The third principle surrounding the Word of God as a light and lamp for the children of Israel as they begin their journey to this land of blessing, was not only were they to Proclaim the Word, and Ponder the Word. But the evidence that they were truly the children of God would be their Practice of the Word!

Because beloved, when all is said and done, and when all is done and dusted that is the reality of our Christianity. Doing what we are commanded to do! We tend to want to do what we want to do!

Now I know that this is where so many turn off and tune out!

Oh, oh, this is where I get off! Why? Because this, is where the rubber meets the road.

You see to really pursue the plan God has laid down for your life you must Proclaim the Word, you must Ponder the Word but oh! How we desperately need to Practice the Word.

Dr. Vance Havner says, "the generation in which we live is the most gullible and self deceived of any generation in the history of the church"

Why does that good man of God make such a powerful statement?

Well, in his own words, "because we have been laid up more garden paths, we have bought more gold bricks, we have brought home more white elephant’s than any other generation since Christianity began!

You see, Peter said it with great effect when told to stop preaching in the name of Jesus Acts 5v29.

That’s Practising the Word of God!

A man working among the pine trees in Florida, which were tapped for turpentine. On one occasion he left his faithful dog in charge of his lunch box while he fetched some equipment, he commanded the dog to watch the lunch box until his return.

The story is told, while he was away into the town a fire broke out through the pine trees. That noble dog, obeying his master's orders was burned to death!

Weeping, the man said, "I always had to be careful what I told that dog to do, cause I knew he would do it!"

Long ago the Saviour asked some of his disobedient disciples who rendered him only lip service: "And why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things, which I say?" Luke 6v46.

Peter says, we ought to obey God rather than men! Acts 5v29.

1. Our Obedience Must Have Intelligence!

There ought to be a quiet time in every day of our lives when we report in for orders. "Lord, what will you have me to do?"

You know don’t you that we are responsible for the known, that is what I already know through being an active member of the body of Christ, reporting in for orders daily through prayer and the reading of the Word of God and listening to the preaching of God's Word!

But then I am also responsible for the knowable, that is, what I should know through continually being an active member of the body of Christ. Through reading the Word and prayer.

It is no excuse for me to say, well I did not know God’s will for my life!

Lord inhabit my humanity, Lord think through my mind, Lord smile through my countenance, Lord work through my hands. Lord love through my heart, Lord speak through my lips, here I am Lord wholly available, I am reporting in for orders.

When I was a boy my dad would get that, there’s word to be done in the garden look, I would make myself scarce so he could not tell me what to do.

I figured out if I was not there to be told, then I was not being disobedient. Strange, he never did think like that!

Now sometimes we are that way with God. Well, it's not my fault; I don’t know God’s will for my life, it is so very difficult to know. The reason being, we make ourselves scarce when he determines to speak with us.

In church we just turn off, we allow our minds to wander, oh, it's just the Pastor, he’ll be all right when he gets that off his chest.

Oh, no, no friend, when this book is open you had better listen for God will hold you accountable for what you hear, who ever is on this platform. I beg of you, hear what I am saying, you ignore this advice at your peril!

A new enlistee in the army said to an old soldier, "I want to be an exemplary soldier and I will value highly any advice you may give me." The old soldier replied, "young man, my advice is brief: always obey orders.

"But suppose orders conflict. Whose orders should I obey?"

"That will not occur, young man. But suppose you get conflicting orders. Ascertain the one highest in authority and obey him"

The highest and ultimate authority for us as Christians is our Heavenly Father!

Sometimes when we are younger we use the excuse, well I have too much pressure at school to read and pray, to be able to tune into the pastor, its just all a bit too much for me!

My dear young friend, "Lord, what will you have me to do?" Should be a daily call with you. Don’t expect God to send you a message simply when you have time to listen or in some special meeting or gathering that you are happy in and it suits you better, in fact it just does not work that way.

Many have found that out to their cost and have had to return home from some field of service for God, totally broken and baffled! There must be intentional obedience!

You see while the breath of the High Priest is still hot, telling Peter not to preach, Peter is saying, listen He is God, the God of our fathers raised up Jesus.

I mean the same moment he is told not to do it he’s doing it.

And dear folks, what that is saying to us is, when God makes something clear to us through his Word, do not look around to see if the circumstances are favourable. Don’t wait to see if you have courage enough for tomorrow. Don’t parade it past the judgement bar of your mind to see if you can come up with an excuse not to do it. Do it! Do it! Do it!

Did you know that procrastination is a form of disobedience?

A capacity audience attended a concert in the Champagnes hall in Yorkshire. The orchestra was conducted by Barbirolli.

Every man of the eighty strong orchestra were bent with desire to obey the master, every twitch of his hand, every movement of the baton, every lift of the eyebrow was obeyed completely to produce a sound that thrilled all who heard.

A friend in the audience leaned across the seat and said to a pastor present, "when are you going to be able to fill the Champagnes hall to capacity for a Christian service?"

