Culture of Obedience

Tonight, and really over the next three weeks, four weeks, we're talking about culture. Pastor has given directive to both myself and Pastor Schacht concerning what some of these midweeks will be, and tonight as we launch into this, our subject is the culture of obedience. When we talk about culture, I think it's important that we give it a definition so we all start at the same place. It simply means that there is a shared set of beliefs, values, traditions, social norms, or behaviors of a particular group of people. And it is the culture, it's these things, the values, the traditions, the behaviors that shape how people live. It determines the interactions between one party and another, even subconsciously. We rarely stop to intentionally consider, I am doing this because. But it's those subconscious values and ideologies that motivate us. It's our culture. And Pastor has charged us to give consideration to our culture, the protecting

of it, and with consideration to guide it. And so if you've been around New Life for any length of time, you will have heard some of these things, these statements or values flow out of Pastor and Sister Harpole as God has given it to them, things like this. New Life is a place where no one has a past and everyone has a future. New Life exists to create spiritually, emotionally, and financially healthy families. Here in the last several months, Pastor has repeatedly issued his desire to have 100 people teaching Bible studies weekly. You say, why is not 10 enough, is not 20 enough, is 40 not sufficient? Well, because we have 106,000 reasons. A city that needs to be saved. And yet, even with all of this very clear and well articulated vision, I would tell you that it is possible that it may never come to pass

if we fail to consider our culture. Now, I don't want you to misunderstand this tonight. We are talking about our church culture. But this is not just New Life. These are not things that were born out of conversation or just a strategic planning session with leaders of the church. These things are set by Scripture. And so, I've got considerable Scripture to read to you tonight. We're going to begin in Deuteronomy chapter number 28, verses 1 and 2. I'm going to read from the NIV. The Bible says, if you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all His commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 28 is God's exhortation to the people of Israel through the

prophet Moses and essentially what God is telling them is, I want to reveal myself to the world through you, through you as a people and as a nation. Now, God, if you read Deuteronomy 28 in its entirety, here's what you find out. God will make Himself known as God whether He does it by blessing or whether He does it by cursing. And the outcome would be determined by the choice of the Jewish people. If they were to live faithfully and adhere to the word of God, God said, these are all the ways in which I will bless you and the world will know who I am through my blessing on your life. However, if you do not obey my word, there is a consequence. It's Deuteronomy 28 and 15. He says, however, if you do not obey the Lord your God and you do not

carefully follow all His commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you. The preceding verses begin to detail to us what those curses were. So this is the point. God said, I am God and I will be known as God. Whether you receive my blessing or my curse is contingent upon your choice. Whether or not you are obedient to my word. Now some may say, and I've had discussions or in Bible studies with people before when they say things like this, well, that's the Old Testament. That's not relevant to us. We live under grace and we don't live under the Old Testament law. And well, there is truth to that. I would say this, that all of the Bible was not written to us, but it was written for us. Now what this means is, yes, some of this Old Testament narrative and

the Old Testament law, the civil law to the people of Israel, some of the Mosaic law, yes, there are elements of this that were not written to us. We were not the original audience. However, it is still for us. And as we consider this, and for the sake of time, we can't go through a lot of these scriptures, so let's just jump from this Old Testament premise that is given to us in Deuteronomy 28. And let's span a few thousand years to the time of Christ. And here's what we discover, the premise is unchanged. When Jesus is speaking to his followers, this is what he says in John 14. If you love me, keep my commandments. Sounds a lot like Deuteronomy 28. If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all of his commands. First John 2 and 3, now this is skipping ahead a few decades.

Jesus has been crucified, buried, resurrected, he's ascended into heavens. We are looking at another generation of the church by the time 1st John 2 is written, and here's what John said in 2 and 3 of 1st John. Hereby we do know that we know him. This is the evidence that somebody knows the Lord if, if we keep his commandments. So we are not judged. I want you to hear me tonight. This is important. We are not judged by our knowledge of God or even our enthusiasm towards the church. 1 Thessalonians 1 and 8, the NIV. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. Consideration has to be given here because we put a lot of emphasis on sound doctrine, good preaching, and good teaching, and rightly so. We, we spend considerable time to make sure people hear and understand and comprehend.

But knowledge is not the measuring stick. I got a couple sticky statements for you here tonight. Here's one that you can commit to memory. If you're taking notes, you want to write this down. Obedience is the measure. We will not be judged on whether or not we know what the Bible says. Whether or not we could pass a quiz of three questions or seven questions, or we could recite scripture references or Bible doctrine. When the measurement is made, the determining factor is did you obey? And as I was, we were driving home from Arkansas yesterday and I was, because my wife doesn't like to drive, I got to drive. And so I gave consideration as I was driving to, to scriptures that I would use. And what would the Lord have us here tonight. And coming back into Terre Haute as you were approaching exit 7 on the west side of the city.

