WE LIVE IN A WORLD OF LAWS,
for without laws, there can NOT be freedom, yet laws of men, without Justice and Righteousness, is only TYRANNY! We can see that is the history of earth's dictatorships! There has not ever been a Christian dictatorship, in the truest Christ centered meaning, ever!
Note: Yes history is filled with those who used the Christian faith, and perverted it to their own gain in power and wealth, but that's more due to Satan's influence than to Jesus Christ!
The Creator put in place not only the laws that govern the movements of all the heavenly bodies,, and He also established laws that regulate the life and health of all human beings He created on this planet. The purpose of these, His Laws, is to enhance life that Jesus promised to those who follow Him in loving obedience---
John 10:10 "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
Life thus lived becomes the abundant life, is a direct result of life lived with our cooperation to His laws of life and health. These laws state the ideal, and they carry with them the promise that, by God's Grace we can grow up to that ideal!
Jesus came into this world not only to show us all, how to live, in harmony with His Father's laws but to provide the transforming powers of grace that enables us all to submit totally to those laws, because of love being a "Two-Way Street" as it were.. In addition to being the requirements for entry into heaven, for the dedicated Christian these laws are the standard for progress in our relationship with god and a challenge to continue our growth in Grace.
LAWS ARE IMPORTANT.
It's very obvious that traffic laws, laws regulating commerce, civil and even international laws are very essential for the preservation of society, as are the laws governing the moral and social relationships between people!
All this is what God's Laws do!
The great moral principles of god's Laws are found in the T4en commandments, and they were lived out in the life of Jesus. From the moment sin entered the world, Satan tried to convince human beings that it's impossible to live in harmony with this law. But Jesus' life showed us all the error of this idea and that Satan was and is, wrong! Jesus showed us all by His example that we in flesh bodies, and with His help , can live within the law of God!
Matthew 5:17 " Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill"
To FULFILL means to live in harmony with the Ten Commandments. Jesus came from Heaven to give us a new understanding of the purpose, the power and the promise of God's laws!..
Note: (jb) The Ten Laws, are God's Glory, His reflection of His character, The first 4 are our relationships to Him, and the lat sis is our ideal relationships with each other.
The TEN PILLARS, express God's love, His desire, and His plan for Human conduct. They are a reliant to people today as when He first gave them to Adam and Eve!. Yes, while most of them are stated as negatives { Thou shalt not...} they are not so much restrictions as they are verbal expressions indicating the kind of character God's people will have when they are choose to live the way He wants them to. After quoting each of the commandments just as they are found in the Bible, we will restate it principle in a positive form.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.
1. "You shalt have no other gods, before me. Exodus 20:3.
LOYALTY, God should have FIRST PLACE in our life. IF we are Christ's that our thoughts shall be His thoughts, we shall seek Spiritual rather that worldly, or physical things.We will do our utmost to reflect His will and character, exhibit His attitudes, do His will and seek to please Him in all we do, because of our love for Him!
2. Exodus 20:4-6 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
WORSHIP: we should worship the unseen God, and not bow down to a stone, wood or a metal something god, that neither breathes , nor moves! This includes any visible interpretation anyone may have of Him, or any object in nature as trees, sun, moon or stars.This includes the veneration of any human beings , living or dead, no matter how saintly they are or have lived! This is not in any Catechism book! Thus # 10 split into two parts to keep the 10!
3. Exodus 20:7 "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."
REVERENCE: We are not to misuse His name.Prohibits not only the profane but also blaspheme and the profanation of the sacred, but also any false profession. We will give up the vain customs and fashions of the world. Our conversations, our affections and our sympathies will be in harmony with heaven. Our hearts will be sensitive, to and under the control of the Spirit of Christ.
4. Exodus 20:8-11 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it."
SANCTIFICATION: We acknowledge and believe that Jesus is The Creator-God, who is both God and Man. We therefore dedicate one seventh of our time to Him on His Holy Day, in song, in Praise and study and in worship.For He is.....
..
Mark 2:27-28 "And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath."
NOTE: To all who have been taught that the Sabbath is ONLY for the Jews, do YOU spell Jew as MAN? Please think! When we each accept this as our surrender unto the will of Jesus, then the Sabbath takes on a whole new meaning, from mundane to sublime and our delight! To"know" our Maker and Redeemer!
Please remember, this is the VERY WORD that the Fourth Commandment begins with, no other does so! It forces us to remember His Creative powers, so as not to fall into Satan's trap of evolution which in itself offers no hope! Which is Satan's exact purpose, and all those who obey him!
