God Has Spoken, Part 8

If you've got your Bible, we've been in the book of Hebrews now for a number of weeks, and we've kind of tabernacled in the first couple of verses of Hebrews chapter 1.

Tabernacle means to pitch your tent. We have pitched our tent in Hebrews 1, 1 and 2. We've been here for, I think, seven weeks. We'll be here for at least two more weeks as we finish verse 2 and go into verse number 3. So we've kind of spent some time here, and I promise you we won't do this with every verse in the book of Hebrews. If we did, we'd be here long into eternity. But that's not the plan, but we have done it at the beginning of our book because it speaks to the fact that God has spoken to us.

And because God has spoken to us in the last days through his son, Jesus Christ, it's imperative that we understand the sufficiency and supremacy of God's word. Christ himself is supreme. Christ himself is sufficient. But we need to understand that because he is, his word also is supreme. His word also is sufficient. Therefore, as we look at his word, we begin to understand the power of his word and how it works in your life and in my life.

So we've taken some time to look at the power of that word and looking at the book of Deuteronomy, the book of Psalms, Psalm 19 in particular, to help you understand the effect of God's word because of its power.

The Bible says in Psalm 33, these words that are so unique, it says Psalm 33, verse number 6, by the word of the Lord, the heavens were made and by the breath of his mouth, all their hosts.

He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap. He lays up the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him for he spoke and it was done. He commanded and it stood fast. In other words, God spoke and it happened. When God speaks, things happen because the power of God's word is unsurpassed. So the Bible tells us in Hebrews 1 verse number 3 that he upholds all things by the word of his power. So not only does he create all things by the word of his power, he sustains the universe by the word of his power.

In other words, he speaks the word and the universe runs cleanly. It operates fully simply because of the power of his word. That's how powerful we need to understand the word of God is. But unfortunately, we pay lip service to the power of God's word. We pay lip service to the sufficiency of God's word. We pay lip service to the supremacy of God's word in our lives. We say God's word is authoritative. We say God's word is everything it should be, that I'm to live by God's word, by the words that he has spoken because it is the bread of life given to me.

We say a lot about that but we don't live that way. And we learned about this with Ben Haydad on Wednesday night and it's interesting to know how God uses Wednesdays and Sundays to dovetail together to help you understand that everything in God's word comes together cleanly. You can look at the Old Testament narrative, study the New Testament and they all come together because they all say the same thing.

They all speak the same words. They're all directed to the same kind of people that we might understand the power of God and his word. It's all about who God is and what he does. And so when you look at what we talk about in the narrative with Elisha on Wednesday evenings and talk about what's happening on Sunday morning, you begin to understand the uniqueness of God's word and how it comes together.

And we talked about Ben Haydad because a lot of believers have the Ben Haydad effect in their lives. When Ben Haydad said, I want you to go to Elisha and ask him how long I'm going to be sick. In other words, will I recover from this sickness? And Ben Haydad knew Elisha. Elisha was the prophet of Israel. He knew him well because of the healing of Naaman and his leprosy. He knew him well because Elisha was able to defeat his armies, not because he destroyed them, but because of the power of God to cause them to be blind and to be surrounded by Israel's armies.

And then to give them water, give them food and let them go back unharmed. He knows about Elisha. He knows about the power of God because he's experienced it firsthand. So he's about to die. And instead of saying, go to Elisha, tell him I'm about to die. Where will I spend eternity? What's going to happen to me when I die? I need help. Help him come pray for me. Help him come talk to me about the things of God. He didn't say that. Instead, he wants to know if he'll be made well. Because the physical is more important to him than the spiritual.

The temporal is more important to him than the eternal. So if you're with us on Wednesday night, you've heard this, so this has got like a rerun for you. But if you weren't with us, it ties directly into what we want to say to you today. Because most people, as you read the scriptures, as you look at people in the church, are more interested in the physical than the spiritual.