I was greeted by a very large billboard. And to my delight, the big word in the middle was, guess what? Obey. I thought, well, if you've ever needed a sign, there it is. And it said real Christians obey Jesus' teaching. I thought, it really is that simple. It, it, it's that simple. You say, how, how do I grow in my relationship with the Lord? How, how does fruit become produced from my life? How do I accomplish something in the kingdom? That statement right there is really all you need to know. Real Christians obey Jesus' teaching. And so I say tonight, obedience is the measure. When, when Jesus measures us, He's not measuring our knowledge or comprehension. Now this is good because these things contribute to the process of discipleship and sanctification. And it produces maturity in our lives. And so we are not to be willfully ignorant or willfully immature.

But when we stand before God and He takes inventory of our lives, what He is measuring is our obedience. James 2, I'm going to skip a couple verses here, but there's three I want to highlight, James 2 and 17. James said, even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead being alone. Verse 19, he said, you believe us that there is one God you do well. The devils also believe and tremble. So faith, if it hath not works, is dead. You believe there is one God you know you have knowledge of. Perhaps you even confess this. But what James is telling us is knowledge is not equal to true belief. This is how we use the word. We say that to know is to believe. Well, I believe this, but if you don't actually obey this, if belief doesn't produce action, if the confession doesn't create works,

if the attitude, the conviction doesn't produce change and action and character formation, you don't really have faith. Verse 26 of James 2, this is what he says, for as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. Now, you've all experienced this, I'm sure, where you have been part of a funeral or memorial service and the body of that person is present in the casket, but the person is not present. And what the Scripture is saying is the same way that that body is there, but life is not present. You can't speak to them, they can't respond to you because they are absent from the body. James is saying this is precisely how God views faith without works. You can't have faith without works because knowledge or confession alone is not belief. The confession of a truth is not what makes us unique.

And this is what James says. You say there is one God, you do well, you speak the truth. But I would have you know that the devils also believe. So you can believe the right thing, confess the right thing, but still be in the company of devils. What is it that separates us from the devils? Obedience. It's not enough to confess it. It is not enough to believe it, to know it. Obedience is the measure. Now here's the problem tonight. I hope this is not true of us, but I feel very confident in saying it is true in the Christian world at large. Many people have diluted the sanctity of the church. The word is diluted and preference is preached and the word is ignored and pulpits have become powerless and cultures have become such even in Christian communities that people want to flaunt their liberties.

There's no careful introspection, no consideration of others, they flaunt their liberties, they speak in defense of their preference and then when the preacher uses the word of God to call the people to a lifestyle of obedience, the pew cries legalism. We live under grace. Yes, grace that Titus too said would teach you to deny ungodliness and live soberly and righteously in this present world because the same grace that teaches you or saves you pardon me will teach you. It's not just a salvation experience, it's a lifestyle of sanctification and so as the word is taught and as the word is preached and God begins to call us to a higher standard of living into a deeper place of character formation and lifestyle consecration, we just can't irreverently cast this off and say, well, that's for you but this is what I think and well, that's good for you but this is my preference.

No, you will be judged by your obedience to the word and so much of church culture in America is no longer consistent with the Scripture. They come to the Bible like it's a buffet and they, I'll take this and I'll leave this and I'll take this. Our culture as given to us by pastor and sister Harpole ultimately was not set by them in a dinner table conversation. They give to us as they have received from the Scripture. So yes, we are talking about our church culture but this is really a kingdom thing. This is not just a new life thing, this is a Bible thing. And obedience is the measure. God breath it, pastor, whoever stands in this pulpit will declare it and it is the responsibility of every member of this house to practice it. And so we have to give consideration to what really does it mean to obey?

What is obedience? By my estimation, perhaps there is no greater story in the Scripture that we could consider them 1 Samuel 15. God gave King Saul a clear command through the prophet Samuel. He said, I want you to completely destroy the Amalekites, all of the people, all of the livestock and all of the possessions. God said, this is my judgment on them for their attack on my people when I was bringing them out of Egypt. And as the story unfolds, here's what you find, Saul obeys partially. And what we come to learn is that's not really possible. There is no such thing as partial obedience. He does defeat the Amalekites but he would spare the life of King Agag and he would by his own words keep the best of the livestock under the excuse that we will offer them as a sacrifice to God.

