Better Than | Ep. 189

Obedience sounds simple until God’s command collides with our logic, our comfort, and our “good reasons.” We walk through one of the most unnerving lines in Scripture, “to obey is better than sacrifice,” and we let it land with full weight. Saul didn’t refuse God outright. He edited God’s instruction, kept what looked valuable, spared what felt merciful, and then insisted he had obeyed. That’s the danger: partial obedience can feel spiritual while still rejecting the Word of God. 

From there, we connect the dots across the Bible’s warning stories. Jude reminds us that people can experience deliverance and still be destroyed through unbelief. Paul uses the wilderness generation as a flashing sign for the church: spiritual experiences don’t replace enduring faith, and ongoing rebellion has consequences. We also sit with Malachi’s brutal list against the priests and notice the common thread underneath corruption, injustice, and polluted worship: they stop hearing and obeying. 

We bring it home with a New Covenant lens. God isn’t asking for cheap offerings or self-chosen “sacrifices” that protect our idols. He calls for a broken and contrite heart, the sacrifice of praise, doing good, sharing, and presenting our lives as a living sacrifice. And we can’t obey what we refuse to hear, so we talk about Scripture, prayer, and real communion with Jesus as the place where hearing becomes possible. If you’re serious about Christian discipleship, hearing God’s voice, biblical repentance, and obeying the gospel, this conversation is for you. 

