Confessions - OBEDIENCE TO THE LAW VS OBEDIENCE TO THE FAITH

Good morning everybody. Happy Tuesday. Terrific Tuesday. This is the day that the Lord hath made and we will rejoice and we will be exceedingly glad in it because God is good and he is worthy to be praised. Hey here now. Somebody said what what is he saying? Uh listen, God bless you.

All is well with you. I'm joining you for about five minutes to just just uh agree with blessings wherever you're logging in from and then we're going to welcome you here. But we're not living by the temperature. You can take the temperature of all the things that are going on in the world today.

You can take the temperature of it and man, it's hot. But I'm going to tell you right now, we we set the thermostat every day of our lives. And we set that thermostat on blessed. And you hold on to that. You hold on to that. We are blessed.

You are blessed in the city, the field, and wherever you're going. You're blessed with protection. You're blessed with favor. The grace of God be upon you. So every time something comes your way that's challenging, you just shout, "Grace, grace to the mountain and watch God reduce that situation for you."

So, welcome to the grace gang this morning. Uh, and I just thank God for you. And today I had I I when I was walking today, I just finished, you know, doing my workout. It was legs day today, right? Quads and hamstrings. And then I got did 10 minutes of rebounding.

Then I went and did my walking. And uh man, while I was walking, I was uh I was thinking about something that I want to teach on, something that I wish I could uh add balance to while I was teaching it. But that's why I say it's important to just keep growing.

I don't look at people and say, "Oh, you made a mistake." I look at people or or that's what you didn't say before. You made a mistake before, but you grew. You're growing. That's the exciting part is that you're growing, right? And I want to share some things with you uh in detail I think will be a blessing to you today concerning the issue of obedience.

And so a lot of confusion is around obedience. What does it mean? Is there something about obedience in the Old Testament that's different from obedience in the New Testament? Is there something different from obedience under the law versus obedience under grace? What does that mean? Because I I have never heard anybody make a uh comparing contrast between obedience uh before Jesus and obedience after Jesus.

And so that's pretty big. That's a big issue. And if you can get this, Grace gang, you can help me to to send this thing where it needs to be. So let's see who's in the house this morning. Where are you logging in from? College Park is in the house.

Tyrone, Georgia, the international city is in the house this morning. Uh we send blessings to you guys. We set the thermostat to bless. So the good news today is you're blessed. Amen. Um Hollis, Queens is here with us. New Mexico, uh San Antonio is in the house. Sarasota, Florida in the house.

Toledo, Ohio, Philadelphia, the Bronx in New York. Fedville, North Carolina is in the house. Tulsa, Oklahoma, uh, on all three platforms. South Africa is in the house. Hinfield, Georgia, we send blessings to you guys in Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio. Germany is in the house. Sacramento, Atlanta, and Colorado, we send blessings to you in the name of Jesus.

And uh, Queens, New York City is in the house. Fedville, Georgia is in the house. Nairobi uh is in the house this morning. We send blessings to you guys. Uh Sierra Leon is in the house with us. God bless you. Johannesburg is here. South Carolina is here. Uh we welcome you in Brisbane, Australia.

Early in the morning. The international city is here big time today. God bless y'all. Um God is so good. Uh, Lakeland, Florida is in the house. King George, Virginia is here. The UK is here. God bless y'all. Welcome to the Grace Gang this morning. Uh, St. Louis is here.

Uh, Rome, Georgia in the house. Rome, welcome. Got Georgia on my mind. Nashville is here. Chicago on the south side's here with us. Welcome to the Grace Gang. Those of you in Cape Town, South Africa, um, Washington DC, Snailville, Georgia, Union City, Georgia, New Jersey. Welcome to the Grace Gang this morning.

Uh, God is so good. And, uh, Lagos is in the house. China is in the house with us this morning. Um, uh, God bless you, Austin, Georgia. Kenya is here. Welcome to the grace gang, guys. All is well. All is well. Pritoria is here. Nambia is here. I tell you, when I come here and see everybody that's logging in, I want to get out the house and and come visit y'all.

