1. C&MA DNA # 4
“Knowing and obeying God’s Word is fundamental to all true success” (Joshua 1:8)
Over the last 4 months on communion sundays, we have been highlighting the core values of the denomination we are part of, the Christian and Missionary Alliance.
This morning we want to review core value number 4 – Knowing and obeying God’s word is fundamental to all true success.

2. The Custom Christian Life
iBible:
The Custom Christian Life
To do that I want to talk with you about the iBible and the custom Christian Life
You know what I mean by custom life, right? To customize something means “To make or alter (something) to individual or personal specifications or tastes”.
We live in a customized world where we can change, manipulate, twist or conform just about anything to fit our own idea of how something should look, feel, taste or function – all based on personal preference or opinion.
The will or desire of the consumer is KING in our world. And everyone bends to it.
What you want, the way you want it, when you want it has become the most important thing to buyers, sellers and everyone in between.
The popular fast food chain Burger King has as its slogan “Have it your way”.
But, if you think this customization is just the thing of fast food, look at these other customized items…
Joshua 1:8

3. Custom Air Jordans – showing your favorite government official
Custom cars – showing your favorite cartoon character
Custom houses – with anything your imagination can dream up
Custom wedding toppers – with your own faces on the groom and bride
Custom sniper rifles – for home defense I guess?
Custom computers – displaying the sick imagination of gamers everywhere
Custom cell phones - If you got a cell phone, hold it up for me! I bet you have your own custom skin-sleeve, wallpaper, ringtone, desktop, custom apps – this one I found on myblingring.com
Here is my favorite custom cell phone – it kind of matches what I’m wearing this morning…
Now there is nothing inherently wrong with all this customization except when we allow it to bleed over into our spiritual lives
What do I mean?

4. Custom Bible?
How many of you have a customized Bible? Not your own bible cover or name on the outside.
What I am really asking is how many of you have chosen to obey some of the things found in this book, but not others?
That stuff about not having sex or living with with your boyfriend or fiancee before marriage? Outdated!
Don’t tell dirty jokes or listen to them at the office? How puritan!
Not see that rated R movie just cus it shows some skin, some blood, has some language? Please!
Not go out with my boyz after work to take the edge off with a few dozen beers? How do I relax!
Not yell and scream at my spouse when they won’t do I what I want? How else do we communicate?
God wants us to stop customizing our Bibles so they fit our lifestyle and twisted interpretation of the Christian faith, and start taking Him at His word, letting Him customize us.
How can we do that? How can we begin to allow God to change or alter us us to fit his personal specifications? Customize us?
That’s where Joshua 1:8 comes in. Let’s turn there…

5. “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
Just as a little bit of background, God has sentenced the Israelites to wander in the desert for 40 years before entering the land He promised them after they left Egypt
If you remember, the Jews sinned against God by complaining and murmuring and wanting to build a custom life back in Egypt.
Those 40 years of punishment and wandering are over, and the Jews are about to finally enter the promised land.
But they are going to face a lot of challenges.
God is concerned that the Jews will begin to customize their lives so they fit in better with the surrounding culture and world.
Afraid they will ignore what God has said to make life easier. Forget his commands so they can be successful this new land, blend in with the culture
So God has some words to share with the new leader of Israel, Joshua. He says to Joshua…READ
In these verses God shows us three areas we need customize our life so that we look more like Him in all we say and think and do.
Let’s look briefly at each one
Number #1 – we need to customize our speech

6. Custom ________ speech Do not let depart from your mouth
The bible has a lot to say about our speech. It commands us to:
Speak the truth in love, not harshly but with gentleness
Be quick to listen, slow to speak
Never lie, never-not even little white lies
Avoid gossip
No coarse joking, in other words, no dirty jokes or curse words
Build up with our words, don’t tear down
Pastor Nathan is modeling speech customized to God’s word with a no sarcasm policy in the Junior High
The dictionary defines sarcasm as “A form of wit that is intended to make its victim the butt of contempt or ridicule”
The world, and maybe many of us in this room, see nothing wrong with a little sarcasm, but God does and so should we – contempt and ridicule, not exactly Christian concepts are they?
Pastor Nathan and your sons and daughters are trying to take Ephesians 4:29 seriously when it says
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
The youth are working to create a customized speech plan – if you cut some down, then you get down and give us 10 push ups. That’s the penalty, the payment for sarcasm
The pastors have even begun holding each other accountable to use only speech that builds up, and if we don’t – push ups…feel free to keep us accountable as well
Do not let his word depart from your mouth – does your speech need to change to fit God’s word, not the world’s words?
The second area that God wants to customize our life to fit His word, is our minds
Joshua 1:8 tells us to meditate on His word day and night…
Custom ________
speech

