FAQs Mondays: Where Can We Find a Summary of the Moral Law?

Last week, we answered the question, "What does God require of man?".  Ultimately, we concluded that God requires that man respond to the moral law with an obedience that comes from faith.  The moral law it the obedience of faith.  This week, we will seek to answer the question, "Where can we find a summary of the moral law?".

Where is the obedience of faith given in summary form?

A summary form of the obedience of faith is given in the Ten Commandments.  Exodus 34:28 explains, "So he [Moses] was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights.  He neither ate bread nor drank water.  And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments" (see also Deut. 10:4).  The author of Hebrews states, "And to whom did he [God] swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient?  So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief" (Heb. 3:18-19, see also Heb. 4:2).  The generation of Israelites who rejected the Word of God perished in the wilderness, because they refused to believe God's Word, and thus, disobeyed him.   Concerning the reason the Jews were unable to attain righteousness, Paul states, "Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone" (Rom. 9:32).

What is the sum of the Ten Commandments?

The sum of the Ten Commandments is to love the Lord our God, with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and to love our neighbors as ourselves.  When asked which is the most important command, Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'  The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself'"(Mark 12:29-31, see also Matt. 22:36-40).

Summary

The moral law is summed up in the Ten Commandments.  The Ten Commandments can be summed up by the Great Commandments: "Love God and love your neighbor."  God requires more from humanity than simple obedience to the moral law.  In order to please God, and be counted righteous, we must first trust him, and out of that trust, we must obey him.

Now that we know where we can find a summary form of the moral law, we will spend the next several weeks looking at the Ten Commandments.  Focusing on each of the commandments will give us a greater understanding of what God requires of mankind.  This increased understanding will, in turn, enable us to measure more accurately our own response to God's standard.  Next week we will begin our look at the Ten Commandments by asking, "How do the Ten Commandments begin?".

Sunday Recap 7-18-10

Morning: The sermon, "On Prayer," focused on Ephesians 6:18-20.  In this passage Paul, instructs his readers on prayer.  Paul says:

• Pray in the Spirit.  This means we should pray under the Spirit's influence and with his help.  In Romans 8:15, Paul tells us that by the Spirit of sonship we cry out, "Abba, Father!"  In in Romans 8:26, Paul informs us that in our weakness the Spirit intercedes for us with groans to deep for words.

• On all occasions.  The believer is to pray in the good times and the bad.  We are to pray when we are on the mountaintop with the same fervor as when we are in the valley.

• With all prayers and requests.  The term prayer is generic for all types of prayer.  This would include prayers of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, praise, etc.  The term requests refers to prayers of supplication or petition.  These prayers are where we ask of God.

• Keep watch.  Paul instructs us, as Jesus did his disciples in Gethsemane, to be vigilant and keep watch while praying.  The believer must not let down his guard.

• Always continue to pray.  Believers are to persevere in prayer.  They must pray continually (see 1 Thes. 5:17).

• For all the saints.  Believers are to pray for other believers.  There are several places where we can find prayer needs: the International Mission Board, the North American Mission Board, The Kentucky Baptist Convention, Voice of the Martyrs, etc. 

• A personal prayer request.  Paul asked for prayer for his ministry as well.  He asked for two things: the ability to express the gospel with clarity, and the ability to express the gospel boldly.  I ask you to pray that these to things would be a reality in my ministry as well.

Evening:  We looked at Psalm 86, a prayer of David, and discussed prayer.

Slothfulness

"Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger" (Prov. 19:15).

It is easy to make excuses when your lazy.  Solomon warns, "Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep."  There is a type of "tired" that accompanies laziness.  It isn't the same kind of tired that accompanies a hard day's work.  It isn't the same kind of tired that accompanies sleepless nights caring for a sick child.  It is the kind of "tired" that requires two naps to make it through the day.  It's the kind of tired that stays with you even when you haven't done anything in days.

Poverty accompanies laziness.  Not that all poor people are lazy, some work very hard.  Others have money, but are lazy.  Yet lazy people want and want, but never really get what they desire.

When we get comfortable with the routine of our life, there is a temptation to get lazy.  Once we have achieved our desired goals the tendency for some is to relax.  Solomon warns that this isn't wise.

Do you struggle with laziness?  How do you combat being lazy?

Justified by Faith

"For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law" (Rom. 3:28).

I think a lot of people struggle with justification.  I was recently reading J. C. Ryle's Holiness in which he states that people often confuse justification and sanctification.  He explains that the act of being declared right in the sight of God (justification) is different from the process of becoming righteous (sanctification).

It is often difficult to "feel" right with God, because we don't always act righteously.  This failure to conform to God's standard generates conviction accompanied by godly sorrow.  This experience is meant to drive us to confession and repentance.  When we confess, we acknowledge our guilt for breaking God's righteous standard.  When we repent, we turn from our sin and pursue God's ways.

