Obeying The Word Of The Lord

Homecoming 2008

Reference: 2 Tim 3:16; James 4:17

Introduction

This morning, we are really going to look deeply into the Word to understand God’s plan for our lives, as well as be mindful about Homecoming.

Today is Homecoming for our church and while this is a great time of fellowship – there is a Homecoming promised for the believer greater than anything we have ever imagined, and this morning (and for our entire lives), the focus MUST be there.

2 Tim 3:16 – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”

- The Word is suitable for preaching and teaching, and we must apply it

- We have to understand its importance and relevance today

- It is infallible and beyond reproach

- We are called as believers to obey it all – Do you believe that?

When we disobey the Word of God – we sin. This particular sin is what we are called upon daily to get rid of as we strive to be like Jesus.

Today, we will use the Word to discuss and examine our service to God.

Pray

Point 1 – What is Our Role?

It is no accident that you are here today, so I want to call on you to go with me in the Word and stay tuned in. Let it be known that God is speaking to you directly this morning. Look at someone and say “This is for me.”

Before we can define our role in service to God, we must gain wisdom.

Psalm 111:10 – “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.”

Fear of the Lord means to have a healthy respect (or honor) of who God is.

In churches today, everyone wants to have their preacher talk about God’s love, about God’s mercy, about God’s forgiveness – but the problem is that before you can have those things you must understand and learn about the required obedience of the believer, the justice of God, and the authority of Jesus Christ.

The wisdom of who God is and who you are is the beginning of knowledge – not the end! Many miss this and think they are good to go once they learn this, and that is not true – it is only the VERY beginning!

If you do not understand who God is this morning I want you to leave with this knowledge firmly planted in your minds.

Without this understanding of God it means that you are trying to do everything yourself and God is simply not going to honor that.

Today, we need to have a little more of that installed in our lives

We as the church, are lacking in this area and we need more wisdom

Without this knowledge, we are destined to failure in everything we do

There is no blessing from God without fear of the Lord!

There is no spiritual growth without fear of the Lord!

There is no mercy from the cross without fear of the Lord!

God is always going to be the same. Hebrews 13:8 says “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

Application: We are the ones who change by the sinful lives that we lead!

Malachi 3:6 lays it out by saying "I the LORD do not change.”

- God’s promise to us is to always be the same

- Because He promises this he can then say

“So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.”

- In order to judge this world, God must remain constant.

- He must be in control, on target, never late, and consistent in all things

- Failure to do this would mean He judges on a sliding scale

Church, God is preparing to judge … are you ready?

Many have pondered in their hearts what this judgment is, let’s examine

Point 2 – What is Judgment?

If you think this morning that you might just escape judgment, look at what God did to His own Son.

Isaiah 53:10 – “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.”

Look at the words: “It was the Lord’s will …”

- In other words, it pleased God to allow this to happen

- It was God’s will to judge even His Son for your sins

- If this is true – how much more will He judge you?

There are three things I am absolutely certain of today:

- Judgment is good, right, and just

- Judgment is absolute and promised