Will you pass the Law please?

"Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: ‘Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I am speaking today in your hearing, that you may learn them and observe them carefully." (Deut. 5:1)

Moses knows that his time is coming near and he wants to remind this new generation that is going into the Promise Land, that God expects them to keep His commandments. He remembers the disobedience of their parents and grandparents and the fate that they suffered due to their disobedience.

People often look at God and think that following laws is all that He is about, but that is not at all the case. Those who think that haven't read or studied God's Word. The reason that God is concerned with obedience is so that we can live in a way that honors Him and live so that we will love and honor others.

"So you shall observe to do just as the LORD your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left. You shall walk in all the way which the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which

you will possess." (Deut. 5:32-33)

For the Israelites, they were to teach their children and grandchildren these commandments so that they also would follow the Lord. That is exactly what is wrong with America today. The parents and grandparents in the majority have not passed down the commandments of God. We all have been lazy in that. To look around and think that we've done a good job with our children today would be foolish, borderline insane. Drugs are more widely used than ever before. Not just illegal narcotics but even pills to help us cope. Some people think that they couldn't make it in this world without a pill. People are drowning there sorrows in Alcohol to help them cope. Check out the news, you can't hardly allow your children out to play in broad daylight in today's America because of some insane sicko who would hurt them. Kids on "You tube" recording themselves beating another person, so violently that it is sickening to watch. Kids who have lost their minds, walking into their schools shooting down their classmates, most of whom have mocked and made fun of them so badly that they think they have no other alternative and they see nothing from adults to show them different, there are adults doing the same things at their jobs, people defrauding others to become wealthy, robberies, murders, all sorts of violence. Presidential candidates that lie and we pass it off as stretching the truth. Presidents, Senators, Governors, Mayors, elected officials, etc… who can't run their own lives much less the government. Preachers that by Biblical standards are false prophets, moms and dads who want to live their own life instead of taking care of their children. Abortion on demand. It's sickening. People today will shake their fists in the face of God and declare that they don't need Him or that He's not real.

Look at what the world now calls entertainment. The majority of the programs on television are "reality" shows that are filthy and the people on them do the most ignorant things for publicity and money. Wrestling, UFC, cop shows, lawyer shows, etc… The movies that when I was young were rated "R" are coming out again rated "PG-13", and "parents" are ok with their children seeing them. People are becoming more violent, greedy and selfish, than ever before. They have no respect for anyone. Check out Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages and the filth that people declare from the mountain tops. Use to be, that people that did bad things were a little ashamed of it… today, it makes them proud.

We are a vile and corrupt nation. Not because of the style of government that we have, but because of the hearts of the people. A dictatorial style government would be a good one under a dictator with a good heart. No it's not the style of government, but the condition of man's heart. This is the reason that Moses was refreshing the minds of the Israelites on the Commandments of God. So that their land that God is giving them will not become corrupt.

The Ten Commandments were given as a mirror for man. Like a mirror hanging over a sink. A mirror that man can look to, to show him the smug on his face. It shows us how far off the mark we are from God's will. How full of sin we really are and how we need his perfect sacrifice to clean us up.

1)"You shall have no other gods before Me."

2)"You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth."

"You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing loving kindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."

Why not…Why not have other gods…because there are no other gods, their fake. They can't protect you from Satan they can't provide for your needs, they can't give eternal salvation. They only bring emptiness and hopelessness. In the Israelites case He was the "LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." He does the same for us in our slavery to sin, because like the Israelites…He loves us.

"The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt" (Deut. 7:7-8)

3)"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain."

