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Does It Really Make a Difference? |
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Someone said that, "The nice thing about crime is that it usually happens to someone else." However, rising crime statistics tell us that more and more, "someone else" is likely to be you or me! Unpleasant as the fact may be, crime is out of control! No longer can we sigh apathetically or blithely shrug our shoulders and say that crime is something that happens to someone else. Don’t think for a moment that all crimes are committed by members of organized crime groups. Students bomb their schools and kill their teachers and fellow students, and even small children are using guns to kill others. Cult murders, assassinations, hijackings, terrorist bombings, muggings, rapes, burglaries, embezzlements, and government corruption are reported every day in countries all over the world. Why all the lawlessness? What happened to moral decency? What has happened to our world? From our homes a new generation of children has emerged who are questioning, skeptical, and challenging. Children love to imitate, yet who will be their moral, ethical, and spiritual examples? Fathers cheat at work or on their taxes, mothers seek abortions, and both parents cheat on each other. The children see it all! And the broken homes are leaving ugly scars! Who is to instill a sense of right and wrong if parents cannot or will not? Surely, parents cannot leave so great a responsibility to the schools! Many schools don’t teach or support moral living. A general feeling seems to exist that we have outgrown the Bible’s moral standard! Even some churches today are teaching that God’s standard of right and wrong no longer applies. His commandments, they say, have been abolished, or they are no longer relevant, or they are impossible to keep. As a result, many people are following their own desires, "doing their own thing" — and society is reaping a bumper harvest of broken homes, uncontrolled children, and violent crimes. In the words of Hosea, the prophet, "They sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind..." But the question must be asked: Who determines when a situation is right or wrong? Isn’t the moral judgment of even good people often imperfect at times? If there is no standard of right and wrong outside of ourselves, we can justify almost anything. But the Bible reminds us that we are not good judges of what is right and what is wrong: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 16:25 The apostle Paul predicted: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables." 2 Timothy 4:3, 4 Yes, sad to say, we are discovering that we do not get freedom by throwing out the rules! Remove the standard of right and wrong, and chaos follows. If you removed all the traffic signs and signals, there would be chaos on the roads and highways. What are the rules? Can we know what is right or wrong? Is anything black or white anymore, or does most behavior fall into the fuzzy gray area in between? A long time ago God gave us a formula for a crime-free society. And had it always been followed, crime would never have existed! Everyone would be safe and happy any place on Earth. When the children of Israel camped at Mount Sinai, the Lord came down to meet them and said, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." Exodus 20:2 First the Lord identified Himself as their deliverer from slavery. He was the One who had opened up the Red Sea before them; He was their protector. In other words, He was saying, "I care for you. You can trust Me." Then He spoke His divine law so that man could know how to live in peace and safety — so he would know what was right and what was wrong. Let’s take a quick look at a list of the Ten Commandments which He spoke atop Mount Sinai: "You shall have no other gods before Me...You shall not make for yourself a carved image...you shall not bow down to them..."You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain... "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor... but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.... "Honor your father and your mother... "You shall not murder..."You shall not commit adultery. "You shall not steal. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. "You shall not covet your neighbor ’s house; you shall not covet your neighbors wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant nor his ox nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s." Exodus 20:1-17 As the people of Israel listened, they were greatly moved. If that was God’s will, they determined to do it! But then, knowing how forgetful we humans can be and not wanting to trust the exact wording to the frail memory of man, God wrote all of the Ten Commandments on two tables of stone with His own finger: "When the Lord finished speaking
to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tables of the Testimony, the
