Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”
Ephesians 6:1-3 “Children,
obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father
and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: ‘that it may
be well with you and you may live long on the earth.’”
God
is a parent/child kind of person. He is in complete support of the
relationship between a child and their mother and father. After all, God
is a Father and a Son! Remember? God the Father, God the Son, and
God the Holy Spirit - three-in-one? If He is Father and Son, and we are
made in His image, what should that say about our own relationships
with our parents?
The first thing you should realize is that the fifth commandment doesn’t even mention obedience.
It says to honor your father and mother. God is most interested in your
attitude towards them. Honor goes much further than mere obedience - it
deals with our heart. Honoring your parents means to respect them, to
have a high regard for them, and to highly value them. This is the
attitude God wants His people to have toward their parents.
Ephesians
6:1 tells christian children to obey their parents in the Lord. This
means that as long as their parents aren’t telling them to disobey God’s
Word, they should obey. Obedience to parents is required for as long as
a child is under their authority. When a child grows up and leaves the
home, the command to obey is no longer binding on them. But notice this,
the command to honor has no age limit!
Even
grown-ups are commanded by God to honor their father and mother. This
attitude of respect and esteem should continue from childhood into adult
years. Even after one’s parents have passed on, their memory should be
honored and respected.
How
important is this attitude of honor to God? Extremely! Even though it
is the fifth commandment, it is the first to have a promise attached to
it. The promise is this: “that it may go well with you and you may live long on the earth.” This is a concrete promise from God; if you honor your father and your mother, you will
have a long, good life! Count on this: if things aren’t going so well
for you - the first thing you should examine is your attitude and
respect for your parents!
Now,
this gets a little delicate in some situations. What if parents aren’t
deserving of honor? What if a parent was abusive, neglectful, or
hurtful? What should we do when we’re commanded to give something that
isn’t deserved? All too often, adults are still struggling with what
their parents did or didn’t do for them as a child. Even after the
parents are dead and gone, those wounds can still fester. Surely God
doesn’t expect honor in these situations, right?
Wrong. It is true that God’s command to obey our parents has a condition attached (“in the Lord”).
But His command to honor our parents has no conditions on it. He told
us to honor them, whether they deserve it or not. But when you think
about it, this unconditional honor isn’t anything new. After all, God
loved us when we didn’t deserve it - right? Doesn’t He command us to
love each other - unconditionally? Even His command for us to forgive
others has no strings attached to it. We’re just told to do it! So why
would it be surprising for God to command honor towards parents, whether
it’s deserved or not? You see, God is far more interested in our
obedience from the heart than He is about whether someone deserves your
honor (or love, or forgiveness).
So
how do we honor a parent that doesn’t deserve it? You honor them by
releasing the pain they’ve caused. You honor them by giving them the
respect of a parent. You honor them by forgiving them of the wrongs they
have done. You honor them by letting go of any hurt they may have
caused. And you honor them by praying for them.
Of course it’s not easy. Not a single one of the ten commandments are easy. If we could do it on our own, then we wouldn’t have needed salvation! But, through the amazing, empowering grace of God we can receive the strength we need to obey this command from the heart.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
One Day A Week!
Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember
to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each
week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of
rest dedicated to the Lord
your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This
includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants,
your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the
Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”
When God created the world, He did it in six days and took one day off to rest. Why would an all-powerful, tireless, ever-working God need a day of rest? As a matter of fact, He didn’t. God wasn’t resting because He was tired, He was setting an example for the day old humans that He created. He was showing mankind how their time should be organized. Six days on - one day off - this was the manner of life God intended for His most precious creation.
Our years are governed by the earth’s revolution around the sun. Our months are governed by the cycles of the moon. Our days are governed by the rotation of the earth. But the seven-day week has no external contributing factors. It doesn’t fit evenly into our months or years. Simply put, there is absolutely no explanation for it outside of the Bible!
As a comical side-note, the French Revolutionary government tried to change the number of days in the week from seven to ten. This attempted change started in 1793 and only lasted for ten years. It was a hilarious attempt by radical atheists to remove any religious trace in society. It was a disaster! It seems that humanity has the seven-day week ingrained in our nature!
