Well, good morning again. I'm thankful that you're here today, amen. I'm thankful I get to be here today. After the messages we've been preaching lately, I wasn't sure who would come back, so I'm grateful that you did. I want you to know in all seriousness, I really do believe and know that a lot of the things that we've been covering lately, or at least to me, I think they're hard things. I know some folks last week after church, we got a chance to talk for a minute, They said the same, they said it's hard. And it is hard. These aren't the messages that make us feel really comfortable all the time, but listen, I'll be honest, these messages have been challenging for me too. I imagine they probably have been for some of you, but our goal as Christians is not to be comfortable. Comfortableness is not the goal. The goal is clear in Scripture. The goal is holiness. and godliness. Comfort is what the Laodicean church had. In Revelations chapter three, verses 14 to 17, you don't have to turn there this morning. We'll be in 1 John again, mainly 1 John chapter three. But in Revelations chapter three, we're taught that the church at Laodicea, that they thought they were rich, wealthy. They said that they had need of nothing. They were comfortable. Very comfortable. But Jesus said that they were neither cold nor hot. They were lukewarm. They were wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. And their lukewarm condition, he said, sickened him. It sickened the Lord. But they couldn't see it. We don't want to end up like that, amen? I don't want that to be what our church is like. I don't want our church to be like the church in Sardis. In Revelations chapter three at the beginning of the chapter there, verses one and two, the Lord said of Sardis, he said that you have a name that you're alive but you're dead. And I have not found your works perfect before God. I don't want that to be Jesus' assessment of us. My desire, and I hope it's your desire too, is I want us to be faithful servants of God, amen? I want us to follow Christ. I want us to live based on the truths that are written in the sacred, holy pages of scripture. I want us to be Christians, the way the Bible describes a Christian should be. I want us to be the kind of Christians that Jesus desires and expects me to be and us to be. I don't want to have a name that I'm alive but be dead. I don't want to be lukewarm. I don't want to be any of those things. And I think that's exactly what John has been writing about and what we've been looking at in 1 John. When he talks about this fellowship with the Father and the Son and with one another, that's what John's talking about. It only happens, though. It only happens if we set our hearts and our minds to follow Christ and to walk with Him. That's the only way this happens. And we've seen what the scripture says. We've kind of looked at the first couple of chapters for a few weeks now, and I hope you've seen this, that you cannot have fellowship with God if we love the world. If you love the things of the world, you cannot have this fellowship with God. Listen, he went on to say, if we don't have the love for each other, a love like he had for us, we can't have this fellowship with God. Now those things are difficult for us to hear. It's difficult. Separating from the world and loving each other the way Christ loves us, it's costly. But the alternative is to be like the Laodiceans or like the church of Sardis. It's to be lukewarm or to be dead, and I don't want that. I can't make you not want it, but I don't want it for me. And so I want you to look with me in Luke's gospel this morning. We're gonna get to 1 John, but in Luke's gospel, the 14th chapter, I want you to hear these words straight from the mouth of Christ, straight from his lips. This is what he says, Luke chapter 14, verses 25 through 33. A great multitude went with him. And he turned and said to them, if anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. and whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you intending to build a tower does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it, lest after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him and say, this man began to build but was not able to finish. Or what king going to make war against another king does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with 10,000 to meet him who comes against him with 20,000. Or else while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you who does not forsake all that he has cannot be. my disciple. That's all right. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we read these words, God, and our hearts are pierced, God. We know, Father, that we must count the cost. And God, I pray today, Lord, that as we open your word and as we study it together, God, that you would give us eyes to see, ears to hear, Father, that our hearts, God, would receive the seed that you desire to plant in us, God, that it would grow, that it would take root in us, God, and it would spring forth, God, into a great and mighty tree, Father, that might take deep root into our hearts, God. God, we need to hear this message today, Lord. I needed this message, God. I needed it, Father, and it's hard, but I needed to hear it and I needed to understand it, Lord, and I thank you for making it clear. I pray, God, that it would be clear as I preach it today, God, help me to make sense, God. Help the church to know that it's preached, God, not with anger at the church or anger at anybody, Lord, but with great love and concern for all of our souls, God, for all of us, Lord. And Lord, I don't just pray for us here this morning, God, I pray for other churches today, God. As they open the words of life, God, I pray that they take it serious, that they listen, God, and receive. I pray for Brother Travis as he preaches, God. I just ask, Lord, that you be with him where he is, God, and take care of him, God, and give him a great boldness. Thank you, Lord, for tying together this morning, God. Now, Father, we pray, Lord, that you take over. God, if there be anything, Lord, that I could say, God, that's not in your will, God, or not truth, God, shut my mouth. But Lord, if we can preach the truth today, give us great boldness, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. We've got to count the cost. We've got to determine, all of us this morning, every single one, have to determine whether or not we want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Listen to what Jesus said. I'm not adding anything to the word. I'm not taking anything from it. He said, You must forsake all if you want to be my disciple. If you aren't willing to forsake all, then you cannot be his disciple. Those aren't the words of a pastor. Those aren't the words of a preacher. Those are the words of a savior. You can be a churchgoer, but you can't be a disciple unless you're willing to forsake all for Christ. You must be willing to let go of this life for Christ. This is the truth of the gospel. And to preach anything less than that this morning would seem like a sham to me. I want us to break through the lies of our culture. I want us to break through the, things that we've been taught to believe. I want us to break through some of the false gospels, or at best, watered down gospels that we've heard, and I want us to see the truth this morning. Listen, if the Father has drawn you by grace, your eyes have been opened, and if you see Jesus Christ as He is, and you understand that He is salvation, that only He can save. He alone can save you from your sins. If you can see this morning that He is the Son of God, the Lord of all, the Savior, and you know in your soul that it's only Him that's able to give you eternal life, and not just to you, but to all who will believe. And if you claim to believe that, if you claim to be His disciple and you claim that your faith is in this Christ and that you are following Him, I want you to know this morning, if that claim is true, it will be evidenced by a change in your life. It'll be evidenced by a life that begins to follow after Him. I think about our brother Paul. We see in the word of God that he had a radical change of life. To those on the outside, it would seem as if Paul had lost his life. He gave up everything, his reputation, his status, his wealth, his comfort, His heritage, he gave it all up. It would seem, if you did not understand the goodness of God, you could look at the life of Paul and say, how pitiful. This man lost everything. But the truth is, according to the word of God, Paul lost nothing. He found everything. In Matthew chapter 10, verse 39, Jesus said, he who finds his life will lose it. And he who loses his life for my sake will find it. We look at Paul and we say, boy, that was good about Paul. You and I are to be no different. You and I are to be no different. Paul's story is not different than our story. You see, there's a lot of people today, I'm not saying it's any of you, I don't know, but there's a lot of people today who claim to be disciples, but they are not willing to lose their life. They won't let go of the world. They won't offer their lives as a living sacrifice to God. They will go to church, but they won't die to sell. They will profess Christ, but they won't die to the world. They won't die out to sin. And I want you to remember a few weeks back, we looked at Jesus's words from the Sermon on the Mount at the end there in Matthew chapter seven. And we heard him say, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven. But he that does the will of my father in heaven, Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, done all these wonders in your name? And I will declare. He said, then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me. You who practice lawlessness. Now I want you to have those thoughts in mind as we go back and read again. I think I've read it the past three Sundays. I don't remember exactly. But go back to 1 John chapter two, and I wanna read verses three through six again. And I want you to hear these words from John. He says this, now by this we know that we know him. So here's your text. You wanna know if you really know him? He said by this we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in him. He who says he abides in him ought himself also to walk just as he walked. Now, I wanna make sure that some things are very, very clear this morning, because I don't want anybody to leave confused. Before we get deep into this message, I want you to see and know that I believe, and it's not just what I believe, the scripture declares that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. A person cannot be saved by their works. They could dedicate