Now it is important to realize that the declaration of our righteousness, by God, is a fixed reality.  We cannot be more righteous.  By God's grace, through faith in Christ's work and person, we are extended full and free pardon.  In Christ, we are viewed as right with God.  The sin debt we owed to a holy God has been paid in full by Christ Jesus our Lord.

In our experiences; however, we need realize that the Holy Spirit is at work in us to bring about the righteousness we possess.  Growing in righteousness is a long and painful process, but one we can be sure the Spirit will bring to completion (Phil. 1:6).

If we do not keep these two realities separate in our minds, we will lack confidence in our salvation.  When conviction hits, Satan often attacks with accusations intended to hijack godly sorrow so that he can immobilize us.  Understanding that we stand right before God, by grace through faith, makes it easier to confess, repent, and move forward in obedience.  When we understand that our right standing before God is based solely on God's grace, it encourages us to cling more closely to him.

If we also understand that the Spirit is growing into the fullness of the righteousness that has been given to us in Christ, it will keep us from believing Satan's lies.  We are not right with God because of what we do. We are right with God because of what Jesus did.  By his grace, we walk in line with that truth.

To Forgive, or Not to Forgive

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/flikr/45457114/in/photostream/

Sometimes I feel like an onion--all wrapped up in layers.  It's kind of like when Shrek tries to explain life as an ogre to Donkey. Ogres have layers; onions have layers.  People have layers, too (and so does cake).

Have you ever been in a situation where it feels like all your layers have been pulled back, and you have nothing left to offer?  Maybe you have had all of the more pleasant layers pulled back and all that is left is the anger layer?  You feel tense.  Your ready for a fight.  You can just see a certain person, and your blood pressure starts to rocket.  Does that sound like your experience?

If you find yourself peeled back to the anger layer, you are serious trouble.  It means that you a flirting with unforgiveness.  Actually, it is more than flirting, you're, most likely, married to it.  The grudge you are nursing against that particular individual or group or place delights you in some way.  As you nurture your anger, it deceives you into believing that you are empowered by it.

But the person most injured by your anger is not the other person.  It's you.  Once, I passed a sign that read, "Being angry with someone else is like drinking poison and waiting for them to die."  I believed it then, and I still believe it.  However, that doesn't mean I always practice it.

My default mode, when wounded, is to retreat to anger.  If a person hurts me emotionally or otherwise (intentionally or unintentionally), I get mad.  In fact, when I get physically injured, my first reaction is usually anger.  I'm hardwired that way I guess.  Although, I am not trying to excuse it.  Harboring anger in our hearts is a dangerous thing.  Anger kills.  Haven't you ever heard of a crime of passion?

When I am not careful, I find myself nursing anger in my heart.  The wound doesn't have to be life threating to trigger my anger.  It can be a real or perceived slight.  I don't want to come off sounding like a hothead.  I can take a lot before I reach my boiling point, but when I do it is hard for me to simmer down.

James warns, "the anger of man does not produce the righteousness God requires" (James 1:20).  Instead we are to cultivate meekness.  We should be gentle of heart.  As believers in Christ, we are the recipients  of tremendous grace.  We are freely forgiven of our treason against God, and adopted into his family.  We are all sinners in need of grace.  We all acted in terrible ways toward our holy and merciful God, yet, in love, he offered us peace and fellowship.

In light of this reality, we should seek to extend the same courtesy to those who have offended us.  We should meet their hurtful ways with loving concern.  We should offer them forgiveness, free and without condition.  We should extend to them grace.  You might say, "Wait a minute.  They don't deserve my forgiveness!"  To which, I would respond, "Duh. That is why we call it 'grace.'"  Grace cannot be earned.

When we fail to forgive it reflects a heart that does not understand grace.  Most often, a heart does not understand grace, because it believes itself to have sufficient merit to earn God's favor.  The owner of an unforgiving heart is the slave of a proud heart.

More importantly, when we fail to forgive we come under God's judgment.  Jesus warns, "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matt. 6:14-15).  You may be saying, "But wait, isn't that works salvation?".  It might sound that way, if we take it out of it's context.  This quote comes from Matthew 5-7, often called the Sermon on the Mount.  The sermon instructs those who follow Jesus to start off by acknowledging their spiritual poverty.  They must realize that they have no righteousness of their own; they must trust God to provide it.

As recipients of God's grace, they should be quick to dispense grace.  Who can swim in the sea of forgiveness, and begrudge someone else such joy?  Only those who have never truly experienced the liberating joy of forgiveness can continually refuse to extend forgiveness to others.  This is the truth Jesus is trying to communicate with his warning.  To be forgiven is to be forgiving; to be unforgiving is to be unforgiven.

What do we do when we find ourselves unwilling to forgive?

• We need to assess the state of our heart.  Have we turned from our sin, to the living God, through Jesus Christ? If no, we need to repent and place our faith in Christ, and then ask him for the strength to forgive.  If yes, then we need to repent of our hardheartedness.  

