Say "Yes" to God
John Linton

Loyalty Demands Our Response
The word loyalty is almost a forgotten word in our vocabulary. That distresses me. That disturbs me. Loyalty is a good quality. It’s a godly quality.
When our loyalty is at stake, we ought always to give our total allegiance and our total loyalty to God. It ought always be to Him. We can then be loyal to those who follow Him and those who walk with Him.
Every now and then you’ll hear people say, “Oh, don’t follow men; don’t follow men.” Don’t you believe that. We follow those who follow Christ. We follow God, and we follow those who follow Him.
You read in the Epistles that Paul said, ‘Follow me. Be an imitator of me.’ What was he saying? He was saying, ‘Come, go with me.’ As long as the man follows Christ and the Bible, then follow him.
You don’t get anywhere in your church unless you follow. The biggest problem any pastor has come from folks who won’t follow. The nay sayers have brainwashed our people all over this nation. They’ve primed them to be rebels. They do not say, “What can I do?” and, “Whom can I serve?” and, “What can I do next?” They resist leadership, they repudiate authority, and they reject “fellowship.”
We need a new burst of loyalty in our ranks that begins with our loyalty to Christ and our commitment to the Bible. The reason a lot of folks aren’t loyal is that they have no commitment. Everything begins there. In our love to God, we always say “yes.” And we say “no” to those who would clamor otherwise for our love. We say “yes” in our loyalty to God; we say “no” to those who would have us be disloyal.
The same thing is true with our labors. We have a generation of folks today who want to teach Sunday school about thirty weeks a year. The rest of the time they want to be gone to the ocean, the beach, the mountains, the plains, somewhere, anywhere.
A lot of our folks today don’t believe they are socially acceptable unless they go somewhere every holiday. You know, one of the best things you could do for your family sometimes would be to stay home on the holiday.
Take the kids out to eat at some place like Hardee’s instead of going to the ocean. Stop spending money you don’t even have.
Stop overusing your plastic. Stay close to home. Run your bus route on Sunday. Then you could ~ be there to teach your Sunday school class and sing in the choir.
I don’t expect to become popular with this kind of preaching, but frankly, we need to hear it. No doubt we’re bucking the tide; we’re pressing against the broad way. But our people should not buy the same line that is being sold in the world. There needs to be the fullest attention to the love of God and loyalty to God in investing our labors for God.
My love, my labor and my loyalty are all hinged together. Years ago I said “yes” to God on this. That means I invest my time where I have my love, my labor and my loyalty. It means I put my tithe where I have my love, my labor and my loyalty.
I had somebody ask me last week, “What do you think about my doing suchandsuch with my tithe?” It happened to be something I was raising money for. I said, “You know, as far as I’m concerned, there’s no decision to be made about what I do with my tithe. I don’t think I’ve even given my tithe (even if I give the money) if I try to keep control of it.” My tithe is to be given into the work of God at the place where God’s work is going on. When I give it, I don’t give it for microphones or pew~ or something else. If we’re buying pews or microphones, I’ll give above my tithe. But my hands are to be off my tithe. We give it into the work of God. We give it to God. We consecrate it to God. We let go of it. We let God have it.
Concerning my time, whatever talent I have, whatever treasure I have to give, I just say “yes” to God.
I have to say “no” to other things. I could take you to my house. You would probably notice that I don’t have some things that a lot of other folks think they have to have. “You mean, you’re not making payments?”
Do you know why there are a lot of folks who can’t tithe? It is because they’re making payments on VCRs and video cameras. You know I’m not opposed to VCRs and video cameras. I don’t have either one of them. I’d like to, but I don’t. I’m not going to buy them and then say to Betty on Sunday, “We can’t quite tithe this week.”
“Why? What are you talking about?”
Why, it’s not even a case, not even an issue with me. Why isn’t it? Because of my love, my loyalty, my labor, my time, my talent and my treasures. I said “yes” to God about them. I don’t have to worry about those things.
You say, “Don’t you feel a little deprived that you don’t have all the latest gadgets?” It doesn’t bother me one bit. In fact, I didn’t even think of that until just now. I didn’t come down the freeway this morning saying, “Oh my, what deprivation I feel because I don’t have a video camera!” I wouldn’t have time to use it even if I had it. I don’t need one.
Let us give our first loyalty and our first love to God. When you say “yes” to God on those things, you’ll have to say “no” to some others. Say “no” to those things whatever they are and whoever they are so that you can say “yes” to God.
“Oh, but there are times when I’m in doubt about what to do.” Then say “yes” to God. If you don’t know what to do, say “yes” to God. You say, “Oh, you don’t know the trouble that we face. We’ve had such difficulties. All of the turmoil, pulling this way and that.” In difficult times, say “yes” toGod. Say “yes” with your love, your loyalty, your labor. Say “yes” with your time, talent and treasure. In times of difficulty, you need God more than at any other time. So say “yes” to Him.
You say, “But I’m so disappointed. I’ve been kicked and stamped. Every kind of thing in the world has happened.” Say “yes” to God. The only way you’ll make it in such times is by saying “yes” to God. Say it, say it, say it: “Yes, yes, yes, yes” over and over and over. When nobody cares and nobody else understands, nobody else believes in you, nobody else cares about what you’re doing, you say “yes” to God.
You say, “But I’m unhappy. I’m discontented.” Then say “yes” to God. He will help you to be satisfied.
You say, “I am deprived. They don’t take care of me.” Say “yes” to God.
You say, “I’ve been disinherited. My family doesn’t understand me. They don’t really know what it is to be a Christian. They just don’t understand my heart. They do not appreciate my commitments and views.” Then say “yes” to God. You say, “I feel disenfranchised. J feel cut off. I just don’t know where to turn!’ Then say “yes” to God. You say, “I’ve had some terrible things strike in my family disease, death.” In those times say “yes” to God. Say “yes!’
When you say “yes” to God, you’re saying “yes” to God the Father who put this world in place, the Almighty, the Creator God the Father who designed the great plan of redemption, the ‘only way of salvation. When you say “yes” to God, you’re saying “yes” to the God whose love gave us all we have. When you say “yes” to God, you’re saying “yes” to the mighty God who rules and reigns on Heaven’s throne.
When you say “yes” to God, you’re saying “yes” to God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was born of a virgin, lived the life of Heaven on this planet, died as
our substitute, arose ‘from the grave, ascended back to Heaven, sits on the right hand of Heaven’s throne, and one of these days is coming back for us.
When you say “yes” to God, you’re saying “yes” to God the Father and God the Son. When you say “yes” to God, you’re also saying “yes” to God the Holy Spirit, the divine Paraclete, the blessed Comforter. He convinces and convicts. He converts and conquers and controls. He’s the Holy Spirit of God, and you’re saying “yes” to Him.
Every time you say “yes” to one of the appeals from Heaven, every time you say “yes” to God’s invitations, every time you say “yes” to the call of God, you have said the right thing.