And God moves upon the prophet Samuel to come and confront him. And his response is in 1 Samuel 15. He said that it was the best of the sheep and of the oxen, the best of the fatlings and the lambs and all that was good. Well, we did kill most of what you said killed but we judged this good and we judged this best and so we decided to keep it for another purpose. They felt it was good but God did not feel that it was good because anything that goes against what God says cannot be good. You judge it as good because who would not welcome increase into their life? Who would not like things that cater to convenience and make sacrifice easier? But if it goes against what God said, it cannot be good. Here's the consideration for us tonight. When you invest time in something, when you begin to affirm things,

when you ascribe value to things that perhaps you should not, it becomes difficult to do away and to destroy it. Because in the investment of your time in the valuing of that thing, what happens is you develop an affinity for it. And God may say that's not good. God may say destroy that. God may say stop that. And all of a sudden it is hard for you to break away because your affinity for that thing or that one or that place. Here is the reality, is that his affinity for this thing became his own affliction. I don't want you to misunderstand me because I'm not preaching that we should not have sympathy. But sympathy that is not tempered by the Spirit and operating in the boundaries of the Scripture can very easily be manipulated by the enemy. I just feel bad for them. If you're not careful, you'll get to feeling so bad for them

that you'll make allowance for their sin. Are you saying, well, should I not have sympathy? No, you absolutely should have sympathy. You should love and you should reach. But if it goes against what God said, it cannot be good. I was on the phone several months ago with a man who's making his way back to the Lord and to truth. And he's in the Scripture. He's going to church, not a church like this, but he's going to church in a relationship. And I was challenging him on the morality of that relationship. And I said, what kind of preacher would I be if I didn't challenge you on this? Now, I know the church you're going to, nobody wants to say anything about it. But what kind of preacher would I be? And his response to me was, well, really, what kind of Christian would you be?

This is our consideration tonight. Because the church world has made allowance for us to self-identify as Christians. Look, I want to remind us tonight that the title of Christian in the Scripture was not a self-identification. It was given to those whose lives were evidence that they were a disciple of another. There was a higher standard of living, a separation from the world, an obedience that identified them, and others said of them, they follow Jesus. But now in 2025, we proudly self-identify as such with no consideration of, are we really obeying what the Bible says? And we willfully claim ignorance. Well, I didn't know. Well, we have no excuse not to know. So the prophet comes to confront Saul. And Saul claims to have obeyed the commandment of the Lord. But Samuel says, I hear the bleeding of the sheep. The sound is evidence of your sin. You did not obey.

And first Samuel 15 and 22. Samuel said, hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fad of rounds. And someone could say, well, should we not sacrifice? Should we not offer the Lord this? Should we not praise? Should we not worship? This is not what he's saying. I offer in you tonight the unreleased DMV. This is the Dan McLeod version. Does the Lord delight in you checking off your daily Bible reading but not applying and obeying what you read? Does the Lord delight in singing songs and serving around the building as he does obeying his word? It is not that you should not sacrifice. He is not saying do not do these things. What he is saying is you cannot out serve an unsubmitted heart.

You cannot obey so well in one area that it justifies your disobedience in another area. Well, I haven't missed a Sunday. I check the box every day. I'll be here every Sunday night. I serve, I do this, I go there. Praise God for all of that. It's good, it's well, and it's in order. But you cannot use obedience in one area to justify disobedience in another. And this was the air of Saul's thinking. In his mind, obedience was some kind of spiritual checklist. That he had written out by his own reasoning. Now, I don't want to be too hard on him. I think there's probably a measure of his intention is good, but God does not bless good intention. God blesses obedience. And here is what the prophet is telling him. True worship is surrender. It's surrender of your will, of your opinion, of your preferences,

of your wants and your ways. True worship is surrender because by surrender comes obedience. Here's another statement for you. The evidence of a surrendered life is obedience, not emotion. Well, I was here on Sunday and the Spirit of God was moving, and I was crying in the presence of God, and I was speaking in other tongues, and all of that is good, and it's well, and I hope you do it again this Sunday. But if you're not careful, the emotion you feel in God's presence might be taken as approval. It is not. Approval comes when you obey. Sometimes you can cry and feel the presence of God because he's merciful and he's long-suffering and he's kind and he's not willing that any should perish. That is not God's approval, it's God's love. It's God reaching for you, trying to save you, trying to sanctify you, trying to make you separate.

You can think, well, I felt the presence of God, it must be okay, all must be well, no, the measure is obedience. So the evidence of a surrendered life is obedience. It's not emotion. You can feel emotion. You can feel God and not obey God. What we learn in 1 Samuel 15 is partial obedience is disobedience. There's no such thing as partial obedience. Here's a little story for you. I was preaching in Fayetteville, Arkansas Sunday afternoon. They rent the facility they're in, and there's a big round baptistry up here on the left side of the altar area. The church is over. Finn's standing there and his hand's going down on the water. So what are you doing? The first thing he said was, I'm playing with the holy water. I said, well, there's no such thing as holy water. He said, I'm baptizing my middle finger,

so it's not bad anymore. I said, well, you've caught some of the right concept here. But it's not quite how it works. And while we can pull the humor from the words of a child, I fear that maybe that kind of attitude can linger in our form of Christianity in other areas of our life, where we feel like religious observance is sufficient. But God says if you don't have obedience, it's meaningless. Where we treat our relationship with God like a checklist, like I did it today. I went there on Sunday. I completed my bread chart. But we really haven't surrendered our will. We haven't paused to sincerely communicate with God. And I tell you that you can have a checklist a mile long if you have not surrendered, if your heart is not sincere, and your life is void of obedience, your religion is powerless.

