GOD'S LAW!
(Part 1)
Psalms 19:7, K.J.V. tells an amazing truth… “The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple…”
If you read this message, then you need to take the time and open your Bible to Psalm 19, and read it and let it soak in…in other words meditate on what it says…It is only 14 verses…
The world has gotten so out of control…and what is the world but the lives of the people who live here on this beautiful planet…The planet as God has created it, is beautiful but the men and women He created to live on it, often, their actions are not at all beautiful…
More than ever, man is in the process of destroying himself…But this Scripture above give us each an insightful hope…What is it that is perfect in converting the soul of man…? The Law of the Lord is the only thing that is perfect at converting the soul of man…
That verse comes from the King James Version, which in my own study, has become my major source…But the NIV also tells us that, “The Law of the Lord is perfect at reviving the soul…” So what this says to me is, that no matter what is wrong with the soul or life of a man or woman, the only thing that will convert or revive that person is, “The Law of the Lord…”
For many, the question arises, “What is the Law of the Lord…”?
Number one, the Law of the Lord is the Ten Commandments…God gave these to Moses and told him to give them to His people to use as a guide to live by…
Number two, God has really given us many Laws in His Word to us…The Holy Bible is full of them and if you are of a sound mine, then you will know that your Creator would never give you any Laws or statues, that would do harm to your life…God wants only to help us live a life that is pleasing to Him and for His glory…
As I have studied, I have come to see through my own ministry, that the only thing that will truly convict and convert the soul, is the Law of the Lord…
Psalms 19:7, K.J.V. tells an amazing truth… “The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple…”
If you read this message, then you need to take the time and open your Bible to Psalm 19, and read it and let it soak in…in other words meditate on what it says…It is only 14 verses…
The world has gotten so out of control…and what is the world but the lives of the people who live here on this beautiful planet…The planet as God has created it, is beautiful but the men and women He created to live on it, often, their actions are not at all beautiful…
More than ever, man is in the process of destroying himself…But this Scripture above give us each an insightful hope…What is it that is perfect in converting the soul of man…? The Law of the Lord is the only thing that is perfect at converting the soul of man…
That verse comes from the King James Version, which in my own study, has become my major source…But the NIV also tells us that, “The Law of the Lord is perfect at reviving the soul…” So what this says to me is, that no matter what is wrong with the soul or life of a man or woman, the only thing that will convert or revive that person is, “The Law of the Lord…”
For many, the question arises, “What is the Law of the Lord…”?
Number one, the Law of the Lord is the Ten Commandments…God gave these to Moses and told him to give them to His people to use as a guide to live by…
Number two, God has really given us many Laws in His Word to us…The Holy Bible is full of them and if you are of a sound mine, then you will know that your Creator would never give you any Laws or statues, that would do harm to your life…God wants only to help us live a life that is pleasing to Him and for His glory…
As I have studied, I have come to see through my own ministry, that the only thing that will truly convict and convert the soul, is the Law of the Lord…
So many preachers want large numbers of converts, so they use different procedures to bring people under a so called decision for Christ…The fall away rate is about 80 % or more with these type of conversions…Now go back to our Text Scripture which says, “The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul…”
The only thing that can be used to truly convert man into the image of Jesus Christ, is the Law of the Lord…
(Part 2)
Even some Christians argue that they are not, “Under the Law…” In this message I want to explain why obeying God’s moral laws really is important…
During several months each year, my yard, and probably yours too, becomes a demonstration lab for one of the most famous laws of science: The Law of Gravity…
Above the deck and house are tall pine trees mingled with beautiful live oaks…The pine trees produce large pinecones and the oaks produce acorns and leaves…
For several weeks each year if you are not careful, you will get a pine cone lodged in you head…Really, they are not that big, but, if one falls on your head or body, it will not feel good…Only the squirrels are delighted about the pine cones…
