WEBVTT 00:00:02.459 --> 00:00:04.780 As a congregation of people, we have a great 00:00:04.780 --> 00:00:08.220 deal to praise God for today as we begin our 00:00:08.220 --> 00:00:12.220 tenth year of ministry. You will notice an extra 00:00:12.220 --> 00:00:14.679 little logo that we have designed to celebrate 00:00:14.679 --> 00:00:18.440 this entire year as we enter into it, a year 00:00:18.440 --> 00:00:21.899 that begins a new decade of ministry, a year 00:00:21.899 --> 00:00:26.199 that in one sense ends a decade of ministry for 00:00:26.199 --> 00:00:31.120 us. As we look back over these nine years, I 00:00:31.120 --> 00:00:34.560 suppose all of us could come up with some examples 00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:37.700 of how we have seen God's faithfulness demonstrated 00:00:37.700 --> 00:00:40.460 in our small churches, in our flocks, or for 00:00:40.460 --> 00:00:43.439 us as a total congregation. But what a fitting 00:00:43.439 --> 00:00:46.000 theme for us this morning on this ninth anniversary 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:52.500 to praise God for His faithfulness. A traditional 00:00:52.500 --> 00:00:56.929 bit of wisdom says that every bride should receive 00:00:56.929 --> 00:01:00.850 something old, something new, something borrowed, 00:01:01.130 --> 00:01:04.170 something blue. Hopefully that's not her groom. 00:01:06.890 --> 00:01:12.290 It seems that marriage begins well if there is 00:01:12.290 --> 00:01:17.670 a recognition that the value of things old is 00:01:17.670 --> 00:01:22.269 as important as the value of things new. We've 00:01:22.269 --> 00:01:27.459 been talking about new things, new methods, new 00:01:27.459 --> 00:01:32.739 concepts of ministry as we enter into a new decade. 00:01:33.659 --> 00:01:35.840 But at the same time, we need to remember the 00:01:35.840 --> 00:01:41.200 value of old truths. For example, the truth of 00:01:41.200 --> 00:01:46.959 repentance, the mindset of repentance. We never 00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:50.859 graduate or mature out of the need to maintain 00:01:50.859 --> 00:01:55.500 an attitude that says, I am open to the voice 00:01:55.500 --> 00:02:00.700 of God and I will change my mind and mend my 00:02:00.700 --> 00:02:06.900 ways as he directs me. That is the attitude of 00:02:06.900 --> 00:02:10.340 repentance. And it's a mindset that is appropriate 00:02:10.340 --> 00:02:14.680 for us believers to keep throughout our lives 00:02:14.680 --> 00:02:18.900 in this world. Beware the ear that has grown 00:02:18.900 --> 00:02:23.169 deaf to God's reproof. or the heart that has 00:02:23.169 --> 00:02:26.030 become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 00:02:28.189 --> 00:02:32.389 Then there's the old truth of dependence, an 00:02:32.389 --> 00:02:35.590 attitude of dependence upon God. We never grow 00:02:35.590 --> 00:02:40.770 up enough or become experienced enough to strike 00:02:40.770 --> 00:02:48.990 out on our own apart from God. We need Him. And 00:02:48.990 --> 00:02:54.509 it is that trust, that faith, that reliance that 00:02:54.509 --> 00:02:57.750 makes his involvement in our lives a daily reality. 00:02:59.110 --> 00:03:02.389 These are two old truths that we must hang on 00:03:02.389 --> 00:03:05.990 to as we enter into this tenth year of ministry 00:03:05.990 --> 00:03:09.789 and into a new decade. We want to be a people 00:03:09.789 --> 00:03:13.849 of repentance. We want to be a people of dependence. 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:17.680 And we come today to another old truth that I 00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:20.759 believe is important for us to lay hold of, and 00:03:20.759 --> 00:03:25.000 that is the old truth of obedience. Now when 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:27.419 we speak of obedience, we need to remember that 00:03:27.419 --> 00:03:33.020 like repentance and dependence, or faith, obedience 00:03:33.020 --> 00:03:35.860 relates to the saving experience. In fact, we 00:03:35.860 --> 00:03:39.860 are saved by obedience. Did you know that? That 00:03:39.860 --> 00:03:41.919 is not the same thing as saying that we are saved 00:03:41.919 --> 00:03:45.639 by works. because that would be false. It is 00:03:45.639 --> 00:03:48.740 not by works, lest any man should boast. We are 00:03:48.740 --> 00:03:54.639 saved by grace and grace alone. But faith is 00:03:54.639 --> 00:03:59.840 equated with obedience. Turn with me to John 00:03:59.840 --> 00:04:03.560 chapter 3 and notice the very last verse of this 00:04:03.560 --> 00:04:08.819 familiar chapter. It says, He who believes in 00:04:08.819 --> 00:04:13.250 the Son has eternal life. But he who does not 00:04:13.250 --> 00:04:17.949 obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath 00:04:17.949 --> 00:04:23.810 of God abides on him." Notice that John equates 00:04:23.810 --> 00:04:27.850 believing and obeying in this verse. In other 00:04:27.850 --> 00:04:31.069 words, the obedience he's talking about is the 00:04:31.069 --> 00:04:36.569 obedience of faith. When we are told, believe 00:04:36.569 --> 00:04:40.009 on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, 00:04:40.589 --> 00:04:43.269 We need to understand that that is not merely 00:04:43.269 --> 00:04:49.370 an invitation. It is a commandment. Believe on 00:04:49.370 --> 00:04:53.490 the Lord Jesus Christ. And so when we believe 00:04:53.490 --> 00:04:59.290 on Christ, we are obeying God. And that's why 00:04:59.290 --> 00:05:04.569 I say it is obedience that saves. Turn also with 00:05:04.569 --> 00:05:07.029 me please to the book of Romans, the first chapter. 