And here's why. Because when you sacrifice something to God, you're just giving him something. But when you obey God, you're giving him you. Well, God, I paid my tithes. I gave to the building. I served around the campus. I gave you time. I gave you money. I gave you something. And God's like, that's all good and well, but I could have paid this off without you. And I just want you. I want your heart. I want your love. I want you to seek me. I want you to come with sincerity and vulnerability. I want you. If we're not careful, we can come to God with this checklist mentality. I did this, and I did this, and I do not want to be misunderstood because I'm not saying that they don't matter. They do matter. What I am saying is you can't obey so good in one area

that it justifies disobedience in another. And if your hands are busy for them, but your heart is a million miles away, all the activity of religion means nothing. And that's why when Paul comes to the New Testament in Romans 12, he appeals to the same conceptual analogies of sacrifice and coming to God. But he said, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, which is to say, I'm about to ask something crazy of you, but I'm not doing it because I'm the great apostle Paul. So pause with me for a moment and consider how merciful God has been to you. And when you just stand there in the shadow of Calvary and you visualize his blood dripping that cleansed you and freed you and saved you. And when you get to thinking about how good God has been to you in the shadow of his mercy and there at the foot of the cross

on the basis of that, I'm appealing to you that you would present your bodies. It's that same conceptual familiarity of the Old Testament sacrifice, but he's not looking for a ram, a goat, an ox and a bird. He's not looking for spices and vegetation. You know what he's looking for? You, me, us. And this was the principle of Romans 6. Paul taught them in 6 and 16. He said, you are servants of what you obey. And so real obedience cannot just be a checklist mentality. We can't come and say, well, I was there on Sunday. I'm there on Wednesday. I paid my tithes. I took cards. I bought a t-shirt. I did this because you can do all that and your heart be a million miles from God. The sermon on the mount begins in Matthew 5 and the Bible said first that Jesus sees the multitudes

and then he makes his way up into a mountain and when he is set down in that mountain, the scripture says his disciples come to him. This visualization here is noteworthy because at the onset there's a mass of people. Why? Because who would not come to the party when miracles are happening? Of course there's going to be crowds when there's free food and blinded eyes and the crippled are walking. But when Jesus retreats to that high place, the multitudes don't follow him, but the disciples do. It's, I think, because what is happening in the natural is somewhat an indication of what is happening spiritually because this is what the sermon on the mount is. It's a call to a greater lifestyle. It is a sermon to the disciples, disciples, those who exhibit discipline. They model commitment. They follow him to the high place and here begins the sermon on the mount.

It is not an invitation to sinners. It is a lifestyle template for the committed follower. Jesus in this passage does not speak to them of salvation, which is what he did for us. He spends three long chapters with a radical call to discipleship, which is what we do for him. And I know someone says, well, that sounds legalistic. Does the scripture not call us to obedience? So similar to Deuteronomy 28, just as Moses brought the people of Israel to a place of decision, now Jesus brings his disciples to this same place of decision, where he says the outcome will be determined by your obedience or your disobedience. The conclusion of the sermon on the mount is Matthew chapter seven. I'll read 13 and 14 just for the sake of time. Here's what he says. Enter ye in at the straight gate, for wide is the gate

and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at. Because straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. He said, wide is the gate, broad is the way that leads people to destruction, but straight is the gate and narrow is the way. So there is exclusivity in the kingdom, not of any people. You're not excluded because of your past, your socioeconomic status, your race, none of that stuff. Anybody is welcome to come. The exclusivity is concerning any other way. He said, I'm putting boundaries on this road, and if you want to enter into my kingdom, stay within the confines of my word. That word narrow literally means to be restricted. Now I know if you're like me and you're human, you don't like being restricted,

but welcome to the kingdom. We are not free to dictate our own way. The scripture in the spirit imposes restriction on us. Broad, he said, is the way that leads to destruction. That word, it means in open land with no boundaries. Now I know, thank God, we've got I-70. Well, I don't know if we should thank God, the potholes are bad enough, but let's take that to prayer. But we've got a road, and that road is marked by material. The asphalt is different than the grass, and even then on the asphalt, the lines mark the road, and the guardrail serves as a boundary, and all of these boundaries, whether they're made of wood and steel or material or paint, what do they do? They guide us. What would it be like to try to find your way to the Indianapolis airport if that was just a big field of grass,

