In Jesus Christ I pray, amen. Amen. Before I begin, I do want to thank Pastor Jimenez, of course, for the opportunity for allowing me to preach. It's always an honor to be asked to preach behind this pulpit. So thank you for that, Pastor. And so we're there in 2 Kings 10, and of course we read the chapter, and we read about Jehu, who has been anointed the new king of Israel, and we see he's a very strong man. He's a man who at this time is executing judgment upon the house of Ahab. Look at verse number 10 again. The Bible says, Know now that there shall fall into the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spake not as concerning the house of Ahab, And you read that verse, we read the chapter, we see that Jehu was the kind of leader you do not want to mess with. I mean, this is a guy who I could envision being a very intimidating man. A man who is a very strong man, a man of direction, if you know the story of Jehu. A man who knew where he was going, a man who you do not want to mess with. In fact, in verse number 4, we see that Jehu just sends a letter to the men of Samaria, and notice the response from just a letter of this strong man. In verse number 4 it says, but they were exceedingly afraid. Notice, just from a letter. Notice the strength of this man, Jehu. And as we read the chapter, through his travels, there's an interaction that I want to focus on tonight. And it's the interaction he has with Jehonadab, the son of Recab. And I want to focus on this story tonight and preach a sermon on getting on board the Christian life. I want you to notice the verse number 15. It says, and when he was departed thence, and at this time, Jehu is on his way to really cleanse the nation of Israel. He's on his way to kill the worshipers of Baal. It says, and when he was departed thence, in verse 15, notice, he lighted on Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, coming to meet him. And he saluted him and said to him, is thine heart right as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, it is. It says, if it be, he says, give me thine hand. And this story has always stuck out to me in the Bible. And the verse ends there. And he gave him his hand and he took him up to him into the chariot. So get the picture here. Here we have Jehu, a man of direction, a man of strength, a man who knew where he was going. He's riding in his chariot. He's going to kill the worshipers of Baal, cleansing the nation of Israel. And he just happens to come across this man, Jehonadab, who is coming to meet him. And he asks him this question, he says, is thine heart right, Jehonadab, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab says, it is, my heart is right. And Jehu asks his question, or he says this, he says, if it be, if your heart is right, Jehonadab, he says, give me thine hand. And I just get the picture of this strong man looking down on Jehonadab, saying, you know what, if your heart is right with me, then I want you to give me thine hand. And here we see, notice, that Jehonadab gave him his hand. And you can see the interaction of this man just reaching out to him. And it says here, and he took him up into the chariot. So here we have Jesus saying, you know what? Get on board with me. Get on the agenda with me. Come join the battle of the Lord with me. And Jehonadab, he got on board the chariot. He was on that chariot. And I want to use this story to preach a sermon on getting on board the Christian life. And, you know, praise God that our church is getting, you know, new visitors every week. New people are joining the church, and it's great to see, you know, new people are joining. And the message to new people would be, get on board the Christian life. You know, don't just let it be this phase that you try out for a little, but decide, you know, I'm going to get all the way in. I'm going to get, reach my hand out, get onto that chariot, get on board the Christian life. And you might be sitting here saying, you know, I've been here for months, maybe even years. But you know what? You can be sitting in a church but never really be on board with the Christian life. You know, I'm sure there's people who may be faithful to church, but they never really get fully into the life of a Christian. And the message to you would be, get on board with the Christian life. You know, what does it mean? How do you get on board with the Christian life? And there's just four points I wanna look at. And the first point is, getting on board with the Christian life means getting involved. Getting on board with the Christian life means getting involved. You know, you and your life, you gotta be a person who is involved in your own life, meaning you're not just sitting back and doing nothing. In verse number 15, I want you to notice in verse 15, we see that Jehonadab was the one who was actually looking for Jehu. 2 Kings 10, 15, it says, and when he was departed thence, the word he there is Jehu, it says he lighted on Jehonadab, the son of Rechab. Here we see Jehu just came upon him by chance on Jehonadab, but notice what Jehonadab was doing. It says, notice, coming to meet him. See, Jehonadab was on his way to meet Jehu. And, you know, the Bible doesn't really say why he was going to meet Jehu. You know, I don't know. I would guess it's because the nation of Israel, they've had some wicked leaders. And I'm assuming that Jehonadab was kind of sick of the weak leadership that was not following the Lord. They weren't doing what's right. And he was looking, maybe he heard that Jehu was a proclaimed king, and he wanted to support a godly king. But you see that Jehonadab, he was looking for Jehu. He was searching for something. And it just so happened, by chance, that Jehu found Jehonadab. And it's the same thing for us. The reason that I'm in this church, some of you got saved, is because we were searching for something. We're searching for the truth. And somehow the truth presented itself to us. And in verse number 15, again, he lighted on Jehonadab, just to recap, coming to meet him. And he saluted him and said to him, is thine heart right as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehanadab answered, it is. And he says, if it be, he says, give me thine hand. You say, what is that? That is an opportunity. You