00:05:07.850 --> 00:05:12.670 This great book of theology that describes to 00:05:12.670 --> 00:05:15.449 us the grace of God and the salvation that is 00:05:15.449 --> 00:05:22.170 by grace carries in it a similar theme. Notice 00:05:22.170 --> 00:05:24.790 that the Apostle Paul, as he speaks about his 00:05:24.790 --> 00:05:28.990 own ministry, in verse 5 of chapter 1 says, through 00:05:28.990 --> 00:05:32.649 whom, through Jesus Christ, we have received 00:05:32.649 --> 00:05:38.230 grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience 00:05:38.670 --> 00:05:44.730 of faith among all the Gentiles for his name's 00:05:44.730 --> 00:05:48.430 sake." And so the apostle speaks about the obedience 00:05:48.430 --> 00:05:52.889 of faith. And then if you'll turn to the end 00:05:52.889 --> 00:05:56.290 of the book, he seems to sandwich the content 00:05:56.290 --> 00:05:59.389 of the book of Romans between these two phrases, 00:06:00.250 --> 00:06:06.970 as we see in Romans chapter 16. Verse 25, as 00:06:06.970 --> 00:06:09.970 he gives the benediction, he says, now to him 00:06:09.970 --> 00:06:12.069 who is able to establish you according to my 00:06:12.069 --> 00:06:15.589 gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according 00:06:15.589 --> 00:06:18.069 to the revelation of the mystery which has been 00:06:18.069 --> 00:06:21.389 kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, 00:06:22.430 --> 00:06:25.329 and by the scriptures of the prophets, according 00:06:25.329 --> 00:06:27.689 to the commandment of the eternal God, has been 00:06:27.689 --> 00:06:31.370 made known to all the nations, leading to obedience 00:06:31.370 --> 00:06:36.269 of faith. So once again we see that salvation 00:06:36.269 --> 00:06:39.589 is by obedience because it is the obedience of 00:06:39.589 --> 00:06:44.569 believing that brings salvation. Now we could 00:06:44.569 --> 00:06:47.329 go to Peter if we had time and we would see that 00:06:47.329 --> 00:06:49.509 Peter says exactly the same thing in his first 00:06:49.509 --> 00:06:56.730 epistle. The obedience of faith. But once having 00:06:56.730 --> 00:06:59.629 become a child of God by obedience in believing 00:06:59.629 --> 00:07:07.639 Christ, We do not leave aside obedience We are 00:07:07.639 --> 00:07:10.699 not kept saved by our works any more than we 00:07:10.699 --> 00:07:16.540 are saved by our works But we are saved that 00:07:16.540 --> 00:07:22.120 we might obey God's plan for you and me is to 00:07:22.120 --> 00:07:28.399 know a life of obedience in this world Turn back 00:07:28.399 --> 00:07:30.660 to the Gospel of John and notice the words of 00:07:30.660 --> 00:07:35.339 the Lord Jesus in the 14th chapter as we come 00:07:35.339 --> 00:07:42.560 now to the text for today. In this 14th chapter 00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:45.560 of the Gospel of John, look at the 15th verse 00:07:45.560 --> 00:07:50.100 where it says, if you love me, you will keep 00:07:50.100 --> 00:07:54.319 my commandments. Or it may be understood as a 00:07:54.319 --> 00:07:58.240 command, keep my commandments. He says in verse 00:07:58.240 --> 00:08:03.079 21, he who has my commandments and keeps them, 00:08:03.639 --> 00:08:08.480 he it is who loves me. And then in verse 23, 00:08:08.959 --> 00:08:11.540 Jesus answered and said to him, if anyone loves 00:08:11.540 --> 00:08:18.860 me, he will keep my word. And in verse 24, he 00:08:18.860 --> 00:08:22.860 who does not love me does not keep my words. 00:08:24.240 --> 00:08:30.959 The Lord Jesus says, That if we love Him, we 00:08:30.959 --> 00:08:34.279 are to keep His commandments. That is, we are 00:08:34.279 --> 00:08:38.080 to obey. I notice in the first place here that 00:08:38.080 --> 00:08:41.120 obedience is a matter of keeping Christ's commands, 00:08:42.220 --> 00:08:45.460 His commandments. We need to understand something 00:08:45.460 --> 00:08:49.379 about the word commandments. Jesus uses it again 00:08:49.379 --> 00:08:52.200 here in the verse, the 14th chapter in verse 00:08:52.200 --> 00:08:55.519 31 in reference to a commandment He had received. 00:08:56.259 --> 00:08:58.919 He says, but that the world may know that I love 00:08:58.919 --> 00:09:01.879 the Father, and as the Father gave me commandment, 00:09:02.039 --> 00:09:06.240 even so I do. And so he says, the Father has 00:09:06.240 --> 00:09:10.179 given me commandment. Now in this context, the 00:09:10.179 --> 00:09:16.120 word commandment refers to a direction. He says, 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:18.840 the Father has given me direction as to what 00:09:18.840 --> 00:09:24.600 I am to do, and I do that. As we use the word 00:09:24.600 --> 00:09:26.820 commandment elsewhere, though, in relation to 00:09:26.820 --> 00:09:31.879 us, it has a more descriptive meaning, a more 00:09:31.879 --> 00:09:35.559 prescribed meaning. The word commandment, as 00:09:35.559 --> 00:09:37.779 Jesus is using it in the verses we read earlier, 00:09:37.820 --> 00:09:45.720 means a precept or a rule. And so Jesus says, 00:09:46.740 --> 00:09:51.159 if you love me, you will observe, you will follow 00:09:51.159 --> 00:09:57.159 my rule. or rules. You will keep my precepts. 00:09:57.360 --> 00:10:02.100 You will observe my commandments. Now as we see 00:10:02.100 --> 00:10:04.960 this in John chapter 14, it's important for us 00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:08.539 to look at the context and to find out specifically 00:10:08.539 --> 00:10:11.179 what commandments Jesus had in mind when he said 00:10:11.179 --> 00:10:15.059 this. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 00:10:15.539 --> 00:10:19.500 Jesus, what commandments do you mean? Well let's 00:10:19.500 --> 00:10:23.169 go back to chapter 13. You'll recall that beginning 00:10:23.169 --> 00:10:26.070 with chapter 13, we have a long discourse in 00:10:26.070 --> 00:10:29.710 the Gospel of John. It is all the same occasion 00:10:29.710 --> 00:10:33.389 up through chapter 17. It is the night before 00:10:33.389 --> 00:10:37.029 His crucifixion. Some of it was spoken and acted 00:10:37.029 --> 00:10:41.129 out in the upper room at the Last Supper. Other 00:10:41.129 --> 00:10:43.490 parts of it may have been spoken as they walked 00:10:43.490 --> 00:10:46.590 together toward the Garden of Gethsemane for 00:10:46.590 --> 00:10:52.019 that time of agony in prayer. But it was all 00:10:52.019 --> 00:10:54.860 on that night that Jesus spoke and acted out 00:10:54.860 --> 00:10:57.940 what is written in John chapters 13 through 17. 