Exo 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.
KJV-
Mat 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Mat 5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
Mat 5:24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Young's Literal Translation-
Mat 5:21 `Ye heard that it was said to the ancients: Thou shalt not kill, and whoever may kill shall be in danger of the judgment;
Mat 5:22 but I--I say to you, that every one who is angry at his brother without cause, shall be in danger of the judgment, and whoever may say to his brother, Empty fellow! shall be in danger of the sanhedrim, and whoever may say, Rebel! shall be in danger of the gehenna of the fire.
Mat 5:23 `If, therefore, thou mayest bring thy gift to the altar, and there mayest remember that thy brother hath anything against thee,
Mat 5:24 leave there thy gift before the altar, and go--first be reconciled to thy brother, and then having come bring thy gift.
International Standard Version-
Mat 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to those who lived long ago, 'You must not murder,' and 'Whoever murders will be subject to punishment.'
Mat 5:22 But I say to you, anyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be subject to punishment. And whoever says to his brother 'Raka!' will be subject to the Council. And whoever says 'You fool!' will be subject to hell fire.
Mat 5:23 "So if you are presenting your gift at the altar and remember there that your brother has something against you,
Mat 5:24 leave your gift there before the altar and first go and be reconciled to your brother. Then come and offer your gift.
Did Jesus negate this commandment- Thou shalt not kill - ? NO.
People everywhere generally agree this is an acceptable commandment. How do you dispute it, really? Everyone knows murder is inherently wrong- right?
Purposely taking away life.
Recently we had to put our beloved cat to sleep and I'd never had to do anything like that before, and it was so heartbreaking. Did we murder our cat? This is a question that has reared its ugly little head and not for me alone, but for other members of my family. We purposely ended our cat's life. One moment he was alive and the next he was dead all because of our actions. We console ourselves over and over again with the fact it was done purely out of mercy for the cat, he had no real quality of life left and was having numerous problems as he was wasting away to nothing. It was merciful, truly merciful and it would have been selfish of us to keep him alive in the condition he was in. Was it murder though? No. We did not senselessly take the life of our precious cat.
In the above Jesus talks about how it is not only a sin to murder but it's a sin to be angry WITHOUT cause. It's a sin to be filled with rage, and to slander others, just as sinful as murder. Seriously. We've spent so much time labeling sins and degrees of sinning that we tend to overlook the very real fact that the wages of any sin- is death. Outrageous, you cry?! Unfair, you scream?! A tiny sin shouldn't warrant death, only the gravest of sins should to that. You know whose thinking that is? Man's, not God's. Man loves to excuse sin rather than confess and repent of it. Mankind loves to deem sin acceptable so they no longer have to feel the weight of their sin. That little white lie you told a few days ago, well it warrants death whether you want to face that fact or not. We can jail every single murderer we come across - we can condemn every single murderer- but we dare not choose to be deceived into thinking that our non-murderous sins are going to warrant us eternal life and the freedom that affords. While a murderer might be locked up in a cell and become labeled as being a sinner for life, we need to examine our own lives closely because we are ALL labeled sinners. We are all jailed in Satan's prison and condemned to eternal death, to be wiped out of existence forever. Only Jesus can pardon us and set us free, only Jesus can save us and remove the label 'sinner' from us.
Murder will forever be wrong and never be acceptable even is it's sanctioned by the highest court. Taking another person's life, ripping from them that which God gave to them is no one's right. Some people love to point out that God sanctioned a lot of murder, that He's a murderous hypocrite of a God. How often throughout the old testament was God fine with having His people take the lives of many? He ordered His people to destroy the godless-- those ONLY He could ever know would never be His, something WE have no way of knowing.
Never did a single person die under God's command out of murder. Never! People can try all they want to convince me otherwise, but I won't believe them. Murder goes against everything God stands for, everything. Yes, people were allowed to die but it was their own eternal decision that allowed for that result.
If we want to get technical - couldn't those people who claim God is a murderer say that every single death is a murder by God? I know my sister has had a really hard time dealing with the death of her husband and I know she's blamed God and become angry at Him on many occasion, even though she truly does understand that all death is a result of the sin brought into this world by Satan, not God. God created man to live forever- every single human being was to live forever and ever and ever- it was man who chose to sin- it was man who chose to accept the penalty of death for that sin. God NEVER wanted man to experience death. All death is a result of that sin, and NOT GOD. We are BLESSED to have God who has created a way for us NOT to have to experience the second death, the permanent death.
Man brought death into the world.
Jesus brought life into the world.
Studying our God's loving commandments, His amazing, wondrous laws we know that none of them will ever be done away with, not a single one, murder included.
By the grace of God may we keep ALL our God's commandments.
May we realize that commandments encompass much more than just our actions- but our thoughts as well. If we are guilty we must confess and we must repent, choosing by the grace of God to sin no more.
All through His amazing LOVE!
Amen.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Grace that would come
1Pe 1:10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you
*
Prophets inquired.
Prophets searched diligently.
Prophets knew of the grace that would come.
*
Gen 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Dan 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Zec 6:12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:
Zec 6:13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both
Mat 13:17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Act 3:22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
Act 3:23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
Act 3:24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
*
Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Heb 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
*
We've talked about this before- how in reality from Genesis to Revelation the Bible is a book of prophecy. Too many people believe that there are only small sections of prophecy in the Bible, they don't realize the entire book is filled with prophecy. Yes, there is wonderful history in the Bible, and a lot of that history involves prophetic messages.
Grace is promised to us. A reward is promised to us. Through faith we will receive this promise and we have to realize that almost ALL of the prophets, almost all of the holy men of God, those beloved of God have NOT received the promised reward. We want to believe they have, but in truth almost all of the beloved of God are dust, they went to their sleep and their breath of life returned to God. All of them will receive their reward when Christ returns- just as we will- THIS is TRUTH.
