Last weeks opening talk: Ten Words to Change Our Lives A federal judge recently ruled that a New Mexico City must remove its 10 Commandments monument. Apart from the strange interpretation that the 1st amendment right of freedom of religion should be seen as freedom from religion in the public sector, I want to focus on the 10 Commandments and our lives. In Hebrew, they are called the Ten Words. Nine of the Ten are repeated in the New Testament (with only the Sabbath Command left out). How should we think about these words? Are we under the law, and therefore the 10 Commandments, or has Messiah freed us from the law? My answer to that question is yes and no. Let me explain. First, the whole law of Moses was given to Israel living in a theocracy in their land as their constitution and law, and that includes the 10 commandments,. It was not designed for us. The church is no more under the law than we are to go build ships in our backyards because God told Noah to build an ark. Moreover, the effect of the law was to show how poorly we keep God’s law – it served to condemn us and to show our need. That’s why 2 Cor 3:7 describes the law as a “ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stones” an obvious reference to the 10 commandments. And it says the commandments were “fading away” or being rendered inoperative in favor of the even more glorious new covenant (2 Cor 3:10-11). Second, the law of Moses is part of the word of God and it’s our authority. We are under it in the sense that it was given as God’s wisdom. Listen to Moses description of the Law in Deut 4:6-7: Carefully follow them , for this will show your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the peoples. When they hear about all these statutes, they will say, This great nation is indeed a wise and understanding people. For what great nation is there that has a God near to it as the LORD our God is to us whenever we call to Him? So what do we need to do? We need to discern the wisdom of God’s commandments and apply the wisdom principle found each one to our lives. And when it comes to the Ten Words, if we apply them, they will change our lives. In upcoming weeks, that’s what we’ll be talking about at the start of the program, Ten words to Change our Lives.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 12:29:41 +0000
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