00:10:58.919 --> 00:11:01.860 And so just a few minutes before this, maybe, 00:11:01.940 --> 00:11:04.700 well let's say an hour before Jesus made this 00:11:04.700 --> 00:11:09.820 comment in verse 15, in chapter 13 he had said 00:11:09.820 --> 00:11:15.879 this in verse 34, a new commandment I give to 00:11:15.879 --> 00:11:20.639 you, that you love one another. Even as I have 00:11:20.639 --> 00:11:25.320 loved you, that you also love one another." And 00:11:25.320 --> 00:11:28.940 so certainly as Jesus made his comment in chapter 00:11:28.940 --> 00:11:31.519 14 verse 15, if you love me, you will keep my 00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:35.059 commandments, he had this in mind. The commandment 00:11:35.059 --> 00:11:38.519 to love one another. When Jesus said that, he 00:11:38.519 --> 00:11:40.700 said it in a present tense in the sense, you 00:11:40.700 --> 00:11:44.000 will keep on loving one another. This will be 00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:47.000 a habit of life. This will be a practice for 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:50.990 you to love one another. Now when he says this 00:11:50.990 --> 00:11:53.570 is a new commandment, what does he mean by that? 00:11:55.090 --> 00:11:57.730 For if you recall, Jesus himself had said that 00:11:57.730 --> 00:12:01.669 the summation of the law is that we love God 00:12:01.669 --> 00:12:03.549 with everything that's in us and that we love 00:12:03.549 --> 00:12:07.950 our fellow man as ourselves. So already he has 00:12:07.950 --> 00:12:10.909 said that love is his commandment. In fact, love 00:12:10.909 --> 00:12:16.110 is the bottom line of the law. So what does he 00:12:16.110 --> 00:12:19.029 mean here by a new commandment I give to you 00:12:19.029 --> 00:12:24.190 that you love one another? The word new in the 00:12:24.190 --> 00:12:26.669 original language in which John wrote does not 00:12:26.669 --> 00:12:31.830 mean new in the sense of time, but it means new 00:12:31.830 --> 00:12:36.889 in the sense of quality. So as Jesus says this, 00:12:37.049 --> 00:12:39.429 there's something about this commandment in its 00:12:39.429 --> 00:12:43.870 quality that is new. And of course, you don't 00:12:43.870 --> 00:12:45.649 have to look very hard to figure out what that 00:12:45.649 --> 00:12:52.250 is. He says, love one another even as I have 00:12:52.250 --> 00:12:57.889 loved you. And so there is the newness of this 00:12:57.889 --> 00:13:02.190 commandment. The love that we are to express 00:13:02.190 --> 00:13:06.169 to one another is the same quality of love, says 00:13:06.169 --> 00:13:13.049 Jesus, that I have loved you with. It is a new 00:13:13.049 --> 00:13:18.730 freshness, a new pattern that you are to follow. 00:13:20.250 --> 00:13:24.389 It is the kind of love, says our Lord, that is 00:13:24.389 --> 00:13:29.230 filled with self -sacrifice. That's the essence 00:13:29.230 --> 00:13:33.909 of it. This kind of love is a love that sacrifices 00:13:33.909 --> 00:13:39.049 for others. That's one commandment. Obedience 00:13:39.049 --> 00:13:42.169 is a matter of keeping Christ's commands. He 00:13:42.169 --> 00:13:45.409 says, if you love me, keep my commandments. And 00:13:45.409 --> 00:13:49.809 here's one of them, love one another. And then 00:13:49.809 --> 00:13:53.350 we see another one, chapter 14. Just a few minutes 00:13:53.350 --> 00:13:56.750 later in this discussion, Jesus said, let not 00:13:56.750 --> 00:13:59.409 your heart be troubled, believe in God, believe 00:13:59.409 --> 00:14:05.870 also in me. There's a command. Doesn't it seem 00:14:05.870 --> 00:14:09.230 strange to you that Jesus would speak to his 00:14:09.230 --> 00:14:11.889 disciples and say to them who had already believed 00:14:11.889 --> 00:14:21.090 on him, believe in God, believe also in me? Jesus 00:14:21.090 --> 00:14:24.210 is saying again in the present tense, keep on 00:14:24.210 --> 00:14:28.470 believing in God, keep on believing in me. Make 00:14:28.470 --> 00:14:32.649 this a practice of your life. Every step that 00:14:32.649 --> 00:14:35.470 you take, let it be a step of believing in God, 00:14:35.710 --> 00:14:39.990 believing in me. Now why would he say this on 00:14:39.990 --> 00:14:43.950 this particular night? Well, it's because their 00:14:43.950 --> 00:14:46.649 minds are filled with trouble. Notice he says 00:14:46.649 --> 00:14:51.029 your hearts are troubled. He had done a spiritual 00:14:51.029 --> 00:14:54.529 exam on them and their spiritual heart is in 00:14:54.529 --> 00:15:00.679 trouble. It is agitated. By what? Well, perhaps 00:15:00.679 --> 00:15:05.679 by the shame that they felt of their own selfishness 00:15:05.679 --> 00:15:09.639 and pride. Remember, that's why Jesus washed 00:15:09.639 --> 00:15:13.379 their feet to give them the example of humble 00:15:13.379 --> 00:15:17.019 service that none of them was willing, initially, 00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:22.100 to perform. That had shamed them. Their hearts 00:15:22.100 --> 00:15:25.980 were troubled by that. And then Jesus had said 00:15:25.980 --> 00:15:29.500 to them that he was going away. There was sadness 00:15:29.500 --> 00:15:34.360 in their hearts. And undoubtedly there was perplexity 00:15:34.360 --> 00:15:38.519 too, as he told them that one of them would betray 00:15:38.519 --> 00:15:43.379 him, that another one of them would deny him, 00:15:43.379 --> 00:15:46.919 and that all of them would be ensnared because 00:15:46.919 --> 00:15:53.960 of him. What did he mean by that? And then perhaps 00:15:53.960 --> 00:15:57.509 there was uncertainty that was eating away. on 00:15:57.509 --> 00:16:02.370 this crucial night. For their understanding of 00:16:02.370 --> 00:16:05.309 the work of the Christ was the same that their 00:16:05.309 --> 00:16:08.210 religious leaders had taught them. And that was 00:16:08.210 --> 00:16:11.610 that Christ was coming to rule. He was coming 00:16:11.610 --> 00:16:16.110 to establish a kingdom. And now Jesus speaks 00:16:16.110 --> 00:16:21.710 in terms of going away, and hence even at dying. 