*
1Pe 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
1Pe 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
PREACHED the GOSPEL unto you with the Holy Ghost- SENT down from heaven- Which things angels desire to look into.
Angels desire to look into these things! We are so incredibly blessed. We've been given the gospel of the kingdom and the promise of the Holy Spirit. We are so blessed.
*
1Pe 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ
We need to gird up the loins of our minds.
When a loin is girded it is protected.
We have to protect our minds.
We have to be sober.
We have to HOPE to the end for GRACE that is given to us when Jesus Christ is revealed to us.
Oh, please Lord, please help us to gird up the loins of our minds as we live in such a time that minds everywhere are kept unprotected.
Please Lord bless us, help us! We need You so desperately, we need the HOPE we can only find in You. We need the FAITH You provide! Please Lord, help us, bless us as we look forward towards YOU -revealed at YOUR second coming.
Thank you for Your amazing love, love that is everlasting.
In You Lord always.
Amen.
*
Prophets inquired.
Prophets searched diligently.
Prophets knew of the grace that would come.
*
Gen 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Dan 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Zec 6:12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:
Zec 6:13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both
Mat 13:17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Act 3:22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
Act 3:23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
Act 3:24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
*
Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Heb 11:39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
*
We've talked about this before- how in reality from Genesis to Revelation the Bible is a book of prophecy. Too many people believe that there are only small sections of prophecy in the Bible, they don't realize the entire book is filled with prophecy. Yes, there is wonderful history in the Bible, and a lot of that history involves prophetic messages.
Grace is promised to us. A reward is promised to us. Through faith we will receive this promise and we have to realize that almost ALL of the prophets, almost all of the holy men of God, those beloved of God have NOT received the promised reward. We want to believe they have, but in truth almost all of the beloved of God are dust, they went to their sleep and their breath of life returned to God. All of them will receive their reward when Christ returns- just as we will- THIS is TRUTH.
*
1Pe 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
1Pe 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
PREACHED the GOSPEL unto you with the Holy Ghost- SENT down from heaven- Which things angels desire to look into.
Angels desire to look into these things! We are so incredibly blessed. We've been given the gospel of the kingdom and the promise of the Holy Spirit. We are so blessed.
*
1Pe 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ
We need to gird up the loins of our minds.
When a loin is girded it is protected.
We have to protect our minds.
We have to be sober.
We have to HOPE to the end for GRACE that is given to us when Jesus Christ is revealed to us.
Oh, please Lord, please help us to gird up the loins of our minds as we live in such a time that minds everywhere are kept unprotected.
Please Lord bless us, help us! We need You so desperately, we need the HOPE we can only find in You. We need the FAITH You provide! Please Lord, help us, bless us as we look forward towards YOU -revealed at YOUR second coming.
Thank you for Your amazing love, love that is everlasting.
In You Lord always.
Amen.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Believing in the unseen is our Salvation.
1Pe 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Pe 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
1Pe 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
We are KEPT by the POWER of GOD- through FAITH-unto salvation that will be revealed at Christ's second coming.
Whose power keeps us? GOD's!
How are we kept by God's power? Through FAITH!
What does being kept by God's power through faith bring- SALVATION.
We are NOT kept by our own power!
We have to BELIEVE and yet so many find it incredibly hard to believe, to have faith. They find it hard to believe in something they can't see. They find it hard to hope.
People call other people fools for believing in the unseen. They want to have that tangible proof so they aren't considered to be among the foolish. Yet we are called to have FAITH. We are called to believe in the unseen.
By faith we are to believe in God.
We are not to consider the things we see, the things we touch, the things we hear, the things we taste, the things we smell…gods. People worship the sun- something they see. People worship the moon- something they see. People worship other people- something they can see, touch, hear, and yes, taste and smell. People will worship just about anything as long as it is something they adore. People will worship- the act of worship more than God. Seriously, they will! They'll get all caught up in the motions of worship and lose sight of God's love.
God alone- our UNSEEN God- He alone is to be worshipped, He alone is the ONE we need to have FAITH in. That great leap of believing in the unseen, of having hope in the unseen is FAITH.
*******
1Pe 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations
In HEAVINESS through MANIFOLD TEMPTATIONS! This is the story of our lives is it not-- TEMPTATION!
And it is extreme heaviness of our spirit when we face temptation after temptation, seemingly endless temptations. We all know what it is like don't we? We who understand what sin is by seeing our sin in the light of God's law of love, can see clearly the sin in our world, in our lives and in the temptation to sin- it is so alive, so real, and so awful.
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
The TRIAL of our FAITH! Yes, there is a TRIAL of our FAITH! Faith isn't something simple, our faith is tried as we are tempted and it's tried often and always. And yes, our FAITH is more precious than gold.
We who are found faithful will be ready for our Savior when He returns!
1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory
We LOVE Him even though we can't see Him.
We have FAITH and we rejoice with JOY UNSPEAKABLE!
1Pe 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
The end of our believing in the unseen is our SALVATION!
*******
All by the grace of God!
In His love!
Amen.
1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Pe 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
1Pe 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
We are KEPT by the POWER of GOD- through FAITH-unto salvation that will be revealed at Christ's second coming.
Whose power keeps us? GOD's!
How are we kept by God's power? Through FAITH!
What does being kept by God's power through faith bring- SALVATION.
We are NOT kept by our own power!
We have to BELIEVE and yet so many find it incredibly hard to believe, to have faith. They find it hard to believe in something they can't see. They find it hard to hope.
People call other people fools for believing in the unseen. They want to have that tangible proof so they aren't considered to be among the foolish. Yet we are called to have FAITH. We are called to believe in the unseen.