know, Jehanadab was searching for Jehu. Jehu found him. And Jehu says, you know what, if your heart's right, I want you to give me your hand. And what is that? That is God giving Jehonadab an opportunity. And look, you in your life, look, you may be searching for something because of the circumstances in your life. You know, I know I was for me. I know this is why people come to church and praise the Lord for it. It's because they're searching for something and God shows up to them. They say, you know what? I want you to come alongside me. I want you to go on this chariot. And he extends the hand. You say, what is that? That is an opportunity for you to get involved. And Jehonadad, what does he do? He decides to get involved. It says, and he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot, verse 16, and he said, notice, come with me. He's saying, join me. And look, in this church, this is what we do. This is what our pastor does. People walk into this church, and he extends his hand. He says, give me thine hand. Let me give you an opportunity to get involved into the work, to get involved in the things of God. And the truth about the Christian life is that the Christian life is not a spectator sport. The Christian life is a life of activity. It's a life of getting involved. You say, what does it mean to get on board the Christian life? It means you got to get involved in the Christian life. If you would go to Ephesians chapter number 2. Ephesians 2. If you go to the New Testament, you have Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1st, 2nd Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians. Ephesians chapter number 2. You say, how do I get on board the Christian life? You got to get involved. Ephesians 2, you gotta look for opportunities to get involved. And look, we live in a world of spectators. And look, this is true because, you know, even for me, you know, many of us will attest to the fact that before we got saved, we just completely wasted our life because we just didn't know what the Bible said. We didn't know what we should be doing. And look, we live in a world of just spectators. You know, tonight, what are really these people doing at home tonight? They're just sitting on their couch, just spectating, just watching a box. People out there, their families are in ruins, and they're not involved in doing something about it. They're just watching it happen. They're watching their kids go by the wayside. They're watching their marriages collapse. They're watching their health go by the wayside. And we live in a world of just being a spectator. But the Christian life is a life of activity, a life of actually doing something. Not just sitting around, but actually being involved. Ephesians 2, verse number 8, famous verses. Ephesians 2, 8, the Bible says, of course, for by grace are ye saved through faith. And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Verse nine, not of works, lest any man should boast. And there, we love those verses because, of course, that speaks to the fact that salvation is not by our parts. It's not by our work. We don't do anything to just get ourselves saved or keep ourselves saved. It's nothing that we do, and we love those verses. But notice, we're not saved to spectate. We're not saved to sit. And verse number 10, for we are, notice, his workmanship. And what we want in our lives as Christians is for God to work in our lives and to help improve our lives. I mean, I would assume that's why you come to church, because you want to hear what the Bible says. Because you want to know how you can improve your home, improve your life, improve whatever circumstances you are, so you can become a better person for the Lord. It says, we are his workmanship. But notice, created in Christ Jesus, it says, unto good works. See, it's not just enough for us to sit back and watch the show. You know, watching a football game is not gonna make you a great football player, right? Just watching the Food Network is not gonna make you a great chef, right? Just sitting back and just spectating the Christian life will not make you a good Christian. It says, we're created, notice, for unto good works. You say, why? Which God hath before ordained that we should, notice, walk in them. You know, that's a life of action, walking. See, we're not saved to spectate. We're not saved to sit. We're saved to serve. And you, as a Christian, got to be looking for opportunities. When the hand comes out, when Jehu comes out and says, hey, give me thy hand. Join me. Get on this chariot. You got to just take that hand and join him on the chariot. And look, every week, every week, there's an opportunity to get involved. Look, there's gonna be an opportunity on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. to get involved in the things of God. There's gonna be an opportunity on Thursday and Friday for the men, Saturday for the men, to get involved in the work. On Saturday for sowing, there's gonna be an opportunity to get involved in the work. Tomorrow morning, there's an opportunity for you to get up and read your Bible, for you to pray. Look, there's an opportunity to do it, to get involved. And don't be the person who sits back and just watches, hoping that things get better. No, you must decide to do the good works. why that we should walk in them. You're in Ephesians 2, keep your place in Ephesians 2, but go to Philippians 2, next book over, Philippians chapter number two. You see, how do you get on board with the Christian life? You gotta just get involved. And look, our church is chocked full of opportunities to get involved. And there's no reason why everyone shouldn't, isn't involved, doing something. Philippians 2, look at verse number 12, the Bible says, wherefore my beloved, As you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, it says on it, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. See, the salvation that you have, you shouldn't just have it there, just sitting there, just doing nothing. No, God wants you to work out that salvation. Take what you've been given, the Holy Spirit of God, and work it out and apply it in your life. Why? Because look, the Christian life is a life of activity. And church, like Jehu, will come along and they