00:16:23.850 --> 00:16:27.879 Could it be that they were wrong? Is he really 00:16:27.879 --> 00:16:31.740 the Christ? And so their hearts were troubled. 00:16:32.559 --> 00:16:34.620 And because of what was about to take place, 00:16:34.740 --> 00:16:38.299 Jesus said to them, keep on believing in me. 00:16:40.919 --> 00:16:42.860 And then there's another command that is at least 00:16:42.860 --> 00:16:48.159 implied in chapter 14. In verse 13, Jesus says 00:16:48.159 --> 00:16:50.980 to them, and whatever you ask in my name, that 00:16:50.980 --> 00:16:54.960 will I do. that the Father may be glorified in 00:16:54.960 --> 00:16:58.940 the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will 00:16:58.940 --> 00:17:03.139 do it." And so there is a command implied at 00:17:03.139 --> 00:17:06.680 least here that we are to pray. He tells his 00:17:06.680 --> 00:17:11.819 disciples, pray in my name. Notice the close 00:17:11.819 --> 00:17:15.119 connection here with verse 12, where Jesus has 00:17:15.119 --> 00:17:18.460 just said to them, and greater works than these 00:17:18.460 --> 00:17:22.259 shall he do because I go to the Father. that 00:17:22.259 --> 00:17:25.759 is the one who believes in him, would do greater 00:17:25.759 --> 00:17:31.880 work. Not greater work in degree. No one can 00:17:31.880 --> 00:17:34.519 ever do greater work than Jesus was about to 00:17:34.519 --> 00:17:37.680 do at the cross where he would lay down his life 00:17:37.680 --> 00:17:41.819 for redemption of lost people. But greater works 00:17:41.819 --> 00:17:45.980 perhaps in the sense of extent. The disciples 00:17:45.980 --> 00:17:48.460 would carry the word of God where Jesus never 00:17:48.460 --> 00:17:52.029 went. His ministry was primarily to the house 00:17:52.029 --> 00:17:56.210 of the Jews. And he lived his life in that region 00:17:56.210 --> 00:17:58.190 with the exception of the time that he went down 00:17:58.190 --> 00:18:00.309 to Egypt when he was very young with his mother 00:18:00.309 --> 00:18:03.990 and father. He was there in Palestine. But he 00:18:03.990 --> 00:18:06.769 says, now greater works than the ones that I've 00:18:06.769 --> 00:18:09.809 done shall those do who believe in me. And then 00:18:09.809 --> 00:18:12.890 he immediately goes on to say, and whatever you 00:18:12.890 --> 00:18:17.109 ask in my name. Do you understand that? Jesus 00:18:17.109 --> 00:18:21.150 is connecting the greater works with prayer. 00:18:23.769 --> 00:18:27.710 Pray in my name, says Jesus, that you may accomplish 00:18:27.710 --> 00:18:30.130 the works that God has given you to do. Greater 00:18:30.130 --> 00:18:36.769 works. Notice he says pray in my name. That is, 00:18:37.430 --> 00:18:42.309 pray in keeping with what I would ask. Pray in 00:18:42.309 --> 00:18:47.029 the interests of God's kingdom. Form your requests 00:18:47.029 --> 00:18:51.170 so that they are in harmony with what I have 00:18:51.170 --> 00:18:55.589 said to you about myself, so that as you pray, 00:18:56.349 --> 00:18:59.690 you can pray as though you were me asking the 00:18:59.690 --> 00:19:04.089 Father. You are coming in my authority with my 00:19:04.089 --> 00:19:08.609 burdens to him. You are phrasing my requests 00:19:08.609 --> 00:19:13.539 to the Father. Pray in my name, he says. They 00:19:13.539 --> 00:19:15.960 had never prayed that way before, of course. 00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:20.259 But now he invokes upon them this commandment, 00:19:20.420 --> 00:19:25.619 pray, and pray in my name that you may accomplish 00:19:25.619 --> 00:19:28.420 the greater works that God will give you to do. 00:19:29.640 --> 00:19:31.980 So now when Jesus says, if you love me, you will 00:19:31.980 --> 00:19:35.160 keep my commandments, you understand something 00:19:35.160 --> 00:19:39.960 more of what he was saying. You will love one 00:19:39.960 --> 00:19:44.279 another and keep on loving one another. You will 00:19:44.279 --> 00:19:46.920 believe in me and keep on believing in me even 00:19:46.920 --> 00:19:50.680 when the questions rise Even when the doubts 00:19:50.680 --> 00:19:56.079 multiply keep on believing and pray and pray 00:19:56.079 --> 00:20:02.119 in my name Obedience really is a matter of keeping 00:20:02.119 --> 00:20:05.359 the commandments of Jesus Christ Like those that 00:20:05.359 --> 00:20:08.380 we look at in the very context of this verse 00:20:08.380 --> 00:20:11.900 But then obedience is also the primary proof 00:20:11.900 --> 00:20:18.700 of love Do you love Jesus? We used to sing the 00:20:18.700 --> 00:20:21.019 gospel song in our glee club that said, is there 00:20:21.019 --> 00:20:24.640 anybody here who loves my Jesus? Anybody here 00:20:24.640 --> 00:20:27.200 who loves my Lord? Oh, I want to know. I want 00:20:27.200 --> 00:20:31.119 to know if you love my Lord. And often we'd have 00:20:31.119 --> 00:20:33.440 people planted out in the audience. They would 00:20:33.440 --> 00:20:39.240 stand up and respond as we sang. How do you know 00:20:39.240 --> 00:20:43.380 if you love Jesus? Is it the platitudes that 00:20:43.380 --> 00:20:48.440 we speak? Is it the warm fuzzy feelings that 00:20:48.440 --> 00:20:52.460 we get? Is it the religious service we perform? 00:20:54.599 --> 00:20:57.180 Is it the sentimental attachment that we have 00:20:57.180 --> 00:21:02.759 to things like our Bibles? Or the chair we always 00:21:02.759 --> 00:21:08.000 sit in on Sunday? Or the people of God that we 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:11.500 fellowship with in our flock? Is that how we 00:21:11.500 --> 00:21:18.279 know we love Jesus? Jesus says, rather, that 00:21:18.279 --> 00:21:20.819 obedience is the primary proof of our love for 00:21:20.819 --> 00:21:25.619 Him. There's a dynamic in that. You say, well, 00:21:25.660 --> 00:21:30.819 what is obedience? Well, you remember Brother 00:21:30.819 --> 00:21:34.460 Brewer, don't you? Vernon, who preached here 00:21:34.460 --> 00:21:38.440 two or three years ago. By the way, his coming 00:21:38.440 --> 00:21:42.119 to mind reminds me to ask you to pray for him. 00:21:43.579 --> 00:21:47.400 There's a possibility that the cancer has reoccurred. 