no road, no markings, no direction? This is what Jesus is saying. Boundaries, guidelines, my word, it is a restriction, but it is in that restriction that you are able to determine the necessary direction. If you were dropped in the middle of a field 500 miles from here, surrounded by grass and trees, and someone said, all right, I want you to find your way back to New Life Fellowship. Good luck. But if they set you 500 miles west of here on an interstate, it might take you a little while, but you could do it. Why? Because the boundaries dictate a direction, and what Jesus is teaching them in Matthew 7. There's three things here. He speaks to them of two roads, then of two trees, and then of two houses. And in everyone, the principle is obedience. He is bringing them to a place of decision.

He's saying, I just taught you about how we live in the kingdom. I know down there, this is how people live. I know in your country, this is how people respond. But when you come into my kingdom, there is a higher law and a higher standard. You are empowered by grace. The same grace that saved you will sanctify you, it will teach you, and it will empower you. So choose. Will you obey? The house is notable here. In Scripture, if I talk to you about a house, you think what you live in, framed up by two by fours, and sheetrock, and windows, and a roof. But in the Scripture, a house can be used of a person's own life in Matthew 12, of a person's family in 1 Timothy 3, or of the church itself in 1 Peter 2. What's the point? The point is that obedience is applicable

for the house to stand. If you are building your life, if you want to walk with God, if you want to have a relationship with Jesus, your house, you, your character, your life, you must be obedient. But it can't just be you. Your family has to be obedient. And our church has to be obedient. So here's a third sticky statement for you. Disobedience is like building a house without a foundation. It can look beautiful. You might enjoy it until the flood comes and the wind blows and the rain comes. And the only way you can withstand the storm is by the stability that is afforded to you by the foundation. But if we are not obedient, if disobedience is the manner of our lives, we may wear a suit and tie, we may come to church, but disobedience is like building a house without a foundation.

James said in 1 and 22 that we are to be doers of the Word, not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any man be a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like unto a man, beholding his natural face in a glass, for he beholdeth himself and goeth his way, and straightway, he forgeteth what manner of man he was. He sees the need, he hears the Word, God is talking to him through his devotion, through the teaching and the preaching of the pulpit, but then he goes his way. He didn't go God's way. He went the wide way, not the narrow way. The Bible said he forgets what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continues therein, I think the key word there is continue. Wednesday night is not sufficient. It's necessary, but by itself is not sufficient.

Sunday is not sufficient by itself. It's necessary, you better be here. Don't get slack in your church attendance. Don't be casual towards the things of God. But neither can you think, because you come two times on Sunday, that you don't need to be in the Word on Monday. You have got to continue in it every day. It's a daily bread. Continue therein. And he, being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. This was the error of Saul. The Bible said that if you are here only, you deceive yourself. This is precisely what Saul did. He did not obey, and he told himself this alternate way will be all right. And then had the audacity to stare into the eye of a prophet sent from God in lie. He claimed he did that which he did not do.

He deceived himself because he disobeyed. Now all of this is just my Biblical foundation for the subject of obedience. I hope I've made a case tonight of the necessity. Now I want to give you seven specific considerations concerning obedience and the culture of new life. Number one, we obey the word. Jesus in Matthew 28 is speaking to his disciples in verse 20. He said, I want you to go and teach them to observe all the things I have commanded you. This is what pastors do in every week. This is what I'm endeavoring to do tonight. It's what several will do on Sunday nights in the next few weeks. It's what happens in this house multiple times a week. There is a diligent effort to teach the people to observe, to obey all of the things that God has given us in his word. Now we ought to amen the preaching.

We ought to clap on Sunday. We ought to stand to our feet and let pastor know we hear and we are committed to this. But the measure is not the volume of the amen or how many times you stand while he's preaching. Where the rubber meets the road is when you walk out of this building on Sunday and you find yourself in some life scenario in the days that follow where your commitment to the word is tested by whether or not you will obey what you've heard. The measure is obedience. So the consideration for us is we have to be a church that obeys the word. Now I'll tell you, let me confess to you as a preacher, it's a lot more fun preaching when the people amen you. When there's a reciprocal anointing, when people are pouring virtue back into the pulpit. But let me just...

