Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of Scripture, but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story.
God created an incredible piece of property in our neck of the woods, filled up with thousands of lakes to go fishing. Each year, people from all over the country will flock here to catch their favorite type of fish. Although I tend to eat my share of largemouth bass and Northern Pike, I have always enjoyed catching a nice pile of sunfish. They might be a lot more work to clean, but they sure are good eating. A lot of times they are the very first fish that we teach our children how to catch. All you really need is a bobber, a worm on a hook, and a cheap fishing pole. They are pretty simple to catch, but you must make sure that you keep your eye on the bobber. As soon as it begins moving around or jumping up and down, you need to give it a tug, and before you know it, you will be reeling one in! But sometimes children will get bored, and won’t pay attention to what they have been taught. They must keep their eye on the bobber, otherwise the fish will strip the bait and go find something else to do.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Jesus taught His disciples that if they followed Him, He would make them Fishers of Men, but if they were going to be successful, they needed to pay close attention to the things that He taught them. We must keep steadily focused on the doctrines of Christ and remember what we have been taught. If you really want to catch fish someday, you will need to make sure that you keep your eyes on the bobber.
“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” 1 Timothy 4:16
To take heed means to pay close attention. Think about a child who is sitting in the classroom, but isn’t focused on what they are being taught. Their mind begins to drift away, thinking about playing on the playground or going bike riding after school. It’s hard for anything to sink in when their mind is somewhere else. When people drive through a city, they need to pay attention to the signals, signs, and other traffic in order to get safely through the town. When your dad teaches you the safe way to use a chainsaw, you need to take heed to what he has shown you, because in doing so, it can prevent you from harmful consequences in the future. Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins, but in order to enter into eternal life, requires that you become faithfully obedient to the teachings of scripture. We play a part in our own salvation, simply by turning away from the wretch that we used to be, and becoming a new creature in Christ Jesus. If this new person never emerges, then you were never really paying attention to what the Christian life is all about. Repentance that leads to obedience must happen, otherwise the faith that you profess is vain.
1 Corinthians 15 ¹ Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; ² By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
Doctrine is extremely important, because it guides us into a perfect obedience to God. A husband might give his wife a list of some things to do while he is gone. Completing them is proof of her love for him and she pleases him by her works. Christianity without obedience is not Christianity at all. We have an incredibly high calling and are to follow the example of our Lord Jesus who is always obedient to the will of God.
“And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.” John 8:29
There are numerous commandments that are taught throughout the entire New Testament. They are teachings and doctrines that were handed down to the original Apostles, and then communicated to the church through their epistles. When we obey scripture, it is outward proof of our love towards God.
1 John 2 ³ And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
⁴ He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
⁶ He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
Those who humbly submit to the teachings of Christ, will be loved by the Heavenly Father.
John 14 ²¹ He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. ²² Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? ²³ Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. ²⁴ He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
Through Christ Jesus, God has granted us the opportunity to someday enter into the kingdom of heaven, but it will require repentance and submission to biblical doctrine. We must seek to please Him in everything. God is a respecter of no man and will treat everybody equally. Those who choose the path of resistance and rebellion to the teachings of Christ will only find themselves cut off by God.
“Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.” Romans 11:22
“And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” Matthew 3:10
To obtain God’s favor, we must continue in the things that we have been taught from His Holy Word.
“But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” James 1:25
So if you really want to catch fish, you will need to continue in the things that your dad has taught you. And if you really want to save yourself and others, you had better make sure that you are keeping your….
……Eyes on the Bobber
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious goups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.❤️
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Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 