00:21:47.640 --> 00:21:49.539 And I know that he would appreciate your remembering 00:21:49.539 --> 00:21:54.900 him in prayer. But Vernon told us that obedience 00:21:54.900 --> 00:21:58.799 is doing exactly what God says immediately with 00:21:58.799 --> 00:22:02.220 a right heart attitude. You remember that? That's 00:22:02.220 --> 00:22:06.480 what obedience is. Obedience is doing exactly 00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:13.099 what God says when he says to do it with a kind 00:22:13.099 --> 00:22:18.640 of an attitude that pleases the Lord. Our tendency 00:22:18.640 --> 00:22:21.839 as human beings is to substitute other things 00:22:21.839 --> 00:22:25.880 for obedience, isn't it? Other things like good 00:22:25.880 --> 00:22:29.700 intentions. I can remember my mother telling 00:22:29.700 --> 00:22:32.099 me when I was young that good intentions pave 00:22:32.099 --> 00:22:34.200 the road to someplace. You probably know where 00:22:34.200 --> 00:22:41.339 that is. Good intentions are not enough. Good 00:22:41.339 --> 00:22:45.299 intention really is but delayed obedience. And 00:22:45.299 --> 00:22:49.400 delayed obedience is disobedience. It's like 00:22:49.400 --> 00:22:52.400 when you tell your teenager, take out the garbage. 00:22:54.119 --> 00:22:56.319 And there is the response from somewhere in the 00:22:56.319 --> 00:23:01.819 nether world, I will. And you come back later 00:23:01.819 --> 00:23:05.559 and the garbage is still sitting there. And it's 00:23:05.559 --> 00:23:10.119 starting to ooze out on the floor. And there's 00:23:10.119 --> 00:23:12.900 been delayed obedience. You say, take the garbage 00:23:12.900 --> 00:23:16.319 out. And finally, with the second command, the 00:23:16.319 --> 00:23:20.660 teenager comes and takes the garbage out. Has 00:23:20.660 --> 00:23:25.079 he obeyed? Well, it's delayed obedience. And 00:23:25.079 --> 00:23:28.519 delayed obedience is disobedience. He had good 00:23:28.519 --> 00:23:31.559 intention the first time, perhaps, but something 00:23:31.559 --> 00:23:33.559 just got in the way, whether it was the rest 00:23:33.559 --> 00:23:37.859 of the basketball game or it was Homework? No, 00:23:37.900 --> 00:23:40.900 it wouldn't be that. Something else. There was 00:23:40.900 --> 00:23:43.299 good intention, you see, when he said, I will, 00:23:43.299 --> 00:23:48.819 but it never happened. Aren't we a lot like that 00:23:48.819 --> 00:23:53.039 with God? We sometimes get disgusted with our 00:23:53.039 --> 00:23:55.039 children because they don't do what we tell them 00:23:55.039 --> 00:24:00.980 to do when we've told them to do it. But which 00:24:00.980 --> 00:24:05.559 of us has not done the same thing with God? And 00:24:05.559 --> 00:24:10.619 we delay doing what God tells us to do. We substitute 00:24:10.619 --> 00:24:14.480 good intentions for obedience. And then there 00:24:14.480 --> 00:24:17.240 are times that we substitute pragmatic options 00:24:17.240 --> 00:24:22.500 for obedience. We've got a better idea. God says 00:24:22.500 --> 00:24:24.420 do this, but there's something that seems more 00:24:24.420 --> 00:24:28.099 practical than that. An example of this is found 00:24:28.099 --> 00:24:29.940 back in the book of 1 Samuel, if you want to 00:24:29.940 --> 00:24:36.140 turn there a second, chapter 15. God sends word 00:24:36.140 --> 00:24:41.680 to King Saul through his prophet Samuel that 00:24:41.680 --> 00:24:46.819 he is to punish Amalek for what he did to Israel. 00:24:48.319 --> 00:24:52.539 The Amalekites were a wicked and godless nation. 00:24:55.940 --> 00:24:58.339 And part of that wickedness was expressed in 00:24:58.339 --> 00:25:00.839 his refusal of Israel when Israel was in the 00:25:00.839 --> 00:25:04.250 wilderness coming up out of Egypt. And so in 00:25:04.250 --> 00:25:06.829 verse 3, the commandment of God to King Saul 00:25:06.829 --> 00:25:09.349 and the armies of Israel is this, now go and 00:25:09.349 --> 00:25:13.529 strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he 00:25:13.529 --> 00:25:21.309 has. And do not spare him who is him. Well, that's 00:25:21.309 --> 00:25:26.589 the leader of Amalek. But put to death both man 00:25:26.589 --> 00:25:30.049 and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel 00:25:30.049 --> 00:25:34.779 and donkey. You say, well, that's the God of 00:25:34.779 --> 00:25:36.500 the Old Testament. That's not the God of the 00:25:36.500 --> 00:25:38.380 New Testament. My friend, the God of the Old 00:25:38.380 --> 00:25:41.980 Testament is the God of the New Testament. God 00:25:41.980 --> 00:25:47.019 is a holy God who judges sin. And the time of 00:25:47.019 --> 00:25:51.319 the Amalekites' sin had come to an end. Their 00:25:51.319 --> 00:25:53.920 cup of iniquity had been filled to the brim and 00:25:53.920 --> 00:25:57.039 overflowed. And now God was about to bring judgment 00:25:57.039 --> 00:26:00.819 upon them as a nation. And he gives this command 00:26:00.819 --> 00:26:06.589 to Saul. So Saul got his army together. And it 00:26:06.589 --> 00:26:09.150 says in verse 7, he defeated the Amalekites. 