Paul stated in Romans 3 "WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS" This is scripture Paul used that was from Psalm 10:7, it was talking about the wicked. The "wicked" which is defined by: evil, mischievous, mean, dangerous or disgusting. This sounds like the character of a lot of people today, more than ever our society is filled with dirty minded foul mouth people. Our movies, music, television and streets in general are saturated with it. I'm by no means saying that I've never used curse words, but when I use to talk like that, I didn't do it around everyone. I was scared of my dad finding out I did it. One of my sons and I were in a local restaurant when he was small and there were 4 large teenage boys sitting behind us, dressed in the typical sagging pants and crooked hats. They were talking loud and filthy. Every word that came out of their mouth was a curse word or just filthy, dirty language. With every word my son looked at me. I was starting to get angry. I finally turned around and told the four that if they were going to talk like that they needed to move, because I had my child with me. They, to my surprise listened and from that point on, they cleaned it up. But what really bothered me was that they would talk like that in public. But I've been in Wal-Mart heard grown WOMEN…not ladies but grown women talking out loud in a group, they sounded like a bunch of sailors. Our moral compass is out of whack, and God says that He will not let it go unpunished.

4)"Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. 'Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you, so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you."

This is the only commandment that was given to the Jewish people alone. All other commandments were given to the New Testament Church also, but this one. The Sabbath is on Saturday and the New Testament Church observed Sunday the day that Jesus was raised. Now this doesn't mean that Sunday shouldn't be held as an important day to the Christian, a day to set aside to honor God, but the actual Sabbath was for the Jews…listen to the rest of the verse:

"You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to observe the Sabbath day."

Were any of your ancestors brought out of Egypt? Not unless you are a Hebrew. The Sabbath is for the Jews.

5)"Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well with you on the land which the LORD your God gives you."

Honor your father and mother…man that's almost a lost thought in our culture today. I've heard some of the foulest things come from the mouths of children, aimed at their parents. The amount of disrespect and disobedience is awful. The verse tells you to honor them so that you may live long in the land. I was taught to do this by my dad…who if I didn't…may have not let me live very long on his land. But we should teach our children to respect others and to respect us. But we should also live our lives to earn that respect. You see so many parents today that want to be their child's friend or they want to live a life of drinking and running around, but then they expect their children to respect them…it ain't gonna happen.

The Bible also lets parents know that they should not provoke their children to wrath. They shouldn't be so hard on them that they push them away, or expect more out of them than they can and are equipped to give. The worst thing in the world for a child is having a parent that they can't please. "Train a child in the way he should go…" A lot of people are claiming this verse, but they’re not fulfilling it. It says "in the way he should go…" Not your way or my way…but God's way. Many of the parents today take a child to church and expect him or her to get all they need there. Then when they don't they blame the church, the Sunday school teacher, the youth minister or the preacher. But it needs to be that they blame themselves. Teaching the word of God starts at home. That's the problem with our nation today, we've become lazy in God's word…we want someone else to do it.

"You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deut. 6:7-9

All these companies like Coke, Budweiser, etc… all stick up signs everywhere, billboards and such. They want to get their word out…believe me they are. You can hardly go anywhere that you don't see some sort of beer and liquor advertisement … then we wonder why our kids are drawn to this crap. It's because that's what is confronting them. God said that He wanted His word to confront them. "You shall write them on your doorpost of your house and on your gates."

6) "You shall not murder."

Many want to take this and lay it on the soldier. This type of twisting of God's word by those who do not know it…is pathetic. You cannot lay this commandment on the backs of our soldiers. This commandment is talking about cold blooded murder. Some also want to tag this on capital punishment, the death penalty. First off God in His Word allows for the death penalty:

"If a man takes the life of any human being, he shall surely be put to death." Leviticus 24:17

"Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God he made man." Genesis 9:6

"He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death." Exodus 21:12

"If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death at the evidence of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness." Numbers 35:30

"Moreover, you shall not take ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death." Numbers 35:31

Many people say that Jesus changed this law…Jesus didn't change it, He reinforced it. He let us know that murder doesn't just happen physically. Not that someone should be put to death for hate by our courts, but to God, He knows that, that hate can lead to murder.

"You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell." (Matthew 5:21-22)

We have in America today a majority of invertebrates, who wants everyone to be nice, sweet and just get along…they want to protest violence like war and the death penalty, then after they protest, they go with some friends to see the latest horror flick at the theaters. They want peace in a world that does not understand or even wants to understand the only person that can truly bring peace. They want to sit by while our nation is attacked or while monsters roam our streets looking for some innocent child to molest and murder. The bleeding heart, liberal Democrat and the wishy-washy, moderate Republican, if left to them will destroy America.

