Amazing Facts with Doug Batchelor

Commands of the King, Part 2 of 2

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

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Series Code: AFNB

Program Code: AFNB002222S


00:02 male announcer: This presentation is brought to
00:03 you by the friends of the Amazing Facts Ministry.
00:07 ♪♪♪
00:09 Doug Batchelor: One of the more bizarre laws in
00:11 Minnesota forbids any game where participants chase a greased pig
00:16 in order to catch it.
00:18 It's also illegal to throw knives at men wearing striped
00:22 suits in Natoma, Kansas.
00:25 In West Virginia, using your ferret for hunting can land you
00:28 in jail for up to 100 days.
00:31 And you'd better not transport ice cream in your pocket
00:34 in Kentucky.
00:36 It's against the law to gather seaweed at night
00:39 in New Hampshire.
00:41 And in Vermont, a woman needs written permission from her
00:43 husband before she can lawfully wear false teeth.
00:47 Doesn't it seem like humans excel at making things
00:50 unnecessarily complex?
00:52 On the other hand, God's moral code is streamlined, simple,
00:57 and totally practical.
00:59 The Ten Commandments are also a perfect reflection of the loving
01:03 character of God.
01:05 They help us to see sin in our lives and to point us in the
01:08 right direction.
01:09 So, join me today, as we look deeper into this essential law
01:13 of love.
01:18 Doug: You know, I heard an interesting story.
01:21 Pastor Joe Cruz used to share this illustration, that the
01:25 shrimp out there in the ocean, when they molt, as they grow,
01:30 they slough off their old skin.
01:32 They have to swim down to the bottom of the shore, and they
01:37 grab a piece of sand, and with their little hands, they've got
01:40 a crevice in their head with a little pocket in it, and they
01:43 push a piece of sand down in there, and it's called
01:45 a status stone.
01:47 And what happens is when the shrimp are getting beat up in
01:49 the waves and the currents, and they're all swirling around,
01:51 they always know how to swim right side up, because they've
01:54 got this little piece of sand in their head that helps them keep
01:57 their equilibrium, and so that they know which end is up.
02:00 Well, a marine biologist got a bright idea.
02:02 He got an aquarium and filled them up with shrimp, but in the
02:05 bottom of the aquarium there was no sand.
02:08 He put little iron pellets.
02:11 And when it came time for them to molt and to replace their
02:13 status stone, they went down there; not finding any sand,
02:17 they all grabbed a little piece of iron, and they stuck it in
02:19 the crevice with their little claws, and everything was fine.
02:22 But this marine biologist had a sense of humor.
02:24 So, he got a large electromagnet, and he put it
02:27 across the top of the aquarium.
02:29 It was like a bar.
02:32 And he flipped the switch and turned it on; and as soon as he
02:34 did, all the shrimp spun around and began to swim upside down.
02:40 And he would watch that, and he turned it off, and they
02:42 swam normal.
02:43 And he turned it back on, they flipped upside down.
02:44 He thought, "This is amazing." Then he got another idea.
02:48 He said, "I wonder what'll happen if I take a normal shrimp
02:50 that's got the normal rock in his head and drop him in with
02:54 the other shrimp, will he flip upside down to fit in, or will
02:58 he swim appropriately?
03:01 So, he did that.
03:02 He dropped this other shrimp in that was a normal shrimp with a
03:04 piece of sand in his head, with all the other shrimps that had
03:06 rusty iron in their heads, and this one shrimp, he swam right
03:12 side up, and all the other shrimp began to talk about him.
03:17 I don't know if that's true.
03:19 But you can imagine what they were thinking.
03:21 "Who does this guy think he is? Why is he swimming upside down?"
03:23 He was actually the only one that was swimming right side up.
03:27 That's what's happening in our world today.
03:29 We've got people everywhere swimming upside down.
03:31 And since everyone else is swimming upside down, we think
03:33 we're supposed to flip upside down, too.
03:37 Someone once said because a million people believe a dumb
03:39 idea, it's still a dumb idea.
03:43 Moses said, "Do not follow a multitude to do evil."
03:47 And we're being just bombarded by media or the idea that we're
03:52 supposed to sacrifice our principles so that we could fit
03:55 in with the culture today.