You know, the the greatest gang on the planet. I agree in Jesus name. I agree. Germany is here. We welcome you from Germany. All right, guys. Let's let's get into this. Um um God is so good. God is so good. So uh let's make this uh declaration and uh let's stay focused today.

And uh I think a lot of times what we got to do in our everyday living and our waking up, getting up and going to work, we got to we got to make sure that distraction doesn't uh derail your focus. That's a good word. Don't let distractions derail your focus.

I tell you what, the enemy is going to do everything he can to get you off focus. And you focus on on the finished works of Jesus. you focus on your identity and who you are in Christ. Don't get focused um on things that uh will take you away from your assignment, you know, and uh this is so so important.

There are many distractions in the world and um I mean you can choose which one you want to allow in to steal your your focus, but got to be careful about that, man. Don't let distraction, what is distraction? It's an intrusion of the mind to try to cause confusion.

Don't let distraction derail your focus. I think that's a word for somebody. Amen. Say this out loud with me. In the name of Jesus, I am righteous. I am forgiven. I am one with Christ. I am complete in Christ. I am seated with Christ. I am the mirror image of Christ.

And I declare according to 1 John 4:17 that as he is, so am I in this world. I am redeemed. I have wisdom. I am sanctified. I am everything God says I am. Not what my past says I am. Not what others say I am, but what God says I am.

I'm accepted right now into his beloved. I rest in his finished works right now. And in the name of Jesus, I declare that all is well with me. And in the mighty name of Jesus, I declare that I am loved by God. I'm highly favored by God. I'm blessed by God.

He loves me with an everlasting, unending love. and I believe the love that God has for me. I am Psalms 91 equipped and all is well with me in my house in Jesus name. Amen. And amen. Amen. And amen. I'm going to share something with you. Um and we're going to get into this today.

Get your pens, pads, Bibles, whatever you're using. Um, one of the um um I just for the lack of better words or one of the the challenges that I'm met with on a day-to-day basis is how to articulate what what's in my heart, how to say it. And then a lot of times when I go back and listen to the teachings, I'm like, "Ah, I should have said this with this."

Uh, you know, I'll say something like, for example, you know, uh, many people are trying to be obedient, but you don't get um, you don't you your your prosperity is not based on your obedience. Okay. So what I what I would like to say is that your prosperity is not based on your obedience to the law, but it is based on your obedience to the faith.

And sometimes I get so excited um I I I miss the opportunity to compare and contrast those two things. And and I have to continue to remember that when you know that I'm I'm on a journey like everybody else. I got to continue to remember that when I say one thing because people are being transformed out of an old way of thinking into a new way of thinking to begin to say those things.

And you're right. I have said those things before. Um and you know when you're on Grace Gang every morning for about five to six years you've heard me say those things before. But I don't want to assume that people know what we have talked about before. There's some new people here with the Grace Gang and I just don't want to ever assume that you know something just because we have have talked about it and we have had a conversation before.

And so I want to I want to dig into something here and I want you to really think this out with me. Um this is so important. Um it it's a powerful subject to really to to really talk about and some something that probably needs to be talked about more.

So I'm going to teach it to you grace game so you can begin to share it with other people in proper context. Uh so one of the things we understand is when you look at the old covenant the old covenant is law-based living and the new covenant is faith-based living.

In other words, under the old covenant, it's based on what you do in order to be blessed. Under the new covenant, it's based on your faith in Jesus uh in order to be blessed. So, the confusion around obedience is where many believers either um fall into striving or step into rest.

The confusion around obedience is is going to mean the difference between people falling into striving and performing and trying to get God to do something based on what they do or it will see people fall into rest. So uh obedience to the law uh that is something that is obedience under the old covenant.

So under the old covenant you had obedience to the law. Under the new covenant you have obedience to the faith. Now not many people say well where is that in the Bible? Well in the new covenant you see it twice in the book of Romans. May I share that with you right now?

