Let's look at john chapter 14. Oh, Lord, thank you for family. Thank you for community. Thank you for jokes. You're So Amazing, Lord, we thank you that you're the one that reveals the word to us Holy Spirit. And so we ask, that's what we ask that you would bring just deep revelation of your word to us. Yes, Jesus name we always pray the name of Jesus. Amazing. All right. So if you got the email, I titled this message, God's love language. dumping I've thought about for years and years and years, and john and I gain we've talked about that we've had conversations and other folks. And I just over the course of, you know, looking over Daniel, it's been pretty intense for the last several weeks. This has just been something that continues to be on my heart. And I even recently saw someone who I just really respect a great, great man of God just kind of talk about this and like, how do we respond to God in love? What's the greatest command? You guys remember what the greatest command is? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength? So if that is the greatest command, our response to that command is, I mean, probably the most important thing about us honestly, right? Have we thought have we asked ourselves? How does God desire us to respond? So I thought about the whole love who's taken a love language test to read that book? Gary Chapman, like a lot of folks out here, right. Okay. It was anyone did it? Was it fairly accurate? Did it feel fairly accurate for most of you? For me, it may not be 100%. It may not be accurate at all for some of you. But the one thing that it brought to my attention was people receive love differently. I mean, like, that's, like kind of a principle, I can draw that right. Like, I had never really thought. And I've talked a little bit about this with y'all, but that my wife might receive love different than the way that I receive love. And so I know I've shared this but my big one is quality time. I love some quality time. I was actually thinking about Where's Matt at sea route running around out areas, Matt, I was thinking about this. By the way since Matt hasn't had a job. He is doing a lot of work around here and it looks great. He has not Yes, he is I he is often found multiple days a week cleaning out Taylor place one moving stuff into the shed. If you go look in the where the pantry wasn't there. It looks like an entirely different room. Thank you, Matt. But my point also, not only given Matt props because he's doing awesome, but my love language isn't acts of service. So Matt, though, I'm so excited about what he's doing, man. I'm like hype. Yeah, all right, man. I don't have to do that. That's pretty awesome. My love tank isn't filled. Matt, you don't fill my love tank with that. But you know, what fills my love tank, Matt. When we sit out there for 30 minutes or an hour and just talk. And then right then I then I feel like I'm loved by you. But that's the reality. Right? Like, that's, that's how I receive love. Now my wife, on the other hand is the exact opposite. like hers is act of service. And it's all about perception and how we receive things so I can spend all day with her. And we can be doing all these great things. We can go to the park and have this lovely date and all this stuff. And my love tank is full man. It's awesome. Yeah, my life loves me. My wife loves me, and we're doing great. But if I do that, and then she goes home and the house is a disaster, and I go sit on my rear end and do nothing. All of that having fun. She's gonna feel unloved. Because she's gonna say you don't care about me, and you don't care about my feet. Because now I've got to do all this stuff. And you're not helping me out. Right, babe? I mean, like, literally, all that great time together. But that's because she receives love differently. And that's cool. And that's okay. So I've asked myself and you know, I think a lot of us have, how does God receive love? Does God have this, at least a woven theme, I think absolutely woven, a thread throughout all of Scripture from Old Testament to new to New Testament. Something that is very consistent about how we are to respond to God's love. How does God love us? Grace, mercy, God, love. God shows his love for us and that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, right? redemption I can get he pours and showers these things on us. But God says, but there's now a way for us to respond and show him that we love him. He tells us so we receive His grace and mercy. And then how does he desire us to respond to him? It's really clear. And I think it's hugely important. Because sometimes we like to give love the way we want to receive love. You know, some, let me give an example of my wife, if we went on that quality time and I go back home and man, the house is a mess, and I'm not helping her but I go grab my guitar and I say, Oh, baby, I love you. You're the best
man.
