THE LIVING WORD TRANSCRIPT<br> <br>

PROGRAM AIR DATE: 8-13-17<br> <br>



LESSON TITLE: “CALLED TO BE OBEDIENT”

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WELCOME<br> <br>

      TODAY WE ARE BLESSED WITH A WONDERFUL GIFT FROM GOD, THE BIBLE. THIS BOOK IS GOD'S LIVING WORD. IN ITS PAGES, WE ARE TOLD “FOR THE WORD OF GOD IS LIVING AND POWERFUL AND SHARPER THAN ANY TWO-EDGED SWORD.” IT IS IN THIS BOOK OF BOOKS THAT WE FIND THE ANSWERS TO ALL OF MAN'S QUESTIONS AND NEEDS. THIS MORNING YOUR AREA CHURCHES OF CHRIST WELCOME YOU TO A PROGRAM COMMITTED TO THAT PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY. AS WE PRESENT THE LIVING WORD. NOW HERE IS YOUR HOST RAY SULLINS.

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      LET ME WELCOME YOU THIS LORD’S DAY MORNING, TO THE LIVING WORD PROGRAM. AS ALWAYS, IT IS AN HONOR TO HAVE YOU WITH US TODAY FOR THIS TIME OF OFFERING TO GOD. IT WILL AGAIN BE OUR PRIVILEGE TODAY, TO COME TOGETHER ON THIS PROGRAM AND TO EXALT OUR ALMIGHTY GOD, THROUGH PARTICIPATING IN THOSE THINGS WHICH BRING HONOR AND GLORY TO HIS NAME. IT IS MY PRAYER THAT WE EACH DO OUR PART TO MAKE THIS SACRIFICE ACCEPTABLE IN HIS SIGHT. NOW LET’S APPROACH HIS THRONE IN PRAYER!<br> <br>

      PRAYER: OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN, WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS DAY AND THE MANY GREAT BLESSINGS OF LIFE, THE GREAT PRIVILEGE THAT WE HAVE TO SERVE YOU AND TO BE YOUR CHILDREN. AND HELP US THIS DAY AND EVERY DAY TO BE LIGHTS IN THIS WORLD AND TO ILLUMINATE THAT OTHERS MIGHT KNOW YOU AND DESIRE TO OBEY YOUR TRUTH. FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR WE KNOW THAT EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE IS ONLY BECAUSE OF YOU AND HELP US EVERY DAY TO LIVE IN SUCH A WAY AS TO SHOW YOU THE LOVE THAT WE HAVE IN RETURN FOR THE GREAT LOVE THAT YOU CONTINUALLY SHOW US. WE THANK YOU FOR JESUS AND IT'S IN HIS NAME THAT WE PRAY, AMEN.<br> <br>

      WE ALL HAVE SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR IN THIS LIFE. IT SEEMS THAT GOD JUST CONTINUES TO BLESS US MORE AND MORE AS WE STRIVE TO DO HIS WILL. IN OUR SONG BOOKS, THERE ARE MANY SONGS THAT DEAL WITH THE GREAT BLESSINGS WHICH COME FROM GOD. SO, THIS MORNING WE WANT TO BEGIN WITH AN OLD HYMN, WHICH REMINDS US ONE OF THE GREATEST BLESSINGS WE HAVE AS THE FAITHFUL. AT THIS TIME, WON’T YOU JOIN IN AND FOLLOW ALONG WITH THE WORDS, AS WE SING TOGETHER, “SING TO ME OF HEAVEN.” 