5. Exodus 20:12 "Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee."
RESPECT FOR AUTHORITY. In our today's law-less world, do we not see a world-wide lack of respect for any level of authority? Little children hurl epitaphs and the "F" bomb, at their parents teachers and school mates, and few even raise an eye brow! Plus this the 5th Commandment is the ONLY one that comes with a promise, that IF one honors Mom and Dad, so that you may live long in the land! Remember our respect for all authority, that is not abusive, only gains us peace and cooperation\!
6. Exodus 20:13 "Thou shalt not kill."
LOVE, most of us are not tempted to murder another human being, but Christ spoke of the Spirit of the Law in-----
Matthew 5:21-22 "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: 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, [fool] shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."
7. Exodus 20:14 "Thou shalt not commit adultery.."
PURITY: This commandment calls for our dedication of our sexual power to God. Passion, appetite and every other desire we may have, will be in perfect submission to His will. This makes our old lifestyles seem repugnant and sinful In this manner humans will be able to protect the sexual integrity of all humans especially our children. Again Jesus pointed out the Spirit of this law by-------
Matthew 5:27-28 "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."
NOTE: Why? IF we all look and accept God as our Creator, thus FATHER, we are all His children, then that makes us all brothers and sisters, thus no man should look upon any woman as a sexual object, to lust in his heart/mind after her! Ditto for all you Ladies!
Fornication, is sexual relations between unmarried couples, and with the same sex. Adultery is sex between married people, who are not married to each other! { IE. Bob with Bill's wife}
8. Exodus 20:15 " Thou shalt not steal"
Honesty: no this in not "Borrowing" without permission, or Well they are not paying what I am worth ideas. This demands that we HAVE RESPECT for one another and that their property is theirs!. Plus IF we damage an other's goods, we must make adequate restitution. This is not only for individuals, but also for businesses and governments! But also for out tithes to God------
Malachi 3:8-10 "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."
Note: Robbin g God is not ever a wise thing, is it?
9. Exodus 20:16 "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."
TRUTHFULNESS: God requires us to not only protect our own reputation but also that of others! We MUST always speak the truth, even if it costs us personally! Yet even our silence, can be a lie, a lie of OMISSION! IE. If we know Joe did not do this, and we say nothing we share in the guilt of the wrong!
10. Exodus 20:17 "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's."
CONTENTMENT: this covers our Motives! Keeping this law means we will not be jealous of what others may have.We shall be satisfied what god has given us, and not to feel dissatisfied when our neighbor appears to have more than we do.
IS ONE LAW GREATER THAN ANOTHER?
James 2:10 "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."
Note: So what's YOUR answer?
Matthew 22:36-40 "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 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. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
THE LAW AND THE SPIRIT.
Through the influence of the Holy Spirit, the ten Commandments point out and I.D sin [ 1 John 3:4] and awaken in us the need of a savior. When we come to Christ, The Holy Spirit continues to work within us to transform us, in our character to be more and more like Jesus. Salvation is by Grace, and not by works alone, but by the fruit of the Holy Spirit's work within us and in our lives. thus the obedience to God's Laws will by not so much by our will, but by our willingness to surrender our will to God, and thereby, His laws!
Note (JB) A Question: Can you only imagine what life on earth would be like IF, ALL fully obeyed these Ten Laws?
Revelation 12:17 "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."
Revelation 14:12 "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus"
Note: All who have surrendered their will to The Father through Christ, shall have His protection which Satan challenged God to remove from Job, and he Satan will have Job cursing God but too was a total failure on Satan's part-----
Job 1:9-10 "Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land."
Job 1:11 " But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face."
Note: Please read the rest of this chapter, and see how Job handled this.
Further study: Exodus 20:1-17. Deuteronomy 8:1-14. Psalm 19:7-13; 119. John 14:15. Romans 8:1-4. Ephesians 2:8. 1 John 5:3.
Thank you for your time,
Questions? Comments? John at www.servant@frontier.com
Want/Need more? Visit your seventh-day Adventist church any Saturday/Sabbath at 9-10 AM. You just may be pleasantly surprised.
Otyher sites: www.AFTV.org www.BLBN.org www.amazingdiscoveries.org .
..
Mark 2:27-28 "And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath."
NOTE: To all who have been taught that the Sabbath is ONLY for the Jews, do YOU spell Jew as MAN? Please think! When we each accept this as our surrender unto the will of Jesus, then the Sabbath takes on a whole new meaning, from mundane to sublime and our delight! To"know" our Maker and Redeemer!
