Deep Dive
The Attack on Family and the Foundation of Obedience
Ricky opens by establishing why family matters. He traces the attack on family back to Genesis 3, where Satan told Adam and Eve 'you can be your own god'—the foundational lie that family and God's authority are obstacles to personal freedom. This same tactic persists today through anti-family rhetoric and cultural pressure. The principle is simple: 'as goes the family, so goes the nation,' because the family is society's basic unit. Ricky then introduces the series title, 'Families Growing in Love,' which unpacks CCF's four core values (LOVE) through a family lens. Today's focus is the second value: obey God's word and his instituted authorities. The connection between loving God and obeying him is direct—Jesus said if you love me, you will keep my commandments. Without this understanding, the rest of the message won't land.
Why Obedience Isn't a Four-Letter Word
Ricky addresses the cultural allergies to 'obey,' acknowledging many people reject it due to abusive parents, tyrannical bosses, or corrupt governments. But obedience itself is neutral—it's foundational to public health, law and order, skill mastery, organizational effectiveness, and healthy social boundaries. The real issue is that obedience to God is rooted in his character, not fear of punishment. Charles Stanley said it best: 'When we obey God, we're really saying, Lord, I trust you more than my feelings, my fears, and my own plans.' If you don't know God's character, obeying his word makes no sense and feels arbitrary. That's why understanding who Jesus is becomes the bedrock—not just mechanical rule-following. The three truths of today's message follow: obey and be secure, disobey and face disaster, and most importantly, be in awe of Jesus. Without that awe, consistency in obedience is impossible.
The Parable of Two Houses: Security vs. Disaster
Jesus's teaching in Matthew 7:24-27 is deceptively simple. Everyone who hears and acts on Jesus's words is like a wise person who built on rock—when rain, floods, and wind come, the house stands. Those who hear but don't act are like a fool who built on sand—same storm, but the house collapses with 'great' fall. Both face identical dangers; the outcome depends entirely on the foundation. Ricky contrasts this with the parable in Luke 12 of the rich fool who reasoned only with himself, never acknowledging God. The man had a production problem turned security problem—he thought ownership and retirement would solve it. God called him a fool, saying 'this very night your soul is required of you.' The tragedy isn't wealth; it's idolizing yourself instead of pointing toward God. The question isn't whether suffering happens to the obedient—it does—but whether you crack under pressure or hold firm in Jesus's peace. Ricky's own story with Adele illustrates this: they maintained absolute purity before marriage (no kissing, no hand-holding, no being alone in a car) because they wanted to please God and model for others. When God saw they were ready, he blessed them immensely.
God's Word as Complete But Non-Negotiable
Ricky uses the buffet metaphor to explain Scripture's role. God's word is a buffet in the sense that it contains everything essential for living a life pleasing to God—wisdom for any situation, guidance on relationships, finances, work, ethics. But it's not a buffet where you pick and choose. You can't highlight Ephesians 5:22 about wives submitting and then ignore passages on husbands loving sacrificially, or obey financial principles but skip sexual ethics. A woman told by a CCF pastor that the Bible calls wives to respect their husbands responded by highlighting it in black—no intention of actually obeying. James 1:22-25 makes it stark: 'prove yourselves doers of the word and not merely hearers.' Those who hear but don't act 'delude themselves' into thinking God's word won't apply to them. But James says the one who looks intently at the perfect law of liberty and abides by it will be blessed. 'Abide' means to persevere and keep it alongside you—obedience isn't passive. It takes work, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Ricky emphasizes that obeying God's word is the only path to experiencing both his presence and his blessing in your life.
The Elephant in the Room: Why Good People Still Face Storms
Ricky names a question haunting believers: why do I still have problems when I'm obeying God? The answer isn't contradiction but misunderstanding. Jesus never promised a rose garden; he guaranteed tribulation. He said 'these things I have spoken to you so that in me you may have peace'—peace amid the storm, not absence of storms. The obedient Christian life is storm-proof, not storm-free. Both houses in Matthew 7 experienced rain, floods, and wind; the difference is what happens next. This distinction matters because many interpret blessing as immunity from suffering. Instead, blessing means standing firm when everything shakes. The recent flooding in Nepal and parts of Asia made Jesus's warning visceral for listeners. God never said problems won't come. He said if you hear and obey, when they do come, you won't fall. Your foundation holds. In the world you will have tribulation, but in Jesus you have peace—that's the bedrock. When Ricky's son's family faced homelessness in Sydney with only three months to find a place in a housing crisis, they didn't panic; they prayed. Within 12 hours, someone from CCF Sydney called with a vacant townhouse, and the rent was frozen until Jesus returns. That's blessing in the midst of a genuine crisis.