03:56 We will not be judged by the culture.
03:58 We're going to be judged by the Word of God.
04:01 Now, the title for our presentation tonight is
04:04 "The Commands of the King."
04:07 You might be thinking, "Pastor Doug, in a prophecy seminar like
04:09 this, why are we talking about the law of God?
04:13 Let me give you three quotes from the book of Revelation, the
04:15 book of prophecy in the Bible, the last book in the Bible.
04:17 Revelation chapter 12, verse 17, "The dragon was wroth with the
04:22 woman, and he went to make war with the remnant of her seed
04:26 that keeps the commandments of God."
04:29 Who does the devil make war with?
04:30 The ones who keep the commandments of God.
04:32 You look in Revelation chapter 14, verse 12, "Here is the
04:36 patience of the saints.
04:38 Here are those who keep the commandments of God
04:41 and have the faith of Jesus."
04:43 Go to the last chapter in the Bible.
04:45 It's real easy to find, last chapter in Revelation, and it
04:48 said, "Blessed are those that keep His commandments, that they
04:51 might have a right to the tree of life and enter in through the
04:55 gates of the city."
04:56 So, here's three times in Revelation it says that the
04:59 people who are going to be successful and survive are the
05:03 ones who are obedient.
05:04 Indeed, when you look at the messages of Jesus to the seven
05:07 churches in chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation, it says, "to him who
05:09 overcomes," "to him who overcomes," "to him who
05:11 overcomes," seven times.
05:13 God wants His people to be an obedient people.
05:17 Now, I believe--in case there's any question--I don't want you
05:19 to doubt this at all.
05:20 We are saved by grace through faith.
05:23 We are saved by faith.
05:25 But I believe when you are saved by faith, you will obey.
05:29 Obedience is not legalism.
05:32 Some pastors are making it sound today like if you believe in or
05:35 talk about obedience, you are automatically a legalist.
05:38 The Bible does not teach that.
05:40 The Bible teaches that we are to be obedient to God.
05:43 He wants to save us from our sins, right?
05:46 Did Jesus keep the Ten Commandments?
05:49 What is a Christian?
05:50 A Christian is a follower of Christ.
05:52 Isn't that right?
05:54 So, if we do what Jesus did, you're safe.
05:57 What does the Bible say?
05:59 John 15, verse 10, Christ said, "I have kept My Father's
06:02 commandments and abide in His love."
06:06 The Bible says, "Thy word I have hidden in my heart that I might
06:09 not sin against thee."
06:11 How many people have sinned?
06:14 According to the Bible, "All have sinned and fallen short of
06:18 the glory of God."
06:20 Everybody sins.
06:21 So, we're not talking about that there's no hope for anyone
06:24 because we've all broken God's law.
06:27 What is the punishment for living a life of sin?
06:30 "The wages of sin is death."
06:33 It's very serious.
06:34 And when God saves us, he doesn't want us to just cut down
06:38 on our sin because sin is deadly.
06:42 He wants to save us from our sin.
06:44 And the Lord can help you stop the things and the addictions
06:49 that are a problem in your life.
06:51 He can help you stop lying.
06:53 He can help you stop stealing.
06:55 And yet, even the churches say, "Pastor Doug, now you're
06:57 getting legalistic."
06:59 I remember John Lomacang and I were doing an interview, a
07:03 debate on television, channel 42, oh, it must be 30 years ago,
07:07 with some other ministers about the commandments.
07:10 And these ministers said, "We're not under the law.
07:13 Nobody can keep the law."
07:15 And I said, "Are you telling me that nobody can keep
07:17 the Ten Commandments?"
07:18 They said, "No."
07:20 I said, "So, God gave people a law, told them to keep it, and
07:23 then punished them for not keeping it, and He knew they
07:25 could never keep it."
07:28 "So, that's right.
07:29 He needed them to understand that they couldn't do it, and so
07:31 that He was just going to have to forgive them through Jesus."
07:34 I said, "You don't think we can keep any of the commandments?"
07:37 I said, "You married?"
07:40 I said, "How about the seventh commandment?"
07:43 I said, "Do you believe the devil can tempt us to sin?"
07:47 "Yeah."
07:48 Said, "But you don't think Jesus can keep us from sin?"
