LoveKey Church
Hear & Do
Today we continue our series "Foundation" and our fourth topic is "Lordship & Obedience". Today's message title is "Hear & Do" https://linktr.ee/lovekeymission info@lovekey.co.za
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Sunday 10:00 AM
LoveKey Church
LoveKey Church Website
https://lovekeymission.com
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What is LoveKey Church All About?
Our name comes from the fact that we believe that the KEY to salvation (giving your life to Jesus, becoming a reborn Christian) is the revelation of how much God LOVES you. And the KEY to living the life He has for us is to LOVE him back. That’s why LoveKey Church is a local expression of a part of the body of Christ with a focus on creating a place, opportunity and atmosphere where all people can encounter God, align with His purposes in order to reign in life, and help others to do the same.
ENCOUNTER, ALIGN REIGN, HELP OTHERS DO THE SAME - easy way to remember it.
We believe the Bible is the word of God and we commit to be obedient to it with the leading of the Holy Spirit
We believe that marriage and family is God’s idea and His way of doing it is the right way and the best way. We want to see marriages thrive and families be healthy in Jesus. Because healthy families build a healthy nation - notice I didn’t say “perfect” families, I said healthy - whole in Jesus, reconciled in Jesus, redeemed by Jesus, focused on Jesus.
We stand for unity in the body of Christ - we can be diverse but not divided, and celebrate our different gifts and roles in the greater body of Christ. We really resonate with Jesus’ prayer in John 17 where he asks that the Father will make us all one as He and the Father are one so that the world will know that He sent Him. Our biggest evangelical tool is unity!
We want to help eradicate fatherlessness and shine a light on the crisis of cultural Christianity - South Africa has a physical fatherlessness rate of 62% and other forms of fatherlessness in the remaining percentage - it truly is a huge problem.
Cultural Christianity is where people grow up in a so-called Christian home or culture and believe that that makes them a Christian, when in fact it is very possible that the culture they’re in has adopted a version of God that is convenient, made it apart of their culture and they’re actually worshipping their culture.
We want this to be a multi-generational, multi-cultural church that lives to know Jesus and to make Him known.
ENCOUNTER, ALIGN REIGN, HELP OTHERS DO THE SAME - easy way to remember it.
We believe the Bible is the word of God and we commit to be obedient to it with the leading of the Holy Spirit
We believe that marriage and family is God’s idea and His way of doing it is the right way and the best way. We want to see marriages thrive and families be healthy in Jesus. Because healthy families build a healthy nation - notice I didn’t say “perfect” families, I said healthy - whole in Jesus, reconciled in Jesus, redeemed by Jesus, focused on Jesus.
We stand for unity in the body of Christ - we can be diverse but not divided, and celebrate our different gifts and roles in the greater body of Christ. We really resonate with Jesus’ prayer in John 17 where he asks that the Father will make us all one as He and the Father are one so that the world will know that He sent Him. Our biggest evangelical tool is unity!
We want to help eradicate fatherlessness and shine a light on the crisis of cultural Christianity - South Africa has a physical fatherlessness rate of 62% and other forms of fatherlessness in the remaining percentage - it truly is a huge problem.
Cultural Christianity is where people grow up in a so-called Christian home or culture and believe that that makes them a Christian, when in fact it is very possible that the culture they’re in has adopted a version of God that is convenient, made it apart of their culture and they’re actually worshipping their culture.
We want this to be a multi-generational, multi-cultural church that lives to know Jesus and to make Him known.
Offer to Serve
Offer to Serve Link
OFFER TO SERVE INVITEIf you feel led by God to be a part of this vision and mission, please contact us at info@lovekey.co.za or fill out our Offer to Serve form on the Church Center app, or online:
https://forms.gle/ufM5cD8KYabn365s6Spotlight Social
We would like to bring our whole church community together with the Spotlight Social app. Please download and create and account and link up with LoveKey Church.
https://spolightsocial.app
Partner with LoveKey Church
What You Partner With:
Thank you for partnering with our ministry so that we can: 1. reach more people with the gospel message 2. Positively impact marriages and families 3. Play a role in eradicating fatherlessness 4. Shine a light on the crisis of cultural Christianity 5. Minister Unity to the body of Christ 6. Sow into what we hope to be future social justice projects in our local community 6. Sow into trusted organizations preaching the gospel in Israel to Jews, and helping Jews relocate to Israel.- FIRM Foundation and One For Israel
https://lovekeymission.com/partnerEFT: Banking Details: LoveKey NPC, FNB, Current Account Number: 62824888525, Branch code: 250655
Card Payment link: https://pay.yoco.com/lovekey-npc
PayPal: partner@lovekey.co.za
Card Payment link: https://pay.yoco.com/lovekey-npc
PayPal: partner@lovekey.co.za
Cheerful Giver
Here is another easy way for you to partner with our ministry. Cheerful Giver enables you to easily give any amount of your choice to LoveKey Church through whatsapp. You set up your profile and link your card once, and then you're good to give!