Now the oak trees, on a good year, get loaded with leaves and acorns, and in due season, they fall to the grown… (More work for me…)
These pinecones and leaves and acorns, fell for centuries before Isaac Newton formulated the Law of Gravity…He used apples…
Newton’s law doesn’t make pine cones fall—it only explains why they fall…There are in fact, hundreds of laws from science…You may have learned some of them in school: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction…(Have you ever swung a hammer trying to hit the nail and missed and hit you finger or hand…)
The Laws of science differ from the laws made by governments…Not long ago, while returning from a preaching engagement, I was caught driving above the speed limit…Even though I shared with the Patrolman that I was doing my best to obey the speed limit…he still wrote me a ticket…
Some miles back that same day, I had caught myself speeding but there was no cop to catch me so I got away with breaking the law at that point…
A person can sometimes get away with breaking the laws of government…The laws of science, though, aren’t negotiable…They are invariable facts of the physical world…You would be very foolish to say, “I’ve decided not to follow the Law of gravity today, and then step into the oncoming traffic…” It would be a mess…
GOD’S LAWS…
God is the Originator of the Laws of science, in that He created all that we describe by them…Because the laws of science never fail, they help us understand how the physical world works… We make use of them in order to fly a plane, heat our homes, drive our vehicles down the road, or even to float a boat…or really even to hammer in a nail…or screw in a screw…
The only thing that can be used to truly convert man into the image of Jesus Christ, is the Law of the Lord…
(Part 2)
Even some Christians argue that they are not, “Under the Law…” In this message I want to explain why obeying God’s moral laws really is important…
During several months each year, my yard, and probably yours too, becomes a demonstration lab for one of the most famous laws of science: The Law of Gravity…
Above the deck and house are tall pine trees mingled with beautiful live oaks…The pine trees produce large pinecones and the oaks produce acorns and leaves…
For several weeks each year if you are not careful, you will get a pine cone lodged in you head…Really, they are not that big, but, if one falls on your head or body, it will not feel good…Only the squirrels are delighted about the pine cones…
Now the oak trees, on a good year, get loaded with leaves and acorns, and in due season, they fall to the grown… (More work for me…)
These pinecones and leaves and acorns, fell for centuries before Isaac Newton formulated the Law of Gravity…He used apples…
Newton’s law doesn’t make pine cones fall—it only explains why they fall…There are in fact, hundreds of laws from science…You may have learned some of them in school: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction…(Have you ever swung a hammer trying to hit the nail and missed and hit you finger or hand…)
The Laws of science differ from the laws made by governments…Not long ago, while returning from a preaching engagement, I was caught driving above the speed limit…Even though I shared with the Patrolman that I was doing my best to obey the speed limit…he still wrote me a ticket…
Some miles back that same day, I had caught myself speeding but there was no cop to catch me so I got away with breaking the law at that point…
A person can sometimes get away with breaking the laws of government…The laws of science, though, aren’t negotiable…They are invariable facts of the physical world…You would be very foolish to say, “I’ve decided not to follow the Law of gravity today, and then step into the oncoming traffic…” It would be a mess…
GOD’S LAWS…
God is the Originator of the Laws of science, in that He created all that we describe by them…Because the laws of science never fail, they help us understand how the physical world works… We make use of them in order to fly a plane, heat our homes, drive our vehicles down the road, or even to float a boat…or really even to hammer in a nail…or screw in a screw…
but listen…
The God who designed the physical operation of the universe also created laws for human behavior…He designed us in such a way that certain moral choices will always result in certain consequences…These laws are also necessary for us to understand how the world works…
HOW IT GOT STARTED:
The story of God’s law begins with a deep, fatal wound in the spiritual makeup of the universe…In the beginning, God had designed human beings to live happily and peacefully--if we would follow His instructions…He gave the first man and the first woman one rule: They could go anywhere or eat anything in their garden paradise…except from one particular tree…