will give you that opportunity. And that's what you ought to see church as. This church is the chariot, where, you know, our pastor comes out and says, you know, just give me your hand. Get on board with the work. Get on board with what God wants you to do. And that's our chance to get involved. Go back to Ephesians 4, if you go to Ephesians 4. Ephesians 4, you see church, like Jehu, will give you the opportunity to get involved. And here we have Jehonadab looking for Jehu. And let's say Jehu came to him and said, you know what, you're looking for me? This is your chance, this is your chance. Will you come with me? And look, people desire to get better in life. I mean, if we were to ask the room, hey, do you wanna be a better Christian? Do you wanna improve your marriage? Do you wanna improve your children? Do you wanna improve your life as a person, at work, just in general? Everyone's gonna say, yes, I do. But week after week, the hand comes out, Will you join me into this charity? Will you get involved in the work? And you know, sadly, some people say no. Some people refuse. And they miss the whole reason why we even have church. Ephesians 4, like verse number 11, the Bible says here, it says, and he, of course, the context is referring to Jesus in Ephesians 4, 11. And he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers. It says, notice, for the perfecting of the saints. It says, for the work of the ministry, it says, for the edifying of the body of Christ. And here in verse 12, we see that God has given us a pastor, our church, why? To perfect us. Because the truth is, look, there's areas in my life and your life that are just completely lacking. There's areas that, look, that we need to work on in our lives that were just incomplete. And God has given us a pastor, our pastor, the priesthood of God, to help us, to give us this church, a body of believers, to encourage us, exhort us to do good works. To what? To do what? To make us a better person. And it says, notice, for the edifying of the body of Christ. What's that? That's to build you up, to build up your personal life. But, you know, in between we have the perfecting and the edifying. We have here, we have for the work of the ministry. In between the verse about you being complete, between the verse about you being built up in your life, here we have the verse that God says, you know what, about the work of the ministry. Why? Because look, the way you will succeed as a Christian is when you don't just sit back and spectate the Christian life, but when you get involved in the work of the ministry. Look, that will build you. We choose to not sit back and actually get involved. Verse 13, till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, notice, unto a perfect man. And we all have a vision of who we want to be. I have a vision. Everyone has this vision of who they want to be, right? Everyone's dreaming right now, man, I want that six pack. I want those abs, right? I'm joking, but you know what? Just in life, everyone wants to be like a Christian, right? A good Christian, the best Christian. Everyone wants to be the best parent, the best spouse, right? We have this vision of the perfect man who we can be, and God says, you know what? I've given you your pastor. I've given you the church. I've given you a pastor to help complete the areas of your life that are missing, to help build up your life. But you know what? Along with that, he gave you the work of the ministry for you to get involved. See, the Christian life is not a life of just sitting back, it's a life of you actually looking for an opportunity. You're out there looking for Jehu, and when he shows up, he gives you his hand and says, you know what, join me. And you ought to just take advantage of that, and just get involved in the work. Because look, when you actually get involved in the work of God, that's the way you succeed in life. You will succeed in life when you decide to actually get involved in the work. Go if you would to your place there, go if you would to Proverbs 13, Proverbs chapter number 13. You see, how do you get on board with the Christian life? You get on board by getting involved. And look, you may be sitting here, and this is all, you also get off board with the Christian life. Once you start finding yourself not being involved, once the church attendance, it was great, and then it starts dwindling down a bit, once the involvement comes down, what are we seeing? We're seeing people just getting off board with the Christian life. But the way you stay on board is by staying involved in the work. Proverbs 13, look for verse number four. Proverbs 13, four, it says, the soul of the sluggard desireth. Here we have the person who is just the spectator, the person who is just watching. And the sluggard, like everyone else, desireth. They want something in life. They want to be the best version that God has called them to be. They want to be the best wherever God has you in life. They have those desires. But the soul of the slugger, they desireth, but notice, and hath nothing. They don't go anywhere. Oh yes, they're busy spectating, they're busy watching, but they have nothing. But notice, but the soul of the diligent, who is that? That is a hard worker. It says, shall be made fat. That means you'd be blessed. You see, what does it mean to get on board? It means that when you come to church, you gotta just be willing to get involved in the work. and realize, look, even something so simple, for example, we have like, and this is a foolish example, but we have like an opportunity just to bring a dessert, right, or a cornbread. It's so small, but you know, that's just an opportunity for a lady, for example, to decide to actually, you know what, get busy and just, you know, I'm gonna bake something and bring something for the harvest party. and get involved in the work, what would that do? That might cause you to actually go to the grocery store, do something nice, go to work, prepare a home-cooked meal, prepare something nice to bring. That is a good work, to bring something for the fellow believers. It's something so small, but every week there's an opportunity for you to get involved. even at the work for the men. That's an opportunity to serve, to get involved, do