Transcript

What Scripture Calls Better

Obedience Over Sacrifice In Saul

Can A Believer Fall Away

Saul’s Excuses And False Repentance

Malachi’s Warning To God’s Priests

Sacrifices Today Praise And Surrender

Wilderness Lessons Living By The Word

Relationship With Jesus Through Dialogue

The Gospel Demands An Obedient Response

Hear His Voice Then Obey

j - Jesus M. Ruiz 0:02

If you take the time to look into the scriptures, there are many things that the scriptures decree are better than such as a little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked. Your loving kindness is better than life. A day in your courts is better than a thousand. Talking about wisdom, wisdom is better than the profits of silver, wisdom is better than rubies. The fruit of wisdom is better than gold. He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty. There's a lot of things that might behoove you to look into as what's better than. But today I want to talk about what the Lord said was better than. In 1 Samuel 15, verse 22 through 23, Samuel said to Saul, Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as a sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king. What a hard, harsh word this was for King Saul. Spoken to him by the man who just recently anointed him as the first king of Israel, the prophet Samuel. But what a tremendous nugget of truth that is just as applicable today as it was to Saul so many years ago. The Lord delights greatly in the obedience of his people to his word, far greater than any bloody sacrifice that could ever be given. The greatest sacrifice that anyone can give is of oneself in obeying God rather than man, even if that man is himself. Notice that in the very same breath it is said that the disobedience of Saul is seen in the Lord's eyes as rebellion, the sin of witchcraft. It truly is the sin of idolatry, of self over God, because it is the stubborn refusal to shema, which is the Hebrew word for hear and obey his word. It was the sheer rejection of the word of the Lord which resulted in Saul being rejected by the Lord. To say the least, disobedience to the commandments of the Lord is not a light issue with him. You could lose your salvation just as Saul lost his throne. Saul was not ignorant of the command of the Lord. Samuel gave Saul explicit commands to be followed. He said to him, Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey. That's from first Samuel fifteen verses one through three. So there was no doubt as to what actions the Lord had commanded of Saul. He was to spare no one. He was to utterly destroy every man, woman, child, infant, ox, sheep, camel, and ass. Nothing was to be left alive. Unfortunately, we read that Saul only obeyed in part. If you can accept partial disobedience as obedience. We continue in first Samuel fifteen verse nine. Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them, but everything despised and worthless that they utterly destroyed. Now some might look at this and say, Well, he simply kept the best of everything. That's a good idea. Why throw out the baby with the bath water? He showed mercy to Agag, the king, isn't that a good thing? He destroyed everything that was vile and waste. What's wrong with that? He seems to be making wise and rational decisions in the time of war. He's taking the good spoils, he's doing away with the bad. That's a smart thing to do. But this is how God interpreted this act. He said in first Samuel fifteen, eleven, for he is turned his back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. God simply said Saul disobeyed me. And what we read from verse fifteen is that God interpreted these acts of rebellion against him as the sin of witchcraft and idolatry. God was offended because Saul utterly rejected his word, and to reject the word of God is to reject God himself. We've learned from John the Apostle that in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. So it's not a stretch to say that when we reject the Word of God, we are rejecting God Himself. Saul was not executing good ideas and wise decisions. It was not wise to show mercy to Agag and to keep the baby and throw out the bathwater. Saul was in no uncertain terms in disobedience to God almighty. He was downright defiant in the eyes of God, and therefore he was rejected by God. Now Saul can be construed as a type of believer in the kingdom that eventually lost his salvation. What you say? That's not possible. You can't lose your salvation. Well, let's look at what Jude said as a reminder to us of this very subject and see another type in the old covenant. In Jude chapter one verse five, it's recorded, but I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. Do you realize that millions of people came out of Egypt and were saved? Yet later on we see that the Lord destroyed most of them rather all of them but two. In other words, he saved them. And yes, this is exactly what could happen to us if we do not continue in faith. Trust and obedience from the heart to his word. Romans 6 17 says, You obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine, that form of teaching to which you were delivered. Yes, it's something we need to continue in. Let's look at another example. Let's read what Paul said to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. All ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. And now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted, and do not become idolaters as were some of them, as it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. Nor let us commit sexual immorality as some of them did, and in one day twenty three thousand fell, nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted and were destroyed by serpents, nor complain as some of them also complained and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happen to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. The wilderness story is an example to us to admonish us to continue steadfastly in the faith and endure to the end, because if we don't, we won't reach the promised land. We could fall from His grace. The Israelites were as a type baptized in water by passing through the Red Sea. As a type, they were baptized in the Spirit by the leading of the cloud by day and the fire by night. They were baptized into Moses in the cloud and the sea, like we today are baptized into Jesus