Jeremy Utley - God's Word Creates the Desire to Do His Will

Jeremy UtleyDecember 8, 202111mWatch on YouTube

In this collectionJeremy Utley130 messages

Speaker: Jeremy Utley Title: God's Word Creates the Desire to Do His Will Date: 12/7/21 Our Goal as Christians is this: To be an exact reflection of Jesus, the Son of God (Romans 8:29) We do this individually by growing in purity in our personal lives (1 John 3:2-3) We do this corporately by becoming fully functioning members of a local Church (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Summary

The speaker emphasizes that true devotion requires a humble acknowledgment of total dependence on God's prompting. Drawing from passages like Psalm 27 and the story of Peter walking on water, he argues that even when scripture commands us to seek God's face, our ability to do so hinges entirely on God speaking that word afresh to our hearts. The central message is that our obedience and desire to follow God are dependent upon His continuous, personal command.

Outline

The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.

Wanting to respond to the Lord's callReflecting on the Song of Solomon, the speaker shares his desire to immediately answer when the Lord calls, yet realizes he cannot do so without God's help.Song of Solomon 8:13

The necessity of God drawing us to seek His faceLooking at Psalm 27, the speaker notes that we often cannot honestly say we seek God's face unless He first draws us and speaks to our hearts.Psalm 27:8

Peter's humility on the waterPeter's request for Jesus to command him to come out on the water demonstrates that all of the Lord's power is in His command.

The three most important wordsThe crucial part of seeking God is not just our effort, but the opening phrase 'When you said' seek my face, showing everything hinges on His initiative.

Total dependence like the valley of dry bonesLike Ezekiel before the dry bones, we must acknowledge our complete inability in ourselves and rely entirely on the life-giving power of God's word.

God instructs sinners in His wayPsalm 25 reveals that God's goodness is shown in His willingness to lead sinners and teach the afflicted, contrary to our natural assumptions.Psalm 25:8

Jesus came to call sinnersJesus reminded us that it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick, and God's mercy is displayed in His calling of sinners.

Giving God the credit for obedienceEvery time we obey, it is only because God called and provided the power through His word, so He alone receives all the glory.

God works in us both to will and to doPhilippians 2 reminds us that God is at work in us to give us even the desire to seek after His good pleasure.

Depending entirely on God's mercyRomans 9 clarifies that spiritual progress depends entirely on God who has mercy, not on human willing or running.Romans 9:16

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