By faith we are to believe in God.
We are not to consider the things we see, the things we touch, the things we hear, the things we taste, the things we smell…gods. People worship the sun- something they see. People worship the moon- something they see. People worship other people- something they can see, touch, hear, and yes, taste and smell. People will worship just about anything as long as it is something they adore. People will worship- the act of worship more than God. Seriously, they will! They'll get all caught up in the motions of worship and lose sight of God's love.
God alone- our UNSEEN God- He alone is to be worshipped, He alone is the ONE we need to have FAITH in. That great leap of believing in the unseen, of having hope in the unseen is FAITH.
*******
1Pe 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations
In HEAVINESS through MANIFOLD TEMPTATIONS! This is the story of our lives is it not-- TEMPTATION!
And it is extreme heaviness of our spirit when we face temptation after temptation, seemingly endless temptations. We all know what it is like don't we? We who understand what sin is by seeing our sin in the light of God's law of love, can see clearly the sin in our world, in our lives and in the temptation to sin- it is so alive, so real, and so awful.
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
The TRIAL of our FAITH! Yes, there is a TRIAL of our FAITH! Faith isn't something simple, our faith is tried as we are tempted and it's tried often and always. And yes, our FAITH is more precious than gold.
We who are found faithful will be ready for our Savior when He returns!
1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory
We LOVE Him even though we can't see Him.
We have FAITH and we rejoice with JOY UNSPEAKABLE!
1Pe 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
The end of our believing in the unseen is our SALVATION!
*******
All by the grace of God!
In His love!
Amen.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Open my eyes!
Psa 119:18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
Wondrous things.
When we think of wondrous things rarely do we think of finding anything wondrous in the law, right? Seriously, how often do people equate wondrous things with the law? In my limited experience, not often.
When we talk of having our eye opened what are we REALLY asking for? Understanding, comprehension, the ability to learn, to know all that we need to know.
People think it's as simple as reading- comprehending, but how often do we read something without fully understanding what it is saying?
Why would David want his eyes opened to understand a law that was plain to understand? A lot of Do's and Don't's, right. Do this, don't do that, what's so hard to understand? Yet David wanted to have his understanding opened even further, David wanted to behold all that the law had to reveal. He wanted to understand the AMAZING things the law was saying. He wanted to understand more than the simple do's and don't's. Why? Because there is so much more to understand.
If we, by the grace of God, by the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit are blessed with full comprehension of God's law what a miracle that is. Understanding the wonder of the law, understanding the love of the law.
If we can find even one of the ten great commandments that is no longer valid then we are ripping apart the fabric of God's love. We've already talked about how Jesus kept the law perfectly not transgressing in a single point and this gave Him the right to be our Savior, to save us from our sins, to save us from our transgressions against the law of God. Without that law of God's to keep there is no sin.
Remember, Adam and Eve were commanded NOT to eat of that one tree. They broke that command and the result was sin.
The law of God is wondrous and we NEED our understanding open so we can see this wonder, so we can see the amazing love in the law. We aren't to make up our own laws and call them good, yet many people do that, they create their own versions of God's law and they believe as long as they live up to their own set standards everything will be just fine. The very unfortunate thing about creating our own standards is we base them on our sinful nature, not God's pure perfect nature.
We have to understand that we are CREATURES! I'll say it time and time again, over and over and over because it is so true and it's as if we turn our minds from God a few moments from now after reading this and we quickly forget- WE ARE CREATURES! We were CREATED. We will FOREVER be created beings, owing our very existence to our Creator. Just as we are to honor our mother and father- those who have given us life by their joining - two becoming one so that we could be created, we are to honor our heavenly Father who gave life to us all by giving life to our first parents. Life givers- life from created beings, there is an honor due to those who create life- though nowadays you would scarcely know it. We so easily get abortions - scraping newly created life from our bodies as if that life that was created meant absolutely nothing at all. The fact you yourself are alive and able to create life is the only miracle you need to fully comprehend in order to realize how truly amazing it is to be able to create life. People just don't want to understand, Satan has blinded them into believing they are their own person in need of NO god, in fact they themselves have become gods because they now know what good and evil are. In being gods themselves they have the right to deny life, to destroy life. Too many people are completely caught up in believing they have the RIGHT to be their own gods. They live their lives under that assumption and have NO need of God or His laws.
Once again I'm going to refer to the book- 'Mere Christianity', the book starts out explaining HOW it is that there is a natural law in existence and it leads into how there had to be a Creator of what we call a natural law. It's so worth reading if you haven't read it yet.
More tomorrow on the commandments of God. May our eyes be opened just as David prayed that His eyes be opened, may we pray the same and by the grace of God may it be so that we behold wondrous things out of His law!
All to the glory of God!
Amen.
Wondrous things.
When we think of wondrous things rarely do we think of finding anything wondrous in the law, right? Seriously, how often do people equate wondrous things with the law? In my limited experience, not often.
When we talk of having our eye opened what are we REALLY asking for? Understanding, comprehension, the ability to learn, to know all that we need to know.
People think it's as simple as reading- comprehending, but how often do we read something without fully understanding what it is saying?
Why would David want his eyes opened to understand a law that was plain to understand? A lot of Do's and Don't's, right. Do this, don't do that, what's so hard to understand? Yet David wanted to have his understanding opened even further, David wanted to behold all that the law had to reveal. He wanted to understand the AMAZING things the law was saying. He wanted to understand more than the simple do's and don't's. Why? Because there is so much more to understand.
If we, by the grace of God, by the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit are blessed with full comprehension of God's law what a miracle that is. Understanding the wonder of the law, understanding the love of the law.