Pastor preached a strong word here quite a bit lately. And we ought to thank God for that. But it was several Sundays ago and I can't recall where I was but the time difference or it was an afternoon service, I was able to watch the live stream. And I text him immediately like as church dismissed he wouldn't even off the platform. This was his reply to me, let me just let you into the mind of a preacher for a minute. I affirmed what he said and his reply to me was thank you for that. I know that I was walking in the spirit but it does not mean I leave with confidence. That's how most preachers feel if they're honest with you. Because they don't get up there with some selfish ambition or desire to provoke you and challenge you or be unnecessarily hard but sometimes there is a battle raging in the spirit

and there's demonic spirits, there's human spirits, there's practical dynamics and let me just let you in a little practical dynamic. In the old sanctuary you could sit in the back and say amen and echo through the whole building. It's not like that in this building. It's bigger, it's different. The materials, I don't know what it is but the volume, the response isn't quite as emphatic. It doesn't feel the same in this sanctuary as it did in the old one. Now I'm telling you this because I want you to amen the preacher. When pastors up here like a man on fire preaching what he's prayed and fasted about you ought to clap your hands. If you agree with the word you ought to raise your hand. You ought to stand to your feet sometimes and let the man of God know I hear and I agree.

I'm with you. However, when it's all said and done you can stand for the whole sermon. If you don't obey, we lost it. So please amen him but more than the vocal amen, amen him with the obedience of your life to the word of God. Number two is we've got to be led by the Spirit. Romans 8 and 14 said for as many as led by the Spirit they are the sons of God. They're children of God. Not the qualification but the evidence. The fruit of a child of God is their willingness to be led. Be led by the Spirit. When the Spirit is prompting you when the Spirit is working in you don't resist it. Stop fighting it. Surrender your will and let God lead you. Now this kind of stuff sounds good until God gets meddling in your everyday life. And God starts convicting you

about what you were doing or what you were talking about and the things you were listening to. It's just that something's not right. That's called conviction. It's the Spirit. It's the mercy of God trying to warn you this is not wise. This is not good for you. This will not produce righteousness in you. And we have to be a people that are willing to be led by the Spirit. Where we are not wrestling with God and always giving God our wants and our preferences. But there is a true and sincere submission of our will to His Lordship. And we say, God, I want you to lead me. Where you lead me, I'm going to follow. We have to be led by the Spirit. Number three, we have to submit to and honor spiritual authority. There are places in the Bible where Paul would speak to us

of governing authorities and we don't have time for that tonight but I do want to highlight Hebrews 13 and 17. Obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves. Submit yourself. Nobody can force you into submission. You have to choose to voluntarily submit yourself. Why? Because they watch for your souls and they must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief. For that is unprofitable to you. I've told others before and I think it bears repeating tonight the responsibility of the saint is to live your life in such a way that the shepherd who will give an account to God for you can say this. It was the joy of my life to pastor that person. Now this is just, this is how the McLeod household works. If I ever feel personally, if I felt I was doing something

or the conduct of my life or my family was doing something that caused unnecessary burden and took the joy out of pastoring me and my family I would fear for my soul. Because the admonishment of the scripture is that I must submit myself and obey them. Do it in such a way that when he stands before God to give account that he may do it with joy and not with grief. It would be unprofitable for me if when pastor has to stand before God there is grief in his heart concerning how I followed his lead. It felt a little better earlier when we were talking about baptizing his middle finger. But this is the Bible. We're talking about our church. We're talking about trying to fill up this sanctuary. We're talking about baptizing hundreds of people 106,000. There's a vision here but our culture

will eat that vision up and it will never come to pass unless we get this. We have to submit to and honor spiritual authority. Number four now I have these in this order for a reason number one was the word because that's the basis of our authority. Number two is the spirit because we are people of the spirit. Number three is the headship the leadership of this house because there's no church without a shepherd. The principle of the scripture is as goes the shepherd so go the sheep. Smite the shepherd the sheep are scattered and so it is our submission that protects our pastor from unnecessary battles. So we go from the word to the spirit to this house but let's look at number four. expect obedience in the home. Ephesians six one through three begins by this profound revelation children obey your parents and the Lord

for this is right. Now we're talking about church culture I want you to see how this works. How effective do you think we're going to be at this if the pulpits calling for obedience but you let your home function and utter chaos the other six days of the week. Pastors up here like a man on fire preaching us into consecration preaching us into evangelism your child sitting there on the pew but they know when they get home from church that there is no standard they will be held to the next several days. So I say parents it is our responsibility to create a culture where obedience is expected in the home and on that note I think consideration has to be given we can't expect what we do not example I can't call my child to obedience unless my child actively sees me model obedience in my life

and in my home. The opening statement of many conversations in my house is something like this. Well the Bible says well that's that's not what the Bible says well he did this to me why did you do that he did this to me well the Bible says what are you doing I'm bringing in the measuring stick because the measure is obedience and so we are damaging ourselves personally our family and the church the three houses of Scripture we are causing unnecessary grief if we are calling for something in the church building that we are not calling for in the home so I say parents we have to establish the standard what is the rule what is the law what is the word and call our families to obedience. We don't have time to dissect Ephesians 6 but I've been in the Scripture on family for about a month now

