1. Words of Christ John 14:23-24 1

2.  23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.  24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. 2

3. John 12:46-50  46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.  47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.  48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.  49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.  50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak  Revelation 2:16 3

4. Introduction  The words or sayings of Christ are most important  They were commandments from the Father - John 12:49  To reject the words of Christ is to reject God  John 13:20 - “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me”  To reject the Apostles was to reject the Father & the Son  Apostles sent by Christ - Luke 10:16  To reject the words of Divine scripture is a serious matter  We will discuss rejection of Christ’s words in the following ways:  Through ignorance & neglect  Out & out rejection, or denying of God’s word 4

5. Rejection Through Neglect or Ignorance 5  “…Love your enemies…” - Matthew 5:44  Luke 6:27-36  Jesus commands a type of love that is unusual  We are to love the unlovable - Romans 12:20, 21  Jesus loved His enemies - Luke 23:34  Jesus is our example of Love - 1 Peter 2:21-23  John 3:16-17

6. Rejection Through Neglect or Ignorance 6  “…let your light so shine…” - Matthew 5:16  1 Peter 2:12  Jesus commands Christians to be an example  We must shine a lights in a dark world  Philippians 2:15  Light represents truth and righteousness  John 1:1-7; 3:20, 21; 8:12; 12:35;  2 Corinthians 4:6  1 John 1:7

7. Rejection Through Neglect or Ignorance 7  “…lay up…treasures in heaven…” - Matthew 6:20, 21  1 Timothy 6:17-19  Jesus taught to treasure spiritual treasures  Matthew 19:16-22; 6:33, 34

8. Rejection Through Neglect or Ignorance 8  “…seek ye first the Kingdom of God…” - Matthew 6:33  Jesus taught to the importance of the Kingdom (church)  He built it - Matthew 16:18  He shed His blood for it - Acts 20:28; Ephesians 5:25  He is the Head of it - Ephesians 1:22, 23  He saves it - Ephesians 5:23  He is its chief cornerstone - Acts 4:11, 12; 1 Peter 2:4, 7  He is the foundation of it - 1 Corinthians 3:11  Christ is the only name whereby we can be saved - Acts 4:12

9. Rejection Through Neglect or Ignorance 9  “…do unto others…” - Matthew 7:12  Know as the “Golden Rule”  Romans 13:8-10  Jesus taught to treat others like you would want to be treated  Matthew 22:34-40  Taught the order of love  God - 1 st  Fellow man (neighbor) - 2 nd  Self - LAST!

10. Rejection Through Neglect or Ignorance 10  “…every idle word…give account…” - Matthew 12:36, 37  James 3:3-12  Jesus warns about useless speaking  “idle word” - This literally means a vain, thoughtless, useless word, that accomplishes no good. Here it means, evidently, wicked and injurious, false and malicious; for such were the words which they (Pharisees) had spoken. - Barnes  Matthew 12:31-35  We will be judged by our words - vs. 37  Proverbs 12:13; 13:3; 21:23  Must speak “of truth and soberness”  Acts 26:25; 1 Peter 4:11

11. Rejection Through Neglect or Ignorance 11  “…be as little children…” - Matthew 18:3  Luke 18:16; 1 Peter 2:2  Jesus teaches humility in this illustration  “Children are, to a great extent, destitute of ambition, pride, and haughtiness. They are characteristically humble and teachable. By requiring his disciples to be like them, he did not intend to express any opinion about the native moral character of children, but simply that in these respects they should become like them. They should lay aside their ambitious views, and pride, and be willing to occupy their proper station--a very lowly one” - Barnes  To be as children in humility but as men in understanding  1 Corinthians 14:20; 13:11

12. Rejection Through Neglect or Ignorance 12  “…if thy brother trespass against thee…”  Matthew 18:15-18  Luke 17:3-4  Jesus taught the Divine order to resolve difficulties  Go and tell him his fault - him and thee alone  Gained him if he will hear you  If he does not hear, take 2 or 3 witnesses  If he does not here them, then tell to the church  If he refuses to hear the church, let him be as a heathen or a publican - reject him  Apostles taught on matters of disfellowshiping & marking  2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14; Romans 16:17; 2 John 9-11

13. Rejection Through Neglect or Ignorance 13  “…more blessed to give than to receive…” - Acts 20:35  Ephesians 4:28; Proverbs 22:16  Apostles of Christ commanded giving for needy saints  1 Corinthians 16:1-2  Paul refers to the teaching of the Lord Jesus  Mark 10:17-22

