WEBVTT - Give God His Proper Place – Part 2 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:04.400 Today on Bold steps with Mark job, we're discovering whether 0:00:04.400 --> 0:00:06.680 God is the ruler of our lives. 0:00:07.320 --> 0:00:09.680 You can't go about living your life and just say, well, 0:00:09.720 --> 0:00:12.280 God is there to help me when I'm in trouble to. 0:00:12.320 --> 0:00:14.960 To be a backup plan for me. No, God says, 0:00:14.960 --> 0:00:17.080 if I am Lord of your life, I tell you 0:00:17.079 --> 0:00:18.960 how to live, how to walk, how to talk, how 0:00:18.960 --> 0:00:21.440 to marry, where to go, what music to listen to, 0:00:21.560 --> 0:00:24.600 how you spend your weekends and how you work at work. 0:00:24.600 --> 0:00:26.520 And if I am not God in your life, then 0:00:26.560 --> 0:00:28.280 don't call me your God. 0:00:40.720 --> 0:00:44.080 Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe, senior pastor of 0:00:44.080 --> 0:00:47.120 New Life Community Church and president of Moody Bible Institute 0:00:47.120 --> 0:00:50.640 in Chicago. I'm Wayne Shepherd. As we move forward in 0:00:50.640 --> 0:00:53.240 our series Rock Solid Living, we're looking at the Ten 0:00:53.240 --> 0:00:57.240 Commandments and how these ancient words bring about new life. Today, 0:00:57.240 --> 0:01:00.440 Mark is looking at the first commandment in our materialistic 0:01:00.440 --> 0:01:03.120 culture The need to be in control is so prevalent, 0:01:03.120 --> 0:01:05.800 but we need to be asking ourselves, what are we 0:01:05.800 --> 0:01:09.039 putting before God? And if you have a question for 0:01:09.040 --> 0:01:11.720 Mark about the commandments or this new series, just go 0:01:11.720 --> 0:01:14.240 to our website and ask. You'll find us online at 0:01:14.240 --> 0:01:18.080 Bold Steps right now with a message titled Give God 0:01:18.080 --> 0:01:22.400 His Proper Place. Here's Mark Jobe with these timely, bold steps. 0:01:24.400 --> 0:01:28.320 Jesus was once asked in the New Testament of all 0:01:28.319 --> 0:01:34.080 the commandments, which is the most important? The most important one, 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:40.160 answered Jesus, is this hear, O Israel, the Lord your God. 0:01:40.200 --> 0:01:45.160 The Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with 0:01:45.160 --> 0:01:51.040 all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, 0:01:51.280 --> 0:01:55.160 and with all your strength. The second is love your 0:01:55.160 --> 0:02:01.410 neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. 0:02:02.290 --> 0:02:07.290 You see, love God with all your heart, all your soul, 0:02:07.290 --> 0:02:11.250 all your mind, and all your strength is the fulfillment 0:02:11.250 --> 0:02:15.810 of the first commandment that God is to be before 0:02:15.850 --> 0:02:22.650 everything else in life. Everything. You say, well, how does 0:02:22.650 --> 0:02:27.889 that happen? Well, in the New Testament it is confirmed 0:02:27.889 --> 0:02:30.210 because the only way to be right with God in 0:02:30.210 --> 0:02:34.610 the New Testament is very clearly understood that the law, 0:02:35.090 --> 0:02:39.210 the Old Testament law, the law taught us how much 0:02:39.210 --> 0:02:43.130 we needed God. The law taught us how much we failed. 0:02:43.810 --> 0:02:46.770 You read the Old Testament and you read all those rules, 0:02:46.770 --> 0:02:49.090 and some of you are asking, pastor, how many of 0:02:49.090 --> 0:02:52.730 those rules shall I keep? The law is like a tutor. 