The wise pastor replied, "when, like Sir John Barbirolli, I have eighty men ready to give absolute and immediate obedience to the will of Christ!" Brothers and sisters that’s the answer! There needs to be immediate obedience!

These men's lives were in danger and yet they would not be moved in their resolve to obey God rather than men.

They would stand firm for God come what may or what must, their obedience was inflexible.

There could be no compromise with disobedience even in the face of death.

Now I know that some of the young ones may think I am a bit stayed in my ways, a bit old fashioned, a bit ancient, a bit square, and a bit inflexible. Well let me tell you I have no intention of changing. Why? Well, for one thing I have been called of God to a life of obedience. An obedience that must be inflexible, stayed upon Jehovah hearts are fully blessed.

Henry Ford said, "take all the experience and judgement of men over fifty out of the world, and there wouldn’t be enough men left to run the world."

There is no substitute for experimental know-how and skill.

Long ago Laban said, "I have learned by experience" Gen. 30v27.

General Douglas McArthur said on his seventy-fifth birthday.

Youth is not entirely a time of life. It is a state of mind. It is a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigour of the emotions. Nobody grows old by living a number of years. People grow old by deserting their ideals.

You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubts; as young as your self-confidence; as old as your fear; as young as your hope. End quote!

In the central place of every heart there is a recording chamber. So long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer and courage, so long are you young.

When the wires are all down and your heart is covered with the snow of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then and only then, are you grown old.

And I want to make a declaration today, I have no intention of growing old because of a deserting of what I believe, it has stood the test of over forty years and it will stand until God calls me home! And I say with love in my heart to you who are younger, think of the number of your own age group who used to attend on the things of God and how many of them have gone back. Why? Because they thought they had found a better way, when all they did was find a way that will lead them the rest of their lives into a life that opposes God at every turn.

Oh, I know, I have known so many over my life time, and the story never changes, they always know best and are not prepared to take guidance from anyone, least of all their pastor.

John Bunyan the non-conformist was thrown in Bedford Jail for twelve years because he would not bow to the dictates of the authorities. Sign the register or you will not be able to preach and you will go to jail. He refused to become a puppet preacher doing exactly what the government of the day wanted him to do which was to deny his beliefs and preach what they told him.

He languished in a vermin filled prison, his little girl had epilepsy, and his wife was in poverty.

They put that licence outside the prison cell gate, all he had to do was reach out and sign and be free.

But there he remained. And it was there in Bedford Jail he penned the book we should all know and love, pilgrim's progress, plus other great works.

These disciples left that council chamber with a joyful, inflamed passion, rejoicing they were counted worthy to suffer for Christ’s sake, and bare his shame.

You say, well pastor I am a moderate, I don’t wear my testimony on my sleeve.

Listen folks, we cannot be moderate about Jesus Christ, the Bible, Heaven, Hell, Sin, and Judgement! Friends, God detests half heartiness. Rev.3v16.

Old John the railway gates keeper in Armagh City. When coming up to train time he would go down early to have the gates half opened so when he would see the train in the distance he would then swing the gates open on good time.

As boys we thought we would take a hand out of old John and ask him why he had the gates half opened. Oh, he would say, "I'm half expecting a train"

Oh, brothers and sisters don’t let there be half-heartedness with us.

The proof of whether or not, we really believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord he says is, we obey His Word!

This land of Canaan was a land of reality, a land of blessing.

Our Canaan is a reality; it’s a life of blessing. But we don’t enter into that life of blessing until we set out foot of faith on the Word of God and obey it.

How do I make God real to me? Listen! Listen!

Meditation gives you knowledge about God, and that’s good!

Obedience gives you knowledge of God, and that’s better!

Listen to the words of the Lord Jesus himself. John 14v21.

Now, we can say what we will about love for the lord, but he says, unless we keep his commandments we do not love him! That’s strong, that’s serious. Think about it!

But the text continues!

Listen! Listen! Dear folks, the reason many dear Christians do not enter into a life of blessing, never know an ongoing victory, is simply because they do not obey the Word of God.

Friends, when God bids you dip in Jordan, wash in Siloam, or walk the desert trail, the victory lies at the end of that venture.

When God says, go, or do, that’s not a suggestion that is a command.

Dr. Robert Moffatt, in one of his amazing travels in Africa came faint and hungry to a village. The natives appeared anything but friendly.

At length a poor woman came from her hut and spread before him, meat, milk and fruit.

She was about to slip away unobserved when Moffatt called her and asked her reason for the kindness shown when all the others were so hostile.

Taking from under her ragged cloak a well worn bible translated in the Dutch language, she said, "this is the fountain from which I drink, this is the oil that makes my lamp burn"

Many years ago, my father and mother put into my hands an old book. They said it would be a lamp to your feet and a light to your path.

There were times when the winds of doubt blew pretty hard, the storm seemed to dampen the glow, sometimes, the darkness was frightening. But that old book has seen me through to this good hour.

This book, proclaimed, pondered and practised will see you home!

You see beloved; I want to end well, don’t you?

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