“What Should I Do?”
Deuteronomy 10:12-13
Micah 6:8
Mark 12:30
John 15:11
INTRODUCTION
How often do we hear people ask, “What should I do?” They ask advice for simple and complex issues. Sometimes they get good answers. Sometimes bad answers. Sometimes they get conflicting answers and sometimes they get no answers.
Let us observe three scriptures that apply to all situations, both complex and simple. They contain Scriptural answers to the questions, “What should I do?” “As a Christian, how should I live?”
There is too much in these verses to dig deeply into them in the time that I have for this sermon. Jot down the references and then study and reflect on what you should do for God. I will give you the skeleton; you flesh it out.
I. Deueronomy 10:12 “And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to FEAR the LORD your God, to WALK in all his ways, to LOVE him, to SERVE the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?”
A. “FEAR the LORD your God.”
We must reverence Him as the only God. We stand in awe of His might and His power. There is nothing else and no one else who deserves our reverence. One of my favorite stories is about William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania and his refusal to take his hat off for the King of England. It was his conviction that only God should receive that kind of reverence.
B. “WALK in all his ways,”
Far to many people seek God’s will when it seems easy or pleasing to their desires. Only the committed Christian really wants to walk in all of the light that God gives. Today, far too many believe that there is no real truth. We know that real truth exists. We must be totally committed to a godly way of life: The way of holiness.
C. “LOVE him.”
To really love God/Him is to have a real relationship with Him. The more time we spend with Him the more we will love Him.(Illustration: While in college, the more time I spent with Joan Gray, the more I knew that I wanted her to become Joan Keller.--Since the day she became my wife, I have learned far more about her and I have learned to love her more and more.) The more time we spend with God, the more that we want to do all to bring glory to our loving Heavenly Father.
D. “SERVE the LORD your God will all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees.”
We must do our best. When we fail or sin, we immediately need to ask for His forgiveness. As good servants, we are not ashamed to have God observe us, when we do our best to observe/keep His commands and decrees. Love servants. We do it not just for his glory, but for our own good.
II. Micah 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act JUSTLY and to love MERCY and to WALK HUMBLY with your God.
A. “To ACT JUSTLY.”
We must do what is right for others, not just ourselves. Our world is filled with injustice. We must, while administering the law, apply the law of love: Knowing that we will be judged by God with the same measure that we judge others.
B. “To LOVE MERCY.”
The merciful are promised mercy from God. God gives us grace and mercy and we ought to love doing good as we live lives of compassion. We are learning to serve all, out of love, rather than only out of duty. What do I desire that others do for me if or when I am in the same situation?
C. “To WALK HUMBLY with your God.”
We must walk submitted to His will. His desires should be our desires. His will our will. Are you, am I, a servant of God? It is much easier to walk in humility with our neighbor, when we fully realize that God loves him just as much as he loves us, even with all of our faults!
III. Mark 12:30 “Love the Lord your God with all your HEART and with all your SOUL and with all your MIND and with all your STRENGTH.”
A. To love God with all of our “HEART.”
Have you ever seen a football or baseball or any team play a game where their hearts were not in it?(Example: The Boston Red Sox’s second game of a double hitter, when they were statistically just about out of the baseball playoff race. They still had a paper chance. After loosing the first game, they started second team players in the second game. That said to me, to other fans and sports writers, that they had given up on the season.) Jesus taught that the “pure in heart” will “see God.” Just as the team behind in the game, yet doing their best, can see victory if they keep trying. Our courage and emotions are fueled by our faith in God.
B. To love God with all our “SOUL.”
He is our only Spiritual Advisor. Not horoscopes, tarot cards, witches, fortune tellers, psychics, other—so called “holy books,” not man’s word…
This body will be destroyed, but the soul will live forever. To save our souls we must love God.
C. To love God with all of our “MIND.”
Come on now… Use your brain! You and I really do know that God’s way is best. The first place to start is to use and improve our minds to read and understand the Bible.
{Illustration: “THEOLOGY IN THE PEW”
“A large share of people who attend Protestant or Catholic churches have adopted beliefs that conflict with the teachings of the Bible and their church, according to the latest release from the Barna Research Group (www.barna.org).
There are some fundamental Christian precepts that most Americans have held on to:
Three-quarters of all adults believe in the Trinity.
Seventy-nine percent accept that "every person has a soul that will live forever, either in God’s presence or absence."
Seventy-six percent reject the pre-Reformation perspective that "the Bible can only be correctly interpreted by people who have years of intense training in theology."
On other issues, the research found disturbing trends:
Six out of ten Americans (59%) reject the existence of Satan, calling him merely a symbol of evil, a view common among Catholics.
More than one-third (35%) believe that it is "possible to communicate with others after they die."
Forty-two percent believe that, when Jesus was on earth, he committed sins.
Half of all adults argue that anyone who "is generally good or does enough good things for others during their life will earn a place in Heaven."
Forty-four percent contend that "the Bible, the Koran and the Book of Mormon are all different expressions of the same spiritual truths."—Article quoted from the October 11,2002 “Pastor’s Weekly Briefing” provided by Focus on the Family.}
America must get back to the Bible! Ours is not a religion of polls, but of faith!
D. To love “God with all our STRENGTH.”
We are saved by faith. But James teaches us that if we really are saved that we will use our strength to serve God. James 2:14 “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?” A rhetorical question.
Christians need to do something for God or to be active in His service. What are your spiritual gifts? What talents do you have to offer to the Lord and to continue to perfect? When Jesus asked Peter if he loved Jesus, he told him that he needed to feed his sheep. What does that mean to you? The Second Great Command is to love our neighbor…
CONCLUSION(S)
Why does God tell us what to do? Three quick answers/conclusions are found in the following verses:
John 15:8 “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
REASON/CONCLUSION #1. In order for us to “bear much fruit.” To make our lives count and give glory to God who made us and saves us.
REASON/CONCLUSION #2. In order to remain in a love relationship with God and not backslide.
REASON/CONCLUSION #3. In order to have complete “joy!” The joy that comes from serving God is the greatest joy!
(Ron Keller)
