God's Word and You, Part 6

We've been spending some time talking about God's Word, its importance to your life and how it can be more a part of your life every day. And so as we continue our study in God's Word in you, let's begin with the next letter in the alphabet. That's the letter O. And of course, you know what that is, obey God's Word. Simply obey God's Word. You know, this is probably the hardest of all of them. Obey God's Word. It seems so simple, doesn't it? I love that Nike ad, you've seen the Nike ad with the Olympics, you know, and our family loves to watch the Olympics, both winter and summer ones.

I'm not too into the winter ones because I'm a warm weather kind of guy, but you know, we watch them anyway. And those Nike commercials, you know, just do it. I mean, how much more basic and more simple can it be? Just do it. And that's the way it should be for the believer. Just obey what God said. Just do what God said. That's as simple as it possibly gets. But you know what? That becomes the most difficult task for most of us, isn't it, to do what God says.

There are many things in your life that you have been confronted on this week, probably in your own personal time with the Lord, and you're questioning whether or not you want to do that, right? We come across that every day. I face that every day. Do I want to do this? Should I do this? And God doesn't say, you know, Lance, it's not about what you want to do, and it's not about what you feel like doing. It's about what I've told you to do. You see, we forget that we want to feel the right way, and so we do things that make us feel that way.

But God says, if you do the right things, feelings, proper feelings, always follow. If you do the wrong thing, it might feel good for a moment, but wrong feelings will always follow. Wrong feelings always follow error, and true feelings always follow truth. And so if you follow truth, God says, just do what I tell you to do and watch what happens.

Instead, we say, well, I don't feel like doing that one. I don't want to do that. Yet the bottom line for any of us is just do what God said. Listen to the words of the psalmist in Psalm 119, verse number 57. The Lord is my portion. I have promised to keep thy words. The Lord is my portion. The Lord is my fill. The Lord is what I want. Therefore, I promise to keep his words. It says, I entreated thy favor with all my heart. Be gracious to me according to thy word. I considered my ways and turned my feet to thy testimonies.

When was the last time you considered your ways? And then made an about face and turned your feet toward the testimonies of God, toward the word of God, the law of God, the precepts of God. And then he says, I hastened and did not delay to keep thy commandments. Not only did I consider my ways and turn my feet to following the testimonies of God, but in so doing, I didn't hesitate. I did it instantaneously because this is one who loved the law of God. In fact, he also went on to say in verse number 63, I am a companion of all those who fear thee and of those who keep thy precepts.

He says, not only do I want to follow thy precepts, Lord, but I'm going to associate with those people who want to do the exact same thing that I'm doing. Those who fear your name, those who fear your word, and those who want to keep the law of God, they become my friends. They become my associates. They become those in whom I fellowship with. Says over in verse number 129 of Psalm 119, thy testimonies are wonderful, therefore my soul observes them. Could it be that we don't see the wonder of his testimonies as to the reason why we don't observe them?

And the psalmist says, they are so wonderful to me. They are so great to me that I have to observe them. What else am I going to do? Obey God's word. A.W. Tozer has written a lot on obedience to God. And taken from the verse in John 14, 21 where it says, he that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me and I will love him and will manifest myself to him. Tozer says that the final test, the ultimate test of one's love for Christ is his obedience to Christ. He says these words.

The final test of love is obedience. Not sweet emotions, not willingness to sacrifice, not zeal, but obedience to the commandments of God. Our Lord drew a line plain and tight for everyone to see. On one side he placed those who keep his commandments and said, these love me. On the other side he put those who keep not his sayings and said, these love me not. The commandments of Christ occupy in the New Testament a place of importance that they do not have in current evangelical thoughts. The idea that our relation to Christ is revealed by our attitude to his commandments is now considered legalistic by many influential Bible teachers.

And the plain words of our Lord are rejected outright or interpreted in a manner to make them conform to religious theories ostensibly based upon the epistles of Paul. The Christian though cannot be certain of the reality and depth of his love until he comes face to face with the commandments of Christ and is forced to decide what to do about them. Then he will know. He says something very significant when he says that the reality of your depth of your love for Christ is determined by how willing you are to obey his word.

There are many people who say that they love the Lord Jesus Christ but are not willing to obey what he says in his word. The Bible says then you have question to doubt their true love for the one they say they admire and adore.

Obey God's word. You know we sing the song when we walk with the Lord in the light of his word what a glory he sheds on our way. While we do his good will he abides with us still and with all who will trust and obey. Trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey. Do you believe? Do you obey? Over and over again I talk with people and that's the bottom line. Whether it's their marriage, whether it's their relationship with someone else outside of their marriage, whether it's their job, whether it's their own personal walk with the Lord it just comes down to whether or not I'm going to obey what God says.

At the end of the book of Revelation, Revelation 22 Christ gives a blessing. He says behold I am coming quickly blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book. Blessed is the one who obeys. Blessing is always tied to obedience and for those who obey there's a blessing and you think that during the tribulation you think well what blessing is there? I mean the world's in total chaos, half of the world is destroyed by the end of the tribulation and yet it says over in Revelation 14 verse number 4 of the 144,000 who at the end of the tribulation are standing on Mount Zion with the Lord Jesus Christ that they are the ones who follow the lamb wherever he goes.