Um, if you'll go with me to Romans chapter 1 and you'll see it uh uh being spoken of in Romans chapter 1 verse 5. The King James says, "By whom we have received grace and apostilhip for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name." And the amplified says, "It is through him that we have received grace, God's unmmerited favor, and our apostilhip to promote obedience to the faith."

And um and you'll see it again in Romans um chapter 16. So that was Romans 1 and5. You'll see it again in Romans chapter 16 and verse 26. He says, "But now is made manifest and by the scriptures of the prophets according to the commandment of the everlasting God made known to all nations for the obedience of the faith."

And then in the amplified it says, "But but it's now disclosed and through the prophetic scriptures is made known to all nations according to the command of the eternal God to win them to obedience to the faith." And so you can't ignore the the these two scriptures, especially in the book of Romans where he's breaking down this new covenant.

Uh but the only thing that most people are familiar with is just being obedient to the word, but it's not rightly divided. Obedience needs to be rightly divided so you'll understand what obedience you need to have. Are you going to be obedient to the law? Which means I've got to be I got to fulfill something in order to qualify to get something.

Okay? And if I don't fulfill it, then I know I I get I get cursed. Uh are we still under that? Because I see a lot of Christian going around, well, I just going I'm I just want to be obedient. I just want to be obedient. Yeah, but what are you being obedient to?

And the New Testament talks about obedience to the faith. Very simply put, obedience to faith is right believing. And right believing is believing in the finished works of Jesus Christ and lining yourself up with that. So what I want to do is to take some time to really dissect that because again, grace gang, we're all responsible for spreading this gospel.

And if I can um rightly divide that for you, then you could win some souls and and by just giving that simple understanding. So obedience to the law is behaviorbased compliance. Obedience to the law is behaviorbased compliance. And it's it's the compliance with the commandments in order to qualify for the blessing.

So, it's behaviorbased compliance to the commandments uh the the commandments that were in the Old Testament, the law of Moses, in order to qualify for the blessing. All right. Here's a key scripture for for this right here. Um Deuteronomy chapter 28. You've heard me teach on this before.

Deuteronomy 28:1 and 2. He says, "If thou shalt diligently hearken uh if you or if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord your God uh to observe to do all his commandments." Remember there like what 613 of them. He says then all the blessings will come on you if you will be obedient to all his commandments.

So under the law um the blessings are conditional which means you have to meet the condition in order to be blessed under the law. Obedience under the law is now external performance. It's what you do on the outside. It's external performance. In other words, obedience under the law or obedience to the law is simply it's focused on what you do.

It's focused on what you do. So the the nature of law-based obedience, it is it's conditional. It's based on what you do. You obey, you get blessed. You fail to obey, you get cursed. Okay. Um, Romans 3:10 is a really good one for that. If you want to write that down in your notes, Romans chapter 3 and:e 10, he says, "Cursed is everyone that continuth not in all things."

Not some things, but he says, "You're cursed if you continue not in all things." That's 613 of those things, right? And so what we got to understand is it produces to live obedience to the law produces sin consciousness. Okay? Sin consciousness is produced when you uh you know operate in obedience to the law.

For example, Romans chapter 3 and 20 in the King James he says by the law is the knowledge of sin. Look at that sin consciousness coming up. By the law is the knowledge of sin. So please understand something that um the law doesn't empower obedience. It exp it it it it exposes failure.

The law doesn't empower obedience. It exposes failure. By the law is the knowledge of sin. Let's look at something else. It depends on human effort. Uh, obedience to the law depends on human effort. Obedience to the law produces sin consciousness. Obedience to the law depends on human effort.

Here's a really good scripture for this because this is what um you refer to when you remember we were talking earlier about willpower, flesh-based effort. Willpower without the Holy Spirit is just flesh-based effort. Well, Romans chapter 8 and verse three, he says, "What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh."

Wow. What the law could not do because it was weak through the flesh. The law wasn't weak in itself. It was weak because of us. And that's what I mean. The law is not bad. The law is not sin. The law is good. The law is perfect. The law represents the character of God.

What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh. The law itself wasn't weak. It was perfect. It was we were the ones who were weak because of us. It was weak. So the result of law-based living, here's what you're going to get when you decide to live by the law and operate under this obedience to the law.