She's gonna say put that stupid guitar away and help me clean up if you love me. But sometimes we treat God Like that, God's saying this or that well, oh god, I love you. And like, are you? Are you? Are you responding in love the way I've asked for you to respond? That's, you know, funny, and yet it's real, right? God says, I mean, we can go back and we can read what he tells the Israelites, I mean, even Isaiah, when he's like, I'm tired of your sacrifices. I'm tired of your festivals. I'm tired of your new moons. I'm tired of all this stuff. You know, go in and seek justice, defend the widow defend the poor, you know what I mean? Like, that's Isaiah chapter one. So God's saying, Look, I've told you to do all these things. It would be like saying, I'm sick of your church services. I'm tired of hearing your songs, do what I told you to do. It's just the reality is same thing as larysa. I'm tired of hearing you sing to me Stop making up songs and doing what I told you to do. Right? So now let's just let's rock and roll. Not literally. JOHN 14, I'm going to start in verse 12. So that we can get some context. JOHN 14 and 15 is huge. into sharing this. Excuse me, if I burped a little bit there. I just spit on you. I tell you like I don't like that weirdness. You know what I mean? Like, I'm like, oh, man, I wonder nobody's gonna spit on their cheek. I just say it. And if you didn't hear it, then Hey, there you go. It's on the recording, go back and listen to the podcast and rewind very quick. Listen, to turn it up all the way. in context, Philip is saying, hey, Jesus, show us the Father. And in Jesus is having this moment where it's like, Philip, how can you say that? How can you even say that, Philip, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. Verse 12. He says, very Truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the work that I do, in fact, greater works with the greater works than these will he do? Because I'm going to the Father, so hey, listen, Philip, you're going to do even greater works. But it's really interesting to that. He says, Whoever believes in me will do the work that I do. You know, we are called to do the work that Jesus did. Right? You guys understand that? The disciple is not above his teacher, our goal as disciples of Jesus is to look like Jesus. So he says, You will even goes crazy, like says this amazing thing that we'll even do greater works, the universe 13. He says, I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in this monster, Jesus saying, Listen to your site to the disciples, hey, listen, I'll do whatever you ask, Why so that the Father is glorified in me. And in verse 14, he says, and if you if, in my name, you asked me for anything, I will do it. I love that passage, right? Now, what does he say next? Because sometimes we stop right there. And actually, this next verse, almost feels out of place. Like if you just kind of reading through it casually, like, Okay, he's talking about, like, believing and trusting in Him and, and walking in, in the ways that he walked and doing the things that he did. And seeing that he is, you know, the Father, the father in him or one. And then he says in verse 15, if you love me, you'll keep my commandments. Like, think about that. So God's saying, like, it would be like larysa, saying, john, if you love me, clean up, God is telling us, if you love me do what I say. Do what I say. I think that's really powerful. And I wonder sometimes if maybe we don't get the stuff ahead in verse 13, to 14 about asking anything and all this stuff, because we're really not walking with Him and doing what he says, You know what I mean? What if we were walking in him in doing what he was saying? I wonder what we would ask for, we might ask for things that he would rather us ask for. But then that's sandwiched in between verse 16, that says, Now ask the Father and He will give you another advocate to be with you forever. So if you love me, you'll keep my commandments. And then I will do this. And I'll give you the, I'll give you the advocate. Right. So the reception of the Holy Spirit also has to do with us. And here's the thing. A lot of people have been burned by this idea of following obedience. Right? I have had many men and women who I love who I think do really love the Lord flied out to my face. I do not like that word. I don't like the word obedience. And most of the time it has to do with when I've asked a rigid, cold hearted, harsh, mostly, honestly, if they're real following the traditions of man, rather than actually doing what Jesus said to do. And because they've grown up in a tradition or have some kind of background with that, like, they don't like that word. And I would just say, Hey, listen, it's all over the Bible. And it's the way that we're to respond to God. It's a huge, it's huge. So if you don't like it, then you can talk to God about it.