• We need to mediate on the grace that saves us.  God was super-abundantly gracious toward us.  We have to spend time (lots of time) carefully thinking about God's grace, as revealed in Jesus.  

• We have to remind ourselves (repeatedly) that we are sinners who wound others.  By walking in their shoes, we help to prevent our heart from growing prideful.

• We need to do things to show them we love them even when we don't "feel" like it.  The kind of love that pleases God is not primarily an emotion.  It is action oriented.  Show kindness to your (former) "enemies."  When you do, you're imitating God.

If we will honor the Lord in this way, we can be sure that the Spirit is going to peel back the anger layer, and reveal a tender, merciful layer.  That's the Jesus layer.  Has the Jesus layer been revealed in you, yet?  What are some of the ways you overcome unforgivenness?

I Hate It When This Happens

Have you ever had one of those days where your mind doesn't want to seem to land?  Sometimes it feels as if my mind is being pulled in a thousand different directions. Today was one of those days.  My mind was filled with numerous good ideas.  Each idea wanted me to focus on it, to the exclusion of others, but none of them got the upper hand.

If I was smarter, I would have written them down (although not necessarily in any order).  By writing them down, I could have figured out which ones could be pushed aside until later, which ones needed immediate attention, and which ones could have been knocked out today.

Unfortunately, that idea didn't come until just a few minutes ago.  When my brain gets overloaded with options, my mind grinds to a halt.  Without a clearly set direction, I have a hard time focusing.  I call it "log jamming."  All of my thoughts jam together like a bunch of logs trying to pass through a narrow section of a river.  They pile up on me, and I can't seem to get things done.

Some of the best ideas, get pushed to the bottom (from which they never return).  My brain stays a fragment mess.  After I get so bogged down, it can take hours for me to defrag my mind.  

Maybe you can relate.  How do you handle "log jamming" of your brain?  What are some of the sure-fire methods that have helped you sort through your ideas and get more accomplished?  I would really like to hear from you.

In Search of Inspiration

Have you every read a passage of Scripture, and wondered how it applies to your life?  Have you ever been struggling with some decision, but can't seem to find a passage in the Bible to offer you guidance? Have you been wrestling with a sin and can't seem to shake it?

There are times as I approach my daily Bible reading in desperate need.  I need to see the face of God.  I need to have my sins confronted.  I need vision and direction.  Yet, in spite of my deep need I come away from my reading feeling empty.

These times can make us feel as if the Bible doesn't really work.  Why bother reading it?  However, we need to realize what the real problem is.  The Bible says, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16).  Therefore, the problem cannot be Scripture, it must lie elsewhere.  

Often we approach Scripture in the the wrong way.  We treat the Bible as if it is any other book.  Sometimes we treat it like a Magic 8-ball.  We approach with unrealistic expectations.  Sometimes we approach Bible reading as just another task to be checked off our to-do lists.  When we make these mistakes, it's no mystery as to why we get little to nothing out of Scripture reading.

• Just another book: When we read the Bible like any other book, we disrespect the Bible. The Scriptures were written by holy men, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and are God's revelation of himself to us.  When we read the Scriptures, we meet God.  The Holy Bible reveals a holy God.  You can't just pull your Bible of the shelf like it's a self-help book or life-coaching manual. 

• A Magic 8-ball:  I have also heard this referred to as "lucky dipping." With this approach, one takes his Bible and opens it at random.  Without looking, he then points to a verse.  Once a finger lands on the page, the nearest verse is read and then applied to the individual's life.  This method leads to a lot of misinterpretation, because it neglects the rules for sound interpretation.  You can't just ask the Bible a question, shake it up, and expect God to "speak" to you. 

• Unrealistic expectations:  We often want quick fixes to our problems.  Sinful behavior that may have been a part of our lives for years, rarely go away because we read a verse of Scripture.  More often, it takes years of faithful obedience and hard work to overcome sinful tendencies.  We should expect quick fixes.  Our God is the Ancient of Days who revealed the Scriptures over a period of 1500 years.  He doesn't get in a hurry.  Maturing in Christ takes time and effort, there are no short cuts.

• Checking off our list:  When we approach Scripture as if it is just something to check off our list, we do ourselves a disservice, even as we disrespect it.  God desires that we meditate on the Scripture.  Contrary to modern concepts of meditation, that focus on emptying the mind, biblical meditation focuses on filling the mind with the Scripture.  Biblical meditation tries to understand all the implications and applications of a passage, in light of its context and purpose.  When you half-heartedly or absent-mindedly read the Scripture, it is not likely to have a lasting affect upon you.

When we approach the Scripture in the right manner, it will bring about transformation in us.  We must combine reverence and faith as we read.  We also need to give careful thought to what we are reading.  We are most benefited when we combine careful thought and heart searching, when we read the Bible.  May God bless you as you search his Word for help and hope.

What is your approach the reading Scripture?  What tips do you have to understanding and applying the Bible?