The National Center for Family Integrated Churches welcomes Mike Cox with the following message entitled, Teaching Them to Obey. Well good afternoon everybody. Thank you for coming in. It's good to see you. And it's an honor to be here today.

I have been ministered to by the NCFIC for many years, and so it is a privilege to take my turn at contributing and sharing. And so I'm very glad to be here today to share this part of the Great Commission. Thank you to all family and friends that are here as well to fill out the seats a little bit. Glad to see you. Greetings from California.

Let me also pray to to begin. Our Father in heaven, it is your great purpose, dear Lord, to glorify yourself and to call out of the world a people devoted to your name, redeemed by the blood of your son, and called to be formed in his image to follow him and to honor Him in all ways. Lord, we are the heritage of your Son Jesus Christ, and I pray that you would move in such a way in your church throughout the ages, on the church, in our day, and on the people in this room, and on our own hearts and minds, Lord, to make us willing and desirous to follow after Christ, to honor him in all ways, to see the glory of God in our own lives, our families, our churches, and in all our callings. Dear Lord, you are the king of the world and you are our king. You are worthy to be followed and obeyed.

In Jesus' name, amen. So Matthew 28 18 through 20, something that you are becoming very familiar with if you weren't already familiar with it. Let me read Matthew 28 18 through 20. I'm gonna be quoting from the New American Standard Bible so I hope that you're able to to work with that. Starting in verse 18, and Jesus came up and spoke to them saying, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Now, Scott Brown did a fantastic job opening up the totality of this and he touched on a number of things that would bear our text today. And I am going to be focusing specifically on verse 20, nine words, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. These nine words really form the goal of the Great Commission.

When Jesus says all authority has been given to me, go make disciples, what does it all mean? Well I think we have the the end goal contained in these nine words, that they observe all that I have commanded you. In fact, in these nine words we really see this. We see one, the methodology of the Great Commission. The methodology of the Great Commission is to teach as opposed to other methodologies.

The role of the church, the role of God's people, is a teaching role. We bear the sword, brothers and sisters, but it is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. This is the role of the church. It is the pillar in the foundation of the truth. The church is, if you will, the oracle of God, the prophetic voice of God in the world.

And the church teaches. That's our methodology. This text also gives us the content of what we are to teach, and that is all that Christ commanded. The whole of it, the lot of it. And I appreciate Doug Phillips very clearly, and I'm just going to hold with that.

I'm not going to give a lot of words. It's not the red letter version of the Bible. We are to teach all that Christ commanded. If you were to observe the red letters of what Christ commanded, you will find that he embraced the totality of the scriptures. There is not one bit of the word of God that has been somehow annulled or ruled out.

It is all applicable for teaching doctrine, training, and righteousness. So the content of the Great Commission is all that Christ commanded, the methodology is to teach, and the goal. What's it all for? Where are we going? What's it all about?

That we and that they, those that we go to, observe all that Christ commanded that we obey, that we follow after him. This doctrine is meant to be obeyed. We are to be, as you know, doers of the Word and not merely hearers of the word who are then deluded, but doers, effectual doers of the word. Now the mission of the Great Commission says this, to make disciples. That is actually the active verb, is to make disciples.

That's what the Great Commission is about. Notice that it's make disciples. This contrast was put up last night as well, I believe. But it's make disciples. It's not to make converts.

And there's loads and loads and loads. There's caboodles and caboodles of converts. But the mission of the Great Commission is not converts it is disciples now clearly conversion is necessary for a discipleship but the goal is discipleship not merely conversion Also notice that it isn't that we are to preach in such a way as that people can make decisions. Now obviously decisions are necessary, right? It is with the mind and the will that we are to humbly bow ourselves before Christ and embrace Him in His person and in His doctrine.

But the goal is not decisions. The goal is discipleship. It is to observe all that Christ has commanded us. Christ calls His people to embrace and to obey and to teach all that he commands. What a glorious, glorious command that is.

What a glorious goal that is. A Puritan, Thomas Manton, says this. Bare assent or agreement to the articles of religion does not infer true faith. Merely agreeing and saying yes, Jesus is the son of God and he died for sins does not confer true faith. Do not mistake naked illumination or some general acknowledgement of the articles of religion for faith.

A man may be right in his opinion and judgment, but of vile affections. And a carnal Christian is as in great a danger as a pagan, or an idolater, or a heretic. For though his judgment is sound, yet his manners or his way of life are heterodox and heretical." And then he says this, True believing is not an act of the understanding only but it is a work of all the heart. Christ Jesus will have all of you, the whole of your person. You are to reserve nothing back.