their entire life to some very religious practices, but if they're not born again of the Spirit of God, if they've not come by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, they will by no means enter into the kingdom. So it's not based on your works, it's not based on your righteousness, it's not based on your abilities or your accomplishments, it's as the scripture declares, it's by grace that you've been saved through faith, not of yourselves, it's the gift of God, amen? But the scripture is also very clear, very clear that a faith, if we profess to have faith, but we don't have works, our faith is dead. It's alone. If a person has been saved by grace, through faith, they receive a new heart. God's law is written in that heart. and their life will be changed. They'll desire to live in righteousness. They will pursue purity. They'll seek to live holy lives. They'll seek to live a life that pleases God. They won't be satisfied in sin. That is not what we see in the church today. We don't see people pursuing purity. I'm not talking about Palo Verde Church. I'm talking about the church as a whole, the broader church, and I use the term church loosely. I'm talking about those who profess to be in the church. We don't see many churches today pursuing purity and righteousness and holiness and lives that please God. They're pursuing entertainment, they're pursuing music, they're pursuing all kinds of other things, but they're not pursuing righteousness. Now this does not mean that we'll never sin. But it does mean that we should have a great desire for godliness. And I know a lot of people today who tell me they're Christians and they don't desire godliness. If you're a born again believer, you're gonna seek to live like Christ lived. You're gonna seek to follow His ways. You're going to want to have the character that He has. You're going to want to keep His commandments. A true Christian is going to be different from those in the world around them. They're going to be set apart because they have become citizens of the Kingdom of God, members of a holy nation. Their lives will not be marked by worldliness mixed in with a little church attendance. Their lives won't be marked with the world's priorities and the world's passions, and they won't be constantly consumed with the lust of the world and the cares of the world. No, they're changed. They're now in the kingdom of God and therefore they live in the light just as He is in the light. They walk in the truth. They practice righteousness. They do not practice sin. They do not walk in darkness like the world does. They're no longer under sin's control. They're no longer slaves to sin. Christ has set them free from their sins. It's true that at times they may sin, but they do not go on practicing sin. Now, if you're a professing Christian this morning, or if you've told yourself in your mind or in your heart that you're a Christian, but you don't desire to live a life that pleases God. If you don't have that desire, if you're content practicing sin, if you're satisfied in worldliness, then friends, something's not right. Something doesn't add up about your faith. Now I want you to hear how clear John makes this. This isn't the ramblings of a strict preacher. This is the word of God. I want you to hear what John says in 1 John chapter 3 verses 1 through 10. And I want you to see what he says and just listen. See what kind of love the Father has given to us that we should be called children of God. And so we are. And I'm reading out of the ESV because I like the way that it emphasizes on practicing sin. But he says the reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Beloved, we are God's children now. Do you understand that? Do you see the connection in these two verses? He says, see what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we as, I mean, we know what kind of people we were. That we should get to be called the children of God. What kind of great love is that, amen? And then he said, the reason the world doesn't know us is because it didn't know him. And he said, beloved, we are God's children now. And what we will be has not yet appeared. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is. But now I want you to really hear verse three. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins. And in him, there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning. No one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. And whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. And the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning. For God's seed abides in him and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he the one who does not love his brother. Brethren, I'm asking sincerely this morning, with great love in my heart towards each one of you, do you believe what we just read? Do you believe that everyone who hopes in Christ will purify himself? That word purify means to to cleanse. Do you believe that those who put their hope in Christ, they begin to work alongside the Spirit of God to cleanse their life of sin? They try to cleanse their life of worldliness. Do you believe that as a Christian today, that you cannot make it a practice to sin? Do you believe that those who have been born of God make it their aim to practice righteousness? Because if you believe that, you can't possibly leave this