and it's I'm fired up but Ephesians 6 Colossians it's profound because Paul speaks to the child concerning the parents he speaks to the parents concerning the child he speaks to the husband concerning the wife and the wife concerning the husband because you can't consider the culture of a church without considering the culture of the homes. Number 5 now that we talked about the homes let's talk about the church you have to remember the common good this is not just about you it's about us and the reality that we fail to consider is this is that what you do what I do affects all of us it's the common good Joshua 7 he can stole from the spoils of Jericho which were reserved for the Lord and his actions the actions of one man brought consequence on the entire nation and the people of God lose to a smaller army at

A.I. and 36 people lose their lives one man's action caused 36 deaths it's the common good it's not just about you it's not what you want it's not what you think it's not your preference it's us and the unity of the church Paul said endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit the unity of the spirit is not you and me coming up with a good idea this fly is gonna be the death of me the bible says that the fly gets in the anointing it's no good so you have to the unity of the spirit is not you and me saying hey we think the same thing let's come into unity it's me putting my preferences aside you putting your preferences aside and the standard and the direction that is set by the spirit regardless of what we think or feel we put all that aside

and when we each come into the unity of the spirit the byproduct is we'll be in unity one with another it's the common good so we don't bring our ideas and our preferences and our wants and contend for it to the disunity of the body we come with the understanding that what I do affects everybody what kind of church would we have if everybody in the church was just like you would the bills get paid would the lights in the prayer room ever be turned on would a bible study ever be taught would anybody ever come to the altar would the preacher ever hear amen if everybody in the church was just like you what kind of church would we be the bible said of the early church in Acts 2 and 44 they had all things common it's the trademark of the apostolic church

and so as we consider our culture we have to remember the common good it's not just about me it's about us number six is you have to give time for personal reflection Romans 14 and 12 Paul said that every one of us shall give an account of himself to God I know many times when we think of the last days in judgment we think well God's going to take account of us and this is true the bible speaks of the books which the actions and the deeds of men bear record of and they will be brought out there will be a judgment when God takes account of you but Paul was talking about that day he's saying there is a moment where you come to God and you have to give an account of yourself to him now I get it contextually this is in reference to a specific

an event and a specific time but here's what I would draw by way of principle tonight is why wait for the last day to be accountable there's coming a day when you will stand before God and God will say alright let me hear it tell me how you serve me tell me tell me how much you love me tell me all the ways in which you were blessed by being in my church and serving him given account of your life what I'm saying is why would we wait until that day this is a principle that we should live with every day where at the end of every day we stop and say ok let me give an account of myself how did I do today did I pray today did I read the word today did I stop and in my day was there time for me to commune with God

or was I just so busy busy busy busy we're talking about our culture and culture doesn't happen now there will be a culture by accident but we don't want that we want a carefully articulated culture that's set by the scripture and that means that we have to give time for personal reflection when pastor preaches and we leave we stop and think ok how's that going to change what I do this week I mean I know I felt God when he was talking and I amen to him and I stood up and I clap but I have to pause and reflect how is what I'm hearing going to change how I'm living you don't just stumble into spiritual growth you have to pause and reflect give an account of your life tell God if you're struggling tell God if there's an area you need help with

tell God in fact that may be why you're stuck where you are because you're trying to hide it and keep the image together just be vulnerable be sincere God would rather you be honest and surrender your heart and tell him your struggle then live with this checklist mentality you have to have time for personal reflection in number 7 that's where we end is you have to acknowledge the blessing we began in Deuteronomy 28 we didn't read it all for the sake of time but the point was this these are all the ways in which I will bless you if you will obey my word so I tell you unequivocally tonight there is a world of abundant blessings available to us if we obey him Hebrews 12 and 2 it speaks of Jesus going to the cross it said that who for the joy that was set before him

he endured the cross now I would be I would be a bad preacher if I told you that obedience was always going to be easy it won't be God may ask you to do some hard things that messes with your plans and your preferences messes with your calendar and your wants and your likes well I've always done it this way well the scripture always said this it's not always easy but the Bible said in that moment of great agony Jesus looked at what he had to endure the suffering, the pain, the shame he despised the shame but what motivated him the joy that was set before him so I would submit we need to acknowledge the blessing we need to tell the stories and share the testimonies of how God has helped us and blessed us when we were obedient to him I remember the first time

that God ever asked me to give sacrificially I only had the Holy Ghost for about a month and I was in a service at a district camp meeting and they were taking up an offering for something that I could have cared less about and I felt like the Lord said I want you to give a thousand dollars you know I don't really feel too invested in this and it was just like it just kept echoing I want you to give a thousand dollars I want you to give a thousand dollars so I filled out a pledge card and got the money and took it in and paid a thousand and the next week I went to work and I was working for an internet company that summer and they were expanding and my boss said look we want to send you out on this particular assignment