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DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS<br> <br>

RAY: IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYTHING IN THIS LIFE THAT IS WORTHWHILE COSTS SOMETHING. IN FACT, ALMOST ANY STORE YOU GO IN YOU WILL FIND SOMETHING THAT YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BUYING AND THE ITEMS ALWAYS HAVE A PRICE ON THEM.  <br> <br>

      HOWEVER, I WOULD LIKE TO REMIND YOU THIS MORNING THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS IN THIS LIFE THAT ARE FREE! MANY OF THESE THINGS ARE NOT TANGIBLE OR SOMETHING WE CAN HOLD IN OUR HAND, BUT THEY ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY DEAL WITH HOW WE REACT TO OTHERS AND HOW THEY REACT TO US.  <br> <br>

      WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WENT SHOPPING AND SOMEONE GAVE YOU A BIG SMILE AT THE CHECKOUT? NOW, WHAT WAS YOUR RESPONSE TO THE SMILE? MOST LIKELY YOU SMILED BACK. OR HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU GONE SOMEWHERE, YOU ARE IN A GOOD MOOD AND INEVITABLY YOUR SMILE AND HAPPINESS HAS AN AFFECT ON OTHERS YOU COME IN CONTACT WITH?  <br> <br>

      ISN’T IT NEAT HOW CONTAGIOUS OUR ATTITUDE CAN BE TO OTHERS?  ANY OF US CAN GO INTO A PLACE WITH A HAPPY DISPOSITION AND WE CAN CAUSE EVERYONE WE INTERACT WITH TO FEEL BETTER OR TO FEEL HAPPY ABOUT THE INTERACTION WE HAD WITH THEM. <br> <br>

      I KNOW WE HAVE ALL BEEN SOMEWHERE BEFORE WHEN MR. OR MRS. SUNSHINE CAME IN THE ROOM AND EVERYONE WAS MADE BETTER OR HAPPY FROM THEIR POSITIVE ATTITUDE. I KNOW I HAVE THIS FEELING A LOT WITH MY CHILDREN. AFTER A LONG, BUSY, OR HARD DAY, I CAN COME HOME AND THE SMILES AND THE NONSENSE OF MY CHILDREN CAN PUT A GRIN ON MY FACE BEFORE I REALIZE IT.  <br> <br>

      ON THE OTHER HAND, THERE IS ANOTHER SIDE TO THIS DISCUSSION. IN THE SAME WAY WE CAN HAVE A GOOD AND POSITIVE EFFECT ON OTHERS, SOME CHOOSE TO HAVE A BAD OR A NEGATIVE EFFECT ON OTHERS. FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE ALL BEEN IN SITUATIONS WHERE WE WERE HAVING A GOOD TIME OR A PRETTY GOOD DAY AND MR. OR MRS. GRUMPY COMES IN AND SPOILS THE MOOD. YOU SEE, WE EACH PLAY A BIG PART IN HOW OTHERS FEEL IN THIS LIFE AND ULTIMATELY WE ARE ALSO PERCEIVED AS BEING GOOD OR BAD THROUGH THE THINGS THAT WE DO AND SAY. <br> <br> 

      I LIKE WHAT IS SAID IN PROVERBS 12:25, “ANXIETY IN THE HEART OF MAN CAUSES DEPRESSION, BUT A GOOD WORD MAKES IT GLAD.” GOOD WORDS, CHEERFUL THOUGHTS, AND KIND ACTIONS, THESE ARE THE THINGS WHICH WILL TRULY BRING HAPPINESS AND GLADNESS IN THIS LIFE. AND REMEMBER THAT GOD SAID WE MUST BE GOOD, INSIDE AND OUT, BECAUSE SOLOMON ALSO SAID, “AS A MAN THINKS IN HIS HEART, SO IS HE.” IF WE ACT LIKE CHRIST AND SHOW A POSITIVE AND HAPPY DISPOSITION IN THIS LIFE, THEN PEOPLE WILL KNOW THAT IS TRULY WHO WE ARE INSIDE. HOWEVER, IF WE SHOW A NEGATIVE AND UGLY ATTITUDE ALL OF THE TIME, PEOPLE WILL ALSO KNOW WHO WE TRULY ARE INSIDE. <br> <br>

      SO WHO DO YOU CHOOSE TO BE LIKE, GOD OR MAN? WILL YOU CHOOSE TO HAVE A GOOD AND POSITIVE EFFECT ON OTHERS IN THIS LIFE? OR WILL YOU CHOOSE TO BRING EVERYONE DOWN WITH YOU? THE CHOICE IS YOURS, WILL YOU DO IT YOUR WAY OR GOD’S? <br> <br>