He owns you all. It is the fact that he owns you all. Acknowledged. We are to acknowledge that and to embrace that. This definition of Christianity that I've just read here from Manton stands in sharp contrast today, and this is why it matters, and this is why this session is being taught here, stands in sharp contrast to much of what surrounds us in the name of evangelical Christianity, and you've already probably been in sessions and we heard Mr.

Phillips and Mr. Brown talk about this a little bit last night. It's important because prevalent in our day is really a reductionist gospel and perhaps some of you have been exposed maybe in your earlier Christian days, maybe even today, maybe even in the churches now, maybe in your own opinions even now, I don't know. But a reductionist gospel, a reduced and a minimized gospel. And there's a lot of handles and I shy away from terminology but we have to use words and have to use terminology so I'll use it.

We could call this easy believism, which essentially says, no repentance is necessary. You can just have Jesus. No obedience is necessary, because that would be expecting works. And it's by, rightly, we hold to grace alone. But no obedience is necessary, otherwise you're adding works.

No change of allegiance is necessary. No fruit. Far be it from us to expect spiritual fruit. Well the carnal Christian, what does Paul say about that in Romans 8? Romans 8 says the mind set on the flesh cannot please God.

So this is a person who professes to know Christ, that is professes to be a Christian but does not live according to the will of God. Do we know this? Do we see this in our day? There are whole ministries that live on this, crank this out, and it is a blight on the name of Christ. This is why it matters.

God's glory is at stake. His honor, his reputation, his glory is at stake. And the good of souls is at stake. How many people are deluded and led astray by this? Who think they are safe because they have made some sort of acknowledgement of Christ and some sort of setting and yet in reality there is no power of God resented in them.

They are not truly saved, not truly holding to Christ. Jesus is a savior, but not a Lord. A savior from hell, but not a savior from sin. Contrary to this incomplete and reductionist message stands really the whole of the word of God, particularly this verse before us today, these nine words today, teaching them to observe all that I've commanded. R.L.

Dabney, a favorite of mine, says this. This is a great quote, redemption, redemption would be a mockery without sanctification. For sin, for sin itself, not the external wrath of God, sin is the cause of misery here and eternal death hereafter the problem brothers and sisters is not the wrath of God that is the due penalty sin is the problem hence Dabney goes on to deliver the fallen son of Adam from his guilt and yet leave him under the power of corruption would be no salvation at all. Brothers and sisters, when Christ saves from sin, he saves not only from the penalty of sin, justification, but he saves you from the power of sin. Sanctification.

Justification clearly is a once-for-all judicial decision that God makes at his bar on our behalf for the sake of Christ. Justification. And sanctification is a lifelong process of walking with Christ and being made and formed in his image as the spirit of God works in us. But we get both, we get both when we are saved. The idea that God sent Christ into the world to remove the guilt of people's sins so that they could continue to live wicked lives, so they could sin as they please and still have remission is an insult to God's holiness.

And there are perhaps millions of people who think that their souls are safe. So my goal today is to establish from our text the biblical necessity for obedience. That's what we're here to do today. And I hope to give you some textual tools, textual things to work with so you have this for yourself. So if you wanna write these down as we go along, you're welcome to do that.

Now, the gospel is being preached in every room this whole conference, right? And I'm on a very narrow topic, obedience. So there's much I'm gonna leave off. I only get an hour. There's much I'm gonna leave off.

I'm not dealing with Christ's sin-bearing sacrifice. I'm not dealing with justification by faith. I'm not dealing with imputed righteousness. I could go on. I am dealing with the necessity that if we are Christ's, if the Holy Spirit has taken up residence within us, if we are truly redeemed, we will obey.

Listen to this, I love this verse. I'm gonna read you two verses out of Titus and then we're gonna get into the meat of this. Titus 2, a favorite passage, verses 11 through 14 says this, here's the goal again, Here's the goal of the gospel. Paul says this to Titus, for the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men. What does that salvation mean?

Instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and to purify for himself a people for himself, zealous for good deeds. And then another verse right above that actually in Titus 2, I want you to hear these things as we talk about obedience here. I give you the reasons, the necessities of obedience. I want you to hear it with these ears. Paul says to Titus again in chapter 2, verse 6, likewise, urge, no, verse 9, sorry, urge bond slaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.

Brothers and sisters, what we're talking about today in obeying and following Christ is adorning the doctrine. The doctrine of Jesus Christ is glorious. It says in Isaiah that he has given us a garland for our ashes. He has beautified us. The doctrine of Jesus Christ is glorious and beautiful and full of life.

He came that we might have life and have it abundantly it is full of joy full of peace and good fruits it is a glorious doctrine and this doctrine is meant to be lived out with a spirit resident in us that we would be living flesh living people adorning the doctrine of God. So when we talk about obedience, brothers and sisters, that's what we're talking about. We're talking about adorning the very doctrine of God. So, five reasons. I'm gonna give you five reasons that we are to obey from the scriptures here, and then I hope to be able to do a little bit of application.

