January 20, 2019
Say Yes : What Must I Do As I Follow Christ?
January 20, 2019
Pastor Jonathan Falwell
Open:
Most people claim not to be influenced by the many commercials on public television, yet the jingles often stick in our minds! What do you think of when you hear “Just Do It!” or “Have it your way!” or “Double your pleasure, double your fun”? Are they all based on actions that gratify ourselves and not someone else? If you’re alone, write your answers in a notebook.
As we begin a new series on what we must do to follow Christ, it seems appropriate to begin with the Israelites, whom God chose to be His people, and the hardships they suffered as they learned to trust Him fully. History shows us the intimate details of their lives as they followed their own desires, repented, came back to God and eventually the cycle was repeated time after time. May we learn from their experiences, and faithfully follow Him, saying “Yes!” to His commandments.
Focal Passages: Deuteronomy 8:11-18; James 1:22-25.
Discuss:
Know His Word:
- Read Deut. 8:11-18 to understand how seriously God takes His commandments for you to live a godly life. What stands out to you?
- We must Read God’s Word! Read James 1:22a. What do you immediately notice about Deut. 8:11 and James 1:22a? Why is it not enough to just intellectually know God’s word?
- Read Joshua 1:8a. A recent poll on those who reveal their Bible reading track record, show about 20% of churched Americans read their Bible daily, whether it’s a favorite passage, a regular time of systematic reading, or a familiar verse. How can a Christian grow without knowing God’s Word?
- We must Think About It (Meditate on what we’ve read)! Read Josh. 1:8b. What are Joshua’s instructions and why?
- We must Obey God’s Word! Read Josh. 1:8c and Jas. 1:22b. God did not change His will for you to observe and obey His word during the thousands of years from OT to NT; why is it still His will that His words be obeyed?
Know His Way:
- Read Jas. 1:22c-25. This may seem a little hard to understand. A quick analogy is the amount of time some women spend “putting on their face,” in the morning. It takes much time to get everything perfect, but when she leaves the mirror, she is confident she looks her best. During the day, her thoughts may go back to her appearance, always knowing she still looks well. How does that illustrate the difference in the verse in James?
- Read Josh. 1:8b-9. To be confident you are carrying in your heart the words you read in Scripture, you must know it intimately. How can you meditate on it as you go about your day?
- Why are you told not to fear or be afraid?
Respond:
- Read John 14:15. How does this line up with the verses you read previously? If you give your spouse or family the same amount of time you give the Lord (prayer, Bible reading, meditating) during most days, would you make them happy? Why or why not?
- Read Eph. 2:8-10. In your heart, do you think the good works you do will get you into heaven? Explain your answer. If they do, would you be able to boast? Read Matthew 7:21-23. Were these people boasting about what they had done for Christ? How did Christ reply?
- Where do “good works” come from? How is that like the fruit of a tree that bears because it has a good root system and plenty of water?
Close:
Everyone who is a regular attender at church knows in his heart that he needs to be reading God’s word. Satan uses the busyness of our schedules to thwart that need, creating time constraints that cause us to plan a time to read but somehow it seldom comes about unless we are disciplined and intentional. It is setting aside part of your morning or day when you get alone with God and absorb the “marching orders” He has given for us to be good soldiers through this life of land mines. They lurk on every corner, from the flirtatious wink of a co-worker to the pornography available at our fingertips on the internet.
If we, indeed, have a passion for following Christ, we may get slightly off-kilter by the term meditate. Have you ever considered how like a cow our mind can be? One of the very unique animals created by God, a cow has four stomachs: as she takes in food or pieces of potential problems, the grass, hay or food goes into the first stomach. During the digestive hours (up to 72!), the cow will burp up the food, chew on it some more, where it eventually goes into the 2nd stomach. There it is separated from the bad that can hurt the cow (bits of metal, wire, etc), then on to the 3rd stomach, and eventually reaches the 4th, where the digestion is finished and the cow produces clean, white, healthy milk! So it should be with us: God’s Word—even one verse—can be ingested into our soul, where, during the day, we can think on a word or phrase. Any garbage that is exposed can be purified out, and eventually the Word will do a work in our heart. How wonderful is that?
The Scripture has all that we need to run a household of faith, have a functional family that is sold out to Christ, and live blessed, peaceful lives (2 Peter 1:2-4). When we are in the Word of God daily, letting it saturate our soul and spirit, applying it to our actions, and putting into practice the principles God has given us, the overflow spreads to our family unit, our friends and our acquaintances. Why should we walk in a defeated, downtrodden path, when He has given us a path of Life (Psalm 16:11)? Let us walk in His light, teach it to our children or those closest to us, and spread love as we obey Him!
KEY VERSE: “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15.