      TODAY, WE WILL AGAIN FOCUS ON, “HIS OWN SPECIAL PEOPLE.” OUR SPECIFIC TOPIC THIS MORNING WILL BE, “CALLED TO BE OBEDIENT.” AFTER OUR NEXT SONG TOGETHER, I WILL RETURN AND LEAD US IN THIS STUDY FROM GOD’S WORD. NOW IT’S TIME TO JOIN IN OUR SECOND HYMN OF THE DAY, THE NAME OF THE SONG, “SOFTLY AND TENDERLY.” <br> <br>



LESSON<br> <br>

RAY SULLINS<br> <br>

      WE'RE SO GLAD YOU'VE CONTINUED WITH US THIS MORNING AS WE NOW GO TO GOD'S WORD AND CONSIDER ANOTHER LESSON CONCERNING THE SPECIAL PEOPLE THAT WE ARE AS THE CHILDREN OF GOD. AND AS WE THINK ABOUT THOSE THINGS, I MIGHT BEGIN THIS MORNING BY ASKING YOU TO CONSIDER REALLY IN LIFE HOW THAT THERE ARE SO MANY ASPECTS OR A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT, MAYBE, ASPECTS OF LIFE BUT YET THEY ALL REQUIRE A SIMILAR THING. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHETHER WHEN YOU ARE BORN, YOU COME INTO THIS WORLD, YOU ARE BORN INTO A FAMILY AND IT IS REQUIRED THAT YOU ARE OBEDIENT TO YOUR PARENTS. AND AS YOU GROW UP AND YOU PERHAPS GO TO SCHOOL, YOU BEGAN TO LEARN ABOUT AUTHORITY AND THOSE WHO ARE OVER YOU AND YOU ALSO THEREFORE HAVE TO OBEY THE RULES AND THE THINGS THAT YOU ARE TOLD BY YOUR TEACHERS, BY YOUR PRINCIPAL, AS YOU GROW UP AND YOU ARE MORE AND MORE AWARE OF THE LAWS OF THE LAND YOU ALSO HAVE TO LEARN TO OBEY THE LAWS OF THE LAND IN ORDER THAT YOU'LL BE SOMEBODY WHO HAS THE FREEDOM THAT YOU DESIRE AND NOT FIND YOURSELF IN PRISON. AND THEN EVEN AS YOU GO BEYOND THAT AND YOU GO TO COLLEGE OR PERHAPS YOU GET A JOB. EVEN WITHIN THE JOB THERE ARE RULES. THERE ARE USUALLY LAWS OR THINGS THAT MAYBE GUIDE OR THAT CONTROL THAT JOB AND WHAT'S REQUIRED IN THAT JOB. AND ONCE AGAIN, GUESS WHAT? YOU LEARN THAT YOU HAVE TO OBEY SOMEONE. YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW THE DIRECTIVES OF SOMEONE WHO IS OVER YOU. YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT STRANGE TO ANY OF US AND WE JUST KIND OF ACCEPT IT BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT'S A PART OF LIFE. AND IT'S REALLY A NECESSARY PART OF LIFE BECAUSE USUALLY THOSE WHO ARE OVER US IN ALL OF THOSE SITUATIONS ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE WHAT? KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE. PEOPLE WHO CAN HELP US OR WHO CAN TEACH US OR WHO CAN NOT ONLY MAKE US SUCCESSFUL BUT MAKE THE CLASSROOM OR THE EDUCATION OR THE WORK THAT WE'RE INVOLVED IN SUCCESSFUL. <br> <br>