Five reasons. I'm going to jump right into it here. First of all, reason number one, and we heard this again yesterday, because Christ has all authority. He has commanded that His disciples obey Him. Christ has all authority.

The text we are going to look at is right here in the Great Commission. Matthew 28, 18 and 19. Jesus came and spoke to them saying, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth go therefore and make disciples of the nations. Brothers and sisters we have heard this a variety of ways I trust but this is an unbounded comprehensive statement of Christ. All authority It's a line going this way and this way eternally.

There is no bounds to the authority of Christ. All authority in heaven and on earth are His. He is the sole ruling sovereign of all things, he can command our obedience. There's probably been a day and age when these kind of things were heard a little bit more easily and people would respond to that a little bit more sharply. We live in a day when authority is even amongst God's people is not a favorite topic.

But is this command of Christ, or this claim of Christ actually, is this not enough? All authority belongs to him in heaven and on earth, is that not enough that we are to obey him? There is no one who supersedes him. Consider the astounding claim that Jesus is making here, a full sweeping unchecked universal authority over everything. And the rest of the Great Commission is completely established on that.

It was necessary for Christ to say this. It was necessary for this to be true because the rest of the Great Commission when he says now go and declare my authority wherever you go declare my authority is built upon the fact that Christ has all authority. Jesus is king of everyone, everything, everywhere. Full stop. He has every right to command people.

It reminds me, this text reminds me much of Philippians 2. Right, you can now know right where I'm gonna go. Philippians 2, Paul says the same thing. 2 verses 9 through 12, Paul says this. Speaking of Christ, therefore God highly exalted Christ and bestowed on him a name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence. Notice again that Christ's authority in Philippians is connected to obedience. We have This glorious statement from Paul on the authority of Christ. All authority in heaven and earth and under the earth and every knee is going to bow, a name above every name. This is our savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

And then Paul goes on, the application is clear. Just as you have obeyed, continue to obey. So, Christ's authority is sufficient alone to command that we obey Him. That's reason number one. Because Christ has all authority, we must submit to Him, brothers and sisters, and obey Him, and call people everywhere also to do the same.

This is the mission. So when I when I when I speak today I am speaking to you personally in your own lives and I hope that you will receive it that way but I'm also speaking to you as a disciple and as a an evangelist as an ambassador for Christ that your message includes this as well. Reason number two that we must obey. Saving repentance demands that his disciples obey him. In Luke's account of the Great Commission, Jesus states this, thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all the nations beginning in Jerusalem." Repentance is part of belief and there is no saving belief without a true repentance.

Critical important part of the Great Commission message, the gospel message, is to repent. And I trust that you know what repentance means. There's a variety of ways to illustrate repentance. I like simply the full turnaround, 180 degree turn. I was going this way, I turned this way.

I've been convinced. I've been told that this is a destruction. I've been turned around and I'm leaving all of that behind me. I'm putting as much ground between me and the former things as I possibly can. There is no possible way to hold on to the former things.

I am leaving. I'm going another direction. 180 degrees. A total change of mind. Now Jesus preached repentance.

This was necessary, true repentance. The apostles preached repentance. There is no belief without it. I almost was going to show you a little pen. It was cute.

Had had Romans Road about four verses of the Romans Road and I'm not against the Romans Road so don't get me wrong but you had this little scroll you kind of pull it out of the pen and I guess salvation was contained here. Four verses from Romans and about three sentences of explanation. And what was missing? Well, there was a few things, but repentance was one of them. Hey, if you want these things to be true for you, Just ask Jesus now and he'll give them to you.

That was sort of the conclusion. Jesus preached repentance. In Matthew 4 at the beginning of his ministry, verse 17, Jesus began to preach and say, "'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. "'Turn, leave your former ways "'and turn to the kingdom of heaven.'" Turn and embrace the kingdom of heaven. Peter, the apostles also preached repentance.

Peter in his second sermon in Acts, Acts chapter three verse 19 says, "'Repent therefore and return, "'that your sins may be wiped away "'in order that times of refreshing "'may come from the presence of the Lord.' "'In order to belong to Christ Jesus, brothers and sisters, one must follow him. One must hear his truth, be convinced of his truth, and follow him. It's impossible, It's impossible to hear the claims of Christ, his deity, his holiness, his sacrifice, his authority, and not respond. It's impossible to not respond. It's impossible to say that one believes Christ and yet does not change direction in his own life.

Repentance requires that we follow Christ. To savingly believe in Jesus Christ means that we repent and follow him. Repent from what? Turn, from what? From our own sin, from our own sin, From all of our own unrighteousness.

