God's Commandments 07/01/2001
	Laws regulate our whole life. There are rules at home (Only the wife knows these evidently). Then there's rules at work that always work against you but for your boss. And Society has rules as well. And government also establishes rules. These rules are the law of the land. God too has rules or commandments that we are to all follow. Now some of you may be thinking, "Whoa!? Commandments, aren't those part of the Old Testament? Those don't apply we are under the age of grace thru faith not keeping the law." In his letter to Romans, Paul wrote "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Romans 6:1,2)      The commandments of God are just as valid today as they were in the the days of Moses and Jesus Old Testament - In the day of Moses and the age of law Read Exodus 20:1-17. Here we find the 10 commandments. These 10 commandments were to honor both God and man.  God 1 Have no other gods - there is only one true God. We are to worship him.   2 Make no idols - no idols of our God nor any other God.   3 Don't take his name in vain God & man 4 Remember the Sabbath - I put this command as being to honor both God and man. It honors the final day of creation but it is also meant as a day of rest for man. Jesus said, "Was Sabbath made for man or man for Sabbath?" Man / others (all mankind) 5  Honor parents - this one really made the Jews stand out. Many cultures put weak or deformed infants outside town to die and they also sent the old away once they had out lived their usefulness.   6 Don't murder - notice here that although the KJV uses kill many translations use murder.   7 Don't commit adultery   8 Don't steal   9 Don't bear false witness   10 Don't covet neighbor’s possessions     All these meant to honor men were all designed to keep the peace in the community. Peace between neighbors allowed the Jewish culture to remain pure and separate from the rest of the world. Those commandments that honor God kept the Jews pure in spirit and focused on that truth. Still today we are to love those around us and love God. Jesus reiterated the importance of these. New Testament - In the day of Jesus and the age of grace Read Matthew 22:36-40 Jesus summed up all 10 commandments in 2. 1-4 1 love god with whole heart...  4-10 2 love neighbor as thyself - who is neighbor? - important to Jews b/c they inferred it was ok to hate anyone who wasn't neighbor a. Pharisees defined their neighbors as only other Pharisees. That allowed them to mistreat all that weren't up to their standards b. Jews in general felt neighbors mean only other Jews. This was a broader group than the Pharisees c. Christ = all man =kind was neighbors (Good Samaritan) Now turn to John 13:33-35. It is here that Jesus gives a new commandment. He says we are to love one another as He loves us. Who is this one another? Well its who He was talking to - his followers. Therefore one another in practical terms is Christians. Christians are to have a special love for one another that models the love Jesus had for us. Commitment Challenge Notice  now the commitment levels or how much you are to love people. To start off with we are to love ourselves. Then we are to love everyone as much as we love ourselves. Next on the scale we are to love fellow Christians as much as Jesus loves us. Just how much love is that. Well he gave his life for us so we must be willing to give to one another. When a brother or sister is hurting we are to help them until it hurts. Then at the top of the scale is our love for God. This love is to be with all of our being; it is to be as much love as we can conjure up. Now for the challenge - set your priorities according to these love levels. Your reward will be that you will stay on course. Why? Why are we to do it? Simple, God has calle dhis children of both the old and new covenant to be a unique people that stand out from the rest of the world. We are to be in this world not of it.