7)"You shall not commit adultery."

I saw a commercial one day for the older game show "The Moment of Truth", they asked a lady if she had been unfaithful to her husband and she said "Yes". The crowd was silent and then the announcer said that her statement was true…then thunderous applause filled the air. She cheated on her husband….does no one get that. Adultery is taken so lightly today. We laugh at it on sitcoms. Some romanticize with it on soap operas; some think that it's just the way we are. God says we shall not commit adultery. Jesus took it a step farther as He did with murder. He stated that: "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY'; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:27-28)

8) "You shall not steal."

We all know that stealing is wrong. You can go anywhere in the world and take someone's property and they will let you know that it is wrong. I have had my house years ago burglarized once and let me tell you that it was the worst feeling, to know that someone had been in your home and has gone through your things.

9) "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."

Gossip, lying, etc… seem to be acceptable in our world today. TMZ, Entertainment Television, the tabloids, etc… seem to be the way of life. Everyone wants to know the dirt on everyone else, so that they can spread it. We all fall into this. We hear something that someone has done and we want to spread it. But what if it's not true, what if you are spreading a lie (not that if it were the truth, that it would be any better). Many people's lives have been ruined over a lie.

10) "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field or his male servant or his female servant, his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

Covetousness is the cause of stealing. When you covet something long enough, you'll eventually want it bad enough to take it.

God wants us to be content with what He has given us. Covetousness only leads to trouble. It will also lead to debt. It will make you try and keep up with the Jones’s…and the Smith’s, the Phillip’ and the Prescott’s. Debt will make you miserable, trust me…been there done that.

This completes the Ten Commandments, which God gave to His people. It says in Deuteronomy 5:22 that,

"These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly at the mountain from the midst of the fire, of the cloud and; of the thick gloom, with a great voice, and He added no more."

Notice that "He added no more." He included in these Ten Commandments all that they needed to do to live a life of abundance and one that pleased God…a life that would give them prosperity in the land God gave them. God also said another very important thing to Moses about the people,

"I have heard the voice of the words of the people which they have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken. Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all my commandments always, that it may be well with them and their sons forever!"

God was pleased with the people in their obedience, and longed for them to continue in this obedience so that He could bless them and their children forever. God's laws come from the creator of the universe and everything in it. The God, the Great I Am, that knows exactly the way we need to live and the things that we need to avoid, to enjoy life and bring others to a saving knowledge of His Son.

But, the majority…they have forgotten God's Laws and have not passed them down to their children and grandchildren. They have become a lazy, greedy, complaining and complacent people, much like the older Israelites whose bones at this point in the story are bleaching out in the wilderness. But now there is a new generation. The children that the old generation used as an excuse not to enter the Promise Land, are now the adults who will enter in and posses the blessings of God. We need to in this day and time forget the politics and political correctness along with the lusts for our own comforts and become the people God wants us to be, ones that love and obey Him, ones that teach our children and grandchildren to do the same. Jesus said, "If you love Me you will keep my commandments". Obedience is love.

See God knows that we can't perfectly keep these commandments, but through Him, with the Holy Spirit, we can be all that He ever wanted us to be…obedient. Do we get the Holy Spirit through keeping the law…no. The Law is a mirror held up to us. We are to look in it, and it will reveal to each of us that we are sinners. The mirror in the bathroom will show the smudge spot on the face, but the mirror won't wash off the spot. The Law can show us our sin…but it can't save us. No way can the mirror remove the smudge spot, we must come to the sink or basin and wash it away. The Law is the mirror that tells us to start washing. It tells us to come to Jesus. It is the blood of Jesus, God's Son that will wash us and keep on cleansing us from all sin. William Cowper wrote, "There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel's veins; and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains." Have you come to the basin? Have you washed? Are you considered clean by God? If so, obey Him, teach your children to obey Him, lead others to Him. If not…He waits for you…He longs for you…He is calling you….come, just as you are….come…come and see.

Vern