something for the Lord. Why? Because, look, the Christian life is not gonna, you're not gonna succeed by just spectating, by just watching. When the hand comes out, the opportunity is there. You gotta take that hand, get in that chariot, and get involved in the work. And so my question for you, if you're an old believer, right, you've been here for years, my question would be, look, are you involved in the things of God? Or even scarier, are you disengaging from the things of God? Are you involved less and less in the things of God? Because look, getting on board means that you're involved. You're involved in the work. Go back to 2 Kings 10, if you've read 2 Kings 10. So number one, what does it mean to get on board? It means that you're involved in the work. It means you're getting involved. And look, you ought to just look for an opportunity to serve. Getting on board in the Christian life, number one, means getting involved. But number two, getting on board in the Christian life means stretching yourself. Getting on board with the Christian life means stretching yourself. You know, the Christian life ought to cause you to be uncomfortable. It ought to cause you to actually just challenge yourself. And I hope that's why you came to church. Because you want to challenge who you are. Because here's the truth about changing. Changing is difficult. You know, you can't teach an old dog new tricks, right? I'm trying, we're trying, right? But look, changing is hard. But you know what, God wants us to change. God wants us to grow. And look, realize that getting on board with the Christian life means that you're constantly, actively stretching yourself, getting uncomfortable. I want you to notice here that, again, the story, 2 Kings 10, 15, it says that when he was departed then, he lighted on Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, coming to meet him. And he saluted him and said to him, is thine heart right as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, it is. It says, if it be, give me thine hand. I want you to notice that Jehu asks Jehonadab to give him his hand. And Jehonadab voluntarily gives it to him. And he, Jehonadab, gave him his hand. and he took him up into the chariot. You know, you read that, and we see, you know, smooth interaction. Jehonadab just, you know, voluntarily, you know, yeah, I'll get in there. Yeah, I'll join you, right? Seems really easy. But notice the verse 16. And he said, come with me and see my zeal for the Lord. And then it says this, it says, so they, notice, made him ride in his chariot. You know, you read this, you know, I look at this and say, you know, they're making him. So they made him. You know, when it says they, I'm assuming this is referring to Jehu's men, right? They're making him, Jehonadab, ride in his chariot. Now it seems like it's forced. Now it seems like Jehonadab didn't just voluntarily get in there. It seems like he's being forced to sit in his chariot. I'm like, the Christian life ought to get you to the place where you're actually uncomfortable. And I think what happened here, it seems like Jehonadab wasn't really sure what he was getting himself into. He got to the place where he was actually uncomfortable, where he felt like he was actually being forced to be there. And we see that Jehonnadab found himself in an uncomfortable situation. And look, in the Christian life, you should never just be fully comfortable as a Christian. And look, in the Christian life, you always ought to be challenging yourself, stretching yourself, putting yourself in situations that without Jehu, without the man of God there, you wouldn't be in. And look, what's great about our pastor and the preaching of this church is that the preaching of this church will definitely stretch you. It'll force you to be challenged. But if you decide to be comfortable, to just not want to change, look, you're going to stop growing. You're going to stop stretching yourself, and you're not being on board with the Christian life. Why? Because the Christian life is a life of growth. And guess what? Growth is difficult. Growth is challenging. In verse 17, And I think Jehonadab found himself in an uncomfortable place because maybe he just wasn't used to it. He wasn't a man like Jehu. but you know what, he came alongside him, and he was uncomfortable, but you know what, that's okay. In the Christian life, when you get on board, you oughta expect to feel a little bit uncomfortable. Key place to go back to Ephesians 4, if you go to Ephesians chapter 4. Go to Ephesians 4. And I think this is the beauty, I feel like this is the beauty of our church, is that the preaching of this church, the preaching of our pastor, it will cause you to make a choice to change or not to change. And what you find, I don't know, this is maybe just what I perceive, is that when people just choose to not change, they tend to get mad at Jehu. They tend to get mad at the preacher. But the reality is, it's not the person, it's the Bible. It's the Word of God. The Word of God wants you to change. The Word of God wants you to grow. And so let's be honest and say, you know what, I'm not, it's not the pastor, it's not the preacher, I'm just not on board with the Christian life. We decide to stop changing and stop growing, stop stressing yourself. And look, the truth is none of us have arrived. There's areas we all need to grow, we all need to work on. But be the person who's willing to just live a life of change, in the sense that you're always growing. Not changing a doctor, not changing what we believe, but a life of growth. Ephesians 4, 22, the Bible says that you put off concerning the former conversation, verse 22. It says, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust. It says that you put off, you gotta change, take off what? The former conversation, the old man. The life that you used to live. Right? And this is the hard part about the Christian life, is that, you know, it's all exciting when it's new and it's fresh, but then you realize, oh man, the Bible doesn't line up with my life. And then you get to this place where I better change either what the Bible says or what I say. Right? And so the Bible says here, look, you've got to change the way you live. Put off the conversation, the form of conversation of the old man, which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts. Notice in verse 23, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Not just change how you live, but also change how you think. See, the Christian life is a life just a change of growth. It's a life that should be challenging you. And look, thank God for a church that does challenge you, that pushes you to a limit that, you know what, it can be uncomfortable. We're like, man, I voluntarily showed up to this church, but now I feel like I'm being forced to change. Now I'm being forced to sit in this chariot? Now pastor's making me sit here? No, no, no, no. Maybe you've come to the place where you have to make a choice to stretch yourself. And grow as a Christian. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Notice, and that ye put on the new man. Become somebody else. I mean, there's things about us that we don't like about him. There's things I don't like about me. All of us have things we know, like, man, I wish I could change this in my life. Right? There's areas we need to grow on. Put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. In verse 25, what for putting away lying, speak every man truth. Notice the change in how you live, the change in how you think, the change in how you talk. Look, these are areas that you as a Christian should constantly be growing. You shouldn't have the same mouth you had before you got saved. You shouldn't have the same mentality that you had before you got saved. You shouldn't be living the same way as a Christian today than before you got saved. There should be some change, there should be some growth. Verse 26, be angry and sin not. What a radical concept for a Christian. Stop sinning, right? And so thank God for the sermons that are preached about the sin that we're troubled with, the besetting sin that so easily beset us. And also the weights that don't seem sinful, but they can knock us off the Christian life. And so what does it mean to get on board? It means that, you know what, you get to the place that, yeah, you chose to be there. And sometimes, you know what, it's going to feel uncomfortable. But that's OK. Why? Because look, the Christian life is a life of growth, and growth is challenging, and growth is hard. But praise the Lord, because God wants to make us a better person. Go to Philippians 3. Keep placing Ephesians. And just in general, one thing I appreciate and admire about our pastor is that the man is always stretching himself. He's a man of constant growth. And look, that's a great quality to have, where you're just constantly improving yourself, constantly growing. Philippians 3, look at verse number 12. And this is a godly attribute to have, by the way. Not as though Philippians 3.12, I had already attained. Either we're already perfect. Notice, but I follow after. You know, Paul would say, you know what? I'm not someone who thinks I've made it as a Christian, that I'm complete. He says, no, no, but I follow after. if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus, verse 13. Brethren, notice, I count not myself to have apprehended. He said, look, I'm not considering myself someone who's arrived in life. But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before. A life of just looking ahead and constantly growing. He says, I press toward the mark. And look, when you press toward something, guess what, there's gonna be some resistance. Whether from your flesh, whether from your family, whether from just the people in your life, there's always gonna be resistance when you wanna grow. But the Apostle Paul says, you know what, I'm still pressing toward the mark. I'm still moving forward. Even though, yes, it's gonna be challenging, but you know what, I'm not there yet. I'm not to where God wants me to be. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Verse 15, let us therefore notice, as many as be perfect, be thus minded. And I like how he says, let us therefore as many as be perfect. It says, be thus minded. I want you to think like me, is what he's saying. I want you to have this mentality of constant growth, that yes, as you press forward, there will be resistance, but you will choose to stretch yourself as a Christian. You will choose to constantly be growing, constantly be improving, constantly be reaching forth unto those things which are before. He's right, because the Christian life is a life of stretching yourself. and don't get to the place where you're so comfortable in the chariot that you're just comfortable. And so you gotta just take heed of your own Christian life in the sense that you know what, you should always be challenging yourself. Go back to 2 Kings 10 if you would, 2 Kings 10. And you know, I've already mentioned it, but you know what, Johanna, that I've needed? You know what you and I need? The only way that you're gonna grow and I'm gonna grow What you and I need is we need a Jehu in our life to push us. We need a pastor who is pushing us for constant growth. And thank God we have a pastor who is constantly pushing us to grow, challenging us, stretching us. 2 Kings 10, 15, notice, and when he was the part of thence, he lighted on Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, coming to meet him. And he saluted him and said to him, is thine heart right as my heart is with thy heart? And you see the leadership here of Jehu is that he's willing to give Jehonadab his heart. He's like, my heart's with you. Is your heart right like my heart's with your heart? He's like, I'm willing to help you. And Jehonadab says, it is. He's like, I want the help. I want your heart. He says, if it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand, and he took him up into the chariot, verse 16, and he said, come with me, notice, and see my zeal for the Lord. You know, I think Jehu here had some zeal, some zeal for the things of God. And the truth is, look, there are some things that, this is why you need God's people around you. Because, look, when you get around God's people, when you get around our pastor, They're gonna get you to the place where, you know what, they might have some things that maybe you don't have, and they can help you stretch yourself. You may not have the zeal that somebody