But it's reality. It's the reality because I'll just, let's just I'm not going to go through everything here. I'm going to skip down to verse 21. Be like the bereans. Read this whole thing. Make sure what I'm saying is true. Seriously, read all 14 or 15 is really rich. I'm sure many of you read it. Read it again, think through this. But verse 21, says, they who have my commandments, and keep them are those who have me, right? He doesn't say those who say Jesus is Lord are those who love me. Okay? He says, Those who love me are those who have my commandments and keep them. And those who love me will be loved by My Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them. And that interesting. Well, I thought God loved everybody. It since he does got forgot, so love the world, what God's will of the world He gave His only Son, there's obviously a deeper place, and to abide in the love of the Father. And that is how does that happen? It is through obeying, walking and what God has called. See, if you go back to the garden, what was the original sin, it was disobedience to God, we can talk about, not trusting in God, we can talk about pride. We can talk about all these things, but ultimately, they God. they disobeyed what God said. And if we begin to have the mind shift, and like the paradigm shift to recognize everything that God speaks, like, there's a good read, he doesn't just come up with ideas and commands just like oh, let me do that for fun. Like, there's good reasons behind them. As a parent, we don't just go tell our kids we don't say, go jump so we can see how high you jump. Right? We tell them things because we love them. Because we love them. We're like, Hey, watch out for this, hey, you should do this. And then they don't listen to us. And we go told you so you know, like my parents did to me.
Your role while
they were out again, like almost right? 100% was like 100% accuracy, isn't it? It's pretty fun, though. It's pretty fun. When you get to be a parent, watch your kids do the same thing. Like I told you, I told you. I don't mind. You know that you're right. Most of the time. When you're dealing with your kids. I say it all the time. But you probably if you want to boost your own ego, there you go. Have some teenagers. Anyway. And and if it has some controversy as well to go with, eventually they'll come around, they may be 20. When they come around and go shoot, you're right about that. They may be 30 when they come around 40. That's right, then they have to have their own teenager for the Oh, shoot. That's what you were talking about mom and dad, eventually, they'll probably come right. Maybe you'll get to gloat from your grave. But I don't know. Anyways, I've totally sidetracked and don't even know what I'm talking about right now. All right, those who have my commandments, okay. That's how we abide in love. And then it says at the end of that I love this. And I will love them, and reveal myself to them. So if we want a deeper revelation of who Jesus is, then we do what He tells us to do. Whenever we follow what he says, and we obey his commandments, we are becoming like him. And we are having a deeper revelation, we get a deeper revelation of who Jesus is. So this is really important. In verse 23, Jesus answers a question by Judas, about how you're going to reveal how you're going to reveal yourself to us, but not the world. And his answers. He says, Those who love me, will keep my word. So he's saying it a different way. But he continues to reiterate this. Look, if you love me, you will keep my word and my Father will love them. So basically what he's already said, and then this beautiful picture of and we will come to them and make our home with them. Do you want God Jesus and the father to make their home with you? He says, if you if you love me, you're going to keep what I say. And as you keep what I say, me and the Father are going to make our home with you. Isn't that beautiful? I'm gonna keep going through this little bit. But the reason I've just this is so heavy on my heart is because I feel like like the church has an obedience issue. I'm not saying stones river, I'm talking about the church Overall, we have an obedience issue. Like we got this idea that being a Christian is going to church on Sunday, you're singing a few songs or reading the Bible a few times or whatever. Walking as a disciple and a follower of Jesus is about is about becoming like him and walking in everything that he said this is this is our call. This is a deep call. I think the world sees a superficial kind of love the way that we are. Yeah, superficial love the way we operate oftentimes, but they're looking for something real. Verse 24 is his sobering when it says whoever does not love me does not keep my words. So saying if you're if we're not doing what Jesus said, then we don't love