If we can find even one of the ten great commandments that is no longer valid then we are ripping apart the fabric of God's love. We've already talked about how Jesus kept the law perfectly not transgressing in a single point and this gave Him the right to be our Savior, to save us from our sins, to save us from our transgressions against the law of God. Without that law of God's to keep there is no sin.
Remember, Adam and Eve were commanded NOT to eat of that one tree. They broke that command and the result was sin.
The law of God is wondrous and we NEED our understanding open so we can see this wonder, so we can see the amazing love in the law. We aren't to make up our own laws and call them good, yet many people do that, they create their own versions of God's law and they believe as long as they live up to their own set standards everything will be just fine. The very unfortunate thing about creating our own standards is we base them on our sinful nature, not God's pure perfect nature.
We have to understand that we are CREATURES! I'll say it time and time again, over and over and over because it is so true and it's as if we turn our minds from God a few moments from now after reading this and we quickly forget- WE ARE CREATURES! We were CREATED. We will FOREVER be created beings, owing our very existence to our Creator. Just as we are to honor our mother and father- those who have given us life by their joining - two becoming one so that we could be created, we are to honor our heavenly Father who gave life to us all by giving life to our first parents. Life givers- life from created beings, there is an honor due to those who create life- though nowadays you would scarcely know it. We so easily get abortions - scraping newly created life from our bodies as if that life that was created meant absolutely nothing at all. The fact you yourself are alive and able to create life is the only miracle you need to fully comprehend in order to realize how truly amazing it is to be able to create life. People just don't want to understand, Satan has blinded them into believing they are their own person in need of NO god, in fact they themselves have become gods because they now know what good and evil are. In being gods themselves they have the right to deny life, to destroy life. Too many people are completely caught up in believing they have the RIGHT to be their own gods. They live their lives under that assumption and have NO need of God or His laws.
Once again I'm going to refer to the book- 'Mere Christianity', the book starts out explaining HOW it is that there is a natural law in existence and it leads into how there had to be a Creator of what we call a natural law. It's so worth reading if you haven't read it yet.
More tomorrow on the commandments of God. May our eyes be opened just as David prayed that His eyes be opened, may we pray the same and by the grace of God may it be so that we behold wondrous things out of His law!
All to the glory of God!
Amen.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Hide God's Word in Your Heart
Psa 119:4 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.
We are COMMANDED to keep God's precepts.
Psa 119:5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!
Psa 119:6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.
We will NOT be ashamed when we have RESPECT unto ALL God's COMMANDMENTS.
Psa 119:7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
There is RIGHTEOUSNESS in God's judgments.
Psa 119:8 I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.
We MUST keep God's statutes.
Psa 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
How do we cleanse our ways? Yes, this verse says 'young man' but in truth don’t we ALL need to cleanse our ways?
We cleanse our ways by TAKING HEED to God's word.
Psa 119:10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
Seeking God with our whole heart, not half heartedly, but with our whole heart. By NOT wandering from God's commandments!
Psa 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Hiding God's word in our HEARTS keeps us from SINNING against God.
Psa 119:12 Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.
*******
So many people want to be God's but they do not want to listen to God at all. They want to make up a fantasy God, someone they can worship on their own terms, not God's terms. It's true, all too true and people give that fantasy God of theirs just enough of the real God's attributes that they convince themselves He's the real thing. In truth Satan loves when we worship gods of our own creation. He loves when we piece our own God together using bits and pieces of what we deem acceptable. As long as we don't take it too far everything is okay we assume, when that is far from the truth. Yes, the God of our own making might not want us to steal, but he's okay with a little harmless taking where we are quick to assume that the other person won't mind at all- besides everyone does it don't they? And our god might not mind if we covet a little bit because hey, everyone does that too it's in our natures and why should we repent of our nature it's not our fault we were born this way, right? And think about it, a touch of lying isn't so wrong, right? Harmless stuff that hurts no one that is perfectly fine, in fact it might be quite helpful for us and for others to sometimes lie to them, for them, about them. We tell ourselves God understands, and we have to believe it don’t we or how else could we live with our corrupt lives? When we hold our lives up to the light of God's righteousness, when we allow ourselves to believe in God, the REAL God, we truly see how unrighteous we are and how much we need to repent. We see the filth of our sins in the light and purity of God's righteousness and we can't help but be appalled with ourselves. We'd much rather make up a god who accepts our sinning than believe in a God who calls us to account for our sins as plentiful as they are, as horrific as they are. When we understand our sinning we are called to - GO and SIN NO MORE. And the problem with that is we want to sin more so we try to hide from God's commandments, we try to lessen those commandments, to bend them, to mold them, to shape them into something we like and when we do that we are sinning grievously.
We have to HIDE God's words in our HEARTS, not change God's words!
We have to believe that by keeping God's words in our hearts that we are protected by God, because we ARE!
When we sin we need to repent.
When we sin we need to feel the remorse for that sin, not an acceptance.
When we sin we need to understand the gravity of the sin NOT ignore it, NOT accept it, NOT try to make it something it isn't.
Sin is the transgression of the law. GOD'S LAW!
Sin is worthy of death.
We are worthy of death.
Jesus Christ our Savior did NOT transgress God's law! This is where Jesus is WORTHY of life everlasting.
To say Jesus was sinless is to say that Jesus kept God's law perfectly.
Why do people forget that? Why do they ignore that part? Why? Because they do NOT want to believe there even is a law to keep. They'd rather believe there no longer exists a law as if Jesus did away with it by keeping it perfectly. As if that law were the sword in the stone and He alone could pull it out leaving a sword there no longer. God's law remains and will remain until heaven and earth are GONE! If God's law remains then we live in the light of that law and that light reveals our sinfulness.