Here's what you're going to get. Uh, let me give you about four. Four things you're going to get. Let's do this. Four things you're going to get if you live by obedience to the law. Pressure. You start living uh by trying to be obedient to the law, you're going to get pressure.

Pressure. Second thing you're going to get is a performance mindset. You're going to get a performance mindset by trying to be obedient to the law. Number three, you're going to get a fear of missing the blessing. I used to get that all the time. It's like, "Oh my god, I'm going to miss the blessing because I don't know if I was perfectly obedient to the law."

Fear of missing the blessing. And then number four, pride succeeding. Um, condemnation. Um, uh, pride succeed. Well, let me let me say this about this. Ego and pride loves to sit at your table. You just got to make sure it doesn't sit at the head of the table and start calling the shots.

So, what happens if you're obedient to the faith and you're succeeding? You're going to get pride. Uh but when you're failing, you're going to get condemnation. Wow, dude. Under the law, obedience to the law. When you succeed, pride shows up. You start bragging about what you did. But when you fail, condemnation shows up.

Now you're condemned because of what you couldn't do. This is the stuff that happens when you operate in obedience to the law. Now, let's look at obedience to the faith real quick. Um, so obedience to the faith is what we just talked about was obedience to the law.

That's what that's what it was like when you were under the law. Now, let's switch over here and rightly divide the word and look at obedience to the faith. Right? Believing, right? Obedience to the faith. Um, let me add to that definition of right believing. Obedience to the faith is is is is heartbased trust in what Christ has already accomplished.

Heartbased trust in what Christ has already accomplished. Heartbased trust. Obedient to the faith. Jesus has already finished everything. The finished works are are done. And I now have heartbased faith in the finished works of Jesus Christ. Right? Believing. And you know what heart-based faith and trust is going to produce in your life?

It's going to produce a transforming it's going to it's going to result in transforming living transforming living. This is what the result of of is obedience to the faith. It's going to transform me from the inside out. Uh, so heartbased trust in what Jesus has already accomplished. Heart-based trust in the finished works of Jesus.

Staying in alignment with what Jesus already has done. Right? Believing is believing in the finished works of Jesus Christ. Now, here's a key scripture. I just read it to you. Romans chapter 1 and5. We have received grace for the obedience to the faith. That is so cool. I have grace.

I have grace for the obedience to the faith. And then uh again, Romans 16:21, uh he's made known to all nations for the obedience to the faith. Now, notice what he didn't say. He did not say obedience to rules. That's big. This is huge, guys. What I'm talking to you about this morning.

He didn't say obedience to rules, did he? He said obedience to faith. So under the new covenant, it's about being obedient to the faith, being obedient and having faith in the finished works of Jesus. It's not talking about being obedience to the law and then therefore I have to perform in order to get what uh what was promised in the in the old covenant.

So what is obedience to the faith? We need to break it down. Just I just feel we just need to keep just milking this cow. We need to just milk this until you till you really get it. Even though I got five more minutes left, we need to milk this cow.

So obedience to the faith, it is believing. Write this down. Believing what God has done in Christ. Number one, believing what God has done in Christ. Obedience to the faith. Number two, it is um it's yielding to that truth. Not only believing what God has done in Christ, but now that I'm delivered from the old man, I can yield to that truth.

Obedience to the faith, I am yielding to that truth. I am living from that truth. And I already said it, but then the third one is is that I'm going to live from identity. I'm going to live from identity, not for approval. I'm going to live from my identity that I am righteous, that I am forgiven, that I am complete.

I'm living from my identity. I'm living from it because I believe it, right? I yield to it. I'm living from my identity. I am not living for approval. I'm not living for approval. I got to ask you that. Are do you still find yourself living for approval? and grace gang.

It takes it takes a lot of courage for you to even go and have the these kind of discussions with other people. But God's using you. God's using you. You're living from your identity. You're not living for approval. That's big, man. That's big. And so when I talk about living uh uh by the faith, obedience to the faith of Jesus Christ, I'm talking about yielding to that truth, man.