him. It'd be like my wife saying if you don't clean up you really don't love me Johnny. Guess what she'd be right? Because what is what love is selfless? Is not selfish. If I'm going to let her do all the work around the house and sit around on my lazy behind I don't really love my wife and care for I might say it. But I would tell myself you're a hypocrite. You're a liar, dude. Don't act like you love lover. You won't do anything because you for her. You're kind of doing your own thing. I think unknowingly it's sometimes it's just ignorance. I think unknowingly we do that to God. We just like Thank you, God for your grace and your mercy and all these things you're giving me and all this stuff and then like we don't reciprocate, we don't show him How much we love him by doing these things, so whoever does not love me, excuse me, whoever does not love me does not keep my words and the word that you hear is not mine. It's the it is from the Father who sent me. So we know that the words that Jesus has spoken come directly from the Father, right? We know the commands that Jesus gave come directly from the Father, because he walked in perfect obedience to the Father. Let's look at chapter 15. And go a little bit more. Let's go to I'm just going for a little context. This is the the vine and the branches, right Jesus saying that I am the vine, you are the branches, right? In order for us to bear fruit and to be fruitful, we have to abide to remain in Jesus. Jesus is the one that gives us our fruit, our sustenance he gives us everything. And verse eight says my father's glorify this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciple. So the father receives glory, whenever we bear fruit, and we become his disciples. What does he mean by bear fruit? That's a really good question for this and the whole nother path, a whole whole nother message. You know, immediately A lot of people say love, joy, peace, patience, kindness. And there's some truth to that. But in this very, in the book of john, Jesus uses the term bearing fruit in john chapter four, it is in reference to the harvest reference to going out and reaping the harvest and gathering fruit, fruit that lasts.
Right. So God's glorify this, what does he what's the first command in all of Scripture be fruitful? And do what multiply. So are we multiplying God in us and other people? I would just ask that question. Because I think that's a big part of what it means to bear fruit. And then verse nine, says, as a Father has loved me, so have I loved you? That's incredible, isn't it? Not? at all. Like just as the Father has loved Jesus? Jesus loves us. Unbelievable. Abide in my love. So now we have a call, like I've loved you just like my father loves me. But now I have something for you to do. I need you to stay in my love. And then he says, how we actually do that. So it he doesn't say we go. Jesus loves me. Oh, yeah. Like, you know what? I mean? Like, what is wrong with you, babe? You don't like that? She's over here, like, distracted me. I'll take old. You don't like when I sing like that to you? Maybe
he gives us the answer for this. He says, How do we abide in his love? If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. Right? So we enter into God's love. And again, this is for some people. This sounds really like Oh, man, john, are you getting all works based? And are you you know, are you Oh, man, I don't I don't know about this. I'm just reading the scriptures. You know what I mean? That's what I love about reading the scriptures. You just read them and do and it just says what it says I didn't say this. Jesus says this stuff, right? We're just kind of looking through this. I'm not getting word based. It's just the fruit of our love is is responding to God by doing these things. Again. If I if I just I can't just say that I love my wife. If I actually love her, I will do I will do these things. This should be exciting for us, right? If you keep my commandments, you will. So we should be like, heck yeah, I can't wait to abide in the love of God. What do you say to do Jesus, that should be our response. I love you What? you abide in my love justice. I've kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. So Jesus isn't asking us to do something he hasn't done. He's saying Follow me. It's woody originally asked his disciples. He said, Follow me. I'm going to show you how to walk in obeying God in His commandments, reversing what happened in the garden when we walked in disobedience. I that's why i one of the reasons I think we struggle with disobedience. I think that old man or woman wants to rise back up and say no. But he says, just as I've done that, right? And then I love her. So 11 I've said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. He's telling us to obey God and abide in Him so that we can be filled with joy.