else has, but you know what, you get around God's people, and zeal is infectious. And here we have Jesus saying, look, I want you to come with me, and I want you to witness and see. Let me show you how it's done. You say, what do you need as a Christian? What you need is to get behind Jehu. You need to get behind your pastor. Why? Because our pastor, like any good leader, will stretch you. They will challenge you. And think about it. Naturally, if you don't want to be pushed or stretched, is the tendency to get mad at God? It's probably to get mad at the person, right? And you say, you know what? I'm not on board with changing and growing. I don't want to change my life anymore. Why are you always pushing me? Well, you know what? It's not the man. It's the Bible. It's the Lord. No, no. God's the one who says, I want you to put away your old life. God's the one who says, I want you to change how you live. I want you to change how you speak. I want you to change what you watch, how you speak, how you live your life. I want you to change your life. And look, what we need is to get behind somebody who's willing to push us and stretch us and make us grow. Will the Christian life be uncomfortable? Yes, it will be, but you know what? Praise the Lord. Why? Because look, God wants us to change. Don't turn there, but the Apostle Paul said this in Acts 20. He says, and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you. See, Paul said, I didn't keep anything back from the word of God. That was what? That was profitable to help you change. to help you grow. You say, how do I get on board with the Christian life? You get on board by constantly stretching yourself. Meaning, if you hear something new from the Word of God, you don't just sit there and spectate. You go home and apply it. You go home and change. There's something you didn't realize the Bible taught in life, and you just change. You just apply. Will it be difficult? Yes, it will be. Will it cause you to be uncomfortable? Yeah, it will be. But you know what, that's just the Christian life, and it's okay in life to be uncomfortable. Why? Because the Christian life is a life of constant growth. It's a life of stretching yourself. Go back to 2 Kings 10 if you read 2 Kings 10. You say, how do I get on board with the Christian life? Getting on board with the Christian life means getting involved. Not just sitting back, not just spectating, but actually getting involved in the work and being active. And church will give you the opportunity to do that. Getting on board with the Christian life means stretching yourself, being willing to change, always be growing in your life, allowing our pastor to stretch you and change you in life. Number three, getting on board with the Christian life also means staying on board. When you get on board with the chariot, you gotta just decide, you know what, I'm gonna stay on board. And once you get on, decide I'm not gonna get off the chariot. And you know what, I think about this and I think about salvation. Praise God that our God is not like us. That once God says, hey, I've saved you and I'm never gonna let you go to hell. You're saved eternally. No matter what you do, I'm never gonna let you just, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. It's eternal life. And you thank God that God is not like us. Who, one day I'm gonna serve the Lord. I'm the Lord's. The next day it's like, where'd you go? And we're so back and forth with our weakness, with our lack of faith. And thank God that God is not like us. Once he says it, it's done. And we're to God that we as Christians, we have the same steadfastness in our decisions when it comes to the things of God. That we decide I'm gonna be faithful to church, I'll be faithful to soul wedding, I'm gonna serve the Lord with my life. That God's not gonna have to worry about where I'm gonna be in five years, in 10 years. That the word is, he said it, so it's gonna be done. No matter what. See, getting on board with the Christian life means staying on board with the Christian life. And once you get on, decide to not get off. I want you to notice again this story in verse 16, the Bible says, 2 Kings 10, 16, and he said, come with me and see my zeal for the Lord. So they made him ride in his chariot. And we're gonna read the next few verses, but here we're gonna have, we're gonna see Jehu come up with this master plan, this scheme to destroy all the prophets of Baal. In verse 18, and notice what it says, it says, Jehu gathered all the people together and said unto them, Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu shall serve him much. Of course, Baal is a reference to the devil, and he's coming with this plan to destroy the worshipers of Baal. Verse 19, now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. He says, let none be wanting, for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal. Whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. And you know, if I was Jehonadab, I'd be like, man, what's this guy doing? I thought this guy was working for the Lord. But notice, but Jehu did it in subtlety to the intent that he might destroy the worshipers of Baal. And Jehu said, proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it. And Jehu sent through all Israel, and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not. Notice, and they came into the house of Baal. Look, into the house of the devil. The house of Baal was full from one end to another. You know, I read those words, the house of Baal was full from one end to another. You know, I just envision like the stadium, right? And here we have a Joyce Meyer conference, right? All the worshippers of Baal are showing up. I'm joking, right? And it's a packed house, right? You know, at this point, I can envision Jehanadav thinking, like, what did I get myself into? Here we have Jehu coming up with this crazy scheme, this crazy idea. calling all the worshipers of Baal. And notice in verse 22, and he said unto him that was over the vestry, bring forth the vestments for all the worshipers of Baal. And he brought forth the vestments. Verse 23, notice, and Jehu went. And you know, at this point, I have to wonder what Jehondab's thinking. And you wonder, you know, would he have gotten off? Would he have