0:02:53.410 --> 0:02:57.370 The tutor teaches you something about God. What the law 0:02:57.370 --> 0:03:01.970 was teaching us is that we cannot save ourselves, that 0:03:01.970 --> 0:03:06.169 we are broken, that we will fail, that we can 0:03:06.169 --> 0:03:09.410 never live up to God's standards, that we can never 0:03:09.410 --> 0:03:12.769 achieve the standard that God has called us to. That's 0:03:12.770 --> 0:03:16.330 what the law teaches us. Why does it teach us that? 0:03:16.690 --> 0:03:20.250 Because unless you understand, unless you and I understand how 0:03:20.290 --> 0:03:25.770 broken we are. Uh, theologians call it the depravity of man. 0:03:25.970 --> 0:03:30.090 Unless we understand how depraved we are, we will never 0:03:30.090 --> 0:03:35.450 understand how much we need a savior to save us. 0:03:35.450 --> 0:03:38.930 And we will never be driven to Jesus unless we 0:03:38.930 --> 0:03:43.810 understand how much we have fallen from the grace of God. 0:03:44.690 --> 0:03:49.570 The law teaches us that we can never measure up. 0:03:50.530 --> 0:03:53.810 We can never meet his standards. The law teaches us 0:03:53.810 --> 0:03:56.850 that we need a Savior. The law teaches us that 0:03:56.850 --> 0:04:01.660 we need Jesus. The more you read in the Old Testament, 0:04:01.660 --> 0:04:05.300 the more you begin to realize, I need Jesus, I 0:04:05.300 --> 0:04:10.260 need Jesus, I need Jesus. When you come to Jesus, 0:04:10.260 --> 0:04:13.140 what Jesus teaches you is that when you come to 0:04:13.140 --> 0:04:16.900 him and accept him, you cannot get to God unless 0:04:16.900 --> 0:04:20.539 you go through Jesus. When you go through Jesus, you 0:04:20.580 --> 0:04:22.860 lay down your life and you say, I am no 0:04:22.860 --> 0:04:25.700 longer Lord of my life. You are Lord of my life. 0:04:25.700 --> 0:04:29.300 Come in, be my Savior and Lord, and the Holy 0:04:29.300 --> 0:04:32.380 Spirit comes inside of you and begins to give you 0:04:32.380 --> 0:04:37.020 the power to live the commandments of God. Now do 0:04:37.060 --> 0:04:39.980 people give you a list of commandments to follow? No. 0:04:40.020 --> 0:04:42.580 The Holy Spirit begins to tell you where you're missing 0:04:42.580 --> 0:04:46.380 the mark. It's called conviction. He begins to talk to 0:04:46.380 --> 0:04:48.940 you about the holiness of God. He begins to push 0:04:48.940 --> 0:04:52.779 you to God. The law teaches us how broken we 0:04:52.779 --> 0:04:56.860 are and it drives us to Jesus. If you are 0:04:56.860 --> 0:05:00.140 not driven to Jesus by reading the Old Testament, then 0:05:00.140 --> 0:05:07.180 you're reading it wrong. Many people have become moralists. They 0:05:07.180 --> 0:05:10.260 read the Bible and they think the Bible is about 0:05:10.260 --> 0:05:17.979 improving themselves. You can never a moralist as they read 0:05:17.980 --> 0:05:22.900 the Bible, will end up in two places. Number one, 0:05:23.380 --> 0:05:26.380 if you read the Bible just as a moralist trying 0:05:26.380 --> 0:05:30.580 to improve yourselves, if you really get good and you're 0:05:30.580 --> 0:05:34.940 better than most people around you, you will become judgmental 0:05:34.940 --> 0:05:38.140 and full of pride because you think that you're a 0:05:38.140 --> 0:05:41.540 lot better than everybody around you, and you will stroke 0:05:41.580 --> 0:05:47.419 yourself and high five yourself about how good you are 0:05:47.460 --> 0:05:52.100 compared to so many people around you. That's a moralist. 0:05:52.700 --> 0:05:57.900 That's what the Pharisees did. If you read the Bible 0:05:57.900 --> 0:06:01.950 and try to follow the laws as a moralist and 0:06:01.950 --> 0:06:05.789 you realize you can't measure up to those laws, then 0:06:05.790 --> 0:06:08.630 many people, what they do is they give up altogether. 0:06:09.589 --> 0:06:11.870 They go out and start living a wild life, and 0:06:11.870 --> 0:06:15.150 they'll say, I tried to live the Bible, I can't. 0:06:15.470 --> 0:06:19.590 I'm falling and failing all of the time. So you 0:06:19.589 --> 0:06:23.950 either a walk away from God or b become a 0:06:23.950 --> 0:06:28.270 Pharisee full of pride. If you read the Bible simply 0:06:28.270 --> 0:06:33.950 as laws to improve yourself, God never designed that. In fact, 0:06:33.950 --> 0:06:38.469 Jesus came down strongly on that. What Jesus called us 0:06:38.470 --> 0:06:41.869 to do is to realize that we cannot change. We 0:06:41.870 --> 0:06:46.350 cannot save. We cannot alter ourself. That's why we need 0:06:46.390 --> 0:06:49.030 a power greater than us. It's called the power of 0:06:49.029 --> 0:06:53.110 the Holy Spirit. And that power only comes through Jesus Christ. 