Please remember, this is the VERY WORD that the Fourth Commandment begins with, no other does so! It forces us to remember His Creative powers, so as not to fall into Satan's trap of evolution which in itself offers no hope! Which is Satan's exact purpose, and all those who obey him!
5. Exodus 20:12 "Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee."
RESPECT FOR AUTHORITY. In our today's law-less world, do we not see a world-wide lack of respect for any level of authority? Little children hurl epitaphs and the "F" bomb, at their parents teachers and school mates, and few even raise an eye brow! Plus this the 5th Commandment is the ONLY one that comes with a promise, that IF one honors Mom and Dad, so that you may live long in the land! Remember our respect for all authority, that is not abusive, only gains us peace and cooperation\!
6. Exodus 20:13 "Thou shalt not kill."
LOVE, most of us are not tempted to murder another human being, but Christ spoke of the Spirit of the Law in-----
Matthew 5:21-22 "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: 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, [fool] shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."
7. Exodus 20:14 "Thou shalt not commit adultery.."
PURITY: This commandment calls for our dedication of our sexual power to God. Passion, appetite and every other desire we may have, will be in perfect submission to His will. This makes our old lifestyles seem repugnant and sinful In this manner humans will be able to protect the sexual integrity of all humans especially our children. Again Jesus pointed out the Spirit of this law by-------
Matthew 5:27-28 "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."
NOTE: Why? IF we all look and accept God as our Creator, thus FATHER, we are all His children, then that makes us all brothers and sisters, thus no man should look upon any woman as a sexual object, to lust in his heart/mind after her! Ditto for all you Ladies!
Fornication, is sexual relations between unmarried couples, and with the same sex. Adultery is sex between married people, who are not married to each other! { IE. Bob with Bill's wife}
8. Exodus 20:15 " Thou shalt not steal"
Honesty: no this in not "Borrowing" without permission, or Well they are not paying what I am worth ideas. This demands that we HAVE RESPECT for one another and that their property is theirs!. Plus IF we damage an other's goods, we must make adequate restitution. This is not only for individuals, but also for businesses and governments! But also for out tithes to God------
Malachi 3:8-10 "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."
Note: Robbin g God is not ever a wise thing, is it?
9. Exodus 20:16 "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."
TRUTHFULNESS: God requires us to not only protect our own reputation but also that of others! We MUST always speak the truth, even if it costs us personally! Yet even our silence, can be a lie, a lie of OMISSION! IE. If we know Joe did not do this, and we say nothing we share in the guilt of the wrong!
10. Exodus 20:17 "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's."
CONTENTMENT: this covers our Motives! Keeping this law means we will not be jealous of what others may have.We shall be satisfied what god has given us, and not to feel dissatisfied when our neighbor appears to have more than we do.
IS ONE LAW GREATER THAN ANOTHER?
James 2:10 "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."
Note: So what's YOUR answer?
Matthew 22:36-40 "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 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. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
THE LAW AND THE SPIRIT.
Through the influence of the Holy Spirit, the ten Commandments point out and I.D sin [ 1 John 3:4] and awaken in us the need of a savior. When we come to Christ, The Holy Spirit continues to work within us to transform us, in our character to be more and more like Jesus. Salvation is by Grace, and not by works alone, but by the fruit of the Holy Spirit's work within us and in our lives. thus the obedience to God's Laws will by not so much by our will, but by our willingness to surrender our will to God, and thereby, His laws!
Note (JB) A Question: Can you only imagine what life on earth would be like IF, ALL fully obeyed these Ten Laws?
Revelation 12:17 "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."
Revelation 14:12 "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus"
Note: All who have surrendered their will to The Father through Christ, shall have His protection which Satan challenged God to remove from Job, and he Satan will have Job cursing God but too was a total failure on Satan's part-----
Job 1:9-10 "Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land."
Job 1:11 " But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face."
Note: Please read the rest of this chapter, and see how Job handled this.
Further study: Exodus 20:1-17. Deuteronomy 8:1-14. Psalm 19:7-13; 119. John 14:15. Romans 8:1-4. Ephesians 2:8. 1 John 5:3.
Thank you for your time,
Questions? Comments? John at www.servant@frontier.com
Want/Need more? Visit your seventh-day Adventist church any Saturday/Sabbath at 9-10 AM. You just may be pleasantly surprised.
Otyher sites: www.AFTV.org www.BLBN.org www.amazingdiscoveries.org .
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