Service Contract—part I

SERVICE CONTRACT-I—Joshua 24:14-28

Israel covenanted together to exclusively serve YHWH as their God.

God’s people are bound to a commitment to serve YHWH as their God.

What communicates a people’s commitment to God?

Indicators/Measures of commitment among God’s people.

Genuine/Sincere/Candid

A 1st Indicator of commitment among God’s people is

A Sincere REVERENCE(:14)

—Explanation:(:14)

“Now, therefore, fear the LORD & serve Him in sincerity & truth; & put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River & in Egypt, & serve the LORD.”

—Argumentation:

Job 15:4—“Indeed, you do away with reverence, And hinder meditation before God.”

Heb. 12:28—“Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence & awe;”

2Kgs. 17:24-27—“And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon & from Cuthah & from Avva & from Hamath & Sephar-vaim, & settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they possessed Samaria & lived in its cities. And it came about at the beginning of their living there, that they did not fear the LORD; therefore the LORD sent lions among them which killed some of them. So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have carried away into exile in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the god of the land; so he has sent lions among them, & behold, they kill them because they do not know the custom of the god of the land.” Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Take there one of the priests whom you carried away into exile, & let him go & live there; & let him teach them the custom of the god of the land.”

—Illustration:

Flood Waters/Direspect spells Disaster/

Gasoline/

—Application:

?You have a Sincere REVERENCE for God?

?You Committed to your Service Contract with God?

A 2nd Indicator of commitment among God’s people is

A Sincere SERVICE(:14)

—Explanation:(:14)

“Now, therefore, fear the LORD & serve Him in sincerity & truth; & put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River & in Egypt, & serve the LORD.”

—Argumentation:

Obligation to:

LOVE:

Jn. 13:34-35—“A new commandment I[Jesus] give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Mk. 12:31—Greatest Commandments—“...‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

WORSHIP:

Deut 6:13—“You shall fear only the LORD your God; & you shall worship Him, & swear by His name.”

Rev. 13:8—“And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.”

Rom. 12:1—“I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living & holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

STEWARDSHIP:(see Church Covenant)

Eph. 4:11-13—“And He gave some as apostles, & some as prophets, & some as evangelists, & some as pastors & teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, & of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.”

1Pet. 4:10—“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

FELLOWSHIP:

Heb. 10:23-25—“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; & let us consider how to stimulate one another to love & good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; & all the more, as you see the day drawing near.”

DISCIPLESHIP:

Mat. 28:19—“Go therefore & make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & the Son & the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; & lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

—Illustration:

P.O./No toleration for undelivered or stolen mail/Sincere Service

—Application:

?You Sincere in SERVICE toward God?

?You Committed to your Service Contract with God?

A 3rd Indicator of commitment among God’s people is

A Sincere UNDERSTANDING(:14)

—Explanation:(:14)Informed

“Now, therefore, fear the LORD & serve Him in sincerity & truth; & put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River & in Egypt, & serve the LORD.”

“Truth”—Serve God in truth

Willful ignorance is damning

—Argumentation:

2Cor. 13:5—“Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?”