https://www.cheerfulgiver.co.za/give/LK
Praise and Worship Scripture
Series: FOUNDATIONS
SERIES: ALIGNING WITH GOD
SUBSERIES: FOUNDATIONS
THIRD FOUNDATION: LORDSHIP & OBEDIENCE
MESSAGE TITLE: "HEAR & DO"
SUBSERIES: FOUNDATIONS
THIRD FOUNDATION: LORDSHIP & OBEDIENCE
MESSAGE TITLE: "HEAR & DO"
Hear & Do
NOTES:
If you’re a parent, please comment with a hand emoji - parents, you will know that you do not only want your child to hear what you say, you also want you child to do what you say, right? From the small to the very important. Why? Because you love them and you know better and their lives may depend on it. This is how God feels about you too…
Last week we saw clearly from the word of God that Jesus is indeed Lord, Christ, and King. He has authority over each of our lives, he is the only anointed one to be the king of kings and he rules and reigns over his domain of which we as believers are a part.
So now we know this. And again, if we proclaim to be Christians, it means we believe that the word of God is truly the word of God and therefore we need to obey it. And that is actually what our focus is today - obedience.
Obedience is compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority - it implies a willingness to submit
Obedience in Hebrew is shama (שָׁמַע). It means to hear, to listen, to give attention, to understand, to submit to, and to obey. There is only one word in Hebrew for obedience, and it is this word – shama. This Hebrew word is also generally translated as “hear”. (https://www.pathofobedience.com)
In the Hebrew tradition to hear implies to obey as well. It’s not just your ear picking up soundwaves.
After last week we know the truth - that Jesus is Lord, and we call Him that. But is knowing it and calling Him that enough?
I believe there also needs to be acceptance of and submission to His Lordship out of which flow the act of obedience to His WORD, His VOICE, His SOUND (scripture, commands, instruction).
We talked about how a kingdom is not a democracy. But in worldly terms a kingdom can be a dictatorship. But Jesus is not a dictator. He does not force his will on us and he is just, righteous and fair. But his will does not change according to our will or our lack of obedience. Instead, we will see and feel the consequence of not being aligned with His will in our lives. The fallout of disobedience is what we need to be aware of.
What is the key to flowing with Jesus as Lord in His Kingdom in obedience? LOVE!
Remember why our church’s name is LoveKey?
Refresher: The key to salvation is the revelation of how much God loves us, and the key to living the life God has for us is to love Him back, and loving him back means keeping his commandments.
When we love Jesus our lives will be marked by obedience to Him. (John 14:15)
There is a connection between love and obedience. There is a direct link between loving Jesus and following His ways.
Someone once said about parenting that kids don’t rebel out of a lack of respect, they rebel because of a lack of relationship. This statement places the onus on earthly parents to make sure they have a good and healthy relationship with their children - and it is good advice. But if we think in terms of God being our heavenly Father and we are His children - and he is perfect and good, so if there is rebellion on our side (disobedience) it’s not because of a lack of relationship from His side, it’s because of a lack of relationship from ours… another way to put a lack of relationship is a lack of love. What is love? It is complete and unconditional sacrifice, service and surrender.
Let’s look at some scripture - we will see what obedience according to Jesus looks like, how the sound of God’s voice and commands are proclaimed by all creation, and how the link between hearing and doing is loving Him. Because when we truly love Jesus, we know his voice, we want to hear what he has to say from his word and to us directly in our day-to-day relationship with him and we want to then do what we heard him tell us to do.
If you’re a parent, please comment with a hand emoji - parents, you will know that you do not only want your child to hear what you say, you also want you child to do what you say, right? From the small to the very important. Why? Because you love them and you know better and their lives may depend on it. This is how God feels about you too…
Last week we saw clearly from the word of God that Jesus is indeed Lord, Christ, and King. He has authority over each of our lives, he is the only anointed one to be the king of kings and he rules and reigns over his domain of which we as believers are a part.
So now we know this. And again, if we proclaim to be Christians, it means we believe that the word of God is truly the word of God and therefore we need to obey it. And that is actually what our focus is today - obedience.