Case Study: King Solomon's Deathbed Testimony
Ricky pivots to Ecclesiastes, likely written by Solomon as an old man reflecting on his life. Solomon was the planet's smartest and richest person. He refused nothing his eyes desired, withheld nothing from his heart, had all the labor and all the reward. Yet he concluded 'all was vanity'—not the mirror kind, but emptiness, breath, delusion, striving after wind. From every angle, zero profit, zero meaning. Solomon's deathbed advice cuts: 'Remember your creator in the days of your youth before the evil days come.' He's not warning about disease but about running out of runway. Once you're old, you can't turn back the clock or undo decades of wrong choices. His final word: 'Fear God and keep his commandments because this applies to every person.' What King Solomon didn't say at 70 would have cost him everything. The consistent message across Old Testament and New, Gospel and epistles, is identical: obey and be blessed, disobey and face disaster. Solomon didn't discover this too late for his eternal destiny, but too late to redirect his earthly life toward what actually matters. His testimony is a warning that wealth, wisdom, and success mean nothing without God as the center.
Authority, Conscience, and the Freezer: A Personal Line
Ricky shares a personal story about working as a VP at a previous company when management demanded unethical actions. He refused. For years there was tolerance, but eventually his boss gave an ultimatum: comply or leave. Ricky chose to stay and not obey the unethical order, accepting consequences. They removed his office, reassigned his staff, and froze him—made him a non-entity until he'd quit. But instead of leaving, they assigned him one legitimate task: write a five-year strategic plan. Ricky obeyed completely, putting his whole heart into it as unto the Lord per Colossians 3:23. The Philippine strategic plan became the best in Southeast Asia. Then, the principle from today's message: obey and be blessed. A competing company called and offered him a job—at the same salary it would've been acceptable, but they gave an 80% raise. Ricky's obedience to legitimate authority, combined with refusal of illegitimate orders, created the conditions for God's blessing. He demonstrates that submitting to authority doesn't mean moral surrender. You obey the lawful commands, refuse the unlawful ones, and trust God with the fallout. Obedience to instituted authority isn't absolute; it's conditional on the authority's commands aligning with Scripture.
From Brokenness to Blessing: Kevin and Joyce's Story
Kevin and Joyce tell a story of disobedience leading to disaster, then obedience leading to blessing. Joyce was raised to respect her parents but disobeyed their relationship rules. Kevin was filled with pride, drank heavily, consumed pornography, and was judgmental. Their early relationship was inconsistent and unstable; Joyce felt taken for granted and nearly ended it. Then a pregnancy test changed everything. Kevin initially panicked and went MIA for the first two trimesters. Joyce, desperate and lost, started attending CCF alone and surrendered everything to God. A pastor's wife counseled her to treat Kevin with respect despite his absence. Seeing their newborn son—his spitting image—and witnessing Joyce's respectful conduct won Kevin's heart. They married, got mentored by CCF leaders, and began learning Scripture together. Early marriage was brutal: fights, arguments, physical altercations. Joyce struggled with submission until Ephesians 5:22 clicked during a service. She realized submission wasn't losing her voice but honoring God's design for family. Kevin, at a men's conference, heard 'This is my son in whom I am well pleased' and finally stepped into spiritual leadership. They adopted Matthew 6:33—seek first his kingdom and his righteousness—as their family verse. They live on one income so Joyce can homeschool, tithe faithfully, support missionaries, and help others financially. Result: 11 years later, three children (Clyde, Carly, Chelsea), less conflict, deeper love, and a discipleship group leading four other couples. Their mess became a message; their tests became testimony. They couldn't outgive God.
The Supremacy of Jesus and Why Awe Matters Most
Ricky closes with the linchpin: unless you're in awe of Jesus, consistency in obedience is nearly impossible. When Jesus finished teaching the Sermon on the Mount, the crowds were amazed—at a loss from witnessing the incredible. Ricky catalogs why awe is warranted. Colossians 1 states: 'By him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, thrones or dominions, rulers or authorities, all things created through him, for him. He is before all things and in him all things hold together.' The pillars of creation—cosmic clouds of gas and dust—are five light years tall (about 30 trillion miles), showcasing artistry humans cannot fathom. A single drop of water contains 56 sextillion atoms, proving intricate design spans cosmic to microscopic. One gram of DNA can store 250 petabytes—215 million gigabytes—meaning the internet, all libraries, all human knowledge could fit in a few packages of DNA. A master programmer designed that. But Ricky's highlight is the laminine protein, a cell adhesion molecule that physically holds human tissues together. The same Jesus holding the universe together holds your body together. He holds your reality, your future, your eternity in his hands. Under a microscope, laminine looks like a cross. The Jesus who carried and died on that cross, was buried but rose in glory, and will return in majesty is the one holding your life together. That's why obedience becomes not duty but devotion. You obey because you're in awe of him, not because you fear punishment. When you grasp who Jesus really is, disobeying becomes unthinkable.