0:06:53.110 --> 0:06:57.790 When we repent, believe, and are baptized. That power allows 0:06:57.790 --> 0:07:00.670 us the strength to turn around and to begin to 0:07:00.710 --> 0:07:12.150 live for Jesus Christ. Notice what Ephesians chapter five verse 0:07:12.150 --> 0:07:17.790 five says. For this you can be sure no immoral, 0:07:18.350 --> 0:07:23.910 impure or greedy person. Such a man is an idolater, 0:07:24.190 --> 0:07:29.470 has inheritance in the kingdom of God and Christ. Let 0:07:29.470 --> 0:07:33.470 me read that again. The Apostle Paul is telling us 0:07:34.470 --> 0:07:37.990 no immoral. What's an immoral person? A person that is 0:07:37.990 --> 0:07:43.670 sexually immoral? This is pretty strong language here. This is 0:07:43.710 --> 0:07:49.110 these are these are married, either married individuals having sex 0:07:49.110 --> 0:07:53.590 outside of their marriage. That's called adultery or singles having sex. 0:07:53.590 --> 0:07:59.150 That's called fornication. He says no immoral, impure or greedy 0:07:59.190 --> 0:08:03.240 person has inheritance in the kingdom of God, in Christ 0:08:03.240 --> 0:08:07.840 and God. You say, pastor, what are you saying? Are 0:08:07.840 --> 0:08:11.240 you saying that if I sleep with my girlfriend, I'm 0:08:11.280 --> 0:08:14.360 going to hell? Is that. Is that what you're telling me? 0:08:15.400 --> 0:08:18.920 What I'm telling you is this. It doesn't mean that 0:08:18.920 --> 0:08:23.000 if we sin, we go to hell. But what it 0:08:23.000 --> 0:08:27.800 does say is this. That if whatever is in your 0:08:27.800 --> 0:08:32.280 life becomes more important to you than God, and it 0:08:32.280 --> 0:08:36.679 drives you more than God and influences you more than God, 0:08:37.080 --> 0:08:43.040 if money. Look what it says. If money, if you're 0:08:43.040 --> 0:08:46.200 a greedy person, it says such a man is an idolater. 0:08:46.240 --> 0:08:49.560 How can a greedy person be an idolater? Because he's 0:08:49.559 --> 0:08:55.200 made money more important than God. Listen, if your boyfriend 0:08:55.200 --> 0:09:01.199 and sexuality and impurity and greed. If those things become 0:09:01.200 --> 0:09:04.720 more important to you than God, and you worship at 0:09:04.720 --> 0:09:07.880 the altar more than you do at the altar of God, 0:09:07.880 --> 0:09:11.440 and they drive your life more than God drives your life, 0:09:11.640 --> 0:09:15.040 and you are driven by them more than driven by God, 0:09:15.040 --> 0:09:18.640 then you have become an idolater. You have put something 0:09:18.640 --> 0:09:22.000 in your life bigger than God, more important to God. 0:09:22.000 --> 0:09:25.160 And this is what it says no idolater will inherit 0:09:25.160 --> 0:09:31.800 the kingdom of heaven. That's pretty strong. It doesn't mean 0:09:31.800 --> 0:09:37.040 that if a person falls into sin one time that 0:09:37.040 --> 0:09:39.920 they're destined to hell. The blood of Jesus is powerful. 0:09:39.920 --> 0:09:43.240 He cleanses. But it does mean that if that thing 0:09:43.240 --> 0:09:49.080 in your life drives you, controls you, obsesses you, becomes 0:09:49.080 --> 0:09:51.280 more important than God, and you're driven more by the 0:09:51.280 --> 0:09:53.320 flesh than you are by the spirit, then you better 0:09:53.360 --> 0:09:57.200 watch out because you may have mega problems on your hand. 0:09:57.280 --> 0:10:01.050 You have become an idolater. You have put something higher 0:10:01.050 --> 0:10:03.730 than the law of God. You have put something bigger 0:10:03.730 --> 0:10:07.329 than God in your life, and the consequences are powerful. 0:10:10.450 --> 0:10:15.410 That's why we need Jesus so much. Is forgiveness is 0:10:15.410 --> 0:10:18.370 control is washing in our lives. 0:10:24.770 --> 0:10:27.689 You're listening to Bold Steps with pastor Mark Jobe. We'll 0:10:27.690 --> 0:10:30.610 get back to today's message. Give God his proper place. 