00:26:10.430 --> 00:26:15.210 And he captured Agag, verse 8, the king of the 00:26:15.210 --> 00:26:19.690 Amalekites alive. And not only destroyed all 00:26:19.690 --> 00:26:21.990 the people with the edge of the sword, but Saul 00:26:21.990 --> 00:26:25.490 and the people spared Agag and the best of the 00:26:25.490 --> 00:26:29.089 sheep. the oxen, the fatlings, and the lambs, 00:26:29.150 --> 00:26:31.109 and all that was good. And we're not willing 00:26:31.109 --> 00:26:34.829 to destroy them utterly, but everything despised 00:26:34.829 --> 00:26:41.069 and worthless, that was utterly destroyed." So 00:26:41.069 --> 00:26:43.509 we have an example here of something in place 00:26:43.509 --> 00:26:49.890 of obedience, pragmatic options. Saul says, hey, 00:26:49.890 --> 00:26:52.170 why should I kill this king? He can bring some 00:26:52.170 --> 00:26:56.480 honor to me. I can show him as an example of 00:26:56.480 --> 00:27:00.140 my power, and I will parade him before the people 00:27:00.140 --> 00:27:04.500 and be acclaimed." And he says, we will keep 00:27:04.500 --> 00:27:09.420 the best of these animals. It seems pretty impractical 00:27:09.420 --> 00:27:13.480 to kill all of them. That's such a waste. So 00:27:13.480 --> 00:27:17.339 you see, he had a better idea than God, and he 00:27:17.339 --> 00:27:23.039 substituted that for obedience. Incomplete obedience, 00:27:24.380 --> 00:27:29.420 Like delayed obedience is disobedience. And Saul 00:27:29.420 --> 00:27:31.680 disobeyed God on this occasion and paid a terrible 00:27:31.680 --> 00:27:38.420 price. So you tell your teenager, take the garbage 00:27:38.420 --> 00:27:42.920 out. And again from the netherworld, I will. 00:27:44.700 --> 00:27:47.519 And eventually before too many flies are drawn, 00:27:47.539 --> 00:27:50.279 he comes and picks up the garbage and takes it 00:27:50.279 --> 00:27:54.680 out. But you see he's in a hurry. there's a basketball 00:27:54.680 --> 00:27:58.779 game to be played. Or maybe he's going to jump 00:27:58.779 --> 00:28:00.960 in the car and go down to the store and do something. 00:28:01.680 --> 00:28:04.779 And so instead of putting the garbage into the 00:28:04.779 --> 00:28:07.220 can where it belongs, he just puts it in the 00:28:07.220 --> 00:28:11.779 garage along the side of the wall. And as he 00:28:11.779 --> 00:28:15.160 leaves, he leaves the garage door open, which 00:28:15.160 --> 00:28:18.680 is an invitation to all the wild beasts of the 00:28:18.680 --> 00:28:22.759 neighborhood to come into the garage and to enjoy 00:28:22.759 --> 00:28:28.779 a meal. And so he comes back and he sees the 00:28:28.779 --> 00:28:32.559 mess that's in the garage. What happened? Well, 00:28:32.559 --> 00:28:35.599 there was a more pragmatic option than taking 00:28:35.599 --> 00:28:39.480 the time to put the garbage in the can, you see. 00:28:40.700 --> 00:28:42.880 There was something more important on the agenda 00:28:42.880 --> 00:28:46.180 at that point, and so he incompletely obeyed, 00:28:46.180 --> 00:28:50.660 and as a result of that, paid a price. Is there 00:28:50.660 --> 00:28:52.880 one of us that has not experienced the same thing 00:28:52.880 --> 00:28:57.779 to some extent in our lives? When we have said, 00:28:57.779 --> 00:29:01.480 God, that's a pretty good idea. I'll just improve 00:29:01.480 --> 00:29:08.859 upon it a little bit. Lord, I know you're saying 00:29:08.859 --> 00:29:11.619 that, but that's not practical for me and for 00:29:11.619 --> 00:29:22.480 my family. And so we incompletely obey. Now Saul, 00:29:22.500 --> 00:29:27.640 in his case, lost his kingship over that. God 00:29:27.640 --> 00:29:32.720 does not look upon partial obedience with partial 00:29:32.720 --> 00:29:38.559 delight. He looks upon it displeasingly entirely. 00:29:41.619 --> 00:29:44.079 Then there are times that we replace obedience 00:29:44.079 --> 00:29:48.440 with rationalized excuses. That's partly what 00:29:48.440 --> 00:29:53.170 Saul was doing here. But he seemed to develop 00:29:53.170 --> 00:29:57.470 a rationale as the chapter goes on that gets 00:29:57.470 --> 00:30:04.549 into the excuse category Samuel comes and He 00:30:04.549 --> 00:30:08.049 uncovers what Saul has done and rather humorous 00:30:08.049 --> 00:30:09.750 way we don't have time to talk about but in verse 00:30:09.750 --> 00:30:15.089 20 and as he is confronted by Samuel Saul says 00:30:15.089 --> 00:30:18.769 to him I did obey the voice of the Lord and went 00:30:18.769 --> 00:30:22.339 on the mission and on which the Lord sent me, 00:30:23.059 --> 00:30:25.980 and have brought back Agag, the king of Amalek, 00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:28.400 and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites, but 00:30:28.400 --> 00:30:33.700 the people," notice, the people, they, took some 00:30:33.700 --> 00:30:37.420 of the spoil, sheep, and oxen, the choicest of 00:30:37.420 --> 00:30:40.799 the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice 00:30:40.799 --> 00:30:44.839 to the Lord, to the Lord your God at Gilgal. 00:30:47.859 --> 00:30:52.339 So now you see Not only has he looked for a more 00:30:52.339 --> 00:30:57.019 pragmatic option to obedience, but Saul has entered 00:30:57.019 --> 00:31:03.039 into the rationale of excuses. He says, look, 00:31:03.039 --> 00:31:07.720 I did obey the voice of the Lord. I went on that 00:31:07.720 --> 00:31:12.680 mission. I did bring back the king alive, yes. 00:31:13.779 --> 00:31:15.539 But you see, it was the people who brought back 00:31:15.539 --> 00:31:17.880 all these sheep that you hear bleating out here. 00:31:18.119 --> 00:31:20.500 But, but wait a minute now Samuel, they brought 00:31:20.500 --> 00:31:24.380 those sheep back so that we could sacrifice them 00:31:24.380 --> 00:31:29.299 to the Lord. Now isn't that a perfectly wonderful 00:31:29.299 --> 00:31:34.019 reason? Surely God would be pleased that they 00:31:34.019 --> 00:31:38.380 thought enough of him, eventually, to decide 00:31:38.380 --> 00:31:42.019 to sacrifice the sheep and the oxen that they 00:31:42.019 --> 00:31:46.460 had brought back from the battle. Samuel says 00:31:46.460 --> 00:31:50.759 in verse 22, Has the Lord as much delight in 00:31:50.759 --> 00:31:55.680 burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying 00:31:55.680 --> 00:32:01.420 the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better 00:32:01.420 --> 00:32:07.359 than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. 00:32:09.420 --> 00:32:12.839 Excuses. However wonderful the rationale will 00:32:12.839 --> 00:32:19.089 not stand up. Obedience is better than sacrifice. 