But the Sabbath was not simply intended to be a day off. God had much more in mind for this one day a week; this is obvious from His statement, “...the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.” When you read through the law (the first five books of the Bible), you will see that it is always described as “holy.” Clearly God meant for it to be more than a day off. In fact, this was God’s standing appointment to gather His people together and meet with them.
Listen to what Leviticus 19:30 says, “Keep my Sabbath days of rest, and show reverence toward my sanctuary. I am the Lord.” Apparently, God wanted His people to be connected with His sanctuary - His place of meeting - on the Sabbath day. But this principle is stated even more clearly in Leviticus 23:3, “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of complete rest, an official day for holy assembly. It is the Lord’s Sabbath day, and it must be observed wherever you live.” God’s plan was to meet with His people when they gathered together once a week.
Let’s be clear, God wants visit us at any time and in any place. There’s no limit to His relationship with you! So don’t think I’m limiting God to one day a week. But there is a set time when He wants His kids to gather together in His name. And from what we see in scripture, He wants this once a week.
You may say, “That’s in the Old Testament, we’re not bound to that anymore!” Well, that’s true - we aren’t bound to the Old Testament law. But would you agree with me that we need to follow Jesus’ own example? What did He do when He walked on this earth? Luke 4:16 shows us, “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.” Did you see that? Jesus’ custom was to attend the synagogue (church) once a week!
So Jesus followed the Jewish custom of gathering in the synagogue on the last day of the week, the sabbath. But Jesus was soon to set up another custom for His church to follow. Mark 16:9 shows us the beginning of this custom, “Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.” Later on, in the same day, Jesus appeared to His disciples as they were gathered together.
This began the church tradition of meeting on the first day of the week - Sunday, for us. Acts 20:7 shows us that the church continued in this habit long after Jesus went back to Heaven. “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread...” We know that the early church met together often, even daily - but they made a point to set aside the first day of a week as special.
This is the heart of the fourth command - to have a standing appointment with God and with His people. Of course we’re under grace now - but shouldn’t that motivate us to do more than what we’re commanded?
Why would any believer -saved by God’s grace, washed in Jesus’ own blood, redeemed from their old life - want to meet with God and His people less than they’re commanded? Listen to what Paul says in Hebrews 10:25 “...not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
God wants to meet with us. Not just with you and not just with me; He wants to meet with us! One thing that every believer needs to recognize is this: you aren’t the church, I’m not the church - We become the church when we meet together!
I don’t know about you, but personally, there is no where else I’d rather be than to be assembled with God’s people, seeking God’s face!
When God created the world, He did it in six days and took one day off to rest. Why would an all-powerful, tireless, ever-working God need a day of rest? As a matter of fact, He didn’t. God wasn’t resting because He was tired, He was setting an example for the day old humans that He created. He was showing mankind how their time should be organized. Six days on - one day off - this was the manner of life God intended for His most precious creation.
Our years are governed by the earth’s revolution around the sun. Our months are governed by the cycles of the moon. Our days are governed by the rotation of the earth. But the seven-day week has no external contributing factors. It doesn’t fit evenly into our months or years. Simply put, there is absolutely no explanation for it outside of the Bible!
As a comical side-note, the French Revolutionary government tried to change the number of days in the week from seven to ten. This attempted change started in 1793 and only lasted for ten years. It was a hilarious attempt by radical atheists to remove any religious trace in society. It was a disaster! It seems that humanity has the seven-day week ingrained in our nature!
But the Sabbath was not simply intended to be a day off. God had much more in mind for this one day a week; this is obvious from His statement, “...the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.” When you read through the law (the first five books of the Bible), you will see that it is always described as “holy.” Clearly God meant for it to be more than a day off. In fact, this was God’s standing appointment to gather His people together and meet with them.
Listen to what Leviticus 19:30 says, “Keep my Sabbath days of rest, and show reverence toward my sanctuary. I am the Lord.” Apparently, God wanted His people to be connected with His sanctuary - His place of meeting - on the Sabbath day. But this principle is stated even more clearly in Leviticus 23:3, “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of complete rest, an official day for holy assembly. It is the Lord’s Sabbath day, and it must be observed wherever you live.” God’s plan was to meet with His people when they gathered together once a week.