tablets of stone written with the finger of God." Even though this was the first time God had given His law in written form, it had existed from all eternity. Long before Sinai, or even before Adam and Eve, the eternal, unchangeable standard of right had been the basis of God’s heavenly government. In fact, even the angels were governed by the Ten Commandments of God. They were given the choice of either following God’s law or ignoring it and rebelling against it. Satan and his angels chose to "do their own thing"-to make their own rules. And this rebellion led to their expulsion from heaven. The Bible says, "And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." Revelation 12:7-9 But there were angels who chose to follow God and remain loyal to His law. "Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments." Psalm 103:20, KJV Adam and Eve had a knowledge of God’s law in Eden, for they felt the emotions of shame and guilt after they sinned. And when Cain became angry because God accepted Abel’s offering and not his, the Lord asked him, "...Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door..." Genesis 4:6, 7 God’s law had to be in effect at the time, for we are told, "...Where no law is, there is no transgression." Romans 4:15 Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary says, "Transgression...the breaking or violation of any law." Abraham knew and obeyed the law of God long before the law was spoken on Sinai. God said He would bless Abraham and his descendants, "Because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My Commandments, My statutes and My laws." Genesis 26:5 Of course, long before Sinai, Joseph’s sensitive conscience led him to meet the temptation of Potipher’s wife by saying, "...My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" Genesis 39:9 Joseph knew that adultery was sin; he knew God’s standard of right and wrong. He had firmly determined not to transgress God’s holy Law! The children of Israel had been instructed to serve and obey God, but during their cruel captivity in Egypt, the knowledge of God’s law gradually dimmed. After the Exodus, just a few weeks before they reached Sinai, the Lord rebuked Moses because the Israelites were violating His law by attempting to gather manna on the Sabbath: "And the Lord said unto Moses, ‘How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?’ So the people rested on the seventh day." Exodus 16:28, 30 So you see, the fourth commandment was recognized before Sinai. God’s law is the eternal standard of right for the universe. And really, should it surprise us that God has a law governing His kingdom? The apostle Paul wrote: "God is not the author of confusion... Let all things be done decently and in order." 1 Corinthians 14:33, 40 No orderly government can exist without laws. No harmonious, happy, safe society can function without rules. Nature itself has laws; even children cannot play games without rules! The Bible says, "It is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous" Romans 2:13 You see, not only is it important to know the commands of God, we must also respond. Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep my commandments." John 14:15 In fact, Jesus, quoting from the Old Testament, pointed out that love is the basis for keeping all the commandments. "...You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment." Matthew 22:37,38 Then Jesus said, "The second is like it: You shall
love your neighbor as yourself. If we truly love God with all our hearts, minds, and soul, we certainly will express that love by keeping the first four commandments: Love to God means: God will be number one in our lives Our worship will be reserved for him alone We will respect and reverence His Holy Name We will be anxious to keep our appointment with Him each Sabbath And if we really love our fellow men as we love ourselves, we will surely: Respect and honor our parents Estimates indicate that more than 35 million laws have been drafted by man to control behavior, but in Ten Commandments, God drafted a code of conduct that truly covers all human behavior. What a God! But more important, unlike the defective or unwise laws that men make and remake, "The law of the Lord is perfect, ... And in keeping them there is great reward." Psalm 19:7, 11 A Bible student named August Strong wrote: "Law is only the transcript of God’s nature." Today we would say, "The Ten Commandments are but a profile of God’s character-a character that is unchangeable"! You see, any change in the law of God would make it less than perfect. Being a perfect law, it can never be altered. That is the truth Jesus spoke when He said: "It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail" Luke 16:17 But, you say, "I’ve always felt that the Ten Commandments restricted my happiness-sort of fenced me in." God never meant His law to be a burden to man or to restrict his happiness. On the contrary, God intended it to be a wall of protection shielding us from sorrow and guilt. He intended that His law would ensure everyone’s freedom and safety everywhere. The Lord said, "O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever!" Deuteronomy 5:29 Just as we build guardrails on bridges and mountain roads to protect us from danger, God gave us His law to protect and guard us on the road of life. But there is another reason God gave man His law: "...By the law is the knowledge of sin." Romans 3:20 As Paul said, "...I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet’." Romans 7:7 Dr. Arthur Bietz told a story about an African princess who had been led to believe by her subjects that her beauty was unsurpassed. However, one day a trader came to her village and sold her a mirror. When she looked into the mirror she was surprised by her looks and smashed the mirror to pieces! God’s law is like a mirror, and as we look into it, like the African princess, we may not be pleased with what we see, but destroying the law or ignoring it won’t change our condition. The law points out our sins! It is a guide to help us have a happy, guilt-free life if we follow His instructions in His law. The law cannot give us power to overcome sin or remove guilt. No amount of good we can do in the future will erase sin committed in the past. How then can we receive forgiveness? How can we be saved from the penalty of a broken law, which is death? At the very gates of the Garden of Eden, God instituted a graphic reminder that disobedience brings death-either to the disobedient or to an innocent substitute. A lamb was to be offered to show the faith of the sinner in God’s plan to save man. This was God’s way of helping Adam understand how the innocent Son of God must die to satisfy the claims of a broken law. Christ, the Lamb of God, would take man’s punishment, and suffer his death. You see, the law could not atone for man’s sin; it could not save. The apostle Paul said, "...If there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness should have been by the law." Galatians 3:21 It is not the law that brings forgiveness and salvation-it is God’s grace! Only through Christ’s sacrifice can man have eternal life. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23 Salvation cannot be earned by keeping the law: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Ephesians 2:8, 9 If we are saved by grace, are we free then to live a life of disobedience? NEVER! Paul wrote: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" Romans 6:1, 2 Salvation is offered to those who want to be saved from sin and want to be a part of God’s kingdom. If a prisoner awaiting death receives a pardon and is set free, does that mean he is now free to live a lawless life? To do his own thing? Not at all! Because he was pardoned, he should feel more than ever his obligation to uphold the laws of the land. Most important, God’s law points out our sins and helps us feel the need of a Saviour. As we accept Christ as our Saviour and Lord, He provides forgiveness and also the power to keep His commandments, for He promised: "...I will put My laws in their mind and write them in their hearts..." Hebrews 8:10 It is easy to do something you love to do, isn’t it? And that is what the Lord promised to those who choose to follow Him. He will write His law in their heart so they will love to keep it. That is the only way man will be able to obey and follow God. It was because of His love for His Father that Christ was able to keep the commandments, for He said, "...I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love." John 15:10 And Jesus asks us to show our love for Him by keeping His commandments: "If you love me, keep my commandments." John 14:15 The greatest demonstration of love and obedience to the will of God was vividly portrayed one cold, dark night under an old olive tree in a garden. With drops of blood trickling down His face, the Son of God prayed, "...O my Father, if it is
possible, let this cup pass from me;
nevertheless, The fate of the human race hung in the balance-a guilty world was to be saved or lost. Would this young Galilean put all desire for life and human fulfillment aside and die at Calvary? He could wipe the sweat from His brow and say, "Let the sinner suffer the consequence of his own sins." Or He could let wicked men nail Him to a cross so man could be pardoned. In that awful crisis when everything was at stake, Jesus dipped His pen of love in the crimson ink that drained from His own veins and wrote "pardoned" across your record and mine! That old rugged cross on a hill called Mount Calvary is an eternal memorial of the price God was willing to pay to satisfy the claims of the broken law and save guilty man. If God’s law could have been abolished or changed, Jesus would not have needed to die. Calvary would have been unnecessary. But God could not ignore guilty man’s sins! He couldn’t change His law. So sinful man needed a Saviour. And thank God for His love in consenting to give His only-be-gotten Son to die as our substitute!" "God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16 The book of Revelation describes the people who are ready to meet Jesus at His second coming and go home with Him to spend eternity in that Heavenly City. God says this about them: "Here is the patience of the saints: here are those who kept the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Revelation 14:12 In verse 14, God says, "I looked and behold a white cloud and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown and in his hand a sharp sickle." This is a description of the Lord coming to harvest the earth. This is the end of all things. In the great prophecy that Jesus gave John in the book of Revelation about the history of the church, He says that the remnant of the last true part of God’s church on this earth is described like this: "The dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Revelation 12:17 There you have it in the last book of the Bible! God’s people love their Creator and their Redeemer so much that they want to do all that He asks or desires. They want to show their love for Him by doing His will. They recognize that His will is contained in His commandments. They respond in obedience to the one who did so much to save them from their sins. With outstretched arms Jesus is
calling, "Come!" "...Let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely." Revelation 22:17 Friend, salvation can be yours today. He died for you! He wants to give you eternal life. Don’t let the pleasures and cares of this life separate you from eternal life. Don’t let anything hold you back. He’s calling for you: "Come Home!" This Jesus wants to change your lie too. He wants to give you the grace and power to keep His law. You may feel weak, but Jesus is strong. No matter what you have done in the pat, Jesus will forgive you and cleanse you. He will give you His strength to live a new life. Don’t let anything hold you back. Would you like to quietly slip to your knees and say "Jesus, I am coming...I am coming right now."
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