00:32:22.470 --> 00:32:24.470 And so your teenager comes back and he finds 00:32:24.470 --> 00:32:29.470 this mess on the garage floor. And his response 00:32:29.470 --> 00:32:34.589 is, my mother always fills these bags too full. 00:32:35.750 --> 00:32:38.250 And they're top heavy. They tip over easily. 00:32:39.009 --> 00:32:41.930 And besides that, the lid wouldn't come off the 00:32:41.930 --> 00:32:45.279 garbage can. And the neighbors, they're not supposed 00:32:45.279 --> 00:32:51.160 to let their dogs out. And which of us has not 00:32:51.160 --> 00:32:54.740 done a similar thing to our Heavenly Father when 00:32:54.740 --> 00:32:58.480 we've made a mess because of our disobedience 00:32:58.480 --> 00:33:01.579 and we begin to excuse ourselves and to reason 00:33:01.579 --> 00:33:04.920 out and to rationalize as to why this and why 00:33:04.920 --> 00:33:12.279 that? Obedience is the primary proof of our love 00:33:12.279 --> 00:33:17.920 for the Savior. It's when we determine to obey, 00:33:18.920 --> 00:33:25.400 to do exactly what God says, immediately, with 00:33:25.400 --> 00:33:29.700 a right heart attitude. It's when we determine 00:33:29.700 --> 00:33:33.640 to obey, despite the consequences, despite the 00:33:33.640 --> 00:33:38.759 cost, that God can and God will bless our lives 00:33:38.759 --> 00:33:44.279 and bless our ministry. As a people, we must 00:33:44.279 --> 00:33:48.859 be obedient to God. We must do what God tells 00:33:48.859 --> 00:33:51.339 us to do. There are going to be some challenges 00:33:51.339 --> 00:33:57.160 in the next ten years to the Word of God. There 00:33:57.160 --> 00:34:00.200 are some ideas floating around in evangelicalism 00:34:00.200 --> 00:34:02.759 that eventually will light in the branches of 00:34:02.759 --> 00:34:05.880 our tree, and we are going to be challenged to 00:34:05.880 --> 00:34:12.710 be more pragmatic. to accept some other options 00:34:12.710 --> 00:34:18.110 than what God clearly says in His Word. And at 00:34:18.110 --> 00:34:20.949 that point, it's going to be a test for us as 00:34:20.949 --> 00:34:23.929 to whether we will obey the Word of God or we're 00:34:23.929 --> 00:34:27.489 going to substitute something else for it. If 00:34:27.489 --> 00:34:30.489 we want the blessing of God, we dare not substitute. 00:34:33.449 --> 00:34:39.159 That's true in our lives, too. We've talked about 00:34:39.159 --> 00:34:43.300 some of Jesus' commandments, but there are others. 00:34:45.139 --> 00:34:49.139 What about His commandment to be baptized? Oh, 00:34:49.139 --> 00:34:52.019 you say, that's a sore subject with me. Well, 00:34:52.019 --> 00:34:55.920 maybe it is. But my friend, that's one of Jesus' 00:34:56.800 --> 00:35:04.219 commandments of every one of His disciples. Now 00:35:04.219 --> 00:35:06.239 we can immediately begin to throw up something 00:35:06.239 --> 00:35:09.619 instead of obedience. throw up some good intentions. 00:35:09.719 --> 00:35:13.219 Well, I plan to one of these days. Or we can 00:35:13.219 --> 00:35:16.699 say, well, you know, I have some options to that. 00:35:16.699 --> 00:35:19.059 You know, after all, I was sprinkled as a baby. 00:35:21.760 --> 00:35:25.760 But the Bible knows nothing about that in terms 00:35:25.760 --> 00:35:30.980 of baptism. There are those who have rationalized 00:35:30.980 --> 00:35:33.099 excuses. Well, you know, I can't do that. Or 00:35:33.099 --> 00:35:34.940 I haven't done that because of this, this, and 00:35:34.940 --> 00:35:41.280 this. What would my family think? But Jesus says 00:35:41.280 --> 00:35:45.260 that we are to be baptized. That is one of the 00:35:45.260 --> 00:35:47.699 commandments he gave to us believers in this 00:35:47.699 --> 00:35:51.300 age to identify with him and with the church. 00:35:52.539 --> 00:35:55.940 Baptism and the Lord's Supper. We talk of them 00:35:55.940 --> 00:35:59.980 as being two ordinances, not two options. They're 00:35:59.980 --> 00:36:04.780 commandments that we're to obey. Tonight as we 00:36:04.780 --> 00:36:08.360 observe the Lord's Supper as a church, We are 00:36:08.360 --> 00:36:14.840 commanded by our Lord to be here. You say, Andy 00:36:14.840 --> 00:36:17.059 Rooney is going to be back on 60 Minutes tonight. 00:36:18.099 --> 00:36:27.760 Yeah? I suppose he will be. We're talking about 00:36:27.760 --> 00:36:31.599 ministry involvement. It is clear as it can be 00:36:31.599 --> 00:36:33.760 in the Word of God that God wants every one of 00:36:33.760 --> 00:36:37.159 us to be involved in ministry. Inside the walls, 00:36:37.300 --> 00:36:41.960 outside the walls, but somewhere there is to 00:36:41.960 --> 00:36:47.440 be an outflow from our lives to touch others 00:36:47.440 --> 00:36:56.019 for Jesus' sake. We talk about giving. Giving 00:36:56.019 --> 00:36:59.139 is not an option. Giving is a commandment of 00:36:59.139 --> 00:37:04.869 Jesus Christ. We talk about lifestyle. purity 00:37:04.869 --> 00:37:09.510 of lifestyle in this age when standards almost 00:37:09.510 --> 00:37:15.849 do not exist in our world. But living a life 00:37:15.849 --> 00:37:21.030 that is pure in the sight of God. I recognize 00:37:21.030 --> 00:37:24.050 that none of us are perfect in keeping the commandments 00:37:24.050 --> 00:37:27.570 of Jesus Christ. One of his commandments is that 00:37:27.570 --> 00:37:29.909 when we have sinned that we confess our sins. 00:37:31.670 --> 00:37:36.969 That, too, is an act of obedience, you see. But 00:37:36.969 --> 00:37:38.889 on the other hand, better than confession is 00:37:38.889 --> 00:37:47.170 obeying. Better to obey than to sacrifice. Obedience 00:37:47.170 --> 00:37:51.090 is the primary proof of our love for Jesus Christ. 