WESTSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH
PASTOR: TERRY VAUGHAN
SERMON TITLE: The Covenant of the Lord/Carelessness of People
“For God so Loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth in Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18
TEXT VERSE: DEUTERONOMY 7:11-14 “THOU SHALT THEREFORE KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS, AND THE STATUTES, AND THE JUDGMENTS, WHICH I COMMAND THEE THIS DAY, TO DO THEM. WHEREFORE IT SHALL COME TO PASS, IF YE HEARKEN TO THESE JUDGMENTS, AND KEEP, AND DO THEM, THAT THE LORD THY GOD SHALL KEEP UNTO THEE THE COVENANT AND THE MERCY WHICH BE SWARE UNTO THY FATHERS. AND HE WILL LOVE THEE, AND BLESS THEE, AND MULTIPLY THEE: HE WILL ALSO BLESS THE FRUIT OF THY WOMB, AND THE FRUIT OF THY LAND, THY CORN, AND THY WINE, AND THINE OIL, THE INCENSE OF THY KINE, AND THE FLOCKS OF THY SHEEP, IN THE LAND WHICH HE SWARE UNTO THY FATHERS TO GIVE THEE. THOU SHALT BE BLESSED ABOVE ALL PEOPLE: THERE SHALL NOT BE MALE OR FEMALE BARREN AMONG YOU, OR AMONG YOUR CATTLE.”
I want to carry you back to verse number 11 where He said thou shalt therefore keep...and he mentions three things here. The commandments, statutues and judgments. If you’ll look down in verse twelve He tells us that if we keep these commandments he will keep unto us the covenant and mercy. I want to talk to you a little bit on the covenant of the Lord and the carelessness of people. I’m a firm believer that the Lord will never break His covenant with us. I’ve studied enough to know that what God says. He means and what He says is everlasting and He keeps His promises. I know that He has a covenant with us today that he’ll never break. That covenant is He wants to love you. bless you and multiply you. Remember what Paul said in Romans 8 in the latter part that nothing shall separate us from the Love of God.
Just because God loves you it does not mean that He loves what you do or what you do or how you think. He loved us even before we were Christians. While we were yet sinners the Bible says that Christ died for us . He loves us beyond measure. As a matter of fact the Bible says that greater love hath no man than this that a man would lay down his life for his friends. Jesus loves you today. But does He really love what kind of a life you’re living as a Christian. I wonder, does He love the kind of standards you put in place for yourself and for your family. Does He love how you grow in the church and in the word of God. God loves us but that does not mean that He loves what we do. He said when he was referring to the commandments of God and I feel like the commandments of God goes right along with the word of God. A lot of people when they hear the word commandments, they think only of the ten commandments. A lot of people hear about the ten commandments and they say, “That don’t apply to us because it’s in the old testament.” Listen, if it was good enough for those people back then, it’s good enough for us now. If you’ll study the ten commandments out, you’ll find there is a lot of them in the new testament. One of them is honour thy father and thy mother. That’s in the old and the new testament. We need to honor and reference our parents today. You may not always like the decisions they make for you but if you’re their child, the Lord God says you better honor them. Another one you’ll find in there is Keep the Sabbath Day Holy. There’s not a lot of people keeping the Sabbath Day Holy. Their using it for every thing but serving and worshipping God. The Sabbath Day is a day of rest. A day of Holiness. A day of Comfort and a day of worshipping God and you can’t get people to come to God’s house on Sunday to save your life. Another one that is in the old and new testament is Thou shalt have no other Gods before you. The new testaments says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and I’ll add all these other things unto you.” Everybody is putting everything between them and God and they’ll never get anywhere. Don’t you sit there and tell me that the ten commandments don’t apply to me and you. I’m telling you they do and if I had the time I believe I could find all ten commandments in the new testament. Don’t you read your Bible, you study your Bible and you’ll get a whole lot more out of it studying it than you will reading it.
Let me share these verses with you. MATTHEW 4:4 “...IT IS WRITTEN, MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDETH OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.”
I believe the commandments of God is for everybody whether they’re saved, lost, men, women, boys, girls. I believe the commandments of God is the word of God and it’s true and it’s meant for everyone of us to obey the word of God. To do what God says, to go where God says to go. It’s the written word of God.
Listen to these two negative verses. remember I call them negative verses because God is trying to tell you something in them. MARK 7:13 “MAKING THE WORD OF GOD OF NONE EFFECT THROUGH YOUR TRADITION, WHICH YE HAVE DELIVERED: AND MANY SUCH LIKE THINGS DO YE.”