Why are you here today? What are you coming, what are you hoping to see happen today in your life? Is it in the temporal realm or is it in the eternal realm? For most people, it's in the temporal realm. And that's why we referred you back to Matthew chapter four and five on Wednesday night, because of all the people that were coming to see Jesus, all the paralytics, all the blind, all the lame, all the disease came to him. And Matthew four says he healed them all. He healed them all because part of the messianic credentials of the Messiah was that he'd bring a healing ministry to his people.

So he healed them. And yet in all the healing of them, he realized they were more interested in the physical than the spiritual, the temporal than the eternal. So what does he say? He sets them down on a mountain, begins to talk to them, as he says, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they should be comforted. And he goes through that whole realm of beatitudes, and then talks about the kingdom of God, talks about unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you'll never enter the kingdom of heaven.

You have heard that it was said, but I say unto you, you have heard that it was said, but I say unto you, speaking with authority, talks to them about praying, talks to them about fasting, talks to them about how they live their lives one with another. And then he talks about entering through the narrow gate versus the wide gate. Blessed is man who hears these words, because he builds his house on the solid rock. He concludes that people were astounded at the words that he said, but there's no conversion of anybody recorded in scripture.

Nobody says, I need that. Why? Because the physical overwhelmed them. Many people go to church because the physical overwhelms them. What's happening right now in my world is more important to what's going to happen to me in eternity. What's happening to me right now is what matters. And that's what they come for. And when they don't get what they want, they leave. And so in John six, when Jesus feeds the 5,000, right? Literally the 25,000 with a few loaves of bread and a few fishes, they want to take him by force to make him their King.

Why? Because this guy can feed us. He can feed our nation forever. This guy must be our King. We got to set him up as King, but he knows that. So he leaves. He goes up into the mountain to pray, sends his men out in a boat. There's a great miracle where he walks in the water, causes the storm to cease. The next day they go back to the place where they were fed and Jesus isn't there. So they go all along the shores of Galilee, looking for Jesus. And when Jesus shows up in Capernaum, they say, where have you been, Jesus?

We've been looking for you. He says, of course you've been looking for me. It's breakfast time. You want to eat. You had dinner. I fed you. Now it's breakfast time. Now you want to eat. But I want to tell you something. I am the bread that's come down out of heaven. He goes to this long dissertation in John six about the bread of life. Unless you eat of this bread, drink of this blood, you will have no part in the kingdom of heaven. Well, that becomes a saying that's too hard for the people. And so it says that many of his disciples left him and went away.

Why? Because what he was offering to them in the spiritual realm wasn't interesting to them. It wasn't for them right now.

They were consumed with their health. They were consumed with their finances. They were consumed with what was happening to them right now.

They weren't consumed with what would happen to them in eternity. So when Jesus began to speak of the spiritual, that he was the bread of life, not interested, not interested. So Jesus looks through his disciples, his twelve, and says, will you go away also? And what does Peter say? Go away? You have the words of eternal life. Where else are we going to go? You speak to things that matter. Where else will we go? You see, why do we review that from Wednesday? If you're with us, I'm sorry that I had to review that for you, but it sets the tone for where we are today in the modern day church.

We are consumed with the temporal and the physical. Just like Ben Haydad was. Instead of worrying about where he'd spend eternity, he wanted to know if somehow Elisha could heal him like he healed Naaman. You see, that's unfortunate because Christ has the words of eternal life, and they come with great power and great glory because they're his words. The words that created the universe, the word that sustained the universe is the same word, the breath we hold in our hand that allows us to understand the nature and character of our God.

So we gather together to worship this God, to see exactly what he says to us every single day. He speaks to us through his word, and his word is sufficient for everything. And so we've told you that by them your servant is warned and in obeying them, there is great reward. That's just, that's Psalm 1911. That's where we, we've kind of taken our tent and kind of encompassed Psalm 19 with Hebrews chapter 1 to see that there is a great reward. And the question comes, what is that great reward? So we've given you 10 of them.

They're in your bulletin. If you have a bulletin, they're listed there for you. We were so kind to put them in there for you so that you wouldn't lose track of where you were, because we're going to give you 10 more today. And then if you're going to give you 10 more, because that's just the tip of the iceberg. I mean, if you think that's all there is, you're sadly mistaken. There is great reward in keeping them. Why? Because God honors those who honor him. And we told you it begins with eternity because that's where the great reward really lies, because it is an eternal reward, right?