Let’s be clear, God wants visit us at any time and in any place. There’s no limit to His relationship with you! So don’t think I’m limiting God to one day a week. But there is a set time when He wants His kids to gather together in His name. And from what we see in scripture, He wants this once a week.
You may say, “That’s in the Old Testament, we’re not bound to that anymore!” Well, that’s true - we aren’t bound to the Old Testament law. But would you agree with me that we need to follow Jesus’ own example? What did He do when He walked on this earth? Luke 4:16 shows us, “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.” Did you see that? Jesus’ custom was to attend the synagogue (church) once a week!
So Jesus followed the Jewish custom of gathering in the synagogue on the last day of the week, the sabbath. But Jesus was soon to set up another custom for His church to follow. Mark 16:9 shows us the beginning of this custom, “Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.” Later on, in the same day, Jesus appeared to His disciples as they were gathered together.
This began the church tradition of meeting on the first day of the week - Sunday, for us. Acts 20:7 shows us that the church continued in this habit long after Jesus went back to Heaven. “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread...” We know that the early church met together often, even daily - but they made a point to set aside the first day of a week as special.
This is the heart of the fourth command - to have a standing appointment with God and with His people. Of course we’re under grace now - but shouldn’t that motivate us to do more than what we’re commanded?
Why would any believer -saved by God’s grace, washed in Jesus’ own blood, redeemed from their old life - want to meet with God and His people less than they’re commanded? Listen to what Paul says in Hebrews 10:25 “...not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
God wants to meet with us. Not just with you and not just with me; He wants to meet with us! One thing that every believer needs to recognize is this: you aren’t the church, I’m not the church - We become the church when we meet together!
I don’t know about you, but personally, there is no where else I’d rather be than to be assembled with God’s people, seeking God’s face!
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Not In Vain
Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”
Most people think they know everything about this commandment. But the fact is, there is much more to what God was saying than merely cussing. To truly dig through this one verse is to find several different levels to this, the third commandment.
First of all, let’s be clear what name we’re talking about here. In the Old Testament, He revealed Himself as Yahweh - the great I AM THAT I AM. This name was (and still is) so sacred to the Jews that they refused to even spell it out in their scriptures. This name is used inside many other common Jewish names. These include one great Jewish name, Yehoshua - Jesus. His name literally means “Yahweh is Salvation. This name is sacred, powerful, and unparalleled.
This is what Paul has to say about Jesus’ name in Philippians 2:9-11: “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” You see, it isn’t just the name that carries the power, since Moses gave this name to Joshua, there has been many Yehoshua’s in this world. But it is the person of God Himself that gives the power to His name!
So, if there is one name that deserves our honor, our respect and our immediate attention, it is the name of Jesus. In learning about the third command, we can see three different levels.
One, don’t use His name as a mere exclamation. This is the most commonly known meaning of this commandment. Don’t use the name of Jesus to simply express wonder, surprise or frustration. To take the name of our Creator and Savior, the name that is higher than any name, and reduce it to mean “that’s amazing” or “that’s awful” is the ultimate insult.
Two, don’t use His name in empty speech.
How often do people, even many believers, use this awesome name to illicit laughter. How many times have you heard Jesus become the butt of a joke? How many Christians repeated the “Dear Baby Jesus” prayer just to be funny? Do they realize who their talking about? Do they understand that He isn’t a baby anymore and that He carefully watches over the use of His name?
Jokes are the only useless ways that Jesus’ name is brought up. All too often, Christians attach Jesus’ name to prayers that they really don’t believe or even mean. How many times is this powerful name invoked in powerless prayers? This is simply an empty repetition; this is taking His name in vain.
Third, don’t carry His name and do nothing. The Hebrew word for “take” in verse 7 literally means “to bear or to carry.” When we were saved, we began to carry Jesus’ name on our lives. We are literally representing Jesus to this world. When you took His name, did you do it in vain? How have you represented Him in your life? This Christian life isn’t meant to be a pleasure cruise. Every one of us has a role to play in the body of Christ. Don’t take Jesus’ name in vain!
Lastly, pay attention to the warning God attaches to this commandment.
Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”
Most people think they know everything about this commandment. But the fact is, there is much more to what God was saying than merely cussing. To truly dig through this one verse is to find several different levels to this, the third commandment.
First of all, let’s be clear what name we’re talking about here. In the Old Testament, He revealed Himself as Yahweh - the great I AM THAT I AM. This name was (and still is) so sacred to the Jews that they refused to even spell it out in their scriptures. This name is used inside many other common Jewish names. These include one great Jewish name, Yehoshua - Jesus. His name literally means “Yahweh is Salvation. This name is sacred, powerful, and unparalleled.
This is what Paul has to say about Jesus’ name in Philippians 2:9-11: “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” You see, it isn’t just the name that carries the power, since Moses gave this name to Joshua, there has been many Yehoshua’s in this world. But it is the person of God Himself that gives the power to His name!
So, if there is one name that deserves our honor, our respect and our immediate attention, it is the name of Jesus. In learning about the third command, we can see three different levels.
One, don’t use His name as a mere exclamation. This is the most commonly known meaning of this commandment. Don’t use the name of Jesus to simply express wonder, surprise or frustration. To take the name of our Creator and Savior, the name that is higher than any name, and reduce it to mean “that’s amazing” or “that’s awful” is the ultimate insult.
Two, don’t use His name in empty speech.
How often do people, even many believers, use this awesome name to illicit laughter. How many times have you heard Jesus become the butt of a joke? How many Christians repeated the “Dear Baby Jesus” prayer just to be funny? Do they realize who their talking about? Do they understand that He isn’t a baby anymore and that He carefully watches over the use of His name?
Jokes are the only useless ways that Jesus’ name is brought up. All too often, Christians attach Jesus’ name to prayers that they really don’t believe or even mean. How many times is this powerful name invoked in powerless prayers? This is simply an empty repetition; this is taking His name in vain.
Third, don’t carry His name and do nothing. The Hebrew word for “take” in verse 7 literally means “to bear or to carry.” When we were saved, we began to carry Jesus’ name on our lives. We are literally representing Jesus to this world. When you took His name, did you do it in vain? How have you represented Him in your life? This Christian life isn’t meant to be a pleasure cruise. Every one of us has a role to play in the body of Christ. Don’t take Jesus’ name in vain!
Lastly, pay attention to the warning God attaches to this commandment.
Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”
Monday, July 9, 2012
God Doesn't Fit Your Image
Exodus 20:5 “You
shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything
that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in
the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.”
At first glance, the second commandment is very straightforward - there is to be no trace of idolatry, period. Americans may call it religious diversity, multiculturalism, and pluralism - but God calls it wickedness. Whether it’s one of the hundreds of Hindu gods, a Buddha statue, or a crucifix - humanity has no business bowing down or praying to a statue.
Genesis 1:27 tells us that we were created in the image of God: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” How silly it is when a man, created in God’s own image, makes a carved or engraved image and worships it!
God makes fun of this kind of behavior in the words of Isaiah 44. Listen to His ridicule in verses 14-18 (NLT):
“He cuts down cedars;
he selects the cypress and the oak;
he plants the pine in the forest
to be nourished by the rain.
Then he uses part of the wood to make a fire.
With it he warms himself and bakes his bread.
Then—yes, it’s true—he takes the rest of it
and makes himself a god to worship!
He makes an idol
and bows down in front of it!
He burns part of the tree to roast his meat
and to keep himself warm.
He says, ‘Ah, that fire feels good.’
Then he takes what’s left
and makes his god: a carved idol!
He falls down in front of it,
worshiping and praying to it.
‘Rescue me!’ he says.
‘You are my god!’
Such stupidity and ignorance!
Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see.
Their minds are shut, and they cannot think.”
No matter what the culture, no matter what the religion - God hates idolatry!
Now, most believers would agree wholeheartedly with this! They would never allow an idol into their home! Many of them even go to the extreme of avoiding Chinese restaurants so they would never have to see a statue of Buddha! But not so fast - the spiritual side of the second commandment is just as straightforward.
You see, the second commandment isn’t only referring to pagan idolatry. It was intended to apply to the worship of Yahweh as well! Listen to what God said in Deuteronomy 4:15-16: “Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when YAHWEH spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure...”