Their taking the word of God and their making it of no effect in their lives because of their traditions. Let me tell you something...I’m not serving a traditional God this morning. I’m serving a Holy and reverenced God and He does not do things by tradition. He does things according to the will of God. Too many Baptist in the world today have their traditions. They can’t get close to God for nothing because their so set in their ways. I heard a preacher on a tape once who said he was called to Pastor a small church. The church had been there for years and the members had been there for years and he said he took the church and he had a Wednesday night service and he asked people to stand up and share their favorite verse in the Bible and one of the Deacons sitting on the front pew stood up and had the Bible in his hands and said, I just want to say I love the Lord and I want to thank Him for saving my soul and the dearest verse in this Holy Book that has always been my favorite is, ‘The family that prays together stays together.’” Let me tell you something. That’s not in the word of God. If you want to get close to God then get close to God’s word. Don’t just do it on Sunday but every day of the week. That’s why people aren’t getting blessed. They don’t know what the word of God says. You cannot live without the word of God. HEBREWS 4:2 “FOR UNTO US WAS THE GOSPEL PREACHED , AS WELL AS UNTO THEM. BUT THE WORD PREACHED DID NOT PROFIT THEM, NOT BEING MIXED WITH FAITH IN THEM THAT HEARD IT.” See, first the word of God had no effect on them because they were trying to do things by tradition. Now the word preached did not profit them because they didn’t mix it with faith. If you want to hear and receive the word of God you’ve got to have faith. You mix faith with His word and it’ll make you prosper. It’ll make you grow in the Lord Jesus Christ. Without faith it’s impossible to please God. Some people sit here and hear the preached word and they say, :That’s not for me. That’s for somebody else.” “Every time I come in the house of God, somebody has told that Preacher what I’ve been doing and He preaches on it.” Listen, that’s not what somebody told me. It’s what God’s trying to tell you this morning. You need to get your heart and you life right with Christ.
Here’s three positive scriptures: PROVERBS 30:5 “EVERY WORD OF GOD IS PURE: HE IS A SHIELD UNTO THEM THAT PUT THEIR TRUST IN HIM.” Some people will read this book and they’ll say, “I don’t know what that means.” You’re not the only one. Theirs a lot of things in this Book that we don’t know exactally what it means but there’s a whole lot more than just studying the word of God, you’ve got to pray about it. You’ve got to hear the preached word. He may show you something next week that He didn’t show you this week. You can come back to the house of God and come back and come back and you’ll start growing and you’ll start feeling the word of God as He speaks to your heart and he’ll open up to you the scriptures like He did to the couple in the book of Luke and you’ll be able to see the Lord.
HEBREWS 4:12 “THE WORD OF GOD IS QUICK AND POWERFUL, AND SHARPER THAN ANY TWO EDGED SWORD, PIERCING EVEN TO THE DIVIDING ASUNDER OF SOUL AND SPIRIT, AND OF THE JOINTS AND MARROW, AND IS A DISCERNER OF THE THOUGHTS AND THE INTENTS OF THE HEART.” The word of God is right on time. It’s right where it needs to be if we’ll just apply it to our hearts, our souls, our minds , study it, live it, breathe it, pray about it and share it. But how careless are we by not studying?
2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17 “ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY INSPIRATION OF GOD, AND IS PROFITABLE FOR DOCTRINE, FOR REPROOF, FOR CORRECTION, FOR INSTRUCTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS: THAT THE MAN OF GOD MAY BE PERFECT, THROUGHLY FURNISHED UNTO ALL GOOD WORKS.” All scripture is given by inspiration of God. I heard a preacher stand up once and say there’s only certain parts of the book of Job that you need to read. That part where he was talking to his friends and they were out of the will of God, don’t read those verses. He said their not meant for you to read. After church I went up to him and showed him that verse in 2 TIMOTHY. I told him if God give it, I’m able to preach it. Don’t you ever stand up and tell somebody not to read certain parts of the Bible. God said, don’t you take nothing from this word or add anything to it. If you do, Revelations says you’ll add to the plagues that are written in this book. Our church may not be like a lot of other churches. Me and Shane may not be like a lot of other preachers but I’m going to brag on us and this church....WE LIKE THE WORD OF GOD! Every once in a while you might hear me share a small story or an illustration but I don’t want to deviate from the word of God. That’s what it’s going to take to save you. No preacher had to add to it to get me saved or get me right with God. If the word of God won’t work then nothing will. Too many preachers getting up here and preaching about what they did thirty years ago. Preaching about what they heard some other preacher preach. If you’re going to preach the word of God, then preach the word of God. Stay away from all that other stuff.
