Command 5 | Part 13a

So if you can find an area of your life where you don't feel like God is blessing and honoring you, then backtrack, backstep, examine and say, wait a minute, have I been honorable in this area? It is the vision of Word of God Ministries to preach Jesus as the manifested Word of God. It is our mission to reach more people in more places and in more ways. Did you know right now that you are tuned into one of our 75 television broadcasts across the nation, five international broadcasts. It is impossible for us to be good stewards of our program if we don't hear from you. I want to encourage you today to take time to let us know that you are being reached, that you're being blessed through our television ministry outreach. I'm going to have some information for you at the closing of the program, so get your phone ready, get something to write down some information. I'm also going to share with you a free gift offer just to hear from you. Let's get into the Word. We read before the prayer in the gospel of Luke here. I want to look at this again in the ninth chapter of Luke. I want you to see this because I feel like we need to recognize that when God calls an order to our lives or when he calls a discipline to our lives, it's for our benefit. It is for his glory that the Word of God and the instruction of God's Word is to make us fruitful. I wanted you to see something here in Luke 9 because it's a familiar passage where Jesus fed the 5,000, but I feel like too many times we recognize that Jesus fed the 5,000, but we don't see what went on before he fed the 5,000. The setting here is that they're in a desert place. When you look at all of the gospel's record of this event, we find that A, there was the discussion about how much money it would take if they went to buy enough food to feed 5,000, and they concluded, don't have enough money to go buy enough food for 5,000 men. Then there's discussion B, well, if we did have enough money, the journey would be too far to go to a place to buy this amount of food, and so B is out.

When they came to Jesus and really brought to him, hey, there's no option here except we just send everybody away, Jesus said, no, feed them, and in one gospel he asked them, what do you have? They said, well, there's a boy here that's got two fish and five barley loaves, but I feel like what we really need to see before Jesus worked this miracle is what he does in verse 14. Let's look at it in verse 14, for there were about 5,000 men, and he said to his disciples, read it out loud, Shreveport and Bossier, make them sit down by fifties in a company. Let's read that one more time, Shreveport and Bossier, make them sit down by fifties in a company. Now, Jesus knew what he was getting ready to do. He knew that he was getting ready to distribute enough food to feed 5,000 men, not including women and children, and this was not going to be some chaotic moment where they're just throwing bread like they're at Lambert's Cafe. If you've ever been to a Lambert's, you know what I'm talking about, they just throw the bread across the restaurant, and you got to be a good catcher if you want to eat the bread. Here Jesus said, we need some order, we need some order, I want everybody seated in a group of 50. That meant counting out 50 people to a group. Now, you know good and well, come on church, now you know good and well there had to be somebody, and what I mean by that is there had to be somebody that said, no, I'm not sitting down, I just bought this suit, and I'm not about to get it dirty sitting here on the ground, and there was somebody that probably said, I'm not sitting in that group, I want to be in that group, and you can just imagine the chaos that took place with those that didn't want to be seated, but what I want you to see is that when the people were seated in groups of 50, Jesus worked his miracle, and what I want us to glean from that is that Before God honors, before he blesses, before he multiplies, before he manifests miracles and answers to prayer, he establishes order. And I feel like it's so easy for you and I

just to overlook that all together and just see Jesus out there with 5,000 men, not including women and children, and there's no order, there's no line, there's no regimen, nothing is established, and he's just out there providing bread. No, there was an order established before he worked this miracle. First Corinthians chapter 14, verse 40 says, let all things be done decently and in order. Our God is a God of order. Can you say that out loud? Our God is a God of order. With that in mind, if you would turn back with me to the Old Testament, I wanna go to 2 Kings, 2 Kings, and we'll look at it in chapter number 20. So here's the challenge for us all today. And we're gonna begin with this on an individual level because I know everybody I'm talking to today is not in the same walk of life. I'm talking to husbands, I'm talking to wives, I'm talking to dads and mothers, I'm talking to youth, I'm talking to young people, I'm talking to students, I'm talking to singles, I'm talking to folk that are retired, I'm talking to folk that already sent all their children out the house. Come on, somebody. So I know there's a multitude of differences that we all bring to the same assembly,

but I trust the work of the Holy Spirit that he can speak to each one of us on an individual level. Can you say amen? I got up early yesterday morning and I needed something, everybody was asleep, and I needed something down at the Home Depot. But man, I had my wake-up clothes on. You hear what I'm saying to you? I had my shorts on, I had on a Mickey Mouse t-shirt, and I mean, I had on my wake-up clothes. And I was like, you know what, ain't nobody gonna notice me and see me this early. It's early, I'm gonna go down to the Home Depot, get this little out of my knees. So I ran down to the Home Depot, and I knew exactly where it was. It was close to the checkout register, what I needed. I was gonna run in and grab what I need and run right on back out. Wasn't nobody even gonna see me in my little Mickey Mouse shirt. Come on, somebody. So I eased in there and eased back out, and as soon as I, I mean, I wasn't in there but a few minutes. And a dear sweetheart near the self-checkout, she said, it hit me who you were when you walked in. And I said, no, girl, you don't recognize me in this Mickey Mouse shirt. She said, I recognize you, Pastor James.