07:51 So, in my book, Jesus said, "Greater is He that is in you
07:53 than he that is in the world."
07:55 Got all these bumper stickers out that say Christians
07:57 aren't perfect.
07:58 They're just forgiven.
08:00 And while I agree that Christians may not be perfect,
08:01 we are more than just forgiven.
08:03 We should be different.
08:05 God has called us to lives of holiness.
08:07 The penalty for sin is death.
08:09 Jesus came to save us from that by giving us new hearts.
08:12 Some say the Ten Commandments are not binding for
08:14 New Testament Christians.
08:16 What does Jesus say about that?
08:18 "If you would enter into life, keep the commandments."
08:22 Now, is that ambiguous?
08:24 Is that difficult to understand, or is that pretty plain coming
08:27 from the lips of our Savior?
08:30 If you would--and someone came to Him and said, "Lord, what
08:32 must I do to be saved?"
08:34 He says, "Do you know the commandments?"
08:36 And now he could've said, "Well, I've broken them."
08:37 And He would say, "Well, I'll forgive you for the ones
08:38 you've broken, but take up your cross and follow Me."
08:41 I live a new life. Jesus healed people.
08:44 He said, "Go and sin no more lest a worse thing come
08:46 upon you."
08:48 How can that be confused?
08:49 God wants us to stop our disobedience and not just be
08:52 Christians in word but in deed.
08:56 This is the Scriptures, friends. Amen?
08:59 But you don't hear this very often.
09:00 And there's a lot--that's why so many people are going to come
09:02 to Jesus in the last days.
09:03 "Okay, great. Lord, Lord, here I am."
09:06 And He's going to say, "I don't know you."
09:08 "Oh, but I taught in your streets and did many
09:09 wonderful works."
09:11 He says, "Depart from Me, you who are lawless."
09:15 In a translation, that's what it says.
09:17 "You who work iniquity--"
09:20 A lot of people just-- they want Jesus,
09:22 they want the benefits, they want the peace of mind.
09:24 They don't want to surrender their lives and obey.
09:28 "If you would enter into life, keep the commandments."
09:30 Jesus said, "If you love Me," do what?
09:33 "Keep My commandments."
09:35 Heard about this man that he had a drinking problem.
09:39 And he would come home drunk late every night, and his wife
09:42 would get so exasperated.
09:44 Had to be stumbling around the house.
09:45 She'd just lock him out.
09:47 And then he'd stand out there below their two-story house, and
09:50 he'd billow up to the window and say, "Honey, open up."
09:53 And all the neighbors would start waking up.
09:54 "Open up."
09:56 And then he'd always say, "I've got three words for you:
09:58 'I love you, I love you.'"
10:00 And she'd get tired of him bellowing out
10:02 there, and she'd go down, and she's surrender,
10:04 and she'd open the door.
10:05 This happened time and time again until one night she
10:07 couldn't take it anymore.
10:09 She'd locked him out.
10:10 He's out there on the street, waking up
10:12 the whole neighborhood.
10:13 "Three words: 'I love you, I love you.'"
10:15 She opened the door, decided to practice
10:18 some tough love, and she said, "I've got two words for you:
10:19 'Prove it,'" and she locked the door.
10:23 So, it's one thing to say, "I love you, Lord, I love you,
10:25 Lord," and a lot of Christians sing, "I love you, Lord,
10:27 I love you, Lord," but they don't obey Him.
10:30 The best way to show, "Obedience is better than sacrifice,"
10:34 the Bible says.
10:35 The highest form of worship is to obey God, to do His will.
10:43 "Blessed are those who do His commandments."
10:45 I shared this with you earlier, Revelation 22:14, last chapter
10:47 in the Bible.
10:49 It is a prophecy subject. We don't understand this.
10:51 None of the mark of the beast and any of that is going to even
10:53 matter if you don't understand God wants a people
10:56 that will obey.
10:57 "Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep
11:00 the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus."
11:02 Revelation 14:12.
11:05 How is it possible to keep the commandments?
11:08 I mean, we're all weak.
11:09 We all struggle with sin and the devil and temptation every day,
11:13 but He can transform you.
11:15 Romans 8:3-4, Paul said, "God did this by sending His own Son.