left? Would he have been uncomfortable? But for whatever reason, here the Holy Spirit says this in verse 23, and Jehu went, notice, and Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal. And this is the last time that this man is mentioned. And when I read this, I think to myself, there was really no reason for God to feel the need to write Jehonadab's name. Because it says, You know, it could have easily just been, and Jehu went into the house of Baal, without having to mention to Jehonadab, without having to bring up his name. And you say, why would God bring up his name just as a random fact? Well, you know what? I mean, I don't know, but I believe it's just to highlight the fact that this man was still there, that this man decided not to get off the chariot. And just to highlight, you know what? Yeah, Jehu was there, and all his men, oh yeah, and Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, he was still there. You know what Jehonadab didn't do? He didn't get off the chariot. Was he uncomfortable? Was it new for him? Was it different? Was it who he was? It was probably uncomfortable, but you know what he didn't do? He didn't leave. He didn't depart. He chose, you know what, I'm gonna stick it out. I'm gonna just get behind this man and not just leave him, not just get off the chariot, not just get off board the chariot. And I think God highlights the fact that this man, when he got on, he stayed on. Verse 24, And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu appointed four score men without, and said, If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape, he that letteth him go, his life shall be for the life of him. And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an offering, the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the captains, Go in and slay them. Let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword. And I think to myself, you know, what a great story, you know? The house is packed, the worshippers are bailed. Here we have Jehu, a strong man, a man not afraid of confrontation. He says, you know what, go in there and kill them all. And I believe the Lord is pleased with killing all these worshippers of Baal. But for whatever reason, he just highlights the fact, you know what, oh yeah, and Jehonadab, guess what, he was still there. And look, you and your life, when you decide to get on the chariot, just decide to stay on the chariot and not get off. And look, the decision is to begin, I'm going to serve the Lord, and you know what? Getting on board means staying on board. And, you know, God shouldn't have to wonder, you know, where is this guy going to be in a year, in a month, in two months, in three years, whatever it may be. Determine when you get on the board that you're just going to stay on board. Go, if you would, to a key place, or go, if you would, to 2 Peter 3, 2 Peter 3. From the end of the Bible, you have Revelation, if you go backwards, June, 1st, 2nd, 3rd John, and then 1st, 2nd Peter, 2nd Peter, chapter number three. And look, the Bible says, therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. You know, God wants us to be steadfast, meaning we're not just gonna be tossed to and fro, not just moving. One day we're on the chariot, next day we're off. He just wants us to be there. Here we have Jehonadab just getting on the chariot. Was it uncomfortable? Yes, it was. He felt forced, but you know what? He didn't get off. He didn't say, hey, drop me off here at the corner while you just mosey on in life. He stayed on. 2 Peter 3, look at verse number 17. The Bible says, ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, it says, beware lest ye also. being led away with the air of the wicked, notice, fall from your own steadfastness. The Bible says you gotta beware that you'd be led, not towards the things of God, but that you'd be led away with the air of the wicked. Notice that you fall from your own steadfastness. You know the devil wants you to fall from the Christian life? He wants you to get knocked out of the Christian life. He wants you to deboard, get off the Christian life, get off the chariot. But here God says, you know what, just beware. Why? Because you gotta be steadfast and unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. And in verse 18 it says, notice, but notice, but grow in grace. Always be challenging yourself to grow. So look, in the Christian life, just decide, you know what, when I get on board, I'm gonna stay on board. I'm not gonna go anywhere. And I think that God just highlights this man Jehonadab for the fact that, you know what, once he got on, he was still there. He didn't get off. So decide, you know what, I'm gonna be unmovable. The Bible says, let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. So how do you get on board in the Christian life? You get on board by staying on board in the Christian life. Decide, you know what, I'm gonna get on the chariot, I'm gonna stay on that chariot. Go back to 2 Kings 10, if you would, 2 Kings 10. So number one, getting on board in the Christian life means getting involved, looking for opportunities to serve. Don't be a spectator. Number two, getting on board with the Christian life means stretching yourself, allowing yourself to change and grow. Don't get to the place where you're so comfortable you just don't grow anymore. Number three, getting on board with the Christian life means staying on board. And lastly, number four, just briefly, getting on board with the Christian life means having the right heart. I know they're not alliterated, but. Getting on board in Christian life means having the right heart. In the Christian life, you gotta just keep your heart with all diligence. And this is, I think this is why I like this story so much because of this question. In verse 15, he asks him, is thine heart right as my heart is with thy heart? You know, I like that verse. I like that verse because it shows that Jehu was a man who was actually willing to just give someone their heart. And he says, you know what, I'm willing to give you my heart. But he says, is your heart right as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab said, it is. And Jehu says, well, you know, if it be. He's saying, if it's right. You know what Jehu is