To the audience, to the Sunday morning worship service of the Kings Nation Baptist Church, we trust you will receive a blessing as you worship with us around the Word of God. Our text for today is found in the book of Psalms, Psalms 119, and we'll read the first 24 verses of this psalm. Psalm 119. The first 24 verses. Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies and seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity. They walk in his ways. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes, then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy commandments. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. I will keep thy statutes, O forsake me not utterly. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy With my whole heart have I sought Thee, O let me not wonder from Thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes. With my lips have I declared all the judgments of Thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Thy testimonies as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes. I will not forget thy word. Deal bountifully with thy servant that I may live and keep thy word. Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. I am a stranger in the earth. Hide not thy commandments from me. My soul breaketh for the longing that it has unto thy judgment at all times. Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments. Remove from me reproach and contempt, for I have kept thy testimonies. Princes also did sit and speak against me, but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes. Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counselor. My subject for today is Obeying God's Word. Obeying God's Word. Many people like to use God or religion whenever there's a problem that they can't handle. but then they forget about him other times. Others like to seem religious, but make light of it in front of others. Acts 2 Timothy 3 and verse 5 says this about that. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof, from such turn away. It takes a bigger man to stand for the Bible and the Lord's teachings than it does to go along with the world. I think of the way many Christians dress today in their worldly living with their worldly lives instead of obeying God. We're commanded in the word of God to obey God, to obey his word. In fact, there's several verses of scriptures that tells all that. In the book of Joshua, for instance, in chapter 22, Joshua 22 and verse 5. But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses, the servant of the Lord, charged you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and to cleave unto Him, and to serve Him with all your heart, with all your soul. That's what Joshua said. In the book of 1 Chronicles, 1 Chronicles chapter 16 and verse 15, it says, Be ye mindful always of His covenant, the word which He commanded to a thousand generations Be mindful always of His covenant. In the book of Ezra, Ezra chapter 7 and verse 10. For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord and to do it. and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments. He prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, not only to seek it but to do what it said, and then teach others in Israel, teach Israel the statutes and the judgments. Seek it yourself. do what it says, then teach others to seek it and to do what it says. 1 Samuel chapter 12 and verse 24. Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart, for consider how great things He hath done for you." Consider what He's done for you. So we see that it says, take diligent heed, be mindful always, prepare a heart to serve, consider what He has done. And John says, as a result of all that, John chapter 13, he says in verse 17, John 13 and verse 17, If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. If you know these things, happy are you if you do them. In other words, the happiest days of our life is when we're serving God. We're being obedient to God and we're serving Him. Matthew says in chapter 9, Matthew chapter 9 and verse 9, And as Jesus passed forth from since, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the receipt of customs, and he saith unto him, follow me. And he arose and followed him. You see, if we are happy, if we're happy in serving God, then we're going to be following Christ. John says it like this, John chapter 12. And verse 26, John 12 and verse 26 says, If any man serve me, let him follow me. And where I am, there shall also my servant be. If any man serve me, him will my father honor. Him will my father honor. Follow Christ. You see, we ought to obey God. Paul said in the book of Acts chapter 5, Acts chapter 5 verse 29, Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. We ought to obey God rather than men. We ought to obey God. And in Matthew chapter 6 and verse 24, Matthew 6 and 24 says, No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. So we're commanded in the Word of God, to obey God's Word. We're to take diligent heed to it. We're to be mindful of it. We're to prepare our heart to serve. Consider what Christ did. And we'll find out that we're happy if we serve Christ, if we follow Him. If we obey God, We will not serve God and mammon. We will just serve God. See, what we read in all this is God is very plain in telling us to obey Him. Obey Him. Obey His Word. Obey His teachings. And whatever he teaches us to do, that's what we're supposed to do. That's what we're supposed to do, is obey God. Obey God. We need to think of all these scriptures we've read thus far, all of them pointing out that we're to Take diligent heed that we're to be sure that we listen to what it says and teach what it says, but before we listen, before we teach rather, we have to obey it according to the Word of God. We read it, we obey it, and then we teach others. And we obey God rather than man. The Bible speaks the importance of it in the book of 2 Kings, chapter 18, verse 6. 