Walking Obediently Series

Walking Obediently

1 John 2:3-6

May 21, 2006

If you were to find yourself in a courtroom standing before a Judge and a Jury, accused of being a Christian, a Jesus follower, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

John writes in v. 3 - "We know that we have come to know him "or more literally", we know that we have known him if we obey his commands." There is to be a connection, a relationship between knowing Jesus and obeying His commands. A connection between knowing Jesus and how we live our lives. Have you made that connection?

As you grow in your knowing of God has your obedience also increased?

Schools use report cards in part to measure and track a student’s performance.

Coaches use the win/loss columns or the box scores to determine whether their team is improving

Musicians attend competitions, recitals and the like to find out how they rank.

I saw a commercial recently that bragged about your car talking to your computer and then printing out for you what is wrong and right with it.

If you have stocks or a retirement account, you watch to see if they are going up or down.

We are a people, a culture that assesses.

determines.

calculates.

if our studies.

our team

our band

our car

our stocks are measuring up

on track

headed in the right direction.

And if they are not we take action quickly, don’t we?

Parents will hire a tutor

or change schools so that their child is on track

Musicians will practice harder and hire a teacher to get the result they are looking for.

Athletes - if they are serious about their sport and wanting to do well will put in the necessary work to get on the wining track.

There is a connection, a relationship between

where we want to end up

what we want for results

and putting in the time

training

being taught the things to get you there.

At Pastor’s gathering, Pastor Kirby from Northern Peaks told this story.

A doctor was meeting with the wife of one of his patients before the two of them would tell him what his situation was.

As the two conferred, the doctor explained to the wife how bad her husband really was. After many tests and lots of blood work his health wasn’t too good.

The wife, a bit shocked asked, "Well is there anything I can do? Anything I could change that might help him to get better?"

The doctor thought for a moment and then said yes, "Your husband needs to eat well, really well. For breakfast he needs, eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast. For lunch, not a peanut butter and jelly sandwich but a nice sandwich, a deli sandwich with soup, salad and homemade pie for dessert. For dinner, the doctor went on, he needs a warm meal, meat and potatoes, and salad."

The wife was a bit stunned, but the doctor wasn’t through. "And the house, it needs to be clean, spotless, vacuumed, dusted, no junk piles, neat and orderly." Finally the doctor finished and the two of them went to talk and tell the husband the news.

As soon as the doctor and the wife walked in the room, the husband asked, "How am I? Is anything wrong?" And the doctor began to explain the man’s situation, how bad it was.

The man was stunned. Taken back, but finally got the courage to ask if anything could be done to help him out.

To which his wife quickly said, "No, honey, nothing can be done to help."

You and I can claim allegiance to God.

can claim that we know Him

but is their obedience’s in your day to day life that demonstrates your belief?

Has knowing God affected you -

your month

your calendar

your checkbook

your TV watching

your computer habits

What changes has knowing God brought into your life? For knowing him, having relationship with Him, will necessitate change, obedience to him.

If you have a hard time obeying God, you don’t know him that well.

I remember locker room conversations with my teammates who were wiped/all gooh-gooh-gah-gah over a girl. No longer would he join us at Brocker field for pick-up ball or join us at Burger King after the game, because he was with his girlfriend. We would say, "She has him wrapped around her finger."

Why, because as he got to know her,

his behavior changed,

his actions changed.

Friends - when you and I hear the word obey or obedience, do we think positively or negatively? Most of us negatively. It feels so constricting, so limiting - sometimes it is, except with God.

In Deuteronomy 32:46, Moses gives his farewell speech. He speaks his final words - listen (v. 46, 47). Moses came with Joshua, son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, he said to them, "Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you-they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess."