From Revelation to Fulfillment: The Path of Obedience

Introduction

Why do so many Christians have a strong revelation of God, so many promises received, so many rooted convictions, and yet so little concrete fruit in their lives? Samuel Peterschmitt starts from this unsettling question: between the revelation we receive from God and the fulfillment that should follow, one link is almost always missing. That link is obedience. Without it, faith remains talk. Without it, the seed stays in the bag. Without it, revelation never comes down from the invisible heaven into the visible world. This message is the first part of a multi-part sermon given at La Porte Ouverte Chrétienne on July 7, 2024.

Message Outline

1. From Talk to Action

• You can have the seed, you can have the field, but if you don't take the sower's step, there will never be a harvest. The Christian life is extremely concrete, not abstract.
• Abraham is the model: "By faith Abraham obeyed" (Hebrews 11:8). He left Ur of the Chaldeans without knowing where he was going. He hoped against hope even though Sarah was barren and he himself was a hundred years old.
• Jesus was unambiguous: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father" (Matthew 7:21). Talk is worthless if it is not followed by obedience.
• Parable of the two sons (Matthew 21:28-31): the intention to obey is not yet obedience. Many children of God stay in intention rather than action, and end up frustrated.
• The kingdom of God is not only something to come, it is already present: "The kingdom of God has come near to you" (Luke 10:9). The rich young man missed it because he did not obey. The disciples, on the other hand, left everything and entered into the fulfillment.

2. Obedience, the Highest Mark of Worship

• The highest act of worship is shown through obedience to God's will. Abraham goes up the mountain with Isaac "to worship" (Genesis 22:5), and worship is obedience to what costs the most.
• God will say to Abraham: "Now I know that you fear God" (Genesis 22:12). The fear of God is not proven by words, it is proven by obedience.
• In Ezekiel 28:12-15, the creature created for worship in heaven lost its praise through disobedience. Disobedience put an end to worship.
• Saul had the revelation, Samuel had told him everything. But he disobeyed and tried to compensate with a sacrifice. God's answer comes down: "To obey is better than sacrifice... for rebellion is as the sin of divination" (1 Samuel 15:22-23).
• There are moments when obeying God comes at a high cost: Daniel breaking the royal decree because a higher law (God's), applies to him; the apostles answering the religious authorities, "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29); Samuel Peterschmitt's father, a young Alsatian conscripted against his will ("malgré-nous"), telling an SS commander "I will never kill"; the Patriarch of Moscow quoted by Alexander Solzhenitsyn in The Gulag Archipelago. Let us have that kind of courage.

3. To Be Continued

• Samuel Peterschmitt warns that he will not go further than these two points this Sunday, but that he will pick up the rest of the message at a future gathering. The next part will address, more concretely, how to actually move from revelation to fulfillment in everyday life.

Key Takeaways

• Between the revelation God gives you and its fulfillment in your life, there is a bridge, and that bridge is called obedience.
• Faith without obedience is dead. Talk is empty if it is not followed by action. "The intention to obey is not yet obedience."
• The kingdom of God is not only a future reality. It is already present, and your lived-out faith makes it visible around you, today.
• True worship is not first played out in Sunday's singing, but in the week's obedience. "Your worship does not rise above the ceiling" that your disobedience has set.
• Disobedience is as serious as the occult. Many Christians are troubled by divination yet turn a blind eye to their own disobedience. It is time to balance the scale.

Personal Application

1. What revelation has God given you that you have never put into practice? What promise, still "in the bag," is simply waiting for your act of obedience to become a harvest?
2. In what area of your life have you remained "in the intention" of obeying for years without ever acting on it? What is blocking you from taking action this week?
3. Have you come to worship on Sunday morning after a week of deliberate disobedience? What would God say about the real value of your personal worship right now?
4. Is there an act of obedience that costs you dearly today (a word to say, a relationship to break off, a decision to make), and before which you shrink back? Can you pray, "Lord, grant me to obey even if I risk the lions' den," before even asking God to spare you the trial?
5. Are you preparing your worship for next Sunday by walking in integrity and obedience starting today, or are you waiting for the atmosphere of the service to turn to God?

Bible References

• Hebrews 11:8 · By faith Abraham obeyed
• Matthew 7:21 · Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord"
• Matthew 21:28-31 · Parable of the two sons
• Luke 10:8-9 · The kingdom of God has come near to you
• Genesis 22:5-12 · Abraham and Isaac on the mountain
• Ezekiel 28:12-15 · The king of Tyre, a figure of the fall through disobedience
• 1 Samuel 15:22-23 · To obey is better than sacrifice
• Acts 5:29 · We must obey God rather than men
• John 17:14-17 · Sanctify them by your truth
• James 2:17 · Faith without works is dead

Further reading

• How to Prepare an Effective Team Meeting
• Writing Simple Procedures for Your Church
• How to Thank Church Volunteers

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean to "move from revelation to fulfillment"?

It means bringing down into the visible world what God has promised in the invisible world. Many Christians receive a revelation (a conviction, a promise, a calling), but never see that reality take shape in their concrete life. The bridge between the two is obedience: the concrete act by which you put into practice what God has told you, even without a guarantee, even without a visible sign, even when it costs you.

Is faith without obedience really worthless?

Yes. The Bible states clearly: "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:17). Faith that produces no action, no decision, no change is not biblical faith, it is mere talk. Proclaiming your faith changes nothing as long as that faith does not translate into obedience. It is obedience that proves faith is alive and that the revelation received is real.

Why does Samuel Peterschmitt say that disobedience is as serious as divination?

Because the Bible itself states this in 1 Samuel 15:23: "Rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry." The preacher observes that people are often troubled by those who have practiced the occult and seek to set them free, yet turn a blind eye to persistent disobedience, which in God's eyes weighs just as heavily. He calls for balancing the scale and starting by obeying: many bonds fall away when we walk in obedience.