2 Kings, chapter 18, verse 6. This is talking about Hezekiah. It says, For he claimed to the Lord, and departed not from following him, departed not from following him, but kept his commandments which the Lord commanded Moses. He didn't depart from obeying him, following him, doing what he told him to do. He claimed to the Lord. He clung to the Lord. He held on to the Lord. And he did not depart. from following him. That's the duty and responsibility God's people should have. Let's go to the 119th Psalm and look over at verse 72. The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver. The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver. The law of the word of God is better than thousands of gold and silver. Just think about what they're saying, what God's people have said in the Word of God. How important, how precious is the Word of God to you? Is it as precious to you as it was to them? The Bible was important to them. It was precious to them. It was what they stood for, what they stood on, over in Proverbs chapter 1. Proverbs chapter 1 and verse 33. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil." If you hearken unto God, you'll dwell safely and you won't fear evil. Just totally depending on and trusting in God. Trusting completely in Him. You see, when we walk in worldly things, we're always walking in fear. Afraid that we'll lose what we have, afraid of this or that or the other, just all kinds of things. If we dwell, if we hearken to the Word of God, We dwell safely. Proverbs 19 says this. Proverbs 19 and verse 16. He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul. He that despises his ways shall die. He that keepeth the commandment of God Keepeth your own soul. In fact, in chapter 28 and verse 7, he says it like this. Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son, but he that is a companion of righteous men shameth his father. He that keeps the law is a wise son. It's wise in the ways of God, in the ways that we should go in this world. The Bible tells us to be obedient to God. To not just read what it says, but take diligent heed to what it says. To listen to what it says. To read it, not just reading words, but reading what it's saying to you. To get it engrossed within you. You know, a long time ago, people told me, says, everybody ought to read a chapter of the Bible every day. And I used to say that. And then I got to thinking, I'm not so sure if we just say we're going to read a chapter, what we're going to do is open up and read a chapter and close it and forget what we read. I'd rather we read a few verses and inhale what it says. Take it within our very being. has to read a whole chapter and not get anything out of it. If you read a chapter, fine. But you don't have to read a chapter, just a few verses if you're getting something out of it. That's what we're learning from. We're to get something out of what we're reading. Think about the times that you've read your Bible at home. How many times have you read it, picked up your Bible, read a chapter and closed it, didn't anymore know what you read? Probably couldn't even remember what chapter you read. Wouldn't it be better to take and read a few verses and study and see what that's saying to you? What it's teaching you, what it's telling you, What it's guiding you with has to read the whole chapter and not know what you read at all. We should not only read it, but in Deuteronomy, the 32nd chapter, Deuteronomy 32 and verse 46, it says this. 32 and verse 46. And He said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify unto you this day. which ye shall command your children to observe to do." All the words of this law. Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, then command your children to observe to do. You know, it's interesting if you look it up sometime, The majority of the times that you see the word observe in the Bible, it's followed with to do. Not every time, but a good many of the times. Observe to do. You don't just see what it says, but you see what it says and learn what you're supposed to do. Observe to do. in verse 46 that we just read here a moment ago. Command your children. Don't just teach them what it says. Teach them what God says and teach them that they are responsible to obey God. Command them to observe to do. To observe to do. Exodus chapter 24 and verse 7. Exodus 24. And he took the book of the covenant and read in the audience of the people, and they said, All that the Lord has said will we do, and be obedient. All that the Lord has said will we do, and be obedient. All that the Lord said We will do. We'll do what God tells us to do. You know, in the book of Luke, in the sixth chapter, in verse 46, Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say? the things which I say. Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Why do you call him Lord if you don't do what he says? In Ecclesiastes, it says, I'm sorry, I can't find it. Well anyhow, Ecclesiastes 12, 13 says, fear God and keep his commandments. Fear God and keep his commandments. So what God tells us to do in his word, fear God, keep his commandments, Command your children to keep his commandments and teach what it says. Follow Christ. Obey God. Do what he says and stand firm on the things of God. Shall we stand and be dismissed? Steve, dismiss us in a word of prayer.