Introduction: The truth that obedience to God brings blessing, is the first principle in understanding what it means to be a child of God. Failure to understand this first principle and failure to implement it is to forfeit God's BEST in your life.

I. DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE AND LOVE GOD? HOW CAN YOU KNOW THAT YOU TRULY DO?

A. I John 5:1-3...This we can know...if we keep God's commandments that is proof we love him.
1. Just as true is the opposite of this truth. Those that do not obey God show they are not returning God's love and thereby are hindering Him from blessings us.
2. The whole book of 1 John is addressed to those who profess to know Christ Jesus as Savior. It is a book which tests us. It tests our faith by our actions. God's purpose in this book is to help us to be in a right relationship with Him. He wants us to be in full fellowship with us.

B. Those who obey the Lord show their love for Him. It is often the case that believer's get out of fellowship with the Lord and are not fully trusting in Him.

C. Those who trust and have faith in God will obey God.

ILLUS: I own an old Toyota 4runner with over 350,000 miles on it. but I believed it was sound and I had faith in it. How did I prove that I really have faith in the truck? I drove it across the country from Virginia to Utah. My faith was well founded and I did not have a problem. If I did not trust it I would not drive it. When we first came to Utah in 1986 we had a 81 Mercury. Lynx. I did not trust it. Proof? I would not take it across the country and got rid of it.

D. Have you ever thought about your trust in God in this way.

1. We use a lot of religious phrases, such as "trust the Lord, have faith and etc." But do we in practical terms know what they really mean?

2. Go to a doctor. He tells you have a particular medical problem. You take medicine he prescribes in the doses he says. That is proof of you faith in him because you do what he says to do.

3. God is our Creator! He made you and gave you life. Do you really believe that? Proof that you do will be that you trust Him and that you do what he instructs. We say we believe the Bible is God's word, but if we do not live by what God has said....do we really believe the Bible is God's word? Wouldn't it be true that if you will not obey what God has said, then that is proof that you really do not believe or trust in HIM.

4. You can believe He exists with a head knowledge...but that is not what we are talking about. My doctor is Dr. Frances and I know he exists, yet I have not really trusted in him, till I go to him and seek his help and then obey what he says do. I have not really put my trust in him till I do what he says.

5. Many folks put great stock in the fact that they believe that there is a God. KNOWING THAT THERE IS A GOD WILL NOT SAVE YOU! James 2:19..says the devils believe...yet are lost. People put great stock in reading the Bible.

ILLUS: General George Patton was ask what he thought of the Bible. He replied "I read it every BLANKY BLANK Day." There is no magic in just reading the Bible. Lots of folks read the Bible and are going to die in their sins and go to hell. Why? It is in the obeying and the following God's Word that teaches men God's righteous ways! God's blessing come when will apply His word our lives. Knowing the principles of the Bible does not bring God's blessing. If we do not apply them it is simply a mental exercise. Yet, if we with our hearts, truly trust the Lord then we will apply the word to our lives and then the Holy Spirit blesses and guides us.

6. Others folks put get stock in thinking and meditating on God and His Word.

          Many is the time I have heard someone commenting on a person who was in a cult, or not serving the Lord. They say about them, "But they really know their Bible!" Folks, The Bible is about God, you can't know about the Bible, without knowing about God!

D. James says, "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." (James 2:17-19)
1. Here is the truth of the matter! If a person is saved then they will do what they Lord says.
2. You see - they TRUST the Lord - they believe what He says. This makes them - obey the Bible.
3. Don't want to obey the Bible? God gives everyone that option! God will not force Himself on you nor violate your will. He will allow you to be disobedient if that is your choice. But if you refuse to do as God, through the Bible says to do.....then don't call yourself a believer ---your actions show that you are not in truth believing God. Some folks even professing Christians, don't want God to interfere with the way they like to live? That's OK, God gives you that option.

          But do not expect God to bless you! If you don't live as He says, which means to live a decent respectable abundant and happy life, He will allow you live as you want to....however, don't expect to live a happy and productive life. Don't expect to win those in your family and friends who are lost and on their way to Hell. Don't expect God to answer your prayers and don't be alarmed when God begins to chasten you to correct your sin.

          YOU SEE BY NOT WANTING TO LIVE AS GOD COMMANDS, AND BY NOT WORKING TO LIVE AS GOD WANTS - - - YOU HAVE TOLD THE LORD TO LEAVE YOU ALONE....DON'T BOTHER ME WITH YOUR RULES AND COMMANDMENTS. YOU IN FACT HAVE SAID TO GOD, "I KNOW MORE THAN YOU....I KNOW WHAT MAKES ME HAPPY AND WILL GIVE ME A GOOD LIFE.

A. The promise of blessing. Deuteronomy 11:8-15, God promised to bless Israel. He promised they would prosper.
1. In Deuteronomy 11:1 - God gave the commandment. Love God - Keep His commandments.

