Take Heed

Memory Verse:  Joshua 22:5

.

 Life Application: We must be careful to obey God’s Word.

.

Joshua 22:5  NKJV    

“But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

.

Deuteronomy 6:5  NKJV    

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

     Moses warned the Israelites to love God with everything in them. The people were to be devoted to God. Throughout the Bible we are told to worship God. Everyone is instructed to offer true worship to God. Everything that we do must flow out of our love for God. God looks at our heart to see the motive behind everything that we do.

1 Corinthians 16:14  NKJV    

“Let all that you do be done with love.”

*   You must follow God out of your love for Him.

*   You must keep God’s commandments out of love.

*   You must hold fast to the things of God out of your love for Him.

•   You must worship (minister to) God out of your love for Him.

Matthew 22:37  NKJV    

“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and  with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment”

I. Walk In God’s Ways:

We must conduct ourselves in godly ways. Our behavior must be that of Jesus. A believer’s life should match, or line up with the Word of God. We should live in a way that the things we do, say and think measure up to the God we serve.

Ephesians 4:1  NKJV    

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.”

.

1 Thessalonians 2:12  NKJV    

“That you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”

.

Colossians 1:10 NKJV    

“That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

     God has called us to His standards, and He will empower us by His Holy Spirit.

Colossians 1:11  NKJV   

  “Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy”

     The standards of the world are not the standards of God. No matter where you live in the world, no matter what your culture is nor what your traditions are,  God’s standards are always the same. They never change.

Isaiah 55:8-9   NKJV    

“’For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.’ ”

     God never intended for the church to become like the world in order to reach the world. He has called the church to a higher standard -His standard. We cannot walk in God’s ways if we try to compromise or “water down” the standards of God. When we allows the world, or the area they live in, to set the standards we are on very dangerous ground. They are no different than the church of Pergamos -the compromising church or the church of Thyatira- the corrupt church. Both of these churches allowed immorality and idolatry to creep in. They exchanged God’s standards for the world’s standards, thus they were found lacking in the sight of God. Jesus is coming back for a bride (church) that is spotless, not a bride (church) that is stained with compromise.

Ephesians 5:26-27  NKJV    

“That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

II. Keep God’s Commandments:

According to the dictionary “keep” means to: have for a long time or forever, to have and not let go, to have and take care of, to have; to hold, to maintain in good condition; preserve, to observe, to be faithful to. Jesus tells us that if we love Him we will keep His commandments. You cannot separate love and obedience. In other words, if we love Jesus we will be faithful to observe and preserve the commandments of God forever. We will not let go of the Word of God for anything or anyone.

John 14:15  NKJV    

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

     No one will be able to stand before God and say that they didn’t know His commandments. God gave us His Word, the Holy Bible. It’s up to every person to read it and to obey it. Obedience brings blessings and rewards, and disobedience brings curses and punishment.

Jeremiah 7:23  NKJV    

“But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’ ”

.

2 Thessalonians 1:8  NKJV   

‘..in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

.

Hebrews 5:9  NKJV   

“And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him”

III. Hold Fast To God:

We need to be firm, secure, loyal and steadfast to God, and to the things of God. We should not allow the things of this world and the cares of life to have a negative effect on our love for God.

Psalm 57:7  NKJV   

“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise.”

     Our love for God must not be swayed by every doctrine of man that comes along.

1 Corinthians 16:13  NKJV   

“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.”

.

Philippians 1:27  NKJV   

“Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”

.

Revelation 3:11  NKJV   

“Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”

IV. Minister To God With All Your Heart And Soul:

Worship (ministry to God) must come before service.

Luke 10:38-42  NKJV   

“Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His Word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

     Jesus did not rebuke Martha for serving, but for putting the wrong priority on serving. Worship to God must come before serving. After we worship and minister to God, then we will have the power to go out and minister to others. You cannot give what you do not have. You must spend time in the presence of God to effectively minister the way God wants you to.

Revelation 2:5  NKJV    

“Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place- unless you repent.”

.

.

Review

1. Look up the definition of the word “heed”. What does it mean?

.

.

2. Read Joshua 22:5. Joshua told the people to take careful heed to what Moses had commanded. Moses commanded the people to do five things. What were these commands?

.

.

.

3. Moses warned the Israelites to love God with everything in them. According to Deuteronomy 6:5 how should we love God?

.

.

4. If we are a child of God, He has delivered us from “Egypt” (bondage to sin). Read 2 Kings 17:36. What should we do if God had delivered us from “Egypt”?

.

.

5. What kind of sacrifices are we to offer to God?

.

.

6.  Everything that we do must flow out of our love for God, not out of a sense of duty or habit. God looks at our heart to see the motive behind everything that we do. When God looks at your heart what does He see?

.

.

Do you serve God out of duty or out of love?

.

.

7. Read Matthew 22:37. What is the greatest commandment?

.

.

8. Look up the definition of the word “imitate”. What does it mean?

.

.

9. Who are we to pattern our life by?

.

.

10. What does “walk worthy of God” mean?

.

.

11. A standard is a principle or value that governs a person’s behavior. The standards of the world are not the standards of God. Do God’s standards ever change?

.

.

 

12. We cannot walk in God’s ways if we try to compromise or “water down” the standards of God. What are areas in your life that you struggle with compromise in?

.

.

13. Why were the churches of Pergamos and Thyatira found lacking?

.

.

14. What will the bride that Jesus returns for look like?

.

.

15. According to the dictionary “keep” means to what?

.

.

16. Jesus tells us that if we love Him we will keep His commandments (John 14:15).  Can you separate your love for God from your obedience to God?

.

.

17. We should not allow the things of this world and the cares of life to have a negative effect on our love for God. What are some things that could cause a negative effect on our love for God and our relationship with Him?

.

.

18. Read 2 Chronicles 15:2. This verse contains a wonderful promise while at the same time gives a warning. What is the promise?

.

. What is the warning?

.

.

19. The story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42 tells us that worship to God must come before our work for Him. Jesus did not rebuke Martha for serving, but for what?

.

.

---