Revival! Revival! Revival! Is there any doubt to the need for personal revival? We know as Christians that true Revival can only come to those who are Alive in the first place! We also know Him who said; “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” So I would like to ask a few questions and then share a few thoughts. Do you really want revival? Are you willing to do what is required? What is stopping you from being Revived in the first place? Are you willing to Stand in the Fire of Almighty God?
Most of my Christian life I have heard preachers, laymen and Pastors say the Church need revival. Many have said revival will only come through prayer. Some have said sing and Praise your way to revival! I am not going to debate their thoughts about revival. However, I would like to share my answers to the previous questions and hope you too will find yourself in a revival as I have found myself! I am a firm believer in the Transforming Power of Jesus Christ and the Fire He gives through the Holy Spirit. If I just pray for revival it will never come, because it has already been made available! You see the Holy Spirit is the Fire of God within the believer and He is Always Present. Do you really want revival? Then you are going to have crucify that which suppresses the Fire! Self, entertainment, pleasures, time, work, family and even Church can actually quench the Holy Spirit's fire in your life! These things listed above are not evil but distract us from the Pursuit Holy Fire Revival! Most are not ready to give these things up to seek true revival. “We are dust and dust settles” is a quote from A.W. Tozer and speaks volumes about our comfort and complacency. If you want revival then you must be stirred up.
Are you willing to do what may be required to receive revival? I can assure you with all the authority of God's Word that revival can and will never come without repentance! We can pray, fast, preach, teach, work in the Church etc. and revival will still not come. Repentance is a prerequisite for revival, just as Salvation. We must turn away from doing the same things over and over and expecting God to revive our mess! Listen to Jeremiah about this topic. Lamentation 3:16 “He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes. 17 And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity. 18 And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD: 19 Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
20 My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.
21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 22 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Are you willing to be broken and contrite? Revival is always here! Renewal can be new every morning because of the Faithfulness of God!
So what hinders us from being revived in the first place? No time for contrition? Too busy? Fire of God too hot? Some of my hindrances from the past came from my selfish fear of surrender. God may require something from me. He might want me to do something I don't want. Revival will never come until we are surrendered to the Spirit's Fire! Yes, the surrender and contrition do come from much hard prayer and fasting but Revival will not arrive until I Surrender to the Spirit's call. Which leads to the next question.
Are you willing to stand the the Fire of God and not just stand by the fire? The story of Moses has a lot to say about this. Remember when he went to God? He was called by God and had many objections. He had a confidence problem amongst many other self issues like we deal with everyday. He was standing in front of the fire of God as represented by the burning bush. He went to deliver Israel as instructed and came back to the Holy mountain. After much contrition and hardships Moses goes back to meet with God. The Lord gives the Commandments and then Moses spends time with the Lord. Then a really bad thing happened; Ex 32:1 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, "Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him." Ex 32:6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.
7 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt.” Moses then intercession for Israel and pleads for Mercy. Then Moses did something that we must do if we truly want Revival. We must not stand by the fire but go into the Fire! Ex 33:12 Moses said to the LORD, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with me.'
13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people." 14 The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." 15 Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" 17 And the LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name." 18 Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." 19 And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."
21 Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.
22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen." Moses , like us, stood on the edge of the Fire of God. But we, like Moses must jump into the Fire and see the Glory of the LORD! True Revival comes from a God who is like a Fire. Hebrews 12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our "God is a consuming fire." We need Revival, Yes. But are we willing to pay the price?
Showing posts with label commandments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label commandments. Show all posts
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Study of the Ten Commandments!
Study of the Ten Commandments
First I would like to address the question of validity. Some Christians say we need to get out of the Old Testament and get into the New Testament. Listen to the words of Jesus in the New Testament. Matthew 22:36-40 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 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." These words indicate that Christians still need the Moral Law of God. Not for salvation purposes but out of Love for Jesus. He said John 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command. So the Ten Commands are to be obeyed out of love for Jesus. Again Jesus says "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. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-19 If Jesus says we need to obey His Commands, well we need to obey them. It is as simple as that. If we think differently than what the Bible clearly teaches then we need to repent and obey. Proverb 30:5 "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar. Let us look and see if God needs to rebuke us!