And boy, that's a huge subject. We don't just do it once when we're converted. We are repenting constantly throughout our lives as the Spirit of God works in us and reveals more and peels away more and we see and we continue to repent. From living according to our own rules, repenting from serving ourselves, from our own ideas, our own imaginations, our own hopes, our own aspirations, from self-idolatry. We repent from these things, all of it.

And yes, we do it over and over again. And return to Christ, to him in full and to all that he commanded. We leave all of ourself behind and return to Christ in all that he commanded. And we have Jesus in all of his truth, in all of his glory, in all of his person. Christ said teach them to obey all that I've commanded and this stands opposed to obeying our own desires, our own ways, Our own glory, our own lusts.

It is impossible to trust Christ for salvation and yet hold on to that mass of ideas and hopes and beliefs and aspirations that utterly are opposed to his goodwill and purpose. When we first came to Christ, we probably were very mindful of the really gross egregious sins in our lives. But brothers and sisters, he combs more finely. What goals, what aspirations have you embraced? What worldly philosophies?

Because Paul said that he is battling worldly philosophies and taking every thought captive. And this is the work of the Spirit in sanctifying us. We cannot serve two masters. You cannot walk in two opposite directions. So reason number two is, saving biblical repentance demands that we shake the dust off our feet of our old lives and we follow Christ and observe all that he commanded.

The third reason for obedience to Christ is that the cost of discipleship demands obedience. The cost of discipleship demands obedience. Luke chapter 14 verses 26 through 27. Jesus says if anyone comes after me comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

There are a variety of discipleship, cost of discipleship verses in the scriptures. This is one of them. But we see here that like repentance, discipleship is a radical departure from our old lives. There's a radical departure. There's a major cutting away of our old life and our own ways and desires and beliefs.

Observe the very sharp and shocking way Christ illustrates discipleship here. Are we prepared for such a discipleship as this? Jesus tells us to hate the closest, strongest, most tender, most enduring relationships we have on Earth. Whoa. Shocking.

Well, how can he say this? Because of the surpassing greatness of knowing him, of following him, of owning him. What could be of greater value if you can have Christ and it costs you everything? And what could be of greater value? Yes?

When you say hate, my friend, you're only expecting me to provide that. I think it means to despise and I'm not done with you will get there to yes and you'll see what if you if you hold on a second you'll hear where we're going Understand that Jesus is not setting apart and setting aside the fifth commandment to honor your parents. He's not setting aside the fifth commandment. Children are to honor their parents. Nor is Jesus nullifying the sacred bonds of marriage?

He said what God has put together let no man put asunder. He is not doing either of those things. This is a rhetorical device Jesus is using. He is speaking rhetorically just like he would say gouge out the eye if it causes you to sin, cut off the hand if it causes you to sin. Would you do that?

Is that what he's saying? He's not saying to maim the temple of God, he's not saying to maim your body. Rather Jesus is highlighting the vast superiority of following him compared to anything else. This is the cost of discipleship, to follow Christ at all costs. Some of you may have experienced this.

Some of you may find that your closest friendships, your closest enduring relationships are those of the body of Christ. And you see the tension that's in the relationships with family members. Jesus is not saying to nullify the fifth commandment, nor is he saying to nullify marriage at all. Rather, it's like this. We can see this illustrated in the Pilgrim's Progress, right?

Are you familiar with the Pilgrim's Progress? So in the Pilgrim's Progress we see at the very beginning Christian is being preached to by evangelists and his soul becomes troubled and he sees that the city of destruction is under sure doom and he wants to flee and he's in total trouble and he goes and what's he do? He does what he should as a husband he pleads with his wife but she has not eyes to see nor ears to hear nor heart to understand. She doesn't hear it at all and so he still leaves. He will not be held back from following Christ.

Now of course in Pilgrim's Progress, the allegory, he actually leaves the city of destruction. He goes on this journey. We understand this again to be allegorical and that there is a spiritual journey we go on, but we do not, we let nothing come between us and our God. Peter said, you tell me which is right. Do I serve God or serve man?

Whether that be your mother, father, wife, we serve God. This is the cost of discipleship. Jesus said himself, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? What can a man give in exchange for his soul? What is more valuable?

Of course, the answer is being begged. There is nothing of greater value. As disciples, we are called to leave the nets of our old life as the apostles did and follow Christ, his doctrine, and in his life. The cost of discipleship, brothers and sisters, is a radical departure from all that we were doing and the demands that Christ makes as a disciple of His is that we follow Him and follow Him solely. Thus reason three, disciples of Christ must follow and obey Him in all that He has commanded.