      WELL, THE SAME IS TRUE IN RELIGION BUT YOU GET TO RELIGION AND SOMEONE WILL SAY, ‘OH, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHETHER YOU DO WHAT GOD SAYS OR NOT. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHETER YOU DO IT YOUR WAY OR YOU DO IT MY WAY. REALLY, GOD DOESN'T REQUIRE A SPECIFIC OBEDIENCE. HE JUST WANTS YOU TO KINDA KNOW HIM AND LOVE HIM. AND YOU KNOW, AS LONG YOU HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A FEELING TOWARD GOD OR ABOUT GOD, WELL THEN YOU'RE PROBABLY OKAY.’ WELL, HOW SILLY. IN FACT, I MIGHT SAY HOW RIDICULOUS! BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT IN EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE THERE ARE THESE STANDARDS, AND THESE LAWS, AND THESE REQUIREMENTS, AND THAT WE MUST OBEY IF WE ARE TO BE CONSIDERED GOOD CITIZENS AND IF WE ARE TO REALLY MOVE AHEAD AND TO BECOME WHAT WE NEED TO BECOME. BUT THEN IN RELIGION, WE LOSE OUR MINDS AND WE FORGET WHAT COMMON SENSE IS. WHEN REALLY, WHEN WE GO TO THE BIBLE WHAT DO WE FIND, NOT ONLY FROM GOD, BUT WHAT DO WE FIND FROM THE PEOPLE OF GOD? THE HOLY, THE SPECIAL, THE UNIQUE, THE CHOSEN PEOPLE. WHAT DO WE FIND THAT THEY WERE ALWAYS REQUIRED TO DO BY GOD FROM THE BEGINNING? OBEY. ADAM AND EVE WERE REQUIRED TO OBEY GOD IN THE BEGINNING AND WHAT DID THEY DO? THEY DISOBEYED AND THEY WERE CAST OUT OF THE GARDEN OF EDEN. WHEN WE MOVE FORWARD FROM THAT WE FIND EXAMPLE AFTER EXAMPLE OF INDIVIDUALS AND GOD'S PEOPLE WHO WERE COMMANDED TO WHAT? OBEY. AND WHAT DID THEY OFTEN DO? DISOBEY. AND WHAT WOULD HAPPEN? THEY WERE PUNISHED. WHY WERE THEY PUNISHED? THEY WERE PUNISHED BECAUSE GOD REQUIRES OBEDIENCE. WE CAN GO MANY PLACES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT BUT THE ONE VERSE THAT JUMPS OUT TO ME WAS JEREMIAH CHAPTER 7 AND VERSE 23 WORD WHERE IT ACTUALLY SAYS, “BUT THIS IS WHAT I COMMAND THEM,” AND THIS IS GOD'S WORD BEING REVEALED, “THIS IS WHAT I COMMAND THEM, ‘OBEY MY VOICE, AND I WILL BE YOUR GOD, AND YOU SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.’” WHAT WAS THE STIPULATION? IF THEY WANTED TO BE THE PEOPLE OF GOD, THE CHOSEN PEOPLE, THE UNIQUE PEOPLE, WHAT WAS THE STIPULATION IF THEY WANT GOD TO BE THEIR GOD? “OBEY MY VOICE.” HOW DO WE HEAR THE VOICE OF GOD? WELL, TODAY WE HEAR THE VOICE OF GOD IN HIS PERFECT WORD, THE REVELATION THAT HAS BEEN GIVEN TO US. THAT, BY THE WAY, PROVIDES US ALL THINGS PERTAINING TO LIFE AND GODLINESS, PETER SAID, AND GIVE US ALL THINGS THAT THOROUGHLY FURNISH US, ACCORDING TO WHAT PAUL SAID TO TIMOTHY. SO WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE THE VERY WORD, THE VOICE OF GOD, THE PERFECT MESSAGE DELIVERED IN THE SCRIPTURE, JAMES 1:25, “THE PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY,” AND THEREFORE, WHAT MUST WE DO? OBEY THE VOICE OF GOD. YOU SEE, IT HASN'T CHANGED TODAY MY FRIENDS. IT HASN'T CHANGED AT ALL! OBEDIENCE IS A REQUIREMENT OF GOD. <br> <br>