Exodus 20:1-17
1 And God spoke all these words:
Notice who is speaking, God. This is His Words so we need to listen.
2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
LORD (self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah) Jehovah is speaking and reminding Israel who He is and what He has done for them through Moses. It is also noteworthy that Jesus delivers us from bondage as well.
First Commandment:
3 "You shall have no other gods before me.
The First Commandment is clear; do not have anything in your life that is more important than Our Creator, our Father and our God! He delivered us and Saves us through Jesus His Son and deserves prominence in our lives. 1Corinthians 6:19 “know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”
Second Commandment:
4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.”
5 “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
Idolatry, What is it? The Hebrew word translated in the King James version of the Bible is graven image. (to carve, whether wood or stone:--grave, hew). An idol is changing the image of God into our image. Thinking about God in ways other than who He is. To change His image is to worship God in your own image. Notice we are Created in His image, not vice versa. If we have anything in our lives which we hold dear to our hearts more than Him we are worshiping that thing instead of the Creator. What we will not surrender to Him we will ultimately worship! God is jealous? Yes. But the jealousy refers to His zeal or anger. What is He angry at or about? Idolatry, sin, putting other things ahead of Him! God says He will punish the children for the sins of their fathers to the third and forth generations of those who hate Him. Seems unjust or does it? The Hebrew word for visit or punish is as follows; [to visit (with friendly or hostile intent); by analogy, to oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss, deposit]. Who suffers when parents are hateful toward God? Is it not the children? Adam Clark describes this portion of Scripture this way; ‘This necessarily implies-IF the children walk in the steps of their fathers; for no man can be condemned by Divine Justice for a crime of which he was never guilty; idolatry is however particularly intended, and visiting sins of this kind refers principally to national judgments’. Verse six shows the love and mercy of God toward those that love God and obeys His commands. Notice the difference between the judgment upon the generations of those who hate God is much less than the mercy or love He shows to those that live in loving obedience.
Third Commandment:
7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
Because God’s Name is Sacred and Holy any misuse of His name will automatically get God’s attention. To misuse or take His name in vain is to slander or empty God out of our hearts. Notice God says He will not allow a person to escape punishment for calling Him a liar or emptying His Name as useless. Jesus says in Matthew 5:33-37 "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” Again Jesus speaking concerning words in Matthew 12:36,37 “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." Let us therefore watch our words and not use them to slander or for evil speech.
Forth Commandment:
8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.
11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
The Sabbath is a day of remembrance. One day in seven to rest from our labors and remember our Great Creator! Notice God made it Holy. No Christian is free to disobey what God has Commanded. Most Christians disobey this Command by not remembering and choose to say Sunday is the Sabbath. I challenge you to find in the New Testament where it says this Command is nullified. Also remember what Jesus said; Matthew 12:8 “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." Believing in Jesus and walking in obedience to Him is remembering the Sabbath. Continued study of this topic, one should refer to Hebrews. 4:7-11 “Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.’ 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.”
Fifth Commandment:
12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
This is the first Commandment with a promise attached. “That you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Now what does He mean “honor your father and your mother?” The Hebrew word for honor can be translated- to promote. The Etymology Dictionary defines the word honor this way; high respect, as for worth, merit, or rank: to be held in honor. God’s first institution was the family. Father, mother and children. God knows that if children will honor their parents, they will certainly be more apt to honor Him. It is a disgrace to God’s character and love to dishonor our parents!
Sixth Commandment:
13 "You shall not murder.
First off let us realize that the KJV translated the word kill. The Hebrew word means man-slayer, murder. So the word kill does not and is not what we are to obey hear. Murder is different from killing. Listen to other Scriptures define what God is saying in this Command. Matthew 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, {21 Exodus 20:13} and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.'
22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother {22 Some manuscripts} will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, {22 An Aramaic term of contempt} 'is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.
1John 3:15 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.”
Proverb 6:16-19 “There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.” Now we see the difference between murder and killing. The King James translators missed the translation from original Hebrew. “ ratsach” is a primitive root; properly, to dash in pieces, i.e. kill (a human being), especially to murder:--put to death, kill, (man-)slay(-er), murder(-er).
To kill someone or to murder someone is different; to kill someone in self defense or in case of war does not fall into the same category as murder.
