God's Commandments

Week 23

God’s Commandments

Can you recite the Ten Commandments? Most of us can get through four or five of them. We kind of know what they are, but let’s review them.

 I    You shall have no other gods before me.

II    You shall not make for yourself an idol. 

III   You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.

IV   Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

V    Honor your father and your mother.

VI   You shall not murder.

VII  You shall not commit adultery.

VIII You shall not steal.

IX   You shall not give false testimony. 

X    You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.

What was God’s purpose for these laws? Why did he give them to Moses and ask him to pass them on to the people? Was it because he was a mean God who wanted to make everybody listen to him or maybe he just wanted to show everyone how powerful he was.

God wanted to show us that no matter how hard we tried to live righteous lives. We couldn’t do it under our own power. Look back over the commandments again. Have you always been able to keep each of these laws? Oh sure, maybe you haven’t murdered anyone. Maybe you aren’t a thief or a liar. But have you always honored your parents? Have you ever made an idol of anything? Have you ever placed anything before God in your life?

These laws, as practical and holy as they are, are impossible to keep. We just can’t do it!

Jesus came to fulfill the law. He told us, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” Matthew 5:17-18.

Jesus came to show us exactly how God wanted us to live our lives. Before Jesus, we had the ten commandments which God was trying to use to show us what he expected from us. But these laws were impossible for us to keep. Jesus came and taught us, “...in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12. It is all about love. Love for God, love for self, love for others.

As it says in Galatians 3:23-24, “Before faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.”

And we see what happens to us when we become believers in Romans 7:6 “But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in a new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” Once we put our trust in Christ, we live our lives in love, we begin to walk in the Spirit because Jesus sent his spirit to live in us and teach us and guide us.

When asked by the teachers of the Jewish law which commandment was the greatest, Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40.

What does this teach us? That if we can love God and others as Jesus loved them, the rest of the commandments will not be broken by us. Look back at the commandments again and think about them if we apply love to each one. We would be obedient not because we were trying to save ourselves, but because there is a genuine love for God and people.

We need to develop a love walk with God that is steady and faithful. How can we do that? By just walking every day with him. Developing a relationship with God and learning more of his heart. He loves everyone, we don’t and we can’t. But if we let God’s spirit lead us and teach us, we can learn to let God love people through us.

I have to use Mother Teresa as an example. She tended some of the dirtiest, smelliest, sickest people you could ever imagine. It is really hard to love someone who smells bad and is dying. We don’t want to touch people like that, but God does. He uses our hands to meet the needs of people, especially the unlovable. But we have to be willing to be used by him. That is all he is asking for. Our willingness.

When we yield to God and are willing to be used by him, he gives us grace for the work. In Romans 6:13 Paul instructed us, “Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.”

Holy, Righteous God,

We do love you and we want to love you with all of our heart, soul and mind. We need to surrender to you daily and let you love others through us. It is hard for us to do because we want to be in control of our own lives and it seems really scary to relinquish control to you. 

We invite your holy spirit to guide us and instruct us. We will listen to your voice and we will do whatever you ask us to do. We know that you love us and want only what is best for us and that you can use us to minister to others. We just ask for the grace to do all that you want us to do and we thank you right now for showering your grace upon us. It is in the name of Jesus Christ our master we pray. Amen