Right? It
doesn't always mean things are gonna go great. You know, Jesus, Hebrews says, For the joy that was stood before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, like Jesus went through a horrific death. But even though he went through horrific death, he had the joy of God in Him as He went through, went through that. I wonder if some of us are struggling with joy because we're not walking in obedience. And we're kind of doing our own thing, and we do what God calls us to do. And then verse 12, gives us even more insight into what he's saying. And this is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. So a big part of God's heart is y'all that we actually love one another. Well, what is again, what does love look like? Right? Like it's easy to go. I love you, mom. That's so easy. I can say that to anybody. But what does it actually look like? He shows us in verse 13, he says no greater love is this than to lay one's life down for one's friends like, love is entirely selfless. Love is caring about each and every one of us. And building one another up, like and I'm, like, as I say this, like, it's easy to get this in my mind or nice sermon, but like, how are we actually doing it? That's the question, right? If we're called to love one another, up to edify one another, how are you intentionally doing that in the church? Tell me, you know what I mean? That's, that's what I'm asking myself this question. Like, it's so good. And there's times I'm like, Lord, I have to repent because I don't know how I'm doing that. Like, how am I being intentional and consistent with with doing what you called me to do? How am I loving my wife? How am I loving my kids? You know, how am I loving? You know, my neighbors. And that's part of this thing that God has me going through right now what I'm doing is I'm going back through and I've done this kind of things before, I'm actually I want to go through the whole Bible, but I'm going right now back to the gospel as I'm writing down, what did Jesus command? How am I actually living it out? consistently? And if I'm not, how can I start to do that? Everything? Right, be super giving. Okay, how have I been super giving with my money? I'll just say that. I mean, we can we always like, give my time. It's good. I'm glad to give your time. But with it, you know what I mean? Like, how are we doing that? Like, you know, how am I? Jesus says, whenever you throw a banquet, invite people that can't pay you back? How about ever done that in my life? Or is that an area of disobedience? Here's the thing. I'm not sitting around beating myself up about it. I'm excited, like, oh, wow, here's a new way to obey Jesus and what he said to do. It's serious. I love it. Like, I'm like, Oh, you know what, I've never done that. God, thank you for showing me that. It's a whole new way to read the scriptures. You know what I mean? Whenever you begin to read it like that, and you're thinking through, man, okay, I'm reading this God, literally, practically, how can I do what you told me to do? It's amazing. It's amazing. There's a lady that went through our disciplemaking training recently, and not bragging about our disciplemaking training, because I can give you a bunch of people who did nothing with it. So I'm just being real. But you know, occasionally find that person that the Lord does something and really speaks to their heart. She she's 75 years old. All right. So yes, you can teach an older dog new tricks. A little older, so little. I know it's a little older. 75 years young. Hey, 75 is not what it used to be Tell you what. You should have seen Don Pinto up here at 91 years old at the Chavo thing that guy was like, I'm like, I mean, he's just, he's ready to go. I'm like, I like that. That's what I Lord. That's what I want. 75 years old, has this revelation been in church forever, like for just for a very long time, she's taught Sunday school and on all these things, she has this revelation of obedience to God, like, she has never really thought about it like that. Like, for the most part, the Bible has been a textbook and you read it, and you study it, and whoever knows the most gets to be the Sunday school teacher, you know, and all that kind of stuff. And if you really know a lot and go to college, you could maybe be a preacher, you know, you know, only if you're a man, though, just get, you know, depending on your tradition, right? I just I'm making fun of that, right? I'll make it. But anyways, so she gets this revelation and immediately starts a group. It's like, most of them are, we're believers. But this is a group of ladies that are getting together and we've talked to her. It's alright, if you start a group of believers be missional about it. Like how do you have that deep rooted community and let's like, we'll just focus on simple obedience to Jesus is so cool to watch, because she's like, going, you know what, this lady her I will statement was, I'm gonna go bake cookies and give them to my neighbors, because I don't really spend much time with my neighbors. And Jesus told me to be a light. So I'm gonna go and I'm gonna engage my neighbors, right? And she did it, which is so cool, right? Well, she's having this Bible study at church.