      WE MOVE OVER INTO THE NEW TESTAMENT AND WE SEE THAT EVEN JESUS, AS HE LIVED ON THE EARTH, REITERATED THE SAME THING. YOU REMEMBER WITH ME IN JOHN CHAPTER 14 AND VERSE 15 WHEN JESUS SPOKE TO HIS DISCIPLES? HE MADE THIS STATEMENT, “IF YOU LOVE ME,” (CONDITION ‘IF’) WHAT'S REQUIRED IF WE LOVE YOU? OBEY, “KEEP MY COMMANDS.” YOU SEE, THERE'S A CONDITION ON SHOWING THE LOVE OF GOD. ON PROVING OUR LOVE TO GOD. AND WHAT IS THAT? OBEDIENCE. TO WHAT? THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD. HOW DO WE KNOW THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD? THE VOICE OF GOD. YOU SEE WE MUST OBEY. ‘OH, BUT BROTHER RAY, THAT WAS BEFORE THE CHURCH WAS ESTABLISHED. ALL WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IS THINGS IN JEREMIAH'S DAY OR THE OLD TESTAMENT AND WE'RE ONLY TALKING ABOUT THINGS DURING THE GOSPEL - THE GOSPEL  - THE LIFE OF CHRIST PERIOD, THAT WAS BEFORE THE CHURCH WAS ESTABLISHED.’ WELL LET'S SEE WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT REVEALED TO JOHN IN FIRST JOHN, OR RATHER SECOND JOHN, CHAPTER 1 AND VERSE SIX. IN THAT TEXT WE AGAIN LEARN THE VERY SAME TRUTH. “THIS IS LOVE…” WHAT'S LOVE? “THAT WE WALK ACCORDING TO HIS COMMANDMENTS.” HE DOESN'T STOP THERE. IF WE LOVE GOD WHAT? WE WALK ACCORDING TO HIS WHAT? HIS COMMANDMENTS? HIS LAW? HIS REQUIREMENTS? SOUND LIKE WHERE WE BEGAN IN ALL PARTS OF LIFE. THIS IS THE COMMANDMENT THAT AS YOU HAVE HEARD FROM THE BEGINNING YOU SHOULD WALK IN IT. YOU MUST WALK IN WHAT? THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD! THIS IS LOVE. THIS IS HOW WE KNOW LOVE. YOU SEE, WE MUST OBEY. OBEDIENCE IS NOT OPTIONAL IF WE ARE TO BE RIGHT IN THE EYES OF GOD. IF WE ARE TO BE FAITHFUL AS CHILDREN OF GOD WE HAVE TO MAKE THE CHOICE BECAUSE THE FACT IS THE BIBLE TEACHES US THAT YOU OBEY SOMETHING IN LIFE. YOU EITHER OBEY GOD AND THOSE THINGS THEN THAT ARE RIGHTEOUS AND PURE AND PERFECT OR YOU OBEY THE WORLD OR PERHAPS MAN OR YOURSELF AND THE FLESH. YOU SERVE SOMETHING. WHAT IS IT THAT YOU SERVE? <br> <br>

      ‘OH BUT BROTHER RAY, IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER WHAT WE DO. YOU KNOW, GOD IS NOT THAT HARD OF A GOD.’ WHY DID GOD SAY ‘KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS IF YOU LOVE ME?’ WHY DID GOD SAY OBEY? WHY DID GOD PUNISH OVER AND OVER AGAIN OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS THOSE WHO WERE DISOBEDIENT? THOSE WHO DID NOT OBEY? WHY DID PAUL WARN MANY CHURCHES THAT FALL PREY, AS THE ISRAELITES DID, TO BEING THOSE WHO WERE DISOBEDIENT TO THE WILL OF GOD? BECAUSE HE KNEW AS THE HOLY SPIRIT HAD REVEALED THAT OBEDIENCE IS A REQUIREMENT TO THE VOICE OF GOD, THE LAW OF GOD, THE WORD OF GOD! NOT AS WE PICK AND CHOOSE WHICH LAWS APPLY. GIVE THAT A SHOT IN SECULAR LIFE. TRY TO PICK AND CHOOSE THE LAWS YOU LIKE HERE IN THE WORLD. GO OUT AND BREAK THE SPEED LIMIT AND SEE WHERE THAT GETS YOU BUT YET THEN IN RELIGION IT DOESN'T MATTER. CERTAINLY IT MATTERS! BECAUSE THE VOICE OF GOD IS CLEAR AND THE LAWS ARE CRUCIAL.<br> <br> 