by water and spirit today. They did repent. But they did not continue in this fashion. When they entered into the wilderness to obtain the promised land their rest, they rebelled. And some today have entered into the kingdom by the water and the spirit, but many, because they will not continue in the same fashion of trust and obedience, will not enter into their appointed rest either. It's told to us in Hebrews ten, verse twenty six to twenty seven. If we willfully sin after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. After the Israelites received the knowledge of the truth and experienced it, they continued to willfully sin against God. They became idolaters by indulging in selfish fleshly desires, and would rather plead themselves than please God. They also committed sexual immorality. They tempted God by coming against Moses and God at every turn. And lastly, according to 1 Corinthians ten, they complained against God, which is probably the greatest act of unbelief anyone can make. The reward for their faithlessness is that they did not enter into their appointed rest. Why? They would not believe God enough to continue obeying him. And this excerpt of the scriptures was given for us as an example to not walk by their example. Looking back at Saul's story when he was confronted, we see he wasn't even sincerely repentant. Let's read verses nineteen through twenty one in chapter fifteen. Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the spoil and do evil in the sight of the Lord? And Saul said to Samuel, but I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag the king of Amalek. I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites, but the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal. We see here that even his own words condemned him. Did he repent and admit his wrongdoing? No, not exactly. He said, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. But in the next sentence he takes no responsibility for the taking the spoils of war. He takes full responsibility for destroying the Amalekites and bringing Agag as a POW, but he says the people took of the spoil. Now verse nine of these scriptures tells us differently than what Saul admitted. It tells us that Saul and the people spared Agag and kept the best of the animals. They indulged their own fleshly desires above the word of the Lord, and they certainly were not ignorant of what they were commanded to do. In reading the rest of the story, we can see that no matter how much Saul tried to admit true repentance, the Lord saw his heart differently. The Lord did not repent of his rejection of Saul. Saul's supposed repentance in the concluding verses of chapter 15 was truly insincere because he simply wanted his sin to be hidden from the people, and he wanted the prophet to be by his side to ensure the people remain behind him. Some of us are in the same position as Saul and we don't realize it. We are continually trying to justify ourselves before God, saying, But but but we did this and we did that in your name. But the reality is, we have not obeyed the whole counsel of the Lord, and therefore, like Saul, we are in disobedience and rebellion before God. There is no such thing as partial obedience to explicit commandments. It is simply disobedience. Let us look at this subject through the eyes of another prophet, Malachi. God is shown in the book of Malachi as having a dialogue with his people, specifically his priest, through the prophet Malachi. And he addresses these sins in particular. And it's a list. It's a very long list, but it's important to note what were the things that the Lord saw the priests were at fault of. In chapter one, verse two, they questioned his love. In chapter one, verse six, they dishonored him. In chapter one, verses seven, eight, and thirteen, they offered impure sacrifices. In chapter two, verses one and two, they did not lay to their heart his commandment. In chapter two, verses seven and eight, it says, Knowing the law, but they didn't keep it, therefore becoming stumbling blocks unto the people, rather than being the messenger of integrity of the law. In verses ten and eleven of the same chapter, they worshiped strange gods, and they married outside the faith. In verses fourteen through sixteen, they put away divorcing their wives. In verse seventeen, they were telling those to do evil that they're okay, that they're good in the sight of the Lord. In ver in chapter three, verse five, it says, They cheated, hired servants of their wages. They oppressed the widow, the fatherless, and they had turned aside strangers from fearing him. In chapter eight it says that they robbed God in tithes and offerings. And in verse fourteen, it says they were spoke lies by saying it is vain to serve God and keep his ordinances, causing people to not trust the word of the Lord. To be a priest is to be the representation of God in the earth, at least under the people of God, under the government of God. That's what a priest was supposed to be. And clearly in these eleven issues of addressing, they failed miserably to represent God and to show God's faithfulness and to cause others to be faithful to the Lord. It truly is a disgusting laundry list of filthy rags. And did you notice a common element in every one of these sins? Let's address them again one at a time. Number one, questioning his love. The Lord reminds them that he chose Jacob because he loved him, and they were sons of Jacob. All of his actions toward them demonstrated his love for them, and that he chose them first above all the nations of the earth. Number two, when they dishonored him, how did how does a servant honor his master? How does a son honor his father? By obeying what they tell them to do and what they tell them not to do. And the opposite is equally true. A servant and a son dishonors their master or their father by disobeying. Number three, when they offered impure sacrifices, as if sacrifices were commanded to be given voluntarily without blemish, according to Leviticus. But they didn't do that. They didn't give the best. And some of them gave it begrudgingly. Number four, they did not lay to their heart his commandment. They were commanded many times previously in different fashions to bind to their hearts with truth, mercy, and his commandments. We can see that in Deuteronomy 1118, and in Proverbs 