Obey My Commands Part 1
Acts 10:44-48
Psalm 98
1 John 5:1-6
John 15:9-17
Special Music:
That’s What Life is For - Peder Eide
Introduction/Opening
Good morning and Buenos Dias
Introduce yourself – My name is Pastor Anna; I am Associate Pastor here at Living Hope
Opening Prayer
Opening Scripture:
Acts 10:44-48
10:44 While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word.
10:45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles,
10:46 for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said,
10:47 "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?"
10:48 So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.
Mission Moment with Judy
Offering and Tithes
Call to Worship:
Psalm 98
98:1 O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.
98:2 The LORD has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
98:3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
98:4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
98:5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody.
98:6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD.
98:7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who live in it.
98:8 Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy
98:9 at the presence of the LORD, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.
Hymns:
How the Fire Fell #506
Come, All Christians, Be Committed #544
They’ll Know We are Christians by Our Love Chorus #177
The Bond of Love #682
BlessedAssurance #442
Living for Jesus #479
Congregational Prayer
First Reading:
1 John 5:1-6
5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child.
5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.
5:3 For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome,
5:4 for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith.
5:5 Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
5:6 This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth.
Obey My Commands Part 1
“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
John 14:15-17 NIV
In a couple versus later … it talks about God’s commandments.
Gospel Scripture:
John 15:9-17
15:9 As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.
15:10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.
15:11 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
15:12 "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
15:13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.
15:14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.
15:15 I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.
15:16 You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.
15:17 I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.
I like To-Do Lists. I actually try to do a To-Do List every day. However, the Commands of Christ are not just a To-Do list; they are an invitation to have a relationship with God Himself.
But how can we keep—or observe, or remember, or even apply—Christ’s commands, without knowing what they are. I found an article that lists 50 Commands of Christ. Today we will discuss only 10 of them. I took these topics from today scripture lessons to help us concentrate on these commands.
Holy Spirit
(Opening Scripture: Acts 10:44-48)
Joyful noise
(Call to Worship: Psalm 98)
Victory of our God
(Call to Worship: Psalm 98)
Keep my commandments or Obey His commands
(First Reading:1 John 5:1-6)
(Gospel Scripture: John 15:9-17)
Abide in my love
(Gospel Scripture: John 15:9-17)
Go and bear fruit
(Gospel Scripture: John 15:9-17)
Love one another
(First Reading:1 John 5:1-6)
(Gospel Scripture: John 15:9-17)
There arefifty general commands Jesus gave us during His earthly ministry:
****50 Commands from Christ
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We heard about the first one in Pastor JJ’s sermon last week
Abide in Me (Gospel Scripture: John 15:9-17)
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:4–5)
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After John the Baptist was put in prison Jesus withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali.
“From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38 NIV
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Jesus then started gathering His disciples:
“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).
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Just as our Call to Worship Psalm 98 stated this morning
98:4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
Our next command is to
“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:11–12).
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2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.
Deuteronomy 4:2 NIV
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (Matthew 5:17 NIV).
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John 15:12 "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
It doesn’t say love those who love you it says love one another like family, friends, strangers, or foe.
Love Your Enemies(Gospel Scripture: John 15:9-17)
“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?” (Matthew 5:44–46 NIV).
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So if you love your enemy how do you treat total strangers:
Be Perfect(Gospel Scripture: John 15:9-17)
“If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:46–48 NIV).
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Did you know? The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from Methodism and the 19th century Holiness Movement/Revival. The name originates from a genuine desire to work with the poor, and as such, to emulate Jesus.
“Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke 14:12–14 NIV).
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The greatest commandment of the law - He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’;and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Luke 10:27
Here it is in another book in the New Testament:
Love the Lord(Gospel Scripture: John 15:9-17)
“Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37–38 NIV)
Love Your Neighbor(Gospel Scripture: John 15:9-17)
“And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
(Matthew 22:39–40 NIV).
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This is the Great Commission. This is where Jesus tells us to continue His ministry. Yes it is now our job, not just Pastor’s to tell others about Jesus. Listen to what Matthew 28: 19-20 days …
Make Disciples (Opening Scripture: Acts 10:44-48)
“Thereforego and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19–20 NIV).
Did you know there is an island by India in the Bay of Bengal in the northeastern Indian Ocean named North Sentinel Island where there are an indigenous population of people called The Sentinelese, also known as the Sentineli and the North Sentinel Islanders.
They are Designated a particularly vulnerable tribal group and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India.
In 2006 the government of India changed the name of "Primitive tribal group" to "Particularly vulnerable tribal group"
The features of such a group include a pre-agricultural system of existence, that is practice of hunting and gathering, zero or negative population growth, and extremely low levels of literacy in comparison with other tribal groups.
The Sentinelese appear to have consistently refused any interaction with the outside world. They are hostile to outsiders and have killed people who approached or landed on the island.
In 1956, the Government of India declared North Sentinel Island a tribal reserve and prohibited travel within 3 nautical miles (5.6 kilometres) of it. It further maintains a constant armed patrol in the surrounding waters to prevent intrusions by outsiders. Photography is prohibited. There is significant uncertainty as to the group's size, with estimates ranging between 35 and 500 individuals.
Note: North Sentinel Island is not the only one like this there are 75 "Particularly vulnerable tribal group" but not all are quite as hostile. So we are a ways from reaching all nations. We have a lot of work to do.
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38 NIV
Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
Acts 10:47-48
4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues[b] and prophesied.
Acts 19:4-6 NIV
The Catholic Encyclopedia, for example, states that "The baptismal formula was changed from the name of Jesus Christ to the words Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by the Catholic Church in the second century."
In the Church of the Nazarene Manual it states The minister, giving the full name of the person and using the preferred form of baptism—sprinkling, pouring, or immersion—shall say:
_________________________, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
After reading through these commands, you may wonder, How can I possibly follow all of them?The answer is, you can’t! Only by believing in Jesus Christ as Savior and allowing Him to live His life through you can you truly love and follow God. As you read through the commands Jesus gave, ask God to help you observe these words, apply them, and faithfully follow them through the power of His Holy Spirit.
Lord, help us to observe your commands, help us to apply them to our lives, and become faithful followers of them through the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Memory Verse:
"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
John 15:12
Final Song:
Victory in Jesus #352
Closing Prayer
Blessing/Benediction