Set Futures Leviticus 26:3-16, 40-45 Lesson for November 25-26, 2017 Theresa Morgan Today we are going to look at obedience as He outlines it in our passage in Leviticus. Obedience is the pathway that allows us to experience and enjoy the future that God has in store for us. My prayer is that we leave class today with a renewed commitment to obey Him because we love Him. We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). I want my obedience to God s commandments and statutes to be rivers of living water which will bless Him and the body of Christ. I pray that you want the same! Some may ask if God has a plan for our future. The answer is Absolutely! We can be confident because He says it in Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. As we embrace God s plan for our future, He reveals His statues and commandments which are the spiritual seeds of our life. On a physical level, science has shown that Seeds generally "wake up" and germinate when soil moisture and temperature conditions are correct for them to grow (Miles and Brown 2007). Just as the correct soil moisture and temperature conditions are the wake-up call for the physical plants to grow, our commitment to His ways is the wake-up call that beckons us to grow in Him. Let take a few minutes to look at how God describes the depth of our commitment and its impact on our growth in Him. Matthew 13:18-23 18 Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. 20 The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the [j]word, immediately he [k]falls away. 22 And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the [l]world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. As you look at the condition of the soil in this passage, we can see the correlation between its fruitfulness and where it is planted in us, the temple of God. There are three places where the Word can be planted.
Beside the Road - The first position depicted in the scripture is beside the road. This points to the perimeter of our life where God s word can be snatched away by the enemy. Many people live in this area the majority of the time and will even present it as their reality on Facebook and Instagram. When sinners or carnal Christians depend on this area of their outer life, they will not experience the future that God has in store for us. The results = no eternal fruit Rocky Places or Thorns - The second place that the word of God can fall is among rocky places or thorns. Notice the words that are associated with the rocky places - joy, persecution, worry of the world, and falling away. This place is associated with our feelings and our will. This place is a picture of our soul. When people live in this area, they are ruled by feelings, circumstances, reasoning based on what they see. Note what happens when the word falls here - we hear the word and immediately receive it with joy; yet there is no firm root because it is only temporary. The results = no eternal fruit. Good Soil - The third area where the seed falls is the good soil. This area is our spirit which is made alive in Christ when we accept Him as Lord and Savior. I Peter 3:18 tells us that Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit. We can walk in communion with God and know His will. The Good Soil is the only place where there is fruitfulness. Notice that we hear the word and understands it and there is a harvest. Results eternal fruit - some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. Communion with God, the Spirit When Adam and Eve, sinned, our spirit was dead, and we did not have a relationship with God. Restoration through Jesus Christ allowed us to be called the children of God and our new creation in Him. Peter said to them, Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2: 12-14 tells us about the gift of the Holy Spirit and His benefit toward us. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. 14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually appraised. I found that my commitment to obey the Lord cannot be based on my natural man or my reasoning because this is the rocky places. The natural man will never understand God s love
and commandments. An example of this would be forgiveness. Just think about a situation where you or I are justified by the circumstances to hold a grudge, but the Holy Spirit continues to nudge us in our spirit to forgive. We can argue our case a thousand reasonable ways, but we have to decide who we will follow the Spirit or the natural man? Walking in the Spirit As a result of the fruitfulness produced in the good soil, we can conclude that our commitment to obey must be settled in our spirit. When we commit to walk in the spirit, our feelings, our will and our body will follow and become slaves of righteousness. The decision to present ourselves as slaves of righteousness is carried out because passages like Roman 6:3 and 6:16 are planted in the good soil, our spirit and lead the way for victory. Romans 6:3 - Do not go on presenting [g]the members of your body to sin as [h]instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. Romans 6:16 - Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, of sin, resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? Victory in the Spirit Romans 8:13 tells us what we can expect victory. If you are living according to the flesh, you [f]must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. I love this promise of victory over my flesh. If you or I are in a battle where we are saying No to God but Yes to our flesh, start your walk with the knowledge that you and I have the power to walk in the Spirit because of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Secondly, know that walking in the Spirit puts the deeds of the flesh to death? Rather than focusing on the flesh and trying to do better, we are told to keep our eyes on things of the Spirit, obey as He directs and know that the deeds of the flesh will be destroyed. Don t give up if you fail. Remember God s mercies are new every day. Repent and Start again! Thirdly, know that we are not working alone but Philippians 2:12-13 gives us the confidence that God is at work in us to will and to work for His good pleasure 12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Prayer Sometimes there can be areas in our life that are more difficult for us to overcome and experience victory. We want to obey our Father but there is a stronghold in our life, and it is that sin that so easily entangles us. We have failed at it so many times, you and I don t feel that the Lord will listen to us or help us. We reason that He doesn't want to consider it again. If that is your current situation, don t turn from God; run to Him in prayer. Remember that we have the Holy Spirit and we can turn to Him for help. God tells us in Roman 8:26-27 6 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the [j]saints according to the will of God. Notice His intercession will always be planted in good soil because it is according to the will of God. Our Thoughts As we walk in truth, we destroy speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:5). We are told to take every thought captive and we do this by rejecting the lies that we have believed and replacing it with truth. Lies can only be put in captivity by Truth. Lies will never surrender to positive thinking. Consequences Obedience and disobedience have its consequences. If we obey, we have positioned ourselves to experience the plan that God has planned for our life. Of course, this doesn t mean that we will not experience difficulties because there is always pruning in our life to produce more and better fruit. If we disobey, we will reap the fruit that is set on that path that is against God. Please remember that these consequences for disobedience are not meant to condemn because there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). These consequences for disobedience are our Father s discipline which will train us and yield fruit of righteousness. Hebrews 12:11 reminds us - All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
Start Today Perhaps you are at that place and you are not sure where you are in your commitment to follow and obey. Let me encourage you to pray Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts;24 And see if there be any [n]hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way. God s answer will put you on the right track with the plans that He has in store for you. Praise God that He does have a plan for you! Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.