      SO HOW DO WE KNOW? LOOK AT ROMANS CHAPTER 6. IN ROMANS CHAPTER 6 WE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL TEXT THEY REALLY DEALS WITH THE CONCEPT OF OBEDIENCE AND REALLY THE FACT THAT WE'RE GOING TO OBEY SOMETHING SO WHAT ARE THE TWO OPTIONS? WELL VERSE 16 SAYS, “DO YOU NOT KNOW TO WHOM YOU PRESENT YOURSELF SLAVES TO OBEY?” UH - OH, YOU MEAN THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE CHOOSE TO DO AND SAY? YES. DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND WHEN YOU CHOOSE TO SAY CERTAIN THINGS OR YOU CHOOSE TO DO CERTAIN THINGS YOU ARE OBEYING SOMETHING, EITHER GOOD THINGS OR RIGHTOUS THINGS OR YOU ARE OBEYING THE WORLD AND FOLLOWING WORLDLINESS? YOU'RE OBEYING SOMETHING. THOSE WHOM YOU CHOOSE. THOSE WHO YOU DESIRE AND OBEY. HE SAYS YOU ARE THAT ONE SLAVE WHOM YOU OBEY. NOW, WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT? BECAUSE IF YOU'VE SUBMITED YOURSELF TO A COMPANY, A BOSS, WHAT MUST YOU DO? OBEY THE RULES, OBEY THE REQUIREMENTS OF YOUR JOB. IF YOU WANT TO KEEP THE JOB YOU HAVE TO WHAT? OBEY. WHY WOULD IT BE DIFFERENT IN RELIGION? IF I'M GOING TO BE A CHILD OF GOD, THAT SPECIAL, THAT UNIQUE CHILD CALLED TO OBEY, WHY WOULD I NOT OBEY GOD AND UNDERSTAND THAT I HAVE TO OBEY IF I'M TO BE A SLAVE OF GOD? NOW NOTICE WHAT HE SAYS ABOUT THAT CONCEPT. THERE IN VERSE 16 HE CONTINUES, WHETHER YOU OBEY SIN LEADING TO DEATH OR WHETHER YOU OBEY RIGHTEOUSNESS, THEREFORE BEING RIGHTEOUS. YOU SEE THE CHOICES ARE CLEAR. WE'RE EITHER GOING TO BE SERVANTS OF GOD OR NOT AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT YOU SERVE GOD, YOU OBEY GOD, AND THEREFORE BECAUSE YOU'RE OBEYING GOD YOU'RE LIVING THE LIFE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS! <br> <br>

      ON THE OTHER HAND IF YOU DO NOT OBEY GOD THEN YOU OBEY THE FLESH. YOU ARE A SLAVE OF SIN, OF SATAN AND, THEREFORE, YOU ARE A SLAVE OF DEATH! YOU CANNOT FIND LIFE. YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS. YOU CAN'T STRADDLE THE FENCE. YOU CAN'T PICK AND CHOOSE AND BOUNCE BACK AND FORTH. YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE WHOM IS YOUR MASTER, WHO WILL YOU FOLLOW. THOSE WHO HAVE OBEYED FROM THE HEART, THE FORM OF DOCTRINE THAT IS FROM GOD, THE FOLLOWING VERSE SAYS THEY ARE THE SLAVES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. THOSE WHO OBEY OF THE SLAVES OF GOD, THE SLAVES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN BOUGHT WITH THE VERY BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST AND THEREFORE WE RECEIVE HIS CARE, HIS BLESSINGS, HIS PROMISES. BUT THOSE WHO REJECT GOD CERTAINLY WILL BE REJECTED BY GOD EVEN PUNISHED BY GOD ACCORDING TO HIS WILL. <br> <br>