11:21 He condemned sin in the flesh," meaning in us, "that the
11:24 righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us."
11:30 I came to the Lord, I had a terrible problem with cursing
11:33 and using God's name in vain, but the Holy Spirit came into my
11:36 mind; and through the power of Christ in me, I was able to get
11:40 the victory over that, and many other things.
11:43 And the Lord can give you the victory.
11:45 He can change you.
11:46 Don't underestimate the power of God.
11:49 "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the
11:51 day of Jesus Christ."
11:53 Philippians 1:6.
11:55 "I can do all things--" How many things?
11:57 "--all things through Christ who strengthens me."
12:02 Now, what is the old covenant; and why did it fail?
12:05 And I want to just illustrate something I think most
12:07 of us know.
12:09 We've got Bibles.
12:10 And in most normal Bibles, you've got your New Testament
12:12 and your Old Testament.
12:14 I just got lucky and grabbed right here, this is the New
12:17 Testament is about one-quarter of your Bible.
12:20 Old Testament--the word "testament" and "covenant" are
12:22 the same thing.
12:24 All of this is inspired.
12:26 People often call this the old covenant and this New Testament
12:28 our new covenant.
12:29 What does that mean?
12:31 What is that distinction all about?
12:33 The Bible tells us in Hebrews that the old covenant was
12:35 replaced by the new covenant, and I believe we are saved by
12:38 the new covenant.
12:42 Do you know how that goes?
12:43 By the way, where do you first find the--where do you find
12:45 the new covenant?
12:48 In the Old Testament.
12:50 In Jeremiah 31:31, it says, "A new covenant I will make with
12:53 the house of Israel after those days."
12:56 So, some people think that people are saved by
12:59 the old covenant.
13:01 Everybody's really saved by the new covenant, even the people in
13:03 the Old Testament.
13:06 I'm going to get to that in a little more detail here.
13:09 "So He declared to you His covenant that He commanded you
13:11 to perform, the Ten Commandments."
13:14 What is the covenant?
13:16 "The Ten Commandments: and He wrote them on
13:18 two tables of stone."
13:20 In the beginning, when the children of Israel heard God
13:22 proclaim His law--first, He proclaimed it.
13:25 If you're going to make a contract with someone, first you
13:26 get a verbal agreement.
13:28 When you both agree verbally, then you write it down.
13:30 Isn't that how you do it?
13:31 No sense--you go to a car dealership, you're going to go
13:34 back and forth haggling with the dealer.
13:36 When you finally agree on a number, then they write it down.
13:38 Then they do the contract.
13:39 They don't keep writing contracts.
13:41 And so, God pronounced His law audibly for the whole nation,
13:45 Ten Commandments.
13:46 The people said, "All the Lord has said, we will do."
13:48 They made a promise: "We will keep the covenant."
13:52 Well, while Moses was getting the written copy, they had a
13:55 wild party, they made a golden calf, they worshiped idols and
13:57 broke all the other commandments.
14:00 And the Bible says in Hebrews 8:8, "Because finding
14:03 fault with them--"
14:05 What was the fault of the old covenant?
14:06 Was it the law or the people?
14:09 They broke the terms of the covenant.
14:12 "Finding fault with them, He said, 'I'll make a new covenant
14:15 with the house of Israel.'"
14:16 By the way, who is the new covenant made with?
14:20 The house of Israel.
14:22 You find nowhere in the Bible it says, "I'll make a new covenant
14:24 with the Gentiles."
14:26 Everybody saved is saved through the covenant that He made with
14:28 the house of Israel.
14:30 That's who He makes the new covenant with.
14:32 But we, as Christians, are grafted into the stock
14:35 of Abraham.
14:36 We become Abraham's seed by faith, so Paul tells us in the
14:40 New Testament.
14:42 Upon what law is the new covenant based?
14:46 Same law.
14:48 Hebrews 8:10, "'For this is the covenant that I will make,'
14:51 says the Lord: 'I will put my law--'"
14:53 Now He's talking about the new covenant.
14:54 "'I'll put my law,'" same law, "'in their mind and write them
14:58 in their hearts.'"
14:59 It's the same law written in a different place.
15:03 See, for the Christian, it's not just the letter of the law; it's
15:06 the spirit of the law.