And she testified of her life having been changed since she came to this ministry. She said, matter of fact, she said, I was baptized while you were on a mission trip in Africa. And I remember that trip very well. And this is what she said to me. She said, every time I come there, I feel like you're speaking right to me. And I said, you know what? That's the Holy Spirit, that's not me. Because so many people can say that when you're in assembly and you're in the Word, and you say, man, it's just like the Lord's talking right to me. Well, that's the way we want it to be. And I believe right now in this moment that he can speak right to us no matter what season you're in. So no matter what the topic is on the screen, that doesn't matter. The Holy Spirit knows what we need. And he has the ability to bring a word if we'll just come in expectation. So I want us to begin this study today in thinking about our own lives individually. If you're a husband, if you're a father, if you're a wife, or if you're a mother, put that aside, let's just think about ourselves as individuals, all right? And establish this.

Is there an order to my life that the Lord can bless? Is there a discipline in my life that the Lord can bless? He doesn't bless mess. He is a God of order. I know that's such a strong word. And sometimes, you know, we wanna move away from that kind of topic. But don't move away from this kind of topic. It's why we started in Luke 9. I wanted you to see that Jesus doesn't just work miracles, he establishes order. He's called every one of us to be disciples. And I'm gonna give you a verse for your notes, but I want you to stay here in 2 Kings 20. But in the Gospel of John in the eighth chapter, Jesus was speaking to a multitude. You can see this starting around verse 30. He's speaking to a multitude. And the Bible says, as he spoke to the multitudes, many believed. Not all, but many believed. And then he addressed those that believed. And this is what he said to those that believed. To the believer he said if you continue in my word You will be my disciple You will know the truth and the truth will make you free So what Jesus in essence had covered in that?

Discussion that day with the multitudes is that there was a multitude of people not all believed but within that multitude Some believed and then out of the multitude of believers There were say some that decided to continue in the word Letting us know that there is a difference between the disciple and the believer in other words You can be a believer, but that doesn't necessarily make you a disciple now I'm not saying that so that you can say yeah, that's right pastor. That's me I'm a believer, but I'm not gonna be a disciple. No God has called every one of us to be disciples We just haven't all gotten to that place yet, but it's his will for us all to be disciples not just believers I got to be real with you the day I accepted Christ the day of my salvation When I went but being called on the Lord to be my Savior and to forgive me I had no intention of being a disciple. I bragged about how I was not gonna be a disciple I told my kinfolk that went to church with me that day. I will not be back at church tonight You will not see me Wednesday night, and I will not be at Sunday school next Sunday morning I might be at the morning service if so praise the Lord, but yes, I love Jesus I Was not ready to be a disciple. I'm being real with you. I was not ready to change my life I was just not ready to go to hell so I figured Jesus would save me from that then Lord I appreciate you, but that's all I need from you right now. See you when I get to heaven He's a pastor and that ain't right it wasn't right, but that's where I was at the time But guess what I was back in that evening service that night. I was there on Wednesday I made Sunday school the next morning two months later. I was preaching and about five months later I was entering pastor, and I've been in ministry ever since he took me way further than I ever thought I would go But it's his doings and marvelous in my eyes because I know that wasn't me that was him at work in me The point I'm trying to make before we can go another father is that Jesus was speaking to multitudes Of the multitudes many believed to the believer. He was saying don't stop at belief Continue in my word continue in my word, and then you will be my Disciple and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free now Disciple and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free now Here's the point that I want to make and we'll get over to second Kings my son