Here is an illustration for killing;
1Samuel 15:2 “This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.'"
Israel went to war with the Amalekites. They were a wicked and Idolatress people. Israel was acting in self defense under the direction of God.
An illustration of murder is;
Ps 106:34 “They did not destroy the peoples as the LORD had commanded them, 35 but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.
36 They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.
37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.
38 They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood.”
You see killing and murdering are two different things. The best illustration of murder today is abortion. The shedding of innocent blood! Soldiers do not commit murder when fighting for our Country.
Seventh Commandment:
14 "You shall not commit adultery.
Adultery covers a multitude of sins pertaining to sex. Most people think that you have to be married in order to commit this sin. Not true! Listen to Jesus; Matthew 5:27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' {27 Exodus 20:14} 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” It is also note worthy to apply this commandment to our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Part of being an obedient Christian if faithfulness. Going to Church, serving and loving others, witnessing, worshiping etc...are all part of what God wants for our lives. If we become unfaithful we have committed spiritual adultery!
Eight Commandment:
15 "You shall not steal.
To the simple minded, this commandment is easy. Do not take anything that does not belong to you or that you have not earned. This is absolutely what this command is saying! But, there is a spiritual aspect to stealing. Listen again to God speak; Malachi 3:8-10 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse-- the whole nation of you-- because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” God is a giving God and He wants us to be giving as well. Let us not steal from our neighbors or steal from God what is His!
Ninth Commandment:
16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
Again, what is hard about this command about lying? If your neighbor is doing well and you are not, the tendency of fallen man is to attack his neighbor’s character. Giving false testimony is a willful and premeditated act! One of the best ways of bringing shame upon yourself is to lie about them in some way. Hear are a few Scripture to give greater understanding about this command; Proverb 6:16-19 “There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.” Notice two of the seven things detestable to the Lord have to do with false testimonies, lying. Again, listen to Jesus; Matthew 5:33-37 "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.'
But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne;
or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” Proverb has selective passages concerning gossip-which is false testimony: Proverb 11:13 “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.” 16:28 “A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.” 18:8 “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts.” 20:19 “A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.” 26:20 “Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.” The most stunning and straight forward passage is Revelation 21:8 “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars-- their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." Do not lie or gossip, enough said!
Tenth Commandment:
17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
Let us define covetous; to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights of others: to covet another's property. The Hebrew word for covet literally means, to delight in. When you see something your neighbor has and you do not have the same thing and you start thinking things like, I wish I had that, I want what they have, I deserve what they have etc... that is coveting! Here again is other Scriptures to define this Commandment; Luke 12:13 “Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ 14 Jesus replied, ‘Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?’ 15 Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 16 And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.
17 He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'
18 "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
19 And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' 20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' 21 "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." Again listen to Paul; Colossians 3:1 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Finally, we reach this verse to bring this Commandment to full understanding. Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’"
Now we have heard the Truth of God’s Commandments. God is enough! He wants you and I to live Free from the bondage of sin! God through His Son Jesus Christ wants us to be filled with Him, through the Holy Spirit. God will bring every man into judgement. The question is not if we have kept all these Commandments, for this is impossible, it is whether we believe in Jesus Christ as the only sin substitute. Jesus fulfilled the entire Law of God where we have broken them all! James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”
Here is a reminder; Matthew 22:37-40 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." These words indicate that Christians still need the Moral Law of God. Not for salvation purposes but out of Love for Jesus. He said John 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command.” So the Ten Commandments are to be obeyed out of love for Jesus! Ephesians 2:8 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” The good works Paul is speaking of is obedience to the Law of the Ten Commandments. Jesus died and shed His Blood to wash away our sins, disobeying the Law, and is calling us to a holy life. The only way to live a Holy life is repenting of our sins and believing in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and then walking and living in obedience to the Holy Law of God! “If you Love me, obey my Commands!” Jesus.
