Remember, O Lord, in David's favor,
all the hardships he endured.
The Lord swore to David a sure oath
from which he will not turn back:
“One of the sons of your body
I will set on your throne.
If your sons keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their sons also forever
shall sit on your throne.”
For the Lord has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for his dwelling place:
There I will make a horn to sprout for David;
I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.

Psalm 132:1, 11-13, 17

The journey of discipleship demands more than belief; it requires a daily “yes.” A yes that’s rooted in God’s Word, anchored in His promises, and willing to pay the cost. This Sunday in our Ascent series, Steph Rivas walks us through Psalm 132, showing how obedience has a history, will cost us daily, and leads us to hope.

‍

The Reflection of an Obedient Life

This is an activation for you to practice as you meditate upon Psalm 132:

• Imagine that your life is projected into images—multiple images that scroll through different areas of your life and give an accurate reflection of how you live your life. 
• Imagine they were projected on a screen for others to witness. Without any personal knowledge of you, what would a stranger witness about you on that screen? 
• What would your life reflect that you are following?What would your life show you are submitting to?
• Is it God or money? Is it God or sex? Is it God or success? Is it God or culture? Is it God or the approval of man? Is it God or self?
• Take a moment to reflect and identify where you may be obeying something or someone else above God.
• Is there an area of your life, as viewed in the images on the screen, where you are not fully submitted to God or where you have not obeyed the last word God gave you?
• Allow God to speak into these areas of your life and recommit to surrender and obedience to His Spirit, that your life would reflect faithfulness to Him alone.

‍

Obedience Has a History

• The first ten verses of Psalm 132 are a historical recounting of David’s faithful obedience.
• In 2 Samuel 6, we see that David made a vow to find the ark, and when he did, he hose to celebrate with the level of worship that God deserved.
• Obedience is rooted in biblical narrative. Our scriptures are filled with stories upon stories of obedience—and God’s wisdom in His commands.
• There are also stories of disobedience. David may have slain Goliath, but he also committed adultery and murder, to disastrous results.
• Consider the 10 Commandments. Moses received them in Exodus and repeated them in Deuteronomy but then Jesus echoed the importance in the Gospels, meaning that these Words from God have great impact and meaning for us today.
• Obedience requires reflection, looking back to the past, as well as application for the present.

Obedience Is Costly & Daily

• In Psalm 132:11-12, we see that the cost of obedience for David and his sons is to keep the covenant.
• Obeying God will cost us comfort, time and sometimes even relationships.
• When David danced before the Lord, it cost him Michal’s good opinion, but he feared God more than he feared the opinion of man.
• “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’” Luke 9:23
• Jesus is clear about the cost of discipleship and obedience, but is it worth it? Yes.
• "If you ask why we should obey God, in the last resort the answer is, 'I am.' To know God is to know that our obedience is due to Him.” CS Lewis
• Jesus already paid the ultimate cost and obeyed the ultimate command; even the Son of God was not exempt from obedience.
• “Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.” Hebrews 5:8-9
• Salvation itself cost us nothing. It’s a free gift that we receive because Jesus paid the cost of obedience for us.
• Better is one day in His courts than a thousand elsewhere. Better to lay down your life than to lose your soul to this world. Better to live in freedom than be bound to bitterness. Better is a life of obedience to Him than a life of obedience to the flesh.

Obedience Fuels Hope

• Psalm 132:13-18 includes the future promises of God, looking forward to his continued faithfulness and our choice to be obedient for a lifetime.
• Obeying God comes with promises and blessings, but we do not obey God for simple gain.
• Obedience is God’s love language. Just like there are five love languages for us—physical touch, words of affirmation, acts of service, gift giving and quality time—God has a way that he best receives our love and devotion: obedience.
• We are responsible to go to God, asking Him to change us from the inside out and saying, “God, I want to obey you and follow you and love you because of who you are. Not for a blessing or to make myself feel better but simply because you have told me to and because I love you.”
• God does not arbitrarily call us to obedience, giving us random rules with no vision behind them. Every call to obedience has a purpose for our lives.
• “Christians who master Psalm 132 will be protected from the danger that we should reduce Christian existence to ritually obeying a few commandments that are congenial to our temperament and convenient to our standard of living.” Eugene Peterson

Dinner Party Questions

• What stories of obedience (or disobedience) in the Bible most impact you? How do these stories speak to your life today?
• What is your daily cost of obedience? In what places are you called to pick up your cross, in both significant and small moments?
• What is your love language and how do you feel when other people love you that way? Obedience is God’s love language—how does that influence the intention behind your choices?

‍