Right? Believing, living from my identity, not for approval. So let's look at uh let's look at a couple of scriptures here in Galatians chapter 3 and 5. Let's look at this in the King James version. These are some pretty big scriptures I want to add to this. Maybe I'll get a chance to teach on this on a Sunday morning or something.

But um Galatians chapter 3 and 5 says, "He ministerth to you the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith?" Does he minister to you by the spirit, by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Never saw that before.

Watch this. Everything flows through the hearing and believing. Everything flows through the hearing and the believing. Everything flows through the hearing of this finished works and the believing. Not performing. Things don't Everything doesn't flow through your performance. Man, I I'm free from performing. and you know striving to try to get something to flow.

You remember what we said last week that the grace of God will flow where there is a um carefree atmosphere. But the thing you end up giving most your attention to and caring about the most and you're just looking at your finances and oh my finances oh my finances that's going to be the very place where grace is not going to flow.

But when you step away from it and say, "You know what, Lord? I have faith in in uh what you've done. I believe my provision is already done." Amen. Everything's done, and I just believe that. And you just don't spend time worrying about it. That's where grace is going to begin to flow.

So everything's going to flow through your hearing and your believing, not through your performing. Now, look at this one in Galatians chapter 11. This is a good one. It's reason why I like it because everybody knows this hopefully. All right. Galatians chapter 3 and 11 says the just shall live by faith.

We live it by but but what is he talking about? By the faith of the son of God. The just shall live by faith. And notice here's the point I want to bring up. The just shall live, not visit. The just shall live by faith, not visit faith.

We don't we're not supposed to visit faith. That's our life. That's our waking up in the morning or going to work. We're doing everything by faith and and and and remember it's it's it's faith in what Jesus has finished. It's faith in in the finished works of Jesus Christ, right?

And then there's John 6:28, which is amazing. I'm going to read it out of King James. John 6 28 uh and 29. Um, and this to to add context to it, these guys were they just saw the miracle of the multiplication of the the fish and the bread and they start following Jesus.

And here's what they asked. What shall we do that we might work the works of God? They wanted to be able to do the same thing they saw. And then verse 29 says, Jesus answered, this is the work of God that you believe. And in another version says, you believe on the one that I sent to you.

Here's the work of God that you believe. So the work of God requires believing. Well, believing what? Believe in the believing Jesus. Believing the finished works, believing everything that has has uh uh come from God as far as things are being finished. So the nature of faith-based obedience is uh how do I say this?

The nature of faith-based obedience is relational and not transactional. Um the the uh situation with obedience to the law was all transactional. The situation with obedience to faith is relational. You don't you don't you don't obey to get blessed. You believe because you're already blessed. You don't obey to get blessed.

You believe you're already blessed. That's the difference. You see that? Uh the nature of of faith-based obedience flows from your identity. Like I said before, but let me give you this scripture. Romans chapter 5 and verse 19. By obedience of one shall many be made righteous. All right?

So what Jesus did to make us righteous, many will be made righteous because of his obedience. You were made righteous by Jesus's obedience, not yours. That's big, right? You were made righteous by the obedience of Jesus. You were not made righteous by your obedience. That's big. Let me say that again.

You were made righteous by the obedience of Jesus and not by your obedience. Big big big big big big. Right. So now your obedience is not your your obedience is not to become righteous, right? Your obedience is the fruit of being righteous. Let let me see. Your obedience is not to become righteous.

Your obedience is the fruit of being righteous. Stay on the bus with me now. It's the fruit of being righteous. And I'm going believe that I'm righteous. Hallelujah. I believe that I'm the righteousness of God. I'm not I'm not trying to become righteous. I I am belie My obedience is to believe that I'm righteous.

My obedience is to believe that I am redeemed. My obedience is to believe that I am forgiven. My obedience is believe that I am already whole and prosperous and and that um that that the presence of God is my prosperity. That's obedience to the faith is to believe that I am everything that he finished.