They are committed to steadfast obedience. So for seven years there's 144,000 Jewish evangelists and God seals them and protects them through the seven year tribulation and Satan cannot touch them nor harm them. It goes on further to say in Revelation 14 verse number 12 here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. It speaks of those in Revelation 6 as the fifth seal is broken it says and when he broke the fifth seal I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and because of the testimony which they had maintained.

I mean these people died for their faith when it's take the mark of the beast and live or reject the antichrist and die and the Bible tells us in the book of Revelation that those people die by being beheaded, their heads are cut off that's how they die in the tribulation period because of their commitment to Christ and yet you find some people who can't even speak a word in their high school for fear of laughter. You find some people who can't even stand firm on a testimony and say you know I'm not going to work today because this is the day this is the Lord's day and this is where I'm going to worship so I'm sorry boss I can't work on Sundays.

I mean they can't even say that. How would they fare in the tribulation when their life was at stake? Simple obedience to the word of God that says God is the greatest person in my life. Christ said in John 10 verse number 27 my sheep hear my voice and they follow me. That's what they do. They don't go off in that direction and go off in this direction and do whatever they want to do. No my sheep hear my voice and my sheep follow me. You follow Christ? Are you obedient to his word? I could speak forever on this.

First John's filled with it about obeying the word of God and following the law of God and submitting to the commands of God as the mark of those who truly love God.

This week ask yourself a question. When it comes time to do something when temptation comes your way will you obey or disobey God's word? The next letter, P. But if I am going to cling to God's word I must obey what he says and then I must proclaim, proclaim God's word, proclaim God's word. It's just not my job to preach, proclaim the truth. I just proclaim the truth to equip you that you might be better at proclaiming the truth because you have more opportunities and more avenues of sharing Christ with the unbelieving world than I have.

Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul when he said in Acts chapter 20 as he spoke to the Ephesian elders, he said that I solemnly testify to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and now behold down in spirit I am on my way to Jerusalem not knowing what will happen to me there except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city saying that bonds and afflictions await me. But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself in order that I may finish my course in the ministry which I receive from the Lord Jesus to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.

Paul says I have one aspiration in life and that is to solemnly testify of the wonderful grace of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as put forth in the gospel that he has given. So that's what I want to do. So I don't look at my life as important or I don't hold my life dear to me because I have a mission to accomplish that God has given me and therefore I want to accomplish that mission.

Can you imagine if that was our lifestyle? Can you imagine if we purposed in our hearts to say you know what today when I wake up I'm not going to look at my life as very important and that would be difficult for most of us but I'm going to look at my life as really a big zero because I'm really not important although I want to be important I'm not important but what's important to do what God told me to do.

Now listen if I do what God told me to do what happens? I become important. Why? Because what's important is what God says not what I think about what is important.

What God's word says and what God wants me to do and how God's called me and chose me to do what? To be his representative right? You're God's representative to the lost world so therefore God has given you a mission he's given you an opportunity he's given you an avenue to share Christ as Lord and Savior. We are to confess with our mouth Jesus as Lord. There's really no such thing as a silent testimony. A silent Christian you say well you know I'm really a silent Christian I let my life do the talking.

Let me tell you what A.W. Tozer says about those kind of people. He says the Bible links faith to expression and faith that never gets expression is not a Bible faith. We are told to believe in our hearts and confess with our lips that Jesus Christ is Lord and we shall be saved. It is my opinion brethren that the silent Christian has something wrong with him. Psychologists try to deal with abnormal human behavior linked to deep depression where people just go into silence. They will not talk they will not respond they just shut up and that's all.

There is something wrong with the mind that does not want to talk and communicate. God gave each of us a mouth and he meant for us to use it to express some of the wonders that generate within our beings. Someone describing the Quakers said they did not talk about their religion they lived it. That is a foolish simplification for the things that are closest to our hearts are the things we talk about and if God is close to our hearts we will talk about it. This quiet religion that apologizes I have anything to say does not square with the vision of the heavenly beings who say with their voices holy holy holy.

You may say well I worship God in my heart. I wonder he says if you do. I wonder if you are simply excusing the fact that you have not generated enough spiritual heat to get your mouth open. Think about it. If God is close to your heart then what's in the heart the Bible says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

If God's word is abundantly dwelling in you richly you will speak forth the word of God. You will testify as to what Jesus Christ himself has done. Let me give you a couple of hints as to how you are to proclaim the word of God.

Number one you are to proclaim it continually. It says in Acts 2 verse number 42 that the early church when it was birthed in Acts chapter 2 it says that they continued steadfastly in the apostles teaching. They devoted themselves to something. They continually devoted themselves to something and that was to the apostles teaching. So if we are going to be proclaimers of the word of God we must be able to continue in the word of God. We proclaim it continually because the apostles would continue to preach the truth.

