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Teaching podcast from the Eagle Community Church of Christ in Mont Belvieu, TX.
Well, good morning again. Good morning. I'm grateful to be with you. I'm so glad to be with you this morning as we worship God together. We've been going through the series, Marks of a True Disciple, Living the Character of Christ.
John Gunter:I mentioned last week we we need a series like this because so many times, people will claim Christ or claim Christianity and live in a way that isn't doesn't jive with Christian character. Correct? And so that's what we're doing as we go through this. And just to recap quickly, week one, we talked about a true disciple is faith filled. Week two, we talked about being love driven, and last week we talked about being humble in spirit.
John Gunter:This week, we talk about being obedient in action. Now, I want to mention because for some of us, this might be a triggering, because obedience kind of falls right into legalism at times, and so I want to assure you that those two things are not synonymous. Obedience is not legalism, it's loyalty. Right? It is showing that I care about what God has said, I care about what Jesus has asked me to do.
John Gunter:Obedience is the natural result of someone who really trusts and loves Jesus. And so, that's how we wanna approach obedience today. Of course, we we would say nobody would say, I just come to hear and agree and never do, would we? Sometimes that's the way it plays out. Right?
John Gunter:I want to come and hear, and you better say it the way I want it, and obedience is optional. And of course, we don't want that. We want to follow exactly what Jesus has said. And so, this morning, let's start here in Matthew seven on the sermon on the mount, verse 21. Jesus says this, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven.
John Gunter:Now, don't know what scriptures you have at your house, if you have any, displayed. This is one that stays I've got three whiteboards. My wife will tell you I have too many, but I don't think I have enough. But I have three big whiteboards, and this verse stays on one of them. Because I need this as a constant reminder.
John Gunter:It doesn't matter just that I call Jesus Lord. Right? That doesn't matter if I do not live in a way that shows with my life that Jesus is Lord. K? Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven.
John Gunter:So there are people who claim Jesus as Lord, who will not enter heaven because they have refused to follow what he wants. In verse 22, on that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. And again, it's hard for us to kind of wrap our minds around someone who could do great works in the name of Jesus and not be of Jesus.
John Gunter:Right? To to the idea that I could cast out demons, or that I could prophesy in the name of the Lord, and yet Jesus could say, I never knew you. And what Jesus points to is that, okay, well, your heart was not in it. Right? You were doing things in the wrong way.
John Gunter:You weren't obeying me. And so Jesus really tells us he is not impressed by some sort of religious resume. I hear people kind of use this, from time to time in a way that they'll come up to me and they'll say, hey, I have a question about this, or they don't agree with such and such, and they always lead with this, well, I've been in church this many years. And so, that should tell you that I am right and you are incorrect just because I have been in church for this many years. And that's not the only example.
John Gunter:Right? We we leave well, I've been a part of this church for so long. Miss Merle, you can say that over everybody. Right? I've been a part of that's right.
John Gunter:I've been a part of this church for so long, and so we could say, here's my religious resume. Right? Here's where I am, and it's got the number of of active years. Right? Well, it doesn't matter how many active years you have if you haven't surrendered your life to Jesus, and that's what he's saying.
John Gunter:It's often what we do is we claim Jesus, but we go about our lives in a way that says, well, I don't really have time for him. And so we can go about ministry and still miss the master, can't we? You can be busy for Jesus, but not actually belong to him. You can come to church, and I hope you do. You can go to all the activities that Scott read earlier today.
John Gunter:I don't know why some of you go the splash pad, but you could. You could do all of that, but unless your heart is surrendered to Jesus, he says, you can call him Lord, Lord, but a lot of people that do that aren't going to be with him because he says, I never knew you. And the problem is, is we get kind of obsessed with this religious performance. We get obsessed with our attendance card, and and again, I want you to be here. I want you to be here on Wednesday nights.
John Gunter:You're missing out. But if that's what we're holding up is here, I'm a Christian. Look how many times I've been on Wednesday night or Sunday morning. We've missed it. Right?
John Gunter:You need to be a part of the church. But if your heart is not in, even if you are there, what does that matter? Because you haven't given your life to him. And so we are, a lot of times, consumed or obsessed with the aesthetics. I hope that they see me as a good person because I go to church, or I sit in my pew, or I sit in my chair.
John Gunter:And so we hold these things up, but scripture says something completely different, and and I'll get to that here. Matthew 15 verses eight and nine, this people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. Jesus says these people worship him, but not in the way he's asked. They claim they may claim him, but still they have missed it.
John Gunter:They do not know because their hearts are far from him. And I pray that I am not a person that my heart is far from Jesus. So that's why that previous scripture is on my board, that I always want to have a reminder, it doesn't matter even if I stand before you week after week. Right? Preachers usually hear, but that doesn't matter if my heart is far from Jesus.
