Developing Loyalty to God

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Developing Loyalty to God</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id184.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Having Courage to Confront"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id201.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Moving Ahead By Looking Back"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <B>Joshua 23.1-16, Berean Bible Church, March 25, 2001, “Developing Loyalty to God”</B></div> <bR> <div>      Joshua is nearing the end of his life, and Israel has seen great victory and great accomplishment under his leadership. But he is concerned for their future, particularly that they will stay loyal to their God who has given them so much. Joshua’s challenge to Israel is very appropriate to us, as we seek to maintain loyalty to God despite the pressures of our times.</div> <bR> <div> <B>I. God demands our loyalty to him (vss. 6-8, 11).</B> </div> <div>      He challenges his people to hold to his word and to cling to him, and to be very careful to love him and worship him alone.</div> <div>      A. Our loyalty to God is motivated by his loyalty to us. This includes his loyalty to us in the past (vss. 1-4, 9-10), as well as his loyalty in the future (vss. 5), which we take by faith.</div> <div>      B. Our loyalty results in blessing, just as our disloyalty results in painful consequences (vss. 12-16). The background for this challenge is Deuteronomy 28. If Israel obeyed God, they would experience great blessing. If they disobeyed God, they would suffer the consequences and eventually lose the land that he had given them. We do harm to ourselves when we refuse to go God’s way.</div> <bR> <div> <B>II. How can we be loyal to God?</B></div> <div>      A. Be influenced by the Word (vs. 6-7). If we don’t expose ourselves to God’s Word, we have no hope of being consistently loyal to him. It is that simple.</div> <div>      B. Remember his works for you (vs. 14). Set aside a list of verses about what God does for his people. Keep a journal of answered prayer.</div> <div>      C. Anticipate the consequences of your actions in times of temptation (vss. 15-16).</div> <div>      D. Keep depending on him, not on yourself and your own strength (vss. 9-10).</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2001, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>