Do you see it? God didn’t appear in a physical shape on Mt. Sinai because He knew that if He did, Israel would begin to make images of Him to worship! God made sure that the Israelites would never be able to reduce Him to a man-made object. To prevent this, God revealed Himself in glory that appeared like fire and smoke. This is an important point to remember - God’s glory can never be duplicated by human effort!
So how does this apply to us? It shows us how much God hates it when we worship Him in our own way! Just like the Israelites were prohibited from worshiping Yahweh through idolatry (a command that they ignored in Exodus 32), we cannot use our own programs, systems and traditions to worship God.
What do I mean by that? We can’t hold onto our denominational by-laws, our church programs and schedules, and our crowd-pleasing tactics and completely ignore what God’s Word says. When we religiously follow our own ways of approaching God in worship while ignoring what God says - that becomes a form of idolatry! We take our “image” of what church should be (feeding the poor, lively music, inspirational messages) and make it into “God”! When has that ever worked?
Jesus is just offended at this as He is at a polytheist sacrificing to Zeus! Listen to what He has to say about our man-made rituals and programs: Mark 7:8-9 “For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men...He said to them, ‘All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.’”
So you have two options.
One - you can hold on to the idolatry of denominationalism and church tradition. If you’re going to stay here, know this: you’re standing in direct opposition to God!
Two - You can let go of empty tradition and meaningless worship and embrace the true glory of the Creator!
You can’t do both. When you hold the traditions of men to be sacred, you are laying aside the commandments of God. True worship must be biblical - not merely inspirational!
John 4:23-24 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (worship based on the Word, not tradition).
At first glance, the second commandment is very straightforward - there is to be no trace of idolatry, period. Americans may call it religious diversity, multiculturalism, and pluralism - but God calls it wickedness. Whether it’s one of the hundreds of Hindu gods, a Buddha statue, or a crucifix - humanity has no business bowing down or praying to a statue.
Genesis 1:27 tells us that we were created in the image of God: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” How silly it is when a man, created in God’s own image, makes a carved or engraved image and worships it!
God makes fun of this kind of behavior in the words of Isaiah 44. Listen to His ridicule in verses 14-18 (NLT):
“He cuts down cedars;
he selects the cypress and the oak;
he plants the pine in the forest
to be nourished by the rain.
Then he uses part of the wood to make a fire.
With it he warms himself and bakes his bread.
Then—yes, it’s true—he takes the rest of it
and makes himself a god to worship!
He makes an idol
and bows down in front of it!
He burns part of the tree to roast his meat
and to keep himself warm.
He says, ‘Ah, that fire feels good.’
Then he takes what’s left
and makes his god: a carved idol!
He falls down in front of it,
worshiping and praying to it.
‘Rescue me!’ he says.
‘You are my god!’
Such stupidity and ignorance!
Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see.
Their minds are shut, and they cannot think.”
No matter what the culture, no matter what the religion - God hates idolatry!
Now, most believers would agree wholeheartedly with this! They would never allow an idol into their home! Many of them even go to the extreme of avoiding Chinese restaurants so they would never have to see a statue of Buddha! But not so fast - the spiritual side of the second commandment is just as straightforward.
You see, the second commandment isn’t only referring to pagan idolatry. It was intended to apply to the worship of Yahweh as well! Listen to what God said in Deuteronomy 4:15-16: “Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when YAHWEH spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure...”
Do you see it? God didn’t appear in a physical shape on Mt. Sinai because He knew that if He did, Israel would begin to make images of Him to worship! God made sure that the Israelites would never be able to reduce Him to a man-made object. To prevent this, God revealed Himself in glory that appeared like fire and smoke. This is an important point to remember - God’s glory can never be duplicated by human effort!
So how does this apply to us? It shows us how much God hates it when we worship Him in our own way! Just like the Israelites were prohibited from worshiping Yahweh through idolatry (a command that they ignored in Exodus 32), we cannot use our own programs, systems and traditions to worship God.
What do I mean by that? We can’t hold onto our denominational by-laws, our church programs and schedules, and our crowd-pleasing tactics and completely ignore what God’s Word says. When we religiously follow our own ways of approaching God in worship while ignoring what God says - that becomes a form of idolatry! We take our “image” of what church should be (feeding the poor, lively music, inspirational messages) and make it into “God”! When has that ever worked?