John Gunter:And so, I think Jesus knows how easy it is to make spiritual words and outward activity for true discipleship, mistake those things for true discipleship because we we cling to those. Those are the things we can see. We can't see into the heart of a person, so that's all we can judge is, are you here? Are you serving? Are you active?
John Gunter:Are you singing? Are you nice to me? All the things we can point to. But he follows this up with a warning. He he warns us in a story from Matthew seven twenty four, this the verse that comes right after this.
John Gunter:He says, everyone then who hears the words these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who has built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand, and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. Now, I think this is such an important story, we ought to make a song out of it. We need to remember it, don't we?
John Gunter:The difference in this is one of these people responds with submission to Jesus. One chooses to live under his authority. Your foundation is not built on what you've heard, your foundation is built on who you have trusted, who you submitted to, whose authority to whom you have submitted. Both of these men put out effort, did they not? Both of these men in this short little parable that Jesus explains, put out effort, they both built houses, but only one laid a foundation that was strong enough to withstand the storm.
John Gunter:And the problem is is that I'm sure both houses looked fantastic, especially the one on the sand right by the water. Right? We live in an area that we can say that, man, that's a pretty view out there. And again, if we're worshiping the aesthetics, we can say, man, those are both beautiful houses. But the problem is, is when the storm hits, that's when things get revealed.
John Gunter:And that's the same way in the life of a Christian. Right? You may appear to be, or you've put a lot of effort into appearing like everything's good, my foundation is in Jesus, but the storms of life kind of reveal where that foundation lies. Because you you can't fake it when things are going south, can you? K?
John Gunter:You have to lean into him, and so the storm does not create the foundation, it exposes it. Where was your foundation? When the storm comes, it won't test how much you knew, it'll test how much you trusted and who you trusted. I've been in storms where I found out I trusted myself way too much. I needed to put my faith and trust in him.
John Gunter:Obedience is not about perfection. Now, as a perfectionist, a struggling, confessing perfectionist, this is hard to understand and to confess this morning. I have a hard time writing things down because I want to the time I write it down, I wanna write it down perfectly where I don't have to adjust it. Now, that's ridiculous, and I know that. But for some reason, I can't know it well enough to quit doing it.
John Gunter:Okay? But a lot of times when we're talking about obedience, I grew up with an intense pressure that I better not ever mess up. Did you feel that? Anybody ever felt that way? Now, scripture doesn't doesn't paint the same picture, but I grew up with a a feeling of obedience meant I better be perfect, which gets dangerously close, if not perfectly equal to, work salvation.
John Gunter:That I can do enough, and that I bring, again, my spiritual resume to Jesus and say, well, now you owe me salvation. Right? But obedience is not perfection. Notice this in Proverbs twenty four sixteen, for the righteous fall seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity. Now, did you catch that?
John Gunter:The righteous are perfect in all things. Is that what it said? No. The righteous fall seven times, but what? Rise again.
John Gunter:The righteous fall seven times and rise again. You remember that? You need to. Because that is not about perfection, that is about God knowing you are imperfect. God understanding that the people he created are not perfect and are going to fall, but guess what?
John Gunter:If our foundation is built in faith on him, we rise again. Amen? You need to this is one of those highlightable verses, isn't it? You need to hang on to that this morning. Peter denied Jesus.
John Gunter:I love this about scripture. Those closest to Jesus had issues. Right? Peter denied Jesus, but he repented and returned and was restored in in John, the late chapters of John, in John 21. John Mark abandoned Paul and Barnabas during their mission.
John Gunter:Notice this in Acts thirteen thirteen. Mark was known as John Mark, and so when you see John here, that's who he's talking about. Now Paul excuse me. Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia, and John left them and returned to Jerusalem. And Paul was all sorts of upset about that, wasn't he?
John Gunter:He sure was. But notice this, later on in Timothy, Paul writes or or let me catch the part of this. And after some days, Paul said to Barnabas, let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaim the word of the Lord and see how they are. Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. Okay?
John Gunter:So he wants John Mark back in the fold here, but Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. He's upset. He left us before. Let's not take him now. Right?
John Gunter:I don't want him. And there arose a sharp disagreement so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. Now notice this in Timothy four verse 11.
John Gunter:Luke alone is with me, Paul writes. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. Guess what? Sometimes we can separate, but we can come back together because of our foundation of faith. You understand that?
John Gunter:Obedience is not perfection, it's persistence in the same direction. I like that idea. That we fall, but we get up and we keep walking. Now, sometimes, it feels like I can get up on my own. Sometimes, it feels like I need somebody to help me get up, and all the time, I need God's help to lift me up and point me in the right direction to keep going.