Fourth reason, Love demands that we obey Him. Love demands that we obey Him. Jesus said in John 14 and 15 and then down to verse 21 Jesus said this, if you love me you will keep my commandments if you love me you will keep my commandments and then he says in verse 21 he who has my commandments and keeps them it is he who loves me and He who loves me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will disclose myself to him. This, I believe, of the reasons, the five reasons I'm giving you today, is the single greatest, most important reason of all. This is the summation of all the gospel, the summation of all understanding of obedience, the summation of what it means to be a Christian and a disciple, the love of God shed abroad in our hearts and in our response to love Him.

It's gloriously simple. Verse 15 says, to love Christ is to obey him. It's so easy to illustrate and think of, right? We think back of our ladies and gentlemen, you husbands and wives, back in your early dating courting days. I remember there was a time, still true today, but there was a time that my wife's future wife's wishes was everything to me.

I would have moved heaven and earth because I loved her. And I so longed for her to love me and so I sought her interests I sought her interests and and we know that this is what love does love doesn't need to account for all the specifics of how to be loving and how to be obedient love orients us towards the desires of the beloved. Right? Love orients us towards the desires of the beloved. If you love Christ, then you want to do the things that please Him.

You want to know what his thoughts are. You want to know what his will is. You would not want to do anything that would bring a shadow of shame on him. You'd want his name to be renowned. You don't have to be goaded and whipped and kicked to do what you are called to do.

You love Him. And this is the reality of the Gospel. This is what God has done in us. Because of the great love, We love, the Scriptures say, because He first loved us. Because of the great love He has shed in our hearts, we love Him in return.

And this motivates all obedience because of His love. Do you love Christ? Do you obey Him? To the degree that you disobey is to the degree that you do not love. Because Jesus said, to love me is to obey me.

If you love me, you will obey me. So understand in your great professions of wanting the goal of the gospel, right? Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, strength, and mind. And we say that and we preach that and we teach that in our homes, but understand how far we are from it Because to the degree that you disobey in thought, in word, or in deed, is to the degree that your love is imperfect, that you're not loving Christ. Love God with everything, and love your neighbor as yourself is what Jesus taught.

If you're a truly loving God and your neighbor, you will be keeping the commandments. There's, of course, it's a necessity. Loving God and your neighbor necessarily carries out the commandments of God. That's why Jesus said it's all summed up in these things. If we understood the law of God as a great pyramid and at the very top of the pyramid we would have the Ten Commandments and then down below that are all of the laws that are breaking out the Ten Commandments.

They're not different than the Ten Commandments. They are applications of the Ten Commandments, the moral law of God, that whole pyramid. And at the very top are the Ten Commandments. Well, at the very top of those are the two. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.

Because if you do these things you are fulfilling all of the law. Loving God means that we obey Him. So reason four, the love of God demands that we obey him. Love demands that we observe everything that Christ commanded us. And the fifth and final reason here that we are to obey.

The sovereign Holy Spirit of God indwelling us, has changed us, and is changing us, the disciple of Christ is actively being conformed to the image of Christ. This is what it means to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit. God in the person of the Holy Spirit has indwelt us and he is changing us. He has changed us and he is continuing to change us. Let me read to you Ezekiel 36 verses 26 and 27.

Jeremiah 31 has the the New Covenant. This is Ezekiel by the Spirit of God telling us about the New Covenant. Says this, Moreover, God speaking, I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh, and give you a heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and you will be careful to observe my ordinances. The New Covenant brothers and sisters is about the Holy Spirit indwelling us and causing us to walk in his statutes and observe his ordinances. This is what God's doing.

This is what it means to have the Spirit take up residence. It is completely impossible to be possessed of the Holy Spirit and to go on pell-mell in another life and to somehow say I'm born again and yet to have no affection for the things of God. That is an impossibility because the sovereign third person of the Holy Spirit has taken up residence and has removed a heart of stone and has written the very law of God upon our hearts and now our affections are changed. We no longer see the law as they did in the Old Covenant as merely an external mediator between us and God that stood opposed to us and condemned us. The law of God is now written within us and we rejoice in its glory and we rejoice in the keeping of it and we have a new affection.

In fact this is what Jonathan Edwards was dealing with chiefly in religious affections. There is a change. A real change. These aren't just pretty words. This is a reality.

We have such an advantage in our day, post Pentecost, in obeying and following Christ. This is where God is going. And when we disobey, we are warring against the spirit that God has put within us. And I tell you, sovereign third person of the Trinity, the one who presided over all creation, bringing worlds and the universe into existence and creating angels and principalities. The third person of the Godhead, brothers and sisters, if you are trusting in Christ in the saving way, is resident within you.

