the right motive, John 14:15,21. Involve the “whole” heart, Psalm 86:10. Gives a clear conscience, I John 3: It should be complete! Matt. 23:23; 2 Cor. 2:9. It should be Immediate, once one has learned what God wants us to do! Jas. 4:13-14.

Conclusion: A Refusal to obey God reduces a person to the worst form of slavery, Romans 6:16! Obedience to God is the gateway to true Freedom! Rom. 6:17-18; John 8:32; Romans 8:1-2. Joshua 24:15: Choose this day whom ye will serve! Tomorrow may be eternally too late!