00:37:51.730 --> 00:37:55.750 How can we experience an increasing consistency 00:37:55.750 --> 00:37:59.570 in our obedience? Let me just quickly suggest 00:37:59.570 --> 00:38:03.730 three ways. Number one, by developing intimacy 00:38:03.730 --> 00:38:09.530 with Christ. A cold heart toward the Savior is 00:38:09.530 --> 00:38:15.989 a bold heart toward sin. When my heart is warm 00:38:15.989 --> 00:38:19.909 toward Jesus, when there is an intimacy between 00:38:19.909 --> 00:38:26.289 myself and Him, then sin does not have the power 00:38:26.289 --> 00:38:31.159 over me that it has when I am walking out of 00:38:31.159 --> 00:38:37.179 fellowship with him. I can increase my consistency 00:38:37.179 --> 00:38:39.559 in obedience secondly by depending on the Holy 00:38:39.559 --> 00:38:43.559 Spirit for enabling strength. Oh, I thank God 00:38:43.559 --> 00:38:46.300 that we are not left up to ourselves to obey 00:38:46.300 --> 00:38:50.260 in our own strength. But we have the Holy Spirit, 00:38:50.360 --> 00:38:53.800 and in fact you notice here in our text, verse 00:38:53.800 --> 00:38:57.280 16 follows verse 15. That makes sense, doesn't 00:38:57.280 --> 00:39:00.800 it? He says after keep my commandments and I 00:39:00.800 --> 00:39:03.239 will ask the father and he will give you another 00:39:03.239 --> 00:39:06.519 helper That he may be with you forever. He's 00:39:06.519 --> 00:39:12.079 talking about the Holy Spirit I Can increase 00:39:12.079 --> 00:39:14.980 my obedience thoroughly by denying any sanctuary 00:39:14.980 --> 00:39:20.059 for self Sanctuary is a term that's back in vogue 00:39:20.059 --> 00:39:26.079 these days as refugees from other countries seek 00:39:26.079 --> 00:39:30.780 sanctuary in this nation from political oppression, 00:39:31.880 --> 00:39:34.199 possibly death where they live. So they come 00:39:34.199 --> 00:39:37.380 for sanctuary, for protection. My point is that 00:39:37.380 --> 00:39:41.239 we must not allow any sanctuary for self in our 00:39:41.239 --> 00:39:45.380 lives. For the moment we begin to build up a 00:39:45.380 --> 00:39:50.519 hedge around self to protect what we and ourselves 00:39:50.519 --> 00:39:55.949 desire. we have begun to move toward disobedience. 00:39:57.389 --> 00:40:00.309 By developing intimacy with Christ, by depending 00:40:00.309 --> 00:40:03.250 on the Holy Spirit, by denying sanctuary for 00:40:03.250 --> 00:40:06.250 self, you and I can experience an increasing 00:40:06.250 --> 00:40:10.309 obedience to God. Why does Jesus Christ demand 00:40:10.309 --> 00:40:17.170 our obedience? It is because He loves us. That's 00:40:17.170 --> 00:40:20.610 why. It is because everything that he tells us 00:40:20.610 --> 00:40:24.409 to do is for our own blessing, our own good, 00:40:24.570 --> 00:40:27.369 our own freedom, our growth, our own prosperity 00:40:27.369 --> 00:40:30.570 in the things of God. It is not because he's 00:40:30.570 --> 00:40:34.690 trying to be hard or harsh or abusive. It is 00:40:34.690 --> 00:40:37.670 because he desires our good and so he gives us 00:40:37.670 --> 00:40:42.409 commandments. Then he says, if you love me, keep 00:40:42.409 --> 00:40:49.079 them. Obedience, is an old truth that is in need 00:40:49.079 --> 00:40:52.639 of fresh application to my life and yours as 00:40:52.639 --> 00:40:58.440 we move into this new decade. Let's pray. Friend, 00:40:58.460 --> 00:41:01.619 what is the area of obedience that Jesus is talking 00:41:01.619 --> 00:41:09.900 to you about? Has he today uncovered an area 00:41:09.900 --> 00:41:15.619 where there has been sin? Where something else 00:41:15.619 --> 00:41:22.719 has been substituted for obedience to Him, will 00:41:22.719 --> 00:41:27.079 you obey Him now and confess that? Will you repent 00:41:27.079 --> 00:41:38.260 of it and in dependence, that is faith, start 00:41:38.260 --> 00:41:43.730 over again today? determined in your heart by 00:41:43.730 --> 00:41:48.030 the strength of the Holy Spirit, who abides within 00:41:48.030 --> 00:41:52.090 you forever, that by his strength he will obey 00:41:52.090 --> 00:41:56.849 and do exactly what God tells you to do, when 00:41:56.849 --> 00:42:00.889 he tells you to do it, with the right heart attitude. 00:42:02.449 --> 00:42:07.289 Will you? For someone here that may be the very 00:42:07.289 --> 00:42:11.389 first step in becoming a Christian, the obedience, 00:42:11.500 --> 00:42:15.559 of faith, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ 00:42:15.559 --> 00:42:20.039 that you might be saved. And I wonder, just as 00:42:20.039 --> 00:42:22.780 we close this part of our service, if there's 00:42:22.780 --> 00:42:26.000 one here who would say, that is the step I need 00:42:26.000 --> 00:42:32.199 to make today. I have been trusting other things, 00:42:33.360 --> 00:42:36.280 but I understand that I need to trust Christ 00:42:36.280 --> 00:42:39.800 alone, who died for me and rose again. And I 00:42:39.800 --> 00:42:42.719 am trusting Him today as my Savior. I receive 00:42:42.719 --> 00:42:47.960 Him. I obey Him in believing. Would you lift 00:42:47.960 --> 00:42:51.079 your hand if that's your prayer? Your decision? 00:42:52.340 --> 00:42:57.920 Yes, sir. God bless you. That's the very first 00:42:57.920 --> 00:43:00.199 step. That's a step you never have to take again, 00:43:00.519 --> 00:43:02.980 but you must take it the first time to be saved. 00:43:04.900 --> 00:43:09.019 Is there anyone else? Today, I am believing on 00:43:09.019 --> 00:43:16.239 Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. Well, I wonder 00:43:16.239 --> 00:43:18.000 if there are some of us who would say by the 00:43:18.000 --> 00:43:20.400 uplifted hand, God has uncovered an area of my 00:43:20.400 --> 00:43:23.619 life where there is concern in my heart, conviction 00:43:23.619 --> 00:43:28.880 in my heart, and today I'm beginning again. I'm 00:43:28.880 --> 00:43:33.679 confessing, and I'm determining in my heart to 00:43:33.679 --> 00:43:40.590 obey God. Would you lift your hand? Yes. God 00:43:40.590 --> 00:43:48.489 bless you. Are there others? I will obey because 00:43:48.489 --> 00:43:52.610 I love Him. God bless you. Oh, Father, seal to 00:43:52.610 --> 00:43:55.989 our hearts this message on obedience, and despite 00:43:55.989 --> 00:43:59.070 the fact that it's old, may it be new to us, 00:43:59.329 --> 00:44:05.030 newly applied, that our walk with You may begin 00:44:05.030 --> 00:44:12.110 anew and be fresh today. In Jesus' name, amen.