0:10:30.610 --> 0:10:32.810 We'll do that in just a moment. But hey, I'm 0:10:32.809 --> 0:10:35.809 having fun every Monday morning, opening the email box and 0:10:35.809 --> 0:10:38.210 finding the Bold Stepper weekly there. But it's not just 0:10:38.210 --> 0:10:40.610 for me, Mark, you do this for all of our listeners. 0:10:41.010 --> 0:10:44.130 Yeah, it's a blast to be able to open it 0:10:44.130 --> 0:10:48.130 up on Monday and just get a word of encouragement. 0:10:48.130 --> 0:10:52.170 And so we do this specifically to get you started 0:10:52.170 --> 0:10:55.929 on the right foot. There's a devotional thought, sometimes personal stories. 0:10:55.929 --> 0:10:59.690 I talk this Monday about my middle son who just 0:10:59.690 --> 0:11:03.010 turned 22 years old. And so I like to share 0:11:03.010 --> 0:11:05.450 some of my family stories with you as well. 0:11:05.450 --> 0:11:08.569 It's great fun to get connected with Mark and bold 0:11:08.570 --> 0:11:11.290 Steps through the Bold Stepper weekly. You can sign up 0:11:11.290 --> 0:11:15.010 get to Steppin in Your Walk with Christ at Bold steps.org. 0:11:15.050 --> 0:11:17.730 It comes to your email box automatically. There's no cost, 0:11:17.770 --> 0:11:20.050 no obligation, it just comes automatically. It's one of those 0:11:20.050 --> 0:11:24.170 great things from bold steps. Sign up at Bold Steps org. Hey, 0:11:24.170 --> 0:11:27.170 one more thing. On a serious note, we so appreciate 0:11:27.170 --> 0:11:31.810 listeners who respond. Here's a listener. A woman in Florida 0:11:31.809 --> 0:11:34.650 wrote to us and said, pastor Mark, when my husband 0:11:34.650 --> 0:11:36.730 was in jail, he would listen to your sermons and 0:11:36.730 --> 0:11:39.810 they helped him very much. He wants everybody that needs 0:11:39.809 --> 0:11:43.050 God or help to listen to your broadcasts. Thanks very 0:11:43.050 --> 0:11:46.650 much for letting God use you. My husband's name is Edward. 0:11:46.650 --> 0:11:49.449 God bless you in your ministry. Boy, that's that's terrific 0:11:49.450 --> 0:11:50.010 to hear. 0:11:50.010 --> 0:11:54.850 It really is encouraging. And yanita from Florida. Thank you 0:11:54.850 --> 0:11:58.010 for reaching out on behalf of your husband, Edward and Edward. 0:11:58.010 --> 0:12:02.220 Let me just say God has given you a new 0:12:02.220 --> 0:12:06.020 lease on life. Now that you are out, I know 0:12:06.020 --> 0:12:09.740 the challenges are great. I know the temptations are strong, 0:12:10.059 --> 0:12:11.900 but I believe that he's called you to be a 0:12:11.900 --> 0:12:15.340 cycle breaker legacy maker. So I want to challenge you 0:12:15.340 --> 0:12:18.459 to continue to grow, to be that man of God 0:12:18.460 --> 0:12:21.339 leading your family. And may you look back at your 0:12:21.340 --> 0:12:25.980 past chapter in prison as a time where God used, 0:12:26.300 --> 0:12:28.940 like Joseph, to prepare you for your calling. So God 0:12:28.940 --> 0:12:30.740 bless you. Thanks for that word of encouragement. 0:12:30.860 --> 0:12:33.100 We love our listeners. Tell us your story. Go to 0:12:33.100 --> 0:12:36.860 our website, Bold Steps Radio.com. Now let's get back into 0:12:36.860 --> 0:12:38.540 the second half of today's message. 0:12:44.540 --> 0:12:48.579 So thou shall not put anything in front of God. 0:12:50.340 --> 0:12:56.740 And thirdly. Not only are there no substitutes for him, 0:12:56.900 --> 0:13:01.459 nothing in front of him, and nothing in addition to him, 0:13:02.740 --> 0:13:08.860 you shall have no other gods before me. Second Kings 0:13:08.860 --> 0:13:13.220 chapter 17, verse 33 says, they worshiped the Lord, but 0:13:13.220 --> 0:13:21.059 they also served their own gods. That's a pretty sad statement. 