2. In Verse 8 - Keep God's commandments and you will be strong. ILLUS: I was returning home from a visit to Grand Junction, CO. We turned off I15 and headed west on Utah Hwy 6. There came a fierce wind from the north that caused a dust storm. Hundreds of tumble weeds were all being blown across the road and will piling up on the south fence line. If the wind had been from the south they would have all been blown against the northern fence. Why were they being blown around? They had no root. They were dead inside and without life. That's the way of the world, but that should not be the way of the child of God. The child of God is alive in Christ and is rooted in Christ. However, sadly some professing believers who should act like a deep rooted oak tree, are blown about by every wind of trouble. James 1, teaches this that a man has no faith who is tossed around by every wind of doctrine.

          For many when a troubling wind comes...they get blown away. Have you noticed that when some church members have trouble they lay out of church. Or some have financial trouble they quit giving to God's work? James 1:2-3, say we are to rejoice when trials come our way. Why? Because God allows it to mature us and teach us patience and greater dependence on Him.

3. Verse 9 Keep God's commandments and your days will be prolonged. Live as God says, and you will live longer. God's way is to live a clean pure live. Use drugs, drink, smoke, over eat, live the wild carefree life, seek pleasures, avoid hard work....you will live a miserable life and will die early!

4. Verse 13 - Diligently obey God! This means with great attention and energy. What then is God's promise?

I will give you rain.
I will send grass in your fields.
God says our material prosperity is tied to our obedience to Him.

Many run businesses, conduct their business and financial affairs without a thought to what God has said. They will suffer the consequences. Most professing Christians do not tithe....yet they think God will bless them finanially. That just is not so! God says plainly, "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." (2 Corinthians 9:6)

Question? Do you believe what God is saying here? You say you do, then prove it by living your life trusting in these promises and nothing else.

          James 1:2-4 says, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." Many times God tests us in this area. The trial God allows to come into our lives is to mature us and make us stronger in the Lord....more trusting and thereby receive more of God's blessings. God sometimes tets us have some money to see what we will do with it. The test is not for God's knowledge ... He already knows what we will do, but it is for our benefit to let us see where our faith truly is. Faithfully giving a thanksgiving offering to the Lord will receive its blessing...but if we don't thank the Lord for it...You will find yourself will little or nothing.

5. Verse 22... If you carefully keep these commandments, love the Lord, walk in His way God says "I will drive your enemies out before you. I will make you more powerful than those who oppose you. But note the protection of God is conditional our our obedience.

6. What is all this saying?

B. God will bless those that do right...those that do wrong will suffer from their mistakes...they will suffer because they are doing wrong. God says the wages of sin is death.(Rom. 6:23)

ILLUS: A young man in my first church was headed down the wrong road. I counseled him on several occasions. He was headed for trouble and I gave him good sound Biblical advice that would have kept him from it. But he refused to believe it. He refused to obey. He professed to be a Christian. Yet he would not obey God, gave his mom and dad a terrible time, finally had to join the Army. Next we hear he is serving two years in the stockade for some crime, kicked out with dishonorable discharge...still living a confused and worthless life.

          If you do not do what God says, then don't be upset by the trouble that will come your way. God loves us to much to allow us to continue in disobedience. He will not bless us when we are not obeying Him, because that would mean He was blessing sin. His will and desire is that we live the best life possible and He is seeking to help us to overcome sin its negative result in our lives.

Conclusion:
1. Obedience brings blessings. Obedience is based on believing God. Not only believing that He is there, but fully trusting in Him to allow Him to have the rule in your life. Doing right means that things will work out. You put yourself in God's care.

           God told Israel "A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known." (Deuteronomy 11:27-28)

2. Disobeying God will separate your from God's fellowship and bring you trouble. For those that die without obeying God in receiving His Son the Lord Jesus as one's Savior...it brings eternal death.

3. This morning: Do you believe and trust in God? Do you have saving faith? Then the evidence is that you are seeking and having success at obeying God. Would you honestly admit to the truth? Do you love God? Then you will be seeking to do as he says you will be obeying.

4. If you are here and you have never in your heart repented of your sin and received Christ as your Savior...that is His command to you...that is his instruction.

          Do you believe in God? Then do as He says, receive Him and the walk this aisle this morning and publicly profess that you have trusted in Him.

          That is His command.

5. Are you a Christian? Are you letting God advise you in your life? Are you living seeking honestly to obey Him and life the best life you can? Are you truly seeking God's will for your life?

           Would you understand that a parent wants the very best for their child? God wants the best for you. But it is up to you to accept God's plan for you life.

           What are you going to do this morning? Will you stay in the masses of those who miss the blessing of Salvation. Receive the blessings of God....or live by your own wit.

           Will it be blessing? or Cursing? Its up to you...?

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