Latest / Time with God with John North / Why Obey God? Pt. 1

Transcript

Why Obey God? Pt. 1 · Time with God with John North

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Good morning, and I'm here to help you start your
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: day right by taking some time with God together.
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: The week is beginning and as you head into it,
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: it's so important to go in with a spiritual perspective
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: on your life with a godly world view that says
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: My Christianity is not just for church, but my relationship
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: with God will be the most important thing about me
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: this week.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: About my interactions with people, about my business, about my
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: own inner life, my own walk with God will be
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: the key to it all.
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: And starting each day in conversation with God is one
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: of the best ways to make that a reality.
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: Let's start the conversation by allowing God to speak to
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: us in His word.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: We're looking this week at the theme why obey God.
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: And we want to look today in 1 Peter chapter 3,
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: starting in verse 13.
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: It says, and who is there to harm you if
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: you prove zealous for what is good.
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness,
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: you are blessed, and don't fear their intimidation and do
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: not be troubled.
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: ready to make a defence to everyone who asks you
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: to give an account for the hope that is in you.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: Yet with gentleness and reverence
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: And keep a good conscience so that in the thing
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: in which you are slandered.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: Those who revile your good behaviour in Christ may be
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: put to shame.
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: Hm.
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Why?
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: So that you're ready to give a defence to everyone
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: who asks you to give an account for the hope
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: that's in you.
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: Keep a good conscience, why?
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: So that those who revile your good behaviour in Christ
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: will be put to shame.
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: Do you see what the Lord is saying to us today?
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: He's saying to you that your obedience to God.
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: Gives power to the gospel in the lives of those
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: who know you.
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: That is, when they think about your life, it gives
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: credibility to your message.
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: Just a few weeks ago, I had the great opportunity
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: to share Christ with someone while I was travelling on
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: the aeroplane.
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: And as I shared with her, she spoke to me
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: with such a warm heart about some other real Christians
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: she knew, and she saw the distinction between a real
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: Christian and just a religious person.
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: Well, those Christians' lives had left her heart open to
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: my witness to her.
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: There have been many other times when I've shared Christ
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: with people and they have antagonistically referred to Christians they
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: knew who were pure hypocrites or who had treated them badly.
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: While those Christian lives had closed the door of those
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: people's hearts to my witness.
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: I think the Lord wants us to remember today that
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: our spiritual choices are always about a much bigger picture
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: than just our own relationship with God. Yes, your relationship
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: with God will be deeply affected by your obedience to Him,
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: but also people around you will see in your life
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: the reality or the fakeness of your walk with God.
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: And that's going to affect their response to Jesus Christ.
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: The impact of your spiritual choices is always much bigger
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: than you are aware of at the time. The best
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: way to live is simply to obey God.
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: I'm John North.