Obedience is compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority - it implies a willingness to submit
Obedience in Hebrew is shama (שָׁמַע). It means to hear, to listen, to give attention, to understand, to submit to, and to obey. There is only one word in Hebrew for obedience, and it is this word – shama. This Hebrew word is also generally translated as “hear”. (https://www.pathofobedience.com)
In the Hebrew tradition to hear implies to obey as well. It’s not just your ear picking up soundwaves.
After last week we know the truth - that Jesus is Lord, and we call Him that. But is knowing it and calling Him that enough?
I believe there also needs to be acceptance of and submission to His Lordship out of which flow the act of obedience to His WORD, His VOICE, His SOUND (scripture, commands, instruction).
We talked about how a kingdom is not a democracy. But in worldly terms a kingdom can be a dictatorship. But Jesus is not a dictator. He does not force his will on us and he is just, righteous and fair. But his will does not change according to our will or our lack of obedience. Instead, we will see and feel the consequence of not being aligned with His will in our lives. The fallout of disobedience is what we need to be aware of.
What is the key to flowing with Jesus as Lord in His Kingdom in obedience? LOVE!
Remember why our church’s name is LoveKey?
Refresher: The key to salvation is the revelation of how much God loves us, and the key to living the life God has for us is to love Him back, and loving him back means keeping his commandments.
When we love Jesus our lives will be marked by obedience to Him. (John 14:15)
There is a connection between love and obedience. There is a direct link between loving Jesus and following His ways.
Someone once said about parenting that kids don’t rebel out of a lack of respect, they rebel because of a lack of relationship. This statement places the onus on earthly parents to make sure they have a good and healthy relationship with their children - and it is good advice. But if we think in terms of God being our heavenly Father and we are His children - and he is perfect and good, so if there is rebellion on our side (disobedience) it’s not because of a lack of relationship from His side, it’s because of a lack of relationship from ours… another way to put a lack of relationship is a lack of love. What is love? It is complete and unconditional sacrifice, service and surrender.
Let’s look at some scripture - we will see what obedience according to Jesus looks like, how the sound of God’s voice and commands are proclaimed by all creation, and how the link between hearing and doing is loving Him. Because when we truly love Jesus, we know his voice, we want to hear what he has to say from his word and to us directly in our day-to-day relationship with him and we want to then do what we heard him tell us to do.
From this context we can see that obedience is the fruit on the life of a true follower of Jesus.
And Jesus makes it clear that lip service is actually no service at all, and no service is no love.
We are busy with our foundations series. Why? Because of this truth - the house of our life can only stand strong against the storms of life that WILL come if our foundations are strong. And what is a strong foundation? Hearing and doing the word of God! Hearing and doing! It goes hand in hand.
Hearing and doing nothing is to not have a foundation. Your life will come crashing down in spectacular fashion.
And Jesus makes it clear that lip service is actually no service at all, and no service is no love.
We are busy with our foundations series. Why? Because of this truth - the house of our life can only stand strong against the storms of life that WILL come if our foundations are strong. And what is a strong foundation? Hearing and doing the word of God! Hearing and doing! It goes hand in hand.
Hearing and doing nothing is to not have a foundation. Your life will come crashing down in spectacular fashion.
The main sound that God wants all people to hear is the sound of the gospel of his Son Jesus and to respond to it. Hear the gospel and say yes to Jesus. And then continue that pattern throughout your life.
Did you notice that one line that comes from Ps 19:4? Paul is quoting that here in his statement in Romans to show how God has spoken but his people have not heard. It’s not that the sound waves didn’t reach their eardrums, but they neglected to hear and do. Remember the meaning of shama? It implies hearing and doing the thing which you heard.
The Bible has several warnings for us about staying close to God to hear his voice and follow it - here is one:
The Bible has several warnings for us about staying close to God to hear his voice and follow it - here is one:
This sounds harsh, right?
Lisa Bevere recently said in the trailer of the movie “The Voice - Christ in You” that, “what the church has done in the past is the church has declared truth without love and that comes across harsh and the world has responded by declaring love without truth, which is a lie.”
Many people struggle to reconcile the commands of the Bible with a loving God because of how God was presented to them. Maybe you feel the same way, or have some residual feelings along those lines.
Is God holy and sovereign and his way is the only right way and best way? Yes. Does he love each and every one of us and want to see us set free from sin and live with him forever? Yes.
BECAUSE he loves us he has given us healthy boundaries to live inside of where we will have life and life in abundance.
What do you call it when you use something for something it wasn’t intended for?
Yes, abuse. Ab-use. Abnormal use of the thing.