Before ANYONE begins to believe I think that our keeping the law perfectly will save us, I don't. I believe only our Savior was capable of keeping the law perfectly. We however through Him, by His grace, by HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS can keep the law. By clinging to HIM and allowing the Holy Spirit to live within us, we can live as He lived. Only HE saves us! We have to stand in the light of the law and do so without any excuses for our failings. We need to let our filthiness be revealed so that we can REPENT, so that we can ask for forgiveness, so that we can cling to Christ our Savior! If we for even a moment believe we are clean of sin by some act of our own we are heaping filth upon ourselves. Only Christ can clean us, but we must stand in all our filthiness before God and NOT hide as sin often makes us want to do.
Remember Adam and Eve after sinning, their first act was to hide from God. We cannot HIDE from God! We cannot put up a false God in place of God because when we do that we are lost, completely lost.
Let's NOT create a false god whose commandments are changeable as the wind blowing every which way. Let's NOT hide from the truth. Let's NOT throw away God's Commandments.
Psa 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Let us HIDE God's word in our hearts so that we might NOT sin against Him!
All through His grace, all through His righteousness, all through His amazing LOVE!
Amen.
We are COMMANDED to keep God's precepts.
Psa 119:5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!
Psa 119:6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.
We will NOT be ashamed when we have RESPECT unto ALL God's COMMANDMENTS.
Psa 119:7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
There is RIGHTEOUSNESS in God's judgments.
Psa 119:8 I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.
We MUST keep God's statutes.
Psa 119:9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
How do we cleanse our ways? Yes, this verse says 'young man' but in truth don’t we ALL need to cleanse our ways?
We cleanse our ways by TAKING HEED to God's word.
Psa 119:10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
Seeking God with our whole heart, not half heartedly, but with our whole heart. By NOT wandering from God's commandments!
Psa 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Hiding God's word in our HEARTS keeps us from SINNING against God.
Psa 119:12 Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.
*******
So many people want to be God's but they do not want to listen to God at all. They want to make up a fantasy God, someone they can worship on their own terms, not God's terms. It's true, all too true and people give that fantasy God of theirs just enough of the real God's attributes that they convince themselves He's the real thing. In truth Satan loves when we worship gods of our own creation. He loves when we piece our own God together using bits and pieces of what we deem acceptable. As long as we don't take it too far everything is okay we assume, when that is far from the truth. Yes, the God of our own making might not want us to steal, but he's okay with a little harmless taking where we are quick to assume that the other person won't mind at all- besides everyone does it don't they? And our god might not mind if we covet a little bit because hey, everyone does that too it's in our natures and why should we repent of our nature it's not our fault we were born this way, right? And think about it, a touch of lying isn't so wrong, right? Harmless stuff that hurts no one that is perfectly fine, in fact it might be quite helpful for us and for others to sometimes lie to them, for them, about them. We tell ourselves God understands, and we have to believe it don’t we or how else could we live with our corrupt lives? When we hold our lives up to the light of God's righteousness, when we allow ourselves to believe in God, the REAL God, we truly see how unrighteous we are and how much we need to repent. We see the filth of our sins in the light and purity of God's righteousness and we can't help but be appalled with ourselves. We'd much rather make up a god who accepts our sinning than believe in a God who calls us to account for our sins as plentiful as they are, as horrific as they are. When we understand our sinning we are called to - GO and SIN NO MORE. And the problem with that is we want to sin more so we try to hide from God's commandments, we try to lessen those commandments, to bend them, to mold them, to shape them into something we like and when we do that we are sinning grievously.
We have to HIDE God's words in our HEARTS, not change God's words!
We have to believe that by keeping God's words in our hearts that we are protected by God, because we ARE!
When we sin we need to repent.
When we sin we need to feel the remorse for that sin, not an acceptance.
When we sin we need to understand the gravity of the sin NOT ignore it, NOT accept it, NOT try to make it something it isn't.
Sin is the transgression of the law. GOD'S LAW!
Sin is worthy of death.
We are worthy of death.
Jesus Christ our Savior did NOT transgress God's law! This is where Jesus is WORTHY of life everlasting.
To say Jesus was sinless is to say that Jesus kept God's law perfectly.
Why do people forget that? Why do they ignore that part? Why? Because they do NOT want to believe there even is a law to keep. They'd rather believe there no longer exists a law as if Jesus did away with it by keeping it perfectly. As if that law were the sword in the stone and He alone could pull it out leaving a sword there no longer. God's law remains and will remain until heaven and earth are GONE! If God's law remains then we live in the light of that law and that light reveals our sinfulness.
Before ANYONE begins to believe I think that our keeping the law perfectly will save us, I don't. I believe only our Savior was capable of keeping the law perfectly. We however through Him, by His grace, by HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS can keep the law. By clinging to HIM and allowing the Holy Spirit to live within us, we can live as He lived. Only HE saves us! We have to stand in the light of the law and do so without any excuses for our failings. We need to let our filthiness be revealed so that we can REPENT, so that we can ask for forgiveness, so that we can cling to Christ our Savior! If we for even a moment believe we are clean of sin by some act of our own we are heaping filth upon ourselves. Only Christ can clean us, but we must stand in all our filthiness before God and NOT hide as sin often makes us want to do.
Remember Adam and Eve after sinning, their first act was to hide from God. We cannot HIDE from God! We cannot put up a false God in place of God because when we do that we are lost, completely lost.
Let's NOT create a false god whose commandments are changeable as the wind blowing every which way. Let's NOT hide from the truth. Let's NOT throw away God's Commandments.
Psa 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Let us HIDE God's word in our hearts so that we might NOT sin against Him!
All through His grace, all through His righteousness, all through His amazing LOVE!
Amen.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Honor thy father and mother...
Exo 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Honor thy father and thy mother. Let's read some more verses on mothers and fathers--
Exo 21:15 And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.