First I would like to address the question of validity. Some Christians say we need to get out of the Old Testament and get into the New Testament. Listen to the words of Jesus in the New Testament. Matthew 22:36-40 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 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." These words indicate that Christians still need the Moral Law of God. Not for salvation purposes but out of Love for Jesus. He said John 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command. So the Ten Commands are to be obeyed out of love for Jesus. Again Jesus says "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. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-19 If Jesus says we need to obey His Commands, well we need to obey them. It is as simple as that. If we think differently than what the Bible clearly teaches then we need to repent and obey. Proverb 30:5 "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar. Let us look and see if God needs to rebuke us!
Exodus 20:1-17
1 And God spoke all these words:
Notice who is speaking, God. This is His Words so we need to listen.
2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
LORD (self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah) Jehovah is speaking and reminding Israel who He is and what He has done for them through Moses. It is also noteworthy that Jesus delivers us from bondage as well.
First Commandment:
3 "You shall have no other gods before me.
The First Commandment is clear; do not have anything in your life that is more important than Our Creator, our Father and our God! He delivered us and Saves us through Jesus His Son and deserves prominence in our lives. 1Corinthians 6:19 “know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”
Second Commandment:
4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.”
5 “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
Idolatry, What is it? The Hebrew word translated in the King James version of the Bible is graven image. (to carve, whether wood or stone:--grave, hew). An idol is changing the image of God into our image. Thinking about God in ways other than who He is. To change His image is to worship God in your own image. Notice we are Created in His image, not vice versa. If we have anything in our lives which we hold dear to our hearts more than Him we are worshiping that thing instead of the Creator. What we will not surrender to Him we will ultimately worship! God is jealous? Yes. But the jealousy refers to His zeal or anger. What is He angry at or about? Idolatry, sin, putting other things ahead of Him! God says He will punish the children for the sins of their fathers to the third and forth generations of those who hate Him. Seems unjust or does it? The Hebrew word for visit or punish is as follows; [to visit (with friendly or hostile intent); by analogy, to oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss, deposit]. Who suffers when parents are hateful toward God? Is it not the children? Adam Clark describes this portion of Scripture this way; ‘This necessarily implies-IF the children walk in the steps of their fathers; for no man can be condemned by Divine Justice for a crime of which he was never guilty; idolatry is however particularly intended, and visiting sins of this kind refers principally to national judgments’. Verse six shows the love and mercy of God toward those that love God and obeys His commands. Notice the difference between the judgment upon the generations of those who hate God is much less than the mercy or love He shows to those that live in loving obedience.
Third Commandment:
7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
Because God’s Name is Sacred and Holy any misuse of His name will automatically get God’s attention. To misuse or take His name in vain is to slander or empty God out of our hearts. Notice God says He will not allow a person to escape punishment for calling Him a liar or emptying His Name as useless. Jesus says in Matthew 5:33-37 "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” Again Jesus speaking concerning words in Matthew 12:36,37 “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." Let us therefore watch our words and not use them to slander or for evil speech.
Forth Commandment:
8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.
11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
The Sabbath is a day of remembrance. One day in seven to rest from our labors and remember our Great Creator! Notice God made it Holy. No Christian is free to disobey what God has Commanded. Most Christians disobey this Command by not remembering and choose to say Sunday is the Sabbath. I challenge you to find in the New Testament where it says this Command is nullified. Also remember what Jesus said; Matthew 12:8 “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." Believing in Jesus and walking in obedience to Him is remembering the Sabbath. Continued study of this topic, one should refer to Hebrews. 4:7-11 “Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.’ 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.”
Fifth Commandment:
12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
This is the first Commandment with a promise attached. “That you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Now what does He mean “honor your father and your mother?” The Hebrew word for honor can be translated- to promote. The Etymology Dictionary defines the word honor this way; high respect, as for worth, merit, or rank: to be held in honor. God’s first institution was the family. Father, mother and children. God knows that if children will honor their parents, they will certainly be more apt to honor Him. It is a disgrace to God’s character and love to dishonor our parents!
Sixth Commandment:
13 "You shall not murder.
First off let us realize that the KJV translated the word kill. The Hebrew word means man-slayer, murder. So the word kill does not and is not what we are to obey hear. Murder is different from killing. Listen to other Scriptures define what God is saying in this Command. Matthew 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, {21 Exodus 20:13} and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.'
22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother {22 Some manuscripts
1John 3:15 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.”
