Jesus and the Law

 

“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets;

I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
Not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments,
and teaches others to do the same,
shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven;
but whoever keeps and teaches them,
he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:17-19

Grace does not annul the law.  Yes, we are no longer under the law for judgment, but God’s rules and regulations of the Old Testament are still His best for us.  In other words, God gave the law for the protection and provision of His people.  Those same laws when followed today still protect and provide for us.  We are not condemned by the law since Jesus’ blood paid in full for our inability to keep the law, but the law still has merit for victorious living.  It is really a matter of the horse and the cart.  If you put the cart before the horse, you will end up in the ditch!  If you put the law before grace, you will end up legalistic and unhappy.  Grace comes first and that gives us the desire to please God and have the ability to follow the law. 

 Choose to walk in the knowledge of God’s amazing grace which is forgiveness and freedom from guilt and shame.  But also choose to be wise and learn the laws of God, that you may know His protection and provision.

 

Thank You, God

“…and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross,

so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness;
for by His wounds you were healed.
For you were continually straying like sheep,
but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”
1 Peter 2:24-25

Praise God!  Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice.  Thank you for the freedom from sin and guilt, from shame and rejection.  Thank you for healing my heart and making me whole again.  Thank you that even though I have strayed and may again, that you are watching over me, protecting me and providing for me.  Thank you that I can trust you with my soul – that your words and promises are forever and I know that I will spend eternity in heaven with you.  Knowing all of this gives me the strength to keep going day to day in spite of pain and ugliness.  Thank you, God, for You are good!

 

The High Road

“Teach me to do Your will,

For You are my God;
Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”
Psalm 143:10

Is this the cry of your heart?  Have you put all things under the cross and surrendered all circumstances to God?  Are you desiring to know His way in the midst of the world's loud voice?  Have you forsaken that which you have built, that God might build a better life for you?  In the midst of pain and confusion, disappointment and rejection, are you trusting God? 

The high road is level ground.  When you walk on it in the Spirit, you do not go up and down with every emotion and every situation.  You walk in joy in the presence of the Lord.  You walk in assurance of His deep love.  You know that it is Satan who is the authority on earth and it is he that causes pain and suffering.  You know that God is there, waiting to bring you peace in the midst.  That is level ground.  That is the high road.

 

Obedience = Success

“Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices

As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is as the sin of divination,

And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the lord,
He has also rejected you from being king.”
1 Samuel 15:22-23

 Success = Obedience.

 

The only works that will stand the fire of 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 are those done in obedience.  A child in a wheelchair that gives a smile to every one she meets becasue she is being obedient to the Word of God will be as greatly rewarded as Billy Graham who won tens of thousands to the Lord.  Billy Graham was given much and was obedient with what he had.  The little child in the wheelchair was faithful with the little that she was given.  What are your gifts?  Whether they be big or little, "...do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to god the Father." Philippians 3:17. 

 

Do you want your children to be successful?  Teach them obedience first to you and then they will be obedient to God as they learn and grow. 

 

God does not spell out every step of the way, but He has given us guidelines.  First learn to be obedient to the Word of God, then ask God for further instruction.  Usually He gives it one step at a time so that we will rely on His relationship with us rather than just checking off a list of to do's.

Job

 Just a thought on Job today.  First of all, God did not do Job in, Satan did.  Yes, God gave permission but only because He knew that Job’s faith could handle it.  When tough stuff comes into your life, know that we live in Satan’s realm, but that God will only allow what He knows we can handle and He is there with us through it all.   Secondly, Job was real.  He got angry at God.  He got depressed.  But He never sinned.  When God did  approach Job, Job humbled his heart and bowed before God.  Thirdly, I am not Job.  You are not Job.  I pray that your storms will never be as severe as Job’s were.  But whatever this life does throw at you, know that if Job could face all of his tragedies, that God will also give you strength to face yours.  Lastly,” Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

 

Search Me

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.”
Psalm 141:23-24

 Once you have searched your heart before the Lord, confessed any uncleanness, then you are free from shame and condemnation of the past and free to move forward into the present with grace and peace.  Then if  you encounter hard times, you can know for sure that there is no punishment involved, just pruning.  Life happens!  We dwell in Satan’s realm.  When you live in a garbage pit, you will get garbage on you.  But, when your heart is right before God, you are clean in the midst!  Then your heart can hear God and He can surely lead you in the everlasting way. 

 Sometimes the searching of our hearts and the trying and knowing of anxious thoughts is painful.  But once, that surgery has been performed, you are free to move forward.  Philippians 3:13 says, “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  Ignoring the past, dragging it along behind you, pretending that it is not there, or allowing Satan to bring it up in your face with lies and doubt will not permit you to put it behind you.  Only when you have offered your past up to the Lordship of Christ and accepted His forgiveness and grace can you move forward.

 Lay it all out there before Christ.  He knows it all already anyway.  Just confess it, and then turn from it and move forward.  That’s repentance.  The shame, the sorrow, the heartache of the past will then stay in the past and God can lead you  in the everlasting way.  Surrender it to Christ for healing and wholeness.

Sanctification

  “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”

John 17:17

 Heard a great sermon on this on Sunday.  He quoted Greudem’s Systematic Theology:  Sanctification is being moved out of the realm of the profane and being put into the realm of the divine.  This passage includes to verb forms of the word “sanctify” the one meaning that it was a one-time done deal and the other meaning that it is an ongoing process until its completion.  We were sanctified at the moment of salvation; we are being sanctified (made holy) as we walk with the Lord until the day of completion in Christ (heaven).