15:08 Christ, when He began teaching, He said, "It's not just the
15:11 action; it's the attitude."
15:14 It's not just the action of committing adultery.
15:17 Jesus said, "If you're thinking about adultery in your heart,
15:19 you're guilty of the attitude.
15:21 You're breaking the law."
15:22 He wants us to keep it in our lives and in our hearts, but
15:25 you've got to start in the heart, if it's going to be
15:27 kept in the life.
15:29 See what I'm saying? So, you need a new heart.
15:31 You can not only break the law, but it says murder by committing
15:35 homicide, but you can break it, Jesus said, by being angry with
15:38 your brother without a cause.
15:41 Doug: Don't go anywhere, friends.
15:43 We'll be back in just a moment with the rest of today's
15:45 presentation.
15:47 Would you like to have better relationships?
15:49 Silly question, right?
15:51 You desire more joy and fulfillment in your life.
15:54 Are you seeking a closer walk with Jesus?
15:57 And how can you grow spiritually in today's hectic world?
16:00 What if told you that the answer to all of these questions can
16:05 surprisingly be found in the Ten Commandments?
16:08 Amazing Facts would like to share with you Part 1 of our
16:11 12-part series, "Laws of Love and Liberty."
16:15 In this stirring message, we explore the amazing riches that
16:19 can be mined from each and every commandment, revealing that
16:22 God's law is still a treasure trove of wisdom that offers
16:26 incredible proven solutions to the real-world problems
16:29 of everyday life.
16:31 To get your free copy, call the phone number on the screen and
16:33 ask for Offer #808 or visit the web address.
16:38 And after you read this incredible resource, be sure and
16:41 share it with a friend.
16:42 Let's return now to today's presentation and learn some more
16:45 amazing facts from the Word of God.
16:49 Doug: The new covenant is about the law of God in our
16:51 hearts, and then we'll keep it in our lives.
16:54 We'll be keeping the spirit; and once you keep the spirit,
16:56 you will automatically keep the letter.
16:59 Did that make sense? Thank you.
17:01 Doesn't living under grace and faith make keeping
17:04 the law non-essential?
17:06 No, it's actually the opposite.
17:09 Paul says in Romans 6:15, "What then?
17:12 Shall we sin because we're not under the law but under grace?
17:15 Certainly not! God forbid."
17:18 Romans 3:31, "Do we then make void the law through faith?
17:22 Certainly not!"
17:24 And the King James says, "God forbid.
17:26 On the contrary. It's the opposite.
17:28 We establish the law by faith in our lives."
17:32 Jesus said, "It's not the hearers of the law
17:34 that are just."
17:35 Or actually, Paul says this in Romans chapter 3--let me
17:38 see--chapter 2, verse 13.
17:40 "It is not the hearers of the law that are just before God,
17:43 but the doers of the law will be justified."
17:46 That's just so clear.
17:47 Christ said, "Think not that I've come to destroy the law or
17:49 the prophets.
17:50 Do not think this."
17:52 He said, "I did not come to destroy but fulfill."
17:54 And people think fulfill means that He kept it and now we
17:57 don't have to.
17:58 That's absurd.
18:00 The word "fulfill" does not mean take away.
18:02 It means to fill it full; otherwise, Jesus would be
18:05 saying, "Do not think that I came to destroy the law.
18:08 I did not come to destroy the law but to do away with it."
18:11 That wouldn't make any sense, would it?
18:13 Fulfill means to fulfill it in your life.
18:17 He said that the blessing is on those who do and teach it.
18:22 Are people saved by keeping the law?
18:25 No.
18:26 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, not of
18:29 yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works,
18:33 lest any man should boast."
18:36 I remember one time when a policeman pulled me over, and I
18:42 actually passed him.
18:44 I was deep in thought, and I don't know what I was thinking.
18:46 I'd just come off a road where you drive 70 miles an hour.
18:48 Now I'm on another highway, and it's 50 miles an hour, and I
18:51 went zinging by a highway patrolman, while he was
18:53 following another car.
18:54 He had left that car, and he got behind me, and
18:56 he pulled me over.
18:57 And he said--you know, you see, I had places to go, people to
18:59 see, things to do.