Imagine you create an amazing and effective invention that does its task perfectly. And you give it to a friend as a present and tell him how to use it and what for. Now imagine you visit that friend days later and you see the invention doing something totally the opposite of what you created it for… how would that make you feel?
Have you ever tried to use a knife to screw in a screw and you ended up bending the tip of the knife and hurting the screw ridge? You abused it.
When we want to apply ourselves to life according to our own ideas and rules that fall outside of God’s intended purpose for us, we are actually abusing ourselves and telling God, “don’t worry, I know better”.
Imagine a fish in water - what happens when you take it out of water? It dies right? Inside the water it has food, oxygen, freedom, right? But the water is a boundary. A healthy boundary.
That is how God’s word, his commands, his ways, his precepts, his instructions are to us.
That’s why obedience to God is only makes sense when you’re in relationship with Him and it’s also then only that it is possible - when we become new through repentance and salvation, and we receive the holy trinity in us, we have access to the supernatural.
With Holy Spirit guiding us we go through a process of sanctification, maturing spiritually all the time, becoming more and more like Jesus
And the motivation to be obedient to Him and his word is love. Plain and simple. Love.
And, what are the two most important commandments in the word of God according to Jesus, our Lord Christ and King?
LOVE GOD WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE AND LOVE OTHER PEOPLE AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF
LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE.
WHAT IS LOVE? UNCONDITIONAL SERVICE AND SACRIFICE
REFLECT AND RESPOND.
If you realise today that maybe you don’t have a relationship with God and you can’t even hear his voice let alone obey his voice, it is now the time to give your life to Jesus - pray after me…
Now, let us all take a moment and reflect and respond to these scriptures and word.
Let’s all take a moment to repent of the times and ways we have heard God but we did not do what he said.
He is faithful to forgive. Let’s accept his forgiveness.
Let’s make a decision to see obedience as shama - hear Him and do what he says, go where he leads.
Lisa Bevere recently said in the trailer of the movie “The Voice - Christ in You” that, “what the church has done in the past is the church has declared truth without love and that comes across harsh and the world has responded by declaring love without truth, which is a lie.”
Many people struggle to reconcile the commands of the Bible with a loving God because of how God was presented to them. Maybe you feel the same way, or have some residual feelings along those lines.
Is God holy and sovereign and his way is the only right way and best way? Yes. Does he love each and every one of us and want to see us set free from sin and live with him forever? Yes.
BECAUSE he loves us he has given us healthy boundaries to live inside of where we will have life and life in abundance.
What do you call it when you use something for something it wasn’t intended for?
Yes, abuse. Ab-use. Abnormal use of the thing.
Imagine you create an amazing and effective invention that does its task perfectly. And you give it to a friend as a present and tell him how to use it and what for. Now imagine you visit that friend days later and you see the invention doing something totally the opposite of what you created it for… how would that make you feel?
Have you ever tried to use a knife to screw in a screw and you ended up bending the tip of the knife and hurting the screw ridge? You abused it.
When we want to apply ourselves to life according to our own ideas and rules that fall outside of God’s intended purpose for us, we are actually abusing ourselves and telling God, “don’t worry, I know better”.
Imagine a fish in water - what happens when you take it out of water? It dies right? Inside the water it has food, oxygen, freedom, right? But the water is a boundary. A healthy boundary.
That is how God’s word, his commands, his ways, his precepts, his instructions are to us.
That’s why obedience to God is only makes sense when you’re in relationship with Him and it’s also then only that it is possible - when we become new through repentance and salvation, and we receive the holy trinity in us, we have access to the supernatural.
With Holy Spirit guiding us we go through a process of sanctification, maturing spiritually all the time, becoming more and more like Jesus
And the motivation to be obedient to Him and his word is love. Plain and simple. Love.
And, what are the two most important commandments in the word of God according to Jesus, our Lord Christ and King?
LOVE GOD WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE AND LOVE OTHER PEOPLE AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF
LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE.
WHAT IS LOVE? UNCONDITIONAL SERVICE AND SACRIFICE
REFLECT AND RESPOND.
If you realise today that maybe you don’t have a relationship with God and you can’t even hear his voice let alone obey his voice, it is now the time to give your life to Jesus - pray after me…
Now, let us all take a moment and reflect and respond to these scriptures and word.
Let’s all take a moment to repent of the times and ways we have heard God but we did not do what he said.
He is faithful to forgive. Let’s accept his forgiveness.
Let’s make a decision to see obedience as shama - hear Him and do what he says, go where he leads.
Thank you so much for joining us today.