We have spoken in this series about how God calls us to develop an intimate and growing love relationship with Him. How is this done?
Well, it is all possible because of God’s initiative. God took the initiative in this relationship by giving His Son for us at Calvary.
“But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.” - Romans 5:8 (CEV)
Out of an appreciation of His love, we love Him.
“We love because he first loved us.” - 1 John 4:19 (NIV)
A love that properly appreciates God’s love will be expressed through obedience.
“If you love me, you will obey what I command.” - John 14:15 (NIV)
When a person first accepts Christ, it is as a response to the love of God demonstrated through the cross expressed by obedience to the Gospel.
“What will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? - 1 Peter 4:17 (NIV)
Now, as ones who have obeyed the Gospel, we have come to know god personally and as a result, love Him all the more. This love should also be expressed through obedience. This is how we walk with God and grow in our love relationship with Him.
“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him.” - Colossians 2:6 (NLT)
As that love is expressed through obedience, God makes Himself more fully known to us and our love relationship with Him is deepened, as we grow to love Him even more.
With this understanding of how we are to grow in love relationship with God, I want us to consider that which God invites us to when he speaks to us.
1. God invites us to love Him -
We respond to this invitation when we accept the fact of God’s love being demonstrated to us through the cross. The cross is a "once-for-all" statement of God’s never-ending love for you and me!
By His love, God has provided us with the opportunity to know Him personally. We come to know Him personally through trusting His Son, Jesus as our Savior.
But having come to know Him personally, He invites us to know Him intimately. He invites us to know Him in intimate love relationship. God’s desire is that our chief motivation in our daily walk with Him be a growing love for Him.
When it comes to your friendships in life, which do you consider a true friend? A person who associates with you only when they need to borrow something from you, or one who associates with you just because they like spending time with you?
When you go to God in prayer, is it always because you need something? Do you seek His face and His presence just because you love Him? This is God’s desire for us in our relationship with Him.
He wants us to develop a true friendship with Him. He wants us to enjoy being in His presence. Note the promise that Jesus makes to those who are the friends of God:
“I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.” - John 15:15 (The Message)
2. God invites us to join Him -
This is what obedience is, joining God in what He is doing. This is how Jesus walked in obedience to the Father.
“But Jesus answered them, My Father has worked [even] until now, [He has never ceased working; He is still working] and I, too, must be at [divine] work. So Jesus answered them by saying, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the Son is able to do nothing of Himself (of His own accord); but He is able to do only what He sees the Father doing, for whatever the Father does is what the Son does in the same way [in His turn].” The Father dearly loves the Son and discloses to (shows) Him everything that He Himself does. And He will disclose to Him (let Him see) greater things yet than these, so that you may marvel and be full of wonder and astonishment.”
- John 5:17; 19-20 (Amplified)
Note our Lord’s Example:
1) The Father has been working right up until now.
2) Now God has Me working.
3) I do nothing on My own initiative.
4) I watch to see what the Father is doing.
5) I do what I see the Father is already doing.
6) You see, the Father loves me.
7) He shows Me everything that He, Himself, is doing.
The key word here is watch!
“And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus.” - Hebrew 12:lb-2a (NLT)
Remember when you were a kid and you played “Follow the Leader?” You did whatever you saw your leader doing! Likewise, we need to seek to follow our leader! As we do, we will discover that the Christian life is designed to be lived as a great adventure with God!
THE GREAT ADVENTURE – Geoff Moore & Steven Curtis Chapman
Started out this morning in the usual way,
Chasing thoughts inside my head of all I had to do today.
Another time around the circle,
Try to make it better than the last.
I opened up my Bible and I read about me.
Said I’d been a prisoner and God’s grace had set me free.
And somewhere between the pages,
It hit me like a lightning bolt,
I saw a big frontier in front of me,
And I heard somebody say, "Let’s go!"
Come on, get ready for the ride of your life.
Gonna leave long-faced religion in a cloud of dust behind,
And discover all the new horizons just waiting to be explored.
This is what we were created for.
We’ll travel over, over mountains so high.
We’ll go through valleys below.
Still, through it all we’ll find that
This is the greatest journey that the human heart will ever see.
The love of God will take us far beyond our wildest dreams.
Saddle up your horses. We’ve got a trail to blaze!
Through the wild blue yonder of God’s amazing grace.
Let’s follow our Leader into the glorious unknown.
This is a life like no other, oh ...
This is The Great Adventure!
3. God Invites us to know Him -
As we cooperate with God in the work He invites us to do we come to know Him more intimately. In fact, I need to let what I already know of God motivate me to trust Him and obey Him! As I obey, than I learn more of Him, which only results in my having more reason to obey Him further!
Consider how responding to God’s invitation to cooperate with Him leads us to more fully appreciate His attributes.
God is ...
Sovereign - His way is guaranteed victory
(Romans 8:31)
Righteous - His way leads to what is right
(Psalm 23:3)
Just - His way is perfect
(Romans 12:2)
Love - His way is always best
(Jeremiah 29:11)
Eternal - His way leads to life
(Deuteronomy 30:19-20a)
Omniscient - His way anticipates the unknown
(Joshua 3:1-4)
Omnipresent - His way manifests His presence
(Joshua 1:9)
Omnipotent - His way reveals His power
(1 Thessalonians 5:24)
True - His way leads us to experience truth
(John 8:31-32)
Unchanging - His way never changes
(Hebrews 13:8)
Conclusion:
Jesus expressed God’s invitation to all in Matthew 11:28-30!
“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.’” - Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)
It is important to note that the key to growing in my knowledge of God and my love relationship with God is my willingness to participate in the work that God invites me to join Him in. Jesus speaks of that here as His "yoke."
Using the imagery of oxen pulling a plow, Jesus would have us understand that if we are weary of carrying the burden of living a meaningless life, we need to be willing to put ourselves in a position to be used by Him. In other words, we need to be willing to obey.
Note that the oxen’s yoke is not designed as an instrument of torture, but as an instrument of blessing, as it allow the ox to be comfortable, as it is used by its master in the work it was designed to do.
Likewise, those steps of obedience that God calls each of us, as His Children, to walk in are designed to bless us as we are used by its master in the work we were designed to do.
Perhaps the greatest blessing that we receive when we respond top God’s invitation to love Him more and know Him better by joining Him in His work through obedience to His call is that we will be used of God to share with a lost and dying world that by the power of God, their lives can also be blessed!
I once read this question on the sign of a Baptist hospital: "Will your life be a mess or a message?"
What would you have your life be - a mess or a message? What it will be will be determined by how you daily respond to God’s invitation to love Him, join Him, and know Him.
Even the smallest step of obedience is a giant step toward blessing! What step do you need to take today?