3, chapter or chapter 3, verse 3, in Proverbs chapter 6, verse 21, in Proverbs chapter 7, verse 3. What was number 5? Knowing the law but not keeping it. And therefore they became stumbling blocks unto the people rather than being the messenger of the integrity of the law. So he contrasted the priests with the man Levi, in whom the law of truth was in his mouth, in whom iniquity was not found in his lips, found walking with the Lord in peace and equity and turning many away from sin. That's in Malachi chapter two, verse six. Number six, they were accused of worshiping strange gods and by marrying outside the faith. Well, according to Deuteronomy chapter seven, verses two through four, God specifically commanded them not to make marriages with other nations, because it would cause them to serve other gods. Number seven, putting away and divorcing wives. God hates divorce. And from the beginning it was not meant to be. We can read that from Malachi two sixteen, but we can also read that from the eyes of apostles in the New Covenant in Matthew nineteen, eight, when Jesus said what he said about divorce. Number eight, telling those that do evil that they are good in the sight of the Lord. Oh, oh, oh, oh. Didn't the prophet Isaiah in chapter five, verse twenty say, Judgment come upon them that call evil good and good evil? Number nine, they were cheating their hired servants of their wages, they were oppressing the widow and the fatherless, and they turned away strangers from fearing him. God commanded them not to oppress the stranger or each other in Exodus chapter twenty two, verse twenty one, and in Leviticus chapter twenty five, verse seventeen. Number ten, they were robbing God in tithes and offerings. They were commanded in Leviticus twenty-seven verses thirty and thirty two to tithe of the land, of the seed of the land, of the fruit of the tree, of the herd and the flock, because that was holy to the Lord. And so yes, they were robbing him of what was rightfully his. Now, technically speaking, all is his. All of it, 100% is all his, but there was a certain part that he reserved unto himself, and that was the firstborn, the first things of the fruit of the land, of the fruit of the tree, of the herds and the flocks. The first of it was his, and the rest he left it to them. Number eleven, they spoke lies by saying it is vain to serve God and keep his ordinances, causing people to not trust in the word of the Lord. And in that case they caused many to stumble because they questioned his word, they questioned his integrity, they questioned his honor and his faithfulness. They spoke a false word of ill of Yahweh. Proverbs says we will not stumble if we hear and receive obey his sayings, his word. All of these sins are nothing, nothing, nothing but disobedience to a foregiven commands. These are nothing but demonstrations of rebellion. Witchcraft, idolatry of self, putting self over God, putting self-will over God's will. And this is the fruit of faithlessness from his people. Now today we're not required to slaughter animals, to offer up sacrifices, yet we are nevertheless required to offer up sacrifices. However, our sacrifices are not to be cheap, costing us a little. They're not to be impure, in other words, without purity of heart. They're not to be of the weak and sick, defective sacrifices or leftovers. Cursed is the man that offers a sacrifice that is corrupt unto the Lord, it said in Malachi 1:14. When we offer up sacrifices, they are always to be the very best of what we have to offer. Psalm 51:17 put it this way The sacrifices of God are of a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart. These, O God, you will not despise. We should read that and recognize he will never despise a broken, contrite, repentant heart that is seeking after him. This is probably the most dear, most priceless, and most precious gift we could ever offer to him. It says in Mark 12, verse 33 To love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. We are required to sacrifice our desires and in turn love him alone, with all of our heart, all of our understanding, all of our soul, all of our strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are to love others as Christ loved us, as it says in Ephesians chapter 5, verse 1. Furthermore, Hebrews tells us, Therefore, by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. That's Hebrews chapter 13, verse 15 and 16. We are to offer him the sacrifice of praise continually, giving thanks to Jesus as the fruit of our lips. We're not forgetting to do good to others, we're not forgetting to share what we have with them in fellowship, because Paul also told us in Romans chapter twelve, he beseeched us, he was talking to the Romans, but if we expand it outward and say that he was talking to the church of God, he beseeched the church of God, his brethren, by the mercies of God, to present our bodies a living sacrifice. That's holy, that's acceptable to God, and that's the reasonable thing that we should do because of everything that He has been to us and done for us. Our bodies are to be presented as a living sacrifice. It's our only reasonable service of gratitude toward God. It's only reasonable to think that if he gave his life for us as a demonstration of his undying love for us, then while we were yet sinners, then our only equitable reimbursement is to give our lives unequivocally to him. Our sacrifices to God must be valuable to us. Something we hold dear, something precious, something priceless, something cherished, something treasured that we hold dear to. Many hold money as their treasure, and that is expected of them. Matthew 19, 21 through 22, sell what you have. Many hold family with idle cherishment. That is expected of them. Jesus said to us in Matthew 10, 35 through 37, He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. Many hold their dead loved ones as truly dear, that is expected of them. Jesus said in Matthew 8, verses 21 through 22, let the dead bury their own dead. Many hold time as their precious commodity in life. That is expected of them too. We can read in Ephesians 5 16 and in Colossians 4 5 that Paul is admonishing the saints to redeem the time. Nothing but the best of us is expected of us. Nothing and no one but Jesus is to be seated on the throne of our hearts. And if there is anything or anyone that is seated on the throne where it should not be, it will be required of them to sacrifice it on the altar of the Lord. If there are idols surrounding the throne, they must be voluntarily torn down, because he will not share his glory with anyone. That's Isaiah forty eight, eleven. But any and all sacrifices must be done according to the word of the Lord, in obedience to his statutes and ordinances. Now let's continue this train of thought, and let's read it in Deuteronomy, chapter eight, verses one through six. Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers. And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And so he humbled you. He allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone, but by man must live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Your garments did not wear on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you. Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God to walk in his ways and to fear him. Deuteronomy was written for the generation that was to enter into the promised land. The former generation, their ancestors, their fathers and mothers, they had all finally passed away, and God thought it necessarily and rightly so to repeat and expound to the latter generation the importance of the law, rather more importantly, their obedience to the law. Really, the law can be interpreted simply as his word. He reminded him of the covenant that he made with them and that they agreed at the base of Mount Sinai to adhere to as well. In this reference we see that God led them in the wilderness to humble them, to prove them, to know what was in their hearts. Not like he didn't know what was in their hearts. It was for them to know. Do you have a spirit of obedience? Or do you have a spirit of disobedience? He purposely hungered them so that he could feed them with manna from heaven, which can be taken of symbolically as the word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. These words are what man shall live by. What? A revelation. He wanted them to realize that the very word of God itself fed them and made fat their bones. The word of God sustained them. The word of God kept them from disease and infirmities. The word of God kept their foot from swelling in all of those forty years in the wilderness. The word of God even kept their clothing, sustained the fabric of their clothing where it did not wear down. His very word gave them sustenance whenever they lacked, and when they found themselves hungered, he fed them by his word. When they found themselves thirsty, he gave them drink according to his word. The revelation is that we should live by hearing and obeying every word that proceeds out of the mouth daily, day after day, week after week, year after year, even unto forty years and beyond. His word is everything that we need. His word should be everything to us. We need to feed upon his word every day for that day. Don't allow ourselves to desire what we had in times past. Don't worry about what the future has in store, but be fed in the present for all of our present needs. Be anxious for nothing, but with prayer and supplications give all of your requests unto the Lord. There's enough to worry about for tomorrow. Let's just be faithful today, to trust Him today for what we need today. In His Word we can satisfy our hunger and our thirst. When we need to be sustained, it is found in His Word. When we need to be healed, it is found in His Word. When we need deliverance, it is found in His Word. When we need salvation, it is found in His Word. When we need wisdom, it is found in His Word. Revelation is found in His Word. Knowledge and understanding is found in His Word. Proverbs two six the Lord gives wisdom. From His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. And Revelation nineteen thirteen says Jesus is the very Word of God. His name is called the Word of God. Jesus is the answer. But He will not be the answer for you without communion, without intimacy, without relationship with Him. There must be a partaking of one another. He says He will sup with us and us with Him in Revelation three twenty. We eat from His words and He will eat from our words. In other words, there's going to be a dialogue. There's going to be a give and take in the sharing of oneself with Him as He shares of Himself with us. And He shares of Himself by the very words that He speaks to us. Many times we're too busy to exchange. The reality is many times we all have just enough time to dump on Him all of our problems, but more than enough time to get lost in the cares of this world, in the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust for other things instead of lusting, hungering, thirsting, longing and yearning for the very Word of God Himself, Jesus in prayer. Think how you share of yourself with one another. How you have relationships with your friends and your companions. You must share yourself with another by some form of communication. Usually that communication is done most effectively by exchanging words. It's not through a monologue between two people. Jesus hears, and he is moved by those of a broken, contrite, transparent heart of tremendous need, of desperate need. Psalm thirty four eighteen says the Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and save such as have a contrite spirit. However, after the shaking and the quaking of walls coming down within yourself and you're crying out to the Lord, many times the deliverance we had hoped for is not attained. And out of our impatience, we'd rather build up our walls again, because we can't wait. We're so accustomed to our comfort zones, we have no faith to step out on the water, we're so full of fear, we remain paralyzed in our situation, and we wonder where is God when we need him. Brothers and sisters, the key to our healing, the key to our deliverance, the key to our salvation that opens the door for Jesus to run amok in our life to repair the breach and restore the path is our obedience. Obedience is the sign and the fruit that we trust him, whether we agree with him or not. However, there is a prerequisite to your obedience. When we came into the kingdom, we had to have come in through the blood, the water, and the spirit. That's in John chapter 3 when he spoke to Nicodemus. Jesus' blood, his sacrifice on Calvary, made available the opportunity for all men to