      SO LET'S LOOK AT SOME OF THE APPLICATION THEN. TWO VERSES THAT I WOULD LIKE TO LOOK AT SPECIFICALLY. ONE IS FOUND OVER IN PETER, FIRST PETER CHAPTER 1 AND VERSE 14. RIGHT AFTER HE SAYS HERE ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE NEED TO GIRD UP OUR LOINS TO PREPARE OURSELVES AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SOBER AND READY TO DO WHAT GOD SAYS IS WHAT HE'S SAYING AND WE KNOW THAT BECAUSE VERSE 14 OF FIRST PETER CHAPTER 1 SAYS THIS, “AS OBEDIENT CHILDREN,” DO WHAT? “GIRD UP THE LOINS OF YOUR MIND, BE SOBER…” FOCUS ON GOD THE THINGS OF GOD, AS OBEDIENT CHILDREN. YOU KNOW, WE UNDERSTAND THAT A CHILD IS TO BE OBEDIENT TO THE PARENT. WHO WAS OUR PARENT? WHO IS OUR FATHER? GOD. ARE WE TO OBEY GOD? YES. IN WHAT AREAS IS THE CHILD REQUIRED TO OBEY THE FATHER? IN EVERY RESPECT THEY ARE REQUIRED TO OBEY. HE SAYS AS DEAR CHILDREN NOT CONFORM TO YOUR FORMER LUST AS IN IGNORANCE. BUT LOOK AT VERSE 15, “BUT AS YOU WHO CALLED YOU IS HOLY, YOU ALSO BE HOLY IN YOUR CONDUCT.” YOU SEE, THE OBEDIENT CHILD, THE OBEDIENT CHILD, THE SLAVE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, DEMONSTRATES WHAT? RIGHTEOUSNESS, FOR GOD IS RIGHTEOUS. FIRST JOHN CHAPTER 3. AND HERE IT SAYS THE OBEDIENT CHILD DEMONSTRATES HOLINESS. BECAUSE WHO WAS HOLY? GOD IS HOLY. IF YOU'RE A SLAVE OF HOLINESS OR GOD YOU'RE GOING TO DEMONSTRATE THAT HOLINESS OR THAT PURITY. YOU SEE, IF YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING OTHER OR SHOWING SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN THAT, ARE YOU TRULY A SLAVE OF GOD? ARE YOU TRULY ONE WHO HAS, AS HE SAYS IN VERSE 14, LAID ASIDE OR PUT AWAY THE FORMER LUST? THE FORMER CONDUCT? THE FORMER SIN IN ORDER TO SERVE GOD? YOU SEE, YOU CAN'T BRING SIN INTO THE FOLD OF GOD, IN THE FAMILY OF GOD, BECAUSE IN GOD THERE IS NO DARKNESS AT ALL, VERSE JOHN CHAPTER 1. SO AS WE ARE STRIVING FOR HOLINESS, AS WE ARE STRIVING FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS, WE MUST STRIVE THEN TO BE THOSE FAITHFUL OF GOD CONTINUALLY. WE MUST MAKE THE CONTINUAL DETERMINATION THAT I AM A SLAVE OF GOD, NOT THE WORLD OR MAN OR MAYBE EVEN MY SELF. BUT I'M A SLAVE OF GOD AND THEREFORE I CHOOSE RIGHTEOUSNESS, HOLINESS, PURITY, GODLINESS. I CHOOSE THOSE THINGS THAT OFFER ME NOT ONLY HIS BLESSINGS HERE IN THIS LIFE AS THE MASTER, THE FATHER CARES FOR HIS CHILD, BUT ALSO THE ETERNAL PROMISES TO COME. <br> <br>