And she's having a Bible study at church, the lady who's in who's leading the group is with a bunch of other ladies. And she says, we're sitting here and we're reading the Word. And I have this sobering moment where I go, we already know all the answers. I got, she's gonna cherish forever. We know that you know the answer. You know the answer, you know the answer. What are we doing with the answer? She said, I literally, I began to weep. And I said, we're gorging on the word while they're starving. There are people everyone's not starving for the word. But there are people in our city and our workplaces that are starving, and we're just gorging on it like, Oh, yeah, thank you, Jesus, feed me, feed me, feed me, feed me feed me. I come to get fed. I need to get fed. I need to get fed. Well, what are we doing? And like if we were thinking about that very practically, what would it look like for Jesus to walk in and we're sitting out here having a dadgum feast and there's homeless people and people that are struggling out there, we're just doing nothing and we're just like, man, just pull up a seat, Jesus and grab a chicken leg turkey leg right But she it was just so sobering for her. And now she's like reaching out to this lady who was a murderer. Ask ask if she wants to help her in jail start DBS groups, like teach her how to do like make disciples. Let's just say that teach you how to make disciples. 75 years old, I've been to church forever. Boom, Revelation. Hey, we're supposed to actually do what it says. And then now she's so filled with joy. Like she's like, I don't know why it took so long for me to recognize this. Yes, it's hard. Yes, it's not easy. There's challenges to it. But man, like I finally feel like I've come alive. Isn't that cool? I love it. Want to read a couple more things real quick. Hebrews, chapter five gives us this window into Jesus's obedience that I love. I'll read, start in Hebrews chapter five, verse seven, to give a slight a little bit of context again. In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears. So when Jesus in the Davis for us, we know this, we even saw it. We saw this in the garden, he's offering up loud prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death. Right? Okay, so it was offering up prayers to the Father, knowing the father could save him. And he was heard because of his reverence, submission. All right, so he was heard, depending on your translation, your piety he was heard, because he was obedient to God and he was yielded to what God wanted. So here's, that's, that's something like, if we want our prayers to be heard, maybe that this whole idea that connecting with us obeying Him and stuff like that actually means something. But verse eight, in Hebrews, chapter five, although he was a son, okay? And a lot of people that don't like disobedience, sometimes are the identity people were a son of God, not a daughter of God, and all this stuff. This is literally even though he was a son, great. I'm glad that your son, I am glad. So it was Jesus. Even though he was a son, although he was a son, he learned obedience. So Jesus learned obedience himself. How do you like that? Right? How did he learn obedience to what he suffered? Right. Having been having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation. How is he the source of who is the source of eternal salvation for for everyone who does what? who obey Him? Right? It's those who walk in and do what he's called us to do what he did. But Jesus learned, and this is big, because I think oftentimes, we don't like doing things that are uncomfortable, who likes doing things that are uncomfortable? This shows us that Jesus learned obedience through doing things that were very uncomfortable, right? I don't know if that lady that went and baked cookies and went to her neighbors was super excited about that. But she got a revelation in Scripture that I need to be alight, and I don't know my neighbors. And so feeling like I need to do something she may have been shaking, she may have been afraid. But she's learning how to be obedient through some challenges through difficulties right. Now, Jesus, his sufferings were a whole lot worse than that. But that was a big revelation for me to recognize that when we're learning how to do things, it's not always going to be like candy and balloons and cotton candy and candy canes. I don't know how to come up with everything. It's not like Jesus learned obedience to actually like going through difficult things and sticking with a following God through that, right. It's actually good. It's exciting for me, because sometimes I wonder man, am I doing what you want? God, this is really hard. Anyone ever had that happen? God, you just seem so far away. It's it's really hard. What's Okay, Jesus. Same thing for Jesus. Right when God called him to do difficult things, I'm gonna go read Hebrews, chapter 11. Right, Abraham, go leave your whole family go. Someone someone recently asked me today to this week says I think you should go move to LA and do DMM. And I'm like, Well, if God wants me to I'll do it. You know what I mean? But will we right? Like, I mean, of course, he will. He's gonna have to give Larissa like a super big revelation on that one, right. And a lot of extra money for us. I'm just kidding. But that's the question, right? Like, like, but are we like,