And therefore, he who hears my words, believes in him who sent me will have eternal life. You have the life that is with me forever. So eternity is the great reward, the first and best reward that one gets when he obeys the word of God.

From there, we looked at the fact that it was not just eternity, but there was liberty because if you know these things, that truth that you know will set you free, John 8, 31 and 32, and there is great liberty, great freedom, because you set free from the bondage of sin. You've been set free from the bondage of Satan. You've been released. You've been purchased by the blood of the land. You are set free. There's great liberty in obedience to the word of God. From that liberty, we talked to you about the fact that there was great identity because that identity defines you because now you're a child of the living God.

You are his precious possession. Now you have an identity, whereas before, you were always in search of an identity. You looked at your job as the identifying factor of your life. You looked at your marriage as the identifying factor of your life. You looked at your status. You looked at your financial income as the final identifying factor of your life, but now that's fragile. What really identifies you is, are you a child of God or a child of Satan? And if you've been born again, you're a child of God.

You're his precious possession. You have a brand new identity because you're a brand new creature. Talked about your identity. We talked about your tranquility. Why? Because great peace have those who love thy law and nothing causes them to stumble. Tranquility. We are at peace with God, Romans 5, 1, because we've been justified by faith. And from that tranquility, we looked at your purity because it purifies you, Jeremiah 23, 29. God's word is like a fire. It purifies your life. From that purity, we looked at the fact that there's great beauty because of your purification.

There's great beauty in your life as you manifest the character of God. Proverbs chapter 4 says you get a crown of beauty when you apply the wisdom of God to your life. And then we talked about the joy that comes as a result of the word of God, hearing and obeying. I write these things into you that your joy may be made full, 1 John 1, verse number 4. So we understand that in obedience to God's word, there's great joy that encompasses our lives. And then we gave you that great trifecta in Psalm chapter 1, that of productivity, of perpetuity, and prosperity.

What happens to the man who delights in the law of God? All those things begin to take place in his life. That's just the tip of the iceberg when it says, look, in obeying them, there is great reward. And that reward continues to happen as you hear the word of God, as you obey the word of God, as you put into practice the word of God, because God's word is effective in those who believe, 1 Thessalonians 2, 13, and it produces a great work in their lives. So these things now become manifested in people's lives.

So let me give you 10 more. How much time do I have? Not much. Let me give you 10 more. Okay. The next thing you need to understand is when you obey the word of God, there's great security, great security. This is Psalm 112, Psalm 112, verse number one, how blessed is a man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments.

Verse six, he will never be shaken. Did you get that? If you delight in the commandments of God, you will never be shaken. Verse seven, he will not fear evil tidings. His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is upheld. He will not fear. Did you understand the implications of that? If you have fear today, it's because you do not delight in the commandments of God, because the promise is if you delight in the commandments of God, you are the man of God who fears God. Therefore you will never be shaken and you will be upheld by God and you will not fear evil tidings when they come your way.

It is very simple to understand. You want to live a life without fear, you delight in the commandments of God. You don't delight in the commandments of God, you will live a life of great fear. You will live a life that's always on shaky grounds because listen, you're trusting in yourself and what you can do, not God and what he can do. That's why you fear because you might not be able to do what you think you can do. That's where the fear begins to well up in our minds. And that's why the psalmist was so clear on that.

Listen to Proverbs one, Proverbs chapter one, verse number 33. He who listens to me will live securely. I mean, can it get any clearer than that? He who listens to me will live securely and will be at ease from the dread of evil. God can't be any plainer than he is. Can't be any clearer than he is. If you are the one who listens to me, you will live securely. You will be at ease from the dread of evil. If you do not listen to me, you will not live securely and you will not be at ease from the dread of evil.

It's just as simple as that. That's why we say in obeying the commands of God, there is great reward because you live securely. You have great security. When we believe in Christ, there's great security. Why? Because our salvation was the work of God. He keeps us by his work. No one can pluck us out of our father's hand. There's great eternal security in the life of the believer because he listens to the word of God. See, if I don't have security about my salvation, it's usually because there's something I did to earn my salvation.