place today without a sense of this great and blessed calling that you've been given. It's written so plainly for us throughout the pages of this book. I wish to God that our eyes would be anointed with the eye sand that we might all be able to see the truth. I believe we've been lied to. When I read verses seven and eight there in 1 John chapter three, when I hear John say, let no one deceive you, If you practice righteous as He is righteous, right? He says, whoever practices righteous is righteous as He is righteous. And whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil. For the devil has been sinning from the beginning. When I read those verses, I believe many have been deceived. I believe the testimony of Scripture is that believers will seek to follow the commands of Christ and to live holy lives. I believe when he talks about this practicing righteousness or practicing sinfulness, it's not even what I believe matters, it's what it says that matters. It says plainly, those that practice righteousness are righteous. And those that practice sin are of the devil. That's what it says. 1 Peter, listen, this is the testimony of scripture. 1 Peter 1, 14 and 15, Peter said that as obedient children, we should not conform ourselves to the former lust, as in our ignorance, but as he who called us is holy, we should also be holy in all our conduct. Because it's written, be holy, that I am holy. In the book of Titus, chapter two, verses 11 through 14, just listen to these words. He says, I read it to you the other day. The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lust, that we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen? But listen to this part, the very next verse, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself his own special people, zealous for good works. Church, we're not supposed to continue on in lawless living. We're not to continue on practicing sin. Christ came to redeem us from those things. Now we can't say that we have no sin. John's already told us that. If we say we have no sin, we lie and do not the truth. We know that we battle against sin, but that's why John wrote these words. He said, if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from unrighteousness. But John also, it's funny how we want to cling to that. But we don't wanna cling to the first verse in chapter two when John says, I write to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Now you can see as plainly as I can, if you read those verses, this is written in such a way that we know that the desire of God for us is that we would not sin. It's not normal for a Christian to practice sin. We are called to keep his commandments, to walk as he walked, to be pure, to be holy, to be separate, to be his people. But it's so common today. Listen now. It's so common to hear this today from Christians. Well, I see it all the time. Well, it's this old flesh. I can't help it. I can't help that I'm battling with this. I can't help it that I keep doing this sin over and over. I can't help it. It seems that every time the church gathers together anymore, all they want to do is remind each other that it's okay if we practice sin. Brethren, it's not okay. I thank God that when we sin, that we can confess our sins and be forgiven. I thank God that if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Yes, we will stumble. Yes, there is forgiveness. Yes, there is cleansing. Yes, we have an advocate, but it's not okay to practice sin. It's not okay for us to neglect the word of God, to ignore the commands of Christ. It's not okay. Christ died to redeem us from every lawless deed and to purify us for himself, his own special people. And we need to ask ourselves today as Christians, and I'm not just talking to the folks sitting in this church, but to anybody who might ever listen to this down the road, we've got to ask ourselves why we have such a carefree attitude about sin. When we know plainly from what we're reading, sin hinders our fellowship with God, sin hinders our testimony, and those who practice it, now that means those who continue on in it, that practicing, means to continue on and on and on without any repentance, without any change. Those that practice sin, they fail the test of genuine faith. They're not a real Christian. You say, preacher, you're going too far. You're off the deep end. I'm not trying to offend you this morning. I don't want to do that. And I'm preaching these things to you in love, but God help me, I'm gonna preach what's written in the pages of this book. I cannot ignore it, I won't skip over it, I won't pretend like it's not there, I won't try to explain it away, I'm gonna preach it as it says it is. People need to hear the truth. There are many professing Christians today, I'm one of them, who are searching for the real thing. They are searching for a church that hungers and thirsts after righteousness. They're searching for a fellowship with other believers who want to keep the commandments, not excuse their sins. Let me tell you, the world needs to see these kinds of churches again. They need to see churches living for Christ. Churches who lay down their lives for Christ and for one another. Churches who love God and love each other more than they love their own lives and their own selves. They need to see Christians who are willing to let go of this world and