be born again. It made available the opportunity for all men to be saved, to be cleansed, and to be forgiven of their sins. But not all men are saved. Why is that? Let's look at two letters of Paul, one written to Titus and one written to Timothy. We're just taking two snapshots. To Titus he said, For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. And then he said to Timothy, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. If salvation has appeared to all men, and it truly is his desire and intention that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, then why aren't all men saved? Let's read first Timothy four ten. For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. God is the Savior of all men, frankly and potentially, but chiefly to those that believe. Now believing, contrary to today's definition, is not a mental acceptance of the truth and saying, I agree. It's a small element, but biblically it is not the all-encompassing definition. Paul said to the Romans in chapter 5, verse 18, Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, speaking of Adam, resulting in condemnation. Even so through one man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. And in Acts 17, 31, it says, Because he has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising him from the dead. Now there is no question that when the Son of Man was lifted up, he made himself the doorway. By the very act of his self sacrifice on the cross, he began to draw all men to him. And since God resurrected the man Jesus Christ, all men are assured of this free gift of eternal life. But even though God did the work through the man Jesus Christ, it is incumbent upon us to respond. Responding requires an active decision on your part, not only to believe, but to obey. But to respond, there is a prerequisite. Paul and Peter spoke of the time when Jesus was going to return. And they're both describing the same event. I want to read both of those captions. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 1 18 regarding his return, Jesus' return, it says, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Peter said it this way, for the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God. And if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Both Peter and John are speaking of the same thing and almost using the exact same words regarding the judgment of God, not just on those who don't know God, clearly on those, but also on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ or the gospel of God. So the obedience of all men is required in order to obtain the salvation that God has made available to us. Because in these times, according to Acts 17, 30, truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked. But now He commands all men, everywhere, to repent. He's commanding all men upon learning the gospel of Jesus Christ to repent. In order to obtain the salvation of our God and see the salvation of our God, we must do exactly as He requires of us in response to His gospel. And it couldn't be further delineated or explicitly declared than in Acts chapter 7, or excuse me, Acts chapter 2, verse 37 and 38. The first day of Pentecost, when the Spirit was poured out, Peter stood up and gave the gospel message concerning Jesus, who he was, what he did, that he died, he was buried, and he rose again, and he was the anointed promised one that they were waiting for, and how they crucified him fifty days prior to that day of Pentecost. It says, when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? And Peter said to them, They had just heard the gospel, repent, let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. So when we come into covenant with the Lord, we heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and we responded. And if we responded appropriately, we should have done as Peter the Apostle commanded the Jews, the Samaritans, and the Gentiles of his day. Repent, be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Peter spoke the word of the Lord, and the listeners needed to hear and obey. It says on that day of Pentecost that about 3,000 people did, and they were added to the kingdom. So in order for us to receive healing, deliverance, provision, safety, security, promises, blessings, etc., it is absolutely necessary that we hear the voice of the Lord Jesus and obey, just as we did our present salvation. The scriptures attest to this, and from old covenant to new covenant. Look at all of the if-then statements in Scripture. If you do or don't do this, he will do or not do that. He is blessing and cursing based on our response to his word. The prerequisite to responding and obeying the word of God is hearing the voice of God. We could not have obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ had we not heard it. We could not attain our healing, our deliverance, our provision, our safety, our security, our promises and blessings until we hear the word of God and then decide, are we going to receive it or not? He's not interested in what you decide to sacrifice from your life. He's interested in how are you going to respond when you hear my voice? Are you going to respond with obedience that's required? Then, if when you hear his voice and he requests a sacrifice of some kind, then you must respond with the obedient sacrifice. But all too often we are trying to appease God and we're picking and choosing for ourselves what we will or will not give up. We will or will not sacrifice. And without listening for his voice, these sacrifices that we think are going to be accepted by him, they're filled with a stench of unrighteousness. Because they're based on our will, not his. It's our self-effort instead of our yieldingness to the leading of his spirit. Obedience is greater than sacrifice. Obedience is better than sacrifice. But for you to be obedient, you have to hear the voice of the Lord. Hearken. Listen. You have to stop thinking about what you need to give or what you need to give up and do the hardest thing you will ever do in your life is get on your knees, pray, and seek the Lord to hear from him. Get in the Word. Get in the Word of God and listen as He speaks to you through the black letters amidst the white pages, not just the red letters, not just the black letters, but the whole. You must spiritually hear the still small voice and then obey.