my oldest son James was sharing something with me this week that I thought was profound and That is is that the word disciple is? Not a verb It's a noun But we're bad in this society About not being who God called us to be and say well coaches because you didn't disciple me Can you imagine one of your players on the varsity team For the world before saying well coach. I didn't play that good because you didn't disciple me and You're like wait a minute. I know the discipline and the instruction. I gave you just weren't disciplined To What I gave you Come on. Now. Let me go. Let me go find another group. Y'all didn't do you ain't doing me, right? See, I feel like today's society wants to say you didn't disciple me So my chaos and my lack of success is because you didn't do what you needed to do for me But disciple is not a verb. It's a noun You have to make it up in your own mind to be a disciple You have to decide for yourself that you're gonna live for the Lord You have to decide for yourself that you're gonna get in his word and not only let him be Lord of your life But be Lord of your life because Jesus said in Luke 6 46 Why do you call me Lord, but you don't do what I say you call me Lord in your confession But you don't do what I tell you to do. And if I am really the Lord of your life then why don't you take me at my word a Disciple is one that remains Discipline to the word that means I'm allowing his word to order my steps And that was someone 19 teaches us. We've even sung the song order my steps in your dear Lord Lead me guide me Every day When I came from a one-line wonder but when we seen

Order my steps in your word, are we really sincere? Do I really want the Lord to order my steps in his word? What if he tells me to go sit in that group of 50, but I don't like that group of 50, and I won't do what he tells me to do? What if he lays it on my heart to put a hundred dollar bill in your hand, and I don't even know you, and I'm like, not today, Satan, but that was the Lord telling me to be a blessing to somebody. Is he really the Lord of my life if I don't let him speak into my life, and my response be, yes, Lord. Biblical honor, biblical honor is the right to command and be obeyed. That means he reserves the right to speak into my life, and I respond to what he said, not because I figured it out, not because I think I can work it out, but I trust the author has the authority to make what he said good, and he's not gonna tell me to do something that won't work, and if he has told me to do it this way, then that's the way it's gonna work. Come on, somebody, y'all hear what I'm saying? That's biblical honor, biblical honor. Proverbs 3 says, honor the Lord with thy substance. In other words, let him have authority over your stuff, so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wines.

What's he saying? If you'll honor me with your stuff, I'll honor you in your stuff. First Samuel 2.30 teaches that where I honor God, he honors me, so if you can find an area of your life where you don't feel like God is blessing and honoring you, then backtrack, backstep, examine and say, wait a minute, have I been honorable in this area of my life? Maybe my lack of order is holding him up. I remember a time in my life, early in ministry, very early, when I looked like I was broke, talked like I was broke, kept a dirty truck like I was broke, dressed like I was broke, but believe in God, I was whole. And somebody said it a different kind of way, and it convicted me. God can't make a millionaire out of a $2 fool, but if I was going to be one that he could bless, I had to get my life in order. I had to begin to change my ways and change my thought and change my confession and change my dress. It was time to be who I believe he had made me to be. Are y'all hearing what I'm saying to you? God can't bless mess. This order that God wants in our lives has to begin with us. Am I doing what he called me to do, not looking at everybody in their neighbor for an excuse, oh, I'm not doing what he called me to do. Am I doing what he called me to do? If coach calls a play on the court and it doesn't work, the one player that didn't do his part

can't point to his teammate that didn't do their part. Don't worry about the teammate, do what you're supposed to do. And I, as a husband and as a father, have to think about, okay, have I done what God called me to do? Have I missed it? Yes, but it's got to start with me. All right, y'all in second Kings yet? All right, go with me to chapter 20. See, when you establish a discipline, God can bless it. And then you'll know where the blessing came from. When you're sporadic in your life, you try a little this, a little that, a little this, a little that, and then something starts working for you. You don't even know what to point back to to say that worked. Order means, what time are you getting up in the morning? You know. Order means, what are you gonna do when you get paid Friday? You know. Y'all rough on me today. Order means, there's a discipline in my life where I know what I'm gonna do next. I know what schedule I have set. I know the discipline of my life. There is an established order in my life.

Does God reserve the right to interrupt that order? Yes, but I'm giving him something to work with. On the first day of the week, Mary showed up and said, on the first day of the week, Mary showed up at the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus, only to be greeted by these angels who said, he's not here, he's risen. So Mary was the first to find out Jesus was up from the dead. And somebody can say, well, I don't understand why Mary was the one to find out first that Jesus was risen from the dead. It was Peter that knew that Jesus was the Christ. It was John that was called the beloved disciple. I mean, why did Mary get to find out first? Jesus was risen. I'm gonna give you a Holy Ghost answer. She was there. She was there. She was there There is so much. We're not getting from God because we weren't there. We didn't show up. We didn't get up We didn't pray we didn't open his word. We didn't open our mouths. We didn't set our hearts We didn't get into a place for him to move Well, that was heavy wasn't it Order has to begin with me And Am I doing what God called me to do as an individual am I bringing a discipline into my life All right. Watch this in 2nd Kings chapter 20. We got to move on. I want to talk a little bit about the home And our fit and the way we fit in that structure So let's look at it in verse 1 if you're there say amen In those days was Hezekiah sick Under death and