the things of this world. And they need to see Christians who are no longer enslaved to sin and lust and every other thing coming and going. They need to see Christians who are striving to keep the commandments of Christ. Brethren, how powerful is it, how powerful is it when the world can look at a local church, a fellowship, a body of believers, and they are forced to have to say, those people believe what's written in that book? They believe it with all their heart, and I know that they are because they're living it. I'm telling you, that would have an impact. People are tired of seeing churches where the members look and act nothing like the Christ they claim to follow. Do you hear me? People are tired of seeing churches where the members look and act nothing like the Christ they claim to follow. When Jesus gave the Great Commission, In Matthew chapter 28, verses 18 through 20, he said, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all the things that I have commanded you. Do you know today as a New Testament Christian, there are things that's commanded of you. You say, no, we're out of that now. We came out of that. We're not under the law. You're right, you're not under the law. You're under the law of Christ. You're under the Spirit. Listen, and let me tell you what, it don't go down, it ratchets up. Do you see it there? He wants us to be disciples that keep His commandments, and He wants us to teach new disciples to observe His commandments. He wants us to do that. Church, there's no way around it. As His disciples, we're called to keep His commandments, not just know them, not just study them, not just memorize them, but to keep them. That means in our daily life, we make it our aim to be pleasing to Him. That means if there's something in our life that doesn't look like it's supposed to, that doesn't add up to the scriptures, we cut that thing out. If there's something in there that we're not doing, that we're called to do, we do it. These are the realities of the Christian life. This is what it means to love Jesus. Listen at what, you say, no, preacher, you've got it all wrong. But listen, in John chapter 14, you tell me what Jesus meant. Jesus answered and said to him, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word. And my father will love him and he'll come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me does not keep my words. And the words which you hear is not mine, but the father's who sent me. He who loves me will keep my word. Narrow is the gate. And difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Few are willing to lay down their lives. Many are willing to mix in a little church with their life. Few are willing to lose their life for his name's sake. Luke chapter six, verse 46, Jesus said, why do you call me Lord and not do the things which I say? I wanted to show you that truth. I want you to understand that truth. I don't want you to, you can't count off the cost if you don't know them. You gotta be willing to lay down your life. You gotta be willing to say, the life that everybody else is living in this world, the life, everything that everybody else does, it means nothing to me. the pursuit of all the things in the world, the pursuit of great will, the pursuits of all these things. Listen, if God blesses you with great will, here's what the Bible says. You take that will and you use it to bless others. That's the scriptures. You don't use it to bless yourself. You bless others. I've been trying to make an effort recently. As God has been working these things in my own heart, and I'm not, by no means, God help me, by no means can I look at you this morning and say I'm the example of this. This message, I needed this message, I needed God to show these things to me again. I needed to be reminded of these truths. But I've been trying so hard, not just to preach a truth, but to help us understand how to practically apply that truth. As much as I can, I want you to be able to leave this church knowing what you need to do. So how do we pursue this kind of purity? Where do we begin? What steps do we have to take? I don't have all the answers. But here's what comes to mind, in my opinion. Step number one, this is where you begin. You start by keeping the commandments you already know. Guys, we know a lot of these commandments already, amen? We know many of them. We just came out of a study on the Sermon on the Mount not long ago. We saw tons of these commandments in there. Don't just ignore the things that you know already. Maybe the Lord has been dealing with you on some things in your life, something that you are doing that's not well-pleasing to Him. Maybe He's shown you through His Word and through the conviction of the Spirit that something is not pleasing to Him. Listen, you want to know what you need to do to get started? Whatever that thing is, lay it down. Put it away. Cut it off. Pluck it out. Use whatever word you want to use. Get rid of it. Or maybe there's something that He wants you to start doing and He's been dealing with you about that. Something that would be pleasing to Him. A command that He's given in His Word. A command that you know you're called to follow. Step out in faith and do it. Walk in the truth. Walk in the light. Do what He says to do. follow his command. Listen to what James said in James chapter four, verse 17. He