Are we willing? God doesn't call us all to do that. You know what I mean? I'm still here, you know? But like, Are we willing, you know, to do those things that God called Abraham to do? like Noah builds his Ark and looks ridiculous, like God calls people to do things that are hard and not easy. But they're always good. They're ultimately good and maybe hard on us. But imagine what if we spend hours What if we have get rejected by people and people don't like us? But people that would burn forever in hell are rescued into the kingdom of God? No, we don't like to talk about that very much, but I'm just being real. I can't imagine how awful that is. But Jesus did that for us. Jesus knew the path that we had, and he's like, you know, I care about them so much. I'll have this horrible, bloody death to rescue people from that. Right. It's amazing what he did. And we get to be called to do the same thing. I'm just gonna read one more thing. I'm gonna read Matthew at the end of Matthew chapter 28. And the reason why This to end this morning is because if we take this and begin to practically apply this, I mean, one of the very first things I would say to do is start reading the scriptures and asking yourself, how am I intentionally in consistently doing what Jesus has told me to do here? Right? If we if we, as a church did this together, think of the life that we would be to our community, I'm just going to be real if we literally started reading what Jesus said to do. And we started implementing, like, getting together and say, Hey, hey, guys, let's try this, or let's do this, or I had this neighbor, this or this, and we started to do these things. And we would, we might actually look like that church in Acts where they people were coming from all around, and people were, you know, getting healed and amazing things. I saw all these great things. But so I would, I would encourage us to start in that place. And the reason I want to read Matthew 28, is because one thing that will come up is people will say, well, which things Am I supposed to obey? Like, have your has, like, we just gave this to the disciples? So is that for me? Or is it for the disciples? Right? That's a really great question to ask. Jesus also has things like go and tie that coat like, okay, so I'm gonna go and tie Colton say Jesus did it because you told the disciples, that was a, that was a direct command for something specific, but a real thing, right? Like these things that he's telling his disciples, we should, we should, hopefully, we can set this to rest with Matthew 28. At the end of it, hopefully, people might start you. Okay. Matthew 2818, we've read this 100 times we most of us have it memorized. Hey, actually, as we go through this, let's ask ourselves if we're being obedient to it. So we most of us, most of us, has this, have this memorized. But let's ask ourselves, we can put it into practice, right? Cool. Jesus came to them and said, all authority in heaven on earth has been given to me, Go therefore, and make disciples. So first of all, he doesn't say stay. Or he doesn't say, sit in the boat and hope the fish jump in. He says go, like, so we can ask her. This is really cool, though. Like, again, we can just beat ourselves up and go home crying. Or we can say, God, this is such a cool revelation. I'm gonna walk in this because I love you. And I want to show you how much I love you. And I know that you love it. When I do that, you know, I just love it. So God, how am I going? Or how is it community? Are we going you know, because this is not just individual, how are we going? Right? Who are we making disciples of this? ask ourselves? What was the last time who were the people in our lives that we really are making disciples of Jesus? Right? of who? All nations, all people groups. So how are we doing that among different people groups? As a community, right? It's really cool. There's tons of people groups around here in murphysboro, just right here in our backyards, all kinds all over the place. So are we walking? Are we going? Are we being intentional? Are we being intentional about making disciples and are we making them among different people groups, you know, sharing this message? Different people are called more to different people, groups and stuff. And that's why I'm asking this communally baptism baptizing the name of the Father. So when's the last time you baptized somebody? Right? When was the last time we baptized somebody? See, we're not we're not when I first saw this like this. I was like, I was freaking out. Because I'm like, No, preachers are the only ones that can baptize. Like, I remember the first time I baptized someone, I was like, God, does that count. Like, I'm like, I'm in a pool. And I'm thinking, Lord, don't electrocute me. Don't send me the lightning bolt. No, I'm serious. Like, I was literally like, does that count God? And I kept reading through scriptures and I go, dang it. There's no qualifications for baptism. I haven't seen one in the Scripture. I see. For elders, I see qualifications for deacons. I don't see qualifications for who baptized. And so I learned in my lives, like there's an area of disobedience that I have, because I haven't I haven't been baptizing people it just called us to do. And then this is the reason I actually brought this up, not just to look at this as an example. But verse 20, says,