7. Custom ________ mind meditate on it day and night
Meditation is like chewing – when you meditate on something like the Bible, you chew on it and chew on it until it gives up the nutrients and stuff that is valuable inside it
Mediation on God’s word is important for all us, because we all do what we believe.
If you believed it was sunny and 80 outside, you would put on shorts and a tshirt. If you thought it was raining, you would grab an umbrella.
Let me give you a spiritual, biblical example. If you believe, as a Christian, that you are still a sinner, then sinning is what you will do
But, if you believe you are a son or daughter of God, which is what the Bible calls us, then you will strive to do the things a son or daughter of God does.
You may still sin, but that should be the unusual thing, not the norm, because you are a son or daughter of God
And when you combine this thinking with your speech, it brings God’s word to bear on your life in such a transforming way, that you will never be the same
Custom ________
mind

8. Custom ________ mind meditate on it day and night
2 summers ago, I was doing a study with some men called Victory over the Darkness.
The main point of this study is to transform our thinking about who we are, so we will start living as children of God, not children of the devil
We had just covered the point that God sees us as his sons now, not sinners. Sinners is what we were, but we are new creations – sons.
The following week, my friend Roger described how he had been meditating on this truth all week and it was starting to transform the way he saw and treated himself
He told us how in the past when he would make a mistake at work or at home, he would swear and call himself a stupid SOB
But meditating on this truth, that he is a son of the King of the Universe, had changed how he saw his mistakes and himself
Now when he makes mistakes, like messing up on a project, he calls himself, outloud with his speech, an SOK – son of the king – and reminds himself of God’s grace in his life that covers all his mistakes
Roger’s mind is being customized by the truth of God’s word, so is his speech. Does he still sin, of course! But that is not who he is. He is a saint. God’s says so. So he believes it.
The third area God wants to customize us is in the area of obedience
Custom ________
mind

9. Custom ________ obedience be careful to do everything
Joshua 1:8 says to be careful to do all God commands us to do.
I don’t want to spend a lot of time on this one because it is self explanatory
When God tells us to do something, we need to do it. We don’t get to pick what we want to obey and what we want to ignore
Homosexuality is wrong
Sex before marriage is wrong
Drugs and drunkenness are wrong
Pride and jealousy are wrong
Pornography and lust are wrong
Pastor Myron has covered obedience well in the last few weeks in the area of our finances.
He has shown us many bible verses that speak to how we should handle the money and things God has entrusted to us
If God is convicting you in an area of your life that he wants you to obey him in, you need to obey
We need to obey even if it inconveniences us. Our life needs to change, be customized, to fit Him and His word
He WILL NOT change to fit us.
Be careful to obey everything he says to do. Obey him
Custom ________
obedience

10. Custom ________ blessing will be prosperous and successful
The last custom is actually the custom blessing God promises to give to us if we will customize our lives to His word
The word “prosper” in the original Hebrew actually means “having the ability to live according to our nature”
Remember we are sons and daughters of God, that is our nature, our new nature as ones who have been born again
If we customize our speech, mind and obedience around God and his word, then we will live like we are sons of God
It won’t just be a title for us, like Christian, but will be what we live, who we are
The word “successful” in the original language means you will “have insight, comprehend and be wise”.
How many of you want to understand what God wants from you? What his will is in your life?
If you customize your speech and mind and obedience around God and his word, then you will know
You will know what He wants in a given situation, how you are to behave and act. The right choice to make
God will give a blessing just right for you, in your situation, with your needs – custom
But we need to first customize our life to him, so we are in the place to receive that custom blessing when he is ready to give it
Custom ________
blessing

11. C&MA DNA # 4
“Knowing and obeying God’s Word is fundamental to all true success” (Joshua 1:8)
It is part of the DNA of our denomination and God’s word – if you know and obey God’s word, then you will act according to your nature and be able to discern God’s will – that is true success
Here is the first place to start – ready? This is real simple
READ GOD’S WORD! READ IT!
I issued a challenge 6 weeks ago to read through the Bible in a year
If you haven’t taken that challenge yet, it is not too late
Grab a bible reading plan from the welcome center and start today
You can’t speak God’s word, think God’s word and obey God’s word if you are not reading it for yourself
The Custom Christian Life starts with reading the Bible, let’s start there and pray that God uses it to customize our speech, mind and obedience to his personal preference, not ours.
Join me right now in silently praying that God would give you the strength and discipline to read his word…let’s pray