said, therefore, to him who knows to do good, but does not do it, to him it is sin. That means all the things that we're already aware of, that we should be doing, that we're not doing, is sin. We know, we just read from John. Those that are born again do not make a practice of sinning, amen? We put those things to death, we mortify the deeds of the flesh. Not by our own strength, but by the strength that he's given us. The power of the Holy Spirit at work in us. You see, you begin by faithfully honoring God with what you know you should be doing. Simple, just simple, just obey. That's how you exercise your faith. You obey the commands that you've been taught, that you've received. Listen to the warning of scripture. I want to show you the warning. In Hebrews chapter three, he said, beware brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, departing from the living God, but exhort one another daily. That's what I'm trying to do today. While it's called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. While it is said today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. In other words, the things God reveals to you today, you can't harden your hearts against those things. The things you know right now, you need to do right now. You need to obey them now. Do you hear the urgency there? Don't harden your hearts against the truth. Listen. to not obey what Christ has commanded is sin. And if you continue practicing that sin, it may be that you have an evil heart of unbelief that will depart from the living God. Obey what you already know. Obey the truths you know. Let me tell you a second thing, I'm about done, just hang with me. Get in the Word and learn more. We've been given this amazing gift. We have the Word of God that tells us everything that God has done for us, is going to do for us, everything he promises to do, everything he desires for us, what his will is, everything he expects of us. It shows us how to live for him, how to live godly lives, how to please him. So we gotta get into the Word. The Word encourages, reveals, admonishes, strengthens, transforms, it rebukes, reproves, exhorts. It corrects and equips us for every good work. In 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17, he says it this way. He says, it is instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. The psalmist said this in Psalms 119, verses nine through 11. He said, well, I just don't know how a man could keep his way pure How can a young man cleanse his way? How can a young man keep his way pure? By taking heed according to your word. With my whole heart I have sought you. Oh, let me not wander from your commandments. Your word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you. You gotta be in the word. I know some will say, I don't have time to study. You know, I've got so much on my plate, I've got so much going on, I just simply don't have time to study. Let me tell you something this morning. We make time for the things that are important. How can we know Him if we don't study His words? How can we obey Him if we don't study His word? How can we learn to follow Him? How can we learn His ways if we don't study His word? You have time. you might just have to cut out something else. Now listen, here's what we gotta be careful of. We don't need to read God's word with the mindset of the enemy. Now there's a lot of people that does this. They read the word with the same mind the enemy had. See what the enemy does is he takes God's word and he challenges it. And I don't want you to be like the enemy. Remember what he said? He said, did God really say? Try to find some other way, some loophole, some way around what it says. If I could just whittle my way out of this, if I could just somehow not have to do this, and so what you'll do is you'll read it and you'll say, well, did God really mean, did God really say? That's the work of the enemy. Don't read a clear command in the scripture and then say that God really said it. If he didn't say it, it wouldn't be in the book. Instead, read it, trust it, seek to obey it in your life. If you go to try to obey it and you miss the mark, confess it to God, rise up, repent, and go after it again until you beat it, until you're doing it. You can trust this. If you fail, and you will at times, God is faithful and just to forgive you of your sins and to cleanse you of all unrighteousness. Amen? Now let me tell you the last thing before we wind it up. So you've got to obey what you know now. You've got to get in the Word and learn more. And the third thing is, you've got to live in the freedom of God's commandments. And wouldn't you say that don't make no sense? But this is the last little bit of practical advice I'll give you today. As you seek to obey what you know, and as you seek to learn more, don't approach obedience with this heavy burdened down heart. Approach obedience with joy, with expected joy. Because let me tell you something, when you set it in your heart to seek first the kingdom of God, when you set it in your heart to prioritize the things of God, to keep His commandments, and you show the love that you have for Him, and it's not just a love with lips, but it's a love of action, a love in deed and in truth, you're gonna have fellowship with Him like you don't have today. You're gonna have a fellowship with Him, and let me tell you, when