And not a piece of God, but the whole of him. God is eternal. You don't just have a peace. God has taken up residence in the third person of the Trinity in you and he owns you. And do you think that in your human will being possessed of the Holy Spirit that you are going to be able to somehow resist him that somehow you're going to be able to push him back will he not have his way with you will he not complete it will he not sanctify you brothers and sisters I'm telling you that we have commands here to obey Jesus those are called imperatives but I want to give you the glory is that the great indicative is The great reality is that God is in you doing these things and He will do it.

He will do it. He will not be thwarted. And the one who says, I belong to God and yet goes in another direction, We will see later from 1 John chapter 2. That's an impossibility. You can't, it's impossible.

So the fifth reason that we obey is because the fact is, This is what God is doing in us. Every command, every imperative that we have from the scriptures, there is an indicative, it is the reality already fulfilled. This is where God is leading us. We live in time. We don't know the beginning from the end, but God does and He's sovereign.

And so these things, the sanctifying agents, this whole obedience of life brothers and sisters this is where you're going this is your destiny it is your future he will do it The Holy Spirit bears good fruits. We see in Galatians 5, 22 and 23, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law this is what the Spirit of God does and these fruits brothers and sisters will be growing on you and in you it's impossible for them not to now Paul in Romans 7 the second part of Romans 7 says there's a conflict with him because the old man is wrestling against the Spirit of God. But guess who wins? You are not going to subdue God.

He will bear fruit in you. He will bear fruit. You don't create your own. He bears it. The fruit is his.

The good fruit here isn't yours. It's his. And he will bear it. Christ will manifest himself through you in his good fruit this is where God is taking his people to true holiness conformity brothers and sisters to the image of Christ is the same thing as conformity to God's will, which is the same thing as conformity to all that Christ commands, which is the same thing as adorning the doctrine of God our Savior. These are all of a piece.

Conformity to Christ's commands, oh, forgive me, conformity to the image of Christ is the same thing as conformity to God's will, which is the same thing as conformity to all that Christ commands, which again we hear from what I started with in Titus is the same thing as adorning the doctrine of God. This is where he's going with us. Paul expressed his confidence that God would finish what he started. In Philippians 1 verse 6, we love this verse, Paul says this, I am confident of this very thing that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. God will get this done.

Brothers and sisters, this is such an encouragement for us. If it wasn't for this reality of the strong third person of the Trinity living within us and accomplishing his good fruit, what hope would we have? But he will do this. He was confident. Paul was confident.

Why? Because God did the big thing. What was the big thing? He took a rebel lawless sinner under the wrath of God who was at enmity with God and he took that sinner and he laid his hand on him and he atoned for his sins and he took that which was dead and made him alive. He translated that one into life.

We've been renewed. Paul says that since he did that I'm confident because he did the big thing that he will carry it out. He will complete it with sanctification. We need to understand this and have this great hope and rejoice in God with these things and we need to expect it from those who call in the name of Christ. It needs to be expected that people bear fruit, that they obey Christ, that they adorn the doctrine, that they are being conformed to his image because this is what God does.

Yes. Yeah. We're not becoming Christ. We're not becoming Christ. It is following the will of God as revealed in the scriptures.

We are not Christ, right, so he has a purpose for us and that purpose is to be made in his image. He is the second Adam, the last Adam and we are to be made just as we are made in our the first Adam's image we are to be being remade in the image of the last Adam and in all holiness. Jesus said that unless your holiness exceeds that of the Pharisees you won't see God We are to be holy as his Father in heaven is holy. And so he is conforming us to his image in that way. If you have other questions, and if I've been unclear, please forgive me.

I'll be happy to talk to you when we're done. So the fifth reason that we obey God is because His Word has been written on our hearts and He is causing us to walk in his statutes. That's what it said in Ezekiel, right? He's causing, that's an amazing, amazing thing. God is causing us to obey, causing us to do the things that, well, it's like the Ephesians 2 9 and 10, right?

God has created us for good works, we are to walk in them. So because of Christ's authority because of a biblical saving repentance because of the call and the cost of discipleship, because of the love of God, because of the work of the Holy Spirit in us, we must obey all that Christ has commanded. And so I'd like to give a couple of applications here in some of the remaining moments. First of all, I'm going to start with this. To examine, since I don't know most of you, brothers and sisters, I hope that you have been challenged and will continue to be challenged in the next day or so that we have together here by these speakers.

I have been ripped apart and wrung out by some of these brothers preaching and praying. I've been privileged to be able to pray with some of the speakers and I'll tell you ripped apart and wrung out. Kind of like what what Scott was saying last night that there is a tearing down right there is a destroying of there's a certain amount that has to be ripped down that the new thing can be rebuilt in us, and that this is the work of the gospel of God in us. And I have been a happy beneficiary of such ministry. I hope that you have as well.