0:13:21.620 --> 0:13:24.060 He was talking about the general condition of the people 0:13:24.059 --> 0:13:27.939 of Israel at that time. And he said, they worship God, 0:13:28.420 --> 0:13:33.500 they worship the Lord, but they also served their own gods. 0:13:35.020 --> 0:13:36.699 How many of you know that? That can be very 0:13:36.700 --> 0:13:43.260 characteristic of even Christianity? Do you realize that you can 0:13:43.260 --> 0:13:47.059 come here on Sunday and worship God, but yet serve 0:13:47.300 --> 0:13:50.179 other gods? Do you realize that you can come here 0:13:50.179 --> 0:13:52.740 on Sunday and lift your hands to God and say, 0:13:52.740 --> 0:13:55.100 you are the greatest, you are the best. There is 0:13:55.100 --> 0:13:58.260 no one like you, but Monday through Saturday that you 0:13:58.260 --> 0:14:01.990 can go home and serve other gods that aren't the 0:14:02.030 --> 0:14:07.470 God of the Bible, that aren't the only true God 0:14:07.470 --> 0:14:12.030 of the universe. You can worship the Lord and serve 0:14:12.030 --> 0:14:15.590 other gods. You can worship the Lord, and yet let 0:14:15.590 --> 0:14:19.590 your life be driven by other gods that in the end, 0:14:19.590 --> 0:14:23.550 are more important than the God that you claim to worship. 0:14:23.710 --> 0:14:31.070 And that's called idolatry in Christianity. See, the question isn't 0:14:31.070 --> 0:14:34.030 have you said that he is Lord? The question is, 0:14:34.070 --> 0:14:38.270 is he Lord? The question isn't do you claim that 0:14:38.270 --> 0:14:42.470 he's God? The question is, are you letting him be God? 0:14:43.310 --> 0:14:46.750 The question isn't do you call yourself a Christian? The 0:14:46.750 --> 0:14:50.670 question is, are you allowing him to be Lord of 0:14:50.670 --> 0:14:54.950 your life? And he is number one, preeminent above everything 0:14:54.950 --> 0:14:59.630 else in your life. He keeps that place of supreme 0:14:59.760 --> 0:15:03.960 power and lordship in your life. Because if he's not, 0:15:04.000 --> 0:15:06.480 then let me tell you. Then we are breaking the 0:15:06.480 --> 0:15:15.840 first commandment. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Listen, 0:15:15.840 --> 0:15:19.560 the Bible is really strong about this. Never for a 0:15:19.560 --> 0:15:23.480 moment begin to take your Christianity for granted. Never for 0:15:23.480 --> 0:15:25.800 a moment begin to think. Well, I, you know I 0:15:26.040 --> 0:15:28.080 gave my life to Christ, so it doesn't really matter 0:15:28.080 --> 0:15:30.440 how I live. The Bible says that the world is 0:15:30.440 --> 0:15:33.200 full over and over in Scripture. It talks about those 0:15:33.200 --> 0:15:36.640 who fall away and don't persevere to the end. The 0:15:36.640 --> 0:15:40.240 Bible talks about the end times being a time where 0:15:40.240 --> 0:15:43.040 people will be shaken from their faith, that people will 0:15:43.040 --> 0:15:46.280 fall away, that will they'll be driven by the appetite 0:15:46.320 --> 0:15:49.960 of their flesh and go to the world. The Bible talks. 0:15:49.960 --> 0:15:54.880 It warns us, stand firm. Stand strong, because many will 0:15:54.880 --> 0:15:58.239 fall away. In those days, there will be a struggle 0:15:58.240 --> 0:16:01.240 for the soul of every person that is here. There 0:16:01.240 --> 0:16:04.479 will be temptation that will come away. And the greatest 0:16:04.480 --> 0:16:07.800 form of temptation that will attack us is this is 0:16:07.800 --> 0:16:11.520 God number one in your life. And are you living 0:16:11.520 --> 0:16:14.200 like he's number one in your life, or are there 0:16:14.480 --> 0:16:18.520 other gods? You say, well, pastor, how do I know it? 0:16:18.520 --> 0:16:21.040 Let me tell you how you know it. When God 0:16:21.040 --> 0:16:24.920 is number one in your life, then your values will 0:16:24.920 --> 0:16:29.360 be the values of God. When God is number one 0:16:29.360 --> 0:16:31.200 in your life, you will do what God wants you 0:16:31.200 --> 0:16:33.760 to do, not what you want to do. When God 0:16:33.760 --> 0:16:35.880 is number one in your life, you will put him 0:16:35.880 --> 0:16:40.320 above everything else in life. This is what Jesus said. 0:16:41.120 --> 0:16:43.360 Jesus said, do you want to come and follow me? 0:16:44.200 --> 0:16:48.360 Then you must lay down your