you fellowship with God, there's great joy. We display our faith and our trust in Him, and it brings peace into our hearts and minds, and we walk in his commandments, and we have victory over the world. This is the very thing that John teaches us in 1 John chapter five, verses three through five. Listen to what he said. He said, this is the love of God that we keep his commandments. Again, he just reiterates. His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. Who is he that overcomes the world? But he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. Amen. I'll tell you something. Walking the broad way of this world, it seems easier. It promises pleasure, but I want you to know this, it brings misery. It brings pain and hurt and disappointment and sorrow, and anxiety, and ultimately, it'll bring destruction. But friends, the narrow way, the way of Christ, it offers abundant life, love, joy, peace, family. future, a hope, eternity. This is the same choice that was set before Lot is set before you today. You can choose. We talked about this, I believe Steve brought it up in Bible study on Wednesday. You can choose the well-watered plains of Jordan that Lot chose. It seemed like an easier path. It seemed like an easier life. It looked good to the eye. It seemed to be filled with unending pleasures, with ease and comfort. And so Lot chose to dwell there in its cities, even in the city of Sodom. It said he went as far as the city of Sodom. But here's what the Bible said. The Bible said the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord. You see, Sodom was a type of this world. And it promised pleasure, it promised ease, it promised comfort, it promised an easy, smooth, happy life, but what it really brought was ruin and destruction. And I've tried my best to compel you to go the narrow way, to come and follow Christ. All from the outside looking in, you think, well, it's too hard. But friend, when you're in it, it's not. If you'll just surrender to it, You just surrender to Him. And by the grace of God, through faith in God, you walk with Him, you forsake the world, you come live in the peace and joy of the kingdom of God, awaiting His return, when sin will be finally abolished, and death will be abolished, and all these things will be put behind us. And until then, you get to live in fellowship with God, with your brothers and sisters, you get to experience love, a love like Christ had, you get to experience joy, you get to experience peace, you'll have hardships, you'll have trouble, you'll have difficulties because we're in the world but not of the world. We'll have those things, the world has those things, but we'll have a walk with God that I think many are missing today. You say, well, how could a man ever get into the kingdom of God? Well, I'll tell you how, Christ is the game. If you're not a true Christian this morning, you can be. By the grace of God, through faith in Christ, you can enter the kingdom of God today. You can come through the narrow gate that leads to life. But listen, I want those of you who already profess to be Christians, I want you to have great assurance. I want you to have confidence that he's coming. I don't want you to end up ashamed. Look back with me in 1 John chapter 2 and we'll close our thoughts out with these two verses of Scripture. As a matter of fact, let's just go ahead and stand together and we'll read these verses of Scripture this morning. In 1 John chapter 2, verses 28 and 29. And I want you to see what it says. It says, And now little children abide in him, that when he appears, and he's coming, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, how many of you know that Christ is righteous? If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of him. Here's what I'm asking you to do. I'm asking you this morning to count the cost. Are you willing to follow Jesus. Do you want to be His disciple? If you're here this morning, you've not known the salvation of the Lord. You've not been born again by the Spirit of God. If you'll come in faith to this altar, bow your knee down and say, Lord, I want to follow you. I want to walk the path that leads to life. I want to enter in the narrow gate. I'm willing to forsake it all that I might gain Christ. that the same scripture we read will be true of you. He that finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it. You can be saved. But listen, church, I'm asking you this morning, can you come before the throne of your king and bow down before him this morning and say, I want my life to be a reflection of you. I want to be conformed to your image. I want to walk as you walk. I want to keep your commandments. I want to do the Lord. I want to surrender it all to you this morning. Church, listen to the words. Listen to his words. Whoever of you that does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple. That's the truth of Christ. Would you come to me this morning? Come and confess your sins and say, Lord, forgive me. any lawlessness, I want to practice righteousness. Anybody want to come this morning? Any Christians? Any non-Christians? Anybody want to come and pray this morning? You can stay standing if you want to, or you can sit down and pray with the Lord if you want to do that. That's fine either way. But we're going to go together to the Lord in prayer. I'm going to hand it to you.