Secondly He said this....Keep His statutues. Statutues represents the spirit. You know why? Because He deals with every one of us through His Spirit. We’re supposed to be led by the Spirit of God. He might lead Cindy to one thing and me another. He might lead Barbara to witness to one person and Shane another person. I believe that’s what Statutues mean. In ROMANS 8:14 “FOR AS MANY THAT ARE LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD, THEY ARE THE SONS OF GOD.” We’re supposed to be led by the Spirit of God. We’re not supposed to direct the Spirit to come and be a part of what we’re trying to do. We’re supposed to follow the Spirit and be a part of what the Spirit is trying to do. Theirs Christians in the church today that don’t even know what the Spirit of God is. They do stuff in the flesh. God will make a difference.
LUKE 9:55 “YE KNOW NOT WHAT MANNER OF SPIRIT YE ARE OF.” Somebody will say, “I need you to come over here and do this for me and they’ll go.” The Spirit of God don’t lead you to help everybody. You better be led by the Spirit of God before you do help. Don’t you get that old soft heart in you that just because you’re a Christian, you have to give away everything you own and not take care of your own. It’s not following the Spirit of God or the word of God. The Bible says if man don’t know how to take care of his own house, how can he take care of the house of God? It’s okay to have a kind heart but don’t have a kind heart and not be led by the Spirit of God. God might want somebody else to help that person and you could be robbing them of their blessings. That other person may have helped them more than you. Too many people doing things on their own. How often do we check in with God. “Lord do you want me to do this?” You have to depend on God and lean on God.
1 TIMOTHY 4:1 “NOW THE SPIRIT SPEAKETH EXPRESSLY, THAT IN THE LATTER TIMES SOME SHALL DEPART FROM THE FAITH, GIVING HEED TO SEDUCING SPIRITS, AND DOCTRINES OF DEVILS;” We’re living in that day and time now. We’re giving heed to seducing Spirits and doctrines of devils. One of the Proverbs says that the simple believeth every word but the prudent man looketh well to his goings.” You tell them something and they’ll believe it. But a prudent man looketh well to his goings. He don’t listen to every word. He’s going to check in with the Spirit of God before he does anything. That’s what we ought to do. How hard is that? There’s only one way you can’t follow the Spirit and that’s if you’re lost. If you don’t have the Spirit of God in you, how can you follow Him?
1 JOHN 4:1 “BELOVED, BELIEVE NOT EVERY SPIRIT, BUT TRY THE SPIRITS WHETHER THEY ARE OF GOD: BECAUSE MANY FALSE PROPHETS ARE GONE OUT INTO THE WORLD.”
I wonder how many times you’ve tried the Spirits this week. I wonder how many times you’ve said, “Lord is the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do.” I can’t emphasize enough why Christians are having so many problems....they aren’t living their lives for the Lord. You can tell a tree by the fruit it bears and what you have on the inside will show up on the outside. Some people are just not dedicated to the Lord. They don’t have Christ as their priority factor in their life. Their following and doing everything else but following the Lord. He may not lead you into something you want to do but if you’ll go along with the Spirit, you’ll get a blessing. You’ll know it’s right and it will help somebody else.
JOHN 6:63 “IT IS THE SPIRIT THAT QUICKENETH; THE FLESH PROFITTETH NOTHING: THE WORDS THAT I SPEAK UNTO YOU, THEY ARE SPIRIT, AND THEY ARE LIFE.”
Let me tell you what Paul said about the flesh. He said in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. Theirs a lot of Christians today that are living in the flesh and not in the spirit. Don’t sit here and tell me that God wants you to take all of your money that He’s allowed you to earn and go to these seven/eleven stores and buy lottery tickets hoping it’s going to make you some millionaire. Don’t you tell me that if you’re not taking care of your children, studying the word of God, praying for them...that you’re living a Godly life because you’re not. People think their living a Godly life and their not.
ROMANS 8:5 “FOR THEY THAT ARE AFTER THE FLESH DO MIND THE THINGS OF THE FLESH; BUT THEY THAT ARE AFTER THE SPIRIT THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT.”
How plain can we get. Last night I went outside from the singing I was talking to Charles Pierce. He’s been a long time friend and I used to be his Pastor at Grace Baptist. He came up to me in the parking lot and put his arm around me and he said, brother I want to tell you something. He said you have really grown in the Lord Jesus Christ. He said I can just tell every time you stand that you study all the time. He said you’re just a blessing. He said, you’re a true man of God. I said, “ yeah. You remember I used to be your Pastor?” He said, “Yeah I remember.” I said, “Well I studied back then too.” Here’s the point I’m trying to make. Sometimes people overlook what they have. God can be blessing you and you end up overlooking it. We should be excited about God and His church and His word.