if you'll take your car we'll pay you mileage on top of your regular wages put you in a hotel we'll give you food and my next paycheck came around and the mileage check was like an extra 1500 dollars I thought huh is this how this works well let me tell you all these years later this is how this works I could stand here and tell you stories till tomorrow morning I won't but I could tell you a lot of stories about how God has been good to me and God has been good to others we're sitting in a story right now this lets acknowledge the blessing how how did this happen you know why because for the past 25 and a half years pastors been preaching the word and calling people till obedience obey the scripture repent obey the scripture and be baptized obey the scripture and receive the Holy Ghost

obey the scripture and separate yourself obey the scripture and serve obey the scripture and give and people just kept coming in to the unity of the spirit one by one some of you weren't raised in the church this is where you were born again this is all you've ever known others God moved you here by some divine orchestration here you are and now it is incumbent upon us it is necessary that we pause and give consideration to our culture there's a lot of things that can be said about new life fellowship but here's what pastor would have said of us here's what God would have said of us we have a culture of obedience stand with me what kind of church is that I'll tell you what kind of church we are we obey the word why do they praise like that why do they baptize like that

why do they give why do they have all these prodigals because we believe the word we're just trying to obey the word and I promise you this is really how simple it is if you will just seek to obey the word don't resist God like I just why do we wrestle with God God calls us to a higher place of living God takes us to our sermon on the mountain says I want to change this and I want to do this and we start wrestling it's the battle of wills listen he'll fight you all night long because you are wrestling with a word that is forever settled and I tell you that this book is sufficient it will speak to every area of your life either by precept or by principle the precept is the law it's God saying do this or don't do this

obedience or disobedience black or white but you know as well as I know and if you're a parent you especially know because raising kids and the questions they ask will teach you that there's a lot of gray area as it pertains to godliness in this present age but what do you do? what do you do when there's no scripture and verse on smartphones and the internet and laptops and what do you do when there's no scripture and verse when you can't take me to precept well you got to dig out the principle and you got to say okay look I know I don't have a scripture that says don't do this but the principle of the scripture is this and I do not feel that it would be wise I do not have peace to do this based on this principle I fear the direction of this decision

remember what do boundaries do it dictates direction it keeps you progressing towards the narrow gate towards righteousness and godliness and so this is what I'm contending for tonight can we just be a people who obey the scripture let me tell you it is the joy of a pastor's heart it is the delight of every preacher to minister to people who obey the scripture I promise you that every time someone says I'm going to submit to the scripture I'm going to be baptized every time someone says you know what I'm going to forsake my sin and make a commitment to God every time someone says you know what I don't want to just be a consumer where can I serve in the body so I say let us let us have a culture of obedience Jesus I love you I thank you for your word I pray that

the fowls dark spirits of this day would not steal the seed that has been sown in this room tonight I'm asking Lord that the word of God would be committed to the minds and the hearts of those who are present here tonight I pray it would start conversation on the drive home and living rooms tonight I pray Lord that spouses and families would begin to talk about how the word is guiding and shaping them and that together our homes would not be in contention with the culture of this house Lord from the individual heart to the culture of our families to the building up of this collective body we want to have a culture of obedience so I pray Lord that your word would show us let us see ourselves in the mirror of your word and let your spirit lead us into areas of

productivity and to change into spiritual maturity we're asking God for your help I pray Lord that you would put within us the desire your word assures us if we would delight ourselves in the Lord that you would give us the desires of our heart and I ask now as we delight in you as we give ourselves to you I pray you would take out the wrong desires and that you would put in the right desires I pray that you would give us a fresh hunger for the bread of life and as we open up our Bible and we continue in that word I pray Lord that we would sense your nearness and hear your voice and God I know many struggle to make comprehension of the Scripture I know many come to your word and they feel as though they are reading some ancient book that they

struggle to make application and I'm praying right now for that one and I'm asking God that the spirit of wisdom and revelation would visit them that when and open up their Bible and the privacy of their home that you would visit them and they would feel your presence and with certainty they would hear your voice and together God we're committing to be a people who obey your word I pray Lord that you would help us in these things and I pray the blessings of your word it was not written to us but it's still for us and I pray every blessing that is in it we acknowledge it every blessing of provision every blessing of protection every blessing of your presence and power the promise of salvation and deliverance and miracles they are for me and they are for us they are for this church and they are for this

city and we acknowledge them and we claim them now in Jesus name hallelujah hallelujah would you just lift your hands and would you give them praise tonight Lord we love you we thank you hallelujah praise be to God praise be to God amen