I call you, when we think about the terms of obedience here, to examine yourself. Examine yourself. If these things that I have just talked about are not present in you in a progressively growing way, If there is no obedience to Christ, if there is no inward motivation to obey Him, you should have no illusions. There is no reason to believe that you're in Christ at all. By some mere holding on to, I walk denial or whatever it is I made a decision or whatever it is your soul is still in danger if that's all you have because there is a reality if you are living with God as we've already said these things will be manifest in you and for your own soul's sake be considering these things.

Are you safe? Are you following Christ? The Apostle John says in 1 John he says this, by this we know that we have come to know him, that we keep his commandments. The one who says, this is shocking, the one who says I have come to know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word in him the love of God has truly been perfected." Again that connection between obedience and love.

By this we know that we are in him. The one who says I have come to know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. Brothers and sisters, are you in Christ? Do you see his spirit working in you a greater love and a greater fidelity to his word and to his character. And probably more applicable for those of you here is this.

Have you made treaty with yourself? Do you allow sin and disobedience to live on in certain areas? Have you given up in certain areas? He said, teach them to obey all that I've commanded. Are there areas because of war weariness over the years that you don't even look at anymore that you've given up on.

Patterns of thinking, patterns of speaking, patterns built into old relationships that are sinful, where you are allowing disobedience to reign. Brothers and sisters, to obey Christ, to adorn the doctrine, to follow after Him is good and it is pleasant and do not allow yourself to be deceived. Follow him in all areas. That's the command to observe all that he has commanded. I was listening to a story of a Puritan on the drive out here.

I came from California so I had a lot of time to listen. And I don't remember the name of the Puritan, but somebody asked him. The Puritan was a term of derision. And sometimes they were called the precise ones or something like that. And so some lord was talking to this Puritan as they rode along, and he was kind of gouging me.

He says, why are you Puritans so precise? You could just kind of hear it in him. Why are you so precise about your religion? And he said, we serve a precise God. God is not sloppy.

God has a will, brothers and sisters, and so we must know his will by his grace and and seek to follow him in all that he has commanded us. Another application is this. Dear brothers and sisters, we must have the grace of God for we fail in so many ways. The last thing I would want to do today and not talking about the rest of the gospel is to to somehow give the impression that we're establishing a work's righteousness. Not at all.

Anathema to that. There is no hope but for the glorious saving work, the glorious lawful righteousness of Christ Jesus on our behalf, sacrificed on our behalf, imputed to our account. That is our only hope. This is all responsive. This is all responsive to what the Lord has done for us and we need his grace and we obtain this righteousness I believe there's a fine line I've wondered for years as I've had the opportunity to teach through the scriptures.

I've wondered for years, how do you say this? Because the law of God is good and the whole of scripture is authoritative. And yet the pursuit of this kind of righteousness of this law keeping isn't so much a pursuit of the law itself, is it? It's a pursuit of the person, Jesus Christ. It is fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and the perfecter which that means the beginning of our faith and the completer of our faith.

We fix that word fix is like tie a knot we are to absolutely snap our eyes onto Christ and we look to him in all of his righteousness and all of his glory and all of his holiness in all of his mercy and condescension for us. We look to him and by this we pursue this righteousness crying out to him oh Lord Jesus I tell you as I already mentioned I was undone yesterday listening to some of these men undone thinking what am I gonna say what am I gonna be you know what am I to do Oh Lord God completely unworthy vessel but for Christ we grow in obedience we grow in sanctification We adorn the doctrine as we divest ourselves from ourselves and we lay hold of Christ. John the Baptist said I must decrease, he must increase. Brothers and sisters, this is the course of the Christian life. We decrease and he increases in us until full glory is finally shown in the resurrection.

We have much need for God's grace to cry out ongoingly to him for help. Another application is this and in regards to our carrying the gospel message our role in the Great Commission that we need to understand that the Great Commission does not end with evangelistic formulas and presentations. The Great Commission's purpose is to make disciples, to make those who would observe all that Christ has commanded to be conformed to the image of Christ in all holiness. We're not trying to present a pitch and close a deal. God knows who are his own.

He knows the sheep that he's calling and he will call them and we have this glorious privilege to present the words of life to them and present the gospel to them but our goal isn't to merely see them say the words. Our goal is to see Christ formed in them to the full measure of the stature of the man of God as Paul says in Ephesians. We are not trying to close the deal we are trying to see disciples made for the glory of Christ. Of course the stakes are very high here. Souls are in the balance here and there are many many many in our country and I'm sure across this Bible belt of the United States that think that they are safe and they are not safe whatsoever.

There is no evidence of the power of God, the holiness of God, living within them. Jesus taught that there are two possible foundations, right? In Luke chapter 6, he says this, why do you call me Lord and not do what I say? We could end with that. Why do you call me Lord and not do what I say?