Not only do we do it continually but in Acts chapter 5 we realize that we are to do it convincingly. Convincingly. Remember the apostles were told not to preach and they said I'm sorry we have to obey God not man. So we know that they were committed to holding fast to truth because they were going to obey God no matter what man said. And so they brought them back in and they beat them. They flogged them. That means they beat them on the front and on the back of their bodies. 39 different times. Cut their bodies open it says in Acts chapter 5 verse number 40 and they took his advice and after calling the apostles in they flogged them and ordered them to speak no more in the name of Jesus and then released them.

So they went on their way from the presence of the council rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for his name and every day in the temple and from house to house they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. Isn't that great? To be beaten so severely that blood would seep through your clothes and yet you just keep on doing what God said. That's living. That's true life. That's what it's all about man. That is so neat. Oh I wish I was there to observe it. To see these men so committed to God that they would not stop preaching for a moment.

They preached convincingly. How? Because nothing would stop them. People believed them. I mean if you're going to be beaten for what you believe you must really believe in it. So people would become convinced because these men preached convincingly. They preached continually. And then the third characteristic is just over in Acts chapter 7.

They would preach confidently. Confidently. And the illustration is the man Stephen. I mean Stephen man would just get up there and he would preach the word of God and listen to what he said in Acts chapter 7. Verse number 51. You men who are stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears and are always resisting the Holy Spirit. You are doing just as your fathers did. Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who had previously announced the coming of the righteous one whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.

You who received the law as ordained by angels and yet did not keep it. Stephen was confident. Why? Read on. Now when they heard this they were cut to the quick. And they began gnashing their teeth at him. You know have you ever seen somebody so mad that they grit their teeth and they keep their jaws clenched and they are so mad and they begin to spit all over the place and they are just seething. That's how these people were. They were seething. It says but being full of the Holy Spirit he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

He said behold I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. But they cried out with a loud voice and covered their ears and they rushed upon him with one impulse. And when they had driven him out of the city they began stoning him and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul and they went on stoning Stephen as he called upon the Lord and said Lord Jesus receive my spirit. And falling on his knees he cried out with a loud voice Lord do not hold this sin against them.

And having said this he fell asleep. Confidence. Confidence in what he believed was true that he would even die for it. That's true preaching. That's proclaiming the truth continually, convincingly, confidently. And fourth there's another avenue, another way. And that's found over in Acts chapter 10. You do it clearly, clearly. The example of course is Peter with Cornelius. And as he would begin to present the truth to the Gentile world he would go through and clearly present Jesus Christ as Messiah and Savior of the world.

You can read about it in Acts 10 verses 34 and following and down in chapter 11 as he reports back to the Jerusalem council about this Gentile who had a vision from God that would send Peter to his house and Peter would preach the gospel very clearly. And another one, another characteristic of those who proclaim the truth, Acts chapter 17. You do it very carefully. Why? Because there were those in Berea who were more noble minded than those in Thessalonica for they received the word with great eagerness examining the scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.

People will examine what you say so you have to be very careful about your presentation to make sure it's precise, it's accurate, it's true. How about you? Do you proclaim God's word? Do you obey God's word? If so, you're holding fast the faithful word. That's what God wants for you. That's what God wants for me. Charles Spurgeon captures really my feelings in this parable that he gives during one of his sermons. He said this. In the days of Nero, there was great shortness of food in the city of Rome.

Although there was abundance of corn to be purchased at Alexandria, a certain man who owned a vessel went down to the sea coast and there he noticed many hungry people straining their eyes toward the sea, watching for the vessels that were to come from Alexandria with corn. When these vessels came to the shore one by one, the poor people wrung their hands in bitter disappointment. From aboard the galleys, there was nothing but sand, which the tyrant emperor had compelled them to bring for use in the arena.

It was infamous cruelty when men were dying of hunger to command trading vessels to go to and fro and bring nothing else but sand for gladiatorial shows when wheat was so greatly needed. Then the merchant whose vessel was murdered by the wharf said to his shipmaster, take thou good heed that thou bring nothing back with thee from Alexandria but corn. And whereas aforetime thou hast brought in the vessel a measure or two of sand, bring thou not so much as would lie upon a penny this time. Bring thou nothing else, I say, but wheat, for these people are dying and now we must keep our vessels for this one business of bringing food for them, alas.

I have seen, Spurgeon says, certain mighty galleys of late loaded with nothing but mere sand of philosophy and speculation, and I have said within myself, nay, but I will bear nothing in my ship but the revealed truth of God, the bread of life so greatly needed by the people. In short, he says, there are many churches who have all kinds of wisdom, all kinds of philosophical wisdom, all kinds of things happening in them, but yet the food is not presented to the hungry. People come searching and looking for truth, what they receive is something else, and Spurgeon says, when they come to my galley, when they come to my arena, they're going to find food for their souls because I'm going to give them the truth.

Folks, that's what Christ Community Church is about, it's about the truth, so that whoever comes to these doors will receive truth because they're hungry, they need food, the food that God gives them called the bread of life. May we never deter from that one and only objective of the church, to hold fast to truth because that's what people need and that's what we will give them. Let's pray.