life and lose it 0:16:48.680 --> 0:16:51.080 in order to follow me. Let me tell you, you 0:16:51.080 --> 0:16:53.800 can't just add God to your life. You can't go 0:16:53.800 --> 0:16:56.200 about living your life and just say, well, I, God 0:16:56.200 --> 0:16:58.520 is there to help me when I'm in trouble. God 0:16:58.520 --> 0:17:01.520 is there to to be a backup plan for me. 0:17:01.520 --> 0:17:03.720 Know God says, if I am Lord of your life, 0:17:03.720 --> 0:17:06.240 then I am Lord of your life. I am number 0:17:06.240 --> 0:17:08.200 one in your life. I tell you how to live, 0:17:08.200 --> 0:17:10.120 how to walk, how to talk, how to marry, where 0:17:10.160 --> 0:17:12.960 to go, what music to listen to, how you spend 0:17:12.960 --> 0:17:15.840 your weekends and how you spend how you work at work. 0:17:15.840 --> 0:17:17.919 If I am number one in your life, then I 0:17:17.960 --> 0:17:20.359 am God of your life. And if I am not 0:17:20.359 --> 0:17:23.159 God in your life, then don't call me your God. 0:17:32.800 --> 0:17:37.880 I say this strongly, but I say it lovingly. I 0:17:37.880 --> 0:17:41.200 say it as your pastor because I believe there's been 0:17:41.200 --> 0:17:44.399 a stirring in my heart, a stirring in my soul, 0:17:46.119 --> 0:17:49.640 that we as a church put God in the place 0:17:49.640 --> 0:17:57.920 that he deserves. The stirring in my heart. To see 0:17:58.000 --> 0:18:02.010 us walk in holiness. So the power of God can 0:18:02.010 --> 0:18:07.010 be manifest through us, stirring in my heart to see 0:18:07.050 --> 0:18:10.170 a people rise up and say, I'm serious about God, 0:18:10.170 --> 0:18:17.290 not just playing around. Unless our hearts are there with God, 0:18:17.609 --> 0:18:21.090 we affect not only this generation, but the next generation 0:18:21.090 --> 0:18:24.970 as well. I believe that God is a holy God, 0:18:24.970 --> 0:18:27.449 and God wants holiness of his people, and we cannot 0:18:27.450 --> 0:18:29.530 achieve it of our own. We need that. That's why 0:18:29.530 --> 0:18:32.450 we need Jesus in our lives to convict us, to 0:18:32.490 --> 0:18:34.850 break us, to draw us to the cross, to bring 0:18:34.850 --> 0:18:37.970 us to repentance. That's why we need Jesus. You need 0:18:38.010 --> 0:18:40.330 I need him, you need him. I'm right at the 0:18:40.330 --> 0:18:46.170 front of saying I need Jesus. The question, really, that 0:18:46.170 --> 0:18:51.570 we are to ask ourselves. What does it look like 0:18:51.570 --> 0:18:56.210 to put God first? Or when you put God first, 0:18:57.730 --> 0:19:02.700 when you put God first, you're asking yourself this question 0:19:03.780 --> 0:19:06.740 what does God want me to be? And what does 0:19:06.740 --> 0:19:10.940 God want me to do? Does God want me to be? 0:19:11.340 --> 0:19:14.980 And what does God want me to do? Listen, if 0:19:15.020 --> 0:19:18.220 you're number one in your life and God is not first, 0:19:18.540 --> 0:19:20.500 here's what you'll be asking. What do I want to 0:19:20.500 --> 0:19:26.540 do and what makes me happy? And if I think 0:19:26.540 --> 0:19:29.380 God what God wants doesn't make me happy, then I'll 0:19:29.380 --> 0:19:32.379 just disregard it because my main concern is what makes 0:19:32.380 --> 0:19:36.179 me happy. So a husband comes to me and says, 0:19:36.180 --> 0:19:43.020 I'm going to leave my wife. Why? I'm not happy. And. Well, 0:19:43.020 --> 0:19:45.020 I want to be happy. Listen, if happiness is the 0:19:45.060 --> 0:19:47.820 God of your life, then leave your wife. But let 0:19:47.820 --> 0:19:50.660 me tell you that you are number one in your life, 0:19:50.660 --> 0:19:53.260 not God. Don't tell. Don't say God had you leave 0:19:53.260 --> 0:20:00.260 your wife because. Because happiness is not God's goal. I 0:20:00.260 --> 0:20:03.340 don't feel happy anymore. I'm gonna leave her, find a 0:20:03.340 --> 0:20:05.980 new one. That's what you said about the last three. 