To death!
Exo 21:17 And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.
To death!
Amazing, truly amazing. Talk about having RESPECT for your parents. Why do you think this is so important? We live in a day when respecting- when honoring your parents seems to be optional, not truly required. Millions, yes, I said millions because it's true- millions of children disobey their parents, they don't honor their parents, not really. Talking back to them, lying to them, outright disobeying them, cursing at them, mouthing off in so many ways, this it the norm, not the exception. Even little children are commonly seen and known to be disrespectful of their parents- I'm talking 2-3 year olds that are allowed to get away with beginning their rebellious ways that develop into 4-5 year olds that only continue to behave horribly and so on. You know what I'm talking about. We even see if portrayed in comedies on televison and in the movies where they highlight children with defiant attitudes, mouthy children who act as if they are the parent not the child at all and those movies applaud those children, they are the stars of the shows. All this glorifies disobeying God's command!
Why is this so important, because God is our HEAVENLY FATHER! He is our FATHER! If we have no respect, no honor for our earthly parents is it possible at all to truly have honor and respect for our Heavenly Father? It's not. Our God may allow us to go through severe trials and tribulations and we are to do so without dishonoring Him. I'm talking SEVERE trials, horrific trials and so those people who have horrific parents are STILL required to honor them and respect them- this is a trial they are called to bear. Is it easy? Do I say this lightly? NO! And NO! Children who are called to endure parents completely undeserving of respect and honor face an amazing trial of their faith.
Let's read more verses on mothers and fathers--
Lev 19:3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.
Pro 1:8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother
Pro 23:22 Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
Pro 23:23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
Pro 23:24 The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.
Pro 23:25 Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.
Pro 28:24 Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression; the same is the companion of a destroyer.
Mat 15:4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
Mat 15:5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
Mat 15:6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
Eph 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Eph 6:2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
Eph 6:3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
Col 3:20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
*******
Now let me ask a question we've been asking of every commandment we've studied so far- should there ever be a time when this commandment should no longer matter? Should this commandment ever be done away with? NO, and NO!
Why would there ever come a time when it would be okay to dishonor your parents? At what point in history would this be applicable? Did Christ's coming and fulfilling the law do away with this? Never! We've already studied and know that Christ did not do away with any of the ten commandments of God, not a single one. Our Savior was able to keep - to fulfill- all the laws perfectly revealing that they are all just and good, that they are all written and given through LOVE.
By the grace of God may we - through the LOVE of God keep all the commandments fully in Him. May we HONOR, truly HONOR our Father and Mother as God would have us honor them. May we fully honor God our Heavenly Father in all ways. Please Lord, bless us! Help us! Keep us! Forgive us! Love us!
Amen.
Honor thy father and thy mother. Let's read some more verses on mothers and fathers--
Exo 21:15 And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.
To death!
Exo 21:17 And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.
To death!
Amazing, truly amazing. Talk about having RESPECT for your parents. Why do you think this is so important? We live in a day when respecting- when honoring your parents seems to be optional, not truly required. Millions, yes, I said millions because it's true- millions of children disobey their parents, they don't honor their parents, not really. Talking back to them, lying to them, outright disobeying them, cursing at them, mouthing off in so many ways, this it the norm, not the exception. Even little children are commonly seen and known to be disrespectful of their parents- I'm talking 2-3 year olds that are allowed to get away with beginning their rebellious ways that develop into 4-5 year olds that only continue to behave horribly and so on. You know what I'm talking about. We even see if portrayed in comedies on televison and in the movies where they highlight children with defiant attitudes, mouthy children who act as if they are the parent not the child at all and those movies applaud those children, they are the stars of the shows. All this glorifies disobeying God's command!
Why is this so important, because God is our HEAVENLY FATHER! He is our FATHER! If we have no respect, no honor for our earthly parents is it possible at all to truly have honor and respect for our Heavenly Father? It's not. Our God may allow us to go through severe trials and tribulations and we are to do so without dishonoring Him. I'm talking SEVERE trials, horrific trials and so those people who have horrific parents are STILL required to honor them and respect them- this is a trial they are called to bear. Is it easy? Do I say this lightly? NO! And NO! Children who are called to endure parents completely undeserving of respect and honor face an amazing trial of their faith.
Let's read more verses on mothers and fathers--
Lev 19:3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.
Pro 1:8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother
Pro 23:22 Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
Pro 23:23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
Pro 23:24 The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.
Pro 23:25 Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.
Pro 28:24 Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression; the same is the companion of a destroyer.
Mat 15:4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
Mat 15:5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
Mat 15:6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
Eph 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Eph 6:2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
Eph 6:3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
Col 3:20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
*******
Now let me ask a question we've been asking of every commandment we've studied so far- should there ever be a time when this commandment should no longer matter? Should this commandment ever be done away with? NO, and NO!
Why would there ever come a time when it would be okay to dishonor your parents? At what point in history would this be applicable? Did Christ's coming and fulfilling the law do away with this? Never! We've already studied and know that Christ did not do away with any of the ten commandments of God, not a single one. Our Savior was able to keep - to fulfill- all the laws perfectly revealing that they are all just and good, that they are all written and given through LOVE.
By the grace of God may we - through the LOVE of God keep all the commandments fully in Him. May we HONOR, truly HONOR our Father and Mother as God would have us honor them. May we fully honor God our Heavenly Father in all ways. Please Lord, bless us! Help us! Keep us! Forgive us! Love us!
Amen.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Without Love No Law of God Can Be Kept
Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Do you feel more freedom when you have laws or less freedom?