John Gunter:We we see this in the words of Jesus in John fourteen fifteen, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. And so Jesus sets this up as a part of in a way to say obedience is about part of obedience is about relationship. Sorry. I've got a tickle in my throat. I'm fighting it bad.
John Gunter:You see me cough, don't worry about it. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And so part of this and I think we should see this in the way that Jesus showed it. Right? Again, we're not discounting what we just read about Peter or John Mark, so that we read this in a way that gives us so much pressure to be perfect, but we understand that this is part of our relationship with Jesus, that if you love Jesus, you will keep his commandments.
John Gunter:And so that should fly in the face of, I'm gonna claim Christ but do whatever I want. Right? I'm not gonna claim Jesus and then do whatever I want. Thank you very much. I appreciate you.
John Gunter:Send me an invoice for that, please. You got me. I was fine all class period until now. So obedience flows out from relationship. And so, let's talk about what obedience looks like in everyday life.
John Gunter:A, forgiving when it's hard. Let's let's just dwell on that for a little bit. Right? Forgiving is very very easy. Right?
John Gunter:Everybody's got that lick. Yes? Absolutely not. Depending on what someone's done, how recent it's been to you, how heinous the act was, forgiving is very very difficult. Does Jesus tell us to forgive?
John Gunter:Let's say that out loud, church. Does Jesus tell us to forgive? Yes. Does Jesus exemplify forgiving people? Yes.
John Gunter:Boy, ain't that terrible? Not only did he tell us, he actually did it as well, and so we've got no excuse. Well, Jesus didn't do it. Jesus was one of those, you know, do what I say, not what I do people. No?
John Gunter:And so we need to be the same kind of person, even forgiving when it's hard, and a lot of times that shows up as releasing the right to retaliate. How many times do you want to handle business? Mhmm. Because I know the right kind of justice they need, I know how they made me feel, I'm gonna release the right to retaliate. I'm also gonna let go even when they don't say sorry.
John Gunter:That might be my button right there. When they don't ask for it, they don't act the least bit, you know, they don't have the least bit of care that they did it, but I can still forgive because because he forgave me. He loved me. He forgave me. Alright.
John Gunter:Number two, or or part b here. Serving without recognition. Now, I hope we do a good job of thanking you for for serving in this church, for leading the the kids, for for teaching, for doing prayers and all the kinds of things, for making coffee, for doing all the things that are present right here in this space. But guess what? We don't do it perfectly.
John Gunter:Guess what? The the world is not going to recognize you for serving in the ways you should serve. Right? And so sometimes, have to serve without recognition. Now, I think the thing is is that we certainly don't want to be serving for recognition.
John Gunter:Right? That's a different mindset. Hopefully, you don't get upset if we forget to thank you. I hope you feel thanked. I tell Donald almost every week, I thank thank you because I have had times where in my last church, I had to preach, lead singing, and do that.
John Gunter:That was not fun, and so I'm very thankful. But we can we can be in a situation where we feel unappreciated, and hopefully hopefully that's not your feeling this morning, but to be able to serve without recognition, to serve without getting any glory or anything like that, or or to not serve maybe you wanna serve in a way that people look on that thing as as more popular or that's better. Well, we need to serve without recognition. Alright? See, saying yes when God leaves.
John Gunter:Now, this is a big one for me because I don't think we get where we are in life without saying yes to a lot of things. Just even think about the job you have right now. At one point in your life, it was brand new, you didn't know how to do it, you didn't know how you were going to get through it, we even make up terms like fake it till you make it. Right? We're scared to death, we just got to get in there and put our get our hands dirty and go after it.
John Gunter:I worked in the deli and Walmart when I was in college. I worked there for a summer, and the thing there was an older lady that was she was kinda like the the general back there. I mean, she was just a stern older lady, and she said, John, you better get over there on that slicer. You're not going to learn this unless you do it. Right?
John Gunter:You've got to say yes. That that is true for your job, that is true for everything you do in the world, that is true for what you do and how you serve in church, or how you serve the church in the world. Right? You have to say yes. But so many times, we walk around thinking, well, I'm not the one to do this, I'm not the best one, so I won't do anything.
John Gunter:You need to say yes and let God lead. Because what we're doing is we're saying, I don't have the ability to do this. Okay. Well, what you're also saying is, I don't think God can do it through me. Okay?
John Gunter:Let God lead, see where his power takes you. Okay? And number d, I don't know how else to say this. Letter d, speaking truth instead of stay staying silent. Guess what?