      AND THEN JAMES PUTS IT IN ANOTHER WAY THAT I THINK IS A BEAUTIFUL THOUGHT. WE MENTIONED EARLIER VERSE 25 OF JAMES ONE THE PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY. BUT IF YOU'LL NOTICE WITHIN THAT CONCEPT NOTICE WHAT HE SAYS IN THAT SAME VERSE, “HE WHO LOOKS INTO THE PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY,” REMEMBER WE SAID THERE THE IDEA OF THE WORD OF GOD, THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD, THE THINGS OF GOD, HE WHO WORKS IN THE PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY “AND CONTINUES IN IT, AND IS NOT A FORGETFUL HEARER BUT A DOER OF THE WORK, THIS ONE IS BLESSED IN WHAT HE DOES.” YOU SEE THERE MUST BE AN ACTION. OBEDIENCE REQUIRES ACTION THAT WE DO WHAT? THAT WE DO WHAT IS ASKED OF US. IF YOU LOVE ME KEEP, ACT, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS. DO. THOSE WHO DO ARE NOT JUST HEARING AND FORGETTING OR REJECTING IT LIKE SO MANY DO WHO CLAIM TO BE CHRISTIANS, BUT THOSE WHO HEAR AND THEN DO ALL THAT GOD SAYS, THOSE ARE THE TRUE SLAVES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. IN FACT, IF YOU BACKUP INTO THE TEXT HE SAYS OVER AND OVER, VERSE 22 FOR INSTANCE CHAPTER 1, “BE DOERS OF THE WORD, NOT HEARERS ONLY, DECEIVING YOURSELF.” WHEN YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST HEAR AND SAY, ‘OH YEA I LOVE GOD BUT YOU KNOW GOD IS NOT A STICKLER ON THOSE THINGS.’ THEN HE TELLS US HERE WHAT? DON'T DECEIVE YOURSELF! UNDERSTAND THAT ONE WHOM YOU CHOOSE TO OBEY YOU HAVE MADE YOURSELF A SLAVE TO. <br> <br>

      THEREFORE, UNDERSTAND THAT IN GOD NOT ONLY IS OBEDIENCE AND OPPORTUNITY A PRIVILEGE SO THAT WE MIGHT KNOW BY OUR OWN OBEDIENCE THAT WE ARE DOING WHAT GOD SAYS AND THEREFORE A RECIPIENT OF WHAT HE HAS PROMISED BUT IT'S ALSO A GREAT WONDER BECAUSE WE THEN CAN SHARE THAT NEED TO OBEY THE VOICE OF GOD, THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD WITH OTHERS SO THAT THEY CAN ALSO REAP IN THOSE GREAT BENEFITS AS THE FAITHFUL. SO WHOM DO YOU OBEY TODAY? WHOM DO YOU CHOOSE TO OBEY? HAVE YOU MADE YOURSELF SLAVES OF SIN OR HAVE YOU MADE YOURSELF SLAVES OF GOD? HOPEFULLY SLAVES OF GOD KNOWING THAT THE FAITHFUL WILL BE BLESSED BY THEIR GOD EACH AND EVERY DAY AND ULTIMATELY YOU'LL RECEIVE THE REWARD OF ETERNAL LIFE. 

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CLOSING COMMENTS<br> <br>

      IT WAS GREAT TO HAVE YOU WITH US TODAY. THANKS AGAIN FOR BEING WITH US AS WE COMMITTED THIS TIME TO GOD. LET ME INVITE YOU TO JOIN US EVERY LORD’S DAY MORNING AT 7:30, FOR THE LIVING WORD PROGRAM.<br> <br>

      NOW LET ME ASK IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT TODAY’S LESSON? MAYBE, YOU WOULD LIKE A FREE TRANSCRIPT OR A FREE CASSETTE TAPE OF THIS PROGRAM? POSSIBLY, WE COULD ASSIST YOU WITH FREE BIBLE MATERIALS OR FREE BIBLE CORRESPONDENCE COURSES? NO MATTER WHAT YOUR NEED IS, PLEASE CONTACT US AT THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS:  <br> <br>



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      MAY WE ALL LEARN TO BE MORE OBEDIENT AND TO FOLLOW GOD IN ALL THINGS THAT WE MAY SHOW HIM HOW MUCH WE TRULY LOVE HIM.  ARE YOU OBEYING YOUR MASTER IN ALL THINGS?  

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