Love And Obedience
We frequently run into people while out street witnessing that have a wrong view of God’s love. Since the Bible says God is love, they wrongly assume that because God is love, He will overlook sin. After all, He is love. But the Bible doesn’t say God overlooks sin because He is love. If that were the case, then Jesus died in vain. But He did not die in vain. Jesus didn’t die on the cross for guilty sinners so we could sin freely. No, He suffered, bled and died to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). Instead of this wrong, low view of love, what does God want from us? He wants love and obedience.
Obedience. God commands everyone everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). We are to repent and trust Jesus, then obey God. Jesus said, if you love Me, keep my commandments. Please listen to what Deuteronomy 5:2-29 states: The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,
(I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to shew you the word of the Lord: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying, I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt have none other gods before me. Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:
The LORD Is A Jealous God
Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee.
Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine donkey, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.
And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
You Shall Not Kill Nor Commit Adultery
Thou shalt not kill. Neither shalt thou commit adultery. Neither shalt thou steal. Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbor. Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbor’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbor’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his donkey, or any thing that is thy neighbor’s.
These words the Lord spoke unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me. And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders;
And ye said, Behold, the Lord our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, then we shall die. For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?
The People Have Well Spoken
Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it. And the Lord heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and the Lord said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken.
O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever!
God takes sin very seriously and He wants us to obey Him. He told Adam and Eve to obey in the garden and the Lord told the Israelites to obey when they wandered in the wilderness and afterwards. Jesus also tells us to obey today. He said why do you call me Lord, Lord and don’t do what I say (Luke 6:46)? Do you obey God?
Do You Love God?
The Lord also tells us to love Him. Do you love God? Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.
Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Yes, in addition to obeying God we are to love the Lord. Do you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and might? Do you really love Jesus? Our Lord Jesus said if you love Me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). Is this you tonight? Do you truly love the Lord? Is it your desire to deny yourself and follow Him? Are you living for Jesus tonight? Is Jesus Christ really your Lord and Savior?
Submit To God Through Love And Obedience
We are to submit to God through love and obedience. Do you truly obey God today? Acts 17:30-31 says: And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
God commands each and every one of us to repent. Repent, turn from your sins and turn to Jesus. Why turn to Jesus? Because God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through Jesus. It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). You are going to die and one day stand before God. What will your excuse be on that great and terrible day of the Lord? What excuse do you think God will accept? Oh, I’m asking you, what will you do with your sins on Judgment Day?
You see, there will be no place to hide and there will be no excuses on the day of the Lord. Men will give an account for idle word they’ve spoken. God will judge every secret thing, whether it be good or evil. Judgment is coming. Are you ready to meet your Maker?
Are You Prepared To meet God?
If Jesus Christ is not your Lord and Savior, then you are not ready to meet God. You are unprepared. You are ill-prepared. You do not want to meet Jesus in your unrepentant state because you will meet Him as your Judge. The Lord will pronounce you guilty, guilty, guilty on Judgment Day.
Oh folks, do not die in your sins and go to a devil’s Hell. Hell was created for Satan and the fallen angels -also known as demons, but men and women foolishly trip and fall in it. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).
Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled: But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness (Isaiah 5:14-16).
Don’t Die In Your Sins And Go To Hell
Don’t foolishly die in your sins and go to Hell. I’m pleading with you to not die as an unrepentant sinner and receive eternal damnation. Look to Jesus Christ, the hope of mankind. Jesus is the only Savior. Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by me (John 14:6). Come to Jesus today and be saved.
We are all unrighteous. Every one of us have sinned against our Holy and righteous God. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Every one of us deserve eternal punishment for our sins, for our rebellion against Almighty God.
Oh, but God in His great mercy made a way for us to get back right with Him. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8).
The Lord Jesus Died For The Ungodly
Jesus died for the ungodly. None of us are righteous, no not one. But Jesus died for the ungodly, for the unrighteous. God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. We say no to God in our state of rebellion against Him, yet He made a way for us to get back right with Him through Jesus Christ alone.
Jesus is the righteous One. He is the just One who took the punishment on the cross that you and I deserve. He bore God’s anger over sinful creatures while He hung there. Jesus, the sinless one, suffered, bled and died. Oh, but praise God, He rose victoriously from the grave. Jesus defeated sin, death, Hell and Satan. All things that we cannot defeat on our own. But Jesus is the victor. He wears the victor’s crown and God offers everlasting life to each and every person who repents and surrenders their life to Jesus.
Those of us who are saved, love Jesus because He first loved us. We love and obey the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Will you join us? Will you tonight confess and forsake your sins? Will you cry out for God to save you? Oh, will you repent from your sins and put your faith in Jesus? Then love and obey the Lord. That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days (Deuteronomy 30:20 a).
(This message was lifted up in downtown Springfield, MO on December 15, 2017)