What does First B Jackson teach about obedience?
Drawn from the messages where it was actually addressed: the words said from the front, the passages taught, and where to hear the whole thing.
At First B Jackson, the teaching on obedience consistently starts with its proper order: obedience flows out of what God has already done, not toward it. Brad made this plain when preaching Philippians 2, pressing hard on the phrase 'work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.' He was direct that Paul is not telling anyone to earn salvation. Justification comes first, by grace through faith alone, and the work flows out from that, running on God's energy working from the inside. As Brad put it, 'We are not his because we press on. We press on because we are his.'
Several messages have returned to the question of willing versus reluctant obedience. Pastor Ray, preaching Romans 12, organized his reflection around three categories: willing obedience, reluctant obedience, and outright disobedience. He used David and Moses as contrasting examples, noting that God works through both willing and reluctant obedience, but that the goal is for people to come to know Jesus because of the way believers act, not in spite of it. Pastor Carl, preaching Luke 5, made the same point from Peter's story: each time Jesus asked and Peter obeyed, the relationship deepened and the trust grew. Obedience, on that reading, is not a single dramatic moment but something that builds one small act at a time.
The cost of disobedience and the weight of small acts of compliance both get serious treatment here. When Pastor Mark preached Numbers 20, he showed what happens when Moses strikes the rock instead of speaking to it, a single departure from a specific instruction carrying lasting consequences, because the point was not merely the water but the public display of God's holiness. In the same season, preaching Mark 11, Pastor Mark noted that the disciples' simple act of fetching a colt was the very thing that fulfilled an Old Testament prophecy, which he called reason enough not to underestimate small acts of obedience.
Taught from Philippians 2:12-18 · Romans 12:9-21 · Numbers 20 · Luke 5:1-11 · Mark 11:1-19
“We are not his because we press on. We press on because we are his.”
From Therefore: Action, Light, and Rejoicing
The passage taught · Colossians 1
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
4 having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which you have toward all the saints,
World English Bible
The messages that teach on it
- August 9, 2026 Therefore: Action, Light, and Rejoicing A sermon on Philippians 2:12-18 about what it looks like to take action, shine brightly, and rejoice, following the pattern Christ set for us.
- August 17, 2025 God Calls Jonah to Do Hard Things Van Jones walks through the entire book of Jonah, showing how God pursues stubborn people through hard things and calls us to obey, repent, and love our enemies.
- May 26, 2024 Love Must Be Sincere Romans 12 calls believers to sincere, unhypocritical love. Pastor Ray walks through what that really demands, from honoring others to blessing enemies.
- June 6, 2023 The King of Peace, Not a War Horse Mark 11 shows Jesus entering Jerusalem as a king of peace, not a conqueror, and clearing a temple that had become a barrier to God rather than a door.
- March 10, 2019 To Him Be the Glory Forever and Ever A Wyoming pastor revisits Paul's final words to explore what God's glory truly means, from Moses at Meribah to the church carrying that glory today.
- April 30, 2017 By the Will of God The pastor walks through Ephesians 1:1-2 and examines what the will of God actually means for believers, from salvation and purity to suffering and submission.
- March 26, 2017 What We Have With Jesus Is Far Better Peter trusted Jesus one small step at a time, and it changed everything. A sermon from Luke 5 on how trust built through relationship leads us to follow Christ with abandon.
Mentioned along the way
- March 29, 2026 By the Will of God Pastor Ray opens Ephesians by sitting with just two verses, showing how Paul's identity, God's will, and the promise of grace and peace set the foundation for everything that follows.
- January 19, 2025 Here Is Water, What Hinders You Acts 8:26-40: Philip follows God's lead on a desert road and shares the gospel with an Ethiopian official, showing how ordinary obedience fuels the spread of the good news.
- May 26, 2024 The Love Without Hypocrisy Pastor Ray preaches from Romans 12 on sincere, unhypocritical love, exploring what it means to hate evil, cling to good, and forgive rather than seek revenge.
- July 23, 2023 What the Camino Taught Me About Sharing Faith Nick Stern shares how hiking the Camino de Santiago opened unexpected doors to share the gospel, and why every Christian can do the same wherever they go.
- April 30, 2023 I Once Was Blind, But Now I See A blind man's simple obedience, honest testimony, and quiet worship in John 9 show what it looks like when Jesus transforms a life and people must choose what to do with Him.
- February 26, 2023 Don't Begrudge That Nudge Men from First B Jackson share how a weekend retreat changed them through testimony, accountability, and one man's decision to follow Christ.
- March 27, 2022 Nobody Acts Like You Expect In This Story Jonah is more than a fish story. A Wyoming pastor walks through the whole book to ask: when God shows mercy to your enemies, how do you respond?
- March 10, 2019 When God's Holiness Goes Public A Wyoming pastor traces God's glory from Moses striking the rock in Numbers 20 to Paul's doxology in 2 Timothy, asking what it means to be a faithful carrier of that glory.
- December 18, 2016 The Lineage of the Savior - Traditional (3) Matthew 1 traces Jesus's ancestry through flawed, unlikely people, then shows Joseph's simple obedience to God's call. What is God asking you to do?
- June 12, 2016 Work the Works While It Is Day A pastor walks through Romans 7 and John 9 to show how union with Christ through faith calls believers to simple obedience, honest testimony, and worship.
- May 1, 2016 Jump: Giving Glory to God Through Faith Romans 4 traces Abraham's faith journey to show how trusting God, not our own works, brings righteousness and how that same faith calls us to act today.
- May 1, 2016 In Hope Against Hope, He Believed Romans 4-5: Abraham believed God against all odds, and it was counted as righteousness. Faith is the only thing that accords with grace, and it brings peace with God.
- June 29, 2014 Prayerful, Confident, Obedient, Steadfast Pastor Ray McDaniel walks through 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5, calling believers to be prayerful, confident in God, obedient, and steadfast in faith.
- August 11, 2013 Philip Acts in Obedience, Traditions Philip obeyed God's call immediately, crossed cultural lines, and changed a life forever. A sermon on what happens when we say yes without waiting to know why.
- August 11, 2013 Philip Acts in Obedience, Morning Praise Philip obeyed God's call instantly and without question, and one conversation on a dusty road changed a life forever. What would that kind of obedience look like in yours?
- May 5, 2013 The Philippians of the Old Testament, Morning Praise The pastor traces Solomon's arc from wisdom and wealth to regret, showing how Ecclesiastes was written by a man who knew better but wandered, and what that means for us.
- October 28, 2012 Whatever He Says to You, Do It Mary's two words to the servants at Cana still speak: listen to whatever Jesus says, then do it. A simple call to faith and obedience.