God's Law - A Stroll Through The 10 Commandments

God's Law - A Stroll Through the 10 Commandments Written by Travis Foley Tuesday, 18 April 2006 Remember the 10 Commandments? I ask because it seems to be getting left out of a lot of church services these days... it's not "seeker friendly". With this in mind, I put together a tour of God's law in order to show that although we are saved by grace, that doesn't mean much to someone if they don't understand the law! The 10 Commandments can be found in Exodus 20:1-17. Have you ever broken one? Let's take a closer look and find out. 1. You shall have no other gods before Me • Have you always loved God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength? Loved God so much that the love you have for yourself, your family, and friends would look like hatred when held in comparison? • No one can say they have kept the first of the 10 Commandments. The bible says there is none who seek after God. (Rom 3:11 - There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.) 2. You shall not make for yourself any idols • You should not create a god to suit yourself... either with your hands, or with your mind! • Some people say, "Oh, my god is a god of love and mercy, not a god of wrath and judgement. He would never send anyone to hell. If you are one of those people, you are right. Your god wouldn't send anyone to hell, because he couldn't. Your god is a figment of your imagination. • The bible says that idolaters will not inherit the kindgom of Heaven. (1Cor 6:9 - "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,") 3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain • Have you ever used God's name in place of a cuss word? (ie. Oh my G-d!) • If you have, you have blasphemed the name of the One who has gave you life! • The Lord will not hold him guiltess who takes His name in vein. (Ex 20:7 - "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.") 4. Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy • God has given you life, breath, love, joy, family, all that you have you owe to God. • What does God require of us...? One day in seven. • Have you kept the Sabbath day holy? (Ex 20:8-10 - "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In itis within your gates.) you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.") 5. Honor your Father and your Mother • Have you ever rebelled or disobeyed your parents? • Ever? (Ex 20:12 - "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.") 6. You shall not murder • You say to yourself... whew, finally I got one! • But, the bible says that if you "hate" your brother, you are a murderer. • Jesus said if you and I get angry without cause we're in danger of judgment. • Have you ever hated someone? • Have you ever gotten angry for no reason?

(Mat 5:21-22 - “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.") (1John 3:15 - "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.) 7. You shall not commit adultery • The bible says that fornicators will not inherit the kindgdom of God. • Having sex outside of marriage is adultery, fornication. • You say you've never done that? • Jesus says in the bible, that if you so much as "look" at a woman in lust, you have already commited adultery with her in your heart. • What man can ever say he's not guilty of that? (1Cor 6:9 - "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,") (Mat 5:27-28 - 27 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.) 8. You shall not steal • Have you ever taken something that doesn't belong to you, regardless of value? • That makes you a thief and the bible says you will not inherit the Kingdom of God. • You say, "Yeah, but only once when I was a little kid... but that was a long time ago!" • Time does not forgive sin. 9. You shall not lie • Have you ever told a lie? • White lie? • Fib? • Half truth? • The bible says that liars shall have their place in the lake of fire. • You and I may think there's nothing wrong with an occational lie, but God sure does. (Rom 21:8 - 8 "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.") 10. You shall not covet • Who of us can say they have never desired something that belonged to someone else? The final nail in the coffin • The bible says that if you break just one commandment, you are guilty of breaking them all. • You don't have to commit 10 crimes to have the cops after you... just one. • If you are hanging off of a cliff, holding onto a chain with 10 links, how many of those links have to break before you fall to your death? One. (James 2:10 - For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all) What's the point? • The oldest statistic in the book is that 10 out of 10 people die. • The bible says that we all die ONCE, then after this, the judgment. (Heb 9:27 - And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment) • The bible says that we are all sinners and that the penalty for sin is death. (Rom 3:23, 6:23) • Well, what is EXACTLY is sin? If you break God's law you have sinned, because the bible says that sin is the transgression of the law, the law is the 10 Commandments. (1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.) • Jesus Christ came to live a perfect, sinless, life for us. He then paid our sin debt in FULL when He died on the cross bearing the sins of the world on his shoulders. • 3 days later, He rose from the grave and ascended into Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father.

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Christ's perfect life, death for our sins, and resurrection "satisfy" the penatly for our sins, therefore allowing God to declare us as "paid in full", or "righteous" through Christ. This is much like getting a traffic ticket. If the judge orders you to pay a $10,000.00 fine, then you have to pay it. HOWEVER, if someone you did not even know pays that fine for you, then the judge would still declare you as "paid in full" and you would be set free.

So... If you were to die today and face God in judgment He would find you guilty UNLESS someone has paid for your sins. • That someone is Jesus Christ. • In order to be saved you must repent of your sins and trust in Jesus. This means to not only acknowledge your sins to God, but stop sinning! Tell God that you know you are a sinner and you have fallen short of His standard. Thank Him for sending His Son to die on the cross for your sins. Ask Him to come into your heart and be the Lord of your life, then place your trust in Jesus Christ! At that moment your old spirit will die and you will be filled with a new spirit, the Holy Spirit. God will give you new desires to replace the old sinful ones. • God "saves" us by His grace, not because we're "good" as you have just seen by looking at His law. • We are saved by grace and are NO LONGER under the law. (Gal 5:18 - But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.) (Eph 2:8-9 - 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.) • Now that have given your life to Christ, you have been declared righteous by God. You will no longer have to fear death and judgment and will be found innocent on that day that is sure to come and set free through the gates of Heaven for all of eternity! God's a good god, He'll forgive me at judgement. • Should you deny Christ and face God on that day standing on your own self-righteousness, you will be found guilty of sin by God and sentenced to an eternity in hell. (Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death") • You say, I don't believe that... God's a good and He'll forgive me, besides, there are far worse people than me in this world that me! • Try that in the courts today. If you stand before a judge after being tried for rape, murder, and robbery and the judge asks you if you have any last words before his judgment, and you say, "Yes your honor. I just want to say that I'm sorry for the rape, murder, and robbery. I think your a good judge and that you should set me free. • The judge would probably respond by saying, "You're right... I am a good judge, and because of that I must see to it that you are punished for your crimes!" • The very thing that people think will save them in the end when they stand before God in judgment, will be the very thing that condemns them. Because God is a good God and He is a good Judge, He will have no choice but to find sinners guilty and sentence them to eternity in Hell.

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The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. - Psalm 19:7