Woo! Man, y'all come on now. Come on now. And this obedience to the faith, here's the thing about it. we've never looked at. It is spirit empowered according to Romans chapter 8 and 4. You got to be careful because you will you will read over this, but Romans chapter 8 and 4, he says that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk after the spirit.

The spirit produces what the law demanded. The spirit will produce what the law under the old covenant demanded. So, if I'm obedient to what's finished, that's that's what this obedience to the faith is already about. It's it's it's huge, guys. It's huge. It's huge. Were y'all on the bus?

Did I lose anybody when I took my glasses off and closed my eyes trying to get that thought? Um, this is big. And uh if you if you if you study this out, go back and look over it again. Uh I may deal with it some more, but I think I want to take a couple of days and let you just meditate on this, man.

And just meditate on this and just meditate on this and get it. Then you'll start being aware. When people start talking about obedience, you at least Paul say, "Well, are you talking about obedience by performing the law?" Uh, or are you talking about obedience by believing what Jesus has already done for us?

And I mean, this is this is what this is all about. Somebody said, "I'm writing so much." That's because God's going to use you, man. Uh yeah, Romans 6. I think I didn't I teach on Romans 6 last week. Uh didn't I? Well, actually I taught on on Romans chapter 6 uh on on Sunday.

Um so go back and look at that. So anyway, that was amazing, guys. I enjoy all of it all the time. Um yeah, that's big. That's a big issue. And um I think we need to open up this can and uh let people know that uh because if you if you're stuck in obedience to the law doing doing doing doing to get get and that was like religiously embedded in your mind.

Of course, it causes conflict when somebody says you're not going to uh be successful by obedience. They're like, "What is he talking about?" But now that you understand, you you'll you'll immediately say, "Well, yeah, not obedience to the law. You'd have to be obedient. You have to be obedient to the faith."

Man, get this, Grace Gang. Did you get it? Did you get it? Get this thing now. Um, I may crack open this and go a little bit deeper in it. Uh, I'm going to be in Las Vegas this week, uh, Friday for the Grace Life Tour, March 27th.

Uh, last I saw we had about 40 tickets left. I don't know if that they're left now, but go log on right now, check and see and get it. We if you want to be one of 500, then uh, go and get registered. You can text spirit and grace to 51555 to register or you can go to the spiritandgraetour.com and begin to register for the other cities that are already out there.

Um, so I'm I'm excited about this. So, do you think, let me ask you one thing before we go. Do you think I need to teach on this u maybe in a public setting? Uh, do you think people will be able to follow me? And hopefully I laid it out so it's not confusing.

Were you able to follow along with this? Uh, I know it hit a hit a hit a block, but I I I believe it's opening the block. I I wanted to be so clear so that people can really see the difference and understand the difference. And, you know, of course, if people just want to hold on to stuff, there's nothing I can do about that.

But if they really want to, you know, get free of it, then what do y'all think? think I need to teach it some places and some some law-abided churches and law-based folks and say, "Hey guys, let me show you something here." And um yeah, so somebody says there's yes, unanimous yeses all four platforms.

So uh we I'm going still pray about it, but amen. I love y'all. Um South Africa is is filling up. It might be full, guys. Come on. Let's get to registering. If you're in South Africa, hurry it up and uh let's get doing that. We making our final plans to take off and um join you guys in South Africa.

It's going to be a great meeting uh April the 9th through the 11th, 2026. Uh it's going to be so so so good. Amen. Uh all right, guys. I love y'all. I'm going to go in here and get me some breakfast. And um all is well. You have a great day today.

Pray about what you heard today. Go over scriptures. Let God give you more revelations. Look up more scriptures concerning it and go teach it. Go share it. Go plant it in somebody's life. It's a big deal. Obedience is a big deal. We use obedience to also put fear on people.

And uh we can tell them, you know, it's not obedience trying to perform to achieve what Jesus has already achieved. It's it's a new type of obedience under the new covenant. And that obedience is, you know, right believing in all that Jesus has done. Alrighty. Love y'all. Have a good day.

Don't let nobody mess with you, man. As far as, you know, get y'all focused. Watch out for distractions.