But because you can't earn it, it's a gift from God. And God promises to keep you being confident of this very thing that he who performed a good work in you will complete that task until the day of Jesus Christ. He will do that. That's going to happen. But as you listen to God's word, you live securely. So security is a result of listening to God's word, obeying God's word. That's a part of the great reward. Security. Isn't that great? Everybody needs security. How many have a security system in their house?

Don't raise your hand. We have security systems in our house. We have security systems in our cars, right? We have security systems all over the place because we want to live secure lives. We put our money in a bank because we want it to hopefully be secure, right? But the ultimate security comes from Jesus Christ, our Lord, who's in complete control of everything, everything. So security is a great reward. Number two, or number 12, in your outline, if you're keeping count in numbers, is clarity.

Clarity. That is things in life become very clear to you instead of being very clouded to you. You are to think with clarity because of the word. This is a great reward because people are confused about life. They're confused about the will of God. They're confused about what job they should take or not take, what house you should buy, not buy, how many kids they should have or not have, what dress they should wear or buy or not buy. They get confused. But with the word of God, there's great clarity.

He clears your mind. This is Psalm 119, Psalm 119, verse number 129. Psalm 119, 129. Your testimonies are wonderful. Therefore, my soul observes them. The unfolding of your words gives light. It gives understanding to the simple. God's word gives clarity. That's why we read to you Psalm 19, verse number seven, a number of weeks ago. The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, constant, trustworthy, unwavering, making wise the simple. So now the psalmist says in Psalm 119, your testimonies are wonderful.

Why? Because they give understanding to the simple minded. It gives us great clarity. We are not clouded about salvation. We are not clouded or confused about end times. We are not clouded or confused about sin, its effect upon man, creation, eschatology. Why? Because God has made it very clear to us in his word. He doesn't speak with the forked tongue. He doesn't speak in confusing language. He speaks very clearly to us so that we know what the will of the Lord is. He's made it very clear what his will is for his children.

He's outlined it very clearly in scripture so that you are not confused about the will of the Lord, but you understand what his will is for your life. And over the years, we've talked to you about how you know the will of God and how God's word is very clear upon that. It makes the people of God understand who God is and what God wants for his children. The Bible says in Luke 24, verse number five, that Christ opened their minds so they would understand the scriptures.

God does that. That's why the psalmist said in Psalm 119, open my eyes that I might behold wonderful things out of thy law. The psalmist knew to pray for God to open his eyes so he would live a life of understanding, live a life of clarity, not confusion. The Bible says in Psalm 25, verse number 14, the secrets of the Lord are for those who fear him.

The secrets of the Lord are for those who fear him. Why? Remember Matthew chapter 13? Matthew chapter 13, the disciples asked and came to him and said, why do you speak in parables? And Christ said in verse 11, to you, it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them, it has not been granted. Wow. That's powerful. You're going to know the mysteries of the kingdom, but to those who don't believe they have no idea about what's going to happen next. And he goes on and talks about how that's a fulfillment of prophecy, Isaiah's prophecy, how he's going to blind their eyes that they cannot see, cause them not to hear because they've rejected their Messiah.

He says in verse number 16, but blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear for truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desire to see what you see and did not see it and to hear what you hear and did not hear it. Wow. You're going to have great clarity along the lines of the mysteries of the kingdom of God. It's all going to be revealed to you. It's all going to be manifested to you. So you understand how I'm going to work in the age to come as well as in the age you're living.

Wow. That's why, that's why Jesus said there is no one greater than John the Baptist ever born of a woman. Yet those who are least in the kingdom are greater than the greatest man ever born of a woman. Why? Because those who are least in the kingdom understand the mysteries of the kingdom age. John the Baptist didn't understand those things. John the Baptist didn't understand the coming of the spirit of God and how it would operate in the church age. Didn't understand the dynamics of the tribulation and all that was going to unfold in the end times.