The prophet Isaiah the son of Amos came to him and said unto him thus saith the Lord Set thine house in order. Come on. Shreveport Bozer read that out loud Set thine house in order underline a circle that word order set your house in order, man You got to get some things in order We Can't find stuff in her own house because the house is out of order If you know where ink pens are kept you are not ever be looking for an ink pen But if you don't have an order where you keep ink pens tearing the house up trying to find a pen If you know what a silverware drawer is And you keep the silverware in the silverware drawer, why are you looking for a spoon? Order Y'all getting bonuses at 1130 He said set thine house in order for thou shalt die and not live Now being that he just said set thy house in order For thou shalt die and I live or obviously involved something bigger than me Otherwise, he wouldn't been worried about Hezekiah being an order could even be about to be dead anyway The kingdom of God is always about something bigger than us and this was about true success and true success is succession and Succession is what you leave behind you Glory to God So he was saying to Hezekiah, there's no succession in your home There's no succession in this kingdom. If you died today, it would all die with you So I need you to get your house in order Because you're soon to die and so he turned his face to the wall in verse 2 and he prayed to the Lord and he's begging With God weeping that the Lord would extend his life and God did he extended his life notice what he said in verse 6 He said and I will add under that days 15 years So God said okay 15 more years Now let's see what Hezekiah is gonna do with these 15 years

drop down to verse number 21 and Hezekiah slept with his father's and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead and what this meant was is when Hezekiah died Not only was he dead but his father was dead his father's father was dead his father's father's father was dead Everybody up the family tree was dead He was the last one That whole lineage was dead When when Hezekiah died His daddy couldn't step in his grandfather couldn't step in there was nobody to step in and now Manasseh his son His blood is now reigning Well, let's see what Manasseh does chapter 21 verse 1 Manasseh was 12 years old when he began to reign and he reigned 50 and 5 years in Jerusalem and his Mother's name was have Sabah and notice this he did that which was Evil in the sight of the Lord after the abominations of the heathen Whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel notice what else he did verse 3 For he built up again the high places Occultic type places for he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed And he reared up altars for Baal so the so the things that Hezekiah his father had gotten rid of that were Wicked and evil and had destroyed his Son now is rebuilding. He's undoing the good that his daddy had done. And he's doing that which is evil in the sight of the Lord. Notice Hezekiah has no succession. His son, who he was supposed to have handed the kingdom over to continue the plan of the Lord, is completely failed. Why? Because he never got his house in order.

Even after God gave him 15 years and gave him a son, there was no succession, his house never came to order. Church, I can't help but wonder, and I wanna pull this up on the screen, I can't help but wonder if what we're seeing right now in our own society isn't the result of a lack of honor that's been in our own homes. I know you've seen this a lot, but for those that are here or watching that haven't seen it before, I want you to see this slide. These are the 10 commandments. The first four are all about our relationship with God. The last five are all about our relationship with man. But what bridges the gap between my relationship with God and my relationship with man? It's that honor that's supposed to be taught in the home. And I'm telling you that when that is broken, everything is disconnected. We have a life, we have a community, we have a city, we have a nation that is dysfunctional, disorderly, that becomes chaotic. But where do you root it back to? You root it back to the home. Well, I trust that you were blessed by the ministry of God's word. Do you know that today you have tuned into one of over 75 of our television broadcast across the nation, five of which are international programs. I can't stress the importance of our hearing from you. This communicates to us that we are being good stewards

in the placement of this program. It is our mission to reach more people in more places and more ways. And I long to hear from you. As a matter of fact, I want to sow into your life my book, Jesus the Aleph Tov. It fully captures the heart of this ministry. Our vision of preaching Jesus as the manifested word of God. You will see Jesus in the scripture, I assure you. And it's my gift to you. All you have to do is write or scan the QR code. The information is on the screen. When I hear from you, I'm gonna send you my copy of Jesus the Aleph Tov as my gift just to hear from you. That's how important it is for us to know that we are reaching you with the ministry of God's word. So I look forward to hearing from you and pray that you're being blessed through our ministry efforts. ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ I hate to say this, but you can walk in some homes and the kids are telling the parents what to do, how to do it, when to do it. There's something wrong with that because that's not gonna work when they step out into society. The world needs what we possess. The only hope for a dark world is the light of Jesus Christ. Let your light so shine.