Because God had created them with curiosity and freedom of choice, they became especially interested in the forbidden tree…(does that sound familiar?) and with a little help from the devil; they did exactly what God had told them not to do…
It soon became apparent to Adam and Eve, and to all who followed them, that one doesn’t defy God’s rules without penalty… The consequences were terrible and included death, toil, sickness, pain and sadness…I am sure there were and are many more…
The breaking of that rule changed something deep and original…Sin became, from that point forward, a sort of complete universal infection…
There was no longer just one point wherein human beings could fail, but many…That is why God gave His people ten laws by which to live by…
In the spiritual history of human beings ever since has been our effort to follow God’s perfect, unchanging rules, and God’s effort to save us from our unavoidable failure…
THE TEN ABSOLUTE LAWS:
A few of these laws are respected by all human legal systems: killing, stealing, abusing our families, and dishonesty are unlawful almost everywhere…Governments know that a society where people could kill, steal, and lie, without consequences would be a very miserable place to live…(Often we still have to suffer because of the ones who do break these laws…)
For God’s other laws, though, human society is of little help…For example, God tells us to avoid sexual sin…but Western culture is saturated with immorality…The “Every body is doing it society, is in full force…”
God tells us “Don’t covet what you don’t have,” but the world tells us to get more, to buy more…The worlds economic system is based almost entirely upon convincing us to desire more and to get more nicer things no matter the cost…(Plastic money= large balance due)
Some of God’s Laws are just between you and God… God says… “Honor no other God before Me…” He says, “To remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy and let it be your day of rest…”
God asks us to obey His laws, even though we have the freedom not to obey…Following God’s Laws, then, is more than just being a good citizen and staying out of court…If you want to capture God’s original intention for humankind, you’ll have to be intentional and purposeful about doing what God wants you to do…both in public and in private…And when you make that attempt, you’ll discover a couple of things…
1) You’ll discover that by following God’s Laws, you will become a joyful, better person, in a happier more peacefully family and community…Just as most cooks find that they have much tastier, more nutritious results when they follow a recipe, so we human beings are happier when we follow God’s recipe for living our lives…
2) The second thing you’ll discover, though, is that you can rarely keep God’s Laws as consistently as you would like to…Even with God’s assistance, we may still find ourselves, as Paul says, doing what we don’t want to do, and not doing what we want to do…(sounds familiar doesn’t it)
To Jesus, the Ten Commandments weren’t just rules, but principles…He summed them up this way… “Love the Lord you God with all your heart…” (Commandment one through four…) and
“Love your neighbor as yourself” (Commandments six through ten)…
I hope you get the picture of what I have been trying to say…
The Bible tells us that the Law of the Lord is just like looking into a mirror…When I look into God’s law, it shows me just how I am living and I must admit, God still has some work to do in me, but most of the work is to be done by me…I must live my life doing my best to stay inside the Law of the Lord…
If you want to live to be a better person or Christian, you must do the same…because God loves us, He sent not only The Law into our lives for guidance…He also sent Jesus Christ to pay a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay…
Please don’t suppose, however, that because He loves us, God doesn’t really care about how we act…He cares and if and when we do fail at keeping His Laws, there will always be a price to pay…
God is a great Father, but we must realize that sin is still sin… The Law of God is an unchanging rule of the moral universe…and if we try to live by those laws, we will miss out on many consequence from sin…
God ask us to keep trying harder to love Him more completely, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves… and this is not always easy to do…but now, through God’s gracious gift of Jesus, we may be forgiven when we fall and we can be assisted by the Holy Ghost to do better…So while the wages of sin is death, now we also have the comfort of knowing the...
“The gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord…”
Prayer:
Dear Lord, You search my heart and know me far better that I know myself…May I be Your worthy servant, and may I live according to Your Commandments…Let me be a person of integrity, Lord, and let my words and deeds be a testimony to You, today and always…
Amen.