Didn't not get that. Didn't understand that. But you do. See, God gives great clarity to us. You think God wants you to be confused? Think God wants you to be troubled about what to do next? No. He wants you to rest in him. He wants you to trust him. He wants you to believe in him. But he wants you to know that with his word comes great clarity. That's one of the great rewards that we have. We don't have to sit in our confused state. We don't have to sit wondering what to do next because God has spoken in his word.

What does God say about what to do next? Trust him. Believe him. Help yourself by spending time with God in his word. Like the psalmist, open my eyes that I might behold the wonderful things out of your law. Maybe we're seeking things for our own personal interests and not the interests of God. Maybe God's going to convict us of some sin. Maybe God's going to redirect our thinking. Maybe God's going to help us understand his overall plan and what is happening because there'll be many disappointments that we face every single day.

But you need to understand the sovereignty of God and how it operates. He wants to give you clarity about those things. But it only comes because you listen to what he says and you obey what he says. Clarity is a great reward. Security is a great reward. Let me give you another one.

I've got lots of them. I'm going to give these two together. In fact, I'll give the rest of them in groups of two. Ministry and authority. Ministry and authority. Two great rewards that God gives us. Ministry and authority. Do you know we have a ministry? Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4 verse number one, therefore, since we have this ministry, what ministry is that?

As we receive mercy, we do not lose heart. Listen, if you understand your ministry, you don't faint. You don't lose heart. The reason we lose heart, the reason we're not steadfast, the reason we do faint in life is because we don't understand our ministry. What is that ministry? He goes on to say in verse number seven, but we have this treasure. That treasure is the ministry in earthen vessels so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves. He goes on to say, we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed, perplexed, but not despairing, persecuted, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed, always carried about in the body, the dying of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our body.

Paul says we don't quit. We don't give up because as we were granted mercy, that's how he saved us. Titus 3, 5. So we've been granted this ministry. It's a gift from God. Granted to us when we heard his word and believed in him, he gave us a ministry. That ministry is called the ministry of reconciliation. Because in 2 Corinthians 5, Paul says this, the love of Christ controls us. Verse number 14, having included this, that one died for all, therefore all died. He died for all so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose again on their behalf.

So part of the ministry is learning to understand that we live no longer for ourselves, but for the one who died for us. Now we're living for him, not for us. You see, that's the mark of the believer. He no longer lives for himself. He lives for Christ. He lives to honor Christ. How do you know you're a believer? You want to live for Christ. If you don't want to live for Christ, you're probably not a believer. If you want to live for yourself, it's all about you. You're probably not a believer because he died so that you would no longer live for yourself, but for the one who gave himself and died for you.

That's why Paul says the love of Christ controls us. It compels us. It moves us. He goes on to say in verse number 18, now all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself, to Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. Paul says we have been granted this ministry by the mercy of God. As we are granted his mercy, we are granted a ministry. It is a treasure that's in an earthen pot, a breakable pot so that God's glory will be seen. What is that ministry? It is a ministry of reconciliation.

We are reconciling the world to Christ. It says this, verse number 19, namely that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them. And he has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were making an appeal through us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. Wow. What a ministry. And that ministry gives you authority. That ministry grants you authority because you are an ambassador of God's kingdom.

You are the representative. You are the sent one of God's kingdom that automatically grants you supreme authority as you engage in the ministry of reconciliation. This happened because of the word of reconciliation that came to us. We were at once enemies with God. We've now been reconciled to God. We have been put in a relationship with the living God. Now God says you are my ambassadors.

He said in John 20, 21, As the father has sent me, so send I you. Wow. What authority is that? Christ says I had a ministry.

I came to die so that you might live. Now as the father sent me, you having died to yourself, now will live for me. You go and present me to a lost world. As the father has sent me, so send I you. Wow. What greater authority can that be? That's why in Matthew 28, Christ says go into all the world and make disciples.

Why? Because all authority, both in heaven and earth, has been granted to me. Because it is, I have the authority to tell you to go and make disciples. You teach them. You baptize them in the name of the father, son, and the holy spirit. Why? Because I've given you that authority. You teach them all that I've commanded you. I've given you that authority. So Titus says in Titus 3, 5, reprove, rebuke with all authority. Wow. You've been granted authority because you've been granted a ministry. Because you've heard the word of God, obeyed the word of God, and God says you're a representative of my kingdom.