Proverb 6:16-19 “There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.” Now we see the difference between murder and killing. The King James translators missed the translation from original Hebrew. “ ratsach” is a primitive root; properly, to dash in pieces, i.e. kill (a human being), especially to murder:--put to death, kill, (man-)slay(-er), murder(-er).
To kill someone or to murder someone is different; to kill someone in self defense or in case of war does not fall into the same category as murder.
Here is an illustration for killing;
1Samuel 15:2 “This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.'"
Israel went to war with the Amalekites. They were a wicked and Idolatress people. Israel was acting in self defense under the direction of God.
An illustration of murder is;
Ps 106:34 “They did not destroy the peoples as the LORD had commanded them, 35 but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.
36 They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.
37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.
38 They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood.”
You see killing and murdering are two different things. The best illustration of murder today is abortion. The shedding of innocent blood! Soldiers do not commit murder when fighting for our Country.
Seventh Commandment:
14 "You shall not commit adultery.
Adultery covers a multitude of sins pertaining to sex. Most people think that you have to be married in order to commit this sin. Not true! Listen to Jesus; Matthew 5:27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' {27 Exodus 20:14} 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” It is also note worthy to apply this commandment to our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Part of being an obedient Christian if faithfulness. Going to Church, serving and loving others, witnessing, worshiping etc...are all part of what God wants for our lives. If we become unfaithful we have committed spiritual adultery!
Eight Commandment:
15 "You shall not steal.
To the simple minded, this commandment is easy. Do not take anything that does not belong to you or that you have not earned. This is absolutely what this command is saying! But, there is a spiritual aspect to stealing. Listen again to God speak; Malachi 3:8-10 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse-- the whole nation of you-- because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” God is a giving God and He wants us to be giving as well. Let us not steal from our neighbors or steal from God what is His!
Ninth Commandment:
16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
Again, what is hard about this command about lying? If your neighbor is doing well and you are not, the tendency of fallen man is to attack his neighbor’s character. Giving false testimony is a willful and premeditated act! One of the best ways of bringing shame upon yourself is to lie about them in some way. Hear are a few Scripture to give greater understanding about this command; Proverb 6:16-19 “There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.” Notice two of the seven things detestable to the Lord have to do with false testimonies, lying. Again, listen to Jesus; Matthew 5:33-37 "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.'
But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne;
or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” Proverb has selective passages concerning gossip-which is false testimony: Proverb 11:13 “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.” 16:28 “A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.” 18:8 “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts.” 20:19 “A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.” 26:20 “Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.” The most stunning and straight forward passage is Revelation 21:8 “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars-- their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." Do not lie or gossip, enough said!
Tenth Commandment:
17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
Let us define covetous; to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights of others: to covet another's property. The Hebrew word for covet literally means, to delight in. When you see something your neighbor has and you do not have the same thing and you start thinking things like, I wish I had that, I want what they have, I deserve what they have etc... that is coveting! Here again is other Scriptures to define this Commandment; Luke 12:13 “Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ 14 Jesus replied, ‘Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?’ 15 Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 16 And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.
17 He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'
18 "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
19 And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' 20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' 21 "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." Again listen to Paul; Colossians 3:1 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Finally, we reach this verse to bring this Commandment to full understanding. Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’"
Now we have heard the Truth of God’s Commandments. God is enough! He wants you and I to live Free from the bondage of sin! God through His Son Jesus Christ wants us to be filled with Him, through the Holy Spirit. God will bring every man into judgement. The question is not if we have kept all these Commandments, for this is impossible, it is whether we believe in Jesus Christ as the only sin substitute. Jesus fulfilled the entire Law of God where we have broken them all! James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”
Here is a reminder; Matthew 22:37-40 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." These words indicate that Christians still need the Moral Law of God. Not for salvation purposes but out of Love for Jesus. He said John 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command.” So the Ten Commandments are to be obeyed out of love for Jesus! Ephesians 2:8 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” The good works Paul is speaking of is obedience to the Law of the Ten Commandments. Jesus died and shed His Blood to wash away our sins, disobeying the Law, and is calling us to a holy life. The only way to live a Holy life is repenting of our sins and believing in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and then walking and living in obedience to the Holy Law of God! “If you Love me, obey my Commands!” Jesus.
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