Last...Judgments. Preacher what is judgments? It’s the discernment we need to be able to choose from right and wrong. Making the right decision of the wrong decision. Looking for the good or taking heed to the bad. That’s what judgment is. Sometimes we feel like we’re doing the will of God and we step out on our own and we end up hurting other people instead of helping other people. Let me tell you what JAMES 4:17 says: “THEREFORE TO HIM THAT KNOWETH TO DO GOOD AND DOETH IT NOT, TO HIM IT IS SIN.” Bad Discernment. I refer this word Judgment to the knowledge of God. What happened after Adam and Eve took of the fruit and Satan beguiled them? Satan said if you take of this, you’ll be as God yourself, knowing good and evil. That’s true and that did happen. Adam and Eve had to start at that moment making decisions as to what was right and wrong. God let’s us make those decisions also but we can do it by the knowledge we have of God.
PSALMS 52:3 “THOU LOVEST EVIL MORE THAN GOOD; AND LYING RATHER THAN TO SPEAK RIGHTEOUSNESS.” There’s a lot of Christians in the world and lost people are already there that like living in the pleasures of Sin rather than living in the joys of God. Why would you want to stain your righteous garments for the lust of sin and death when you can have peace and comfort in the Holy Spirit of God? People are always making the wrong decisions and it’s because they do not have the knowledge of God they need to make the right decisions in their life.
ISAIAH 5:20 “WOE UNTO THEM THAT CALL EVIL GOOD, AND GOOD EVIL; THAT PUT DARKNESS FOR LIGHT, AND LIGHT FOR DARKNESS; THAT PUT BITTER FOR SWEET, AND SWEET FOR BITTER.” Their mixed up. Their confused. God said, “I am not the author of confusion.” They think a lot of things are Godly, a part of Christian life. But it’s not. Jesus said to separate ourselves from these things. How many of you lay the evil things aside and try and go on towards the good things? Makes a difference. A lot of people don’t have good discernment between good and evil. God wants to love you and He will love you more when you keep His commandments. He wants to bless you and He will bless you more when you’re following the Spirit of God. He wants to multiply you and He will multiply you more when you make the right decisions.
Having the right judgments. Listen to these verses: 3 JOHN 11 “BELOVED, FOLLOW NOT THAT WHICH IS EVIL, BUT THAT WHICH IS GOOD. HE THAT DOETH GOOD IS OF GOD: BUT HE THAT DOETH EVIL HATH NOT SEEN GOD.”
Beloved. I believe that means us Christians.
ROMANS 12:9 “...ABHOR THAT WHICH IS EVIL; CLEAVE TO THAT WHICH IS GOOD.”
AMOS 5:14-15 “SEEK GOOD, AND NOT EVIL, THAT YE MAY LOVE: AND SO THE LORD, THE GOD OF HOSTS, SHALL BE WITH YOU, AS YE HAVE SPOKEN. HATE THE EVIL AND LOVE THE GOOD....”
Follow God’s way and he’ll lead you down the paths of righteousness for His name sake. We need to turn our carelessness into carefulness in how we lead our lives. If I as your Pastor was seen by one of my members coming out of a liquor store--what would your first impression be? The first impression you get will stick in your mind and heart for years. Our nature is always looking at the evil part. There’s preachers out there that condemn people of sin but they never tell them how to get out of it. Don’t tell someone their dying and going to Hell unless you can afterward tell them how to get to Heaven.
Ya’ll know those prayer books they come out with called “the Prayer of Jabez?” The prayer of Jabez is in the word of God. He asked the Lord to increase him. To expand his borders. To multiply him. That’s what he prayed every day. I believe God answered it. You got that for free. You didn’t have to go waste $7.95 on the book. You can even read the same thing in the Bible. All you have to do is look.
We have not because we ask not. We’re not close to God because we’re concentrating on everything else but God. All that we have will be done away with one day after awhile. I’m 38 years old and God could call me out tomorrow. I’m not taking any money with me. No automobiles. Not my house. You can’t take nothing when God calls you home. Why waste all your money on stupid things when you can’t take it with you anyway. Satan uses all this stuff against us. We spend endless hours in front of a t.v we don’t need. The kids spend hours playing nintendo games when they should be reading their Bibles.
Somebody is here, maybe they have the Love of God but He doesn’t love what you’re doing. Maybe you’re here and you’re saved by the grace of God and He’s not blessing you. You don’t keep His commandments and statutes, you’ll not get blessed. You say you’re in the same condition you’ve been in for forty years and God’s not multiplying you? Live by His commandments, His statutes and judgments and He’ll multiply you. We have to grow to become wise unto salvation. Theirs a lot of Christians in the world that has never grown. If you’re here today and God spoke to your heart I pray you’ll kneel down in prayer.
Let us Pray: Father, we ask for your forgiveness from our carelessness in your word. I pray Lord I would live more by your commandments, your statutes and judgments. I want to live a fruitful life and I want to be blessed and to multiply. I pray Lord, that I would put you first in my life and quit spending so many hours of my day doing nothing for you. In Jesus name. Amen