saying? He's saying, you know what, if your heart's not right, I don't want you with me. And look, in the Christian life, you gotta just get on board with the right heart and keep the right heart. And look, it's easy to get on board with the right heart, but it's a lot harder to stay on board with the right heart. He said, if it be, give me thine hand. You know what this church needs? We need people who have a right heart with the Lord. Give me thine hand. In verse 16, he said, come with me and see my zeal for the Lord. You know, God wants us to have the right motives in life. As God's people, the way we're on board with the Christian life is that we live this life where we're doing things not just to promote ourselves, not just for ourselves, to make us look good, that we actually work for the Lord because we love the Lord. We've got to maintain a right heart. Sometimes people say things, and I wonder, are you just saying that to make other people look bad? Are you just doing this to make yourself look good? Are you just doing this to put down the pastor and the pastor's wife? We should be motivated by doing things with the right heart. Why? Because we should serve the Lord out of a pure motive. And Jesus would say, look, if you're not going to have a right heart, he's like, I don't want you with me. But if your heart's right, I want you to join me. I want you to come alongside me. And look, this church is striving together in unity for the faith of the gospel. And look, so as God's people, we should maintain a right heart. Joshua 24, don't turn there, but Joshua 24, 14, the Bible says, You know, as God's people, we should serve out of sincerity, because we love the Lord. Everything we do should be because of our love for God. And that would cause us to treat other people nicely, to have more respect for other people, to take care of other people, to not say things to try to put other people down, to make ourselves look good, to lift up ourselves, to promote ourselves. We should serve the Lord with a pure and sincere heart. And you say, look, if you don't have a right heart, then I don't even want you with me. The Bible says, serve the Lord in sincerity. Go to Proverbs 21, if you go to Proverbs 21. Getting on board with the Christian life means having the right heart. And we should serve the Lord with a pure heart, out of sincerity. And look, God cares about our motives. God cares about why we do things. Proverbs 21, look at verse number two. Proverbs 21, verse two, every way of man is right in his own eyes. Notice, it says, but the Lord pondereth the hearts. Every way of man is right in his own eyes. And of course, that makes sense because, you know, we think we're always right. But here it says, but the Lord pondereth, he's considering, he's looking at, he's testing the hearts. You say, does it matter how I do things? Yeah, your motives matter. Does it matter if I have a right heart? Yes, your heart matters. And when you get on board with the Christian life, determined to get on board with the right heart, you gotta just maintain a right heart and do things out of sincerity and truth. You say, how do I get on board with the Christian life? You get on board by getting involved. You get on board by stretching yourself. It's a life of constant growth. Will it challenge you? Will it make you uncomfortable? Yes, it will, but praise the Lord. You get on board and you stay on board. You don't get off. And you get on board by maintaining the right heart. Go to Jeremiah 35, go to Jeremiah 35, we'll end here. Jeremiah 35. And you know, that's the last time that Jehonadab is mentioned there. He's brought up again in Jeremiah 35 with his ancestors, his children's children's children. And I believe, I don't know, but I would think that this story with Jehu, this interaction, might have changed the trajectory of this man's lineage all the way down to Jeremiah, to the time of Jeremiah. In Jeremiah 35, look at verse number 18, Jeremiah 35, 18. The Bible says this in Jeremiah 35, 18, here we have the Lord speaking to the descendants of Jehonadab, the son of Rechab. And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, because ye have obeyed the commandment notice of Jehonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you. Therefore, thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Jonadab, the son of Rechab, shall not want a man to stand before me forever. You know, Jonadab was able to impact not just his own life, but also the life of his children's children's children. He influenced them all the way down, even here to the time of Jeremiah, where his descendants were obeying Jonadab's word, doing what God wanted him to do. teaching them the ways of the Lord, and the Lord is pleased with it. And you say, what's gonna happen if you decide to get on board the chariot, get on board the Christian life? When you actually get on board and decide to actually not just sit there, but actually get involved, not just sit there, but actually stretch yourself and change, not just sit there, but actually stay on board, serve the Lord with the right heart, it may be that that can be the deciding factor that will change the trajectory of the rest of your life. So in your life, look, decide that this Christian thing is not something you're just gonna try out. When you get on board, you're gonna get fully on board and stay on board. Why? Because look, it could impact your life to the, you don't know when. So decide to just get on board and stay on board in the Christian life. Let's close in prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you for this evening, God. I thank you for your word and for our church. And I pray that you be with each and every one of our lives through God. And I pray that you help us all to be pleasing in your sight to always be growing, Lord, and I just thank you for our pastor and our pastor's wife, and the great examples that they are to us all, and I pray that you help each and every one of us to love you more and more, to obey you more and more, to fear you more and more, and I just thank you for your mercy and your long-suffering towards us, and I just pray that you bless our church, bless our lives, God. We love you, we just sing and pray, amen. Amen, all right, what a great sermon.