BIBLE MEDITATION:
1 John 1:8; “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”
ENCOURAGING WORD:
Throughout my life I have encountered many people that said, they have not sinned. Obviously, when they say that, they have never read the Bible, especially when it comes to the “Ten Commandments.” First of all, let me say this, “They are not the Ten Suggestions, they are commands from God that we are to obey.” Not only are there Ten Commandments, but there are also another six hundred and twenty-five or more scattered throughout the scriptures. Then you have the ones that say, they don’t believe in God or the Bible. Let me once again explain something very clearly, it doesn’t matter what they believe, Gods Word is true, everybody else is wrong. Everybody will end up in one of two places, heaven or hell, based on how you feel about the Bible, there are no other options. Believe and go to heaven, reject and go to hell. Quite clear if you ask me. Anything else that you believe is wrong. Unfortunately, most people will not know that until it is too late.
Now, let me explain the title of today’s message. First of all, you have to know that you are a sinner before you understand your need for a Savior. For those that say they have not sinned, I'm going to go over the “Ten Commandments” in more detail, to prove beyond any shadow of doubt that we have all sinned.
1). “I am the LORD your God, which have brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me.” This is not necessarily just referring to gods like Allah, Buda or any of the false religions of the world, although they are definitely the most obvious ones. It goes a lot deeper. Anything that you own or place higher that your relationship with Jesus Christ is considered a god. i.e., your car, your home, your spouse, or anything else that you cling to in this world that takes you away from God. I believe we are all guilty of this, no one can claim exemption from breaking this commandment. There are some that are much guiltier of this than others, but some fall into this without really understanding what they are doing. Now, this doesn’t mean that you can’t have any fun or enjoy blessings that God has given you, just include Jesus in all you do. Invite Him along wherever you go or whatever you do.
2). “You shall not make unto you any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: You shall not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my Commandments.” This one is going to upset a lot of people when they understand what this is truly referring too. Nobody knows what Jesus Christ looks like, so every time someone paints a picture or erects a stature of what they think Jesus looks like, it should not be bowed down to or idolized or even placed in a religious establishment. All these are types of graven images. If you have a statue of anything in your church that you idolize, you fall deep into this category. I don’t think I have to mention any particular religious sects, because you know what Christian Sect that I am referring too. I think you get the message. If you're not sure, just look around in your church and see how many pictures or statures that are placed inside the walls of your establishment. There are, however, two items which I feel are okay to display and they are the “Dove” which represents peace and the “Cross” which is symbolic of our salvation. They are representative of what Christians believe in.
3). “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” This is another one that is so misunderstood. Sure, when you use the name of God in vain, like GD, or JC during a fit of anger, that is the most obvious form of taking the Lord's name in vain, however, there is a much more subtle way that people don’t think about or consider. If you say that you are a born-again Christian and you go about living in a sinful lifestyle, that is also using Gods name in vain. In case you need a reminder of what sins that Iam talking about, read the following scriptures in Galatians 5:19-21; "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, (This refers to any sex outside the bonds of marriage between a man and a woman.) impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." If You claim to be living under the banner of Christianity but you are living a lifestyle of one of the above-mentioned sins, then you are walking with Satan. These are a much more destructive way of using Gods name in vain. You are misrepresenting God and sending a false message of salvation to those around you. People see you living that way, so they believe they can live the same way you are and still be saved. I see this to be more common in these days in which we live than in the past few decades, but then again, The Bible tells us this is what would happen in the end of days.
4). “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shall you labour, and do all your work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God: in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” First of all, remember what Jesus said in Mark 2:27; “And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” This commandment was taken way out of context back when Jesus walked the shores of the Galilee. This commandment was made for man to enjoy, not to use as a legalistic doctrine. The Pharisee’s wanted to kill Jesus because He did work on the Sabbath day. The confusion lies in what is the real Sabbath day. To the Jews it is Saturday, to the Gentiles it is Sunday. Jesus said we are to gather with likeminded Christians, Hebrews 10: 24-25” where He says, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” He is saying that we should gather with those that hold to the truth of the Bible, but even more as you see the day approaching where Jesus will soon return. A little side note, we are in the end of those days that the Bible is referring too, which means we should be gathering with likeminded Christians so we can lift each other up during these hard times that we are facing. You will not get comfort from the world; you will only find truth comfort and safety in the name of Jesus Christ.