in teaching them to obey everything, what that I commanded you. So if Jesus commanded the disciples to do it, what were the disciples to do to teach all of us to obey what what God told him to do? So if he gives it to the disciples, wouldn't that mean that that's for us? Because if they were doing what he said, and actually obeying the law, they would take all this stuff that Jesus has taught them, and they would teach us, teach us teach us so for me, I have tons of peace to go Yes. When Jesus tells the disciples of course, he's telling me that because he told them to teach all that I commanded and that's another thing are we doing that right? All all which is a huge deal? Right? are we are we teaching our kids like how to obey all Jesus commanded? Are we just leaving out things that are uncomfortable? You know what I mean? That's, that's one thing I like about this is a step of obedience for me, because this is kind of uncomfortable sometimes to think about, but like real, like Jesus said, like, hey, john, teach them to obey everything I commanded. So like Okay, time to teach. Right? Of course, from pulpits probably one of the worst places to do this actually, the best is just in the nitty gritty of life hanging out with people and, and walking in obedience to Jesus and doing those things. So that's that's my encouragement this week. My encouragement this week is that we begin to practically look at how can we walk in obedience to what Jesus has called, so that we can show God's we can love him the way that God told us to respond in love to him, so that we're not telling God God, well, I love you, but let me Hey, babe, I love you. But let me show you my way. Cuz I like my way. But we respond to God selflessly and go, you told us to love you this way. So, so let's do it. Reading the scripture spending time with them in literally writing down? How am I doing this? And when I'm not saying let's do it, this is my this is a chance for growth, chance for growth. And if we could grab hold of that, that'd be huge. I love to have some people come back next week and say, john, I walked in a new step of obedience to Jesus and I did this this week, tell me or text me or call me seriously, let me know. Like we can encourage one another we're supposed to do right. That's the step of obedience to start one another up to love and good works. Have you How have you done that? You may come up and go john, oh, like talking in front of the church. You don't have to I mean, you can start with people another way. But that might be a step of obedience for you. Jesus, I don't like to talk in front of the church. But you've told me to do it. And I want to show you how much I love you. So I'm gonna do something really uncomfortable right now. I'm gonna share a way that I do that you get at. This is what it's like. It's so cool. It's so cool. Father, Lord, we, your incredible. Lord, Father, I just think even on this passage, and I'm thinking about how amazing it is that you've revealed yourself through Jesus. And even as I say that, I recognize that now you're revealing yourself through us, through your obedient servants through your those who are, who are yielded to you and who love you, and who just, I can't wait to do what you say, Lord, Lord, I ask for forgiveness in my life. Lord, I repent, for and I do a genuinely repent God, for the places in my life where I'm not walking obedience, whether it's due to just ignorance, or I've forgotten that you've said to do that, or whether it's just willful, I just don't like that God, I just I repent, Lord, I pray Holy Spirit, that that this week, that all of us here will be really intentional about showing you our love. That lowered that it would be as simple as us waking up in the morning. And saying, not just saying but saying I love you, Father, I love you, son. I love you Holy Spirit. And then getting into the word asking you to reveal and say, God, how can I show you that I love you today. And when you reveal through Scripture, you tell us, Lord what to do. And we will just do it that we would have bonus even when it's hard. Even when it's difficult, that you're worth it. Like that's it, Jesus, you are worth it. You are worth us doing really difficult things because we love you. And Jesus as a community, we want to show you that. We don't want to just say it. We want to show you that we're worried that you are worth us doing hard and challenging things. Because you're just that good. In Jesus name. Amen. Let's take as just play a little bit of guitar. Let's just take a few more moments as we've been doing just to listen. Meditate on what we've read, and if someone feels like they have something that to share, we can do that.