Jesus is just offended at this as He is at a polytheist sacrificing to Zeus! Listen to what He has to say about our man-made rituals and programs: Mark 7:8-9 “For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men...He said to them, ‘All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.’”
So you have two options.
One - you can hold on to the idolatry of denominationalism and church tradition. If you’re going to stay here, know this: you’re standing in direct opposition to God!
Two - You can let go of empty tradition and meaningless worship and embrace the true glory of the Creator!
You can’t do both. When you hold the traditions of men to be sacred, you are laying aside the commandments of God. True worship must be biblical - not merely inspirational!
John 4:23-24 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (worship based on the Word, not tradition).
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
No Other Gods
Exodus 20:2-3 “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.”
Literally translated, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” means “Don’t have any other gods in My face.” God is very jealous for you - for your time, for your energy, for your devotion. In fact, two verses further into this chapter, God reveals His name as El Qanna - the Jealous God. He has the audacity to tell you, “It’s all of you or nothing!” How could He do that?
Look at verse two again: “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” The Israelites exodus from Egypt is a picture of our salvation. God is saying to us, “I saved you. I brought you out of your slavery to sin and gave you a new life. Now I demand your entire devotion.” God will not share you with anything!
Honestly, this exclusive devotion to God should be a natural thing for believers. After all, what else could we do? Paul said it best in Romans 12:2 (ERV): “So I beg you, brothers and sisters, because of the great mercy God has shown us, offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him—an offering that is only for God and pleasing to him. Considering what he has done, it is only right that you should worship him in this way.” Exclusive service to the God who saved us is the natural response for a believer.
God is commanding us to focus on Him. We should never give anything or anyone else the highest priority - either in our decisions or in our devotion. This begs the question: Is this the case for the average American believer?
Think about this:
According to a church poll by David Eikenberry, 59% of professing Christians read the Bible “occasionally.” Only 16% of American Christians could say that they read their Bible daily! Despite everything that God has done for us, despite the Bible being the best-seller year after year, despite our claim to be devoted to our Savior - only 16 out of 100 Christians spend time in God’s Word each day! The funny thing is, the most common excuse for not reading the Bible is “I don’t have enough time!”
This is funny because of the fact that the average American spends 26 hours a week watching TV - nearly a decade of their lives! No time? How many believers ever realize that they put a higher level of devotion on an electronic box than on the God who saved them? Cheap entertainment and useless hobbies should never displace God’s position in our lives!
But entertainment and recreation isn’t the only thing that fights for God’s place in life. All too often our care and concern for our loved ones overwhelms our dedication to God.
“I can’t go to church on Sundays - that’s my family time!”
“I know God’s asking me to give that money to Him, but I was planning to take my family to dinner with it.”
“I’m not going to talk about Jesus at my parents’ house - it might cause problems.”
Statements like these show where our true devotion lies. God absolutely does want us to love our family and friends - but never at the expense of our love (and obedience) to Him! When we put more focus on our loved ones that we do on our Lord - they become our gods!
God doesn’t just hate it when things consume our devotion, He also hates it when anything other than Him guides our decisions. He demands the final say in everything that we do! No believer should make decisions based solely on money, fear, pressure, or self-interest. Every decision in life must be guided by God’s Word!
And I do mean every decision:
Where you live
How much you give
How you treat your family
How often you go to church
What you do for fun
Every choice you face in life should be decided by God’s Word. This is where your devotion for Him pays off! The more time you spend devoted to God’s Word, the easier it will be to know what decisions He wants you to make.
So the choice is yours. Are you going to follow the same half-hearted path that most of American Christianity is on? Are you going to keep calling Jesus “Lord” and still reserve the rights to your own life? Are you going to keep your other gods standing in the face of Yahweh? Or are you - once and for all - going to sell out to the God who saved you?
Joshua 24:15 “But maybe you don’t want to serve YAHWEH. You must choose for yourselves today. Today you must decide who you will serve. Will you serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River? Or will you serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land? You must choose for yourselves. But as for me and my family, we will serve YAHWEH.”