This is your ministry. You're my ambassador. Wow. What's more theotative than being an ambassador for a heavenly country? See, this is wonderful. And this is what God grants to those who hear his word. In keeping the word of God, there is great reward. Great reward in the realm of security, clarity, ministry, and authority. And I must hurry. Let me give you two more.

Spirituality and maturity. Spirituality is the process. Maturity is the product. But they come because of the word of God, obeying the word of God. John 17, sanctify them in truth. Thy word is truth. Set them apart by your word, O Lord, because your word is true. All right. Second Timothy 3, 16 and 17 says all scripture has been inspired by God and is profitable for instruction.

Okay. That is how to know what is right. It's profitable for reproof. That's how to be right. It's profitable for correction. That's how to get right. It's profitable what? For instruction in righteousness. How to stay right. God says, I've given you my word.

So you know how to be right, how to get right, how to stay right, so that you will know the process of spirituality. So that the man of God will be thoroughly equipped, thoroughly furnished. That's maturity. That's maturity. You grow to a stature that honors God. You grow in your likeness to God. So as you're growing spiritually, that's the process. You become mature in your life and how you live your life. That's what made Elisha so great. And we shared about with this you on Wednesday night. You know, when Elisha went into Damascus, the capital of Syria, everybody knew he was a man of God.

And so the king heard, how did the king hear that Elisha was in Damascus? Because the man of God was there. It was the buzz all in Damascus. How do they know Elisha was a man of God? And the whole point, the whole point of the passage was, listen, when you walk into a room, how are you perceived? When you walk into a city, how are you perceived? When you walk into your classroom, how are you perceived? When you go to work, how are you perceived? Do you go to work and say, oh, there's the man of God.

When you go up in your classroom, there's the woman of God. There they are. How do people perceive you? Elisha was a prophet of God. He was a mature man. He was a spiritual man. He was, he was cultivating his walk with the Lord every single day. He was God's spokesman, God's ambassador, God's prophet to Israel. He understood spirituality. He understood maturity. He understood ministry. He understood authority. He understood clarity. He understood security. He understood all that stuff because he was a preacher of the word of God.

He understood the word of God. He wanted to live the word of God. That's the kind of man that he was. And sure enough, he walks into Damascus, didn't have a sandwich board, says, hey, I'm Elisha. I'm here. I am the man of God. No, he walks into it. Everybody instantly knows he's the man of God. How do they know that? Because of his maturity, because of his spirituality, it manifested itself in all that he did. How about you? When you walk into the room, what do people say? Ooh, the silence is deafening.

Is it not? Cause you to pause for a moment and think, right? How are you perceived? And so you hear the word of God. You obey the word of God. You begin to go on a process of spirituality, begin to grow, how to know what's right, how to be right, how to get right, how to stay right. And then the man of God is thoroughly furnished, equipped to do every good work. That's maturity. Will you ever be fully mature this that eternity? No, it's always a process. That leads to the ultimate product. One day you'll be glorified.

But until then, those who hear the word of God and obey it, the great reward is you will grow in Christ likeness. You will mature in stature. You'll be known as a man of God who is thoroughly equipped, equipped to do the work of God. You know, because we have a reverse order, I'm not so much sure how much time I have, but let me give you the next two.

Okay. Right. Oh, these are good. Are you ready? Longevity and quality, longevity of life and quality of life. Listen to Deuteronomy chapter four, verse 40. So you shall keep his statutes and his commandments, which I'm giving you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may live long on the land, which the Lord your God is giving you for all time. Isn't that good? It's going to be well with you. That's quality. Isn't that good? If you listen to my word, if you keep my commandments, it will go well with you.

That is the quality of life you need to have. And your children will live long on the earth. That's longevity. Remember Ephesians six, children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right on your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise.