0:20:11.700 --> 0:20:15.180 You see, the ultimate. The ultimate. The question is, who's 0:20:15.180 --> 0:20:18.300 lord of your life? If you're Lord of your life, 0:20:18.300 --> 0:20:20.060 then you do what you want to do when you 0:20:20.060 --> 0:20:22.580 want to do it. If God is Lord of your life, 0:20:22.580 --> 0:20:24.820 you never do what you want to do. Never. When 0:20:24.820 --> 0:20:27.180 you want to do it, you always ask yourself, Lord, 0:20:27.180 --> 0:20:30.180 what do you want of me? Am I being pleasing 0:20:30.220 --> 0:20:33.780 to you? God, you own my life. My life belongs 0:20:33.780 --> 0:20:37.620 to you. I do what you want, not what I want. 0:20:38.060 --> 0:20:43.460 There's a huge difference. We settle that question. When you 0:20:43.500 --> 0:20:46.740 came to Jesus and bowed your knee and said, God, 0:20:46.940 --> 0:20:49.700 I am no longer come into my life, be Lord 0:20:49.700 --> 0:20:52.859 of my life. At that moment you said, God, you 0:20:52.859 --> 0:20:56.820 are Lord of my life, and you can't take it back. 0:20:57.340 --> 0:21:00.460 If he's Lord, then he's Lord. If he's not, then 0:21:00.460 --> 0:21:04.940 he's not. But if he's Lord of your life, then 0:21:04.940 --> 0:21:07.420 you need to give him the place that he deserves. 0:21:08.220 --> 0:21:10.580 Being Lord of your life, you need to say, Jesus, 0:21:10.580 --> 0:21:14.139 you are Lord and I'm not. Forgive me if I've 0:21:14.180 --> 0:21:18.220 stepped into that place of lordship. Forgive me if I've 0:21:18.220 --> 0:21:21.699 let other gods the God of pleasure or joy, the 0:21:21.740 --> 0:21:24.379 God of money, the God of power, the God of love, 0:21:24.420 --> 0:21:28.220 the God of sex, any other God, take your place. God, 0:21:28.380 --> 0:21:32.379 I die at that place. And I say, forgive me, God. 0:21:32.380 --> 0:21:35.580 And I put you once more at the top where 0:21:35.580 --> 0:21:39.780 you belong. You are Lord God, and I choose today 0:21:39.780 --> 0:21:43.060 to serve you as Lord and not break that first commandment. 0:21:48.380 --> 0:21:51.100 You've been listening to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe, who's 0:21:51.100 --> 0:21:52.900 here in the studio with me. Mark, such a great 0:21:52.900 --> 0:21:57.420 message today. How can you lose? Preaching in the Ten Commandments, right. Tomorrow. 0:21:57.420 --> 0:21:59.630 Where are we going next? What's the next commandment? 0:21:59.750 --> 0:22:03.870 Well, tomorrow's a commandment that affects so many people. You 0:22:03.869 --> 0:22:07.869 may want to dismiss it initially and say that doesn't apply. 0:22:07.950 --> 0:22:12.350 But this is huge. And the commandment is thou shalt 0:22:12.350 --> 0:22:18.470 not commit adultery. Now let me say this. Most people agree. Yeah, 0:22:18.470 --> 0:22:22.910 that's a terrible thing. Infidelity in marriage, however, are the 0:22:22.950 --> 0:22:29.830 stats show that 41%, either physically or emotionally, fall into 0:22:29.830 --> 0:22:33.950 the trap of adultery. And so there are so many 0:22:33.950 --> 0:22:38.110 people right now recovering from that. Maybe you've experienced that 0:22:38.109 --> 0:22:40.670 in your marriage. Maybe you're struggling with it right now. 0:22:40.670 --> 0:22:43.510 But this is going to be a powerful message and 0:22:43.510 --> 0:22:45.470 healing to many marriages. 0:22:45.470 --> 0:22:47.710 And Jesus was pretty clear. It includes what goes on 0:22:47.710 --> 0:22:48.350 in our mind. 0:22:48.390 --> 0:22:50.910 That's right. So before you turn it off and say 0:22:50.910 --> 0:22:54.070 that doesn't apply to me, I think that Jesus took 0:22:54.070 --> 0:22:56.550 it to the next level and talked to us. Yeah, 0:22:56.590 --> 0:23:00.030 those that look at a woman to lust after her 0:23:00.030 --> 0:23:02.669 in their own mind have committed adultery. So it's a 0:23:02.670 --> 0:23:03.630 big spectrum. 0:23:03.750 --> 0:23:05.750 Thanks, Mark. We'll talk again in just a moment. But 0:23:05.750 --> 0:23:08.310 I remind you, you're listening to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe, 0:23:08.310 --> 0:23:11.230 and the title of this series is Rock Solid Living. 