5). “Honor your father and your mother: that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God giveth you.” Do I really need to expand on this one? I believe that all of us at one time or another were guilty of this. Especially when we got the rebellious ages of our late teens. I also don’t think I need to expand on the ultimate disrespect that children have for their parents, especially in these days in which we live. When a child can go to the legal authorities and have their parents thrown in jail for disciplining them, we have gone way beyond the realm of sanity. Parents have very little authority on what they can do as far as disciplining their children. If you haven’t been paying attention, let me enlighten you as to what is happening in our society today. Our government seems to believe that thy have the right to bring up our children however they want and is doing everything in their power to bring up our children in a way that disrespects our heritage and our belief in the Bible. It has gone way beyond rational thinking. When our schools teach our children that socialism is a good thing, there will be no hope for democracy for the future of America, and our world for that matter. Don’t be surprised when this happens, because it will, and because we have allowed it.
6). “You shall not kill.” The first thing everybody will say about this commandment is this, I’ve never killed anyone, but hear what Jesus has to say about this. Matthew 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. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca! Shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.” This commandment goes well beyond the description of what is really being said here. God says, if you are angry with a brother without cause, you are guilty of this commandment. This has gone way beyond anything that I’ve witnessed in the last fifty years. I don’t know too many families that aren’t quarrelling over something stupid. People say they wish we could have peace in our world, but yet they hate members of their own family. If you are in a situation where you are at odds with a family member, get things right with them, because the day is coming where all you may have to count on is your family. If you can’t get along with family member, stop pushing for world peace, because you are a hypocrite in the highest sense of the word.
7). “You shall not commit adultery.” Oh boy, here is the big one that will convict each and every one of us, especially men! First of all, let me quote what Jesus had to say about this. Matthew 5:27-28; “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Let this sink in a minute to what I just read, Men, can any of you deny this accusation, not if your honest, you can’t. It doesn’t matter if you have never committed adultery in the flesh, God judges the heart, and we are all guilty of this one. It’s called human nature. This actually includes any sexual desire outside the of marriage between and man and a woman. Any other acts of sex are guilty of this commandment. Deny it if you will, but when you stand before God at the White Throne Judgment it will be too late to claim your defense. Your eternal fate will have been determined.
8). “You shall not steal.” This one is probably the easiest one to live by, although, most of us at one time or another have taken something that wasn’t ours, we haven’t made it a lifestyle of thievery. But none the less, it is still a commandment that we need to be aware of, if it isn’t yours, leave it alone. I just want to point out one more situation that I feel that this applies to. If you buy something and you notice that the cashier gave you too much money back, you should return it, it is the right thing to do. We should not prosper from someone else mistake. This is more of an issue of just being plain moral.
9). “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” It is possible to bear false witness or slander someone by spreading rumors. I have seen this more often than I would like to say. I have seen Christian’s bashing Christians more than any other ethnic group. It sickens me when I see the evil behind those that say that they are born-again believers and then slander other born-again believers because of a difference in doctrinal beliefs. It is no wonder we have a hard time converting people to Christianity. These people aren’t blind, they can see the hypocrisy in the Christian world, and they don’t want any part of it. I can’t say that I blame them. If I were not a born-again Christian, I’m not so sure based on what I see from those that say they are Christians if I would want to be. It always reminds me of the Bible verse where Jesus says, Matthew 7:14; “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” I personally see it getting fewer and fewer every day based on what I am witnessing in the sect of Christianity. I hope I’m wrong, but if I understand the Bible the way it is written, then I fear for the worst.
10). “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is your neighbor’s.” This is another one that everybody is guilty of without a doubt. Every one of us has wanted something that someone else owns. Once again, it's human nature to want something nice that we cannot afford. Men, how often do you wish you had someone else’s wife or girlfriend? Let me sum this one up by saying this, accept what you have because everything that you have is a gift from God and if you wish to have something that isn’t yours, then you are showing God disrespect and unappreciative for what He has given you.
Now, there should be no excuse for thinking that you are without sin. So, now, if you still feel that you are without sin, your fate has most likely been sealed for all eternity, but if you realize now that you are a sinner, and you want to be with Jesus Christ throughout all eternity, it is now time to repent of your sins and give your life too Jesus Christ. “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” We read this verse in James 5:16; 1 John 1:9 also tells us this, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” So, you see that there is no excuse for not receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, unless you prefer to exist outside of Gods Kingdom for all eternity. You can make that choice today and be saved because now you know that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. His name is Jesus Christ, and He is at the door waiting for you to let Him in.
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