Infinite Fellowship Ministries

The Principle Of Life (Part 3): Sermon Series By Bishop Gobanga

And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” 

Genesis 2:15-17 KJV

Part 2 Recap:

Religion is basically head knowledge. It means to be a very good person and to work for good. But you find that often, one is devoid of the presence of God.

God does not just want us to search the Scriptures. He wants us to come to Him with all that we searching the Scriptures about or for.

It is possible to have more knowledge than you can morally handle.

The temptation that we observe in the Genesis account was not about being omniscient but about a discerning ability that Adam was supposed to attain and exercise.

God does not create anything that is evil. The tree of knowledge of good and evil was good and the fruit from this tree was good. This tree and its fruit were only going to suffice for Adam and Eve once they attained the necessary/prerequisite moral maturity to be able to judge between good and evil. This is the question that God is asking all of humanity.

This tree represented to Adam the choice of submitting to the divine law of God or becoming autonomous.

Do you have the fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom, or do you want to figure things out for yourself?

Part 3:

Obedience is not servitude.

Submitting to the law of the Lord does not reduce you to a child.

The serpent was alluding to them that they would no longer be in the position of children as they were while under the law of God.

Without the living presence of God, the truth becomes venomous and poisonous.

We cannot claim to be mature adults if we have not learnt submission.

Obedience does not leave you at the place of being a slave to Jehovah God.

It is of utmost importance for us to realise that Adam and Eve through obedience could have learnt how to judge between good and evil without the consequences of sin. They would have achieved the intended outcome of learning about good and evil without disobedience.

Adam and Eve were destined to rule over creations. They were already like gods.

The only way that Adam and Eve were going to achieve being like gods was if they conducted themselves in the same manner as Jesus Christ.

“And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” 

Philippians 2:8-11 NKJV

Jesus knew that He did not need to fight with Father God to prove that He too was God, because He was God and He knew it already. He chose to humble Himself even unto death on the Cross.

Being obedient does not in any way make you the slave of another. To the contrary, it gives you the capacity to become great.

Suffering births obedience and elevates us to the place of power.

Being good is not about moral uprightness. It is about something or someone being aptly equipped to serve God’s purposes. If something or someone is not aptly equipped to serve the Lord’s purposes, then it/they are not good.

Your giftings, talents and abilities are for worship, not for making money. Your gift must be subject to the anointing of Christ or else there will be no fruit for the Kingdom of God.

Everything that God has given to mankind has a purpose, even fame. What is important to check with yourself is whether you have the right posture.

In your purpose as an individual, your desires have been figured out. Delight yourself in the Lord where His desires become your desires. Your desires have been factored into the purpose of God.

God wants us to have a deep affectionate relationship with Him such that what we speak comes from Him.

What was not fitting was for Adam to be subservient to what he was supposed to rule over – the serpent. The serpent was to serve the purpose of Adam and Eve for God’s glory. In the same way, we allow our circumstances to redefine our identity.

God expects us to have control over circumstances and not for circumstances to rule us.

Sin disempowers you and makes you see not only your weaknesses but your inability.

Adam and Eve exchanged their initial submission to God to a creature that they were to rule over.

Anyone not submitted to the counsel of God is not a person but an object.

Obedience is not subservience. Obedience is not being a subordinate. When you are obedient, you are not a sycophant.

Obedience is the divine operation that makes it possible for humanity to be dressed with the glory of God. It is the access point of mankind to be clothed with the glory of God.

The law of life that is in Christ Jesus is the only thing that sets us free from sin. God wants to write this law on our hearts.

Who are you in your original element? Who did God originally ordain you to be?

The nature of your being emanates from the person/expression of God. This is the nature which we are to rely on.

Who you are has nothing to do with how you feel or what you think.

A good father or a mentor helps you identify who you are within, beyond your talents, gifts and abilities. They do not to motivate you to copy them.

Any mentor is meant to help you steward who and what you are and not take over.

Within your being is the essence of divine ability. The ability to access and manifest the glory of God is to be obedient God.

Obedience basically means that you are conducting yourself according to all that pertains to the nature of God.

Submission is conducting your life according to the nature and purpose of God.

Mankind was made to function in accordance to the nature that is vested in Christ. Functioning in this nature is walking in obedience.

Obedience is a function/facet of relationship. We cannot obey a God that we do not have relationship with.

Two cannot walk together unless they agree. Agreement means relationship.

The basis of submission is love not control.