14. Rejection Through Neglect or Ignorance 14  “…be thou faithful unto death…” - Revelation 2:10  This means dying for what they believed  Luke 14:26  This was referring to death by martyrdom  Revelation 2:13 - Antipas “my faithful martyr”  True followers of Christ were willing die for the faith!  2 Timothy 4:6-8; Acts 21:13  2 Peter 1:14

15. Ignore, Refuse or Deny 15  “…beware of false prophets…” - Matthew 7:15-20  The apostles warned of false teachers!  2 Peter 2:1-33; Jude 1:4; 1 Timothy 4:1-9  Commanded to mark & avoid false teachers!  Romans 16:17; 2 John 9-11  Not to teach any other doctrine  1 Timothy 1:3; Galatians 1:6-9

16. Ignore, Refuse or Deny 16  “…doctrines of men…- Mark 7:7-13  Heeding doctrines of men results in vain worship  Must worship God “in Spirit and in Truth”  John 4:24  Must speak the oracles of God  1 Peter 4:11  “Oracles” from Greek word logion = an utterance of God

17. Ignore, Refuse or Deny 17  “…hear and do… - Matthew 7:21, 24-27  Mark 16:16  Must follow the example of Jesus  Do the will of the father  John 4:34; 6:38-40  Matthew 6:10; 26:42

18. Ignore, Refuse or Deny 18  “…this is the work…believe on him… - John 6:28, 29  Jesus teaches belief is “the work of God”  Counter to the doctrine of “faith only”  James 2:24  Often pervert Ephesians 2:8, 9

19. Ignore, Refuse or Deny 19  “…love the Lord…with all thy heart… - Matthew 22:37  Matthew 22:35-40  Divine order of love 1. God 2. Neighbor (fellow man) 3. Self  Man’s order of love 1. Self 2. Neighbor (fellow man) 3. God

20. Ignore, Refuse or Deny 20  “…Repent or perish…” - Luke 13:3, 5  Repentance the Lord’s hardest command  Repent - a change of mind then a change actions  Matthew 21:28-30  Lord not willing that any perish, but all come to repentance  2 Peter 3:9  Lord commands all men to repent  Acts 17:30

21. Ignore, Refuse or Deny 21  Divorce and Remarriage - Matthew 19:3-9  Must respect God’s law on marriage  Vs - 6 - “what God hath joined together let not man put asunder”  The institution of Marriages is “honorable”  To be honored (esteemed, precious) - Hebrews 13:4  Marriage is between a man & a woman, since the beginning  Genesis 2:18-24; Matthew 19:4-5  Marriage is to be permanent (leave & cleave)  Ended by death of the mate - Romans 7:2-3  Divorce allowed only for the cause of adultery - Matthew 19:9

22. Ignore, Refuse or Deny 22  “…beware of covetousness…” - Luke 12:13-21  Defined as - “avaraice, i.e. (by implication) fraudulency, extortion:- covetous(-ness) practices, greediness” - Strong  Apostles taught against and warned about covetousness  A characteristic of the ungodly - Romans 1:29  A work not to named among saints - Ephesians 5:3  A deed to be put to death - Colossians 3:5  A trait avoided by the apostles - 1 Thessalonians 2:5  Condemned by the Hebrew writer - Hebrews 13:5  A tool of false teachers - 2 Peter 2:3

23. Ignore, Refuse or Deny 23  The coming of the kingdom - Mark 9:1; Acts 2:1-4  Matthew 6:10 - “Thy kingdom come”  Taught many things concerning the coming of the kingdom  Matthew 16:13-19  Told apostles to wait in Jerusalem until endowed with power  Luke 24:49; Mark 9:1  Obedient are translated in the Kingdom  Colossians 1:13  This kingdom is everlasting  2 Peter 1:11; Daniel 2:44

24. Ignore, Refuse or Deny 24  The judgment & resurrection  Matthew 25: 31-46; John 5:28, 29  Jesus will be the righteous judge on this day  2 Corinthians 5:10, 11; Acts 17:30; Revelation 22:12  Jesus will come as a “thief in the night”  2 Peter 3:10  “Every eye will see Him”  Revelation 1:7

25. Conclusion 25  We must hear Him as the Father in Heaven commanded!  Acts 3:22-23 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him - Matthew17:5