Literally translated, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” means “Don’t have any other gods in My face.” God is very jealous for you - for your time, for your energy, for your devotion. In fact, two verses further into this chapter, God reveals His name as El Qanna - the Jealous God. He has the audacity to tell you, “It’s all of you or nothing!” How could He do that?
Look at verse two again: “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” The Israelites exodus from Egypt is a picture of our salvation. God is saying to us, “I saved you. I brought you out of your slavery to sin and gave you a new life. Now I demand your entire devotion.” God will not share you with anything!
Honestly, this exclusive devotion to God should be a natural thing for believers. After all, what else could we do? Paul said it best in Romans 12:2 (ERV): “So I beg you, brothers and sisters, because of the great mercy God has shown us, offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him—an offering that is only for God and pleasing to him. Considering what he has done, it is only right that you should worship him in this way.” Exclusive service to the God who saved us is the natural response for a believer.
God is commanding us to focus on Him. We should never give anything or anyone else the highest priority - either in our decisions or in our devotion. This begs the question: Is this the case for the average American believer?
Think about this:
According to a church poll by David Eikenberry, 59% of professing Christians read the Bible “occasionally.” Only 16% of American Christians could say that they read their Bible daily! Despite everything that God has done for us, despite the Bible being the best-seller year after year, despite our claim to be devoted to our Savior - only 16 out of 100 Christians spend time in God’s Word each day! The funny thing is, the most common excuse for not reading the Bible is “I don’t have enough time!”
This is funny because of the fact that the average American spends 26 hours a week watching TV - nearly a decade of their lives! No time? How many believers ever realize that they put a higher level of devotion on an electronic box than on the God who saved them? Cheap entertainment and useless hobbies should never displace God’s position in our lives!
But entertainment and recreation isn’t the only thing that fights for God’s place in life. All too often our care and concern for our loved ones overwhelms our dedication to God.
“I can’t go to church on Sundays - that’s my family time!”
“I know God’s asking me to give that money to Him, but I was planning to take my family to dinner with it.”
“I’m not going to talk about Jesus at my parents’ house - it might cause problems.”
Statements like these show where our true devotion lies. God absolutely does want us to love our family and friends - but never at the expense of our love (and obedience) to Him! When we put more focus on our loved ones that we do on our Lord - they become our gods!
God doesn’t just hate it when things consume our devotion, He also hates it when anything other than Him guides our decisions. He demands the final say in everything that we do! No believer should make decisions based solely on money, fear, pressure, or self-interest. Every decision in life must be guided by God’s Word!
And I do mean every decision:
Where you live
How much you give
How you treat your family
How often you go to church
What you do for fun
Every choice you face in life should be decided by God’s Word. This is where your devotion for Him pays off! The more time you spend devoted to God’s Word, the easier it will be to know what decisions He wants you to make.
So the choice is yours. Are you going to follow the same half-hearted path that most of American Christianity is on? Are you going to keep calling Jesus “Lord” and still reserve the rights to your own life? Are you going to keep your other gods standing in the face of Yahweh? Or are you - once and for all - going to sell out to the God who saved you?
Joshua 24:15 “But maybe you don’t want to serve YAHWEH. You must choose for yourselves today. Today you must decide who you will serve. Will you serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River? Or will you serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land? You must choose for yourselves. But as for me and my family, we will serve YAHWEH.”
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
How To Obey The Ten Commandments
Galatians 3:13 “Christ
has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for
us, for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’”
Sadly, this beautiful verse has been used out of context all too often. Many people claim that the message of this verse is that we have been redeemed from the ten commandments, that we’ve been redeemed from the law. They combine this verse with Matthew 22:37-39 and try to claim that the law has no relevance to us - that the only thing we need to do in the New Testament is love God and love our neighbor. After all, we’re under grace in the New Testament - right? They don’t seem to recognize that Galatians 3:13 tells us that Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law - not the law itself!
The mindset of some believers is, “I don’t have to obey all of the commandments now that I’m saved. I only have to love God and other people.” But read closely what Jesus said in Matthew 22. “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.’” Jesus wasn’t taking away the law and giving us something easier to do. The point is that love will keep the law!