So that may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth. Very simple children, honor your mother and father. It doesn't say honor mom and dad while you live at home. Doesn't qualify that. Does it? You will always to honor your father and mother. The children are always to do that. No matter how old you are, they are, there was a certain respect and honor you give to your mother and father because God gave them to you. And the promise is you're going to have a quality life. You don't honor your mom and dad.

Your life's going to be miserable. A lot of people today have a miserable life because they don't like their mom and dad. Then say, honor your saved mom and dad. It says honor your father and mother, whether they're saved or not, whether you know Christ or not, honor your mom and dad. Respect your mother and father. Give them the honor. Do them based on the fact that God has put them over you. God gave them to you in his sovereignty. He gave you the mother and father that you have. He didn't give them to you by accident.

It wasn't like, Oh, I'm sorry. I meant to implant you in some other mother's womb, not this mother's womb. I'm sorry. I made a mistake. Oh, well too bad. You got what you got. Got to do that. He gave you the parents you have in there for you to honor them, respect them. If you do, great quality of life, great longevity of life. You live long on the earth. You know, I think everybody truly would like to have quality of life. I think it's interesting, the book of Deuteronomy. Do you know Deuteronomy is the third most quoted book in the new Testament?

Oh, by the way, did you know this? That Jesus quoted Deuteronomy more than he quoted any other book in the old Testament. You want to know why? Because Deuteronomy is all about reiterating the law of God and how you are to listen to what it says and obey. So Christ in his ministry would quote the book of Deuteronomy more so than anybody else, than any other book. Because why? You have to listen to what he says and obey because he's God in the flesh. That's just a little tidbit for you, but it's a good tidbit.

Why? Because there is great reward in keeping the commandments of God. All right, I'll give you two more. I have four minutes. Okay, ready? Here you go. Integrity and believability. Integrity and believability. Psalm 26. Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. Examine me, O Lord, and try me. Test my mind and my heart, for your loving kindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in your truth. Those who live a life of integrity walk in the truth of God.

They don't live a life of duplicity. They don't live a life of hypocrisy. They live a life of integrity. They live what they say they believe. Now, integrity always leads to believability. Believability. That is, people will believe what you say. We know the verse in Ezra chapter 7 verse number 10 that says that Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it and to teach the statutes and ordinances in Israel, but we miss sometimes Ezra 7.6, which says this. This Ezra went up from Babylon and he was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given, and the king granted him all he requested because the hand of the Lord his God was upon him.

In other words, the king, the pagan king, granted to Ezra all that he requested because he had believability. He had integrity, and the king knew that when Ezra spoke because he was skilled in the law of God, because he lived the law of God, he was a man of integrity, he could be believed. And so when he came to request to the king in his journey from Babylon back to Jerusalem, the king said, I will grant you all the requests because you are a person I can trust. Believability is very important. Do people believe what you say?

Do people believe what you say? Because you're a man or woman of integrity. That's part of the great reward. You walk in truth, and those who walk in truth are believed by those around them. You understand that? This is the great reward. These are just simple little words that we live. God says this is my breath.

This is my word. It is sufficient for you. It is sufficient to secure you. You can go to the doctor. You can go to your therapist. They can't give you what I can give you. I will secure you if you delight in my commandments. I will give you security. I will give you the clarity you need so you know what to do every day of your life, because my word is so clear about how you should live. And I will give you what you need every single day. And I will build upon that. And I will give you the spirituality you need to grow, the maturity you need.

I will give you the quality of life you so desperately long for. I'll give you a chance to live long on the earth, even though you don't want to be here very long, because you want to go to heaven and be with me. And through that, you can walk in truth, be a man and woman of integrity, so those around you will believe what you say, because you have believed what I have said and obeyed it. And that gives you great credibility in the eyes of not just the believer, but the unbeliever as well. Let me pray with you.

Father, we thank you for today and the opportunity we have to be in your word. Truly, Lord, it is a great word, a word that, Lord, speaks to every one of us. May we live in the light of your glorious word. May we honor you this day so that you are glorified. May we recommit ourselves to hearing your word, to studying your word, to living out your word, obeying your word, so that we would reap the benefits of the great reward that you have stated so clearly in your word will happen to those who simply listen and obey.

We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.