Robert N. Graves, Sr. Fisherman for Christ
The God who designed the physical operation of the universe also created laws for human behavior…He designed us in such a way that certain moral choices will always result in certain consequences…These laws are also necessary for us to understand how the world works…
HOW IT GOT STARTED:
The story of God’s law begins with a deep, fatal wound in the spiritual makeup of the universe…In the beginning, God had designed human beings to live happily and peacefully--if we would follow His instructions…He gave the first man and the first woman one rule: They could go anywhere or eat anything in their garden paradise…except from one particular tree…
Because God had created them with curiosity and freedom of choice, they became especially interested in the forbidden tree…(does that sound familiar?) and with a little help from the devil; they did exactly what God had told them not to do…
It soon became apparent to Adam and Eve, and to all who followed them, that one doesn’t defy God’s rules without penalty… The consequences were terrible and included death, toil, sickness, pain and sadness…I am sure there were and are many more…
The breaking of that rule changed something deep and original…Sin became, from that point forward, a sort of complete universal infection…
There was no longer just one point wherein human beings could fail, but many…That is why God gave His people ten laws by which to live by…
In the spiritual history of human beings ever since has been our effort to follow God’s perfect, unchanging rules, and God’s effort to save us from our unavoidable failure…
THE TEN ABSOLUTE LAWS:
A few of these laws are respected by all human legal systems: killing, stealing, abusing our families, and dishonesty are unlawful almost everywhere…Governments know that a society where people could kill, steal, and lie, without consequences would be a very miserable place to live…(Often we still have to suffer because of the ones who do break these laws…)
For God’s other laws, though, human society is of little help…For example, God tells us to avoid sexual sin…but Western culture is saturated with immorality…The “Every body is doing it society, is in full force…”
God tells us “Don’t covet what you don’t have,” but the world tells us to get more, to buy more…The worlds economic system is based almost entirely upon convincing us to desire more and to get more nicer things no matter the cost…(Plastic money= large balance due)
Some of God’s Laws are just between you and God… God says… “Honor no other God before Me…” He says, “To remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy and let it be your day of rest…”
God asks us to obey His laws, even though we have the freedom not to obey…Following God’s Laws, then, is more than just being a good citizen and staying out of court…If you want to capture God’s original intention for humankind, you’ll have to be intentional and purposeful about doing what God wants you to do…both in public and in private…And when you make that attempt, you’ll discover a couple of things…
1) You’ll discover that by following God’s Laws, you will become a joyful, better person, in a happier more peacefully family and community…Just as most cooks find that they have much tastier, more nutritious results when they follow a recipe, so we human beings are happier when we follow God’s recipe for living our lives…
2) The second thing you’ll discover, though, is that you can rarely keep God’s Laws as consistently as you would like to…Even with God’s assistance, we may still find ourselves, as Paul says, doing what we don’t want to do, and not doing what we want to do…(sounds familiar doesn’t it)
To Jesus, the Ten Commandments weren’t just rules, but principles…He summed them up this way… “Love the Lord you God with all your heart…” (Commandment one through four…) and
“Love your neighbor as yourself” (Commandments six through ten)…
I hope you get the picture of what I have been trying to say…
The Bible tells us that the Law of the Lord is just like looking into a mirror…When I look into God’s law, it shows me just how I am living and I must admit, God still has some work to do in me, but most of the work is to be done by me…I must live my life doing my best to stay inside the Law of the Lord…
If you want to live to be a better person or Christian, you must do the same…because God loves us, He sent not only The Law into our lives for guidance…He also sent Jesus Christ to pay a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay…
Please don’t suppose, however, that because He loves us, God doesn’t really care about how we act…He cares and if and when we do fail at keeping His Laws, there will always be a price to pay…
God is a great Father, but we must realize that sin is still sin… The Law of God is an unchanging rule of the moral universe…and if we try to live by those laws, we will miss out on many consequence from sin…
God ask us to keep trying harder to love Him more completely, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves… and this is not always easy to do…but now, through God’s gracious gift of Jesus, we may be forgiven when we fall and we can be assisted by the Holy Ghost to do better…So while the wages of sin is death, now we also have the comfort of knowing the...
“The gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord…”
Prayer:
Dear Lord, You search my heart and know me far better that I know myself…May I be Your worthy servant, and may I live according to Your Commandments…Let me be a person of integrity, Lord, and let my words and deeds be a testimony to You, today and always…
Amen.
Robert N. Graves, Sr. Fisherman for Christ
posted by Fisherman For Christ at 4/26/2008 02:38:00 PM
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