I’ve said this before, but there is a great misunderstanding in modern Christianity of what God’s grace is. It’s not merely unlimited forgiveness or a license to live however you want. Rather, it’s the power of God for a new start, wisdom for the right way to live, and the ability to do what God commands.
We’re saved by grace through faith. Romans 3:20 makes it clear that salvation cannot come through obedience. “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight.” It’s true that the ten commandments don’t have a cause/effect relationship to our salvation. We can’t earn our forgiveness and salvation by the law. Ephesians says it this way, “By grace you have been saved through faith, not of works...” So salvation comes through faith alone.
But look at what Romans 3:31 says, “Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.” Faith isn’t unrelated to works. Paul says here that faith is what empowers us to obey the law. This agrees with the what the epistle of James tells us - faith leads to obedience. So after salvation, God’s grace and our faith work together to fulfill the law! Romans 6:14 illustrates the sin-free lifestyle that grace empowers us to live: “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
The point is, it’s only through the power of grace that we can obey the commands of the law. When you try to obey the law through your flesh, you’re going to be frustrated. Romans 7:14-20 describes the frustration that comes when we try to obey the law on our own strength: “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it isgood. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.”
We can’t obey the law on our own. If we could, we would be able to save ourselves. But we can’t, because our natural flesh can’t keep God’s spiritual commandments. The only answer is to live your life by your born-again spirit. Romans 8:2-6 says this: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
Do you see it? When we live our life by the Spirit of God, we are empowered to fulfill the law!
The key book on law vs. grace - Galatians -has this very fact as its central theme. Galatians 5:18 says it this way, “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Why? Because when you’re led by the Spirit, you have the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) growing in your life. And when you live in the spirit, the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) have no more place. You begin to naturally fulfill the law!
Sadly, this beautiful verse has been used out of context all too often. Many people claim that the message of this verse is that we have been redeemed from the ten commandments, that we’ve been redeemed from the law. They combine this verse with Matthew 22:37-39 and try to claim that the law has no relevance to us - that the only thing we need to do in the New Testament is love God and love our neighbor. After all, we’re under grace in the New Testament - right? They don’t seem to recognize that Galatians 3:13 tells us that Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law - not the law itself!
The mindset of some believers is, “I don’t have to obey all of the commandments now that I’m saved. I only have to love God and other people.” But read closely what Jesus said in Matthew 22. “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.’” Jesus wasn’t taking away the law and giving us something easier to do. The point is that love will keep the law!
I’ve said this before, but there is a great misunderstanding in modern Christianity of what God’s grace is. It’s not merely unlimited forgiveness or a license to live however you want. Rather, it’s the power of God for a new start, wisdom for the right way to live, and the ability to do what God commands.
We’re saved by grace through faith. Romans 3:20 makes it clear that salvation cannot come through obedience. “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight.” It’s true that the ten commandments don’t have a cause/effect relationship to our salvation. We can’t earn our forgiveness and salvation by the law. Ephesians says it this way, “By grace you have been saved through faith, not of works...” So salvation comes through faith alone.
But look at what Romans 3:31 says, “Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.” Faith isn’t unrelated to works. Paul says here that faith is what empowers us to obey the law. This agrees with the what the epistle of James tells us - faith leads to obedience. So after salvation, God’s grace and our faith work together to fulfill the law! Romans 6:14 illustrates the sin-free lifestyle that grace empowers us to live: “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
The point is, it’s only through the power of grace that we can obey the commands of the law. When you try to obey the law through your flesh, you’re going to be frustrated. Romans 7:14-20 describes the frustration that comes when we try to obey the law on our own strength: “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it isgood. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.”
We can’t obey the law on our own. If we could, we would be able to save ourselves. But we can’t, because our natural flesh can’t keep God’s spiritual commandments. The only answer is to live your life by your born-again spirit. Romans 8:2-6 says this: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
Do you see it? When we live our life by the Spirit of God, we are empowered to fulfill the law!
The key book on law vs. grace - Galatians -has this very fact as its central theme. Galatians 5:18 says it this way, “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Why? Because when you’re led by the Spirit, you have the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) growing in your life. And when you live in the spirit, the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) have no more place. You begin to naturally fulfill the law!
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