19:01 I did not want to pull over; but when you see the blue and white
19:03 lights in the back, and you look at your--how many of you
19:06 automatically look at your speedometer when you see
19:08 a highway patrolman?
19:10 How many of you automatically take your foot off
19:11 the accelerator?
19:13 You're going five miles an hour, and you go--it's
19:15 a guilty conscience.
19:18 So, once I broke the law, I am under the law.
19:23 When you break it, you're under the law.
19:25 I did not want to pull over, but I had to pull over.
19:28 He came over to me, and I said, "Officer, can you please
19:31 have mercy?
19:33 I just came off the freeway. It was 70 miles an hour.
19:35 I wasn't paying attention. Please--"
19:36 He said, "You weren't going that fast, but I was
19:38 following someone, and you passed me."
19:41 I said, "I am so sorry."
19:43 Said, "You know, I've got to believe that you just
19:45 weren't thinking."
19:46 I said, "Have mercy."
19:48 I said, "My insurance rates are going to go up.
19:49 My wife's going to find out, and then you know how that goes."
19:51 And I said--he said, "Ah, yeah, okay."
19:54 So, he said, "I'll have mercy."
19:56 And I was so thankful because, you know, you get the feeling
19:58 when you get pulled over, and they walk back, and they check
19:59 your license plate, and they're taking little notes.
20:01 You're going, "Oh, man.
20:03 I've got to go to traffic school again," and all these things.
20:06 And when he came back over, he said, "Okay, I'm giving you
20:10 a warning.
20:12 It won't be on your record. Slow down."
20:15 I said, "Hallelujah." I was so thankful.
20:20 So, I thought, "Praise the Lord, I am no longer under the law.
20:23 I'm now under grace."
20:25 So, before he got back to his car, I revved my engine, and I
20:30 popped it into second, I let out the clutch, and I went peeling
20:32 away, spraying gravel all over his hood because I thought,
20:35 "I am not under the law; now I'm under grace."
20:38 And I went 90 miles an hour.
20:40 Is that what I did?
20:42 Oh, no.
20:43 I put on my blinker, and I looked both ways until there was
20:47 no cars for, you know, three miles in either direction, and
20:51 I crawled out onto the road, and I just putted along.
20:53 I waved to the policeman, goodbye.
20:56 Because he's shown me mercy, I am more careful than
20:59 anybody, right?
21:01 Because now I'm not under the law.
21:02 Now I'm under grace.
21:04 Out of gratitude and love, you obey.
21:07 What motivates a person to obey God's law?
21:10 Answer: "Therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."
21:16 When we love God, we will want to obey Him.
21:18 If you're having obedience problems, you're probably
21:20 having love problems.
21:22 You need to spend more time with Jesus in prayer and in the Word,
21:24 and that shapes you.
21:26 It gives you that strength.
21:28 It's through the Holy Spirit in your life, through being
21:31 connected and abiding in Christ.
21:33 "Whoever abides in Him sinneth not."
21:35 Whenever we get into trouble, we cease abiding.
21:37 We usually forget about the Lord and get in trouble.
21:40 "You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart,
21:43 with all of your soul, with all of your mind."
21:45 It's through love.
21:47 "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments."
21:51 1 John 5, verse 3.
21:53 Do you know how quickly Christianity would spread if
21:55 Christians really started living different, if we were holy, if
22:00 we loved each other, we tried to live out the law of God
22:02 in our lives?
22:05 Are some Old Testament laws no longer binding upon New
22:08 Testament Christians?
22:10 Absolutely.
22:11 The Bible tells us what they are.
22:13 "Having abolished the law of commandments contained
22:15 in ordinances."
22:17 And it's Ephesians 2:15.
22:20 That's the yearly sabbaths, the meat offerings,
22:22 the drink offerings.
22:24 We don't have to sacrifice lambs anymore.
22:26 Circumcision is not required.
22:29 All these things came after sin.
22:31 Now catch this very important point.
22:35 Before the Ten Commandments were given on Mount Sinai, Exodus 20,
22:39 was it still wrong to kill, murder?
22:42 When Cain killed Abel, God said, "Sin lies at your door."
22:47 When Potiphar's wife, this Egyptian commander, when his
22:50 wife was trying to seduce Joseph, Joseph said, "How can I
22:53 do this thing and sin against God?"