0:23:11.670 --> 0:23:13.750 Let me remind you that you can always revisit these 0:23:13.750 --> 0:23:17.230 messages online at Bold steps.org, or by listening through the 0:23:17.270 --> 0:23:21.190 Bold Steps app or our Bold Steps podcast. And today, 0:23:21.190 --> 0:23:24.190 we're also excited to offer Mark Jobe's brand new devotional, 0:23:24.190 --> 0:23:27.230 More Than a Label Discovering who you are in Christ, 0:23:27.630 --> 0:23:31.750 this transformative 15 day devotional takes you deep into God's Word. 0:23:31.790 --> 0:23:34.950 To explore the truth about your identity in Christ. You'll 0:23:34.950 --> 0:23:37.590 discover who God created you to be and why your 0:23:37.590 --> 0:23:41.430 identity truly matters. Through each day's reading, you'll uncover your 0:23:41.430 --> 0:23:43.990 purpose and calling as you open God's Word and learn 0:23:43.990 --> 0:23:46.709 to live out your true identity. So don't let the 0:23:46.710 --> 0:23:49.550 world define you by labels. Step into the life and 0:23:49.550 --> 0:23:52.149 purpose God has planned for you. Get your copy of 0:23:52.150 --> 0:23:54.629 More Than a Label today. When you give any amount 0:23:54.630 --> 0:23:59.480 to bold steps again, just go to Bold Steps. Slash give. 0:23:59.640 --> 0:24:02.520 And for more information about this new devotional, go to 0:24:02.560 --> 0:24:05.920 Bold steps.org and look for it at the devotional tab 0:24:06.119 --> 0:24:13.040 or call us at 800 Moody. That's (800) 356-6639. If you're 0:24:13.040 --> 0:24:15.080 sending a gift, you can do that through the mail. 0:24:15.119 --> 0:24:19.639 Our address is bold. Steps 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, 0:24:19.680 --> 0:24:23.520 Illinois 606 ten. And then we also invite you to 0:24:23.560 --> 0:24:26.520 take that gift even further by becoming a bold partner 0:24:26.720 --> 0:24:29.360 and signing up to give on a monthly basis. Remember, 0:24:29.359 --> 0:24:31.560 it's not the size of your gift that matters, but 0:24:31.560 --> 0:24:34.760 a willingness to faithfully give each month. So these messages 0:24:34.760 --> 0:24:37.199 and resources can reach as many people as possible all 0:24:37.200 --> 0:24:39.880 across the radio, the internet, and mark on our social 0:24:39.880 --> 0:24:41.480 media outreach as well. 0:24:41.840 --> 0:24:45.479 Yeah, Wayne, we're approaching the final month of our fiscal year, 0:24:45.480 --> 0:24:48.760 so this is a really great time. If you haven't 0:24:48.760 --> 0:24:51.320 given or if you've been thinking about giving or if 0:24:51.320 --> 0:24:53.119 you want to up your giving, this is a great 0:24:53.160 --> 0:24:56.680 time to do so. And as Wayne said, it's not 0:24:56.680 --> 0:25:00.720 the size of the gift. It's the consistency of monthly 0:25:00.720 --> 0:25:03.640 giving that really makes an impact. So we have what's 0:25:03.640 --> 0:25:08.399 called bold partners. And these are people, a team of people, 0:25:08.400 --> 0:25:11.360 a growing number of people that have said we're going 0:25:11.400 --> 0:25:14.440 to continue to support this ministry monthly. Thank you so 0:25:14.440 --> 0:25:16.880 much for doing that. And if you want to become 0:25:16.880 --> 0:25:19.600 a bold partner, Wayne, what does someone do? 0:25:19.640 --> 0:25:23.560 Just go to our website, Bold steps. Org or you 0:25:23.560 --> 0:25:26.960 can call us at 800 Moody. That's our phone number 0:25:26.960 --> 0:25:30.919 800 Moody. All right. Thank you Mark. I'll remind our 0:25:30.920 --> 0:25:33.480 listeners to join us again tomorrow for another exciting message 0:25:33.480 --> 0:25:36.840 from Mark Jobe. Or Unpacking God's commandment on adultery and 0:25:36.840 --> 0:25:41.680 just how countercultural and impactful this command is in today's world. 0:25:41.720 --> 0:25:44.879 That's coming up Wednesday on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. 0:25:45.960 --> 0:25:49.160 Bold steps is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry 0:25:49.160 --> 0:25:50.800 of Moody Bible Institute.