God’s Word: Hear, Obey and Be Blessed | Ricky Sarthou | September 13, 2026

Summary of Main Points

• Core message: The sermon argues that experiencing God’s presence and blessing comes through a sequence: hear God’s word, obey it, and be blessed. Obedience is presented as the “rubber meets the road” part of discipleship.

• Ultimate authority is God, not self: The speaker challenges the audience to ask who truly has final authority in life. He urges that the best authority is God himself, since God promises blessing when believers love Him and obey His word.

• Family values framework (CCF series): This is the second message in “Families Growing in Love,” built around four church core values:

  • Love God
  • Love others (applied especially to family)
  • Obey God’s word and instituted authorities (today’s focus)
  • Engage the family (next weekend) These values are described as interrelated through Jesus’ teaching: love for God leads to keeping commandments.

• Family “under attack” and why it matters: The speaker uses a “stick family” sticker as a springboard to claim that the family structure has been attacked since Eden, linking the decline of family to the Fall in Genesis 3. He adds that society is shaped by families: “as goes the family, so goes the nation.”

• Obedience is reframed (not a bad word): The sermon addresses objections to the word “obey,” arguing that obedience is often rejected due to past abuse or mishandled authority. It clarifies that obedience is not inherently oppressive—in proper context it produces safety, order, skill mastery, and healthy boundaries, and is ultimately rooted in God’s character.

• Three key “truths” with outcomes:

  1. Obey and be secure (Matthew 7:24–25): hearing and acting on Jesus’ words leads to a life built on rock, surviving storms (rain, floods, wind).
  2. Disobey and face disaster (Matthew 7:26–27): hearing without acting results in a life built on sand, collapsing under the same external trials.
  3. Be in awe of Jesus (the “enabler”): consistent obedience requires a correct, reverent view of Jesus; otherwise disobedience is easier and the outcome is still destructive.

• “God’s word” is a “buffet” but not a “pick-and-choose”:

  • The Bible is compared to a buffet because it contains what believers need for Christian life.
  • But it is not a buffet in the sense that people can selectively obey only preferred parts. The sermon emphasizes James’ teaching: prove yourselves doers, not merely hearers.
  • The speaker argues that distorted self-justification (“I’ll prove otherwise”) is a form of delusion because God’s word is fulfilled in God’s time.

• Storm-proof, not storm-free: The sermon insists that obeying God does not remove trials—rather, obedience makes believers storm-proof through Jesus’ peace and presence. The speaker cites Jesus’ “tribulation” reality while emphasizing peace in Him.

• Illustrative personal testimony (obey → blessing): The speaker shares his own family story of moving from grief and friendship to marriage, describing a period of sexual purity boundaries while discerning God’s will—presented as obedience that led to blessing and stability as “one big happy family.”

• Disobeying success is only “appearance”:

  • The sermon tackles why some disobedient people seem to “succeed.”
  • It claims they may appear prosperous, but Bible cases show disaster at the end:
    • Luke 12 parable of the rich man who built life around himself and ignored God—resulting in ultimate judgment.
    • Ecclesiastes testimony of Solomon—wisdom, wealth, and pleasure still ended in “vanity,” concluding with reverence for God and keeping commandments.
  • Core claim: the final outcome of disobedience is unavoidable.

• Obedience in family roles and “instituted authorities”: The sermon applies obedience to family structure using Ephesians 5–6:

  • Wives: submit as to the Lord
  • Husbands: love as Christ loved the church
  • Children: obey parents in the Lord
  • Fathers/leadership: don’t provoke children (warning against hypocrisy) A testimony from Kevin and Joyce Manala is used to show how submission, respect, counseling, and putting Jesus first transformed a broken and conflict-heavy marriage.

• Obeying civil/organizational authority with a boundary: Romans 13 is cited to teach respect for governing authorities. The sermon adds the principle that obedience to authorities is required unless obedience would require actions against Scripture, morality, or ethics. The speaker provides a work-related example: refusing unethical instructions, continuing to work within constraints, and later receiving significant professional blessing.

• Generational encouragement (obedience modeled): The speaker describes his son’s family in Australia facing a housing crisis and portrays it as a “dead end” resolved through God’s provision—where obedience (tithing and missionary support) is linked to unexpected help (a vacant townhouse provided without rent increase escalation).

• Closing emphasis: awe of Jesus + clear invitation: The sermon ends by explaining Jesus’ supremacy (Colossians) and using cosmic and biological references to highlight the scale of God’s creation and sustaining power. It closes with an altar-call/invitation to trust Jesus for salvation and to live in obedience.

• Sunday Fastrack Q&A (biblical answers to common concerns):

  1. “Good people suffer, bad people get richer—does that contradict obedience bringing blessing?” Answer: No. Blessings and consequences operate according to God’s timetable; justice and repercussions are inescapable.

  2. “If obedience brings anger and resentment, does it still honor God?” Answer: It can honor God if honest emotions are brought to God (similar to Psalm examples), trusting Him to adjust the heart.

  3. “Whose advice should I follow if spiritual authority conflicts with parents?” Answer: Generally follow parents unless they instruct something contrary to the Bible. If conflict involves biblical/moral wrongdoing, follow the higher instruction from God through appropriate spiritual guidance.

Presenters / Contributors

• Pastor Ricky Sarthou
• Pastor Edric (referenced as delivering the previous episode/message)
• Pastor Peter (referenced regarding series context and invitation)
• Pastor Albert (referenced, including a “Firestone” comment and later sermon references)
• Misha Valencia (host of Sunday Fastrack Q&A)
• Kevin and Joyce Manala (testimony presenters)
• Vince and Bea Moral (referenced as leading a discipleship group)
• CCF Communications Team (as indicated by Misha’s role)
• Online/in-person audience members (participants who respond in the Q&A and during examples)