John Gunter:Sometimes you need to say something. Sometimes you need to speak up when evil things are happening. Sometimes you don't need to be quiet, and I know it it sometimes it's easier just to fade into the background and not say anything. But guess what? Obedience may cost you your comfort.
John Gunter:You think I like saying all the things I say up here as a preacher? You think I know it's gonna bring about joy and peaceful feelings towards me in every situation? Absolutely not. Even when I don't know I've said it sometimes. But guess what?
John Gunter:Obedience to Jesus, my obedience to Jesus means I've got to let go of my comfort. Because if all I do is get up here and try to tell you things that make you feel warm and bubbly, I'm not being obedient to Jesus. And you know that, don't you? Because I have to get outside my comfort zone and have a a boldness that is is rooted in the grace of God, is also tied to my obedience to him and my love of his word for all of us. Letter e, loving when it would be easy to shut down.
John Gunter:Yes? How easy is it for some people to walk away and say, I don't have time for this. Right? K? When you're really tested, when the foundation really shows is when something comes up.
John Gunter:Right? Something happens, and then, alright, I'm I'm kind of tested now. I can walk away, and it'd be easier for me because I don't have to deal with that, or I can love you enough to come together and work through it. And we need more of that in church, don't we? We need to choose compassion instead of indifference, or just I need to get my way, or I'm out of here.
John Gunter:Right? And we need to reach out to people who may be overlooked, people who may be difficult, or people that may be broken, and they know it. But we need to be the hands and feet of Jesus to everyone. Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth. And we talked about this when we talked about love.
John Gunter:Let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth. We can't just talk about it, we can't just say it, it has to be something that we do. Love is not just a feeling that we try to hold on to, it's a command we practice. And guess what? These commands, love is not it's not always practiced with someone who is just so lovable you can't help but love them.
John Gunter:Right? A lot of times, that's tested when you're going, I don't know how I'm gonna love this person, but Jesus loved me and I'm gonna try to do it. I'm gonna try to show my love to them, and sometimes that means I'm just not gonna I'm gonna try not to kill them. You know, that's the that's the love coming through. I'm gonna choose to, alright, do exactly what Jesus did.
John Gunter:Letter f, choosing integrity when no one is watching. Okay? I think that's the that's a great way to say that, that obedience is who you are when there's no audience. And so when there's no one to perform for for yes. That's terrible English, sorry.
John Gunter:When there's no one to perform for, that's when it shows your integrity. Okay? How I'm going to act when I know there's no one to I'm not trying to put on a show, anything like that, but I have decided because I have put my foundation in Jesus that this is who I am, this is my identity, that's when you see this. I'm gonna choose integrity. And finally, letter g, I'm gonna prioritize God's voice over culture's noise.
John Gunter:Now, that can be difficult as well, because sometimes the noise of culture can be so loud and so deafening that that you feel like, okay, well, maybe we need to do this. Well, here's another thought. Sometimes culture is right, and we've missed it. You know that? Sometimes we can learn from culture, or sometimes culture is just out there and we need to ignore it.
John Gunter:In any circumstance, whether we are just leaning on the tradition we have when God has told us something else, we need to lean on God's voice. If culture is trying to tell us something that God said not to do, we need to lean on God's voice, don't we? Always. That should be our marker in everything that we do. And so filtering our decisions through God's word is what I want to do every week.
John Gunter:And so I wanna leave you with a challenge. What is it that you are hearing but not doing? Where's the the yes you need to say that you haven't said yes to? What's the thing you know God is calling you to but you feel like it's too difficult, you're still resisting? And let me tell you this morning that obedience is showing the evidence of a transformed heart.
John Gunter:And if what the storm reveals is a foundation built on well, as long as everything's going right, I'm this kind of person. That storm is gonna reveal that your foundation was not in Jesus. And so what is it that you are hearing but not doing this morning? I wanna I wanna invite you, as Tyler's got a song picked out, to come to be obedient to him. You've heard week in and week out the words of God.
John Gunter:Be obedient to them. Say, I wanna put my trust in him and understanding that you won't be perfect in that. And maybe you need the the prayers of the church this morning. Just as we talked about Peter and John Mark, those closest to Jesus even, were people who were imperfect and fell and even denied they knew who Jesus was. And we could be in that same situation this morning.
John Gunter:Maybe you're denying who Jesus is. Maybe you're like, I'm not sure if I wanna be a Christian. Guess what? God's love covers that. It did with Peter.
John Gunter:It restored Peter. You come to him. If you need the prayers of the church, come to him. If you haven't been obedient to him, you're saying, I wanna wait till I get all my affairs in order before putting on Christ in baptism, that day won't come, quit saying that, Be obedient to him this morning. Would you come and be safe?