That doesn't work. The Lord is the master, the kyriosh, you obey the Lord. Why do you say Lord with your lips and honor me with your lips and not do what I say? And then he goes on to present the parable, everyone who comes to me and hears my word and acts on them. I'll show you what he's like.

He's built upon a rock, the truth of the gospel, the truth of the Word of God. He is founded upon this truth and it's a sturdy edifice and when the storms of life break against it, he's able to stand. But the one who is heard and has not acted, has not obeyed, has not followed, has not put into motion all that I have commanded is like the man who builds his house upon the ground without any foundation upon the sand and when the torrents come against it, it collapse. And Jesus is saying this illustration again after asking the question, why do you call me Lord and not do what I say? It's critical brothers and sisters that we, by the grace of God and the power of his Holy Spirit, put that into effect and he will be doing this and So if you don't see this in your life or in the people in your church or in your loved ones who make a profession, call out to them.

Hearing the word of God is not sufficient. One must repent and believe. Brothers and sisters, this is the final application. This is a call, what Jesus says here, teaching them to observe all that I've commanded in this great commission, these last words of Jesus, before he ascends to the glory of the Father at his right hand. This is this enduring command to us, the church.

This is a call to the authority of God's word. Teach them all I have commanded. The sufficiency of scripture, the power of scripture, the glory of scripture, the authority of scripture for all of life and godliness. We need to open our eyes and our hearts and our minds to the all-sufficient word of God in all areas of life, in everything, not merely for our family order, not merely for our church order, not merely for directing us in worship, but for our whole world view, teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you is comprehensive in its scope. And can you imagine, When will there ever be an end to that?

This is the timeline, the time horizon on teaching them to observe all I've commanded is clearly a multi-generational, multi-long enduring task. When do you ever come? When do you ever come? Can you imagine your pastor standing up to stay and say, and he closes the service and he says, there you have it, I've taught you to observe all that Jesus commanded, we're done. Is there such a time?

No. No, it'll never happen in our life. It'll never happen in our generation. It'll never happen in the history of the church on earth. Because the church is a growing repository of the knowledge of God.

As God is moving himself forward, and moving his created order and his purposes forward, it's an ongoing, enduring command, teaching them to observe nobody ever arrives. Even in glory after 10, 000 years, as the hymn says, we will still not arrive at the end of the knowledge of who God is and all that he has commanded. This is an ongoing, ongoing, enduring commitment. This is a commitment to expository preaching, teaching them. Expository means through the whole of the Bible, as opposed to topical.

We need to be committed as families to go through the whole of the Bible. We need to be committed as churches to teach through the whole of the Bible, not just parts, but the whole of it. This is the basic fundamental argument for expository preaching, that the whole of the doctrine of God can be presented teaching all that Christ commanded. It is a commitment to expository preaching. It gets down to our methods.

This is why expository preaching through the Holy Scriptures is important. And it's a commitment to a discipleship, brothers and sisters. This is a commitment to discipleship. Our churches, our families must be committed to seeing this carried out, teaching all that Christ has commanded in our church, person to person, in hospitality, which I think is the chief methodological way that discipleship happens in the New Covenant Church is in homes, in our families, wives and children, and husband to wife, and it's an ongoing, It's an ongoing commitment to discipleship. I will close with a favorite of many of you.

I'm sure we hear the leaders of churches often, excuse me, speak of this. In Deuteronomy chapter 6 verses 1 through 3 it says this, this is the commandment, The statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it so that you and your son and your grandson might fear. It's OK. It's a pleasant sound. I'll start over.

Now, this is the commandment in the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you that you might do them in the land where you're going over to possess it so that you and your son and your grandsons might fear the Lord your God and keep all his statutes and his commandments which I command you all the days of your life and that your days may be prolonged. Oh Israel you should listen and be careful to do it that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly just as the Lord your God of your fathers has promised you in the land flowing with milk and honey. Hear my commandments and do them and the glory of this new covenant promise is that he accomplishes it at this in us this command hasn't changed but now we have this wonderful wonderful addition of the Holy Spirit to accomplish these things that we may be blessed in the land our Father in heaven we pray that you would Oh God may your Holy Spirit work on us to cause our affections to be after Christ, to love him with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind, to want to love and obey and honor Him, to follow after Him, to adorn the doctrine of God.

Thank you, Father, for your, we know you're doing this, Father, even as we've talked about now. Please accomplish it, make it so. May Jesus Christ be honored. Amen. The National Center for Family Integrated Churches is dedicated to proclaiming the sufficiency of scripture for church and family life and to the establishment of biblically ordered churches.

For more information, resources, and products, please visit our website at www.ncfic.org. Thank you. Thank you.