Children often cannot wait to escape the laws their parents have set for them because in their youth they believe the laws are in place to restrict their freedom. People living under unfair laws feel the same way. But people living under laws designed for their protection feel incredibly more free than if those laws never existed. How free would you feel if you lived where it was the law that you could kill anyone you wanted to kill? How free would you feel if you lived where it was perfectly fine, in fact, the law to take things that didn't belong to you? Would you feel a sense of freedom in your marriage if it were the law to have martial relations with anyone you desired and not just your spouse? Living in the supposed land of the free we have many, many laws we follow- we agree to follow those laws by living here. If all those laws were gone what takes their place? We've heard of living in the lawless west- in a time before the western part of the United States was civilized. The lawless west where you could go and take your chances on finding cheap land and build a homestead, but in truth you knew that once you set out for that land you were facing a lot of danger and fear. Living where there are no laws is scary, very scary. Living in parts of the world where the laws differ from your own laws can be scary too. Living in a place where you are NOT guaranteed a speedy trial can have you in perfect innocence sitting behind bars for years and years before you can even present your case for innocence. Living in a place with unfamiliar laws you run the risk of breaking those laws until you learn what they are. It's a wise decision when visiting any other country to learn their laws- at least in a general manner, because you could find yourself in jail for something that is perfectly fine to do in your own country. Laws are designed for many reasons, but if we really stop and think about it, a lot of our laws are designed to protect our freedom, not hinder it and keep us from things we've agreed are acceptable.
A law of liberty.
A law of freedom.
This law is NOT a law that takes away all other laws so you are free to break those old laws at will.
Jesus kept ALL the laws.
Joh 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
Mat 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
The great commandment- Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with ALL thy heart, and with ALL thy soul and with ALL thy mind.
The second greatest commandment- Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself.
Did Jesus tell the man that asked which is the great commandment that there was a NEW commandment and all the old commandments are gone? No.
People will argue that Jesus said we have to follow HIS commandments as He followed His Father's- meaning we don't have to follow the Father's commandments. Yet how do those people account for this--
Luk 16:17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
And this--
Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Till heaven and earth pass- perish, go away- till heaven and earth disappear not one dot of an I or cross of a t will be taken away from the law.
Has heaven and earth perished? No. Obviously, no.
Jesus fulfilled the law- Jesus kept the law perfectly!
Just because one person fulfills the requirements of something doesn't make those requirements disappear for everyone else! Everyone has to fulfill the SAME requirements. Think of all the tests and such that people have to take and how everyone who passes the test must meet the requirements of passing. Just because the smart person in the class passed the test doesn't mean he passed it for everyone. Just because my great great grandmother passed a test years and years ago doesn't mean she passed it for me and everyone else. Every person who takes the bar exam has to pass it for himself, not for anyone else.
Jesus passed the test- Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law perfectly and that is something WE cannot do. Jesus didn't pass the test then throw the test out- He passed the test and then told us that THROUGH Him we can pass the test too. It is through Him we are able to fulfill the same law, the same commandments that He fulfilled- His Father's commandments. How we do this is by LOVING. Jesus wanted us to realize that the commandments He fulfilled were fulfilled by LOVE and the commandment He gives to us is to LOVE, and out of that love we will be able to fulfill all the law.
Love God.
Love our fellow man as if we were loving ourselves- how we want to be loved.
Jesus said PLAINLY He did NOT come to destroy the law. He had to say it plainly because so many believe that's exactly what He did. He wiped the Ten Commandments off the face of the earth and replaced them with the love commandments.
Don't you see, sin is the breaking of the law.
Jesus didn't sin.
Jesus didn't break the law.
Jesus was able to live His entire life fulfilling the law, meeting the requirements of the law, something we have never been able to do and never can do without Him, it is through Him we are able to keep the law- through HIS righteousness.
Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Jas 2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
Jas 2:9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
Jas 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Jas 2:11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
Jas 2:12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
Jas 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
The perfect law of liberty is loving as Jesus loved, showing mercy to all. If we show no mercy we receive no mercy. Remember the Lord teaching the apostles how to pray… in that prayer guideline we find this--
Mat 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And this…
Mat 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Mat 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
This was sorely lacking in the keepers of the law before our Savior came, in some cases completely lacking. They'd kept the law but destroyed the love that belonged in that law. All too often people will be steadfast in their beliefs, so steadfast that they forget that without love all their beliefs mean NOTHING. They can keep all ten great commandments perfectly and without love they've broken every single one. The law was a law of liberty- a law that brings us freedom in life- all through LOVE. God gave the ten commandments originally out of love and that's NEVER changed! God did NOT free the Hebrews from the Egyptians only to want to put them back into a form of bondage to Him! God wanted to give them a freedom they'd never known before. And man so degraded by sin turned God's perfect law into something loveless. By the time Jesus came the Hebrews were so entrenched in their loveless law keeping they felt threatened by the true revelation of the law being fulfilled in Jesus Christ through love.
Jesus didn't come to destroy the law but He came to keep the law in perfect love and this perfect law of love brings a liberty unlike anything offered elsewhere.
Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
We look into the perfect law of liberty and know it's a perfect law of love. Jesus' command that we love revealed His love in the law.
We are free in the law knowing how love penetrates each and every word of the law from the first to the last. If we tell people they are still accountable to keep the laws of God and forget to tell them of the love found in those laws we are missing the most important aspect of those laws. People do not want to be bound to loveless laws, they need to see the richness of the love deeply embedded in God's commandments to us. They want to understand that it is out of a pure love unlike anything we possess that we should keep God's laws. There are scores and scores of people who keep laws to the letter and yet have broken them all by stripping the love from those laws. Jesus commands we love for without love no law can be kept, not a single one!
By His grace, through HIS amazing LOVE may we love His law!
All through Him!
Amen.
Do you feel more freedom when you have laws or less freedom?