 Notice that sanctification is imbedded in truth, and truth is the word of God.  Be there; be in it; live it.  God’s truth, His word, will renew your mind and heart and will bring you to the day of completion, completely sanctified in  Him.  I pray that you would desire no less.

 

Sacrifice of Praise

“Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God,

that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.“
Hebrews 13:15

 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials…”

James 1:2

 Seems contradictory until you realize that the battle is in the mind.  Satan would have us complain and groan about the circumstances of our lives.  God would have us offer up praise to Him because He is in control and loves us.  When we sacrifice our opportunity to complain and gripe and replace it with words of praise and thanksgiving, the Holy Spirit responds and our emotions are lifted and become in line with the truth of who our God is.  Life is up and down.  You don’t have to ride that roller coaster in your thought life.  Live a life steady by turning everything into praise and let God handle life’s rough spots!

 

Trials

"The Lord trieth the righteous."
Psalm 11:5 (KJV)

"The Lord tests the righteous..."
Psalm 11:5 (NAS)

"The trials that come from God are sent to prove and strengthen our graces, and so at once to illustrate the power of divine grace, to test the genuineness of our virtues, and to add to their energy.  You would never have possessed the precious faith that now supports you if the trial of your faith had not been like  unto fire.  Worldy ease is a great foe to faith; it loosens the joints of holy valor and snaps the sinews of sacred courage.  While the wheat sleeps comfortably in the husk, it is useless to man; it must be threshed out of its resting place before its value can be known.  Thus it is well that Jehovah tries the rightreous, for it causes them to grow rich toward God." - Charles Spurgeon

Therefore we should rejoice when we encounter various trials (James 1:2).  If you are in a trial, turn it to God through praise and adoration.  Use it to seek the Scriptures for divine truth and drop to your knees in prayer for deliverance and understanding and grace.  You will grow closer to God and the fellowship with Him will grow sweeter.

The Battle

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 

Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers,
against the powers,
against the world forces of this darkness,
against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 
Therefore, take up the full armor of God,
so that you will be able to resist in the evil day,
and having done everything to stand firm.”
Ephesians 6:10-13

You are no longer children when it comes to spiritual things.  Be ready to take up your armor daily and be prepared to war against satan – first in your mind and second in the world around you.  We must first overcome satan’s schemes and lies in our own lives before we can be effective in our world.  Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and stand firm on the B-I-B-L-E!  God’s truth is our greatest weapon in our own defense as well as when we are witnessing to others.  Be aware of the battle.  Be armed and ready.  Fight the good fight and stand firm until the end.  The war is ours!  Christ is the victory that has overcome this world!

 

Intercession

“Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him,

since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
Hebrews 7:25

Jesus is standing at the right hand of the Father making intercession for you!  That is the Creator God, the Savior, Jesus is making your requests known to God the Father.  Jesus spends His time waiting to hear from you, for you to draw near that He might make intercession for you!  What a privilege!  What a gift!  What love!  Don’t leave Him waiting; take everything to Him and the praise Him for His goodness and faithfulness.

 

Temptation and Grace

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses,

but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace,
so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Hebrews 4:15-16

 And we can know the mind of Christ and the Holy Spirit is within us!  We, too, can be tempted and withstand it because of our great God!  Grace is the answer here!  God’s marvelous grace!  Grace allows us to draw near to God, to call upon Him, for Him to indwell us, for us to have a relationship with God.  Because of grace, the divider is torn down and we have access to the Father!  Marvelous grace!!!  As you live and walk in God’s grace, you will give in to temptation less and less.  Be in an attitude of prayer and praise.  That will keep you in mind of God’s grace.

 Great study:  How often grace and truth are linked together in God’s word – OT and NT.

 

 

Our Hope is in God

“Then Job arose and tore his rose and shaved his head,

and he fell to the ground and worshiped.”
Job 1:20

 “Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm!

Nothing is too difficult for You, who show lovingkindness to thousands…great in counsel and mighty in deed.”
Jeremiah 32:17-18

“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?”

Jeremiah 32:27

 “ For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end.”

Hebrews 3:14

 Do you see a theme here?  These were all in my reading this morning.  God is surely in control. Hold onto your hope until the end.  Our faith is not in governments, but in God and He is still good, and He is still on His throne!  Hold on tight and worship!

Temptation

“How can a young man keep his way pure?

By keeping it according to Your word.”
Psalm 119:9

 There are so many temptations out there!  Especially for young, single adults.  Paul reminds us that “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you sill be able to endure it.”  The key?  Look for the way of escape!  Don’t justify or give excuses – RUN!  And how do you recognize a temptation to begin with?  Know the word of God.  And then rely on the Holy Spirit to lead and guide.

Pray for each other.  Satan is alive and would love to make any one of you stumble. We are in a spiritual war and wars are won one battle at a time.  Pray for me, too because I am not immune either!

 

Sweet Freedom!

“…and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.”

 Sweet freedom!  Free from guilt and shame, from judgment and condemnation, from sin and separation.  Free from the bondage of the law!  Free to live as sons rather than slaves.  Free to make choices and to follow God’s leading.

 I am teaching tomorrow on Holidays, Traditions, and In-Laws.  Christmas trees and Santa Claus will need to be addressed.  These are secondary issues and issues of conscience before God for each individual and family.  It is not a spiritual indication of your maturity or your faithfulness.  Be careful to allow others to walk in their conscience before God, not judging them if God has called them to a different lifestyle or tradition as long as it lines up with the word of God.  This is true across the board for education choices, number of children someone should have, how one is to dress, etc…  These are law, not grace.  Walk in grace not bound by law and in a relationship with God and He will convict you and train you through His word.  Don’t let others direct your conscience in these matters.