The Reward of Obedience by Pastor Tim Coman, April 26, 2026 @ Pleasant Grove Church, Benton, KY

Trust and obey sets the tone, not as a slogan but as a hard-won way of life. Deuteronomy 11 lays the weight on the table: God sets before His people a blessing and a curse. He honors their agency, and the path chosen carries real consequence. Sometimes doing the right thing looks like it will cost, and sometimes doing nothing looks safe, but neutrality is never neutral. First Samuel 15 presses deeper: “to obey is better than sacrifice.” God prizes intent and follow-through over religious cover. A bunch of flowers cannot fix a pattern of ignoring the heart, and ritual cannot cover a refusal to heed God’s voice.

Luke 11 adds the verb that shapes a life: blessed are those who hear the word and keep it. The word keep is phylasso, to guard and practice like a lifeguard who never looks down at the phone while the undertow pulls. The call is not to remember a verse but to stay vigilant, jump in, and act. If someone wants to see how God works, they do not look for perfect people, they look for obedient people. David runs toward Goliath when others run away. Rahab risks everything and ends up in Messiah’s family tree. Obedience rewrites a future. Joseph stays faithful over twenty years that felt forgotten, and God uses the pain to position him to save many. Esther says, “if I perish, I perish,” and her courage becomes someone else’s answered prayer. Moses says yes at eighty, proving God is not hunting for ability, but availability.

History echoes the same pattern. Bonhoeffer speaks truth when the church stays silent. Rosa Parks sits still and shakes a system. Jackie Robinson endures hatred without retaliation. Often obedience means standing firm without striking back. The everyday stories line up too: the Spirit’s nudge in a Walmart line, a friend who keeps planting seeds with a rough-around-the-edges lawn guy until, years later, he calls to say he’s been born again, a judge’s unexpected ask to care for a vulnerable twelve-year-old and a risky yes that God uses. Then the tender witness of Mary Anne: from a life of secrecy and ache to a Hope Clinic journey where the torn curtain means direct access to God, where hidden patterns are named and healed, and where on a Friday the Spirit places her in the exact chair to tell a survivor, “you have a beautiful faith.” The closing truths land plainly: obedience will cost comfort, will require faith, and will always produce something God can use. God gives the seed and the shovel, but He will not dig the hole. Availability steps in and digs.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Obedience is chosen, not assumed. Obedience lives at the crossroads where God sets life and loss in front of a person and lets that person choose. The choice honors human agency while tying blessing to response, not to good intentions. Safety often masquerades as silence, but neutrality never stays neutral. Trust grows as each concrete yes trains the heart to lean forward. [24:30]
• 2. To obey beats appearing spiritual. God is not flattered by ritual that papers over resistance. He wants a kept word, not makeup gifts after repeated disregard. Real repentance changes patterns, not just apologies. The heart that heeds becomes the sacrifice He delights in. [25:42]
• 3. Keep the word with vigilance. To keep is to guard, protect, and practice, like a lifeguard scanning for undertow. Blessing attaches to this steady attentiveness, not to occasional inspiration. Vigilance refuses distraction and moves on cues, even when the swim looks calm. Over time, that watchful practice becomes a holy reflex. [27:54]
• 4. Availability outruns natural ability. God regularly chooses the unlikely and the late-bloomers, because availability opens doors ability cannot. Moses’ yes at eighty, Esther’s courage under risk, and Joseph’s integrity in obscurity all say the same thing. The promotion comes from God’s timing, but the positioning comes from a person’s obedience. Say yes, then watch God drive. [35:21]
• 5. Small yeses can change history. Quiet conviction can shake systems, as with Rosa Parks, and patient seed-sowing can awaken faith, as with Nick calling to say he was born again. Sometimes the costly yes is simply showing up for one vulnerable soul, and God multiplies it beyond sight. Obedience may cost everything, but silence ends up costing more. [36:30]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [18:12] - Trust and obey theme emerges
• [22:01] - Neutrality is never neutral
• [24:30] - Blessing or curse: choose obedience
• [25:42] - Obedience over sacrifice, not ritual
• [27:54] - Hear and keep with vigilance
• [29:12] - God uses obedient, not perfect
• [30:04] - David, Rahab, Joseph, Esther, Moses
• [35:47] - Bonhoeffer, Parks, Robinson: costly stands
• [38:20] - Everyday nudges: Ricky and Nick
• [40:07] - A risky yes for a child
• [43:00] - Mary Anne: from secrecy to healing
• [51:54] - Three truths about obedience
• [54:00] - God gives the shovel; dig
• [54:13] - Altar call and sending

1. What two options does Deuteronomy 11:26-28 present, and what determines which outcome a person experiences?
2. In 1 Samuel 15:22, Samuel contrasts obedience with sacrifice. What specific actions or attitudes does this imply God values more than religious rituals?
3. The Greek word for “keep” in Luke 11:28 (phylasso) is compared to a lifeguard’s vigilance in the sermon. What does this metaphor reveal about how we should engage with God’s Word? [27:54]
4. The sermon mentions Rosa Parks’ quiet act of obedience “shaking a system.” What specific action did she take, and what does this illustrate about the impact of small acts of faithfulness? [36:30]

1. Why do you think God ties blessing and curse so directly to obedience in Deuteronomy 11, rather than to good intentions or occasional faithfulness?
2. How does the story of Moses saying “yes” at age 80 challenge common assumptions about when and how God uses people? What does this reveal about His priorities? [35:21]
3. The sermon states, “Neutrality is never neutral.” How does the example of Edom’s silence in Obadiah’s story (referenced in the transcript) support this idea? [22:01]
4. Mary Anne’s story involved years of hidden pain before healing. How does this align with the biblical principle that obedience often requires enduring seasons of unseen faithfulness? [50:10]

1. The sermon emphasizes that “obedience will cost comfort.” What is one area where choosing obedience currently feels uncomfortable or risky for you? What practical step could you take this week to lean into that?
2. Reflect on a time when you tried to “fix” a pattern of disobedience with quick apologies or religious actions (like the flowers example). How could you shift toward lasting repentance in that area? [26:53]
3. The story of Ricky and Nick shows patient, relational obedience. Who in your life needs consistent, long-term investment even if results aren’t immediate? How will you commit to “planting seeds”? [38:20]
4. Mary Anne’s healing came through vulnerably sharing her story. What hidden pain or past failure have you been avoiding bringing into God’s light? What would it look like to trust Him with it today? [50:54]
5. The sermon states, “God gives the seed and the shovel, but He will not dig the hole.” What specific “hole” (challenging task, relationship, or calling) has God put before you that requires your active participation?
6. Think of a recent moment when you felt the Spirit’s nudge (e.g., praying for a stranger, speaking truth). How did you respond? What practical habit could help you become more attentive to these prompts? [37:25]
7. Moses’ story shows God uses availability over ability. What excuse (“I’m too ___, not enough ___”) have you been using to avoid saying “yes” to God? How could you reframe that limitation as an opportunity for His strength?