My Expression of Love For God

Title:  MY EXPRESSION OF LOVE FOR GOD

Text:  John 14:15, 24a

Introduction:

            Bible quiz time.  Get out your pencils and paper.  Actually you don’t need to, it’s just one question.  What’s the best way you can express to God that you love Him?  (Answers)  It’s to obey Him.  Read Text!

            Last week we say that God requires adjustments to join Him in His work.  Everyone who was given an assignment by God in the Bible had to make adjustments to do His will.  And we saw that those adjustments put us in the position to obey Him.  I need to address the area of obedience today.

            Obedience is your outward expression that you love God.  If you have an obedience problem, you have a love problem!  God is love, so His will is always best.  God is all-knowing, so His directions are always right.  God is all-powerful, so he can empower you to do His will.  If you love Him, you will obey Him! 

            So, in many ways, obedience is your moment of truth.  What you DO reveals what you believe about Him, and it determines whether you will come to know Him more intimately. 1 John 2:3-6 *v.5  There is an important promise I want you to see here:  to the one who obeys His word, God says He will make His love complete in them.  Now ladies, get out your measuring spoons…guys, get out your measuring tapes…and tell me the measure of God’s love when He decides to make it complete in you!!  Folks, all the wheelbarrows in California couldn’t contain it all!!  Neither could the Pacific Ocean!  God’s love is measureless! 

            This is a big deal.  It deserves our attention.  Let’s take a closer look at the importance of obedience, and it’s benefits.

I.      THE BENEFITS OF OBEDIENCE

A.    This next statement may be difficult for some, but I want you to give it full consideration:  If you know God loves you, you should never question a directive from Him.  Do you agree with that?

B.    You see, God’s directions are always right…always best.  When He gives you a directive, you aren’t just to observe it, discuss it, or debate it.           You are to obey it.

C.    Let’s read some passages and then I’ve got a question for you.  Deut. 28:1,8;  28:15, 20;  1 Pet. 4:17  Question:  Now you tell me,  just how important is obedience?

D.    Let’s look at the benefits of obedience:  Jer. 7:23;  Lk. 6:46-49

E.     Question:  How would God describe your level of obedience?  All of us have sinned and gone our own way, but ask God to help you see your overall pattern of obedience or disobedience.  If there is a pattern of disobedience, what do you think the root cause is?

F.     Consider this prayer for your own life.  It’s a prayer of David.  Ps. 119:33-35 

G.    Do you think God would give a new assignment to a servant who will not obey?  God’s assignments are not given so you can pick and choose the ones you want to obey and forget the rest.             Out of love, God wants you to submit to Him in all things.                     When you show Him you are faithful in little things, He will entrust you with greater things.

Transition:  When someone disobeys God’s will, does God give them a second chance?

II.   THE GOD OF THE SECOND CHANCE…SOMETIMES

A.    Do you remember the story of Jonah?  He disobeyed God about going to Nineveh.  The consequences were costly.  How would you like to be found strolling on the beach with designer clothes of sea weed and perfume of whale vomit?  Disobedience is very serious!

1.     After Jonah confess and repented of his disobedience, God gave him a second chance to obey. 

2.     Do you remember the effect of Jonah’s repentance and obedience?  120,000 people responded to his one-sentence message of repentance!! 

Application:  Your past of disobedience does not hold God back on using you once you submit to Him!  Praise God?  You bet!            If God only allowed us one mistake, Moses would never have been a deliver…David would never have been a king…and Peter would never have made an apostle!

B.    Disobedience, however, is never taken lightly by God.  Jonah’s disobedience almost cost him his life…Moses’ murder of an Egyptian cost him 40 years in the wilderness…David’s sin with Bathsheba cost the life of his son…and Peter’s denial cost him his reputation.

C.    Folks, God is interested in developing your character.  He will let you do as you choose, but He will never let you go too far without discipline to bring you back!  Praise God that He can even take the circumstances of your disobedience and work that together for the good!  (Rom. 8:28)

D.    Now, even though God gives second chances, don’t take disobedience lightly.  Sometimes He does not give second chances!  God struck dead Aaron’s two sons because they offered unholy incense to the Lord…Moses was prevented from entering the Promised Land because he took God’s glory when he struck the rock and produced water!

E.     Those are pretty serious consequences for disobedience, folks!!  Now tell me, can you control what God will do when you disobey Him?!  Can you control which He will do?  What if He chooses the later?!! 

Conclusion:

            When WE hear God invite us to join Him, we often want a sign.  “Lord, prove to me this is You, and then I will obey.”  Sound familiar? When Moses stood before God at the burning bush and received God’s invitation to join Him, this is what God said about a sign:  “This will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” (Ex. 3:12)

            Did you notice the sequence?  Moses, you obey…I will deliver…return and worship Me on this mountain and I will show you the sign!  God’s affirmation that He had sent Moses came AFTER Moses obeyed, not before!  And most frequently, that’s the case through Scripture!  The sign comes AFTER the obedience! 

            What else can I say, folks?  Trust Him!  Believe Him!  And because you love Him, obey Him!  When you do, you will find a fellowship so sweet, because that’s when God gets intimate with you!

Let the words of this song encourage you:  When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, what a glory He sheds on our way!  While we do His good will, He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.  But we never can prove the delights of His love until ALL on the altar we lay; for the favor He shows and the joy He bestows are for them who will trust and obey.  Then in fellowship sweet, we will sit at His feet, or we’ll walk by His side in the way; what He says we will do, where He sends we will go; never fear, only trust and obey.  Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

            Pray