22:55 Adultery was a sin, murder was a sin, lying was a sin.
22:58 The Ten Commandments have existed since before creation.
23:02 And so before there was sin, they didn't have
23:04 the ceremonial laws.
23:06 They didn't have circumcision.
23:07 Those things all came after sin.
23:09 But the Ten Commandments are part of God's nature.
23:11 It's always existed.
23:13 What are some of the glorious rewards of keeping God's law?
23:18 Well, there are many, friends.
23:19 For one thing, it says, John 15, verse 11, "These things I've
23:23 spoken to you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy
23:28 might be full."
23:29 People think, "Oh, I've got to keep the law.
23:31 I'll have no joy."
23:32 You know, I used to think that.
23:34 I'd like to be a Christian, but they're not allowed to
23:35 have any fun."
23:37 Because I had such a puny, corrupted idea of what fun was.
23:41 I thought fun was drinking, and smoking, and all these sins.
23:45 And I thought I can't party.
23:47 And God said, "Look, Doug, I'm not going to force you
23:49 to change.
23:50 You think that's fun? Keep having fun."
23:53 This is happening while I'm reading the Bible, you know?
23:56 And I'd got to a party.
23:57 I'd wake up hung over, throwing up, wake up in jail.
24:03 God said, "You having fun, Doug?"
24:06 I'd be smoking a cigarette, and a girl tells me kissing me is
24:09 like kissing an ashtray, and cigarette head falls off, while
24:13 I'm driving, in my lap, nearly wrecked the car, and wasting my
24:17 last five dollars, when I have no food, on cigarettes.
24:20 And God says, "Are you having fun, Doug?"
24:23 And I gradually realized that the things that God wants me
24:26 to do is what really brings the abundant life.
24:29 I have much more fun now than I did serving the devil.
24:33 It's a joy.
24:34 "Happy is he who keeps the law."
24:36 Proverbs 29, verse 18.
24:39 "Great peace have those that love Your law, and nothing will
24:44 cause them to stumble."
24:45 I remember hearing a story about this man that was driving too
24:50 quickly through a suburban neighborhood.
24:52 And he not only went crawling through a stop sign,
24:58 but he was speeding.
25:00 And sure enough, one of the local sheriffs saw him, and he
25:04 got out behind him, and he turned on his lights, and
25:07 eventually the man pulled over.
25:09 And he said, "Oh, man, I was in a hurry.
25:10 This is the last thing I need."
25:12 And so, he's a little agitated, and he sees the policeman
25:14 approaching his car.
25:16 He looks and he said, "I think I know that guy.
25:18 That's Fred. He goes to my church."
25:21 And Fred comes over, and he rolls down his window, and he
25:25 says, "Hi Fred."
25:26 He says, "Hi Bob."
25:28 He says, "Hey, Fred," says, "give me a break.
25:29 You know, I was in a hurry, and I've got places to go."
25:32 And he didn't say anything to him.
25:34 And he went behind his car, and he began to write, and,
25:37 oh, Bob got so mad.
25:39 He said, "You know, I wasn't going that fast."
25:42 And he said, as he's back to writing, he gets madder and
25:45 madder, and he rolls up his window, and he folds his arm.
25:48 His insurance rates are going to go up and, "I thought he was a
25:50 friend, and he could've let me off."
25:51 And he's thinking, "This is going to ruin my day."
25:53 And he's thinking about all these things.
25:55 And the policeman comes back over, and he taps his window,
25:58 and Bob just rolls down his window that much for him to drop
26:01 the ticket through.
26:03 And policeman pulls away.
26:07 And he takes the ticket to see, you know, what
26:09 the court date is.
26:10 And he looks. It's not a ticket.
26:12 It's a note, and the note said, "Bob, I lost my four-year-old
26:18 daughter to someone who was speeding three years ago."
26:23 Said, "I'm struggling to forgive that person.
26:26 Forgiving you today might help me in the healing process.
26:30 Please slow down."
26:33 Ooh, so how do you think he felt?
26:36 Did he speed away?
26:39 I mean, that's so many people in the world.
26:42 We forget how much Jesus has given, how much the Father has
26:46 paid in giving His Son, that we might be forgiven
26:49 for our lawlessness.
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Revised 2024-02-23