Children often cannot wait to escape the laws their parents have set for them because in their youth they believe the laws are in place to restrict their freedom. People living under unfair laws feel the same way. But people living under laws designed for their protection feel incredibly more free than if those laws never existed. How free would you feel if you lived where it was the law that you could kill anyone you wanted to kill? How free would you feel if you lived where it was perfectly fine, in fact, the law to take things that didn't belong to you? Would you feel a sense of freedom in your marriage if it were the law to have martial relations with anyone you desired and not just your spouse? Living in the supposed land of the free we have many, many laws we follow- we agree to follow those laws by living here. If all those laws were gone what takes their place? We've heard of living in the lawless west- in a time before the western part of the United States was civilized. The lawless west where you could go and take your chances on finding cheap land and build a homestead, but in truth you knew that once you set out for that land you were facing a lot of danger and fear. Living where there are no laws is scary, very scary. Living in parts of the world where the laws differ from your own laws can be scary too. Living in a place where you are NOT guaranteed a speedy trial can have you in perfect innocence sitting behind bars for years and years before you can even present your case for innocence. Living in a place with unfamiliar laws you run the risk of breaking those laws until you learn what they are. It's a wise decision when visiting any other country to learn their laws- at least in a general manner, because you could find yourself in jail for something that is perfectly fine to do in your own country. Laws are designed for many reasons, but if we really stop and think about it, a lot of our laws are designed to protect our freedom, not hinder it and keep us from things we've agreed are acceptable.
A law of liberty.
A law of freedom.
This law is NOT a law that takes away all other laws so you are free to break those old laws at will.
Jesus kept ALL the laws.
Joh 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
Mat 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
The great commandment- Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with ALL thy heart, and with ALL thy soul and with ALL thy mind.
The second greatest commandment- Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself.
Did Jesus tell the man that asked which is the great commandment that there was a NEW commandment and all the old commandments are gone? No.
People will argue that Jesus said we have to follow HIS commandments as He followed His Father's- meaning we don't have to follow the Father's commandments. Yet how do those people account for this--
Luk 16:17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
And this--
Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Till heaven and earth pass- perish, go away- till heaven and earth disappear not one dot of an I or cross of a t will be taken away from the law.
Has heaven and earth perished? No. Obviously, no.
Jesus fulfilled the law- Jesus kept the law perfectly!
Just because one person fulfills the requirements of something doesn't make those requirements disappear for everyone else! Everyone has to fulfill the SAME requirements. Think of all the tests and such that people have to take and how everyone who passes the test must meet the requirements of passing. Just because the smart person in the class passed the test doesn't mean he passed it for everyone. Just because my great great grandmother passed a test years and years ago doesn't mean she passed it for me and everyone else. Every person who takes the bar exam has to pass it for himself, not for anyone else.
Jesus passed the test- Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law perfectly and that is something WE cannot do. Jesus didn't pass the test then throw the test out- He passed the test and then told us that THROUGH Him we can pass the test too. It is through Him we are able to fulfill the same law, the same commandments that He fulfilled- His Father's commandments. How we do this is by LOVING. Jesus wanted us to realize that the commandments He fulfilled were fulfilled by LOVE and the commandment He gives to us is to LOVE, and out of that love we will be able to fulfill all the law.
Love God.
Love our fellow man as if we were loving ourselves- how we want to be loved.
Jesus said PLAINLY He did NOT come to destroy the law. He had to say it plainly because so many believe that's exactly what He did. He wiped the Ten Commandments off the face of the earth and replaced them with the love commandments.
Don't you see, sin is the breaking of the law.
Jesus didn't sin.
Jesus didn't break the law.
Jesus was able to live His entire life fulfilling the law, meeting the requirements of the law, something we have never been able to do and never can do without Him, it is through Him we are able to keep the law- through HIS righteousness.
Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Jas 2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
Jas 2:9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
Jas 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Jas 2:11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
Jas 2:12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
Jas 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
The perfect law of liberty is loving as Jesus loved, showing mercy to all. If we show no mercy we receive no mercy. Remember the Lord teaching the apostles how to pray… in that prayer guideline we find this--
Mat 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And this…
Mat 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Mat 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
This was sorely lacking in the keepers of the law before our Savior came, in some cases completely lacking. They'd kept the law but destroyed the love that belonged in that law. All too often people will be steadfast in their beliefs, so steadfast that they forget that without love all their beliefs mean NOTHING. They can keep all ten great commandments perfectly and without love they've broken every single one. The law was a law of liberty- a law that brings us freedom in life- all through LOVE. God gave the ten commandments originally out of love and that's NEVER changed! God did NOT free the Hebrews from the Egyptians only to want to put them back into a form of bondage to Him! God wanted to give them a freedom they'd never known before. And man so degraded by sin turned God's perfect law into something loveless. By the time Jesus came the Hebrews were so entrenched in their loveless law keeping they felt threatened by the true revelation of the law being fulfilled in Jesus Christ through love.
Jesus didn't come to destroy the law but He came to keep the law in perfect love and this perfect law of love brings a liberty unlike anything offered elsewhere.
Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
We look into the perfect law of liberty and know it's a perfect law of love. Jesus' command that we love revealed His love in the law.
We are free in the law knowing how love penetrates each and every word of the law from the first to the last. If we tell people they are still accountable to keep the laws of God and forget to tell them of the love found in those laws we are missing the most important aspect of those laws. People do not want to be bound to loveless laws, they need to see the richness of the love deeply embedded in God's commandments to us. They want to understand that it is out of a pure love unlike anything we possess that we should keep God's laws. There are scores and scores of people who keep laws to the letter and yet have broken them all by stripping the love from those laws. Jesus commands we love for without love no law can be kept, not a single one!
By His grace, through HIS amazing LOVE may we love His law!
All through Him!
Amen.
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